The fleet of chartered buses ground to a halt in the central gravel courtyard of the resort, their engines dying down as fifty-plus students spilled out into the crisp mountain air.
Within minutes, the tranquil, snow-dusted cluster of wooden detached houses was completely overwhelmed by a wave of pure teenage chaos. Suitcases rolled over wooden footbridges, guitar cases banged against doorframes, and loud shouting echoed through the pine trees as Class 2-A and Class 2-B fought over room assignments.
The retreat wasn't strictly limited to current students, either. Following Kirin tradition, a colorful mix of external guests—parents, younger and older siblings, and close friends from other schools—had arrived on secondary shuttles, adding even more liveliness to the complex.
I dumped my heavy backpack on the porch of House No. 3, looking around the bustling grounds.
I had invited Jin-hyun, of course. As it turned out, the silver-haired drummer actually knew a guy from Class 2-B's parallel, so he had taken the secondary guest bus and arrived right alongside us, looking casually stylish in a dark winter coat.
Ha-neul's guest choice, on the other hand, had left me utterly speechlessly baffled.
She had somehow convinced Mrs. Smith—our notoriously strict, terrifyingly uncompromising math teacher—to attend the weekend retreat.
To my absolute shock, the legendary educator had actually accepted the invitation, stepping off the bus with a small leather suitcase and a warm winter scarf.
'Who in their right mind invites their math teacher to a holiday resort?!' I had thought in sheer horror, making a mental note to keep my distance from Mrs. Smith whenever possible.
Meanwhile, Kang Min-ah had brought along her top lieutenant from the Kirin's Secret club, equipped with a high-end camera and enough battery packs to film a feature-length documentary. If I didn't know the guy, I'd guess he was part of the Photography Club, not Kirin's Secret.
Jun-seo had asked Leo to come, for an obvious reason.
As for Myung-dae, I had no idea who he invited—or if he preferred to keep his guest ledger completely empty.
In total, seven adults had accompanied the trip. To maintain sanity and proper supervision, Ms. Choi, Mr. Kim, Mrs. Smith, and the few attending parents claimed the largest, separate two-story villa positioned on the upper ridge overlooking the complex.
"Attention, Class 2-A and Class 2-B!.. And the guests who'd like to participate!"
Ms. Choi's amplified voice cut through the ambient chatter as she raised a red megaphone near the central fountain. The entire crowd—students and young guests—flooded the central plaza, forming a wide, noisy circle around the teachers.
"Now that everyone has unpacked, it is time to officially commence our first activity!" Ms. Choi declared, her eyes scanning the crowd. "The Inter-Class Hide-and-Seek Competition! Class Presidents, step forward!"
Park Jun-seo adjusted his coat lapels and stepped out from the Class 2-B side of the plaza with calm, presidential dignity.
Simultaneously, from the opposite side of the crowd, a girl stepped forward representing Class 2-A. Her long, chestnut hair blew slightly in the mountain breeze giving it a little of hazel subtones, and a sharp, crooked smile played at the edges of her lips as her eyes locked onto Jun-seo.
"Hi, Junnie," the girl greeted him playfully, her voice laced with mock sweetness.
Jun-seo offered a polite, practiced smile, though his left eye twitched slightly.
"I believe I asked you not to call me that in public, Chae-rin-ah."
Yes, it waas Yoo Chae-rin, she's the president of the parallel class.
Ms. Choi tapped her clipboard impatiently.
"Alright, let's keep it moving. Have both classes finalized their designated target selections?"
"Class 2-B has ours ready," Jun-seo answered smoothly, holding up a folded slip of blue paper.
"And Class 2-A?" Ms. Choi asked, turning toward Yoo Chae-rin.
Yoo Chae-rin didn't pull out a slip of paper.
Instead, her crooked smile widened into something undeniably sinister.
She slowly raised her right arm, pointing a long, gloved index finger directly into the dense cluster of Class 2-B students.
The students standing around me immediately realized where her finger was aiming. Without a single second of hesitation, the entire front row of Class 2-B parted like the Red Sea, taking three synchronized, panicked steps backward.
In less than two seconds, a three-meter open void opened up around me, leaving me standing completely alone in the absolute center of the clearing.
I blinked, raising a thick finger to point awkwardly at my own chest.
Yoo Chae-rin's eyes sparkled with terrifying, predatory amusement as she announced in a clear, ringing tone:
"Class 2-A solemnly chooses the Foreign Representative... San!"
'Wait... WHAT?!' My internal Ukrainian voice shrieked as sixty pairs of eyes instantly locked onto my face. 'Out of thirty people, you picked ME to be hunted through the woods?!'