Sizzle.
This was the communal kitchen set up inside the passenger ship, a spacious area equipped with large stoves and various cooking utensils, available for passengers to use freely.
…
At a time when the kitchen should have been empty, early in the morning, there was a young female student holding a frying pan.
It was Choi Soo-eun from the Medical Division.
Sizzle.
The dish being prepared was beef and mushroom stir-fry, a signature menu of Choi Soo-eun, featuring chunky slices of ribeye, chewy enoki mushrooms, and crunchy bok choy.
Sizzle—!
As the ingredients were nearly cooked, the prepared seasonings were poured along the edge of the pan, where they bubbled on the oil before seeping into the meat and vegetables.
“Umm… it smells delicious…”
In the middle of busily handling the frying pan, another female student entered the communal kitchen.
“Hey, senior! What are you doing here so early in the morning?”
Choi Soo-eun’s junior approached her who was standing by the stove.
“Wow! What is all this?”
The junior stared in awe at the spread of dishes laid out.
Besides the beef and mushroom stir-fry being prepared now, various other dishes on the counter gleamed attractively: potato stir-fry, rolled omelet, chilled soft tofu, seasoned peppered soybean paste, and refreshing mung bean soup…
“Wow! Even the tedious mixed vegetables you’ve made! Whose birthday is it today?”
The junior salivated at the sight of the deliciously prepared meal.
Choi Soo-eun gently shook the frying pan.
“Just… I thought it might be nice to cook and eat by myself sometimes.”
“Even though there’s a restaurant right here?”
“The food there is too salty.”
Click.
Once the cooking was done, Choi Soo-eun turned off the gas valve and transferred the food onto the prepared plates.
“Hmm…?”
Meanwhile, on the opposite counter where there were no dishes, a stylish bag could be spotted—it was a lunchbox bag.
“Senior, what is this lunchbox for?”
“…”
“Senior, senior, senior?”
The junior clung to Choi Soo-eun with the lunchbox bag. Choi Soo-eun remained motionless, pretending not to hear while maintaining a blank expression.
“Cooking so early in the morning… preparing even a lunchbox… surely it’s not Senior’s lunchbox, is it…”
“…”
“Whoever the recipient is, they must be incredibly happy, right?”
“…”
“Ah. How envious. That person gets to eat Senior’s heartfelt lunchbox too. So, who could the lucky one be?”
“…”
“Hey! Today is the last day of the training! Soon, the participants will be returning!”
Ignore it. Ignore it. Ignore it. Ignore it.
She shouldn’t be swayed by these words. She shouldn’t show any vulnerability. Choi Soo-eun strained her facial muscles to hide her expression.
“Senior, are you sweating cold sweat?”
“It’s because of the heat from the stove.”
“Reallyyy?”
The junior grinned widely. Seeing the mischievous grin, Choi Soo-eun couldn’t help but lose her composure, furrowing her eyebrows.
“Oh, Senior is flustered!”
“Youu…”
Out of all the people, how unfortunate that her junior stumbled upon this scene. Just imagining being teased about this in the future gave her a headache.
“Instead, if you share some of that food with me, I’ll stay quiet.”
“Really…?”
“Of course! This is the first time for me to eat Senior’s cooking. You can’t just let this opportunity slip by!”
Choi Soo-eun quickly prepared another plate and served some food onto it. There was plenty anyway. It wasn’t a problem to share even a person’s portion.
“But I didn’t know Senior could cook!”
“A little.”
“Wow, amazing! Any future partner of Senior would be so lucky! To eat such meals every day!”
At that moment, an announcement came through inside the passenger ship.
—Huff. This is the control room. All instructors and technical division students in the cabins, please gather at the bridge immediately.
It was Kim Dong-hak from the technical division. His voice was familiar from the time spent on the ship. He had been announcing daily, regardless of day or night.
“Ah, I guess the training’s over since people are being called.”
“!”
Choi Soo-eun knew the return was supposed to be around lunchtime…
…but the lunchbox was not yet completely packed with food.
Choi Soo-eun hurriedly opened the lunchbox bag and handed the soup container to her junior.
“You help too.”
“Wha? Me too?”
*
Fortunately, it wasn’t too late. The participants of the training were just now starting to ascend on deck. Choi Soo-eun stood on tiptoe while holding the lunchbox.
“Can’t see…”
It was hard to see their faces clearly because the journalists were in the way. All she could do was catch glimpses through the gaps between people.
—Ugh…
The faces of the survivors didn’t look too good. Their cheeks were sunken, their eyes lifeless like those of dead fish.
Just seeing their weakened state made her feel uneasy, her lips starting to feel dry.
…
Wait a moment…
Could she really be worried right now?
Why would she be worried?
This was nothing more than someone else’s business. They had no special relationship after all.
Actually, the lunchbox she was currently holding didn’t really carry much meaning either.
Just because they went through some hardship on the island for a few days…
Probably didn’t manage to eat properly during that time, so she thought it was kind to cook them at least one good meal.
There really wasn’t any other special intention.
Seriously.
“Ah, isn’t that Choi Soo-eun?”
While she was immersed in her own thoughts, a man approached her. A middle-aged man dressed in a spotless suit, Lee Min-ho, the head of the school.
“Are you here for medical support?”
Lee Min-ho approached Choi Soo-eun with a friendly demeanor.
He definitely seemed like a normal man on the surface. One would naturally feel good seeing his well-maintained face and figure, free of any unnecessary fat, for his age.
However, Choi Soo-eun just felt uncomfortable with Lee Min-ho. She didn’t know exactly why. He just made her feel uneasy.
She had thought this way since long before.
“Haha, medical support is usually handled by first-years. I never expected someone like second-year Choi Soo-eun to come here.”
“…”
“Indeed, talent runs in the family. Senior Choi Chang-hwan also participated in various volunteer activities when he was here.”
By the way, Lee Min-ho and Choi Soo-eun’s father were from the same Han-yul Military Academy and had both been from the administrative division.
So Choi Soo-eun had seen Lee Min-ho a few times while growing up under her father’s influence.
At big events or such gatherings.
“How is your senior doing these days?”
“My father… is very busy…”
“Ah, it’s only natural given his position.”
Understanding the weight of his position, Lee Min-ho nodded several times.
—School Principal. Could you come over here for a moment?
It seemed his time to leave had come. Lee Min-ho concluded with his farewell.
“Ah! When you see your senior, please tell him that this Lee Min-ho will treat him to a drink sometime.”
“Yes… I will…”
“Then, I’ll leave now.”
Lee Min-ho left Choi Soo-eun’s side with a smile, heading towards the gathering of reporters.
“…”
Despite having only exchanged a few light words, Choi Soo-eun felt somewhat disturbed.
It was akin to having food stuck between her teeth, leaving an unpleasant lingering sensation.
To be honest, she didn’t really want to see him again.
—Arna!
Flash!
The reporters started firing off their camera flashes. Apparently, they were shooting the top student of the year.
Arna was always followed by reporters wherever she went, even during this educational training. It felt somewhat pitiful.
—Wouldn’t it be better to have a more cheerful expression in front of the camera? You should wave your hand at least once, take a few poses, or even throw in a couple waves for the fans if necessary…
—What… Why are you grinding your teeth like that? If you have something to say, just say it outright. Are you hesitating just because we’re in front of the camera?
—Hey… Look at me…
Next to Arna, an all-too-familiar face also appeared.
It was Shin Yoon-seong, whom Choi Soo-eun had been waiting for all this time.
Also, the rightful owner of the lunchbox she was currently holding.
—Hmm. You won’t be around after this, right? Didn’t our connection end with the training?
—No… It’s not over yet… I still have the job of strangling your neck…
—Oh my. Even after the training is over, you’re still looking for me? Could it be you like me too much? I find that quite troublesome though.
—Seriously… prepare yourself…
What could it be?
What happened during the training?
Somehow, the relationship between them seemed closer than before. Though they might still argue like usual, the overall atmosphere had softened significantly.
The wall that used to exist between them had fallen. There wasn’t even any uncomfortable tension anymore.
Not only Arna but Shin Yoon-seong too didn’t try to push the other away as they approached each other.
“…”
Choi Soo-eun couldn’t intrude between them. All she could do was watch from afar.
Most importantly, there was a huge wall in front of Choi Soo-eun. It was a thick and solid wall blocking Choi Soo-eun and Shin Yoon-seong.
And, ironically, it was Choi Soo-eun herself who had built this wall. Because she had been pushing Shin Yoon-seong away until now. Because she had kept rejecting him.
“What am I doing right now…”
Choi Soo-eun looked blankly at the lunchbox bag.
What kind of face am I putting on to have prepared this lunchbox like this? I didn’t even have the right to do so. If this is how it’s going to be, I shouldn’t have pushed him away initially.
It was only now that she realized the overstepping nature of her act.
I was really making a fool of myself.
“There’s no going back…”
Clutching the lunchbox bag, Choi Soo-eun turned around and went back inside the passenger ship.
Day 5 of the training was uneventful. As soon as morning broke, the announcement was made about the training’s end and returning to the passenger ship.
About 30 survivors boarded the passenger ship. Out of a total of 500 participants, only this many managed to survive.
That I’m included in this list is still hard to believe. It’s probably because of Arna that I made it.
It was the fourth day of the training, yesterday to be precise.
At that time, amidst the trouble I was having with Geum Gye-jun in the hellish tunnel, it was Arna who saved me.
Arna took up her sword determined to keep our small promise to survive together. If it were me, I would have simply run away without a second thought. And that’s exactly what I did before.
Indeed, there are reasons why the world calls her a hero. Arna’s sense of justice was so powerful that even a villainous person like me was greatly astonished.
Definitely our protagonist. It would be wise for Arna’s growth for me to also strive harder in the future.
I need to torment her more and treat her worse moving forward…
“…”
But before all that.
Let’s rest today.
I’m so sore from rolling around on the island that my entire body aches. My eyes started closing involuntarily. I can’t wait to lie down on my bed.
“Hmm…?”
On my way to the cabin, I found a bag in front of the door.
It was exactly in front of my room. The bag was placed there alone. It looked like a lunchbox bag. Did I order room service?
“Sniff sniff.”
It was clearly freshly made, judging by how delicious the smell was. That tempting scent of oil. Definitely meat.
Moreover, whoever used it regularly must take good care of the bag, as there was no trace of the usual strong seasoning smell found commonly in lunchboxes. Instead, a pleasant scent floated from the bag.
This sweet smell, it’s blueberry.
But…
