110 - I Unknowingly Rejected My Favorite

EP.110 #110. Let's Go Do Some Things! If reality were a scene out of a comic book, I would probably have ten frustration symbols floating above my head. I had expected a sweet ski trip with my brother, which turned out to be a bit naive on my part. Sigh... I should have asked if there were any male instructors available. The instructor who appeared had an age close to ours, and the real issue was... Every time my brother fell, she'd rush over to hold his hand, pretending to teach him while constantly fumbling around him. Even worse, as if conscious of my disapproving glances, she sent me down the slope first and continued the lesson with just the two of them. "...I said I'm not hungry." "No, Doa. If something's bothering you, you should talk about it. I can tell." Talk about what's bothering me? In truth, I had little reason to be upset with my brother. It's not his fault the instructor pulled him up when he fell. What could I blame him for? But that instructor—seriously. Seeing my boyfriend and me in a cozy moment that I paid for? Annoyed, I pounded my chest and glared at my brother. "Brother." "...Yeah?" "Did you enjoy learning how to ski?" "Uh... well, I'm glad we got to ski together in the afternoon at least..." His hesitant answer, as he cautiously watched my face, made me sigh deeply. "Sigh..." Yeah, what’s the point of getting angry here? I've learned to resign myself because it's not the first time. Complaining the whole time wouldn't help anyone, so instead, I leaned my head against his chest. "I'm annoyed." "Why? Is it because I ski so poorly?" "Yes. How can you be that bad at it?" Why on earth would you fall on the beginner's course? Even I can ski well! "Sorry." "You seemed to be having a great time holding hands and giggling with that instructor, didn’t you?" When I accused him with a frown, he placed his hand gently on my head. "I laughed because I was embarrassed about falling so much. I couldn’t just cry because I fell while little kids zipped past me, right?" "Yeah, yeah~" Although we talked that way, we eventually decided to eat at the food court. But why are the prices like this here? "...Why does plain ramen cost 5,000 won?" "Maybe they used natural snow to make it." Whatever premium they added, the food prices appeared 2,000 won higher than outside. I ordered udon, and my brother got a cheese cutlet. "How is it?" It seemed like a cheese cutlet, but the cheese didn’t stretch at all in his bowl. "Mm. It tastes like the food you'd get at an amusement park." A precise analogy, it seemed. It strongly felt like an overpriced rest area. After a hurried meal, promising ourselves a better dinner later, we finally had our private ski resort date. "Should we try the beginner's course?" Though I wanted to tackle the intermediate course right away, I was worried about his skills. "Yeah, let’s do that." He readily agreed, seemingly having no intention of showing off. Skilled skiers glide even across flat land with ease. My brother and I waddled along on the snow like penguins. Anyone could tell we were a novice couple. Enjoying the thought that others might see us that way, I linked my arm with his. "Hm?" He looked down at me as if asking what I was doing. "Isn't it okay to walk like this?" "We'll probably slow down a lot." "Brother, pull me along." Like a mischievous daughter, I clung to his arm and swayed it back and forth. "If I pull you, we might end up going home on the third round." My brother laughed softly and pulled me close with his fingertips. "Go on ahead! Doa, wait for me in the future!" A parody of a familiar animated movie line. He pushed me forward so hard I almost fell embarrassingly on the flat ground. I ended up ahead, while he tottered along behind me. Ah. I should've kept silent during the lessons at noon. It's so nice without skiing anyway. We successfully reached the lift, and fortunately, there was no one else with us. We watched as people skied below, holding onto the safety bar. "Doa." "Yes?" His eyes held a rare, wistful gaze. What's this? Why that face all of a sudden... "If I become a celebrity or something, will we not be able to come here together anymore?" "Come on, why would you say that? We just need to make time and come again." Thoughts of upcoming events, which I had momentarily forgotten, flitted through my mind. Taemin oppa would be signing a contract right after this holiday ended. It was too early to say what would happen with so little information. "Right?" "Of course! Besides, do you think becoming a superstar is easy?" Already worrying about fame when you haven’t even started. Such wishful thinking. Smiling slightly, I could see my brother leaning his face closer and closer to me. "Then before I become a superstar, I should steal a kiss." As he teased and came closer, I closed my eyes and puckered my lips. -Thunk Expecting parched lips, what met me instead were the helmets we were wearing, moving faster than our lips. "Uh..." "Pfft." Seeing the goofy outcome, my brother made a funny sound, making me want to capture the moment forever. "Just tilt your head back a bit, and we could have..." Still disappointed by the missed kiss, he suggested another method, but we were running out of time. "Raising the safety bar now~" Hearing the attendant’s voice, we reluctantly got off the lift. My boyfriend looked thoroughly dejected, whether from embarrassment or disappointment, as we approached the final stretch of flat ground before heading down the slope. I turned to look back at him. "Oppa." "Yeah?" "After we finish skiing later..." Ah, it's embarrassing just saying it. The cold wind blew fiercely at the peak, but my ears felt like they were on fire. "Let's go do a lot of stuff!" Leaving the object of the sentence ambiguous, I left my boyfriend behind and began my descent. That bothersome instructor might have been annoying, but she knew how to teach. I managed to make my way halfway down without incident. I turned around to check how my boyfriend was doing... "...Why is he still up there?" He had barely made it five meters before falling, and was struggling to get back up. * * * Realizing I wasn't good at sports was something that happened over 15 years ago. I hadn’t expected to excel at skiing, but I didn't think I’d be this terrible. My pride took quite a hit. "Hey, it's okay. Everyone has something they struggle with." Doa's attempt to console me made me feel even worse. No matter how I tried to spin it positively, taking 40 minutes to come down a single slope was excessive. We had little time before the afternoon session closed, and I suggested we try the intermediate level one last time. But it turned out it would have been quicker to take off my skis and walk. "...Sorry." "Really, it’s fine." After returning our equipment and retrieving our bags, we headed back to our accommodations to drop off our things. Doa stood in front of the resort counter. She told me to wait as she picked up the key card and handed it to me. "Oppa, did you see the photos of our room?" "I haven't looked closely. Not sure what it’s like." Doa had handled all the booking and payments. I simply followed her plan. "Ah, you can set your expectations high." With such confidence, she seemed to have something special in store. -Beep- As I swiped the card key, Doa nodded encouragingly for me to go in. "Wow." Today seemed full of moments that left me in awe. The first thought: 'Spacious.' The room was certainly generous for the two of us. The view spanned the entire ski resort, and the bed was a queen—no, wait, a king size, I think? "How is it? It's great, right?" "It is, but..." ...I wonder how much this cost. Excitement quickly turned to thoughts of my bank account balance. I had offered to split costs, but if I couldn’t reimburse her, it would be embarrassing. "How much was it?" I swallowed nervously, but Doa simply waggled her finger side to side, refusing to answer. "You don’t need to worry about it." "Still, I need to know to send you the money." "I'll cover this, so you just pay for the meals." ...Even a hotel buffet wouldn’t be this pricey. Seeing my worried look, she approached me and wrapped her arms around me. "If you’re so thankful, just treat me well." "Um... I'll try. Though I think I messed up skiing." I stroked her hair despite feeling the weight of it all. Later, I'll definitely check how much this place costs. "Oppa, I think I sweated while skiing. Mind if I wash up first?" "Of course, go ahead." I watched her head to the bathroom like royalty as I plopped onto the bed. "Ha..." Doa seemed to be spending a lot this trip, just like at Christmas. Sure, she gets donations on her stream, so maybe she can afford it, but still... As a guy, my pride felt somewhat bruised. I was about to look up the room price on my phone when— "Oppaaa!" Her voice called from the bathroom. "What is it?" "Can you grab the lotion from my bag?" I picked up her bag and faced a dilemma. Lotion. In which pocket could it be? It was curious she had such a utility bag with so many pockets. I thought about asking but decided to just rummage through. Opening the outermost pocket, my mouth went dry. Is this what she meant by treating her well...? The unopened box of condoms was enough to make my heart race.