Here’s the English translation of the provided text:
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“Sorry!”
The voice came from Esmeralda’s smartphone on the other end of the call.
I could roughly understand the sequence of events, and all I could do standing in front of the hotel lobby was to press my forehead and sigh.
It was definitely not a good situation.
I had come for a pre-inspection with the 1st Team members, and Esmeralda had reserved two large rooms so that men and women could use separate accommodations.
Due to an unexpected turn of events, the 1st Team members had to return to headquarters and would come back the next morning. During this process, the men who arrived by minibus canceled the reservation for their room.
I was still there and had toured the training grounds with her, but I had forgotten that we had come in Esmeralda’s car, and since I wasn’t part of the 1st Team, the people who didn’t know me didn’t include me in their calculations.
In simple terms, I had completely forgotten about my existence traveling in Esmeralda’s car.
Even those who were in the minibus realized the situation late, but the room reservations had already been canceled.
One might think that they could just make new reservations, but the hotel currently housed people from other branches. They were conducting training, and it was common for additional rooms to be reserved suddenly during training sessions.
When Esmeralda made the reservation, all rooms except for the two large ones were fully booked, and she had booked a canceled room from another branch at the last minute.
The 1st Team members, realizing their mistake, apologized loudly to Esmeralda, but the problem wasn’t resolved.
“I see. You can handle this from here. Don’t worry too much and come at the scheduled time tomorrow.”
“Yes, understood. Really, I’m sorry.”
Esmeralda hung up the phone and sighed deeply.
There were no empty rooms, and we needed to find accommodation elsewhere.
“I’ll look for a nearby hotel. If there’s none, we might have to stay at a motel.”
“No, wait a moment.”
Esmeralda thought that I should go out while she used the hotel, so she spoke up, but then she seemed to have something in mind as she approached the counter staff.
“How many rooms are there?”
“There’s one large room and three small ones.”
The large room had separate sections within it. It wasn’t just one big room; it was designed for specific purposes, and the fact that there were four rooms in total made me nod.
“Let’s go up.”
“Huh?”
“Let’s go up. If the rooms are divided, there shouldn’t be any problems using them.”
I followed Esmeralda, who was leading the way with a card key.
Even after getting into the elevator, I couldn’t stop thinking if this was okay.
“Are you okay? We can share the same room.”
“What’s the harm? When we train, we sleep in the same tent regardless of gender.”
“That’s true, but…”
Esmeralda’s words weren’t wrong.
However, the situation now is vastly different from training. Focusing on training means blocking out any thoughts of the other person as a member of the opposite sex, whereas coming to a hot spring resort as a family or couple is completely different.
Since Esmeralda said it was fine, I just need to be careful.
But my mind and body weren’t moving in sync. I started feeling tense at the prospect of sharing a room with Esmeralda.
“There’s not much luggage. We’re just going to sleep.”
I noticed that Esmeralda was adding unnecessary words to avoid the trouble of finding separate accommodations, but she was also tense.
I should get my head together.
“This room is nice.”
When we entered the room, both Esmeralda and I were genuinely impressed.
A structure and design rarely seen in Korea. The hotel, themed after a Japanese hot spring village, exuded an oriental feel while also having a foreign atmosphere.
It might sound strange for someone who isn’t Korean to say it feels foreign, but for me, who had only lived on a spaceship or in Korea since coming to Earth, it felt very different.
“Yeah, it’s spacious. How many people is the large room for?”
“At least 4, up to 6.”
It was suitable for general family groups, and even if people were forced in, it could easily accommodate up to 10.
Since it was run by Spacystro, it was perfect for soldiers to enjoy sufficient rest after training. When her girlfriends join Spacystro, they could come along too.
Of course, it operates as a regular hotel most of the time, so there’s no issue if they come right away.
“There’s a hot spring in the room.”
“Really?”
I went to the terrace at the sound of Esmeralda’s voice, and there was a square bath that could fit 2-3 people on a wooden floor.
“Is it for a full bath or foot soak?”
“Maybe for drinking sake while soaking feet?”
“That sounds charming and nice.”
Esmeralda seemed satisfied with the hotel, and the tension she had earlier in the elevator had completely dissipated as she explored the room.
“The hot spring is underground.”
Checking the guide on the wall, I confirmed that the hotel had a large hot spring underground, which could be considered its highlight.
“Oh? Let’s go check it out after tidying up.”
“Huh?”
I jumped slightly. Of course, I planned to check the hot spring, but Esmeralda’s suggestion felt awkward, and she quickly waved her hand.
“Let’s go check it out. You go to the men’s side, and I’ll go to the women’s side.”
“Oh! Right. We need to check.”
The atmosphere became awkward. Facing each other would make it worse, so I took my luggage and went into the small room.
It was a 1-night 2-day trip, so I only brought clothes and underwear for changing once.
When I put on the robe provided in the room and came out, Esmeralda was nowhere to be seen.
Seeing the sliding door of the large room closed, it looked like Esmeralda had gone in to prepare.
I sat on the sofa, waiting for her to come out, and the longer I waited, the stranger I felt.
Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, the sliding door opened, and Esmeralda appeared in a robe.
“Were you waiting?”
“Oh, yes.”
Thinking back, I could have just gone alone after delivering the message. We weren’t a couple, and I was only here to inspect the facilities with her as a supervisor and subordinate. Why did I wait for her?
“Alright, let’s go.”
Esmeralda avoided eye contact. I could understand why. Even I couldn’t look directly into her eyes right now.
It was awkward enough that we both had to watch each other’s expressions when leaving the room. Putting on slippers and stepping out of the room was a series of tensions.
We didn’t speak as we took the elevator down to the basement.
“See you in a bit.”
“Okay.”
Standing at the fork leading to the women’s and men’s baths, we exchanged awkward greetings before heading to our respective sides. I couldn’t bear to watch her go to the women’s bath, so I quickly turned and headed to the men’s bath.
Currently, the hotel was being used by many people from the branch conducting training, so it was as if the branch had rented the entire facility. Even though it was evening, training hadn’t ended yet, and I was the only one in the large hot spring.
Located underground, there was a separate exit to the outside, which led to an outdoor bath. There was no need to check the outdoor bath, and I lacked the mental energy to do so.
Submerged in hot water, I lifted my head and stared blankly at the ceiling, feeling the heat rise.
“Why did it end up like this?”
This sincere curiosity came from deep within.
Certainly, the plan was to relax comfortably in the hotel after the pre-inspection and check the facilities.
But how did it happen that I ended up sharing a room with Esmeralda and even went down to the hot spring together?
If I block out any thoughts of her as a woman and just be careful, nothing will happen. After entering the room, I can greet her and then go to my own room to rest.
But maybe because we talked a lot about old memories today? I couldn’t build any barriers to treat her purely as a colleague.
Sharing a room was already on my mind, and since training delayed the return of people from other branches, it felt like we were the only two in this vast hot spring.
“Aaaaah-!”
I groaned as I submerged my head in the hot spring water.
The cold water of washing my face woke me up from the daze, and I shook my wet hair.
Snap out of it.
After spending some time in the hot spring, I came out.
When I reached the underground lobby, Esmeralda wasn’t there.
I thought she might have gone up earlier, so I took out my smartphone from my pocket to send a message, but I couldn’t type anything.
I don’t know why. My hands simply wouldn’t move.
Suddenly, I remembered an experience.
None of Esmeralda’s girlfriends finish showering quickly.
Women generally take more time to shower than men.
So, Esmeralda probably needs more time too.
With these thoughts in mind, I sat in one of the chairs set up in the lobby and waited for her.
Ten minutes passed, and twenty minutes later. Although it wasn’t a long time, those twenty minutes felt incredibly long. Was it because I was nervous? It felt like an eternity.
Maybe she came up earlier and went straight upstairs.
“Huh?”
I turned my head at the familiar voice and saw Esmeralda standing there.
Her wet hair was hanging down because she didn’t brush it back, and I stared blankly at her.
“Oh, you came out?”
“Were you waiting? It’s fine if you go up first.”
“Ah… well… I don’t have the card key.”
“Oh… sorry.”
It was a scene where a man and a woman who had just finished showering met. I had felt tense and awkward several times, but this was the peak of it.
Thinking back, I could have gotten the card key from the first-floor lobby.
I couldn’t prove that I was staying in the room, but the staff must have known since I spent so much time in the lobby earlier.
Still, I waited for her instead of going up.
I just felt like I should wait.
“Shall we go up?”
“Yeah, let’s do that.”
Maybe because we just came out of the shower? Riding the elevator alone with her, a warm fragrance wafted into my nose.
“I’ll drop by the first floor for a moment. Here’s the card key.”
As if remembering something, Esmeralda handed me the card key.
“What’s wrong?”
“No, I ran out of cigarettes. I’ll buy some and come right back.”
“Okay.”
I nodded in response to her words. The elevator stopped at the first floor, and she waved goodbye as she got off. I wondered why she was waving since we’d see each other soon, but in the awkward atmosphere, I waved back unconsciously.
The door closed, and Esmeralda’s figure disappeared, and I felt a sudden release of tension.
The seat beside where she had been still had a lingering warmth from her bath.
“I feel more nervous than when I’m with my girlfriends.”
Could it be because our relationship is undefined?
Even when I was with my girlfriends, my heart often raced, but it doesn’t compare to how my heart is pounding now.
The elevator, unable to understand my feelings, ascended and stopped. I sighed as I stepped out when the doors opened.
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Note: This translation aims to preserve the original context and tone of the story.
