LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 193
“Ugh… Hwaaaak…”
“…”
“Hwiieeek…!”
“…”
“J-Just a little… Hwaaaah… If we go slowly, I swear, ugh!”
“Really.”
…What a drama queen.
As I swallowed my words with a sigh and stopped walking, Yuki, who had been walking next to me, also came to a halt.
Then she turned her head and said, “You’re out of shape.”
“Huwaa…!”
A zombie was staggering towards us on the path we had come from.
“Kyaaaak! …Oh, it’s a person. I thought it was a monster.”
The hiker coming from the opposite direction was startled by Da-eun’s appearance and immediately put a hand to their chest.
With a face like they’d seen a ghost, the hiker shot a quick glance back at us as they turned the corner and disappeared from sight.
Goodness, how shocked were they to react like that?
“Here.”
As Da-eun approached, I handed her my water bottle, which she took without a word.
No thanks needed, though I wasn’t bothered.
I’m not heartless enough to expect gratitude from someone who just narrowly escaped death.
“Drink slowly.”
She might choke.
Normally, Da-eun would have said something like, “Kana, you’re so kind…” or, “I’m so moved!” when I said that, but she was too busy gulping down the water.
It’s impressive that she isn’t choking while drinking like that.
“Puhah!”
Da-eun drained half the water bottle in one go.
“Now I feel a bit better…”
And she wiped her mouth, saying, “It’s not that I’m out of shape; you guys are just too fast. Didn’t you see how people were shocked earlier?”
“So those people must be out of shape too, right?”
“…Yuki, the world isn’t as simple as you think. Have you ever considered that it’s not that people are out of shape, but that you’re over-exercising?”
“I haven’t thought about that?”
“Right. I figured as much.”
That’s so typical of Yuki.
Da-eun shook her head and returned the water bottle to me.
“Thanks for letting me drink. Appreciate it.”
“Sure.”
“But did I drink too much? What if I get thirsty later?”
“You won’t die just because you’re thirsty.”
“When Kana says that, it doesn’t sound like a joke…”
“?”
I tilted my head.
“Don’t give me that ‘I was serious’ look.”
“But I actually was serious.”
“…That doesn’t mean you should say it out loud.”
“But it’s true.”
It’s not like going a few days without food or water will kill you.
“That’s not weakness; that’s just normal…”
Da-eun gave an incredulous look and sighed deeply.
“You, Kana, and you, Yuki. Why are there no ordinary people around me?”
“I think you know the answer to that.”
“Not at all~?”
From the way she dragged out her words, it was clear she understood the meaning behind my words.
Da-eun pretended not to understand and glanced around as if trying to change the subject.
And if anyone is uniquely odd, it’s definitely Da-eun.
People really can’t see themselves objectively, can they?
But that thought stayed in my mind while the words that came out of my mouth were different.
“So, you don’t like it?”
“Huh? What?”
“Being around us.”
“W-Why the sudden question…?”
Da-eun waved her arms around, flustered by my sudden question.
“H-How could I dislike it! It’s so cute…”
“So, if you thought we weren’t cute, you’d dislike us?”
“Ugh, are you trying to mess with me?”
If you mess with me, you’ll get punished!
Da-eun’s lips curled into a sly smile.
“Ah.”
At that moment, I was lifted off the ground.
Hadn’t I just been dying a second ago? Da-eun, as if to lament my demise, effortlessly hoisted me up and started shaking me around.
“If you tire yourself out and fall behind, I’ll really leave you behind this time.”
“Huh? What are you saying? If I hug Kana, my strength will be recharged! There’s no way I would tire out! You know, sometimes, Kana says the weirdest things.”
“The weird one is your head, not me.”
“No, listen to me.”
“Not really interested in hearing it.”
It’s pretty clear it’ll just be some stupid talk, do I really need to listen?
But Da-eun didn’t care about my reluctance and opened her mouth.
“Well, there’s this saying. Even if you’re rejected at work, insulted, or humiliated, when you get home and see your children’s faces welcoming you, it all fades away. It’s the same thing. Seeing something cute makes you forget the hardships.”
“That’s a totally different story.”
“Not for me, it’s the same!”
“…Sigh.”
As always, the conversation ended with my resigned sigh.
Arguing any further would be pointless.
She’d definitely start spewing endless nonsense if I kept it up.
While my feet remained up in the air, I turned and asked Yuki.
“How much longer?”
Yuki looked at a nearby sign and replied.
“Um… about thirty minutes.”
“That’s not too long, considering.”
“Right? I didn’t know since it’s my first time here, but with this timing, it’s a nice spot for a casual stroll.”
“…That’s because we’re going way too quickly. Ordinary people can’t climb this fast! Look!”
Da-eun pulled out her phone and started searching for something.
While one arm was busy holding me up, her fingers were moving about skillfully, making me think, do we really need to go this far?
“Average hiking time: 4 hours and 30 minutes. Do you see that? But do you know how long it took us to get here?”
“…Do we need to know?”
“Of course! I need to prove I’m not out of shape!”
Was it really that unfair?
Da-eun was pouring out the frustration she’d been holding back since we started.
“Three hours! It took us only three hours from the trailhead to here! And that’s considering we took breaks too!”
“Times written at those places tend to be generous. Following map apps means usually arriving ahead of time.”
“No way can it be off by over an hour!”
They were bickering… really, it seemed like it was only Da-eun fired up.
Anyway, tired of just listening, I decided to throw my body in to intervene.
“…Ah!”
I ignored her disappointed voice and sprang forward.
Finally free and feeling the ground beneath my feet with a sense of relief, I said, “I think we’ve rested enough, let’s go.”
“…Already? It’s not even been five minutes.”
“You said you’re charged, right?”
“…”
She didn’t have the heart to deny her proud proclamation.
Her mouth, which had been chattering away, suddenly fell silent.
If she denied it, I would have jumped right back into her arms every time to lecture her, but maybe she sensed that instinctively, so she said nothing.
Da-eun walked like a cow being led to slaughter, her shoulders slumped.
And with big puppy eyes like a cow, she filled with tears.
“Can’t you at least hold my hand…?”
“…Aren’t you a kid?”
“Hmph.”
“Why ask for a hand to hold when you’ll just complain the whole time?”
“I didn’t expect it to be this intense… I’ve been punished for not understanding the customer’s preferences…”
Whining while half-crying, Da-eun managed to keep up with us as we resumed our hike.
It was a weekday, and relatively early in the morning.
Combined with the fact that it wasn’t a vacation season, I expected fewer people, but to my surprise, there were quite a number of hikers on the same path as us.
Some looked like families, while others appeared to be part of some gathering.
They were a colorful array of groups, with no common identity.
But they did have one thing in common.
“Hello! You’re here with a friend?”
“Hello! Yes, I’m with a friend!”
“That’s nice to see. Is that your younger sister? She looks young, following her older sister to places like this; how sweet! My kids just fight every time they see each other…”
“Hehe. My younger sister is pretty great.”
It was simply greeting people we made eye contact with, or passing folks by.
Whether it was a simple nod or a chatty greeting, it seemed everyone was enjoying it.
“It’s not like it’s mandatory to do so… but, why not? It doesn’t cost anything, and a simple hello can lift the mood, so it’s not a bad thing, right?”
“Hmm… I suppose that’s true.”
Even though I don’t think I’d do it just because I was told, I understood what they meant.
In short, it’s ‘good vibes, good times.’
“…Though it feels a bit different. But whatever.”
Da-eun quickly erased her frown.
We passed an older lady resting briefly in a clearing as we continued on.
Da-eun’s breathing had already become shallow some time ago, and while Yuki didn’t show it, beads of sweat had formed on the back of her neck.
Of course, I felt fine.
If I wanted to, I could climb up this hill in no time; there’s no way I’d struggle with it.
But, it seems we’re nearing the end.
“Ah…!”
Suddenly, Da-eun quickened her pace.
Having been left behind the whole trek, she dashed ahead of us.
Not wanting to fall behind, Yuki chased after Da-eun.
“Finally…!”
The man-made stairs came to an end, and a vast sky opened up.
At the start of our journey, I had been worried about the bad weather, but as if to laugh at my worries, the clear blue sky welcomed us.
And beneath, a lake reflected the sky, shining in a vibrant blue.
It looked as though the sky had spread down to the earth.
As I approached the lake, lost in this dual-sky view, I was suddenly stopped by a pillar.
“When you think of Jeju Island, you think of Hallasan. And Hallasan is famous for Baengnokdam, but it’s surprisingly rare to see this view.”
Da-eun, noticing my approach, called out.
But her gaze remained fixed on the lake.
“It frequently gets foggy, and even when it rains, the water drains quickly. So, you really need to be lucky to see this view, they say.”
When Da-eun finally turned her head, her brown eyes were now wide with amazement.
“In that sense, we were indeed very lucky.”
How about it? Wasn’t it worth coming?
Her voice didn’t reach me, but her eyes clearly spoke that to me.
“Yep.”
I also wore a smile that mirrored hers.
And without taking my eyes off her face, I replied, “It’s beautiful.”