episode_0020

“Sigh. Senior!”

“…What is it.”

Swish swish

A line popped out on the drawing that was going well.

“Oh my. Can you take a look at this?”

“No. I won’t.”

“Aaah. Senior!! Please don’t do that!”

Acting cute even though she’s two years older than me….

Thank you.

No, this won’t do.

“Like I said, I only decided to focus on creating goods.”

“But but but! It would be so much fun to cosplay with you, senior.”

How should I deal with this otaku club president whose elegant first impression has been completely ruined beyond recognition.

What the president is pushing on me is a flyer for a subculture game cosplay event that is about to take place.

“Look! It’s right after midterms, so it’s a relaxed time.”

“What does having free time have to do with not wanting to do it.”

“Wow! I’ll cry! Please say you’ll do it quickly!”

Realizing that today’s drawing session is doomed due to the president grabbing my shoulders and shaking me, I took a deep breath and got up from my seat.

“Alright, fine. Let’s get it over with.”

I quickly refilled a cup of hot cocoa.

“What would you like, President.”

“Oh. I’ll have green tea, please.”

As if she had suddenly transformed into a demure lady upon hearing my offer, the president returned to her seat and said.

Placing the green tea in front of the president, I sat down on the opposite side, sipping on my hot cocoa and glancing at the flyers on the table.

And once again, the president continued her explanation.

“You know this game, right, senior? This cosplay event is famous too.”

Of course, I know. I’ve worked on illustrations for one of the games I received freelance work for.

The cosplay festival for this game is now entering its third year as a regular event.

“If you win here, the prize money is quite substantial! I don’t really need the money, so I’ll give it all to you, senior.”

“I don’t really need the money either….”

Even though the source of that money is right in front of me, the president.

“Oh! You’re doing it again! It’s a request from the lovely president, so please do it just this once!”

Unable to resist the president’s attempt to revert back to her childlike mode, I ended up rubbing my temples.

“Ugh. Fine, just stop….”

“Really really? Yay!”

Seeing her genuinely excited and running around, I felt like granting her wish. So, I decided to do it once.

“I’ll cosplay as this character with a mask.”

“What are you talking about! You, junior, must cosplay as Cloud! I’ll be cosplaying as Irina!”

The president, who goes by the name of Cloud in the game, is urging me to cosplay as Irina, a character who is in a romantic relationship with Cloud.

Since they often go together as a set, the president seems to want me to cosplay as Irina to match her Cloud character.

“…No. That’s a bit….”

Useless rebellion and meaningful tantrums ensued.

Ultimately, it was decided that I would cosplay as Cloud.

Due to the president’s excited clinginess, the vice president and treasurer, who were watching anime, couldn’t stand the commotion and came out of the storage room.

They managed to restrain the president and took her away.

Thank you, seniors.

Phew. I’m exhausted.

Checking the time, it’s almost the end of the activity period.

I decided to leave now or wait a bit longer to meet Isea.

“I have an appointment, so I’ll go first.”

Ignoring the farewell from the three people peeking out from behind the blackout curtain,

I left the club room.

* * *

From the subculture club in the old building to the second building where the major cooking club is located, there is quite a distance.

It seems that the student dormitory is relatively secluded, so even though the faculty building is located in the center of the school, it takes about 10 minutes to leisurely walk there.

So, it’s not uncommon to run into someone you know by chance.

“Seo Jin! Where are you going? It’s not the way to your house.”

Hong Yeonseo, who had just finished playing handball, appeared next to me, slightly sweaty and damp from sweat.

Normally, she would stick close without any distance, but today she kept her distance, perhaps aware of her own sweaty state.

“Oh. I have plans. Are you going back to the dorm after club activities?”

“Yeah. But… those plans… with who?”

Surprisingly, Yeonseo’s voice trailed off.

“With Isea.”

“…Isea? What plans?”

“It’s a dinner plan… why?”

“Just the two of you…? No. Nothing. Yeah, sure. Enjoy your dinner.”

“Yeah, you too.”

Yeonseo, with a troubled expression, headed towards the dorm.

What a fickle guy.

I waved goodbye and continued on my way to my original destination.

Upon arriving at the faculty building shortly after, students who had finished their club activities were starting to come out.

As I approached the entrance, I could see Isea coming out from inside at the right moment.

Since she was on the phone with someone, I decided to wait instead of approaching her immediately.

After finishing the call and coming out, Isea’s expression was complicated.

Then, she spotted me and relaxed her expression, quickening her pace towards me.

“Don’t run. You might fall.”

“Hehe, I didn’t run. I just walked fast.”

“Okay then. Anyway, be careful.”

“Got it!”

With a bright smile, Isea took hold of my arm and linked it with hers.

“You’re unusually clingy today… people are watching.”

“So what? Everyone who knows us knows we’re close.”

The touch of her hand on my arm felt too burdensome.

I suddenly realized that this kid was no longer just a kid.

“By the way, what was that call about that made you look like that?”

“Oh, that. Nothing important. Just a classmate.”

I see. Well, since she has her own relationships to deal with, it’s none of my business.

* * *

Finally, as we walked through the neighborhood and reached her house, Isea still hadn’t let go of my arm.

Once we arrived at her house and she finally let go of me, she opened the door to let her family know I had arrived.

“Mom! Jin is here!”

Shortly after, Isea’s mother came out.

“Jin~ You haven’t been coming over much lately, have you?”

One of the golden rules of the romantic comedy world is that the heroine’s family is also too pretty.

Isea’s mother looked young and beautiful enough to not seem like a mother of a high school student.

She resembled Isea, or rather, in this case, the opposite.

Isea resembled her, but with a mature charm.

In fact, as a man with a dad inside, I realized that she was no longer just a kid.

Stopping my crazy imagination, I greeted her and entered Isea’s house.

“I’ve been busy adjusting to school. I’ll come over more often.”

It’s just a polite thing to say, but oh well. If we both feel good, that’s what matters.

Isea’s mother, who had heard my words, brightened up, and the atmosphere quickly became warm and friendly.

The savory smell of dinner wafted through the air, indicating that she was already preparing dinner.

“Then Jin, you can rest in my room. I’ll help mom with dinner.”

“Oh. Can I help with anything?”

“No need to help. Just relax. Or, do you want to stay overnight at our house?”

“Oh, Mom!”

Blushing, Isea whispered to her mother.

“Oh, haha… you don’t have to go that far.”

“Oh my. Go that far, what about you and Se-ah… Oops!”

Suddenly, Isea’s mother covered my mouth and led me to the kitchen, leaving Isea behind.

Hehe. That rascal. So disrespectful to his mother.

In the end, I headed to Yi Se-ah’s room.

When I opened the door, it was clearly a girl’s room.

It’s been a while since I’ve been here, since graduating middle school.

Sitting on the bed felt a bit awkward, so I pulled up a chair to the desk.

Looking around, I could see items that held memories.

On the bed, there was a Doraemon doll given as a gift in elementary school… She still likes that.

There was a photo taken during a family trip in middle school…

And a sticker photo taken with Yoon Ji-woo and Lee So-yoon during a city outing in middle school…

Various items were scattered around as decorations.

A framed group photo from last week’s first visit to the escape room cafe was also displayed.

I briefly reminisced about the long memories with Yi Se-ah.

It’s been a long road. A relationship that has lasted over 10 years.

After a while of reminiscing inappropriately for my age, I heard Yi Se-ah’s voice.

As I left the room and headed to the kitchen, I saw a feast prepared.

“Oh. You put in some effort.”

“It’s been a while since Jin came over, so I had to do something like this. Enjoy your meal.”

I sat down in front of Gobongbap, which seemed to be my designated seat.

I don’t know why I was squeezed between the two of them…

“J-Jin-ah. I made this and this for you.”

As I sat down and picked up my chopsticks, Yi Se-ah, who seemed very nervous, served me the egg roll onto my rice bowl.

At the same time, with her other hand, she pushed the japchae plate towards me.

“Oh. The colors look nice.”

Yi Se-ah had never cooked anything that looked like real food before, but judging by the result, she must have learned well in her club activities.

“I’ll enjoy it.”

I nodded in thanks and took a big bite of rice and egg roll.

Chew, chew.

Yi Se-ah and her mother were staring at me, frozen in place.

…It’s, it’s a bit overwhelming.

The taste of the egg roll, chewed carefully, was thankfully very delicious.

I was worried because there are many works that twist the cliche of childhood friends being good at cooking into a twisted version where they make cooking a poison.

“Oh. Is it delicious? You’re good at this, Yi Se-ah.”

Finally, Yi Se-ah breathed a sigh of relief and started to eat comfortably.

“Phew. I’m glad. It suits your taste. Oh, try the japchae too!”

After that, with the tension released, Yi Se-ah’s home-cooked meal was tearfully delicious.

In its pure taste, and in its warmth.