Ch.3434. Too Sweet to Call It Revenge

“A date?”

The way she phrased it made it sound like we hadn’t been dating until now.

Not understanding her intention, I unconsciously asked her to clarify, but Hwa Nabi shook her head as if telling me not to misunderstand.

“Ah, no. To be precise, I meant let’s do something else now.”

“Something else? Like what?”

“I saw it when we were coming up earlier. There’s an arcade on the floor below us.”

As Nabi said, movie theaters often have entertainment facilities attached to them.

It often takes quite a while to wait for a movie to start, and you can’t just sit around waiting the whole time, can you?

That’s probably why the usage fees tend to be overpriced, but that’s beside the point.

Anyway, Hwa Nabi seemed to be suggesting we go to the arcade downstairs. That’s easy enough.

“Really? Shall we go together then?”

Come to think of it, it’s been quite a while since I’ve been to an arcade. The last time I went was with friends during my school days, so it’s been over five years.

What am I saying? If I exaggerate a bit, it’s almost been ten years.

“Yes, let’s go together.”

With that brief exchange, our break was over.

We took the escalator and arrived at the arcade on the lower floor.

The interior visible from the entrance was on par with any standalone arcade—quite impressive for a place attached to a movie theater. It must be because the building is a multiplex. Hwa Nabi spoke with an excited voice.

“I noticed earlier too, but this place is really big. Are all arcades like this?”

“Not all of them.”

Entertainment facilities attached to movie theaters are often small since they target foot traffic, but this one was exceptionally large. Well, the bigger the better—a larger scale means more things to enjoy.

While I was making my assessment, Hwa Nabi seemed eager to get started. She grabbed my sleeve and pulled me forward.

“Siwoo, Siwoo. Let’s hurry and go in. This is my first time at an arcade.”

“Your first time? You’ve never been with friends?”

“No, my father forbade it. I’ve been to movie theaters a few times, but never to an arcade.”

In today’s world, forbidding arcades would surprise most people.

I’ve never met Nabi’s father directly, so I can’t be certain, but based on everything she’s said so far, he seems to cherish his daughter quite a bit.

Well, that’s probably why he got her a high-end apartment as a place to live on her own when she’s just a high school student.

Regardless of wealth, you can’t do that without genuine affection.

Is this what they call being a “daughter-fool” or whatever?

If some unworthy guy had carelessly approached her claiming to be her fiancé, he would have faced the iron fist of a chaebol father’s sanctions.

“……”

…That’s me, isn’t it? I suddenly felt cold sweat running down the back of my neck, and it wasn’t just my imagination.

As my hand unconsciously moved toward the back of my neck, Hwa Nabi tugged at my sleeve again.

“Don’t just stand there with that weird expression. Let’s hurry! Hurry!”

“O-Okay.”

And so we entered the arcade, almost forcibly. The first thing that caught my eye was, of course, the coin exchanger at the entrance. It’s a machine that exchanges bills for 500 won coins when inserted into the designated slot.

“Let’s exchange some coins first.”

When I inserted a 10,000 won bill, 500 won coins came pouring out with a clinking sound. This should be enough.

After pocketing the coins, I glanced around.

As expected, most of the patrons were couples, with occasional family groups scattered about. But there weren’t many people.

Including those who came alone, there might be about twenty people. We shouldn’t have trouble playing whatever we want.

“Alright, what do you want to try first?”

“That one, let’s try that one.”

The excited Hwa Nabi pointed to a two-player FPS game.

The title was “House of the Dead: 4.” The grotesque design of the arcade machine suggested it was a game combining horror and shooting.

“Sure.”

As if on cue, the previous players put down their controllers and left. I moved along with her lead without hesitation.

[INSERT THE COIN]

Along with the request to insert money, a demo play was running on the screen. From what I could see, the gameplay seemed simple.

We would hold the gun-shaped controllers in our hands and shoot at zombies approaching from all directions to defeat them.

I inserted coins for both of us. The screen changed, and an eerie background music started playing.

[PRESS 1P OR 2P START]

“This has quite an atmosphere…”

It’s just a game, but I felt a little tense. I moistened my dry lips and looked at my companion.

Gulp.

Hwa Nabi was actually swallowing hard. She seemed more nervous than I was. Is this her first time playing such a game? I casually asked.

“You’re not scared, are you?”

“What? O-Of course not. It’s just a game. How could I be afraid?”

I had asked intending to suggest something else if she was uncomfortable, but Hwa Nabi took offense. She must have thought I was subtly teasing her.

“If you say so.”

I pulled out two controllers and handed one to Hwa Nabi. She looked at the controller with clearly nervous eyes, took a few deep breaths, and carefully accepted it.

…Anyone watching would think she was truly the last survivor of a zombie apocalypse.

-BOOM!

Suddenly, without any warning, a massive impact sound echoed. The machine had automatically started the prologue after recognizing that the players had taken the controllers.

Befitting a two-player game, the camera showed a male and female pair. They briefly discussed their current situation and future plans, then kicked open the shelter door and headed out into the zombie-infested streets.

At that moment, the view faded out to show our destination—a large supermarket.

They had just discussed running out of food, and given that our destination was a supermarket, the goal of the first chapter seemed to be gathering supplies.

“Alright, let’s go.”

Holding her gun, Hwa Nabi nodded with a solemn face.

.

.

.

“Nabi, right side, right side!”

“I got the one on the right. Siwoo, watch out in front of you!”

-Bang, bang!

This one was quite tough, not dying even after taking direct hits. Sensing danger, I operated the controller to throw my last remaining grenade.

With a tremendous explosion, the final zombie was eliminated.

[Chapter 6. Metro city – CLEAR.]

[Loading…]

[Final Chapter. Truth – START.]

After playing intensely, we had finally reached the last chapter.

“It says ‘Final Chapter’? Looks like we’re almost done.”

I tried making conversation by stating the obvious, but Hwa Nabi was so immersed that she was watching the screen without even making a sound. Feeling awkward, I turned my attention back to the screen as well.

[Just one more step to go.]

[Yeah, I thought we were done for when we ran out of bullets.]

[There’s always a way to survive. How are you feeling, Siwoo? Are you okay?]

[Of course.]

From the dialogue between the protagonist pair, it seemed we were about to face the final boss.

In the game’s setting, six months had passed, and the protagonists had apparently grown close. They smiled and bumped fists.

I thought we would immediately move on to the final battle, but…

[Wait, Siwoo.]

[What?]

The reason the male protagonist’s name was the same as mine was because I had set it that way when prompted to “Enter the male protagonist’s name” earlier in the game. The same applied when setting the female protagonist’s name.

But that’s not important right now.

The female protagonist, “Nabi,” suddenly grabbed “Siwoo’s” arm and…

[…!]

She stole a kiss.

[Since we don’t know when we’ll get another chance, this is my gift.]

At this bold action, the male protagonist “Siwoo” was flustered and didn’t know how to react, while the female protagonist “Nabi” smiled victoriously.

If the protagonist pair survived the final battle, it was clear who would have the upper hand in their relationship.

“…That’s bold.”

More than you in real life-. I swallowed those words and awkwardly muttered the latter part, glancing at Hwa Nabi.

She seemed just as surprised by the unexpected situation, scratching her cheek and avoiding my gaze.

“Y-Yeah. Maybe it’s because they’re foreigners.”

“…Let’s just play the game.”

Needless to say, neither of us could focus on the game.

***

…After some more time passed, having finished dinner at a restaurant on the second floor, Hwa Nabi and I left the multiplex.

Outside, it had already grown dark, and we were walking along a street lined with crimson streetlights.

“So, did you enjoy dinner?”

I broke the silence first. In response, Hwa Nabi suddenly stopped walking and turned to face me.

There was a reddish tinge to her face. I was about to dismiss it as an effect of the streetlight when she mumbled something while fidgeting awkwardly.

“…Um, Siwoo.”

“Yeah, what is it?”

“A-Are you going to keep doing that?”

Without a subject, I couldn’t immediately understand what she meant. As I was trying to decipher her sentence, Hwa Nabi added another line.

“Y-You know, holding my hand every time we eat together. Are you going to keep doing that?”

She was speaking as if I was touching her with ulterior motives, but I was only holding her hand to correct her chopstick technique. There was absolutely no other intention.

…Probably.

“Was it uncomfortable for you?”

“N-No, that’s not what I meant. It’s just that people around us keep staring at us.”

So she’s embarrassed by others’ gazes. That’s understandable. Not using chopsticks correctly is almost a serious crime in Korea, where Confucian culture still lingers.

With that in mind, I reaffirmed my determination. Until this shy girl can use chopsticks correctly without me, I will watch her very carefully.

“That can’t be helped, but don’t worry. Embarrassment is momentary, but habits last a lifetime.”

“…That’s not what I meant. I’m saying I’m embarrassed because people are staring at us intensely.”

“Really? That’s even better. If you’re embarrassed, you’ll correct it faster.”

“Wow… How can someone be so shameless? Don’t you have any sense of shame, Siwoo?”

“I told you, didn’t I? I’ll make you think of me every time you use chopsticks.”

Hwa Nabi must have thought I was joking, but I was serious. Habits aren’t called habits for nothing. They’re not easy to correct without considerable effort and time.

So this could be called a kind of shock therapy. If she doesn’t like it, she should correct it quickly.

“…What am I going to do with this person? If he didn’t know, I could just teach him, but he knows and still acts this way, which makes it even more annoying.”

That was quite loud for a mutter.

No, it wasn’t a mutter—she was clearly saying it for me to hear. Just as I was about to respond to her impudent behavior…

Suddenly, truly suddenly.

“Eep!”

Hwa Nabi leaped toward my chest while I was off guard, making a cute sound.

Without any words or warning, she suddenly threw herself at me.

“…Huh?”

…What’s happening right now? Unable to keep up with the sudden change in situation, I froze like a stone.

My arms awkwardly hung in the air, and Hwa Nabi took advantage of this to rub her body against mine as if marking territory.

At the same time, I felt the soft, plush sensation characteristic of women against my abdomen.

The sensation was so stimulating that I involuntarily flinched. In response, Hwa Nabi, who had her arms around my back, tightened her grip.

“…Stay still.”

She didn’t need to tell me that. I would have anyway. I was genuinely shocked, even if I wasn’t showing it.

I don’t understand why Hwa Nabi suddenly embraced me. And I don’t understand why she’s rubbing against me so aggressively.

After a moment of being stunned as if hit by a hammer…

After that brief moment that felt like an eternity, Hwa Nabi spoke.

“…Didn’t you just tell me? That you’d make me think of you every time I use chopsticks.”

…Did I say that? As I tried to recall our recent conversation with my frozen brain, Hwa Nabi, with her face buried in my chest, laughed softly.

“But you know, given my personality, I’m not someone who just takes things lying down. So I’m going to get revenge on you for what you did.”

“…This is revenge?”

I’m not sure what she’s getting revenge for, but if this is revenge, I welcome it anytime.

But if I said that out loud, she’d probably get angry. So I stayed quiet.

“Yes. If I do this and leave, you’ll only think about me tonight, right? That’s my revenge.”

“…That is revenge.”

It seems like a form of revenge that makes the victim too happy, but anyway.

“Yes, perfect revenge, right?”

“…Sure.”

“But actually, if it were up to me…”

“…If it were up to you?”

I waited with a pounding heart, wondering what she would say next.

But Hwa Nabi trembled slightly, then shook her head.

“Mmm, never mind. It’s a secret.”

“…What? That’s anticlimactic.”

“Why? Are you curious?”

“Yes, very.”

“…Later, I’ll tell you later.”

“Later? When will you tell me?”

“Well, I’m not sure when exactly, but…”

Hwa Nabi took a moment to catch her breath.

Then, with a completely reddened face, she said:

“At that time… you can look forward to it.”

“……”

…Is she saying she’ll do even more later?

I’m glad I didn’t ask that out loud.