Ch.34Taking Off Your Glasses Doesn’t Exactly Make You a Hottie (9)

The weekend had arrived.

Even though it was a day off from school, Hamin took the subway to Doyoung’s neighborhood.

It was to go together to get new glasses, as they had agreed the day before.

‘If we’re meeting at 10, I need to wake up at 8. Let’s meet around 11 instead. I can sleep until 9 that way.’

As promised the day before, Hamin took the subway that would arrive at Doyoung’s station around 11:05.

They hadn’t specifically agreed on where to meet at the station.

Doyoung’s neighborhood was larger than where Hamin lived and closer to a bustling downtown area with many people.

The station was also much bigger to accommodate all those people, which meant that without setting an exact meeting spot, even if they arrived on time, it would take a while to find each other.

“Hey! Model student! Over here, over here!”

“Ah… hello.”

“You can barely see properly, yet you found me right away?”

“Y-yeah, I did.”

But for Hamin, finding Doyoung in that busy area wasn’t that difficult.

‘Oppa, you were just staring at that girl’s face.’

‘N-no…? I wasn’t. I was only looking at her chest.’

‘We’re breaking up.’

“…”

‘Wow, look at that girl. She’s so damn pretty, for real.’

‘Is she a trainee at some idol agency? With her height, she’d be perfect as a center.’

‘Yeah, she’d definitely make it big if she debuted. Should we ask if we can take a photo?’

“…”

‘My, how lovely. I don’t know whose child she is, but she’s so beautifully made.’

‘That’s right. With those sturdy hips, she’d bear children well.’

‘You old man, don’t you know you can get arrested for saying things like that these days? She clearly looks like a high school student.’

‘Back in our day, kids that age would already be married. What’s wrong with saying it?’

As Doyoung had said, without his glasses, the people around Hamin appeared like blobs of clay, failing to render properly in his vision.

But precisely because of that, he became more sensitive to surrounding sounds.

People’s voices, especially men exclaiming in admiration,

and women’s voices tinged with jealousy—if he walked toward where these sounds converged, Doyoung would naturally be there.

It was like using the murmured soliloquies of NPCs as clues,

to find a hidden treasure chest on a map.

If he were to express it that way,

would Doyoung, who was always at the destination, be considered the treasure chest?

Even thinking about it made him feel a bit embarrassed.

“Your eyes might be dim, but you’ve got a good sense of direction. Well, I guess you’ve seen me going to and from school enough times to get used to it.”

“…Yeah.”

He couldn’t bring himself to say it.

That this sense of direction only worked when looking for Doyoung.

“What, do you have something to say to me?”

“No, no… nothing.”

Hamin held his tongue.

Just yesterday, he had said something beyond his station and gotten his backside kicked for it.

It was best not to provoke Doyoung’s anger unnecessarily.

With that in mind,

Hamin joined Doyoung and headed to the eyewear store.

.

.

.

“Welcome to Glass GG Optical. How can I help you today?”

“I walked here, and this guy came by subway.”

“Ah, you’ve come from far away. Please look around and let me know if you need anything.”

Hamin and Doyoung visited the new optical store at the terminal that Sahyang had told them about.

With its spacious open area, a variety of colorful glasses on display,

and even a sophisticated café space inside, it was indeed a well-designed store, just as Sahyang had described.

It wasn’t just a place to get glasses or lenses fitted,

but nice enough to be included as a date spot for couples.

‘Oppa, look at this. Isn’t this sunglasses pretty? Do you think it suits me?’

‘Yeah, the shape and color are pretty. Oh, how about this color instead?’

‘Hmm, but isn’t this too flashy?’

‘Someone with a face like yours, Miae, needs at least this much flair.’

‘Oh stop, everyone will hear you.’

That thought seemed to be correct.

Besides people getting their glasses fitted,

there were quite a few couples looking for sunglasses to wear on their dates or trips.

Even without trying to eavesdrop on their conversations,

Hamin’s other senses had become more acute to compensate for his poor vision, making it impossible not to hear what they were saying.

‘Then how about this? This white-framed sunglasses. Do you think it suits me?’

‘Huh? Oh, uh… ah. Yeah. That would look good on you too, I think.’

‘You were just looking at that girl who came into the store, weren’t you?’

‘N-no, I wasn’t looking.’

‘Do you remember what color the sunglasses frame was that I just showed you?’

And of course, Doyoung’s appearance, which had the power to draw people’s attention, was working its magic here as well.

Judging by how the conversations around them were gradually turning cold, it was impossible not to notice.

“There are more decent glasses than I expected. Oh, but you probably can’t see them well right now, can you?”

“Ugh… no, I can still see colors and shapes if I look up close.”

“I see, that’s too bad. I found some really funny-looking glasses and wanted to put them on you and take a picture.”

“…”

“Hehe. Why are you looking at me like that? Let’s hurry and get you new glasses. Excuse me, manager?”

“Ah, yes! Just a moment! I’ll be right there!”

Doyoung held back a giggle and skillfully called over a nearby employee.

For Hamin, who struggled with places that required direct human interaction like restaurants without kiosks, hair salons, optical stores, or phone shops, Doyoung’s ease in these situations made him look toward her despite his blurry vision.

“Manager, we can just come to you.”

“No, no. I’ll come to you. You two rest.”

The optical store employee came running from a distance, catching his breath.

Despite there being other female employees nearby, the male employee whom others called manager dismissed them and attended to Doyoung himself.

As if he wanted to see Doyoung’s face up close.

“Huff, huff. Is there something you need?”

The employee stared into Doyoung’s eyes, not Hamin’s, and asked in a friendly voice.

“We’re looking to get a new pair of glasses.”

“Ah, I see. Are you wearing contact lenses right now?”

“No, not for me. This guy’s glasses broke, so we’re here to get him new ones.”

“…Oh. I’m so sorry. You were hidden behind the young lady, so I didn’t notice you had company. I sincerely apologize.”

Only after Doyoung pointed to Hamin beside her did the employee seem to notice Hamin’s existence, shifting his gaze toward him.

“You’re a student, right? Do you have your previous glasses that I could take a look at?”

“Ah, yes.”

“I’ve checked them. Oh my, I’m sorry, student. Your noona is so pretty that I was distracted and didn’t even notice her little brother was here.”

“Pfft…! He says you’re my little brother. Hehe. What do you think, January 1st birthday?”

“…”

“Hm? Oh, am I mistaken?”

“We’re friends. Same class in high school.”

“Oh dear, I’m making a lot of mistakes today. I’m really sorry, student. Let me check the condition of these glasses for you.”

Judging by the employee’s attitude, constantly bowing and apologizing as if he had made a grave mistake, there didn’t seem to be any malice.

His attitude toward Hamin wasn’t particularly different from how he treated Doyoung.

But the employee’s comment about Hamin being so small that he was completely hidden behind Doyoung,

and the misunderstanding that they were sister and brother, struck something in Hamin’s pride.

“Ah, the manager is being too much, right?”

“I-I’m fine…”

“Thinking we’re siblings means he thought we came from the same womb. Doesn’t that make you feel bad?”

“…You’re the worst.”

“Call the owner out here! I’m angry enough to demand a free pair of glasses!”

Naturally, the owner didn’t come out for something like that.

“Ah, I’ve checked and these glasses are quite old. There are too many scratches on the lenses, so rather than forcing them into a new frame, it would be better to get a completely new pair.”

“Ah, I see…”

“Your vision might have changed in the meantime, so let’s fit you with new lenses too. Please come this way. Your friend can wait a moment. We have coffee and popcorn in the café area, so feel free to help yourself.”

“Ooh, drink bar! Zero lime!”

Seeing the zero lime cola at the drink bar, Doyoung headed to the café area with bouncy steps.

Hamin looked back at her as he entered the inner room with the machines for measuring eyesight and lens prescription.

-Glug glug

“Glug glug glug…”

Doyoung was dispensing cola from the drink bar in the café area.

Excited about the free cola, she was mimicking the sound of the machine with her mouth.

“Are you with the student who just went in?”

“Yes, that’s right. *slurp*”

While Doyoung was sipping cola from a paper cup,

one of the female employees approached her in the café.

She was holding a catalog showing various eyeglass frame models.

“Are you two a couple?”

“Hmm… I wonder? *slurp*”

“Ah, so maybe not quite there yet, but something developing between you?”

“Hmm… who knows. *slurp*”

“I understand, then I’ll just call you his friend for now. The lens estimate should be ready soon, but there are some nice frames I wanted to recommend.”

The female employee placed the catalogs she had brought on the table.

They featured eyeglass frames from brands that were popular among young students and quite expensive.

“These models are popular among young people these days. Why don’t you suggest one of these when your friend comes out? You could even get matching pairs. Is there a model you’d like your friend to wear? Something that might improve his appearance?”

“Well, but Doha-min looks the same with or without glasses anyway.”

“Then all the more reason to pay attention. A pair of glasses can completely change someone’s impression.”

“Then… this one?”

“T-this one?”

Doyoung chose a plain-looking horn-rimmed glasses from a corner of the catalog.

It looked very similar to what Hamin had been wearing before.

“…These are sturdy but quite plain, so they’re not very popular.”

“Exactly. Perfect.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“If that guy becomes popular, it would be troublesome for me.”