TRPM 412

chapter 412

Fafnir flew people through the sky for several hours.

It flew happily, as if it were a dog that hadn’t been able to go on a walk for a long time finally getting a chance to stretch its legs.

The difference from a dog, of course, was that Fafnir’s stamina was practically limitless unless my internal energy ran out, so it didn’t get tired midway.

‘It’s really excited,’ I thought.

While flying, Fafnir even provided little “services” to the people riding on its back without being told to. Watching that, I headed toward the beach in front of the resort.

Because everyone who wanted to ride Fafnir had gone to the helipad on the resort’s rooftop, the beach was relatively quiet.

‘… To be precise…’

Apart from me, Lee Ha-eun, Elena, and Elliot—nobody else was riding Fafnir. There were safety staff present, but we could practically ignore them. They were probably nervous about working from today, but seeing that we were the only guests, they must have felt quite awkward.

“Love! Let’s go!”

Woof!

“Oh, you’re fast! Think you can keep up with me?”

Woof!

And so, we enjoyed the empty beach.

… Strictly speaking, Lee Ha-eun and Elliot were having a race with Love, but Elena and I weren’t participating.

‘It’s not even summer, so it’s a bit odd to go into the sea.’

Since the weather was almost winter-like, we hadn’t come in clothes suitable for swimming. We just wore sandals in case sand got in our shoes while walking along the beach.

“… This is boring,” Elena said, just watching the waves.

“You could ask the resort to do water sports, but if you still don’t want to get in the water, there’s nothing else to do.”

“… Let’s leave those two to run with the dog and go in ourselves?”

“You might get blamed later, you know?”

“It doesn’t matter whether Elliot blames us or not… Ha-eun will probably forgive us immediately if we buy her a parfait at the dessert shop near her school.”

Putting aside how harsh Elliot’s treatment was, I agreed that buying a parfait would probably cheer Ha-eun up. There shouldn’t be a problem going in now.

“I think there’s an arcade inside. Want to spend some time there?”

“An arcade at the resort…?”

“So what? They made it for people to use, so let’s use it.”

True enough.

Elena and I left Lee Ha-eun and Elliot behind and spent some time in the arcade inside the resort. The facilities were surprisingly good, and it was fun.

“Die! Die!”

“……”

Elena, revealing her nature while playing a zombie-killing game in public, didn’t cause any problems. Most of the people who had flown with Fafnir had gone to check out other facilities rather than the arcade, so it was just Elena and me.

‘People are starting to come to the arcade now.’

Young boys, mostly following their families, began enjoying the games.

“It’s getting crowded. Let’s leave,” I said.

“Huh? Not playing anymore?”

“… If we continue, we might curse in front of everyone.”

The arcade was noisy anyway, so no one would notice, but she insisted, so we left.

As we stepped outside, familiar hanbok caught my eye.

‘… Of course, among all these people, someone wearing hanbok alone is bound to stand out.’

It was Jin Cheonha. I had hoped it wasn’t.

“Ah, Geon-woo! Elena!”

Kang Garam, with Jin Cheonha, waved at us warmly.

“Hello, Garam, Cheonha.”

“Hello.”

“Weren’t Ha-eun and Elliot with you at the opening ceremony? Where are they now?”

“They’re probably running along the coast with Love by now.”

If they got tired, they would have returned to the room to rest, but I couldn’t imagine them getting tired while playing.

“Hmm? So it’s just the two of them together?”

“And?”

“Geon-woo, are you okay if Geum Taeyang takes Ha-eun?”

What…?

“Geum Taeyang? Ah, I see. I understand what you’re worried about.”

Elena seemed to understand what Kang Garam meant.

“However, let me clarify. Elliot may be a blonde troublemaker, but he hasn’t tanned, and surprisingly, he doesn’t like stealing a girl someone else likes.”

“Wow, that’s really unexpected.”

“Hmm. Unexpected indeed.”

“What kind of Elliot do you imagine in your head?”

Even though Elliot was obsessed with dueling and didn’t study much, he was diligent at times. He wasn’t unintelligent, judging by how he fought.

“… But I think the Elliot in your mind isn’t exactly normal either.”

Anyway.

“So if Ha-eun keeps rejecting you because she’s tired of you, Geon-woo, and turns to Elliot instead, what will you do?”

“Hmmm….”

I imagined it for a moment. Ha-eun dating Elliot? And marrying him? Hmm…

“Then I guess I’d have to surpass him first if I want to marry Ha-eun.”

“Wait… is there even anyone in this world who can surpass you?”

“Isn’t this more about your parents’ viewpoint than our peers’?”

Garam and Elena gave me a rotten look as they said that. … I know. But what am I supposed to do about my mental age?

“By the way, why are you two together? Shouldn’t you be with your families?”

I tried to change the subject by looking at Kang Garam and Jin Cheonha.

“Oh, until just now we were with our families, but our parents and Cheonha’s parents had some business to discuss, so we decided to hang out by ourselves.”

“They said it was about business, but they went into a pub. Since minors can’t enter, we were naturally left out.”

I looked toward the pub Cheonha pointed out. It didn’t seem suitable for business discussions, but maybe it was just an excuse to have a light drink together.

‘It’s not my concern,’ I thought and turned away.

“Shall we go have dinner then?”

I remembered the explanation from the staff who showed me the room. Breakfast was provided by the resort, but for lunch and dinner, we could either go to restaurants inside the resort or order there.

“Oh, I think I should eat with my family?”

“So do I,” Cheonha agreed.

“Then go ask if it’s okay for us to eat together.”

They nodded and headed toward the pub where their families were. If their families were planning to keep drinking, they’d probably allow it.

“So, what will we eat for dinner?”

“I’m not sure. Let’s look around first.”

Looking around, there were many restaurants from well-known brands. The guild probably placed them carefully, so any choice would be fine.

“Was there any food in Korea you didn’t like?”

“Not really, though I haven’t tried silkworm pupae, skate, live octopus, or blood jelly. I don’t want to try them either.”

Hmm…

“Do you like seafood?”

Since we were at a seaside resort, seafood would be ideal.

“I don’t dislike it, but as I said, skate…”

“Oh, not skate,” I said, pointing to a restaurant on the guideboard. Its name made it clear what kind of dishes it specialized in.

“… Oysters?”

“Probably. Yes, that’s right.”

“Oh, I remember hearing oysters are really cheap in Korea.”

“They are.”

Not extremely cheap, though—the black mist reduced marine production, raising prices, including oysters. But relatively, Korean oysters were still inexpensive globally.

“We’re here!”

“We got permission, but have you chosen the menu?”

“Yes. We’ll have oyster dishes.”

Garam and Cheonha nodded, and we headed to the oyster restaurant.

“I’m full…”

“I didn’t know there were so many oyster dishes…”

“I’ve eaten oysters before, but never stacked and served like this…”

Everyone enjoyed the oyster dishes. The oysters themselves were high quality, and the chef’s skill helped.

‘… Too bad there’s no alcohol.’

I wanted to pour soju into the oyster shells… But I’m a minor, so I couldn’t drink openly. Oh, I can’t wait to become an adult.

While I was thinking that, a staff member placed four cups filled with a liquid on our table.

This is…

‘Sujeonggwa.’

I naturally picked up my cup and drank it. The others did the same.

“… Ack…!”

“… Ahem…!”

“Ugh… bitter… what is this?”

The children were surprised by the ginger bitterness and put their cups down.

‘Sujeonggwa does taste bitter because of the ginger.’

After drinking half of my cup, I asked the others,

“Is it that bitter?”

“A bit too much.”

“This is fine. You’re just surprised.”

Garam and Cheonha said it wasn’t unpalatable, just startling.

“… I thought it was sweet water and drank too much…”

Elena, not used to the bitterness, rinsed her mouth with water. I said,

“It’s healthy. Drink slowly.”

“Okay…”

She drank cautiously, and after getting used to the taste a little, she drank smoothly.

“Phew… it’s bitter, but also sweet. Is there more?”

She liked it and asked for more. Amused, the restaurant owner even bottled some Sujeonggwa for Elena, and she happily headed back to the room.