.

In this world, we never went to places where building conditions were bad, even for a retreat. Although this was a wealthy elite private school, couldn’t we go somewhere casual and humble for a retreat? These thoughts came across my mind while looking at the building in front of me.

‘Casual and humble my ass…’ The white building stood like a castle against a background of gloomily waving ocean. The summer breeze felt quite chilly here maybe because tall trees were surrounding the place. As I pouted my lips while being overwhelmed by the grandeur of the building, we were assigned to teams in the auditorium and received the room keys.

My room was #203, a sunlight-washed, clean space as if no one ever used it before. There were beds and a TV inside. Even the bathroom looked so decent that I would believe this room as a suite in a hotel. Besides, the instructors could never be so nice like this. Following the announcement, we gathered in front of the building and warmed up ourselves with some stretches. No disciplinary punishments took place at all.

When we finished all the afternoon schedules and had dinner, we continued to have a never-ending break time. ‘What’s going on? Is this really a retreat or what?’ I had those thoughts in mind while massaging my legs inside the room filled with red sunset.

As I sat on the floor like that, Kim Hye Hill and other girls, who went to the cafeteria, handed me out some snacks. They pushed away the bags scattered on the floor then gathered around me to open the packs of snacks. Having a bite of Kim Hye Hill’s Melona, I asked in wonder.

“Is this what a retreat normally is? I feel like I took a nice walk.”

“I thought the same. The retreat I went in middle school wasn’t like this. Didn’t you experience something like, ‘if you get it wrong, we’re gonna start over?’ A typical situation during a retreat.”

When Kim Hye Hill threw out that topic, each girl began to share their stories.

“Very true. You’re so good at mimicking it. There’s another one, ‘Are you out of your mind? Get it together or you’ll all get punished!’ Feel me?”

“Totally. They also force us to do push-ups! But the instructors here don’t make us do that.”

“Oh, maybe because of them in our grade, the sons of Hanwool Group and Balhae Group.”

Kim Hye Hill’s sudden remark made me so surprised that I almost spat the strawberry cone out my mouth. As I barely swallowed it and looked at her, she blinked her eyes then continued her words.

“Eun Jiho and Yoo Chun Young in Class 1-1.”

“Oh, I know them. They are super handsome. Yoo Chun Young is also a model!”

‘Oh, yeah, he was a model,’ as I realized the fact, I became sorry to Yoo Chun Young at the same time a bit, just a little bit. Another girl then went on talking about the two boys.

“There’s a rumor that the instructors aren’t being harsh because they know about their existence. If this keeps on, they won’t be checking us at night too.”

“Wow, geez. That sounds fantastic!”

“Me too. If that happens, let’s hang out at night!”

We all held our hands together and waved them out of excitement. A few girls soon came into the room then sat down on the floor comfortably to watch the TV.

The room was quite messed up with leftover snacks and our things from the bags scattered around. The lights weren’t even turned on. Regardless of the overall situation, our postures couldn’t have been more comfortable. Leaning on the wall, I glanced at the clock. It was 8 in the evening.

Time flew. When we finished watching a recently popular drama, it was already past nine.

“Are we having our break time from now until tomorrow morning?” I asked.

“Since they aren’t calling us maybe it is so. Don’t they usually call us around eight if they have to?”

The one who responded was Kim Hye Hill. Everyone around us stood up in a bright face. If it was said to be break time from now, we were all ready to stay all night hanging out. We had this look in our faces.

“Should we go to other rooms?”

“Why not?”

While Kim Hye Hill and I spoke back and forth, we heard someone knocking the door out of the blue. ‘Who is it…?’ I wondered with big round eyes. Another girl asked, furrowing her forehead.

“Oh… come on, it won’t be a sudden gathering?”

“That’s shouldn’t happen…”

As someone replied, I got out of my seat and walked toward the front door in short and quick steps. When I opened the door carefully, a familiar face came into my sight.

‘What the…’ I stared at him for a while then asked, blinking my eyes.

“Yoon Jung In, why are you here?”

“Hey, you insane! How dare you come inside the girls’ room?!”

There were screaming noises in the back. ‘What’s all the fuss when we all have our clothes on?’ I thought nonchalantly; however, I became speechless when I turned back to see Yoon Jung In.

He was wearing short black sleeves and fuzzy pajama pants; it was difficult to say he dressed properly. Luckily, I had a shirt and short pants on. Through the slightly opened door, I came out to the hallway and closed the door tightly. Then I saw my front.

There was already a moon in the night sky. Since the place had a great view like a hotel, the moonlight poured down through the glass windows and brightened up the hallway. Leaning on the wall with his arms crossed, Yoon Jung In was wearing comfortable looking-short sleeves and pajama pants. His exposed arms looked called in the air.

“Oh, I was asked to come here. Hey, Lee Mina!”

As soon as he said that, a girl, who looked as though she changed her clothes in a hurry, dashed out of the room while waving her uncombed, tangled hair. She received a black plastic bag from Yoon Jung In then smiled brightly. ‘What’s going on?’ I looked at them back and forth.

“What is that?” I asked.

“Alcohol! We’re gonna drink anyway, so I asked Yoon Jung In to get us a few bottles.”

“Omg…”

I was at a loss of words as she responded in a convinced face. While I pouted my lips in surprise, Lee Mina took out a few bills from her pocket then handed them to Yoon Jung In. She then asked me delightfully to go back in. I told her to go inside ahead then stepped closer to Yoo Jung In.

“Wow!! Hey, where did you get those?” I asked, putting my face closer to him.

“The convenience store on the 1st floor.”

I asked again, “So they sold alcohol to you?”

“I gave the bottles to the cashier without hesitation. He didn’t check my id and just let me out with them.”

“Holy cow, how bold are you! What were you thinking if you got caught?”

“I was about to say that it was just a joke and run out of the store immediately. You know, I’m good at those things.”

We got to know each other for only three months but I already knew about him so well that I just nodded. Not only me but others would also give a nod to his words. Yoon Jung In had an exceptional talent for making people believing in him. As I tried to ask a few more questions to him, the door next to us suddenly got opened.

The one who came out this time was Kim Hye Hill. She hid her face deep inside the baseball cap. Sweeping back her blue-black hair under the cap, she fixed her serene gaze at him.

“Unbelievable, you truly made it! Yoon Jung In never fails.”

“Yoon Jung In never fails? It feels like I’m leading the drinking culture.”

“Am I wrong?”

“No, I’m not. Hey, other rooms are all drinking too. Oh, Ham Donnie!”

“Huh?”

When I replied, Yoon Jung In suddenly showed a cheesy look on his face and winked at me.

“Later, if Yi Ruda gets drunk and says that he loves you on the phone, just let him do that. It’s all because of you who didn’t accept his crush on you.”

Being unclear about what to answer back, I stood still blankly for a while. Kim Hye Hill, beside me, took out her cap and handed it to me, so I smashed Yoon Jung In a few times with it. He pretended to escape out of the fuss but kept bursting out laughing.

‘Oh, that bastard…!’ I scowled at his back, getting far away from me, then returned the baseball cap to Kim Hye Hill. She dusted off and reorganized her hair pressed under the cap.

“I think it’s true that other rooms are all drinking now,” she said.

“Oh, really?”

“Oh Soo Jung went next door just now and found out the kids walking on all fours in a group.”

“…”

‘Walking on all fours in a group…’ I murmured the words she said. As I came back to the room, I closed the door and promised myself I would never walk on all fours the like them.

When I stepped inside, everyone had a sign of heroicness on their faces. Oh Soo Jung, who was usually talkative and rambunctious, held a glass out to me in silence.

I carefully took the glass to avoid any loss of drops. A few hands holding the same glass came out from the side all at once. The night of the retreat was getting deep like that.