LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 190
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“Can Kana stop the wind? Or can she stop the flow of water?”
“….”
“It’s the same with people’s hearts. Even if the head says no, the heart feels differently. Sometimes we do foolish things, and sometimes we fall in love at first sight. But I don’t think that’s entirely a bad thing.”
Da-eun offered a fleeting, melancholic smile.
“Even if that leads to fights, hating someone, or turning away from someone you were once close to. As long as there is a heart, there can be salvation.”
“…Da-eun.”
“Without a heart, maybe there wouldn’t be any discord, but I believe a world where everyone only makes rational judgments would surely be a frigid one.”
Fighting, reconciling, hating, loving. That’s what being ‘human’ is all about.
“So, I think wandering wherever my heart leads me is one of the joys of traveling. The heart is a blessing and a miracle bestowed upon humanity.”
When Da-eun finished speaking, none of us could say a word.
Was it because her words resonated deeply?
Or was it because seeing her melancholic smile rendered us speechless?
No.
“You’re really blowing the whole ‘I have no plans’ thing way out of proportion.”
“Uh-huh.”
Who would believe all those words were in response to a simple question about our plans?
In my view, no one would.
I couldn’t quite grasp the nonsense Da-eun was spewing from beginning to end.
“Did you not hear what I just said?”
“I did. Very well, in fact.”
“Then how can you react like that? It was such a touching speech…!”
“…Touching?”
I’m not sure how touching it was, but it definitely left an impression.
Being able to rattle off such words means she’s been thinking about them regularly.
Or maybe she’s seen something like it before.
After all, crops don’t just grow in a field where no seeds are sown; it feels like she’s learned a lot in various ways.
To put it differently, Da-eun’s lengthy speech didn’t give me more or less impression than that.
“And it’s not that I have no plans! ‘Let’s wander wherever our hearts take us!’ is a plan!”
“…Uh, I guess that’s true.”
The absence of a plan doesn’t particularly bother me.
Besides, the trip itself was decided on a whim, like roasting beans in a lightning flash, so there wasn’t much time to prepare anyway.
It’s my fault for tossing out ideas and leaving everything to her, plus I’m not the type to create detailed plans.
“You didn’t say anything, but now you’re rambling because you feel guilty, aren’t you, Da-eun?”
“…Ugh!”
“Have we got a place to stay?”
In that moment, Yuki asked casually to a flustered Da-eun.
Having been dragged into this outing by Da-eun’s invitation, she obviously didn’t know much.
“I’ve prepared the basics like accommodation and a rental car. I also looked into places to visit. Well, it’s more that I already knew from coming here before.”
“Wait, so you had a plan after all.”
“If it’s about being prepared, then I, Shin Da-eun, am the one! Anyway, I haven’t decided what to do exactly. It’s more like we’ll just do whatever we feel like along the way.”
“I’m onboard. What about you, Kana?”
Without a word, I nodded.
We aren’t here to do anything groundbreaking, and visiting was a spur-of-the-moment decision, so maybe doing whatever we feel like is more fitting according to Da-eun’s words?
“…Right! That’s exactly what I was thinking! I thought hard about this, and yet Kana and Yuki didn’t understand….”
“Your voice is trembling.”
“And you didn’t say anything!”
“Why is it that we’re on the same wavelength like this only during times like these? Am I the public enemy here?!”
“You’re not the public enemy; it’s about your behavior, I’d say.”
“Th-that’s harsh! You’ve been trying to leave me out since earlier and saying things just to me…!”
“That’s because you’re the only one saying weird things.”
If it had been Yuki speaking instead of Da-eun, the arrows would have pointed at Yuki.
I wanted to say that.
“I’m upset!”
Da-eun’s sudden shout interrupted my unfinished thought.
Da-eun dashed off, hopped into the car parked in the airport lot.
And poking her head out, she declared,
“If you don’t apologize to me right this moment, I’ll leave you both behind this time!”
“Huh?”
I might abandon the world, but I won’t let the world abandon me.
That was the kind of thing Da-eun said with her eyes wide open.
Suddenly abandoned by Da-eun, we faced each other.
‘What’s her deal?’
‘No clue.’
‘You live with Da-eun, shouldn’t you know?’
‘Well, she is Da-eun.’
‘Ah, I see.’
We exchanged glances, and I wondered if I imagined the thoughts that passed between us.
Perhaps it was my own delusion, but for that brief moment of eye contact, it felt like our thoughts connected.
“Sorry.”
Yuki apologized.
But there was one issue; her apology was clearly lacking in sincerity.
I felt that just from listening, and Da-eun wouldn’t have missed it.
“That was insincere!”
As expected, it only fueled Da-eun’s anger.
Honestly, I didn’t think she was really upset.
I read online that these confrontations are commonly known as WWE these days.
“If you’re going to apologize, make it sincere!”
“I’m sorry.”
“…Adding one more word doesn’t make it sincere!”
“…I’m really sorry?”
“See, saying more words doesn’t mean it’s a sincere apology! An apology needs to come from the heart!”
“You’re being a pain. What kind of apology do you want?”
As if that’s exactly what she wanted to hear, Da-eun slammed the steering wheel.
Bang!
“Whaat?!”
Then, when the horn honked unexpectedly, she jumped in typical Da-eun fashion.
“…Ahem! Like I said earlier, what I want is a genuine apology.”
Clearing her throat, Da-eun subtly glanced around.
“…And I think Kana’s cuteness counts as a sincere apology.”
“Just stay upset forever. Yuki, let’s go.”
See? It really is WWE.
Though she wasn’t genuinely upset, her heart was buried under a layer of mischief, so there was no need to apologize.
Having realized that, I turned away decisively.
Since I knew she was just playing games, Yuki would likely not give it any thought either.
“…?”
But for some reason, Yuki showed no reaction.
As I was about to leave, I looked up to see Yuki resting her chin in her palm.
“I’m kind of intrigued by this.”
“….”
Oh no. Yuki was also catching Da-eun’s bug.
“Isn’t she just naturally cute like that? Imagine how adorable she’d be if she really got into acting cute! It’s not just me, right?”
“Um, for sure.”
“…Since when have you been interested in that kind of thing?”
“I prefer beautiful and cute things rather than ugly ones. In that respect, someone like Kana… um.”
Yuki gave a thumbs up.
Looks like I’m the target this time.
But.
While Da-eun is the host and origin of this Da-eun-disease, slowing down the progress of the infection is a piece of cake.
“Even walking to the accommodation could be a form of training.”
“…!”
Yuki flinched!
But it seemed that wasn’t enough; Yuki quickly masked her surprise with an air of nonchalance.
In that case, I needed to go a bit stronger-
“-If we walk to the accommodation, I might consider giving a reward.”
I lowered my voice slightly compared to usual.
With a subtle tone, Yuki’s body trembled slightly.
“I-I’ll go!”
Bang!
“Me too, I want to go with you!”
Da-eun burst from the car.
“I want to receive a reward too, so say the same things to me…! Why do you only show that voice to Yuki?!”
…Well, I didn’t see that coming.
* * *
Fortunately, we didn’t find ourselves foolishly walking while leaving a perfectly fine rented car behind.
If that had happened, the rental company would surely be bewildered.
No, they probably wouldn’t care since they already got paid.
Thanks to skipping the walk, Yuki was slightly disappointed, but Da-eun didn’t show any signs of gloom.
‘…Did she really just want me to replicate what I said to Yuki earlier?’
She asked for me to repeat my words delivered to Yuki for her, and after complying, it seemed she was pleased.
‘…What’s the appeal of that? Ugh…’
‘Gosh, even a service! Thank you, thank you.’
…Honestly, I felt a little irked at that moment.
Why on earth does she want to hear such words?
I just can’t wrap my head around it.
“I’ve been thinking.”
Da-eun, with the self-driving feature engaged, looked over at me in the passenger seat.
“If we’re in Jeju Island, I think we should definitely visit Hallasan. So how about it? Since it’s already late today, we could go in the morning.”
“Hallasan?”
“Yeah. It’s the tallest mountain in our country, and the view is magnificent. It would have been better in spring… but it is what it is.”
“Um….”
Hallasan, huh.
I wasn’t asking out of ignorance.
It was more like a habitual response to her suggestion.
“If Da-eun likes it, then sure.”
Climbing a mountain isn’t exactly exhausting.
Having accomplished the main purpose of coming out together, I nodded without any particular aversion to Da-eun’s proposal.
“What about you, Yuki?”
“…Do whatever.”
A somewhat sulky voice came from the back seat.
Though she wasn’t thrilled about the situation, she didn’t seem averse to the suggestion itself, as Yuki voiced her consent.
“Great! Then tomorrow morning, we’ll go hiking!”
Da-eun exclaimed with enthusiasm.
It was an impulsive, spur-of-the-moment decision, but.
‘…Not such a bad idea.’
Just like Da-eun said, going with the flow might not be too bad after all.
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