Chapter 11: Ditched for a free afternoon

Teacher Byun announced that the pink team would have an hour for lunch and after they would start cleaning the park. The students dispersed when they heard the teacher’s words and each group went to wherever they wanted, mostly to the Buffet where the lunch would take place.

Yoomin was with Joonmyun chatting when Sooyoung came in their direction and interrupted them. “You’re better?” She asked Yoomin, even though she knew very well that her friend was perfectly fine and the act was all to hide her secret. Since it was her best friend, Sooyoung had to keep the façade too.

Chanyeol was about to go and speak to Yoomin, after grabbing a towel to dry his hair, but when he noticed that she was surrounded by her friends, he gave up the idea. He didn’t want to be an intruder so he left for lunch.

As if guessing that Chanyeol was about to go speak to her, Yoomin looked around to see if he was still there but there was no sign of him, which left her a little disappointed somehow. Why did he leave without telling? Well, he didn’t have to, but … he could have …. Wrinkles formed on Yoomin’s forehead as she thought to herself. She knew that even though she and Chanyeol started a new friendship they weren’t at a stage where they had to tell each other where they went and things like close friends would do.

“So, what are we waiting for? Let’s eat,” Joonmyun said as he clapped his hands in a form of manifesting his anxiety to eat. The games left the students exhausted and hungry, which certainly would make the Buffet run out of food that day.

When Yoomin entered in the Buffet she scanned the place until her eyes finally spotted what she was looking for. At the opposite side of the room, eating alone was Chanyeol. Yoomin beamed as soon as she saw him and went straight to his table.

“Hey,” she said, announcing that she was there.

Chanyeol looked up from his plate, which was full of food, and his lips formed a small grin. “Hey,”

“You didn’t say anything that you were coming here after the game,” Yoomin pointed out, but soon realized that maybe that wasn’t the best way to start a conversation, “I mean, you didn’t have to tell me because we’re not dating or something, it’s just,” for some seconds she paused. “I thought you would say something,” she gulped, not knowing if she could make herself understand, but Chanyeol’s gaze told her that she had messed up.

“Sorry, I was going to tell you but you were with your friends so I didn’t want to interrupt your conversation,” Chanyeol explained.

“Oh…” Yoomin didn’t know what to say at first, “Well, there was nothing wrong of you to go there and ask us to come to eat. I mean, we’re friends now, we all are, so from now on, we won’t have issues with that matter okay?” Yoomin smiled.

She wanted them to be comfortable around each other, but most of all, not only the two of them. Yoomin wanted Chanyeol to be friends with Joonmyun and Sooyoung, as well as herself with Kyungsoo and other Chanyeol’s friends. However, all of this had to happen slowly. She didn’t want her secret to be uncovered so she had to be careful with that aspect too.

After getting a plate and serve herself, she went to the table where Chanyeol was having lunch and sat in front of him. Following her were Sooyoung and Joonmyun who, seconds later, were joined by Kyungsoo. And like that the group had lunch together.

Now that the time for lunch was over, the pink team had to fulfill their obligations and clean the park as told.

Since the girls got to do whatever they wanted, Yoomin and Sooyoung decided to go to the bedroom first and take a shower before actually planning the rest of their day.

Sooyoung got out of the bathroom, rolled up in a towel as she had just showered, and walked towards her bed. “So, what are we going to do?” She asked Yoomin, who was drying her hair with a towel.

“Well, we could get to know the hotel. I know that there’s a souvenirs’ store on the reception floor. We could go there to see and maybe buy things for our parents. What do you think?” Yoomin suggested.

“I think it’s a good idea,” Sooyoung nodded in agreement and began to dress up.

Once the girls were ready, th