NOVEL NEXT Chapter 156
Thank goodness.
Catherine didn’t misinterpret my words this time either.
“…A date? The ‘that date’?”
“Um, I don’t know what ‘that date’ means, but yes, it’s really ‘that date.’ In fact, it was the same ‘that date’ when I first suggested going out.”
Catherine made a puzzled expression for a long time and then slowly pinched her cheek.
“…Hmm.”
It’s a completely unintelligible nonverbal expression. And this time, she walked over and pinched my cheek instead.
“Not a dream, not fake…”
Considering her reaction was similar to what I did last time, it seems like we really are childhood friends.
I closed my eyes slowly while offering my cheeks to Catherine.
I reflected on my behavior.
Earlier, when I spoke about karma, all of this was ultimately the result of the karma I had built up.
Let’s think about it.
I vaguely remember suggesting to Catherine to hang out somewhere…
…
Hmm.
I guess I do have some recollection of that.
After all, we’ve been together for nearly a decade, so it must be hiding somewhere in my memory.
‘…Crazy person.’
‘Tsk, tsk….’
Ignoring the sounds of the Great Wizard and the Confucian scholar in my mind clicking their tongues, I successfully wrapped up my self-justification.
When I opened my eyes, I saw Catherine still holding onto my cheek, checking the reality of my face.
“…Is it really you? Right?”
“Nope, the ‘Siwoon’ you knew is gone.”
“…It’s really you, though.”
If you’re joking, please let me know.
We faced each other, engaging in a meaningless conversation.
Distinctive features, striking golden eyes that catch the attention of passersby, an undeniable charisma just by existing.
Catherine was a perfect beauty, even if she had been lounging around like a jobless person lately.
Seeing her up close after a long time made her even prettier.
As I quietly admired Catherine’s beauty, silence filled the air, causing her to speak in a stammering manner, which was unlike her.
“So, a date means…”
This was quite refreshing.
The air was filled with the youthful vibe of a childhood friend embarrassed by the situation.
“So, um…”
I nodded slightly, encouraging her to speak comfortably.
Gaining courage, Catherine continued.
“Walking around holding hands, watching a fun movie, having dinner at a nice place, suddenly encountering thugs creating a sense of crisis, and finally, a guy removing falling petals from a girl’s hair in a park with petals fluttering everywhere—that’s what I mean?”
…
“?”
What kind of drama have you been watching…
Aside from the trivial fact that there aren’t any parks with fluttering petals in this city, there were many things in Catherine’s words that I could point out.
Anyway.
I now understood precisely what Catherine wanted.
So, we moved to a nearby middle-class area, Saint Hills, to find a movie theater.
The cinema was located inside a comprehensive mall called Empire Emporium, which was huge since it consisted of ten floors.
Various lights lit up the space brightly.
Movie posters were plastered all over the walls, projected with holograms.
The genres were incredibly diverse.
As I paused in front of one poster, the enormous letters 【BOOM!!】 appeared.
The arms and legs of what seemed to be the villainous actor were flying off the poster.
“……”
What on earth is this feeling?
I quickly shifted my attention to another poster.
After falling into the game, this was my first visit to a proper cinema.
I felt curious and wanted to look around, but I shouldn’t forget our main objective.
Our goal was simple:
‘A date.’
Time for lovebirds.
So even though I might have only learned about romance theoretically, I easily understood that movies like that should not be on our selection list.
【About Timing】, 【Eternal Moonlight】, 【Lonely Land】, 【50 First Dates】, and so on.
I narrowed down the choices as much as possible to romance genre films.
“Hey, hey, hey, Siwoon.”
“Um.”
“Doesn’t this look interesting?”
I turned my gaze towards what Catherine was pointing at.
【The Greatest Action Movie! Gun! Knife! Dinosaurs! Robots! Blood! Brains! Insides! Missiles! And… Explosion!!】
【BOOM!!】
“Right? Doesn’t it look fun?”
“……”
That was a poster I had just seen.
“…Uh, um.”
I thought for a moment.
Of course, if I were to evaluate whether it looked fun or not, it probably would be.
But is this right?
Watching a movie like this on the first date…
…
Well, I guess it doesn’t matter.
After all, this is a date meant for us to have fun.
Our beloved Catherine is also having her first date. She might not know what kind of film to pick.
There are no bad Catherines…
Although the selected movie seemed like some crazy B-grade splatter film, laughing at it could turn into a fun memory.
I exchanged glances with the innocent-faced Catherine and the movie posters multiple times.
My answer was already determined.
“Sure, let’s watch this.”
“Ooh, great!”
I scanned the code under the poster.
A movie ticket made of data appeared automatically in our visual interface.
I looked at Catherine, who couldn’t hide her excitement.
“Do you want to grab something to eat?”
“Is the movie about an hour long?”
Checking the details on the poster, the runtime was just shy of three hours.
“It’s about three hours.”
“Then let’s get something to snack on.”
The choice of words wasn’t something you might expect from a couple on a date, but considering we had been childhood friends for nearly a decade, this felt more comfortable.
If Catherine had said something like, ‘I’m on a diet right now, hehe.’ I would have been shocked and unable to get out of bed for three days.
Anyway, three hours…
“Then I’m just going to the restroom for a bit.”
“Should I just grab some popcorn and cola?”
“Yeah, please.”
I replied and began looking for the bathroom sign on the floor.
Excluding the fact that I had to pay an entrance fee equivalent to the daily average meal expenses of people living in the lower-class area, the restroom was fairly pleasant.
I finished up quickly and washed my hands, then looked at the holographic mirror.
Checking to see if my hair was a mess, I took off my mask and set it aside for a moment.
[Please check inside your coat.]
“…Huh?”
Suddenly, Eve’s voice resonated.
I thought she would stay silent during my date with Catherine since she had been quiet all day.
It seemed she was still sharing her view with me.
Momentarily taken aback by Eve’s sudden words, I quietly checked the inside pocket of my coat.
“…?”
Inside, I found a hair gel product that I had used when I was in charge of security for the chairman, who styled my hair back then.
When did I place this in here?
[Then I will play the video now.]
A screen popped up on one side of my visual interface.
It appeared to be a lecture video from a net space channel.
A rather bizarre-looking man began explaining how to style hair in front of a mannequin.
“No, seriously, what is this?”
[This is more efficient for a date.]
“Suddenly?”
[‘Efficient’]
I genuinely couldn’t keep up with the pace.
“Efficient or whatever….”
[…….]
“…Eve?”
[…….]
Pressured silently.
It seemed she intended to speak only with a focus on aiding my date with Catherine today.
I slowly exhaled a sigh, which had become habitual.
“…Sigh.”
Since it seemed she genuinely wanted to help us and had prepared the hair gel in advance.
It was hard to ignore.
“…Do I just do this?”
[You should apply a little more.]
“Hmm.”
It felt like I was receiving counsel from a date consultant.
With Eve’s guidance and the mysterious video, I managed to cleanly style my hair back.
[And I recommend removing the mask.]
“That’s a bit… what’s the fine dust level today—”
[This building has an air purification facility. The likelihood of health issues is very low.]
“…”
I quietly tucked the mask back into my pocket.
[After watching the movie, I’ll reserve a spot at the upscale clothing store on the third floor.]
“…Um.”
I had only intended to go out to eat.
I didn’t know.
I slowly nodded.
By the time I came out of the restroom, a considerable amount of time had passed.
I didn’t expect it to take this long.
It felt really awkward not wearing the mask.
Especially after having styled my hair, it felt even more so.
To exaggerate a bit, it felt like walking around without clothes. I turned my head and scanned for Catherine to hurry inside the cinema.
The movie theater was packed, even though it was a weekday afternoon.
“……”
There she is.
I spotted her right away.
It wasn’t like I could see divine light emanating from her.
There simply wasn’t anyone within a 5-meter radius of Catherine.
It’s not like she’s carrying any hazardous materials…
Our girl won’t bite.
I walked toward Catherine.
As I got closer, I heard whispers around admiring Catherine.
“…Wow, she’s so pretty. Should I go talk to her?”
“Next to you, you’ll look like a squid.”
“Is she some kind of celebrity? Feels like I’ve seen her on TV…”
…
This is making it harder to approach her.
But still, I had to go to Catherine.
I pretended to be nonchalant and opened my mouth toward her.
“Hey, did you wait long?”
“…Why are you so late—”
This time, Catherine’s words stopped.
She looked surprised and flustered.
It didn’t make sense for her to be that shocked considering she had seen me get ready for the engagement ceremony. Her expression showed she had not expected it at all.
Watching Catherine’s reaction was rather embarrassing for me as well.
I raised my voice calmly to Catherine.
“We don’t have much time left. Let’s hurry up.”
“…Okay.”
Catherine’s response made my heart start to race a little.
I felt like the dead romance cells inside me revived just a bit…
Anyway.
We moved inside the theater.
—
And at that moment.
《Neon City, Saint Hills Bulletin Board》
【Hey, a stunning beauty just appeared at EE;;】
(A side profile photo of a blonde woman)
It’s a side profile, but can you see enough?
This is bad;;
— Is there anyone these days who isn’t getting plastic surgery? LOL
— There’s a certain vibe to her;
— Feels like I’ve seen her somewhere… Was she on TV?
— Let’s get her number ㄱ
ㄴ Absolutely no way; (Author)
ㄴ She gives off a pretty creepy vibe ㄱ (Typing…)
【Deleted post.】
“…What?”
A man who was commenting on the suddenly deleted post couldn’t hide his shocked expression.
He hadn’t violated any posting regulations either.
“…Why was a fine post suddenly deleted—”
[Distributing personal data is prohibited.]
“…Huh? Who—, Guruk!”
At that moment, an error occurred in the cyberware implant installed in the man’s body.
Cupid for love (Eve) was diligently working in the net space too.