I Wish They’d Just Leave Me Alone 66

Chapter 66

“Hyung, you’re doing snowboarding, right?”

“Yeah. Looks more fun.”

“They say snowboarding is easier than skiing.”

“Ji Yeohoon, be careful not to get hurt. You too, Yoon Cheong.”

“We won’t get hurt. We’ll make sure you don’t get hurt, hyung.”

“Since I’m here, you don’t need to do that.”

“I think I’d be more helpful!”

“Enough, enough. Don’t fight.”

Everyone appeared wearing goggles, hats, and bundled-up clothes, looking puffy.

It was arranged that those without clothes could borrow them, but in the case of me, Yoon Cheong, and Ji Yeohoon, the old man and the lady had already sent us clothes, so we just changed into those and came to rent equipment.

Somehow they knew our personalities well—Yoon Cheong’s clothes were almost entirely black, while Ji Yeohoon’s clothes were extremely colorful.

As a result, one of them looked like a grim reaper who appeared at the ski resort, and the other was so colorful that he would stand out even if he was just standing there.

They both looked good in their outfits, so I deeply felt that the face completes the fashion.

But why am I the only one in a one-piece pink outfit when they both have separates?

“Hyung, your outfit is cute, though.”

“…Shut up.”

“I’m serious!”

“Be quiet.”

I didn’t say I wanted to be small because I wanted to be.

I was about average height, but I was still smaller than those guys.

Maybe it was because it was a one-piece, but the design itself was really cute.

The color was unexpectedly pretty and I did like it, but if it had been a neutral or dark color, it would have given less of a “cute” impression. Somehow, I strongly suspected the lady had deliberately sent this color.

“It suits you.”

“It’s too late.”

“Is it too late?”

“Yeah. I’m already hurt.”

“No, it’s pretty.”

I want to wear something cool too, you Esper bastard. Your outfit is prettier!

I couldn’t say anything to the hero who had lost all tact, but I just glared at him with narrowed eyes, and he pressed his lips together.

I was expecting to grow a bit more.

Currently at about 174cm, I might grow taller during this year.

According to my memory, where my growth stopped around my senior year of high school, I needed to grow a lot this year, but I was confused because some people say height increases with effort, while others say there’s a genetically predetermined height that won’t change.

Being someone who fell short of 180cm by just 1.5cm, I had been drinking milk constantly lately.

After renting equipment, we were sitting near the shop where everyone was supposed to gather.

“Here.”

“Thanks.”

Ye Han-dam brought milk.

A citron tea was placed in front of Yoon Cheong, and an Americano in front of Ji Yeohoon.

We didn’t ask him to bring them; he lost in a game of rock-paper-scissors among our classmates who had gathered first.

When warm or cold drinks were placed in front of the other students as well, we agreed to finish our drinks and then head to the slopes.

“The second-year seniors have already gone skiing.”

“That was quick.”

The ski resort we came to was originally a facility frequently used by ability users like Espers and Guides.

Ordinary people were occasionally seen, but since this ski resort itself was a government-designated discount facility for Espers and Guides, the ratio of ability users was much higher.

Maybe because of that, even the teachers who came with us didn’t seem to care where the other students went.

While Guides blend in with ordinary people without standing out, Espers often attract attention with their appearance, and in cases where their names are known, people might cling to them claiming to be fans, so they often come to avoid the gaze of ordinary people.

Moreover, when there’s a collision, if Espers collide with each other, the equipment would break and that would be the end of it, but if they collide with an ordinary person, there’s a high probability the ordinary person would be seriously injured, so Espers tend to avoid places like regular resorts.

Guides are an exception, I suppose, since they usually have Espers they’re close to who tend to protect them.

In my case, I didn’t want to come because I remembered breaking my leg before the regression, but I came anyway thinking that if I looked like I was going to get hurt, Yoon Cheong would lift me up or Ji Yeohoon would block for me.

“Hyung, who are we waiting for now? When are we going up?”

“Ye Han-seo.”

“Ah…”

Ji Yeohoon made a slightly annoyed face while drinking his coffee.

When I said “he’s your classmate,” he replied that he had decided not to be class president when he moved up to the first year of high school.

We could just tell everyone to split up and ski, then set a time to meet, but we didn’t really have any interaction with the second-year Espers, so it was awkward to approach them, and when we did gather, they all disappeared saying to have fun with a smile.

The teachers who came with us also said that the second-years had particularly strong individualistic tendencies compared to other grades, so they had separate rooms, minimized meeting times, and literally came to ski or snowboard for their own hobby, so they agreed to meet only on the last day and told us we could play by ourselves.

In the end, we were in a strange situation where we were just seeing the same faces we always see, so it felt odd to let just one person play separately.

We were drinking our beverages when Ye Han-seo arrived, and only then did I speak up.

“If we try to eat lunch together now, there’s not much morning time left, so we can only ride once on the short course. So I think it’s better for everyone to get their own lunch, and then we can have dinner together or meet later.”

Everyone seemed to agree, nodding their heads.

Though we could eat alone, it would be better to eat together since we could share different kinds of food that others brought, so we set a meeting place and agreed to gather around 5:30 PM before dispersing.

Although it was a 3-night, 4-day trip, Espers could ski and snowboard from today until we returned, but for ordinary people like me, Oh Ji-hyun, and Do Yoon-seo, it would be too strenuous.

Today, we planned to learn the basics lightly, and then ski hard from tomorrow.

The day after tomorrow, if it doesn’t work out, I thought we could ride sleds as I hugged my snowboard.

“Espers really do learn fast.”

“What do you mean?”

“Learning to use their bodies, they’re really fast.”

They seemed to be debating whether to ski or snowboard, but both Yoon Cheong and Ji Yeohoon were holding snowboards.

It didn’t seem like they wanted to ride this, but as soon as they saw me pick one, they immediately grabbed snowboards too.

Ji Yeohoon said he had skied before, but he quickly learned the snowboard as well and got his posture right, and after watching people coming down from above, he even quickly followed some of the more advanced skills.

Yoon Cheong was the same, learning just the basic posture and precautions before quickly catching up to the level of others.

The problem was me. While I knew that normally I was good at sports and physical education classes—it was just moving around that I found bothersome—I thought I would be okay with snowboarding too.

“Whoa, whoa!”

“It’s okay.”

Yoon Cheong helped me up as I was about to fall several times.

Meanwhile, it was quite impressive to see him following the snowboard instructors, instantly turning his body while riding.

I felt sorry that Yoon Cheong and Ji Yeohoon couldn’t really play as much as they wanted because they were staying close to me, when they probably wanted to ride fast like the others.

“I can learn slowly, so go up to the intermediate or advanced course and ride.”

“No. This is fun.”

“Take it slow. We’re fine staying beside you.”

It’s embarrassing for me, you guys!

I’d fall right over with just a slight turn of my body, and I never thought I’d be this bad at snowboarding.

If it were just falling, I wouldn’t have been so embarrassed since Do Yoon-seo, who was learning to ski up ahead, or Oh Ji-hyun, or even the teachers who said it was their first time, were all falling a lot. But the two of them kept laughing right in front of me, making my face heat up continuously.

These guys really have cheating faces.

It would have been better if they were like those triplets in the distance, knocking each other down and falling while laughing out loud.

Their gazes didn’t feel like those of children, which made me feel strange.

Just because they’ve grown taller doesn’t mean these guys suddenly became adults. Is it because they’ve grown a bit taller?

Now they’re about half a head taller than me and always saying I’m cute, which was frustrating enough to be unfair.

I don’t think there were that many people taller than me when I worked at the Guide Association.

I felt sad that I always felt like a little kid at this school.

Whenever I was about to fall, both of them would catch me as if they had been waiting.

Ah, really, how should I describe this feeling?

“Was I learning to walk for the first time?”

“Walk for the first time?”

“Yeah.”

“You’re learning to snowboard. Not walking.”

That’s how it feels to me, you Esper bastards.

You’re running over to catch me and looking at me as if I’m a baby who just stood up and started walking.

Since they didn’t seem to be doing it consciously, it felt strange to bring it up, so I kept my mouth shut.

Save those kinds of eyes for our Yu-min, you guys seem to be acting like parents these days.

My parents said that he seems to be talking early, taking after his older brother.

Ah, I miss Yu-min.

“Who do you miss?”

“Yu-min.”

“That’s being a doting brother. Don’t suddenly talk about Yu-min like that elsewhere.”

“Hey, Yu-min is so cute. Look at this.”

I took out my phone and showed them a picture of Yu-min wearing a headband that my mom sent yesterday, and Yoon Cheong and Ji Yeohoon came over and pointed at their phones.

See, you guys want Yu-min’s pictures too.

I looked at them as if to say “I won’t give them to you,” and they both lowered their gaze.

Cute guys. Still, I put my phone back in my pocket, thinking “no.”

I was spreading my arms to maintain balance and slowly going down when my body tilted again.

Ah, I’m going to fall again, I thought, and squeezed my eyes shut.

My head knew that since Ji Yeohoon was a bit far away, it would be Yoon Cheong who would catch me as I fell, but when a person is about to fall, don’t they close their eyes first?

“Huh…?”

So I found the something supporting my back a bit unfamiliar this time.

It somehow felt like being caught by arms, so I opened my eyes and saw silvery hair.

As I lowered my gaze, golden eyes were staring directly at me.

“…Ye Han-seo?”

Was he nearby?

The guy who had caught me confirmed that Yoon Cheong and Ji Yeohoon were approaching from a distance, then helped me up and moved away.

“Hyung, are you okay?”

“He didn’t do anything weird, did he?”

“He just caught me when I was falling, nothing else.”

It was unexpected.

Ye Han-seo said that at the moment I was wobbling, as Yoon Cheong was raising his hand to use his ability, Ye Han-seo skied over and caught me.