Ch.126Episode 26. Aquarium Date (End)

“There are penguins here too.”

People were sitting and watching as the penguins waddled around or swam in the water. Children were jumping up and down excitedly at the sight.

Like everyone else, I was quietly observing the keepers distributing fish to the penguins.

“Woaaah~!”

Behind us, I could see children running around boisterously.

“Aah! Get away!”

As I watched one child chasing another, I made eye contact with the one who was running away.

“Huh?!”

“Gotcha! Caught you!”

“Hey, excuse me for a second.”

The child started walking toward me. This gave me an uneasy feeling.

“Um, are you… Hero Yujin?”

“Huh?”

The child who had been staring at my face spoke to me without hesitation.

I suppose it was that characteristic innocence of children.

Unlike adults, there wasn’t a hint of caution in their manner, which somehow made me want to respond.

“Yes. I’m Yujin.”

“Are you really Hero Yujin? The one who goes zzzap! with electricity and is super fast?!”

As previously agreed, I let go of Jung Iyeon’s hand, then crouched down to meet the child at eye level.

I glanced around quickly. So far, it seemed only the child had recognized me.

“That’s right.”

When I clenched my fist, blue sparks weakly jumped up. Since there were many people around, I only showed it briefly, just enough for the child to see.

“Wooow….. It’s like seeing a tiny thunder!”

“Is that so?”

I smiled and patted the child’s head.

“Can I, can I become like Hero Yujin too? I can make water like this.”

Small droplets gathered at the child’s fingertips, forming a single sphere. Though very small, the skill in handling the ability was impressive for a child.

With proper guidance and education to keep them on track, they could become a decent hero.

“Of course. You can.”

“Awesome!”

“What? What?”

“I just heard from Hero Yujin that I can become like Hero Yujin!”

“Whaat?!”

People around us started to look curious after hearing what the excited child blurted out.

“Oh, by the way…”

“Yes?”

“My mom said that people who look like Hero Yujin are living up to their face value.”

“Oh, is that so?”

What are you teaching your child, ma’am?

“But does a face have a value?”

All I could do was smile and pat the shoulder of the child who asked so innocently.

As I was responding to the child’s questions, people who had been watching the penguins began turning their attention toward me one by one.

“What? Hero Yujin?”

“Where, where?”

Is this okay…?

“Iyeon, should we make a run for it? This might get annoying.”

“Do you want to? But they’re fans who are interested in you, Jin oppa. Wouldn’t it be okay to at least greet them?”

“I guess so?”

While I was talking with Jung Iyeon, quite a few people had gathered around me and the child.

I stood up and, not knowing what to say to them, could only awkwardly smile and greet them.

“Hello…”

“Wow, it’s really Hero Yujin!”

“He’s much more handsome than in photos!”

Before I knew it, people were taking pictures with their phones. I felt like some kind of circus attraction…

“What brings you here? Is there a villain…?”

“No. I just came to relax.”

“I see. Oh, you have company too?”

After I responded casually, attention shifted to Jung Iyeon, who was standing blankly beside me. Her white hair, noticeable even in dark places, made her stand out.

“Ah… is this a date?”

“No. She’s a student I teach.”

“Ah~ You’re an instructor at Aegis Academy, right?”

“That’s correct.”

She didn’t greet them. She just stood there with a smile.

“By the way, there’s a rumor that Hero Yujin is dating a student at the academy. Is that true?”

So that snowball has rolled this far?

“I maintain a casual relationship with students to get along with them, but I’ve never crossed any lines. You can consider it a misunderstanding.”

I said this, but hardly anyone would believe it.

It was obvious how people would perceive a man and woman visiting an aquarium alone together.

“I feel like I’m disrupting your viewing experience because of me.”

I’m not sure how this turned into an interview scene, but it seemed right to end it here.

“We’ll be going now. Enjoy your time.”

I gave a brief greeting, and before leaving, I fixed the child’s disheveled hair and turned around.

“So it ended up like this after all.”

Jung Iyeon spoke only after we had left the aquarium.

“Do you understand now? Oppa’s position.”

“Yeah. I guess no more outdoor dates from now on.”

Is this how famous celebrities feel?

Getting attention from strangers is more burdensome than I thought.

“Getting hungry? Let’s go eat.”

It was well past lunchtime.

The clock was already pointing to 2 o’clock.

“Where are we going?”

“I found a ramen shop nearby. Let’s go there.”

I had researched in advance, knowing better than anyone that ramen was Jung Iyeon’s favorite food.

“Oh, great!”

As expected, she clapped her hands in delight.

“How did you know I like ramen?”

“I’m quite interested in you.”

“Hmm. I-I see. I’ll remember that.”

She tried to hide her embarrassment as she spoke. There’s no need to remember it though.

“…But we can’t hold hands now, right?”

She looked around, repeatedly clenching and unclenching her hand as if disappointed.

After lunch hour, people were starting to flood back into the aquarium.

Since my identity had been revealed, walking around holding hands here would cause a scandal. So…

“There’s no one in the car.”

“!”

Her eyes widened when she heard my whispered words.

“R-right. Oppa, you’re a genius.”

Genius is a bit much…

* * *

After finishing our meal at the ramen shop, we found seats at a nearby café. To avoid drawing a crowd like at the aquarium, we chose a place with as few people as possible.

Jung Iyeon was looking around, saying she liked the café’s atmosphere. She occasionally took pictures.

“Oppa.”

“Yes?”

As I was sipping my Americano and watching cars pass by outside the window, she called out to me. She had already approached the table where I was sitting.

“Since you’re on a date with me, you should focus on me.”

“You were taking pictures, weren’t you?”

“You should keep watching me even when I’m taking pictures. Isn’t that what makes it feel like a real date?”

“I see. Then I’ll look at you lovingly.”

I rested my chin on my hand and naturally relaxed my eyes.

I watched her every little movement carefully, thinking of her as my lover.

Conscious of my gaze, she subtly shifted her eyes elsewhere and sat down.

“I-I didn’t exactly want that much.”

“No?”

“And who actually says that while doing it? Are you stupid?”

“Did you dislike it?”

“I-I did like it… It just felt a bit, just a tiny bit! Burdensome?”

She emphasized “tiny” unusually strongly. But isn’t feeling burdened the same as disliking it?

“Alright. I won’t do it next time.”

I casually replied while drinking my Americano.

I may be attracted to her, but I’m not truly in love, so if she says not to do something, I shouldn’t.

“No, I’m not saying don’t do it…”

“So you want me to do it? Or not?”

“…Please do it.”

After rolling her eyes from side to side, she spoke honestly. I guess she really didn’t dislike it.

“Alright.”

“Oppa, oppa.”

“Yeah?”

She took a sip of her strawberry frappuccino through the straw and then held out her phone.

“Let’s share the photos we took at the aquarium. I’ll share mine too.”

“Sure.”

We uploaded a flurry of photos to our private chat room. After silently looking at the pictures for a while, I noticed some questionable ones.

“…Huh? What are these photos?”

There were several photos of me smiling and taking pictures or walking around the aquarium. They were clearly taken by someone else.

It seemed that Jung Iyeon had taken them without my knowledge.

“Oh, these? You were so focused on viewing the aquarium that I secretly took them. Did I do well?”

“Secret photography is a crime.”

“Weren’t we supposed to be lovers today?”

“I’m joking.”

Looking at the photos she took, I suddenly remembered what Jung Iyeon had said in Jeju Island.

She definitely said, “I got some good photos today too.”

“Iyeon.”

“Yes?”

She raised her head from saving the photos. I spoke to Jung Iyeon, who was looking at me with an innocent face.

“Can I see your gallery?”

“Wh-what? Why my gallery all of a sudden?”

She was clearly flustered.

“Just… I want to see it.”

“That’s a bit… you know… p-privacy and all…”

“Are you hiding something naughty?”

“N-naughty?! N-no, it’s nothing like that!”

She flinched at my words and vehemently denied it.

Since the café was quiet, even slightly raising one’s voice was enough to draw attention. In fact, the owner was glancing in our direction.

“Really? If you don’t want to show me, could you be honest with me? Do you have more photos that you took of me secretly?”

Considering she said “today too” back then, there’s a high probability she has more photos related to me.

Moreover, thinking about how she introduced herself as my fan when we first met, my suspicions only deepened.

“Well, I do have some…”

She hesitated, swallowing hard.

Does Jung Iyeon know? That at the point where you’re debating whether to lie or not, you’ve already been completely exposed.

“You do?”

“…Y-yes, I do.”

She displayed obvious signs of anxiety, like a diligent student who had never broken the rules but got caught the one time they did. Jung Iyeon was indeed a diligent student.

“Then could you show me? It might be easier to just hand over your phone, but wouldn’t it be better if you selected what to show me yourself?”

“…Yes.”

With a solemn face, she got up from her seat and came to sit beside me.

“Um… p-please don’t misunderstand. It was just f-fan enthusiasm, okay?”

“Got it.”

I casually responded to her cautionary words while subtly shifting my gaze to her phone screen.

It was time to see a part of the depths she held within.