After spending my Friday helping Nayun, sparring with Suho, and moving around a lot with Nayun at night, Saturday finally arrived.
Today was the day of the orientation for the Travel Club. The meeting point was the "Cube Portal Station", where there was a dimensional portal connecting the Cube to various parts of Korea and Seoul.
"You look tired, Nayun."
I approached the girl beside me and whispered in her ear, softly enough that only she could hear.
After classes ended, Nayun, Yeonha, Suho, Yeonghan, and I were walking to the meeting location we had been informed about yesterday.
"Humph! And whose fault do you think it is that I stayed up until almost 1:00 AM?"
She whispered back, glancing nervously at the girl beside her, afraid she might overhear.
"Hah! You say that, but... It wasn't me who screamed... Hey!"
Before I could finish, Nayun kicked me in the shin, stopping me mid-sentence.
"Next time, I'll step harder. Shut up and stay quiet. If you want to talk to me, use your telepathy skill."
After saying that, she walked away a bit and started talking to Yeonha, who was fiddling with her smartwatch.
'Just wait! Next time, I won't use my healing magic on you.'
As I plotted my future revenge against Nayun in my head, the club president arrived.
"Hello, I'm Oh Hanhyun, the president of the Travel Club. I couldn't believe it when I saw so many applications for the club, but... it's real. Who would've thought such incredible cadets would join my club?"
With his average height and gentle first impression, Oh Hanhyun looked around at the club members while scratching his neck, clearly intimidated by the many famous figures here today.
"First, I'll give a brief introduction about the Travel Club."
With a shy smile, he pulled a piece of paper from his pocket. It seemed like he had prepared a speech. If I remember correctly, Kim Hajin described Oh Hanhyun as a shy person, so I wasn't too surprised by his actions.
But Nayun and Yeonha seemed a bit taken aback. A senior acting like this?
"Ahem. Once or twice a month, we'll leave the Cube to travel. The purpose of the trip is to relax. So, training during the trips will be strictly prohibited. That's also why our club is called 'Healing Rain.'"
Ahem!
After clearing his throat once more, the club president put the paper away.
What, was that it?
Many cadets wondered the same thing. They had expected Oh Hanhyun to give a boring, monotonous speech, but it turned out to be much less painful than they had imagined.
"Today, as part of the orientation, we'll take a short trip to Seoul."
From what I know, having read the story, the club members would form pairs and head to Seoul.
"Each trip will have a theme. Since today is an orientation, we'll just have a free trip without anything complicated. But instead of traveling alone, we'll split into pairs of two."
Bingo.
I wonder who I'll be paired with.
"So, we'll decide by drawing lots."
In the president's hand was a box with a hole, from which we would draw a name to determine our partner.
"I'll go first."
Just like in the original story, Yeonha was the first to draw a name.
'Where is he... Oh, there.'
As I expected, Kim Hajin was also here. He was probably planning to use his 'Observation and Reading' skill to pick Nayun or Suho's name, since those two would be heavily involved in today's incident.
'But to his misfortune, Yeonha will be the one to draw his name... Poor guy, being stepped on by a character you created can't feel great.'
As I was lamenting Hajin's bad luck, Yeonha pulled out a slip, and the name drawn was...
"Theo Sagan."
Huh?
I looked at the girl with dark purple hair, who stared back at me as she walked closer.
As soon as Yeonha approached, Nayun, frustrated that she couldn't draw my name, quickly stepped up to the box.
"Kim Suho."
The same pairing as in the novel.
Nayun returned with a defeated expression.
"Hey! Don't be so upset. We can still meet up along the way."
I whispered to her.
"Really?!"
"Yeah."
With those words, the two of us continued to watch the drawing...
...
Fortunately, everything else remained unchanged. Kim Suho was paired with Chae Nayun, and Yi Yeonghan was paired with the club president.
Not to say there were no changes, Kim Hajin ended up paired with the red-haired girl who had asked the instructor about dating on Thursday.
After the drawing, the members gathered in pairs and stood in front of the Portal.
The Portal, a cutting-edge technology that combines science and magical engineering. Standing 15 meters tall and 30 meters wide, this massive gate had been built in over a hundred locations across Korea. With it, traveling from Seoul to Busan took less than 3 seconds.
'Wow! Just by looking at it, I already know how to create another teleportation portal... But that's expected. I have the knowledge of a guy who can develop any magic he wants. It's truly amazing and terrifying at the same time.'
"Cadet Yoo Yeonha, confirmed."
"Cadet Theo Sagan, confirmed."
The Portal operator gave us a stamp. This stamp would resonate with the Portal and take us to Seoul.
"Let's go."
The club president entered first. The next to step into the shimmering blue Portal were Kim Suho, Yi Yeonghan, Chae Nayun, Kim Hajin, Yoo Yeonha... and finally, me.
A familiar sensation enveloped my body, but only for a moment.
In the blink of an eye, the surroundings changed to an unfamiliar place. A futuristic mix of blue and gray, it had to be the Seoul Portal Station. With just two steps, I had crossed the entire East Sea.
"It's noon now, so we'll meet back here at 6 PM."
Since the Portal we used was connected to the Cube, there was no one around. But the Portal next to us, connecting Seoul to Busan, was crowded with people. After all, both were global cities.
"For now, follow me."
Following the club president, we received another stamp from the Portal staff before leaving the station.
As we exited, I immediately saw the words on the signs: "Yongsan Station."
"You can go anywhere you want as a pair using the public transportation system. Today, we won't require you to write a report, but make sure to return by 6. If you're late, you'll be penalized."
With a warning from the club president, the cadets left in pairs.
After saying goodbye to me and Yeonha, Nayun headed off to explore.
Yeonha, standing beside me, didn't say anything, but I followed her for the time being.
"Any plans?"
"Not really. I was actually planning to tell you to go off on your own. I'm planning to visit my father's guild."
"Oh, sure! Go ahead."
Unlike Hajin, whom she treated coldly, she was much friendlier with me, even explaining her reasons. I guess charm and appearance really do help.
"Alright. Here..."
She stretched out her hand and swiped her smartwatch over mine. She had just shared her contact with me.
"Huh? What's this?"
"You said you had something that could benefit me, right? So, I still remember. When you want to meet, just send me a message."
"Ah!"
Oh, right. I had forgotten. If she's interested, that's good for me, as it means I've just gained a great source of income and a way to strengthen this world, making my future much easier.
"See you on Monday."
Bidding me farewell, she left, leaving her air of elegance behind.
'Every person has the charm that suits them. Yours is that cold facade.'
...