Getting off the bus and heading in line under the guidance of the travel agency staff, Sihyeon inhaled sharply the moment he saw the ship introduced as the pride of S Travel Agency. The massive vessel felt strangely familiar. It looked exactly like the one from his dream.
“…….”
“Hey, what’s wrong?”
As he stood frozen while staring at the ship, Hamin, who was beside him, nudged him. Sihyeon moved his lips for a moment before shaking his head.
It just looks similar, that’s all.
They say cruise ships all look pretty much alike anyway.
It was white and large—probably why he mistook it. Only after thinking that did he manage to let out the breath he’d been holding.
“It’s nothing.”
At Sihyeon’s delayed response, Hamin shot him a meaningful glance. Pretending not to notice, Sihyeon followed the staff onto the ship. Haeun, who had been unusually quiet until now, finally let his excitement explode once they boarded.
“A cruise! A trip! A ship! It’s HUGE!”
“Please, just—!”
The moment they stepped on board, Haeun shouted, and Hamin, overcome with secondhand embarrassment, quickly clamped a hand over his mouth.
“Mmph! Mmph!”
Even with his mouth covered, Haeun refused to stop trying to shout, making noise over and over. This kind of trip was a first for both Sihyeon and Haru too, but neither of them were this wild. Sihyeon looked at Haeun with a pitiful gaze.
“Pwah—this is AMAZING!”
Finally managing to pry Hamin’s hand off, Haeun burst out in admiration. His golden eyes sparkled as he looked around. It might’ve been exaggerated, but with a reaction like that, it felt like even the teachers would think bringing them here was worth it.
Only after the commotion to calm Haeun down did Sihyeon start scanning the interior of the ship. At first, its resemblance to the one from his nightmare had given him chills, but looking closer, it was so luxurious that it made him forget the nightmare entirely. You’d rarely even see something like this in movies.
Step by step, following the teacher’s guidance that Class A would use the upper floors, Sihyeon looked around everywhere as he went up, swallowing his amazement every few seconds. The massive white ship truly warranted exaggerated exclamations.
It wasn’t just Sihyeon and Haeun who were amazed. Even the other students from different classes could be heard marveling from below. The only ones who seemed unfazed were Hamin and Seowoo. They were, after all, born with diamond and gold spoons respectively. Realizing that again, Sihyeon ran his hand along the railing and looked at his palm. The ship must’ve been drenched in money—it even felt nice to the touch.
“Meals will be served at the onboard buffet-style restaurant, and for accommodations, you’ll be using the pride of the ‘Royal Prince’—the ‘Suite Prince.’”
“—Kgh.”
Hearing the name of the ship and the rooms, Sihyeon stared at the guide with shaking eyes.
For a moment, he wondered if he’d misheard—but judging by the employee’s proud expression, that didn’t seem to be the case.
At this point, the author must’ve lost their mind.
The name alone drained the color from his face. It was so ridiculously cheesy that even the surprise of each room having its own terrace was diminished. What reignited Sihyeon’s shock was seeing the two king-sized beds in the room and the pool located on the fourth floor.
It felt like you could spend 7 nights and 8 days just using all the facilities onboard.
The school must be crazy. No—maybe in this case, it was the Association.
When they said they’d cover all expenses, he’d just thought, “Oh, okay.” But now that he was actually on the ship, he couldn’t even begin to estimate the cost. If this was the level of treatment for Mir Military Academy candidates, what must the actual Mir Military be like?
So it’s true—they really do make a lot of money.
If you can live earning this much… being part of Mir Military doesn’t sound so bad.
It was the first time Sihyeon, who had wanted peace and normalcy, imagined a luxurious future for himself.
Only after checking out all the facilities were they given free time until dinner. Entering their assigned room, Sihyeon opened his mouth as he looked inside. It was practically like they had taken a dorm room and moved it here.
Even though it was just a room on a ship, it was that good.
After checking the wide bed, Sihyeon set his suitcase aside and lay down. As expected, he could probably roll around twice and still be fine.
“There are two beds, so I guess two people will share one!”
“Yeah, I guess.”
Haeun, who had followed him in, claimed the other bed as he spoke. Since it was what Sihyeon had expected from the moment he saw the beds, he nodded. Just then, Hamin, looking pale, pushed past Haru and entered.
Thunk—Hamin stopped right in front of him, and Sihyeon frowned.
“Hey, I—”
“No. Go back.”
“Hah.”
He was rejected before he could even finish. Seeing Sihyeon refuse without a shred of hesitation, Hamin scowled.
“Sleep with me.”
“Go back.”
“Then YOU sleep with Kang Haeun!”
“Hey.”
“What are you even saying? I’m sleeping with Haru-hyung, so move.”
“I’d rather sleep with Ban Haru.”
“Not happening.”
“Hey!”
Guys, even I get hurt if you talk like that right in front of me, you know?
As Hamin and Sihyeon fiercely pushed each other back and forth over who would sleep with Haeun, Haeun, who had been ignored multiple times, made a tearful face. But neither of them cared whether he looked upset or cried. As they continued arguing, Haeun pouted and looked at Haru, who was quietly standing there.
“Tch. If you’re gonna be like that, then I’ll sleep with Haru-hyung! Haru-hyung! Let’s sleep together!”
“Ah….”
Haru hesitated at the sudden suggestion. After a moment of thought, his answer was enough to plunge Haeun into despair.
“I… want to sleep with Sihyeon.”
“Ah….”
“See? We actually want each other here. You go wrestle with Kang Haeun.”
“…Ha, damn it.”
With a single sentence from Haru, the situation was settled. Pleased that Haru had chosen to sleep with him, Sihyeon patted the spot beside him. After hesitating a few times, Haru finally sat on the bed. Meanwhile, the defeated Lee Hamin trudged over to Haeun’s bed.
“Sleep on the floor!”
Haeun looked thoroughly sulky. And Hamin, in response, successfully dragged Haeun off the bed by force. Despite Haeun repeatedly calling for help during the process, Sihyeon ignored him and lay back, staring at the fancy lighting.
“The room’s really nice.”
“Hey, let go of this!”
“…Yeah.”
“Hey, Lee Hamin!”
“Is this your first time on a cruise too, hyung?”
“Yeah.”
“Whaaaaat….”
Even amid the chaos, Sihyeon and Haru continued their conversation as if used to it. It hadn’t even been 10 minutes since they entered the room, yet blankets and pillows were already strewn all over the floor by Hamin and Haeun. Watching them, Sihyeon shook his head.
Seeing them like that, they might act disgusted with each other, but they actually seemed to get along well.
Beep beep beep—
The phone alarm rang through the cabin. Waking up slowly, Sihyeon turned it off and sat up. Haru was sleeping right next to him. They had gone to sleep apart, but it seemed he had rolled over in his sleep.
Checking the time, Sihyeon was startled at how much time had passed after just closing his eyes for a bit.
5:30.
Dinner started at 5:40. Sihyeon looked at Haru, who was sleeping soundly. He looked like a well-behaved child, making it hard to wake him—but if they went late, it’d be crowded and uncomfortable. Since he had already planned with Haeun to go before opening time, Sihyeon shook Haru gently.
“Hyung.”
“…….”
“Haru-hyung.”
Let’s go eat. Even after shaking him several times, Haru didn’t budge. As Sihyeon looked troubled, Hamin—who had been sharing the bed with Haeun—picked up the pillow he’d been using.
“Hey, move.”
“You’re not going to throw that, are you?”
“You’re too slow at waking him up.”
What’s slow about this?
So instead of waking someone gently, you throw a pillow at them? Dumbfounded, Sihyeon stared at him as Hamin scoffed and told him to just watch. Then he hurled the pillow toward Haru.
Whoosh!
As the pillow flew violently through the air, Sihyeon’s eyes widened in shock. And in that exact moment, Haru woke up.
Thud!
“…….”
In an instant, Hamin’s pillow was embedded in the opposite wall.
“He’s up.”
Snickering, Hamin spoke. Sihyeon’s gaze moved from the lodged pillow back to Haru. Just as Hamin said, Haru was now sitting up groggily, clearly unaware of what he had just done.
…Can you not reveal you’re an Assassin class like this?
From now on, Sihyeon decided he would only wake Haru up gently.
After getting Haru ready, they headed to the restaurant, where Seowoo and Geonwoo were waiting for them. Seeing this, it didn’t really feel like a school trip. Being surrounded by the same people as always made even an unfamiliar place feel forcibly familiar.
“Where are Dawoon and Jihye?”
“They said they’re eating separately.”
“Separately?”
“Yeah. Said they’re escaping this den of men to enjoy a girls’ date.”
That definitely sounded like something Jihye would say.
Thinking it was very like them, Sihyeon waited in front of the restaurant until opening time and entered as the first guest. The flashy interior didn’t impress him much, but the freshly prepared food was another story—it was deeply satisfying. After finishing a hearty meal, Sihyeon quickly left the restaurant as it began to fill up.
“Good thing we ate early.”
“Yeah.”
Seowoo responded naturally to his muttering. As Sihyeon glanced at him, Seowoo, walking in step beside him, smiled leisurely.
“Recreation starts at 11! Should we practice the dance a bit before then?”
It was originally scheduled for 10—guess it got pushed back. Hearing this from Haeun, who had picked up information somewhere again, Sihyeon waved his hand dismissively.
“No thanks. We practiced it to death already. We can just run through it once or twice 30 minutes before.”
“Hmm, should we?”
“Yeah. It’s a school trip—we can’t spend all our time practicing again.”
Seowoo backed him up, persuading Haeun. After a moment of thought, Haeun agreed and then left, saying he’d go hang out with other friends until then. Naturally, as they stepped out onto the terrace, only Geonwoo, Haru, and Seowoo remained.
Why just the three of them?
“Where’s Lee Hamin?”
“In the room, playing games.”
“Ah.”
That guy’s insane.
Sihyeon was convinced—Lee Hamin was addicted to gaming. Even normally, he played phone games endlessly, but coming on a school trip just to game was absurd. Letting out a hollow laugh, Sihyeon leaned against the railing. It came up to his chest, sturdy enough that he wouldn’t fall even if he leaned back.
Of course, that was based on Sihyeon’s height.
As he tilted his head back, Haru watched him nervously. To Sihyeon, it felt perfectly stable—but to Haru, it seemed like he might fall at any moment. Reaching out, Sihyeon ruffled Haru’s hair for the first time in a while.
“It’s okay.”
As if soothing him, he spoke—and only then did Haru relax. While fixing the hair he had messed up, Sihyeon felt two gazes on him. Turning his head, he looked between the two boys staring intently at him.
Suddenly, he remembered something Yoo Seowoo had said.
Hmm.
“…Want me to do it for you too?”
Rather than getting into another argument with Yoo Seowoo, it seemed better to just pat them once, even if it felt a bit awkward. Thinking he should refrain from patting Haru when Seowoo was around, Sihyeon spoke—and Seowoo burst into laughter.
His laughter rang refreshingly over the sea. It felt like a scene straight out of a youth drama.
It would’ve been better if he weren’t the one here.
But what could he do—the female lead had gone off on a “date” with her friend. Maybe this was the karma he had to pay as her childhood friend. Blinking, Sihyeon felt wronged.
Technically, it wasn’t even him—it was this body that had been her friend.
“Honestly, I prefer it when you do it whenever you feel like it, like before.”
“……?”
At Seowoo’s sudden comment, Sihyeon tilted his head. It seemed like a response to what he had said earlier—but why bring it up after such a pause?
“What do you mean, ‘like before’?”
“At the Monthly Evaluation.”
“Ah.”
Now that he thought about it, he had casually patted him back then too. It wasn’t because he wanted to—it was more to comfort him. If he said something wrong, it’d probably turn into another jealousy issue, and then something about “friends” again—it’d be a hassle. So he kept his mouth shut, and silence fell.
He liked the quiet atmosphere—it had been a while. The sea breeze wasn’t bad either. The ship was moving incredibly fast, so looking down made him dizzy—but he could just not look.
Still, this Barrier is fascinating.
Since the ship was moving quickly, the wind naturally grew stronger. Yet this Barrier blocked it while letting a softened breeze pass through to preserve the cruise experience. Just what level did someone have to reach to deploy something like this?
And it’s done by a machine, apparently.
A machine gifted by an S-class Ranker Healer.
Watching the faintly shimmering Barrier with renewed curiosity, Sihyeon noticed more students coming outside and checked his phone.
9:30.
He hadn’t even done anything, yet time had flown. It felt like someone had stolen his time. Realizing it was already night, Sihyeon glanced at the dark sky and flinched.
Night.
Suddenly, the scene from his dream resurfaced.
Sihyeon quickly straightened his leaning body and looked around. His sudden movement drew the attention of the others, who had been lounging around.
Whooooosh—
For some reason, the wind felt harsher than before.
Probably just his imagination.
Furrowing his brows, an ominous feeling wrapped around his entire body. And usually, feelings like this—
KWA-BOOM!
“Kyaaah!”
—were never wrong.
As the ship came to a grinding halt with a deafening crash, as if it had collided with something, Sihyeon bit his lip.
