Haemaeum and Kang Yedam couldn’t easily accept the scene they had just witnessed.
Despite their overt stares, Do Yihyeon leisurely walked around the crowded aquarium.
“It’s surprising enough that he even came in here, but can you believe he deliberately drew attention to himself?”
Haemaeum spoke in disbelief, then quickly turned her head at Kang Yedam’s short remark.
“To change his nature for a woman he likes… that’s an intense love.”
Kang Yedam spoke with a giddy smile, thrilled by the good show.
Seeing Haemaeum’s dubious expression, wondering what she had just heard, doubled her enjoyment.
Kang Yedam casually placed a hand on Haemaeum’s shoulder and watched Do Yihyeon walking ahead.
“Isn’t this the first time he’s been this proactive?”
“Yeah, yeah. I’ve never seen it before.”
“Since when, I wonder?”
Kang Yedam spoke in an insidious tone, narrowing her eyes.
Do Yihyeon, who had been walking silently ahead, stopped.
He turned his head and looked at his friends, who were blabbering about love, with an indifferent gaze.
“If you talk about that again, I’ll throw you in the aquarium.”
“Hey, there’s Nemo! Nemo!”
“Oh, really?”
Do Yihyeon sighed, watching his friends quickly change the subject.
In truth, an aquarium teeming with students from two schools and tourists wasn’t a particularly good destination for him.
Normally, he would have quickly passed by or not even entered, staying on the bus.
However, he spotted students pouring out of the Gamseong High bus.
He got off the bus right then and there, unconsciously looking for Dana.
He didn’t know why he kept wanting to see her.
Then he saw Dana exploring the aquarium with Yeon Hayeon and the Four Heavenly Kings.
He wanted to talk to her, but he worried that she might be uncomfortable if he did.
Yet, Ban Eunhyeol, noticing his gaze, moved a little closer to Dana and glared at him.
So, impulsively, he spoke to Dana.
Since he couldn’t bring up guild talk in a place like this, the first thing that popped out was “King Octopus.”
Thump-
Recalling that moment, Do Yihyeon slammed his head against the wall.
“Hey! What’s wrong with you?”
“It’s love.”
At Do Yihyeon’s chilling gaze, Kang Yedam turned away and feigned indifference.
On the last night of the school trip, the highlight of the trip, the talent show, began.
I had seen my classmates diligently preparing for the talent show since we received the flyers, but I wasn’t really interested in that sort of thing.
I just planned to enjoy watching.
We all headed to where the stage was set up.
Iljinsang High seemed to be holding their talent show elsewhere, as they weren’t visible.
‘I thought I’d have to see that guy again.’
If I had to see Do Yihyeon even at the talent show, I would have thrown in the towel and just gone back to the dorm. But thankfully, that didn’t happen.
Once all the classes were seated, the talent show officially began.
Some teams danced, and uniquely, one team had prepared a calisthenics routine.
“Kyaaaah!”
The calisthenics team’s reaction was explosive.
The boys had brought in a pull-up bar from somewhere and set it up on stage, then began effortlessly moving around on it.
As they performed increasingly difficult moves, a student took off his shirt, immediately followed by the girls’ screams of cheers.
One person, wearing a hoodie, performed acrobatic calisthenics, and each time the hood came off and went back on with his movements, cheers erupted.
Next was our class.
Our class’s talent show team went out and heated up the atmosphere by dancing an idol dance.
“Now, Class 3 can’t just end here, can we?”
It was time to move on to the next act, but the MC smiled at our class.
“I didn’t expect to see these people here! The Four Heavenly Kings and Yeon Hayeon, the guild master of Hyulhyang! Please come forward!”
A cheer incomparably louder than before erupted.
Only the children sitting around us bit their lips, looking around.
Han Jibin happily went forward, and Yeon Hayeon and Eunbada went out as if they had no choice.
Only Ji Ganghan and Ban Eunhyeol exuded a cold atmosphere.
“Come on, come on! Hurry up and come out!”
The MC, who didn’t know their personalities well, urged them without any sense of tact.
“They’re telling you to come out?”
I grinned, urging Ban Eunhyeol and Ji Ganghan.
Since I wasn’t going out, I intended to tease them as much as I wanted.
“I could drag you out too.”
I immediately shut my mouth.
Following Ban Eunhyeol, Ji Ganghan also hardened his face and went forward.
The MC seemed to finally catch on a little, but seeing the students’ enthusiastic reaction, he gained courage.
“Are you curious about the talent show of the top-ranked Awakened?”
“YESSS!”
“Now, express your talents to your heart’s content!”
Anticipating gazes poured onto the stage.
Ban Eunhyeol, looking down, surprisingly moved first. He walked over to the MC, snatched the microphone, and spoke.
“I’ll let you see a rare sight.”
Grin, as Ban Eunhyeol spoke with one corner of his mouth lifted, the female students cheered almost to the point of turning upside down.
Suddenly, the surroundings began to brighten with a warm red light.
As an Awakened with the ability of the Fire Spirit King, he had summoned the lower spirits of fire.
“Wow…”
***
Everyone watched the spirits floating in the air, mesmerized.
It was quite a mystical and beautiful sight. Then, Ji Ganghan immediately summoned wind spirits as well.
Red and green lights illuminated the dark night sky. Both of them descended with satisfied expressions.
“You two are probably the only ones using skills at a talent show.”
“You use your abilities for moments like this.”
“Agreed.”
When I scolded Ban Eunhyeol and Ji Ganghan as they sat next to me, they brazenly retorted. We watched what our friends still on stage would do.
Eunbada surprisingly sang a song.
His soft voice blended well with the sweet ballad, and everyone quietly appreciated the music.
Hearts practically flew out of the girls’ eyes.
“He can sing too? He has everything.”
Good at studying, good at sports, high rank, handsome, tall, and even good at singing.
Eunbada was good at everything to the point where I wondered what he couldn’t do.
“I’m good at it too.”
At that, Ban Eunhyeol subtly boasted about himself.
I recalled him singing as a penalty in the King’s Game on the first day of the school trip.
“Ah.”
I couldn’t help the laughter bubbling up and quickly covered my mouth.
“Why are you laughing?”
Ban Eunhyeol’s eyebrows twitched, clearly showing his displeasure.
Ji Ganghan’s brow furrowed, as if recalling the same moment.
“I think I know why you’re laughing.”
At Ji Ganghan’s remark, Ban Eunhyeol’s expression also soured, as he seemed to remember it too.
Eunbada came down to a round of applause, and Yeon Hayeon came forward with a solemn expression.
She whispered something to the MC and waited for the MC, who had briefly gone backstage, to return.
A moment later, the MC hurriedly climbed back onto the stage.
“Yeon Hayeon wants me to get her a ball. I wonder what she’ll show us!”
The MC hyped up the atmosphere.
Everyone watched Yeon Hayeon with expectant eyes, curious about what she would do.
At Yeon Hayeon’s request, the MC threw a ball high into the air.
Pop-!
A dagger pierced the ball. The ball burst in the air with a loud noise.
The MC, the students, the teachers, I, and the Four Heavenly Kings all stood with our mouths agape, frozen.
Yeon Hayeon proudly lifted her chin and looked down.
Her eyes seemed to be expecting the same reaction as before.
“Wow, woww-“
Starting with someone’s awkward cheer, spurred by courage, the students half-heartedly began to cheer.
Yeon Hayeon came down with a satisfied expression.
Lastly, it was Han Jibin.
While his friends were performing, Han Jibin had quickly gone to the dorm to get his props.
I didn’t know what he had brought since he wasn’t even going to perform, but he kept the props hidden in his bag and didn’t show anyone what was inside until it was his turn.
Finally, when it was his turn, Han Jibin solemnly pulled an instrument from his bag.
It was a danso (a small Korean bamboo flute).
“Hmph. I’ll show you Jibin-nim’s amazing performance.”
Eunbada pressed a hand to his forehead upon seeing this.
“He’s been obsessed with the danso lately, practicing one song to death, and he even brought it all the way here.”
The Four Heavenly Kings, excluding Han Jibin, looked up at the stage with bored eyes.
The performance began, and reactions erupted from various places.
“Is that really a danso?”
“Crazy, he’s making that sound with a danso…?”
“Wow, I feel like I’ve stepped into a historical drama.”
Some students were even shedding tears at the sorrowful melody.
When the performance ended, genuine applause and cheers erupted.
Han Jibin waved his hand as if he were a superstar and came down.
After watching all the subsequent talent show acts, the last night of the school trip finally ended.
“Let’s go watch fireworks!”
Han Jibin, who had gone into the dorm, came out with a set of fireworks that they hadn’t gotten to use on the first day.
We all went down to the beach together.
As fire was lit at the end of the long sticks, sparks began to crackle and fly.
Everyone held a stick, diligently drawing letters in the air, taking photos, and even shooting fireworks towards the night sea.
Laughter never left my lips at this special, first-time experience.
“You like that kind of thing?”
Ban Eunhyeol, glancing at me, unnecessarily gave me a slight rebuke from beside me.
“This is my first time with fireworks like this.”
I replied with an excited voice, keeping my gaze fixed on the sparkling fireworks in front of me.
At that moment, tiny fire spirits began to appear around Ban Eunhyeol.
I couldn’t take my eyes off the spirits, glowing with the warm color of fire, as they flew upwards.
Then, the spirits each began to create and burst small fireworks.
“Wow-!”
As I was happily watching, my eyes sparkling at the feast of fireworks adorning the night sky, I felt a gaze from beside me.
I turned my head, and Ban Eunhyeol turned his gaze away, casually dropping a remark.
“The real thing is more beautiful than artificial.”
As he said, the small fireworks burst by the fire spirits were truly beautiful.
Just like that, the last night of the school trip completely ended.
The next day, we took a bus to the airport.
Going home by plane would have marked the end of all plans, but unexpectedly, everyone was stranded at the airport.
[A B-rank dungeon break has occurred on the runway.
Please evacuate quickly.]
It was because of this announcement.