Chapter 30

“Do-hee, look outside! It’s really pretty!”

Soo-jin, who ended up in the same class as me in sixth grade, sat next to me, gazing out the window with an excited voice.

Looking outside, the clear clouds are indeed beautiful.

Sixth grade school trip.

I ended up going to Jeju Island.

Of course, I had no intention of following along on the school trip.

…

…

…

“Mom, they say the school trip is to Jeju Island?”

“Wow, Jeju Island? These days, elementary students get to go to nice places. Back in my day, it was always Gyeongju or Gangwon-do.”

” -Aging- ”

I teased my mom and ended up getting a hit.

“But Mom, can I not go on the school trip?”

“Why not?”

“I need to practice at the company.”

Truthfully, saying I would practice at the company is an excuse; I can’t stand the kids’ energy for three days and two nights.

Of course, the kids are 13 now, so it’s not as chaotic as before, but I still can’t handle it.

“School trips are part of learning. Just go.”

“Come on, I’m a trainee getting paid, so I should go to work with a professional mindset.”

Sigh “Then go ask the team leader first, and just do what the team leader says.”

“Okay.”

The team leader would surely be pleased if I said I wasn’t going to practice.

…

…

…

“School trip?”

“Yes. I think two nights and three days are too long. I’ll just skip it and go to work.”

“What do you mean? Go!”

“Huh?”

This isn’t how it was supposed to go.

“Go. You won’t have many more chances in school life, so go while you can.”

“But practicing…”

“Pfft, practice what? Go have fun and come back and work hard.”

Ah.

What a sweet team leader.

…

…

…

For that reason, I ended up going to Jeju Island after all.

When I arrived at the airport and stepped outside, the weather was definitely nice.

The weather is good.

“Wow! Palm trees!”

Soo-jin seems to be enjoying everything.

“Yeah.”

“Doesn’t Do-hee think it’s amazing?”

“Oh, yeah, it is amazing.”

Now that I’ve actually arrived in Jeju, my heart flutters with its unique scent.

After leaving the airport and taking a bus, the first place we visited was Yongduam Rock and Yongyeon Valley, the closest tourist spot to Jeju Airport.

Upon arriving at Yongduam Rock and going down the stairs, the ocean opens up before me.

September.

The weather is still warm.

The sea breeze cools down my heat.

“Nice.”

I remember how daunting my elementary school life felt when I first started, but now it seems to be coming to an end.

Looking back, I’ve been busy from the age of five to now, thirteen.

And surely, it will only get busier ahead.

But for these two nights and three days, I’ll put everything down and relax.

Since the scenery is beautiful, I should take some pictures.

I took several selfies with the sea in the background and chose one to upload in the family chatroom.

[ Me: (photo) ]

[ Me: My looks shine even in Jeju Island.]

[ Me: How is it? ]

[ Mom: Jeju Island is prettier than my daughter. Have fun! ]

[ Me: Not jealous at all. ]

[ Dad: Take plenty of photos, our daughter! ]

[ Me: Okay. ]

Do-ah must be in class or something; she hasn’t replied.

I picked two of the selfies and sent them to one of the managers in the new development team, Manager So-young Unni.

[ Me: (photo) ]

[ Me: (photo) ]

[ Me: Here are today’s selfies, Manager! ]

[ Manager So-young Unni: Do-hee, you’re in Jeju now? Sounds fun!!!]

[ Me: Yep, hehe. ]

[ Manager So-young Unni: But your selfie expressions are a bit lacking? Make a pretty face and send it again~ ]

[ Me: Sure! ]

I’ve got to take a selfie lesson at the company because I can’t take good selfies.
I ended up hearing it.

There’s nothing special about the selfie class; I just have to send two pictures to the manager every day until I get approved.

I never knew I’d be taking a selfie class in my life.

First, I need to retake the pictures.

“Hey, guys~ let’s gather together~”

The homeroom teacher called out loudly.

I guess it’s time to move on to the next tourist spot.

.

After visiting places like Yongduam, Yongyeon, the Natural History Museum, and Snoopy Garden, we had dinner at a restaurant and arrived at our resort where we’ll be staying for two nights and three days.

The exterior of the resort I saw upon arrival was different from what I expected.

In my past life, the accommodations during school trips were no better than inns.

They were dirty and cramped.

They even used to cram eight people into one room.

I didn’t realize it when I was younger, but now that I’m older, I see that the teachers were getting kickbacks from the companies for choosing accommodations.

These days, it seems they either can’t receive kickbacks due to strict regulations or the quality of the teachers has improved, because this time the place looks clean and has great facilities.

And it’s a four-person room!

With high expectations, I stepped into the room, and it was more than enough for four people to sleep comfortably.

And it’s not just a bare floor; there were beds!

This is so nice!

I’m starting to like this school trip even more.

I rushed to the bed and lay down.

Ah, so nice.

I got a bit excited wandering around the tourist spots without even realizing how tired I had become.

Meanwhile, the kids who became my roommates didn’t seem tired at all; they were blasting music on their phones and dancing around the room.

One of them, Su-jin, jumped into my bed.

“Do-hee, are you sleeping?”

“No, I need to wash up before going to bed.”

“Then do you want to shower first?”

“Okay.”

I stepped into the bathroom, and as I soaked in the hot water, my fatigue started to fade away.

Being under the hot water made me feel even more satisfied with the trip.

Traveling is so much fun.

I should travel more often when I get the chance.

After drying off and getting dressed, I came out, and the kids were still playing, singing along to the music.

Those little kids just don’t get tired, do they?

“Hey, guys, I’m all done; the next person can wash up.”

After saying that, I lay down on my bed.

Lying there with a soft warm blanket while watching YouTube was heavenly.

As I watched YouTube, I realized the kids had all showered and instead of lying down like me, they started blasting music again and dancing around the room.

Ugh, I’m exhausted.

The kids, having fun with each other, noticed me lying alone and came over to bug me.

“Do-hee, don’t sleep; come play with us~”

“I’m tired.”

“”” Let’s playyy~ “””

In the end, I figured if I didn’t play with them at all, they’d whine until dawn, so I decided to compromise and join in a little.

“So what are we going to play?”

Su-jin said.

“Let’s play Truth or Dare! Truth or Dare!”

“Okay, go for it.”

Su-jin turned on a roulette app on her phone.

“The one it lands on has to answer. Got it?”

“Yeah.”

I just need to play along and get back to sleep soon.

The first one landed on was Yoon-ah, one of the roommates.

She looked all excited as if she wanted to get picked after being the one to land on it.

Another roommate, Ye-rin, asked.

“Yoon-ah, is there someone you like in our class?”

Well, at 13 years old, it’s the age when you start getting interested in the opposite sex.

“Yeah…”

“Really? Who? Who?”
Su-jin and Ye-rin asked back with excited expressions.

“Jin-yong…”

“Gyaaak, really? Jackpot!”

What a great time.

“Do-hee, did you hear?”

Su-jin exclaimed to me in a fuss.

“Oh yeah, totally jackpot.”

Ugh, I’m so sleepy.

This time, I got picked on the roulette.

“Yes! What should I ask Do-hee?”

“I was really curious.”

“Do-hee is totally mysterious! She doesn’t tell us anything about herself.”

“That’s why all the boys like her so much.”

So you guys had a lot of questions for me…

“Let’s set the order, and each time Do-hee gets picked, we can ask one question.”

Su-jin even set the order.

“Okay!”

For the first question, Ye-rin asked me.

“Do-hee, do you have a crush in class?”

Like, seriously.

“No.”

“Then, is there someone you like even a little?”

I can’t even remember all the kids’ names.
Who even stands out as not annoying?
“Jung-woo?”

He never talked to me, so that’s a relief.

“Holy jackpot! You like Jung-woo?”

“Really? Why him?”

“No, not like that.”

“Jackpot! Jackpot!”

“No, it’s just that everyone else is annoying.”

“You really like Jung-woo? Wow.”

Do elementary school students have filters in their ears?
They’re totally misinterpreting everything.

Anyhow, the questions wrapped up and it was time for the next roulette.

I got picked again.

Su-jin said with a thrilled expression.

“Yes! Now it’s my turn to ask!”

Su-jin thought for a moment, then asked.

“Um, Do-hee, what do you do after school? You don’t just go to piano lessons, right?”

Su-jin thought I went to piano lessons every day.
Should I just lie?
Nah.
Once I become a middle schooler in six months, I’ll have to explain and leave school early often.
Then everyone will find out I’m a trainee anyway.
So, I might as well just say it.

“Just don’t spread rumors, okay?”

“Okay!”

Looking at the kids’ expressions, I wondered if I could trust them.

“I’m just a trainee at an entertainment agency.”

“Really!?”

“Trainee? So, are you going to be an idol?”

“Holy, jackpot.”

The kids were going wild.

“Yeah. I can’t say which agency, but I’m a trainee. I’ll say it again, don’t spread rumors, it’s a secret between us, got it?”

“Okay!”

After that, I went along with the kids for a bit before dozing off.

The next day.
The rumor that I was a trainee spread throughout not just my class but the whole grade.

To top it off, Jung-woo from my class came up to confess to me.

“Do-hee, I like you too…”

What the heck is this “I like you too” nonsense?

“Ah, thanks, but I don’t like you. That’s just a rumor.”

Jung-woo looked at me with a shocked expression.

Damn it.
I was wrong to believe an elementary school kid’s words.

The most annoying thing happened during the evening recreation time.
I was half-heartedly clapping along with the host while looking at my phone.

The host shouted.

“Alright, everyone, it’s the talent show time you’ve been looking forward to!”

The cheers of the kids reflected just how much they had been waiting for this moment.

“Before we dive into the talent show, we have to do a class challenge! Now, the person who studies the most in class, to the front of the stage!”
What?

While I was surfing the internet on my phone, mentally recuperating, I was pushed by the kids and forced to go on stage.

“Alright, let’s hear introductions from Class 1!”

“I’m Kim Jong-beom from 6th grade Class 1! Go Class 1!”

“6th grade Class 2…”

“6th grade Class 5, I’m Do-hee Lee…”

“Wow, Do-hee is the best student in Class 5?”

“Yes…”

“And she’s so pretty too?”

Words erupted from the kids below the stage.

“Do-hee is the top student in the whole school!”

“Do-hee is an idol trainee!”

Ah.

Stop.

Stop the embarrassment.

The host asked me with a surprised face.

“Wow, the top student? Is that true?”

“Yes… well…”

“And is it true that you’re an idol trainee?”

“…Yes.”

I messed up, stop it.

“Okay! So now that introductions are over, we have to watch the performances! Let’s start with the dance of Class 1’s representative!”

The boy from Class 1 started dancing wildly to the music.

“Wow, so passionate, dance dance! Class 2 can’t be left out, right? Class 2, start!”

The boy from Class 2 also started dancing enthusiastically.

Before I knew it, it was my turn.

“I’m really looking forward to this friend’s performance. I can’t miss the dance of an idol trainee, let’s start right now!”

A song from a girl group currently topping the charts played over the speakers.

Of course, it was a song I practiced during dance lessons.

But do I have to dance this?

When I looked at the audience, all the kids’ eyes were focused on me.

And the teachers too.

Looking to the side, the host was also staring at me intently.

This is just great.

With no other option, I danced briefly to the music.

“Wow, she really is an idol trainee! Her dancing is different, she dances better than anyone I’ve seen! Let’s give a round of applause for Do-hee’s hard work!”

Before even debuting as an idol, I’m going to develop stage fright, great.

I was trying to live as a gentleman, but there’s no way to hold back the curse words.

Damn it.

As I got off stage, the host called for me with the microphone.

“Later, please give me an autograph. I want to be your first autograph, okay?”

Feeling embarrassed to even say it, I nodded slightly and sat down.

“That was a fantastic performance. Now that we’ve seen the stage of the best student, it’s time to see the stage of the most popular student in class!”

At the same time, all the kids’ heads turned to me.

Ah.

No way.

I don’t even hang out with you guys, I just read books alone.

I’m a total outsider.

I turned to look at the teacher.

“Do-hee, fighting!”

The teacher said with a smile.

This is just great.

Reluctantly, I went back on stage, and the host said while laughing like a madman.

“You’re good at studying, pretty, and popular! Do-hee, you’re so lucky!”

Get lost.

The representatives from Classes 1 to 4 danced, and now it was my turn.

I’ll just dance casually and get off.

“Alright everyone! We’ve already seen Do-hee’s dance, so seeing her dance again would be a bit disappointing, right?”

“Yes!!!!!”

“So, a special stage for Do-hee! Let’s all sing together!”

“Sing!”
“Sing!”
“Sing!”

What the hell did I do to deserve this?

Please stop.

In the future, after my debut, the video titled ‘Do-hee Lee’s Elementary School Talent Show’ circulating around was truly a nightmare.

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