NOVEL NEXT Chapter 32
Although the flowers have not yet bloomed, as I walk down the tree-lined street where cherry blossoms have been planted, time has passed, and still, I find a street lined with traditional hanoks. There were hardly any houses left neglected. They had been modernized to some extent on the inside and were being used as street food shops and cafés. The sophisticated modernity blended with the old wooden and tiled structures, creating a refreshing atmosphere.
Yoo Ha-neul bought a bag of walnut cakes from one of those shops. To be honest, they were a bit pricey for walnut cakes. The price for a bag was not significantly different from ordinary walnut cakes, but the contents were noticeably smaller. “It’s fine; I shouldn’t eat too much, or it’ll just be uncomfortable at lunchtime,” Yoo Ha-neul insisted.
“Here.”
Yoo Ha-neul held out one walnut cake to me. I reached out to take it, but:
“Whoa, whoa.”
She deliberately put on a stern face and lightly dodged my hand. My hand awkwardly grasped at the air.
Yoo Ha-neul’s hand, which had avoided mine, came back down closer to my face. It was clearly a gesture indicating she was going to feed me.
“No, I can eat it myself…”
However, Yoo Ha-neul’s expression was resolute. It felt like she was determined to feed me no matter what.
I glanced around. Many people were passing by on the narrow street, and we were walking too. No one was particularly staring at us.
…Is this normal?
Do girls really feed each other like this?
Even with those thoughts in mind, I had no choice but to go along with Yoo Ha-neul’s actions. There wasn’t any other girl to consult with, and above all, I had already received enough feed at school. Of course, nobody at school paid much attention to us, so there was nothing particularly embarrassing about it. It didn’t matter if someone saw. Besides, isn’t school already a somewhat closed space in itself? As long as ‘inside’ and ‘outside’ are separated, doing something a little embarrassing ‘inside’ feels much less shameful.
But this is right in the middle of the street. It’s a completely open space, filled with strangers. Of course, those people wouldn’t remember our faces, but still, doing something like this in front of a crowd gives me an odd sense of discomfort.
Yet, there was no hint of embarrassment in Yoo Ha-neul’s actions. Watching her like that makes me wonder if I’m the one that’s strange.
…Actually, it doesn’t feel bad for a cute girl to feed me. It’s just, I feel a bit off about it.
“Here, ah~”
Yoo Ha-neul took a big spoonful and made a sound as she offered it.
“…Ah…”
In the end, I accepted the walnut cake that was in Yoo Ha-neul’s hand.
Somehow, I felt tamed… Must just be my imagination, right?
*
“By the way, now that I think about it, you’re still dressed for exercising.”
“Ah.”
At my remark, Yoo Ha-neul looked down at herself.
“Does it matter? I didn’t sweat that much. The weather isn’t too cold either.”
No, that’s not what I meant. I just thought it was a bit mismatched to walk around like this, looking like I came out specifically to exercise.
Of course, I didn’t say that to her directly, as it might hurt her feelings—
“Oh, look over there.”
It seems I was being overly concerned. Even if it’s not a real date, it’s imbalanced for one friend to be in workout clothes while the other is dressed more casually.
So, I pointed to a nearby store.
“Hey, there’s a clothing store. Let’s go buy something.”
When I said that, Yoo Ha-neul seemed surprised.
“What? Ah, but I didn’t bring money to buy clothes today…”
Actually, it wouldn’t matter since I had a thick wallet with fifty-thousand-won notes in my pocket, but the justice-loving heroine Yoo Ha-neul didn’t seem to consider asking me for help.
“Then, in return for what you’ve done for me, I’ll buy you one.”
I shrugged my shoulders with my hands still in my jumper pockets.
Yoo Ha-neul’s eyes widened.
“But you didn’t owe me anything…”
“Why wouldn’t I? Just being here with you means I owe you something.”
Well, I had intended to go out eventually, but I ended up walking the streets today because Yoo Ha-neul came to me. Otherwise, I’d probably have been lounging on my bed inside the mansion again today.
At my words, Yoo Ha-neul fell silent. After a moment of looking at me, she nodded.
“Okay, then I’ll gratefully accept.”
There was no need to say it so seriously.
*
After wandering around for a while, to be honest, my legs hurt.
Actually, it was a short time, but I had probably walked for about an hour. I had some physical endurance issues, but mainly, I had already exerted myself running earlier that morning, so I felt a bit worn out.
But I think I had a pretty enjoyable hour.
What I clearly learned while walking was that while this world is called ‘South Korea’ just like the one where I lived, it was not the same place. Of course, it’s generally similar. Most of the names of places in Seoul were the same, and many chain stores or landmarks that you’d recognize by name were still there.
But still, it wasn’t exactly the same place I knew.
For one thing, I’m a native of Seoul, even if I don’t look like it. While I can’t say I’ve been to every corner of Seoul, I’ve been to most of its famous spots. Of course, I’ve never been deep into a place that could be blatantly called a ‘date course,’ but I’ve at least visited many well-known places around here. For instance, large bookstores in basements and places with huge brush statues at street entrances.
However, no matter where I went, there was not a single place that matched my memories perfectly. Many buildings looked a bit different, or places I had been to had interiors that contrasted with what I remembered.
Well, ‘Yujin Electronics’ is a company that didn’t even exist in the world I lived in. A company with a market cap of 3,600 trillion won would be equivalent to the world’s top company in the universe I lived in, so it’s understandable that this world differs a lot.
Most of the smartphones used by people roaming the streets were made by Yujin Electronics. Just that alone proves that this world is completely different from the one I lived in, so surely, it’s not surprising that the buildings or a few landmarks differ from my memories.
It’s no wonder I got lost last time. It’s not completely different, but it’s similar enough to be confusing.
Yoo Ha-neul noticed where my gaze landed and eagerly clung to my arm as we walked. She probably thought I was intrigued.
In fact, it was fascinating. Walking through a city that was different from the one I knew felt a bit like traveling abroad.
But there was someone who was sticking to me so closely that they overshadowed that intrigue.
“Ah, are you tired? Should we stop by a café to rest for a bit?”
Seeing my pace slow down, Yoo Ha-neul asked in a concerned voice.
I reflexively wanted to say I was fine, but I reconsidered my thoughts and answered,
“Yeah, that sounds good…”
I was definitely tired. Physically and mentally.
Especially due to the clothes Yoo Ha-neul tried on in that shop, where we had gone earlier.
“Is that alright?” I asked, and Yoo Ha-neul replied, “It’s one piece, so I can just get this one!” Her claim was that I didn’t need to buy both upper and lower pieces, which was economically beneficial from my position as a gift-giver. And in reality, it made sense.
That’s right. Yoo Ha-neul was wearing a sky-blue dress right now.
Ah, it wasn’t particularly short or anything. The slightly wrinkled skirt came down to her calves. It wasn’t revealing at all. The upper body, which had a collar, was neatly buttoned up.
But, um, how do I put this…
The girl who was just next to me a moment ago, dressed in workout clothes, now looked ethereal in her spring-appropriate dress.
Uh… So, how do I say it?
It might be rude to say this about Yoo Ha-neul, but it felt like we were on a date.
Moreover, Yoo Ha-neul had been glued to me for a while now. It was impossible not to be aware of it.
“Then let’s go to the café up ahead. A little rest will help us feel better.”
I nodded silently at her suggestion.
*
After entering the café, I excused myself to Yoo Ha-neul and headed to the restroom.
It was a small café, so fortunately, both the men’s and women’s restrooms were set up for individuals to use. I was still very uncomfortable with a woman in the stall next to me in a public restroom, so I was able to let out a sigh of relief.
Well, I didn’t really come here for any particular business.
I took off my cap and tucked it under my arm, turning on the tap to splash cold water on my face a few times. Thanks to the cold water, I felt a bit more alert.
Alright, let’s think rationally here.
No matter how much Yoo Ha-neul is bisexual, she wouldn’t openly develop romantic feelings for a friend she’s known for less than a week. Well, there’s that saying that you can fall in love overnight, but… she’s the heroine. She wouldn’t start dating based solely on looks.
There’s something like that, right? The protagonist looks at the character’s heart too… But then again, Yoo Da-ho has his own route, so that argument falls through. Honestly, judging by his outrageous attitude, it’s clear he has the option to date purely for looks, according to the game’s settings.
In fact, when you seriously dive into the Yoo Da-ho route, he moves with the mindset of “I’ve never had a girl like this before.” It would be hard to escape from that.
“Phew…”
Okay, let’s think differently. I’ll pull up memories of the women I’ve known. How on earth did they end up getting boyfriends…
…But thinking back, my ‘surrounding women’ are mainly relatives, so I had to expand my scope to ‘college peers I’m not that close to.’
“Couples started forming the day after the OT…”
This conjecture is of no help whatsoever. When I think about it, the good-looking girls started connecting with each other from the new student welcome meeting, and some even began dating within the first month of school.
“…”
Ah, forget it. It no longer matters.
Reflecting back now, I’m basically pouring kimchi soup before it’s even served. Whatever Yoo Ha-neul thinks of me, I have no reason to worry when I haven’t confessed yet! I’m thinking about names for grandchildren when I haven’t even touched fingertips yet. That’s the current situation.
I can’t be that embarrassed.
“Phew.”
Taking another deep breath, I calmed myself down a bit.
I organized my somewhat shaken thoughts and stepped out of the restroom. In the distance, I saw Yoo Ha-neul sitting with her back to me. It seemed our drinks hadn’t come out yet.
Yoo Ha-neul didn’t notice me approaching until I was almost next to her. It was probably because there were quite a few people in the café and music was flowing in the background.
As I was about to pass by Yoo Ha-neul to get to my seat, I inadvertently caught a glimpse of the smartphone screen she was looking at.
On the screen, the search bar displayed—
[Seoul Dating Spots]
I unintentionally blurted out, “Eh?”
“Eep!”
Startled by my voice, Yoo Ha-neul flusteredly shut her smartphone screen with a comically stiff motion.
Then, she awkwardly turned her head to face me, her face radiating a flustered expression that was too visible to miss.
“…Did you see?”
“…Yeah.”
Yoo Ha-neul’s face turned red. It seemed she forgot to cover her face with her hands.
…No, seriously. Would you please stop displaying things that could lead to such misunderstandings?
The stimuli are too strong for an eternal single!