Ch.3131. I Didn’t Want to Lie in Bed

Entry to the VVIP seats is permitted twenty minutes before the movie screening.

Having learned this fact belatedly, we hurriedly bought popcorn and cola, and entered the VVIP section guided by an employee.

And then, we simultaneously stopped breathing.

“Uh…”

“……”

We couldn’t help it. The VVIP seating was completely different from what we had expected.

The VVIP section wasn’t designed with chairs but for watching movies while lying down.

What this means is… instead of seats, there was a couple’s bed in their place.

Moreover, it wasn’t two beds placed together, but just one king-sized bed sitting prominently there.

I thought VVIP seats would just be more comfortable than regular seats, but I never imagined they’d be like this.

Are all VVIP sections designed this way these days? …Probably not.

As luck would have it, the movie we chose was in the romance genre, and the VVIP section for that theater clearly had couple beds for seating.

We should have checked this before booking. My mistake.

“So, what should we do?”

Honestly, if there had been two beds, I would have just watched the movie despite the awkwardness.

But having to share a single bed made this quite burdensome.

I asked Hwa Nabi, who was staring blankly at the bed, and she cleared her throat unnecessarily before speaking.

“We have no choice. We can’t cancel now, so let’s just watch it.”

“…Are you serious?”

“Would I joke about something like this?”

“R-right?”

Even as I responded, I couldn’t get used to this setup. I was stammering from embarrassment, but Hwa Nabi looked completely calm.

No, beyond calm—she seemed deliberately relaxed.

Am I the only one who finds sharing a single bed uncomfortable?

While I was conflicted inside, Hwa Nabi approached the bed and pressed down on the sheets.

“The mattress quality seems pretty good.”

After her brief assessment, Hwa Nabi removed her hand from the bed.

Then, straightening her posture, she looked around the VVIP section and lightly tapped the black-painted wall.

“Siwoo, the soundproofing here seems really good. I bet no one outside could hear even if we shouted?”

“That’s probably because it’s a VVIP section.”

Since noise escaping would be a nuisance. Having convinced myself of this, I sat down at the edge of the bed marked number 7.

Whether it was the theater’s consideration or not, each bed was separated by high partitions.

If you were lying down, you definitely wouldn’t be able to see what was happening on other beds.

“Huh.”

The arrangement was so blatantly intentional that it was actually impressive. The message was clear: don’t worry about others, just go ahead and do whatever you want.

Of course, if you crossed the line, the theater staff would intervene.

“Let’s sit down first.”

Hwa Nabi nodded, then sat down next to me, modestly arranging the hem of her skirt.

“Want some popcorn?”

“No, I’m fine. I’ll eat some when the movie starts.”

“Really? Then I’ll start eating.”

Crunch, crunch—in the quiet VVIP section, only the sound of me chewing popcorn could be heard continuously.

“……”

This awkwardness is beyond imagination. If there had been other people around, it might have been less uncomfortable.

With just the two of us in this spacious VVIP section, the awkwardness seemed to double.

“Are other people not coming yet?”

“VVIP tickets cost 40,000 won per person, do you really think many people will come?”

I couldn’t readily agree. I mean, 40,000 won is almost the price of a musical ticket.

Few people would spend 80,000 won just to lie down and watch a movie together. Except for people like me, that is.

“Well, they’ll come if we wait.”

And predictably, no other viewers showed up until one minute before the start.

Should I be happy now that it feels like we’ve rented the entire theater?

But there were too many things bothering me to simply be happy about it.

For instance, Hwa Nabi sitting awkwardly beside me right now.

“The movie’s about to start, shouldn’t we lie down?”

We could watch while sitting, but since the screen was practically hanging from the ceiling, our posture would be quite uncomfortable.

“What about you, Siwoo? Aren’t you going to lie down?”

“I should lie down too.”

I couldn’t keep my neck craned toward the ceiling for two hours, so I had to lie down.

But it felt somewhat awkward. I never expected we’d be sharing the same bed like this.

It’s actually a bit funny to say this considering we’ve slept in the same house before, but at least then we were in different places, and Hwa Nabi was asleep.

But now we’re both wide awake. Unless you’re incredibly thick-skinned, it’s natural to hesitate…

Plop.

“Wow, Siwoo. You should lie down quickly too. This bed is super soft.”

…She doesn’t hesitate at all?

While I was agonizing inside, Hwa Nabi threw herself onto the bed without any apparent concern.

And on top of that, she patted the space next to her with an innocent expression. She wanted me to lie down beside her.

“Hurry, hurry! The movie’s about to start.”

“…Alright.”

I felt like I was the only fool who had been conflicted. I let out a small sigh and lay down next to Hwa Nabi.

“The screen is really big.”

“Yeah.”

With that nutritionally empty conversation, the movie began.

The plot was just like any other romance movie—a love story between a man and a woman.

According to the pamphlet that briefly described and reviewed the film, it was highly praised as content that couldn’t be watched without tears.

“……”

I just found it boring.

I understand that according to the script, the male and female leads have to inevitably part ways.

I get that today is their last day together, so it’s poignant.

But, so what? That kind of feeling.

With the narration consistently flowing from the female protagonist’s perspective, I, as a man, couldn’t really immerse myself in it.

When will this melodrama end? I was thinking something like that when suddenly—

—Oh oui je t’aime.

—Moi non plus.

After exchanging lines that roughly translate to “I love you” and “Me too” in Korean, the actors suddenly began sharing a passionate kiss.

That kiss didn’t end with just a kiss. With exaggerated movements typical of Western romance films, the male and female actors collapsed onto the bed simultaneously, as if by agreement.

This scene obviously implied that the actors engaged in that kind of act.

It would be better if they ended it there and moved on to the next scene, but the two actors began exploring each other’s bodies as if determined to go all the way.

“……”

Is this even allowed when it’s not rated adults-only? At this point, it’s practically a bed scene.

While they’re not actually showing the act, the narration with suggestively sensual voices and the scenes implied through the actors’ dialogue aren’t appropriate for a 15+ rating.

Feeling a bit uncomfortable, I looked to the side and saw Hwa Nabi staring at the screen with very interested eyes, unable to look away.

It would be nice if she could focus this intently when studying. Maybe because she’s a girl, she can relate to these romance movies.

It would be a shame to interrupt her while she’s enjoying it.

So I tried, as quietly and carefully as possible, to reach for the popcorn box. I wanted to eat some popcorn since my mouth was getting bored.

But at that moment, something soft overlapped with the back of my hand.

Hwa Nabi’s left hand, which had been deeply immersed in the movie, covered mine.

I flinched in surprise, and someone else was even more startled than me.

“Were you going for popcorn?”

“Huh? Ah, yes. I was…”

Hwa Nabi’s gaze, trailing off at the end of her sentence, was fixed on the back of my hand where hers had just overlapped.

“Here, eat.”

“Ah, yes. Thank you.”

Neither of us was in our right mind—me for handing over the entire popcorn container when she could have just taken some, and her for accepting it.

The reason was probably the unexpected physical contact. Though I’m not showing it, my heart is actually pounding.

Hmm, stay calm. This is nothing, right? Why am I acting like someone who’s never held a girl’s hand before?

“……”

But self-reassurance was useless. Trying to divert my attention elsewhere only made me think about it more.

And it seemed the same for Hwa Nabi, who, while pretending not to, kept glancing at me from the corner of her eye.

The place her gaze mostly landed on, though it might be my imagination, seemed to be my lips.

“…Why are you looking at me like that?”

Unable to bear her gaze any longer, I asked. But Hwa Nabi maintained her silence.

Then suddenly,

“Hey, Siwoo.”

Really suddenly.

“Have you, have you…”

Hwa Nabi came at me with an unexpected question.

“…ever kissed someone before?”