episode_0039

“What’s with the formalities, Yoohee…?”

“Just thought it’s more common to address someone by their name.”

“It’s just a habit…”

I shivered. Yoohee was right.

– Would you like to do some acting with me this weekend?

That was my request to Manager Choi. I asked him to pretend to be my lover for a day. Manager Choi readily agreed, perhaps intrigued by the idea of the boss’s romance.

So, for once, I was grateful for Manager Choi’s cluelessness. I had believed without a doubt that Manager Choi and I were dating.

But the real issue lay elsewhere.

“It seems like he’s one of her subordinates. Right?”

“Oh, yes…”

“Then if that person is her boyfriend, don’t flirt with her. It’s obvious.”

“….”

Yoohee’s words were not contradictory or illogical. They were all true. If someone has a boyfriend, you should treat them well, but I was only focused on Manager Choi… I had given Yoohee a reason to misunderstand me. Not that it was a misunderstanding.

“I’m sorry…”

“No, I should apologize for being so blunt. I guess I was being sensitive about something that wasn’t ‘true.’”

“Ahaha…”

“….”

Although I said that, Yoohee still didn’t seem to trust me.

~~~

“Heuk… Kkeoek…”

“Ha…”

“Never again…!”

Our voices overlapped, and laughter erupted.

The dizzying sensation, and the 3D motion in VR that didn’t quite match reality, made it inevitable to feel dizzy.

“You’re here.”

As we walked with each other’s support, two women were waiting for us like meerkats. Two grown adults riding on a single device and tumbling… It was embarrassingly awkward.

“You should be more careful…”

“Ask Manager Choi. I did nothing wrong.”

“I have nothing to say to you this time…”

Placing my hand on Yoohee’s shoulder, she took out frozen water and handed it to me. Washing away the exposed sweat with water made me feel a bit better.

“Thank you.”

“…Yeah.”

Yoohee’s cheeks turned red. Was my compliment really that good? I felt proud too.

“I want water too…”

“…Here.”

“Oh~ Cheers~”

Jihee handed Manager Choi a cola instead of water. Watching them, I realized that a male couple could really work.

I had always seen male couples break up when they worked in the same department or one of them transferred or quit. I hoped that wouldn’t happen to these two.

As Manager Choi and I recovered, we got up and moved again.

“Shortly, the Tesla coil will be activated, so all visitors, please gather in the Creative Harmony Hall on the 1st floor. I’ll repeat the announcement…”

The Tesla coil. Named after the scientist Nikola Tesla, it is a high-frequency high-voltage generator.

When activated, you can observe electricity flowing around the column with a loud noise. Of course, it’s dangerous to get too close.

But they were still doing it, I was really surprised.

“Let’s go see that!”

“What is that?”

“Oh. It’s where lightning comes out.”

“Lightning…?”

I had always seen it whenever I came here. But I never got tired of it. Come to think of it, Yoohee had never seen it. I felt a bit sorry.

“Where was it? The Creative Harmony Hall?”

“Yeah. Probably there.”

On our way there, Yoohee and I watched Jihee and Manager Choi bickering behind us. If I didn’t know them, they would have seemed like students arguing, they exuded such a youthful vibe.

“…!”

“Why? Don’t you like it?”

“No…”

But we weren’t left out either. Because we were holding hands tightly.

~~~

“There are so many people…”

No matter how cool the space may be, when people gather, it gets hot. Moreover, the air conditioning in this exhibition hall was weak, causing sweat to trickle down slowly.

Yuhee also seemed to feel the heat, as she momentarily tried to take off her mask but then gave up.

“Starting operation in 5 seconds. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.”

Usually, when there’s a countdown, people around join in counting as a sort of cultural norm, but everyone was so focused that it didn’t happen.

*Bzzzzz.*

A sound effect that would typically be seen in a comic or movie was actually heard. Thick lightning bolts were emitted from the coil pillar in the center. It was a refreshing sight to see after a long time.

“We will now conclude the Tesla coil demonstration.”

It was so noisy, and due to the high voltage, the duration was less than 20 seconds. As I tried to concentrate, the lightning abruptly stopped. The lingering sound of the buzzing still echoed in my ears.

“I feel a bit emotional.”

“Yeah…?”

“It’s not that big of a deal, I guess…”

“Both of you lack sensitivity. Yuhee, on the other hand…”

“…?”

Yuhee was still staring at the coil as if she had a deep interest in it. I should have brought her here sooner if I had known.

“Yuhee?”

“Oh!”

“Was it that fascinating?”

“Oh, no… it’s just…”

Yuhee lowered her head, and Jihee and Chief Choi exchanged satisfied smiles. It was so adorable that I wanted to hug her tightly, but I decided to hold back for now. I can do that later at home.

“Where should we go now?”

“Hmm? How about the 2nd floor?”

“Okay!”

Under the guidance of the two, we entered the ecological experience hall. The ecological experience hall looked exactly the same as I remembered it. I still shudder a bit at the memory of tearing a live loach in half and eating it.

“Chief, is that okay…?”

“…!”

As we walked down to the 1st floor, there was a large aquarium in the middle. A fairly large shark was chasing small fish vigorously where Jihee pointed.

I heard that they don’t usually eat the fish here because they are well-fed, so why was the shark so hungry…?

The scene was so fascinating to the people that they started gathering and taking pictures with their cameras.

“What is that…?”

“Wow, that’s so cool.”

“Hey, look at this!”

As the crowd grew louder, eventually even the staff came to calm down the crowd. But whether the staff came or not, the shark continued to chase and attack the small fish.

“Wow! It ate it!”

“It went in one bite!”

Without a chance for blood to spill, a fish went into the shark’s mouth. The shark seemed satisfied only then and stopped chasing. I still don’t understand what animals are thinking.

“Wow, they still have this?”

“Oh…”

After the shark’s feeding frenzy, we moved to the Doctor Fish experience hall on the other side. When you put your fingers in, the fish swarm to eat the dead skin. Some people even brought similar Chinese fish and pretended they were Doctor Fish to scam others.

“Yuhee, give it a try.”

“Okay…”

Yuhee showed interest, and as she put her finger in, it tickled a bit, making her finger twitch.

“Eek.”

“How is it?”

“It tickles…”

“Oh, it tickles!”

“Jihee, water’s splashing.”

“Hehe…”

After a spot opened up, I finally put my finger in. As soon as I did, about six fish swarmed around, attaching and detaching from my finger as if they were kissing it. It felt ticklish yet strangely satisfying.

‘If Yuhee were to do this…’

Shaking my head, I snapped out of it. I mustn’t forget that today is a double date. Jihee and Chief Choi are here too, and if I entertain such thoughts, I might be seen as a pervert.

“Where to next…?”

“Hmm.”

“Hey.”

“Yeah?”

Yuhee called me and whispered softly.

“I need to go to the bathroom.”

“Oh…”

When I looked at Yuhee, I could see that she was feeling embarrassed behind her mask. It wouldn’t be strange for her to want to go to the bathroom after just sightseeing.

Yuhee smoothly suggested, trying to make it less awkward for me.

“Well, since there’s nothing set in stone, how about we split up and meet back here in about 30 minutes?”

“Okay.”

“Great. I’ll go to the restroom first. Please wait for me, Jihee.”

“Sure… I got it.”

Yuhee disappeared without a word, seeming quite in a hurry. Well… she’ll come back if I wait here.

After leaving the ecological experience center, I found a nice bench on the first floor and sat down with Jihee.

“So, when did you two start dating?”

“Oh, us? It’s been about a month now…”

“You said you weren’t together last time.”

“Well… it’s a secret relationship…”

“I see…”

I finally asked what I had been curious about while constantly looking around. A month seemed like a long enough time for it to be quite obvious, but they must have kept their relationship quite secretive. Or maybe I’m just oblivious…?

“So, what are your plans?”

“Plans?”

“For the future. Oh, is it too early to think about that?”

When you’re young, you might not think much about marriage, but once you’re over 30, thoughts about it can become quite obsessive. People who are getting older often date briefly and then get married because they feel like they need to do it quickly or it might be too late.

“Well… not yet.”

“I see…”

I felt even more sorry for Jihee, who seemed so innocent. It made me feel even more guilty for being so intrusive and rude.

‘Wait a minute.’

They started dating a month ago, and Jihee and I watched a movie together 5 days ago. Is it okay for her boyfriend to be so carefree and hang out with me…? Something seems off.

“Boss.”

“Yeah?”

“Um, excuse me, but can I ask you something? I’ve been curious about it.”

“Sure, go ahead.”

“Well… um…”

Jihee hesitated for a moment before finally speaking up.

“Boss, are you… in any way related to Yuhee?”

“What do you mean? She’s my girlfriend–”

“No, that’s not what I meant.”

Jihee interrupted me.

“I really tried not to ask, but I just couldn’t shake the thought.”

“What is it?”

Suddenly, a sense of unease washed over me. Why would she suddenly ask about my relationship with Yuhee? Did she notice something strange?

I involuntarily swallowed hard.

“Are you two… ‘family’ by any chance?”

And for a minute, I couldn’t say a word.