Chapter XLII – Leaving Seoul

All packed up and ready to go the night before the school trip, Arthur sat alone in the living room. Ryung was still at work, about to return soon. Sophie on the other hand stayed the night at Ari’s place, as her parents offered to drive them to the school entrance in the morning.

Considering they were only staying one night, everyone packed light. Mostly just snacks and drinks. Arthur decided to bring a spare t-shirt just in case.

Max – Just finished up last second homemade snacks for us

Tjay – Did Iseul help?

Max – Yeah?

Tjay – Uffff thats how you know theyll be goooood

Max – You saying mine aren’t as good?

Irene – Be real dude...

Max – -.-...

Arthur wondered how he’d fall asleep, considering he felt so energetic. Checking his phone again, he saw a private message from Irene.

Irene – Can’t wait for tomorrow

Irene – What kind of music do you listen to?

Same. Falling asleep will be a nightmare, so I might just stay up all night. Music wise, I don’t really know... Why? – Arthur

Irene – Should’ve come over, we could’ve watched something fun

I have something I need to do, now that Sophie’s not at home. – Arthur

Irene – You need some alone time?

Irene – It’s normal for guys our age ^^

Arthur chuckled at her teasing.

Pretty sure my room’s private enough for that. – Arthur

Irene – Dunno what you’re talking about...

Sure you don’t... – Arthur

Still, I have something I want to talk to Gramps about. Being alone with him tonight might finally give me the opportunity to ask some questions that I’ve had. – Arthur

Irene – Everything alright?

Yeah, yeah... Nothing like that. – Arthur

Irene – I’ll be here if you need me.

Thanks. – Arthur

Irene – FYI, I’m gonna download some banger anime OSTs for us to listen to.

Arthur presumed she meant songs, so didn’t question it.

Irene – Also love listening to chill beats while looking out the window.

Sounds good to me. You gonna bring speakers or something? – Arthur

Irene – Hell no... My earphones will be plenty for the two of us.

Irene – Which reminds me, you wanna sit next to the window on the way there or back?

Huh? – Arthur

Irene – Trust me, that’s like the best part. Just staring out the window and enjoying a killer view.

I don’t mind you sitting next to the window. Pretty sure you won’t obscure it... – Arthur

Irene – It’s not the same, just trust me...

Well, ladies first so... – Arthur

Irene – My, my... What a gentleman <3

Irene – Gonna take a shower now, so call me once you’re done with your talk.

Alright, take care. – Arthur

Letting his phone down, Arthur sighed leaning back into the couch while glancing towards the hallway.

Soon, he heard the front doors open.

“I’m home,” Ryung said, unsure if anyone was there to hear it.

“Welcome back,” Arthur said smilingly as he walked towards the hallway.

“Is Sophie home?”

“She went to Ari’s place.”

“Did she bring everything she needed for tomorrow? I still haven’t given you allowance. . .”

“Don’t worry. If she forgot anything, I’ll just bring it along with me.”

Ryung smiled at him. “You’re a good kid. I’m proud of you, you know that right?”

“I know. . .” Arthur mumbled with a coy smile.

Taking out his wallet, Ryung grabbed a bit of money and handed it to Arthur. “Hope that’s enough for the trip.”

Arthur looked at the money and sighed. “Grandpa, would you mind if we sat down and talked for a bit?”

“Is everything alright?” he asked worriedly.

“It is, but I do have a few questions I’ve been meaning to ask you.”

“Sure. Let me grab a glass of water, and I’ll join you in the living room.”

Arthur nodded and proceeded towards the couch. Ryung returned shortly and sat down next to him.

“So, what seems to be troubling you?” He said with a soft, yet exhausted tone.

“The money. . .” Arthur mentioned.

Without leaving him room to explain, Ryung interrupted with a sigh. “I know it’s not a lot but-”

“Sorry, but that’s not what I’m talking about,” Arthur cut him off. “I avoided bringing up the subject when Sophie is around because I didn’t want to worry her. I know you work very hard, and I deeply respect that. It’s just that some things don’t make too much sense to me, so I wanted to understand. I can’t act out ignorance forever.”

“What exactly are you referring to?” he asked, but Arthur could tell he was a bit wary.

“Sophie and I are given the right to attend a rather prestigious private school. I know it’s expensive, especially when public school is an option. The house we live in isn’t small either. The new phone you bought me, a trip that Sophie went on, and not to mention medical bills for when I was in a coma. . .”

“You’re right. . .” he mumbled. “Those can indeed be expensive.”

“I know how many hours you work, but I also know it’s not enough to cover all those expenses along with many other things.”

“Arthur,” Ryung said with a stern voice, letting Arthur know that he was sticking his nose into something he probably wasn’t supposed to.

Ryung seemed a bit troubled as well, as if he felt ashamed, but Arthur couldn't figure out why.

“Sorry. . .” Arthur averted his gaze. “I won’t pry if it makes you feel uncomfortable. But promise me that you’re not doing anything dangerous.”

“What sort of dangerous thing could I do at this age?” he chuckled, trying to ease the tension.

Arthur stood up knowing he won’t get any answers out of him. Based on his reaction when he initially told him about the school covering the cost of the trip, he could discern that there was no connection between Ryung and the school’s decision.

“That’s all I wanted to ask. I’m off to bed, got to wake up early. But please, just stay safe. . .”

Ryung looked up at Arthur and sighed, understanding where Arthur was coming from. “Worry not. I’m not doing anything dangerous. I promise. . .”

His words sounded trustworthy enough for Arthur to relax. While the mystery remained, it was only a matter of time before he learned the truth.

“Even if you are,” Arthur stopped himself in place. “Know that I’ll always be there to help out with anything. Don’t underestimate how much we can help just because we’re young.”

For now, all he could do is go to his room and rest up. Not thinking about it was just about the only solution.

Arthur proceeded to message Irene throughout the night before finally falling asleep.

The weather couldn’t have been any better, as Arthur walked towards the school with the sun shining brightly. It being Sunday morning, there wasn’t traffic nor noise. Everything was looking perfect.

Even though it took him a while to fall asleep, he got just enough hours in to be at a point where he felt well-rested.

He could see from across the street hundreds of students gathering in front of J High. Though that didn’t distract him from spotting Iseul and Max as they approached from his flank.

Max was yawning deeply with his hands behind his head, wearing an untucked blue striped shirt, along with skinny jeans and white Vans. Meanwhile, Iseul had tied her hair back and walked gracefully. With one hand she held a black backpack, while in the other she carried a leather jacket in case it got cold. She wore high-waisted blue jeans with a tucked-in white t-shirt, all while having her amethyst necklace dangle around her neck.

“Guess I didn’t get the memo,” Arthur said as they approached. “We going on a trip or a photoshoot?”

“Good to see you, Arthur,” Iseul approached giving him a friendly hug.

“You don’t look so bad yourself,” Max said glancing at him from head to toe.

Sophie had picked his outfit for the trip. Even if he wanted comfort over style, he ended up wearing black jeans and a short-sleeved shirt to match.

“You think the rest arrived?” Arthur asked.

“Bet you that Tjay’s gonna be late, and Don is most likely already waiting for us,” Max said confidently.

“The girls messaged that they arrived, apart from Irene,” Iseul checked her phone again. “She still hasn’t answered any of my messages.”

“I should’ve probably gone to pick her up,” Arthur commented, letting out a sigh. “She’ll be on time though.”

Arriving at the school, the crowd made Arthur feel a bit claustrophobic as there was hardly anywhere to stand freely. Some students were even in the middle of the street due to the lack of morning traffic. Iseul took her leave to meet up with her classmates since they won’t be on the same bus.

You at the school? – Arthur

Sophie – Yeah, we arrived like 20 minutes ago

Sophie - I’m just discussing things with a few classmates, want me to come over?

Nah, have fun and say hi to Ari for me. – Arthur

Sophie sent Arthur a selfie of Ari, a few unknown female classmates, and herself.

Looking good! – Arthur

Sophie – Wbu? Did you end up wearing what I picked out for you?

Wouldn’t dare show myself had I not! – Arthur

Sophie – Good! Luv yu

Love you too – Arthur

“Still on your phone, huh?” Tjay said looking over Arthur’s shoulder.

Taking a few steps forward, surprised by Tjay’s sudden appearance, Arthur turned towards him only to see him wearing black trousers, a white shirt with rolled-up sleeves, a leather strapped sapphire watch, and black and red Jordans.

“Seems you were wrong,” Arthur chuckled looking at Max.

“Wrong about what?” Tjay asked crossing his arms with a smug smile. “Did you expect me to be late?”

“Sort of. . .” Max chuckled but welcomed him all the same. “I should’ve guessed you would come on time, considering you wanna make this ride as painful as possible.”

“No way dude, I got so much shit planned for us, there ain’t no time to fuck with you.”

“Right. . .”

“No, but for real though. I even got us these for the road,” he pulled out a black deck of cards. “It’s called Exploding Kittens, and it’s the not safe for work version!”

“What the heck is that?” Max asked, approaching closer curiously.

“It’s this awesome game that I’ve been dying to play. Basically, you got a bunch of cards that you use to mess with other players with the intention of making them explode before you do. The rules aren’t complicated at all. Takes about two minutes to learn.”

“Why is it not safe for work though?” Arthur asked.

“Cuz look at this!” he showed an oversized white female cat wearing a pink bikini across multiple massive tits.

“That’s kind of disgusting. . .” Arthur chuckled.

“That’s the point! Look at this one,” he rummaged through the deck and pulled out a card with a black cat licking its privates which had mosaic censorship. “Those ain’t even the good ones, but I don’t wanna spoil things by showing it off.”

While Arthur looked over the rules intrigued, Max kept an eye out for the rest.

“There they are,” Max pointed towards Don and Nabi as they slowly approached.

Unlike the rest, Don didn’t put too much effort into what he was wearing, as he wore an oversized grey hoodie along with matching pants. Arthur wondered if he was either being smart about it, due to it still being mid-May and that they’d be going up a mountain, or was he going to get a heatstroke. Still, the dark clothes he was wearing weren’t doing him any favor either.

Nabi on the other hand wore a light blue summer dress that complimented her figure while holding a jacket in hand. She also had spare clothes in her backpack as she warned everyone to bring something because at night it would get quite colder.

“Ready to go?” Nabi asked with a beaming smile, as Don simply waved.

“Sure are,” Max said excitedly.

Arthur noticed Tjay going quiet as he glanced at Nabi.

“You look good. . .” Tjay said while averting his gaze.

His compliment stunned Nabi, as she struggled to say anything.

Taking a deep breath, she looked down and smilingly whispered, “Thanks.”

It was the closest the two had acted since the whole ordeal.

Arthur smiled looking at everyone, but all of a sudden his vision darkened as he felt a pair of hands covering his eyes from behind.

“Guess who,” Irene whispered into Arthur’s ear.

“I’d like to make a joke by saying a name other than Irene, but I feel like that’d be both stupid and dangerous,” Arthur teased.

“Smart man,” she said hugging him from behind.

Letting go of him, she took a few steps back which allowed him to finally have a look at her.

She looked stunning, as she wore high waist denim hot pants with two front slit pockets and a leather belt strapped around her waist, a tucked-in off-the-shoulder white blouse, a pink watch, and her favorite white sneakers. The makeup she wore was faint, even Arthur who was enthralled and caught staring speechless had a hard time noticing. His gaze left her with a pleased smile as their eyes met, the look that complimented her more than any word could.

“I thought you’d look a bit more tired,” Arthur teased while trying to regain his composure.

“Trust me, I am! But that doesn’t excuse me from looking my best, now does it? I’ll just have to borrow your shoulder for a bit,” she winked at him.

Nabi cut the conversation short as she hugged Irene.

The group stood around and chatted for a bit before the buses arrived. Arthur was surprised as they looked nothing like the city buses. Entering inside everything screamed luxury to him, from comfy seats to random things like cup holders, and even curtains to block out the sun for longer travels. There were even phone chargers, just in case someone needed them.

The seating order was predetermined, and luckily, the whole group was right behind each other.

“Here are our seats,” Irene said smilingly. “You sure you don’t want to sit by the window first?”

“Stop being stubborn and just listen to me,” Arthur chuckled.

“Fine, fine,” she threw her backpack under the seat and scooted next to the window.

Sitting down next to her, Arthur observed his surroundings. He was shocked to learn that the bus had air conditioning as well.

Behind them sat Max and Tjay, with Tjay snatching the seat next to the window, and lastly were Nabi and Don.

Once everybody settled down, the bus finally started moving. The feeling was surreal as Arthur leaned back into his chair and glanced over Irene’s shoulder.

The first time he was leaving Seoul behind, he was surrounded by laughs and chatter of not just his friends, but classmates as well. It was refreshing, and he felt nothing but gratitude for the chance presented to him

Leaning into his shoulder as she said she would, Irene looked up at Arthur with an affectionate smile, bopping his nose with her index finger, making herself chuckle.

Next up, Beomeosa Temple.

Chapter End.

Thank you for reading.