Two weeks passed in a flash. A few days lying in my room, resting after expeditions, then more expeditions... Suddenly it was already pool day.
When I bought the swimsuit, I'd been thinking about teasing Si-hyun with it, but when the actual day arrived, my embarrassment kept growing. Seeing Si-hyun waiting at my doorstep, imagining myself in the swimsuit at the pool, I grew restless.
In the car, I snatched the tickets from Si-hyun's hand, they turned out to be invitations to a five-star hotel.
I thought I saw wrong, but closer inspection confirmed they were genuine five-star hotel invitations, VIP passes granting access to all hotel facilities, complete with a two-night, three-day package.
"Hey! These aren't regular pool tickets."
"Of course not. Sung-yeon hyung gave them to me."
"What? Oppa gave them to you?"
Why give them to Si-hyun instead of me? And shouldn't he go somewhere like this with family?
"If he had something this nice, he should share it with family. Why give it to you?"
"You're the one who refused to go together last time."
Huh? I refused? Now that he mentioned it, there was talk about a family trip during last year's holiday...
What had I said back then?
I tried to recall. Hmm...
An image surfaced of me yelling "I'm not going!" at my brother in anger.
"Just to remind you, Sung-yeon hyung brought home invitations last year too, suggesting we all go together."
...So my immature refusal back then was why we never went.
"Is it really okay for us to go somewhere like this together?"
I'd assumed we were just visiting a regular pool, never expecting a luxury hotel resort.
This was a premium hotel vacation package.
"hyung said it's meant for us..."
...? Did he say Oppa specifically told him it was for the two of us?
Well... It's true that if Oppa suggested a family trip, I might have refused again.
The hotel in Seoul wasn't far, and upon presenting the invitations, even valet parking was arranged.
After checking in and getting our room key, we headed straight to the room, after all, the pool was our main goal.
The room we got was spacious and comfortable.
The problem was-
"Why is there only one bed?"
Right, the room contained just one luxurious, presumably king-sized bed.
"I'll take the sofa."
"Don't! What's wrong with sharing such a big bed?"
Hearing Oppa provided the invitations, I'd assumed it would be a twin room!
But we'd shared beds during expeditions at motels before, and nothing ever happened. We could just relax and sleep together. This bed felt even softer and more comfortable than my one at home.
Strange, why did I get the feeling Oppa was secretly laughing?
-
We dropped our luggage hastily and went to the pool.
In the changing room, holding my swimsuit, I lost my nerve.
Wear this in front of Si-hyun? What was I thinking when I bought this bikini?
But it was too late now, I hadn't brought any other swimwear.
I changed into the swimsuit slowly.
Looking in the mirror, it did look good, just as I'd imagined. The problem was facing Si-hyun in it, where did I find the courage to choose this style two weeks ago?
No use regretting now. Already changed, I wrapped a sarong tightly around myself and stepped out of the changing room.
The pool area outside defied my limited vocabulary.
Fresh, luxurious, with strong thematic design, and most importantly, almost empty. I'd expected the pool to be packed with people.
I scanned the area but couldn't spot Si-hyun anywhere.
Just as I considered waiting near the men's changing room, someone tapped my shoulder from behind.
"Who...?"
Turning around, I found Si-hyun standing there. He wore swim trunks and a T-shirt covered in bizarre floral patterns, completely unbuttoned to reveal his defined abs and solid chest muscles.
When did this guy get so fit? The last time I saw him... was before becoming a Hunter, and he definitely didn't look this impressive back then. He'd been lean without excess fat, but nothing like this sculpted physique.
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"Si-Si-hyun."
"Waiting long?"
I was still hiding under my sarong. After swallowing hard while staring at him, I finally gathered my courage:
"Ta-da!"
I flung off the sarong covering my swimsuit.
But Si-hyun showed no reaction, no blushing, no looking away, not even a flicker in his eyes.
He remained unusually composed.
"It suits you."
"You really mean that?"
I moved closer to Si-hyun.
"Yeah."
Seeing him still unaffected, I stubbornly kept advancing until we almost touched. He stopped me by placing a hand on my shoulder.
"That's enough joking."
"Tch."
Though his expression stayed neutral, it seemed he wasn't completely unaware after all.
"So what should we do at the pool anyway?"
This was actually my first time visiting a swimming pool.
"Well... just relax and have fun?"
The problem was I didn't know how to "relax and have fun."
I started off worried about not knowing what to do, but adapted quickly. Floating in the pool with an inflatable ring proved enjoyable, and having water fights with Si-hyun was fun too. The main event turned out to be the water slide.
Though as usual, people mistook us for a couple.
"Now the boyfriend should hold the girlfriend please." the water slide worker said.
Well, if they're going to mistake us for a couple, we might as well slide together.
Explaining every time became too bothersome, so lately I'd just been going with it.
Si-hyun's arm wrapped around my waist as I settled between his legs. Naturally, my head ended up pressed against his chest while my back leaned against his firm abdominal muscles.
As we slid down with the water flow, the water slide started slow but quickly gained speed.
"Yahhh!"
We plunged into the wide pool at that final velocity.
The cool splash left me feeling refreshed.
"Ah, that was fun!"
We moved to the pool's edge preparing to get out. When Si-hyun climbed out first and reached to pull me up, he suddenly released his grip.
Splash! Losing the support of his arm, I lost balance and fell back into the water.
"Pwah!"
My nose stung sharply from the sudden intake of water. I was about to complain about Si-hyun's prank when I noticed him glaring darkly at a girl standing across from us.
A beauty. And a familiar one at that. A high school classmate...
"Oh my? I never expected to run into Seong Si-hyun here?"
Yoo Mi-ro, a girl famous since high school days. Not only was she beautiful, but being the granddaughter of one of the top five chaebols made her the object of everyone's envy.
She also happened to be the girl who relentlessly pursued Si-hyun for two years.
"You don't look well? You were like this at the class reunion too. Even though I helped you back then."
"Tch, so what do you want?"
I took the opportunity to climb out of the pool while they talked.
"Just saying hello since I happened to see you. Is that not allowed?"
Seeing Si-hyun's unpleasant expression, I instinctively grabbed his hand.
"Aha, is this your girlfriend?"
Girlfriend?
Si-hyun stepped in front of me.
"Yes."
He actually admitted it!? He always denies it normally!
"Si...Si-hyun?"
I peeked at Mi-ro and found her glaring daggers at me.
"Gah!"
Mi-ro used to be one of the people who bullied me.
She targeted me because Si-hyun, the guy she liked, always paid attention to me. She tried many tricks to break us up.
Remembering those times made me shrink back.
"Didn't I tell you the other day? I've given up."
"Fine, whatever."
Si-hyun sighed and relaxed his expression.
"Aren't you going to introduce your girlfriend?"
"Si-yeon?"
When Si-hyun said my name, Mi-ro frowned.
"Oh, hello?"
I at least had basic social awareness. Since Si-hyun didn't deny we were dating, I had to play along. Right now I wasn't Jeong Si-yeon who went to school with them, but a complete stranger.
Mi-ro reached out her hand. For a handshake?
I shook her hand. She was smiling.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Yoo Mi-ro, Si-hyun's classmate."
"H-hello, I'm Jeong Si-yeon."
The moment she heard my name, Mi-ro's face twisted. Did she recognize me? I wasn't sure.
Surprisingly, she didn't cause trouble.
Had she really given up on Si-hyun?
"How did you meet Si-hyun?"
"During Hunter activities together."
I refused to be intimidated by my former bully. I was different now!
"Hmph. I see. I won't interrupt your date then. Have fun."
"You enjoy your vacation too, Miss Mi-ro."
Mi-ro's eyes held displeasure as she walked away. But her sudden departure actually made me nervous.
"Ah, my legs are shaking..."
Though I tried to act calm, I was actually terrified.
"You did well."
"R-really? By the way, what's this about a class reunion?"
"That... It's better if you don't know..."
Si-hyun's explanation stung my heart.
Basically, it was a show-off party for rich kids. Our high school was an elite private institution with many children of politicians and chaebols. Since Si-hyun was the most popular guy for three years and later became a civil servant, it made sense he got invited. Those people probably wanted him there to flaunt their success.
"It's just a disgusting gathering. Everyone competing to see who's doing better."
"Really? Then forget it."
"Sorry."
"Nothing to apologize for. Consider it like stepping in dog poop."
Si-hyun gently ruffled my hair. Why did this guy keep touching my head lately?
Oppa does it too. Is it a tall person thing?
"Anyway! Let's just focus on having fun."
She returned to her room in a bad mood after encountering an unexpected person at the pool.
Seong Si-hyun, the man she once pursued.
The man who had asked her about friend advice months earlier.
Back then, when he messaged saying he had problems with his female friend and needed help, she had replied thoughtfully. After all, he was someone she'd been quite fond of.
Later, when they met again at the recent class reunion, she finally confessed her feelings. Even though she knew he had a girlfriend and a car. It was a confession meant to end her obsession, and through his rejection, she finally managed to let go of her lingering feelings for Seong Si-hyun.
When she saw Seong Si-hyun at the pool earlier, her heart no longer raced like it used to.
Though the current Seong Si-hyun was indeed different from before - with his solid muscles making him much more attractive than in high school - he couldn't make her heart flutter anymore.
And today, she hadn't just seen Seong Si-hyun, but had also come face to face with his girlfriend - the very one everyone had been talking about at the class reunion.
Even to her own eyes, Seong Si-hyun's girlfriend was truly a stunning beauty.
Compared to her own flat chest, the other woman had a full bust, and her lovely yet slightly clumsy appearance was utterly endearing.
It made perfect sense that such a woman would catch Seong Si-hyun's interest.
As Yoo Mi-ro lost herself in these thoughts, Secretary Kim called.
"Yes, Secretary Kim. Do you have the investigation results I requested?"
-Yes, Miss. The investigation shows...
She had ordered this background check after meeting Seong Si-hyun at the school reunion.
It bothered her that a man she once fancied was being mocked by worthless people, so she grew curious about his current life.
"Is that so? Tell me."
-Seong Si-hyun registered as a Hunter about five months ago. Notably, he received training from S-Class Hunter Jeong Seong-yeon.
"Oh?"
-According to Ability assessment, he's currently rated C-Class but estimated to have B-Class strength with potential to reach A-Class.
"A-Class? Tch. Maybe I gave up on him too soon."
As an A-Class Hunter, one could gain immense wealth and prestige, a level that actually suited her. But why did he endure being looked down on at the reunion?
-He teams up with a female Hunter named Jeong Si-yeon.
"So they really met after becoming Hunters?"
-Pardon?
"Never mind. Continue."
-This is hard to believe... but Hunter Jeong Si-yeon was originally male.
"What!? Seriously?"
Suddenly, scattered puzzle pieces clicked together in Yoo Mi-ro's mind:
Originally male, the same name, their close relationship, and that strange way he avoided her.
"Did you confirm her awakened ability?"
-It's confirmed to be a Transformation-type ability that caused the sex change.
"Ha! So it really is that Jeong Si-yeon!"
-...Yes. The same Jeong Si-yeon who attended high school with you. Definitely the younger sister of S-Class Hunter Jeong Seong-yeon.
"I... lost to a man!?"
-What was that?
"Enough! Hang up!"
She ended the call in a panic.
"Argh!!! I actually lost to a man!?"
-
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