Gelato-Flavored Vacation -2
The food was quite delicious.
We had mostly ordered whatever was labeled as the signature menu, and out came a Fiorentina steak, pasta, and some assorted bread on the side.
There were even dishes we hadn’t ordered.
“Huh? Did we order this?”
“They said it’s on the house…”
“Ha, did Lee Jian pull another Lee Jian?”
The server had recognized me and given us complimentary dishes. Thanks to that, the table was practically groaning under the weight, and Jiwoo was obviously delighted.
“Ah, this is great…”
Even after we finished eating, we sat there for a while.
The sun was just beginning to set, and the orange light painting the city was incredibly beautiful.
The food was delicious, the weather was nice, the distant scenery was beautiful… and suddenly, I felt like my exhausted body was recharging.
It was a good evening.
“Let’s get going.”
“Sure.”
Just as I was patting my stomach and getting ready to leave… “Excuse me—”
“Yes?”
“Could we take a picture together?”
“Huh? Ah, ah… sure.”
The man sitting at the next table had called me over, and he asked if we could take a photo together.
So I took one with him… and that was the beginning.
“Me too—”
“Just one with me too—”
Guests from almost every table suddenly started forming a line.
I had thought nobody recognized me.
Apparently, they had been waiting for us to finish our meal.
In the end, it somehow turned into an impromptu fan service session, and Jiwoo volunteered to be the photographer.
“Thank you. Wow, it came out really well. I’ll treasure it.”
“See? That’s how you take a photo.”
Jiwoo shrugged.
“…It’s all about the model.”
I remembered what Jiwoo had said earlier and threw it back at him just the same, making Jiwoo look at me like I was absurd.
“What was that?”
“Nothing. Let’s go.”
*Ahem.*
I let out an unnecessary cough and turned to leave first.
But Jiwoo called me to a stop.
“Come here.”
“Why?”
“Hey, take one with me too.”
“…What? A photo?”
“Yeah. Why? You took pictures just fine with strangers, but you don’t want to take one with me?”
“No, what’s with you all of a sudden…”
“The background here is unreal. Leaving without taking one would be a crime.”
What’s with him suddenly wanting to take a photo together.
I tried to just go, but Jiwoo grabbed my sleeve and pulled, so I ended up being dragged along.
“Come on, stand here. Bend your knees a little.”
“…”
And so I stood there with Jiwoo against the backdrop of the city, awkwardly facing the camera. …It was really awkward. Why? It was more awkward than taking photos with strangers.
Maybe it was because I wasn’t used to doing this.
“Hmm… Should’ve brought a selfie stick. It’s not all fitting in the frame.”
Wanting to capture the sprawling background behind us, Jiwoo stretched his arm out and tried adjusting the angle this way and that, but no matter what he did, he couldn’t get everything in and started grunting in frustration.
“…Give it here.”
I sighed, snatched the phone, and stretched my arm out as far as I could. With the city as our backdrop, I took a few photos.
“Good?”
“Hold on. Hmm… This should do. You look whatever, but I came out well.”
Having scrutinized the results, Jiwoo nodded, seemingly satisfied.
I pretended not to care but stole a glance; I supposed they had turned out fine. The sunset was shining right in our faces, so both of us came out red.
*Ahem.*
Well, anyway, that was a relief. Truthfully, my face hadn’t turned red because of the sunset… but thanks to that, it was hidden.
“What are you doing? Hurry up.”
“Yeah… Ah, hang on a sec. What’s the rush?”
“I’m going ahead.”
Leaving Jiwoo to keep staring at the photos, I turned away with a dry cough. …When he had leaned in close to take the picture just now, the scent of shampoo tickling my nose had left me dazed.
Having been smelling nothing but my seniors’ sweat all the time, suddenly smelling that had thrown me off.
*“Phew—”*
Kim Jiwoo, his hair still damp from a recent shower, sat in front of his desk.
After roughly applying toner and lotion, Kim Jiwoo fanned his face a few times and pulled out a diary from the drawer.
Every day… well, not every day, but it was a diary he tried to write in two or three times a week.
Kim Jiwoo took up his pen, pondered for a while, and then wrote a title.
Title: A Date…?
Smiling softly, Kim Jiwoo began to write his diary entry in carefully pressed letters.
-Went downtown today.
Jian said his vacation started today, so I met him after school, and we got food and watched a movie.
Honestly, Jian looked a little tired.
It was understandable. He’d been to a match far away.
I felt a bit sorry for asking him to meet up for no reason, but fortunately, he wasn’t irritable and even laughed more easily than usual today. Since he met up with me right away, I’ll have to pack him even better lunchboxes from now on.
Ah, and when I said that Italian guys were really sweet and that they treated me that way too, Jian’s jaw dropped.
Could he be jealous…? LOL Anyway, he was really cute.
We ate at a restaurant with a really great view.
It was probably the best scenery I’d seen in my life. The food was naturally delicious too.
And Jian took pictures for me there. He said that no matter how he took them, everything came out pretty.
Of course, he wasn’t saying that to me but to the view behind me. Tch… LOL We took pictures together too.
After we finished eating, fans came and took pictures with Jian. Watching that, I suddenly thought of old times and asked if we could take one together too.
We have photos from when we were young, but thinking about it, we don’t have any recent ones together.
So I stood next to him to take the picture, but he stuck closer than I expected, which surprised me a bit.
Like, he suddenly leaned in close… My face was burning up, but thankfully it didn’t show because of the sunset.
Honestly, I came out looking a bit weird, but Jian looked good even in a casual shot, which annoyed me a little.
Anyway! After eating, we went to the cinema.
Wow, seriously, even with his mask on, people recognized Jian and we almost couldn’t watch the movie.
Thankfully we somehow got in, but then something funny happened at the ticket booth.
The lady selling tickets actually asked if we were a couple.
I was inwardly screaming into a pillow wondering if that’s how we looked to people, but when she said she asked because there’s a discount for couples, I deflated a bit.
Embarrassed on my own, I couldn’t resist the discount! So I said we were a couple… LOL
Anyway, we enjoyed the movie and walked home together. It was a fulfilling day!!!
End of diary!
-Tak
-Kim Jiwoo closes his diary with a smile.
And getting up from his desk, Kim Jiwoo lay on his bed humming a tune and took his phone in hand.
Hmm-hmm.
Maybe I should change my profile picture for a change of pace. He opened his photo gallery.
And he scrolled through the photos taken today.
“Hmmm…”
It was hard to pick just one.
Almost all of them came out well.
Just like someone said, everything was so pretty no matter how you shot it, which made choosing even harder.
Ah, actually, there is one photo I like the most.
Of course, it was the one I took with Jian.
But… ‘It’d be a bit much to use as a profile pic.’
Using a picture of just the two of us as a profile picture felt a bit much.
I mean, it’s just a photo with a friend, so it’s not like I can’t… but I don’t know.
“…Damn.”
Kim Jiwoo shook his head and scrolled through the gallery.
Swipe, swipe.
Scrolling through the photos with slight irritation, Kim Jiwoo suddenly stumbled upon old pictures and his eyes went wide.
Wow, these are really old photos.
Were we in elementary school? A photo taken while eating tteokbokki with Jian at the snack shop in front of school.
I remembered transferring them from my old phone, but it had been ages since I’d seen them.
“Wow, we were both such babies…”
Kim Jiwoo murmured with a gentle smile.
We were both so tiny back then. Especially Jian—he was practically baby-sized compared to now. He was cuter back then.
“…”
Kim Jiwoo looked at them for a long time before bringing today’s photo back up on the screen.
This photo or that photo… they were similar pictures, but you could see how much had changed.
A lot of time had passed, and during that time both of us had changed a lot, even the country we lived in had changed.
But… we were still together.
Even though everything had changed, everything remained the same.
At that fact, some indescribable emotion began to well up.
If more time passed… this photo taken today would become an old photo too.
By then, many things would have changed again.
But would we still be by each other’s side then? Just like now, after reuniting through three years apart…
“…Ha, these late-night emotions. Dangerous, dangerous.”
I really didn’t know why, but thinking that made the corners of my eyes sting.
…
The second day of the vacation was spent holed up at home, resting thoroughly. I really did nothing—so much so that I wondered if it was okay to do nothing like this.
I just lay around for a bit, ate, lay around again, Dad came over and we ate together.
Then I lay around some more, and around the time Jiwoo finished school, we had a call.
Before I knew it, it was evening, and Dad, Jiwoo, and I had dinner together at our place.
At night I studied some Italian and English before going to sleep.
…At this point, wasn’t I basically nothing more than a machine that eats, sleeps, and shits?
But the important thing was that even while loafing around at home like that, I was still earning a weekly wage.
Being a soccer player… isn’t that a divine profession?
“Did you sleep well? Your face looks like it.”
“…Yes.”
“Eat your food.”
“Yes.”
Well, the weekly wage thing was a joke… More importantly, even while resting like that, I didn’t feel particularly uneasy or anything.
That was a bit strange.
Normally, I should have felt a bit anxious.
But I didn’t.
Maybe it was because I’d been so busy the past few weeks.
Or maybe it was just because there was no match this weekend.
“Are you going to training today?”
“Yes.”
“Why not rest more?”
“I’m just going to go loosen up my body lightly.”
Anyway, even though yesterday was fine, I felt like I shouldn’t do the same today… so I decided to do some light training.
The first team was on full rest, so I’d be with the U17 team.
I had already told Coach Toni about it.
Actually, while reading a book last night, I came across this phrase. It was from a book called *Learning English Through Proverbs*, and it said there’s this saying in English.
*Strike while the iron is hot.*
It said it means something like “Pull the horn while it’s hot,” or “Row when the water flows in,” in our proverbs.
In short, it was saying not to miss the opportunity when it comes and to work hard.
Somehow, it felt like it was talking to me.
When I thought about it, right now was the moment when the water was flowing in for me.
Honestly, at first, I thought I’d be swept away by the sudden surge. I thought it was a wave too big for my small boat to handle, that I’d capsize in no time.
But I straightened my focus and rowed, and here I was, still floating on the water.
Barely enough to not be swept away… but thanks to rowing, I was moving forward.
But no one knows when this water will recede.
It might dry up tomorrow.
Or maybe the current would grow stronger and sweep me backward.
Anyway, so… perhaps I shouldn’t be complacent now, but row even harder.
If I don’t row now… I might not be able to feel more of the happiness I felt over the past two days.
That would be terrible.
Dad, Jiwoo, and I will be happier from now on.
“I’ll be back.”
“Go and come back safely.”
To do that, I left home to row my oars.
“Phew, this brings back memories. Back then I think I blocked you a few times at least. Now I can’t stop you at all.”
“Ah, no…”
I scratched my head sheepishly at Coach Luca’s empty compliment.
It was after the U17 team’s group training, and I was once again indebted to Coach Luca.
I was being really shameless, but thankfully the coach gladly helped me out, and we did one-on-one training like old times.
Thanks to that, it brought back a lot of memories.
It wasn’t really that long ago, actually.
But somehow, it felt like a very long time ago.
“Wow, look at this. You’ve become a complete rock. You won’t be pushed around.”
“You weren’t using your strength.”
“Don’t kill your coach twice. I’m giving it my all.”
Still, Coach Luca was the same as ever.
He still did his utmost to raise my spirits.
There’s no coach like him.
“Ugh! Let’s take a breather. I think my back’s going to give out.”
“Phew… yes.”
After sweating it out like that… we both plopped down on the grass at the same time to rest for a bit.
Soothing my heaving chest… I suddenly looked around.
It seemed autumn had passed and winter was beginning. Time flew so fast. The scorching sun felt like just yesterday.
Anyway, it was still a place that put my heart at ease.
It was while I was resting with my legs stretched out like that.
“Boys, what is it? Do you have something to say?”
The coach spoke toward them.
There were some kids. Come to think of it, they had been stealing glances this way.
The kids approached hesitantly.
“Yeah, what is it? Speak up.”
“Um, well… can we ask you something?”
“What?”
When the coach spoke, one of the boys looked at me.
“Um, how can we get as good as you, senior? Ah, of course, we heard from the coach that it’s because you’re a genius, but still, if there’s some kind of secret, we’d like to learn it…”
For a moment, I almost choked.
To think there were kids calling me senior.
Well, seeing unfamiliar faces, they must have been friends who joined the U17 team recently.
But… how to get as good as me? What kind of question is that?
“Ha ha.”
I looked at the coach with troubled eyes, and he just smiled.
What was I supposed to say to this?
“Hmm…”
Sweating profusely, I pondered, then decided to just say what came to mind and opened my mouth.
“Listen. I’m not a genius. I’m the worst soccer player on this training ground.”
The children tilted their heads at my words.
I continued.
“That’s what I think when I train. That I have the least talent and I’m the worst, so that’s why I work the hardest, right? It’s okay to be a fool on the training ground. As long as I look like a genius in the actual match…”
Honestly, I didn’t even know what I was saying.
But it was exactly what I thought.
“If you train like a fool, there will be people who see you as a genius during matches… Actually, honestly, I don’t really know either…”
I rambled and scratched my head, and the kids laughed and nodded.
Ugh, did I just humiliate myself in front of my juniors?
Ha ha……
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