Chapter 126
As Seo-jung was recalling the events of the early morning, Sae-young’s voice was heard again.
“Is it because of Cha Yoon oppa? Are you worried?”
“…Yeah, I guess so.”
Unable to share all his concerns and thoughts, Seo-jung simply nodded.
“It’s understandable since you were in the car together. But they said there were no other issues, right? Cha Yoon oppa also said he’d come in the evening, so let’s not worry too much. Okay?”
“Yeah, I’ll try.”
As Cha Yoon was mentioned, Woo-jun, who seemed to have overheard, looked towards them with a dejected expression. Perhaps because he had been driving the previous day, Woo-jun seemed to be constantly concerned, even though it wasn’t his fault. Seo-jung smiled at Woo-jun to ease his burden and then turned his gaze back to Sae-young.
“Looks like everyone’s found their luggage. Let’s head out too.”
“Alright.”
Sae-young and Seo-jung finished their conversation and started walking.
The cast members who came out of the airport loaded their luggage onto the limousine bus that had arrived earlier. Unlike previous seasons, the decision to prepare a large limousine instead of an open car was made in consideration of the near-accident that had occurred the day before.
After putting all their luggage in the trunk, the cast members boarded the bus. Once all passengers were confirmed to be on board, the bus slowly headed towards the new X House.
The bus that left the airport was soon smoothly cruising along the coastal road.
“Look at the color of the sea. It’s emerald, really beautiful. Is that Hyeopjae?”
“Yeah, that’s Hyeopjae Beach. Seeing the sea makes me want to play with my feet in the water.”
“Me too. It would be really nice if we could see a sea like that in front of the X House.”
The voices of Ji-yoon and Joo-ah, sounding more excited than usual, could be heard. Seo-jung also took in the view of the blue coastline visible through the bus window. Despite the picturesque scene that could draw exclamations, Seo-jung felt no excitement. It was natural, as his mind was elsewhere.
As he stared out the window with an indifferent expression, the bus soon approached their accommodation and slowed down.
Only after the vehicle came to a complete stop did the cast members exit through the opened bus door. Exclamations escaped from the mouths of those who got off first.
“Wow, what’s with our new X House? Isn’t this like a palace? This is insane!”
“Look over there, we can see the sea right from here!”
The excited cast members burst into laughter.
“Let’s go inside and check out the interior quickly.”
Nodding in agreement with Min-ha’s exclamation, the cast members entered the X House, pulling their suitcases. Following the neatly laid marble path, they could see the spacious interior at a glance.
The X House in Seoul had been spacious, but this pension, which was incomparably larger, was luxurious enough to deserve being called a palace. From the palm trees planted here and there to the large outdoor pool located in the center of the building, everything was enough to evoke the image of a grand mansion.
“Wow, there’s even a pool. Should we all play in the water later?”
“I’m totally in favor! I’ll finally get to use my swimsuit.”
Seo-jung half-listened to the conversations of the cast members speaking with voices full of excitement. As the voices gradually became quieter, he opened his mouth.
“Let’s explore more later and unpack our luggage first, shall we?”
“Sure, I was wanting to put my stuff down anyway.”
“That side has the private spaces, right?”
Let’s hurry and check out the rooms. The cast members started moving again after stopping near the pool. Walking a bit further, they came across several buildings that could be used by individuals, as indicated by the signs.
“The numbers from 1 to 4 written on the side of these buildings are for us, right?”
“That’s what it said on the mission card earlier.”
Groups naturally divided by gender opened the closed building doors.
“What is this? It’s really too nice!”
I want to use this one with Ji-yoon unnie! The cast members who had opened the doors all raised their voices, deciding which room they would use. Seo-jung, who had been standing a bit apart, approached only after the other cast members had mostly decided on their rooms.
“Seo-jung hyung hasn’t chosen a room yet, right? Where are you going to stay?”
“Well, I don’t really mind anywhere.”
“Hyung, then stay with us! We have one bed left in our room.”
Soo-ho’s eyes sparkled as he made the suggestion. He had even rolled up his sleeves as if ready to drag Seo-jung if necessary.
“But shouldn’t we leave a place for Cha Yoon to use?”
“Ah, right. I forgot about Yoon hyung… Then what should we do?”
It was Min-wook who brought up Cha Yoon, who hadn’t arrived in Jeju yet. At the mention of Cha Yoon’s name, Seo-jung’s body flinched again. Having shared a room for three weeks, it would seem most natural for Seo-jung to share with him, but he couldn’t easily say it.
Amidst the silence among the male cast members, it was none other than Woo-jun who spoke up.
“I’ll share a room with Yoon.”
“You, Woo-jun?”
“Yeah, just in case there’s anything he needs to be taken care of.”
Woo-jun seemed to feel responsible for what had happened the day before. Although there wasn’t anything that could be considered his fault, it wasn’t hard to understand Woo-jun’s feelings. Hearing this, Min-wook and Soo-ho nodded.
“Alright, then Woo-jun will share with Cha Yoon, and Seo-jung will stay with us.”
Min-wook clapped his hands, concluding the situation. Soo-ho, who had been quietly waiting, grabbed Seo-jung’s shoulder.
“Seo-jung hyung, let’s go in quickly. The accommodation is really nice.”
Seo-jung, who had briefly glanced at the accommodation where Woo-jun would be staying, soon moved his steps, unable to resist Soo-ho’s force.
As they unpacked and chatted about various things, the sun began to set. The cast members gradually came out of their rooms and gathered in the common area.
The space with one wall entirely made of glass was perfect for watching the setting sun. Seo-jung sat on one side of the sofa, his eyes fixed on the window.
He once again recalled the memories of the previous day, which he had already replayed several times. More precisely, Cha Yoon’s actions after he regained consciousness after losing it for quite some time.
Seo-jung tried to view the situation as objectively and coolly as possible. Clearly, the behavior Cha Yoon showed after waking up was different from usual. He used informal speech and forms of address he rarely used, and showed consideration that the 22-year-old Cha Yoon wouldn’t have shown.
But could he conclude that Cha Yoon’s memories had returned based on just a few words and actions? Doubt bloomed in Seo-jung’s heart.
Seo-jung knew that he had been overly emotional and cornered at the time. That’s why he wasn’t confident in the conclusion he had drawn. Was it just an overinterpretation born from his desire for him to return? People sometimes act or speak differently than usual after experiencing a big shock. Thinking this way, even Cha Yoon’s actions immediately after waking up weren’t completely implausible.
So don’t get lost in unnecessary thoughts. Seo-jung, who had already experienced hope turning into frustration multiple times, tried hard to organize his thoughts.
Min-wook, sitting next to him and also looking at the sky, spoke up while swirling the glass in his hand.
“We’re getting hungry, should we start thinking about dinner?”
“Let’s do that. What do you want to eat?”
‘How about pizza?’, ‘I always want to eat raw fish when I come to Jeju.’ The cast members started mentioning the dishes they wanted to eat.
“Come to think of it, it’s been a really long time since we’ve had this kind of conversation.”
“We didn’t need to worry about the menu before. Cha Yoon prepared everything for us, didn’t he?”
“That’s right. Ah, I really miss Yoon hyung.”
“You, you just want to eat the food Cha Yoon oppa makes.”
“No, it’s not like that. I’m really worried about Yoon hyung!”
Sae-young laughed at Soo-ho’s sulky voice. Seo-jung’s eyes, which had been fixed on the window, became clear again. The occasional mention of Cha Yoon, even when he wasn’t present, kept nudging Seo-jung. Because of this, his thoughts, which were already full of Cha Yoon, couldn’t help but stretch to their limit.
“Whatever we decide, we need to go out and buy it, so let’s move quickly. Who wants to come with me to the city?”
“I’ll go with Joo-ah unnie.”
“I’ll tag along too, to check out the market.”
As Joo-ah raised her arm and waved her hand, cast members including Min-ha and Ji-yoon stood up. Naturally, a shopping team was formed. Seo-jung, who wasn’t part of it, waved to the people going shopping.
“I’ll stay at home and prepare some snacks.”
“Okay, don’t prepare too much, just rest.”
The cast members who waved back soon left the living room. As soon as the door closed, Da-bin turned around.
“Shall we prepare quickly and rest while waiting for the others?”
“That sounds good to me too. What do you think, Seo-jung?”
“I’ll just do whatever you guys tell me to.”
Woo-jun, who had stayed behind, supported Da-bin’s words. As Seo-jung nodded, Da-bin assigned tasks to the two of them as if she were a general in command.
“Woo-jun, can you go outside and pick some basil and herbs?”
“Sure, I’ll go right now.”
Woo-jun went outside as Da-bin instructed. Seo-jung’s task was to help Da-bin make a Caprese salad. It was called helping, but in reality, it was just arranging the already cut ingredients according to the shape, but anyway, that’s what it was.
As Seo-jung washed the tomatoes and placed them on the cutting board, Da-bin started cutting. The sound of the knife hitting the board was heard at a steady rhythm. Where are the plates? As Seo-jung was rummaging through the cupboards, Da-bin made an “ah” sound as if she had remembered something.
“I forgot to tell Woo-jun to bring rosemary too. Seo-jung, can you slice the remaining tomatoes and mozzarella to this thickness and put them on a plate? I’ll go get the rosemary.”
“I can finish preparing the ingredients and go get it.”
“No, I just realized I left my phone in the room, so I need to go there anyway. Keep working on it.”
Da-bin quickly washed her hands and shook off the water as she left through the living room. Seo-jung, left alone in the kitchen, stared at the space where Da-bin had disappeared for a moment before turning his head.
As even the person who had been with him disappeared, thoughts of Cha Yoon naturally crept in again. Did he receive the tests well? The results should have shown no abnormalities this time too. Seo-jung, who had been helplessly thinking about Cha Yoon, soon came to his senses.
He gripped the knife again. Just as he was cutting the tomatoes to size, thinking only of Da-bin’s words, there was a “ding” sound as the front door opened.
Already back? The place where the herbs were was quite far from the common area. Just as he was about to turn his gaze towards the living room with a puzzled expression at the seemingly too early return:
“Da-bin, are you already back…?”
Seo-jung couldn’t finish his sentence. It was because of the man who appeared in front of him, looking at him. The man, dressed in a white shirt and slacks, sent a steady gaze as if he had no interest in anything but Seo-jung.
“What should I do?”
The man raised the corners of his mouth with a playful face.
“I’m not Da-bin.”
It was the appearance of Cha Yoon, whom he had been waiting for so long.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
