"I must admit, it's a tough choice, Jungwon-ah. But as much as I'd like to rest and relax at the beach, or to visit the gardens and appreciate nature's blessings like you said, I already know what's the most important thing for me to do today. I would rather spend the rest of the day looking for Miyeon-noona's souvenirs while having fun walking the streets of Kokusai-dori. It's like hitting two birds with one stone, isn't it?" You told him, and Jungwon was quick to agree with your choice.
"You have a point there, Y/N. Now that I think about it, my eomma also wants me to buy some of Japan's delicacies as well. Then it's settled. We're going to the city after we have our lunch. You should tell Yujin-ssi as well, just in case they decide to go with us."
"Alright. By the way, our teachers said that it's okay for us to wear our casual clothes for today, so I'm going to change. What about you?"
"Yeah, I think I'm going for a change of clothes too. Still, I didn't expect them to allow us to do so, but I'm glad they did. It's just for today though. Tomorrow will be like the usual school trip rules, but I'm okay with that."
It didn't take long for the two of you to change from your school uniforms to your casual attire, so you both decided to head down to the hotel's restaurant immediately after. If anything, you're both been hungry since you landed in Okinawa, so a nice warm meal would be the first thing you need to have before doing anything else.
Once you're at the entrance, you see a lot of students are already there and seated, waiting for their food to arrive. Like you, most of them had also changed to their casual clothes, making the whole place feel like there's a party going on.
"Okay, let's see here. It looks like we'll be seated in table 25, Y/N." Jungwon informed you after looking at the meal ticket given to him at the lobby earlier.
"Got it. The tables have numbers placed over them, so it should be easy to find it. Let's go, Jungwon-ah."
Thankfully, your table was located in a rather convenient area of the restaurant, which was nice. While you appreciate the lively atmosphere that is happening right now, it goes to say that you still prefer a less vibrant feeling while you're eating.
However, it would seem that you may not be able to have that after all the moment you saw the three other people who will share the table with you and Jungwon.
Once they're seated, things turn awkward all of a sudden. You thought that this was to be expected, given the fact that you're all starving right now. But then again, at least one of them could have started a conversation or two, despite knowing that you don't really get along well with a certain guy who's about to have his lunch together with the rest of your group.
Fortunately, the arrival of the food somehow helped break the unwanted silence, as each of you began to decide which of the dishes you're going to pick first. It was then when your "best friend" suddenly spoke.
"Before anything else, I think it would be best for us to show some etiquette. It's only fair for Wonyoung-ssi here, as well as myself, for us to try and-"
"Yah, stop with all those formalities, Sunghoon-oppa! I'm taking that sukiyaki first! Itadakimasu!" Hyunseo exclaimed, as you and Jungwon followed suit after giving thanks for the meal.
"My goodness. You people truly have no manners, do you? Well not me and Wonyoung-ssi, as it would be proper for me to act like a gentleman even if my stomach is rumbling. Wouldn't you agree, my princess?"
By the time he looked at Wonyoung, Sunghoon saw her doing the same thing as the three of you are, and that would be filling her plate with any dish she wants to try. Caught off-guard by her actions, he simply gave up and joined the rest of you.
"These side dishes are great, Y/N! Here, have a taste of this one too!" Wonyoung said to you, as she took a spoonful of the soup in an attempt to feed you herself.
"U-umm, I can do it myself, Wonyoung-ah. J-just let me take the spoon and-"
But before you could do so, she managed to do it on her own, with you having no choice but to eat it. Like she said, the soup tasted great, maybe even better since your longtime crush had just shared a somewhat intimate moment with you from out of the blue.
As for the others, their reactions were different. You saw Jungwoon smirking at you while watching the whole thing, while Hyunseo was all smiles knowing that you were loving every second of it. Meanwhile, Sunghoon tried to play it cool, but even this wasn't enough for him to hide his jealousy. What's more is that you thought that it's more than just him feeling jealous, as his eyes looked genuinely sad as well. Even if you weren't on good terms with him, you still felt a bit of sympathy for him.
All in all, everyone was satisfied with the meal they had. With this, each of you began to share your plans for the rest of the day.
"Wonyoung-unnie and I are going to relax at the beach after this, and I'm excited about it! Oh, and Sunghoon-oppa here promised to take us on a tour, since he knows the place well." Hyunseo told you.
"Really?"
"That's right, Y/N-ssi. I don't like to boast, but my family runs a few companies here in Okinawa, so this isn't my first visit here. I plan to take the two of them on a tour this afternoon, and in the most convenient way possible might I add. Would you like to accompany us as well? You're more than welcome to join." He offered, and it was pretty obvious that he's feeling really good while gloating at you.
"I'd love to, really. But Jungwon and I already had plans. Still, I hope that the three of you will have fun for the rest of the day. Look after them please, especially Hyunseo." You replied with a smile, with him looking annoyed knowing that his bragging didn't have any effect on you.
"Y-yes of course. I'll make sure that she won't cause any trouble, Y/N. Well then, we should get going. We'll see you tomorrow."
He then stood up from his seat afterwards, before heading towards the exit. Wonyoung then waved at you before following him, as Hyunseo went beside you and began to whisper something.
"Don't worry, oppa. I'll make sure that he will behave for the rest of the day, hehe."
"Yeah right. Don't make his day miserable, okay?"
"I can't promise you that. See you tomorrow, oppa!"
Once they're gone, you and Jungwon take a moment to rest for a while before you leave. As expected, it didn't take long for him to ask about the three of them who just left the table.
"There they go. Looks like Sunghoon's going to have a great time with Wonyoung-ssi, which I think is something that he's looking forward to happening for quite a while now. I'm guessing that he started preparing for it ever since the school trip was announced, so I'd give him some credit for making sure she's going to be happy for today. Well? Are you feeling jealous, Y/N?" He teased.
"Huh? Why would I feel jealous about it? To be honest, I'm actually happy that he's doing something nice for her, and I'm glad that he's going to have that chance while we're here."
"Is that so? But then again, I'm afraid that he won't be able to get that happiness he wanted to have, especially since they have a certain mischievous girl with them. Perhaps she's the reason why you don't look so upset about it."
"Aish, just stop that, will you? Oh and just in case you forgot, Wonyoung and I will have all the time to ourselves the day after tomorrow, so I'm content with that."
"Oh crap, I forgot about that. Now I understand. Well then, let's head back to the lobby. They're probably waiting for us by now."
You agreed with Jungwon's assumptions, as they may have already finished their meal by then. With that in mind, the two of you went towards the hotel lobby to meet them. Once you got there however, you were surprised that there's only two of them waiting for you.
"Huh? Where's Jiwon and Rei?" You asked them.
"They told us that they're going to visit the gardens instead, as Rei prefers to shop for her souvenirs on the third day. So it's just going to be the four of us, Y/N." Gaeul explained.
"I see. Well if you two are ready, then let's go."
"Yup, we're both ready. I can't wait to walk around the city!" Yujin said with excitement, as you let out a smile in reply.
"I'm sure you do, Yujin-ssi. I told Y/N that I looked up all the interesting places we can see while we're in Kokusai-dori, but we still need to ask for directions though, just in case we get lost. But to get there, we're going to take a bus first. Thankfully, the station is nearby, so we won't have to walk a long way. Just follow me."
With Jungwon as the leader, your group headed towards the bus station located near the hotel's entrance. It took only ten minutes for the bus to arrive, which is a good thing indeed. Along the way, the four of you began sharing all the other things that you're looking forward to the most while you're in Okinawa, and to make sure that this school trip would prove to be the best one you'll have yet.
After a twenty-five minute ride, you finally arrived at the city. Suffice to say, all of you are feeling excited just by looking at the busy streets filled with people coming and going. It was a busy sight indeed, and now you'll be able to experience the urban culture of a foreign country for yourself.
Not knowing which place to visit first, Gaeul suggested that you should all look for the souvenir shops for now, as it's the very reason why you wanted to go here in the first place. You agreed with her, which prompted you to start making use of your skills in speaking Japanese to try and ask the locals for information.
Luckily your efforts paid off, with Yujin and Gaeul looking very pleased and impressed by you.
Thanks to the directions given to you by the old couple you spoke with, it became easier for you to find the area where all the best shops in the city are located.
"Wow, look at all of them! But now I don't know which place we should go to first." Yujin said, as she began to look around to see which among the shops would be the most interesting to visit.
"That is a problem, Yujin-ssi. Still, there's no way we'll be able to visit them all, so why don't we split up instead? We all have different things we want to purchase for our folks back home, so I think it's a good idea." Jungwon suggested.
"Jungwon-ssi is right. That said, we should go in pairs. What do you all think?" Gaeul added, with Yujin immediately figuring out what her unnie's real intentions are.
"I agree. So how about this? I'll accompany Jungwon-ssi, while Y/N goes with Gaeul-unnie. Will that be okay?"
"Sounds good, but we should also decide where we will meet up afterwards. How about at the same bus station we got off earlier?" You asked them.
"Got it. The next bus will arrive in about an hour, so we have plenty of time until then. See you two later."
Wasting no time, Yujin quickly dragged Jungwon towards a shop which piqued her interest, leaving you and Gaeul behind.
Just the sight of her running off like that makes you think that Yujin often behaves like she's an older version of Hyunseo, especially her playful side.
"We should get going too, Y/N. How about we go to that shop over there?" Gaeul said, as she went closer to your side.
"Okay then. Let's visit that one first."
From there, you and Gaeul began to scan each of the various souvenir shops nearby as well, as you kept on searching which shop sells the best items to purchase.
Eventually, you came across a store which sells different kinds of Japanese homemade delicacies, along with plenty of accessories and costumes which you thought were used during festivals.
"Are you going to buy that for real, Gaeul-ah? That's.....a very eccentric mask for you to wear." You said in jest, all the while making her feel embarrassed when she saw a few people looking at her.
"N-no, of course not! I'm just fascinated at how a genuine kabuki mask looks, that's all!" She said in response, with her face blushing red due to how flustered she is.
"Relax, I'm just kidding. As for me though, I don't have the slightest idea as to which one I should choose for my noona. Can you help me?"
"So now you're asking for my help after you just teased me. Hmph."
"Please, Ms. President?" You begged, and soon enough, Gaeul agreed to help you.
"Fine I'll help you, but only if you promise to do the same for me once we get back to Korea. Deal?"
"It's a deal. So what do you think I should buy?"
"Let's see. For starters, I'm certain that she will like......"
With Gaeul's help, you were able to easily choose which ones would be the best to get for Miyeon, and you were glad that she felt confident about her suggestions to you.
After browsing the shop for a while, you were able to buy her some Japanese snacks like the Chinsuko biscuits, as well as a pack of Okashi Goten. You even purchased a small shisa figure to go along with it, while Gaeul buying several traditional textiles for herself and her parents, including some cute chura tama ornaments for her to use.
Once you were both done purchasing your souvenirs, you thought that it would be best to head to the station right away. However, Gaeul has other ideas.
"If you don't mind, should we walk around the city for a bit, Y/N? I just thought that we'll regret it if we won't take a chance to explore it now that we're here."
"You're right. I'm sure Yujin and Jungwon are thinking the same thing, so let's go then. I'll carry those for you." You offered, pointing at her shopping bag containing her souvenirs.
"It's okay, These aren't heavy, so I'll be fine. Shall we?" She said with a smile.
"Sure, let's go."
You then spent the next few minutes walking around the city with Gaeul, and you felt good seeing how happy she is while looking at all the wondrous sights the city has to offer.
Even now, you realize that she's still working as the student council president, helping out the teachers when it comes to organizing the activities for the next few days. You thought that it was a miracle that she was given the chance to unwind for today, as you believe that she deserves it since she's very busy all the time.
Soon after, she starts to feel tired, prompting you to look for a place where the two of you can rest before heading back to the station. To your surprise, there's a snack shop nearby, as you two decided to stay there for a little while.
"This takoyaki tastes good. Are you sure you don't want one, Y/N?" She asked, before taking another bite of her food.
"No but thank you. I'm not hungry, so this smoothie is enough for me."
As you watched the droves of people walking around, you then heard Gaeul chuckle, making you curious as to why she did.
"Yah, why are you laughing all of a sudden?"
"Hehe, sorry. I just remembered that right now, it feels like we're in the same situation as when we first met."
Her words were enough to make you realize that she was right. Looking back at it now, it's been more than a year since the two of you became friends.
"Yeah, you're right. The only difference is that we're not thinking about anything serious like how we can improve your chances at winning the student council elections."
"So you do remember. Back then, we're both sitting in front of a snack shop just like we are now, and you were starting to feel frustrated while trying to think of a better way to help me win. Even today, I really appreciate all that you did for me." She said in a gentle tone, as you felt her sincerity just from her words alone.
"I simply did what I thought was right. Looking back at it now, your rivals didn't seem like they're taking it seriously compared to you. Every afternoon, I see you speaking near the school gates, telling them all the things that you'll be able to do for the student body if you win, but most of them ignored you completely. Believe it or not, I felt hurt as to how they didn't take notice of your intentions, more so since I know that you're genuinely doing your best to earn their trust. That alone motivated me to help you, and I'm glad I did."
"Thank you for saying that, Y/N. I just hope that in their eyes, I'm doing a good job now that I'm the head of the student council. Sometimes I feel like I'm not doing enough, and that I'm not able to fulfill their expectations. I just can't seem to shake off that feeling, even though I want to believe that I'm doing the best I can every single day." She lamented.
"You shouldn't think like that, Gaeul. If all the other students truly feel like you were not doing enough for them, then you should be receiving complaints from everyone each day. But guess what, none of them do. I think it's obvious why that is, and that's because they all felt that their trust in you wasn't misplaced. In fact, everyone at school shares the same opinion about you doing a good job, and more. That, and you have no idea how popular you are, and maybe that's because you're always too busy making sure that everyone will be happy while you're in charge. You've been setting a good example for us ever since, so I think it's best that instead of doubting yourself, you should also try to have more confidence knowing that we're always here to support you."
Sure enough, Gaeul was moved by your words, as she was glad that everyone, especially you, has always been there for her. She knows that she can never be thankful enough towards you, and that she hopes that she will be able to repay your kindness in some way.
"Aish, you're laughing again. I don't remember saying anything funny, Your Excellency."
"You didn't. But your words really made me happy, so let's just leave it at that. Now then, shall we head back?"
"Sure. Just so you know, I'm glad that I was able to spend some time with you today."
"I feel the same. Thank you, Y/N."
Just a little reminder for you all that we're now halfway towards the end of this book, and I'm very thankful for your support even though the updates are few and far between compared to before. I'll try my best to update it more often, and thank you for reading.