Class 2-A and Class 2-B loaded up for the long-awaited winter retreat.
Ms. Choi and Class 2-A's homeroom teacher, Mr. Kim, stood near the luggage compartments holding clipboards, desperately trying to maintain some semblance of order over fifty hyperactive teenagers.
I was loaded down like a pack mule.
My heavy backpack was strapped across my shoulders, my hard-shell acoustic guitar case was slung over my right arm, and in my left hand, I was hauling Ha-neul's massive leather handbag.
"What do you even have in here?" I mumbled under my breath, my arm straining as we boarded the vehicle. "Did you pack brick-bound math encyclopedias for a three-day resort trip?"
"It contains essential items, Mountain," Ha-neul replied crisply, not even turning around as she navigated the narrow bus aisle. "Just don't drop it."
The interior of the luxury coach had a somewhat unusual layout—a two-seat row on the left side of the aisle and a wide three-seat row on the right. Ha-neul slid into the window seat of a three-seat row near the middle, and I immediately dumped her lead-heavy handbag overhead before sinking into the middle cushion beside her, resting my guitar between my knees.
The moment I sat down, a sudden, chilly aura radiated from Ha-neul's side.
She clicked her tongue softly, staring intently out the window with her arms crossed, looking inexplicably annoyed.
Before I could ask what was wrong, the front door hissed open, and Park Jun-seo stepped onto the bus. Dressed in a immaculate dark jacket, the Student Council President scanned the seats, spotted us, and walked straight over.
"Is this seat taken?" Jun-seo asked smoothly.
"Go ahead," I said, making room.
Jun-seo sat down in the aisle seat right next to me, placing his sleek briefcase on his lap. Now situated squarely in the middle, I looked back and forth between the two academic titans flanking me. The tension sitting between them was thick enough to cut with a butter knife.
I leaned toward Ha-neul, lowering my voice to a cautious whisper.
"Did I... do something wrong?"
Ha-neul lingered for a long second, her sharp eyes flicking past my nose to shoot a brief, lethal glare directly at Jun-seo.
She let out a small, quiet snort.
"Nothing," she muttered, turning her face back to the glass.
I blinked, deciding it was safer not to dig any deeper into the mysterious, icy vault of Lee Ha-neul's grievances.
I turned my attention to Jun-seo instead as the bus pulled away from the curb, heading toward the scenic resort complex in the hills outside Seoul.
As the urban cityscape gradually melted into snowy pine forests and rolling hills, the resort complex came into view. It consisted of a cluster of sprawling, rustic wooden pensions surrounded by nature.
It reminded me a bit of the Jeju Island villas owned by my host grandparents, though thankfully this place felt much less isolated and far closer to civilization.
I rested my chin on my palm, looking over at Jun-seo.
"So, Mr. President... what's the actual schedule for this trip?"
Jun-seo adjusted his silver watch, leaning back comfortably against the headrest.
"The faculty gave the Student Council full authority over the activity schedule, so it's fairly balanced. First up, right after we unpack, is the annual Inter-Class Hide-and-Seek Competition."
I tilted my head, looking at him with a puzzled expression.
"Hide-and-seek? For high schoolers?"
"It's not standard hide-and-seek, San-ah," Jun-seo explained calmly, a faint, competitive glint in his eyes. "Class 2-A and Class 2-B each have to nominate a specific 'target' person from the opposing class."
"A target?"
"Yes," Jun-seo nodded. "The goal isn't to find everyone. You only have to track down and tag the single designated target that your class chose to seek out within the resort perimeter. Whichever class successfully finds and captures the opposing target first wins the match. And the winning class gets the entire pool of premium snacks and barbecue vouchers for tonight."
'Sounds remarkably fun,' I thought, a mischievous grin touching my face.
"What happens after that?" I asked.
"After the hunt, there's a guided excursion around the surrounding nature trails and local village," Jun-seo continued. "Though participation in the walk is optional—you can stay back at the detached houses and rest if you prefer. And then, tonight..."
Jun-seo paused, turning his head to look at me directly. "...is the Evening Performance Showcase."
I nodded slowly.
In my head, I had already categorized it as the Kirin equivalent of a localized Got Talent broadcast, restricted entirely to 2-A and 2-B.
It was the main event I had been waiting for all week.
During that evening showcase, right there in the main wooden hall of the resort, H-Wnot was officially going to perform the live debut of our brand-new original track for the upcoming Seollal Festival.