‘Rise and shine!’

Their professor, Se-yoon, closed the door after his morning call and left the two girls in the room to slowly rouse themselves from their slumber. Mina groaned and rolled over to her side to take a drink of water. The crisp coldness of the water helped her to become a bit more alert and she sat up in bed, watching as Momo got up without any visible signs of sleepiness. She grumbled silently at the unfairness of it but got up as well, changing from her pyjamas into her daywear. Rummaging through her luggage, she pulled out a pair of leggings and put on her normal exercising outfit. She had read their itinerary and seen that they would be spending the day outside.

Finished dressing, she left the room to brush her teeth and was surprised that the bathroom was deserted. The room that she shared with Momo was at the end of the hallway and she expected someone to already be getting ready for the day but it was better for her that the bathroom was empty. It meant that she didn’t have to wait in line for a sink or toilet stall. Wetting her toothbrush, she went through her morning routine and walked down to the dining room.

There were a few others awake and seated at the table, crunching down bowls of cereal and their professor was busy at work, popping bread into the toasters and spreading butter and jam. As she and Momo took their seats, he placed a plate of toast in front of them and remarked, “Good to see you up and ready. Usually girls on these trips aren’t so eager to get up.” Biting into a piece of toast, Mina looked around the room and saw that he was right. She and Momo were the only girls downstairs and it explained the emptiness of the bathroom.

She glanced to Momo who had skipped on the toast and was spooning cereal into . Momo didn’t look as if the early morning bothered her but she ate slowly. Something seemed to be on her mind and Mina wondered what it was. She had never been one for curiosity but whenever it came to Momo, it became that she wanted to know everything that was happening around her and what the other was thinking. She blew out a tired breath and mopped up the remains of her plate then went over to sit on the couch. She watched a couple of the guys playing card games as they waited for the day to start and slowly the rest of the girls trickled down to join them at the breakfast table.

Surprisingly, moments after she had sat down, Momo walked over and took the spot next to her. It was a pleasant surprise and she tried to mask her reaction behind a blank expression. She wondered if she should do something but after a few moments, Momo reached forward and grabbed one of the decks of cards from the pile. Holding it up, she asked, “We still have some time before we set off. Want to play a game?” Mina nodded and Momo shifted over to make room between them. She dealt out eleven cards each and setting aside the two jokers, held up her hand of cards and began explaining the rules.

‘So this game is called Mah-jong. It works like the real game by matching triplets from the cards in your hand. You make a triplet by getting three cards of consecutive order of the same suit or by getting three of a kind. As soon as you get a triplet, you have to put it down beside you and you can’t take back any of the cards to use in another triplet. If you have two potential triplets, you must put down one of them by the end of your turn. Other small things is that you can add to triplets whether from other people or your own with a card that matches the triplet but there is no turn restriction on when if you want to add.’

Momo put down the cards in her hand and pointed to the remaining deck of cards with one card which was face up.

‘So the aim of the game is to unload your hand and the first person to do so wins. You complete your triplets by either picking up one card from either the deck or the pile which is face up. Every time it is your turn, you must pick up at least one card from wherever you choose but you must also put down one card to the pile. When picking up from the pile, you can pick up as many cards as are available but if you want a certain card, you need to pick up all the cards leading up to it. Once you touch a card to pick up, you can’t change your mind. Understand everything so far?’

Mina nodded although she wasn’t entirely sure, knowing that proper experience in a game would help her improve. She picked up her cards and looked over them. She didn’t have any triplets as Momo called them so she watched as Momo picked up a card from the deck and put down another to the pile. She did the same and looked over her hand again, switching out the card she had picked for a card that didn’t have a link to any of her other cards. Momo took her turn but she didn’t have any triplets either and this continued for a few turns until Mina picked up a card that completed a triplet. She took out the cards and placed them down.

‘Do I get anything for putting down these cards?’

Momo looked up from her hand with a questioning look.

‘I mean, is there any reward for completing a triplet?’

Momo grinned but looked back down to her hand, shaking her head.

‘No. If we were playing for an extended period of time, we would count them as points but getting rid of three cards from your hand is reward enough don’t you think?’

‘Righto.’

Mina waited as Momo took her turn and put down a triplet of her own. As the turns progressed, Mina’s hand shrunk until she was left with two cards. Momo finished a turn and Mina picked up the card that Momo had just put down, smiling as she completed a triplet and placed it down. Her breath at the tired victory was forestalled at Momo’s look of regret and she ventured forward to ask, “Did I do something wrong?” Momo pointed to the pile. “Like I said before, you have to pick up and put down a card no matter what state the game is in. If you were to win, you needed to pick up an extra card from the pile so that you could put it down and have a valid win.”

Mina nodded, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment at her mistake and voiced a question that had been bugging her since they started playing. “So why don’t you just start the game with a multiple of three as the number of cards?” Momo shook her head, her hair swaying to the side.

‘If we did that, it would be too easy to win by just picking up and putting down from the deck. This way, you need to have some strategy in choosing which cards to grab from the pile and deck. Besides, you can always have two add-ons to other triplets so it means you don’t necessarily have to pick up extra cards.’

‘That looks fun. Can I join in?’

Se-yoon had finished his serving duties and had wandered over to see the game they were playing. Their game had incorporated some complex but simple rules that interested him, the psychology professor that he was. Momo looked to Mina in question. “Sure. That was a good practice game but let me watch you play and maybe I can pick up some tips.” Momo nodded and Mina got up to sit behind her as she dealt out new hands.

The game started as Se-yoon declared that he was comfortable with the rules from watching and Momo let it pass, trusting their professor. Momo started off with an unlucky hand with only two cards of the eleven being related in some way and even then she required a connecting card to make a triplet. As the game progressed it became more exciting as the deck became increasingly smaller and Momo was only left with three cards in contrast to Se-yoon’s five; a 2 of hearts, king of diamonds and a 7 of spades. There weren’t any triplets that she could add the cards onto and Mina looked over the triplets already set out, wondering if there was some way that Momo could win in the next few moves if she picked up a specific card.

There were none and she watched as Se-yoon glanced up at the clock after picking up a card. He seemed to be deep in thought but after a moment, he put down the card he had picked up, the 4 of hearts. Momo quickly snatched up the card after a moment of hesitation, abandoning the king. Mina nodded, excitement building that Momo could soon win. She looked up to their professor wondering about his next move and frowned as she saw the ghost of a smile on his lips. She blinked and the smile disappeared and she questioned whether she had seen it right, dismissing it as he placed down the 3 of hearts. Momo smiled as she grabbed the card and put down the 7 of spades in its place, setting down her newly created triplet in victory.

Se-yoon groaned disappointed but then replaced it with a wry grin and reached his hand forward. “That was surprisingly fun,” he said, shaking Momo’s hand. “There are a few games that I know of with similar rules but this version seems very well thought out. Did you make up the rules yourself or is this a pre-existing game?”

‘I learned this game from a friend who played it with his family and I’m pretty certain they thought up the game.’

‘Interesting. This game incorporates more strategy than I thought for a card game but well played, it was a good match.’

With a satisfied sigh, Momo smiled and stood up to stretch after being seated for so long, their professor mirroring her actions. Mina reached forward and began to put the cards back in order, freezing as she saw the cards that Se-yoon had put down. He had two aces and a queen but his other two cards were a 3 and 4 of clubs. Having been checking over all the cards in play carefully, Mina knew that there were still the other two fours in play. She wondered for a moment but then someone called that it was time for their activity and she hurried to pack away the cards.

~

The group stared at the construction in front of them as the professor explained the activity they would be doing. Four wooden beams had been placed into a square and ropes had been connected inside to form a sort of spider web. The construction was referred to as it looked, a Spider’s Web, and it was commonly used in team building exercises. The objective was to get all of a group from one side of the web to the other through the holes in the web without touching the ropes. The added trick was that no two people could pass through the web in the same hole.

‘So, I’m assuming that many of you already know what this is. For those of you who don’t, it’s a Spider’s Web. My order for you it to get from one side of the web to the other without touching any of the ropes.’

Finishing giving out his instructions, the professor stood to the side of the web and held out a stopwatch as he watched the university students. The group decided to brainstorm first and one of the guys, a relatively well-known member of the physical education department called Junho took charge. He looked over the group, noting their body profiles before speaking. “I think our strategy will be to have some of the stronger members of our group on either side so that we can help lift up the other members. For that to happen we need to allow them to get through the bigger holes so that they don’t touch the rope and then have the smallest person to go through the smaller hole.”

The rest of the group nodded, accepting the logic of the idea and they started with a firm declaration of ‘We challenge!’ The professor smiled and held up the stopwatch face for the students to see. Junho let two of the other well-built males to pass through and stood to the side as he directed the lifting of the smallest girl in their group. It was better for the tricky part to be completed earlier as it would save their effort if they failed and getting any person through was a difficult task. As it was, the group was unprepared on their first attempt and the jacket hood of the girl flopped forward and touched a rope. Immediately, the professor blew the whistle that hung around his neck and motioned for them to start the exercise again.

They restarted with vigour and this time managed to get the girl through without touching the rope and other people were able to pass through without difficulty. Their second attempt was promising until towards the end when one of the designated lifters allowed his foot to slip in the tanbark and his knee touched the web, resulting in another whistle signalling for their restart. Their third attempt was more short-lived than their second as one of the members’ shirt had slipped free from their waistband and it fell against the web. A groan arose from the group at their third failure and the professor just grinned as he blew his whistle again.

On their fourth attempt Junho involved himself again, becoming one of the designated lifters, displaying his strength by easily manoeuvring the other members through the web without trouble. However, as with their first three attempts, one of the girls’ ponytail wasn’t held properly and a rope was moved. Without pause, the whistle blew and the group roused themselves to try again. Mina watched silently with Momo, standing at the back of the group. They had been instructed by Junho to wait as their smaller bodies would be easier to transport when the more difficult people had gone through.

‘Hey Momo, what did the professor tell us to do exactly?’

Momo turned from her watching to look at Mina. “We have to move from one side of the web to the other without touching the ropes.” Mina nodded and an idea formed in her mind. “That was all he said right?” she asked and Momo’s eyes narrowed then widened as she saw what Mina was aiming at. “That might just work. What brought on the idea?” Momo asked. “I was thinking about how he started our area of study on grief with a surprising discussion about love that somehow ended up tying in perfectly with what we were learning,” Mina replied. Finished her sentence, she called out to the professor.

‘Mr. Son, you told us before that we have to get from one side of the web to the other right?’

The rest of the group paused as they prepared to lift another person, wondering why Mina was asking for the instructions again. They all turned to look as the professor faced Mina with a neutral expression.

‘Yes. Did you want me to repeat the instructions?’

‘No that’s fine. But you said that we just have to get from one side of the web to the other without touching any of the ropes right?’

There was a nod and the group watched as Mina walked past him to stand on the ground beside the people already gathered. “So this is fine right?” Mina asked, pointing to where she was standing. The professor smiled but didn’t say anything and his silence confirmed Mina’s suspicions. Previously whenever the group had made the mistake of touching the ropes, the professor had jumped in immediately to signal their infraction but he made no move to do that in response to Mina’s action. Gesturing encouragingly, Mina instructed the rest of the group to walk around the web to her side. As soon as the last member stepped foot on the opposite side, the professor began a slow clap and there were a few whoops at the successful completion the exercise.

However, their elation at the success faded away as the professor faced the group with disappointment clear in his face. “Congratulations to Mina for noticing the hint in my instructions but I’m surprised that the rest of you took so long. I expected us to be finished within 10 minutes and not still be standing here after nearly an hour.” He looked at each member of the group with the same look and soon there was not a single happy face as the students lamented their lapse. “I’d like to remind you that I am a professor of psychology and not a recreational instructor. I don’t care for whatever team building exercise this is known as. I want you all to consider what happened today. You were tricked by a few words. Given, you weren’t expecting deceit from your kindly professor but what happens when you get tricked by a few words from someone in the real world who plans on taking advantage of you?”

The professor stopped talking and there was silence for a few seconds as they all pictured the scene that was described. It was a daunting one and it was an eye-opener. The professor opened his mouth to speak again but this time his words lifted up the mood. “With that said, it is better that you make that mistake now and are from here aware of it so let it fade from your minds for the time being and enjoy the beach for the rest of the day.” There was a cheer as the students rushed down the hill and back towards the lodge to change.

Mina followed behind, walking beside Momo and content to let the others go ahead. The professor stepped in line with her and gave her a pat on her back then rushed off with a shout, waving his arms and chasing after the rest of the students. Smiling at their professor’s ability to change in an instant, Mina started running as well, stopping to turn and look back at Momo. “Aren’t you going to join in?” Momo stared at her incredulously for a second but closed her eyes as if preparing for something difficult then raised her arm