Ch.5252. Cherry Blossoms, Flower

I had planned a bike date without considering that it’s not easy to enjoy the scenery while riding a two-wheeler.

When I tried to slow down and take it easy, cars behind me honked their horns, forcing me to speed up. And when I increased my speed, I had to focus solely on driving, leaving no time to appreciate the cherry blossoms.

Indeed, romance and reality are quite different…

“Phew.”

Anyway, ride complete.

After passing through the cherry blossom-lined road, I parked at the entrance to the park and removed my helmet.

“Ah, it’s hot.”

Though the weather wasn’t particularly warm, I must have been nervous because sweat had collected inside my helmet, causing my bangs to stick to my forehead.

As I was trying to separate them with my fingers, Hwa Nabi, who had also removed her helmet, took out a handkerchief from her pocket.

“Siwoo, wait a moment. Don’t wipe it with your hands. Let me do it for you.”

“Huh? No, there’s no need. It’ll dry quickly anyway.”

“No, no, that won’t do. It’ll damage your skin. Just stay still.”

“I said it’s fine…”

Despite my protests, it was useless. Hwa Nabi, speaking as if scolding a disobedient child, carefully wiped around my forehead with her handkerchief.

“There. But make sure to wash your face later. Leaving sweat on your skin will cause problems.”

“Yeah, sorry. I just made your handkerchief dirty for nothing.”

“The handkerchief can be washed, so there’s no need to apologize for something like this. And.”

Hwa Nabi paused for a moment, then muttered with a slightly flushed face.

“…In situations like this, you shouldn’t say sorry, but thank you. Understand?”

Looking up at me with a somewhat shy smile, she appeared incredibly cute.

…Somehow unable to meet her gaze directly, I looked elsewhere as I responded.

“Right, thank you.”

“…Ahem, as long as you understand.”

Hwa Nabi cleared her throat unnecessarily and tucked the handkerchief into her skirt pocket. I stared blankly at her actions, then suddenly checked my wristwatch.

It was still too early for lunch.

I thought it would be nice to spend some time somewhere appropriate… just as that thought crossed my mind.

“Siwoo, shall we stop by here before going?”

The place Hwa Nabi pointed to was the entrance to the park. An impressive location where cherry blossoms could be seen in full bloom even before stepping inside.

It would be perfect for a date course and appropriate for passing time.

“Sure, why not?”

“Yes, the cherry blossoms are in full bloom, so it should be nice to see them together.”

“Alright. I’ll go park and come back, so wait here for a moment.”

“No. It’ll be boring to just wait. I’ll come with you.”

Before I could even finish speaking, she stuck close to my side. Thanks to that, I couldn’t even say what I was going to say.

“…Fine then.”

“Yes, that’s what I’ll do. But Siwoo, can I ask you something?”

“I don’t mind, but what do you want to ask now?”

“Have you ever had anyone else ride on the back of your motorcycle besides me?”

“Huh? Well, yes, I have.”

Since I worked part-time as a delivery person and also did quick service jobs, I occasionally had to carry people.

“Were they women?”

“No, they were all men. Why?”

“Really? Hmph, that’s fine then.”

“…What exactly are you curious about?”

*

The parking fee for the park was twenty thousand won for two hours. Even considering the seasonal premium, it was an outrageous price, but with no other options, I just paid it.

“This fee is ridiculously expensive.”

While I was muttering that, Hwa Nabi had already gone ahead. Like a puppy excited on a snowy day, she waved her hands with a joyful expression, urging me to hurry.

“Siwoo! Come quickly! The cherry blossoms here are absolutely beautiful!”

“Okay, I’m coming. Coming.”

Looking at her behavior, she seemed more like a young niece I was taking out rather than a woman my age. As I was casually responding and walking slowly, Hwa Nabi, apparently growing impatient, ran over and tugged at my sleeve.

“Oh, Siwoo! Don’t walk so slowly, let’s go quickly. Please?”

“Why are you in such a hurry? Is someone chasing us?”

“I saw on the sign earlier that this place is really huge. It’ll take quite a while to see everything. So we need to hurry.”

She really is like a puppy. I couldn’t help but laugh at Hwa Nabi’s affectionate gestures and tone.

“Don’t just laugh.”

Just as Hwa Nabi’s expression was about to turn pouty, I naturally took her hand in mine.

“Don’t rush, let’s go slowly. We have plenty of time anyway.”

As I gently caressed her soft hand and fingers, she immediately became docile, as if she had never been impatient. If Hwa Nabi had been like an excited puppy a moment ago, now she was like a gentle cat.

“Okay?”

“…Yes.”

She nodded with a strangely submissive attitude when I spoke quietly. With a slight blush on her cheeks, she seemed embarrassed about how excited she had been just moments ago.

“Let’s go.”

I gave her hand a gentle squeeze. Hwa Nabi, without any resistance, quietly stuck close to my side. I led her as we strolled through the park.

We chose walking course A, which according to the information sign, was a route that circled around the large central lake.

“It’s refreshing, isn’t it?”

Perhaps because it was mid-April, the breeze was quite cool. Hwa Nabi nodded in agreement to my words.

Cherry blossoms in full bloom on the branches, petals dancing in the wind, visitors laughing among them. Taking in all these scenes, we continued walking.

“Siwoo.”

“Yes?”

“Ah, it’s nothing.”

Though no meaningful conversation took place, I seemed to understand what Hwa Nabi wanted to say.

So very carefully, I overlapped my fingers with hers. Hwa Nabi obediently followed my lead, intertwining her fingers with mine.

Our hands now perfectly interlocked.

Already united but wanting to be even closer, I carefully added more pressure to our joined hands.

The soft knuckles, the warmth transmitted from her fingertips.

It suddenly tickled my heart.

“Nabi.”

“Yes, Siwoo.”

“…No, it’s nothing.”

I almost blurted out something impulsively… but managed to swallow it back. Hwa Nabi looked at me with puzzled eyes, but soon quietly smiled.

“Shall we go then?”

“Yes, let’s.”

So without any words, we walked for quite some time before stopping at a suitable place.

Looking around, there were quite a few visitors, most of whom had spread mats on the ground to enjoy a picnic atmosphere.

“There are more people than I expected.”

“Yes, this must be quite a famous spot.”

“Maybe we should have brought a mat.”

Unfortunately, there were no benches nearby, so we’d have to sit on the ground to rest. This presented a problem.

For me, wearing pants, getting a little dirty wasn’t a big deal. But for Hwa Nabi, being a girl and wearing a skirt, sitting just anywhere might be uncomfortable.

“Oh, it’s fine. We’re not staying long anyway, so we can just look around as we walk.”

“Really? Your legs aren’t tired?”

I feel bad about this. If I had known we’d be visiting this park, I would have prepared a mat in advance, but since we came in spontaneously without planning, my preparation was inadequate.

As I was briefly reflecting on this, Hwa Nabi took the lead, pulling my hand.

“No, I’m fine. So, shall we take some pictures instead?”

“The flow of your sentences seems a bit off.”

“Oh, don’t worry about the small details. You’ll take pictures with me, right?”

“Sure. Where should we take them?”

With cherry blossoms in full bloom everywhere, the surrounding scenery was so beautiful that a picture taken anywhere would look good.

But since we’re taking photos, let’s make them beautiful and memorable. With that mindset, I looked for an appropriate spot, and one place caught my eye.

“How about over there?”

“Where, where?”

“Up ahead, see where the road curves?”

The place I pointed to was where cherry trees on either side of the road met, creating an illusion of cherry blossoms blooming in the sky—a perfect spot.

“Ah, here? You’re right. It looks really pretty.”

“Stand there. I’ll take the picture.”

“Is this spot okay?”

“No, a little more back.”

“Hmm, how about here?”

“Yes, that’s good.”

—Click.

Just as I pressed the shutter, a timely breeze blew, causing Hwa Nabi’s hair to flutter.

“Oh, Siwoo. I don’t look weird in the photo, do I?”

“No, you look beautiful.”

“…Really? You’re not lying?”

“Yes, want to see for yourself?”

In the photo, Hwa Nabi has one eye slightly closed, holding down her side hair that was trying to fly in the wind. For an ordinary person, it might be a photo with many negative elements, one they wouldn’t use.

“…Wow.”

But thanks to my photography skills and the model’s outstanding visuals, even that becomes a work of art.

“What do you think? Came out well, right?”

“Yes, it really turned out beautifully. As I felt before… you’re really good at taking photos, Siwoo.”

“It’s because the model is good.”

A repetition of a conversation we had once before. Realizing this fact wasn’t just me, Hwa Nabi looked at me with a gentle smile.

“Ah, shall I take a picture of you too, Siwoo?”

“I’m good.”

Only a flower (花) can have a solo photo with flowers as the background. It might sound funny, but that’s my photography philosophy.

“But don’t you feel it’s a waste? The background is so beautiful.”

“You’re more beautiful.”

“…W-what are you saying all of a sudden? P-please don’t say such strange things out of nowhere.”

“I was being serious.”

“Geez, if you can’t speak properly…”

Muttering and grumbling, Hwa Nabi suddenly took out her phone.

“Then, as a compromise, let’s at least take a selfie together.”

Hwa Nabi spoke in a resolute tone, as if she couldn’t compromise any further. If I refused this too, she’d probably get upset. When I nodded, Hwa Nabi pressed close to my shoulder.

“Siwoo, come a little closer. Your face isn’t fully in the frame.”

“I can’t get any closer than this.”

It’s not a psychological issue but a physical one. To get any closer from this position, we’d have to overlap our bodies. In other words, we’d have to give up either the background or the subject. That’s what I mean.

“No, wait. There’s a way to get closer.”

“What do you want to do?”

It seemed Hwa Nabi couldn’t give up either.

Her solution was:

“Siwoo, put your arm around my shoulder.”

“…What do you want me to do?”

“Quickly, I need to check if the photo looks good.”

“…Alright.”

As Hwa Nabi instructed, I carefully placed my hand on her shoulder. Passersby started to giggle as they looked at us. We must look like a couple flirting, ignoring the stares around us.

“So, how long are we going to stay like this?”

“Just a moment, let me adjust the angle.”

But Hwa Nabi, the person directly involved, didn’t seem to care at all.

Am I the only one embarrassed by this situation…? Just as I was trying to pull away slightly because the close proximity was becoming a bit burdensome, that moment came.

—Click!

-Smooch.

“…?!”

Something soft touched my cheek while I was off guard, and the photo was taken simultaneously. I opened my eyes wide in surprise.

“Y-you, what did you just do?”

“What did I do? I took a picture.”

As if she didn’t know anything, she turned her eyes away with a prim expression, pretending not to know. Feeling dazed, I rubbed the spot where her lips had touched.

“Could you give me a heads-up next time?”

“If I had told you, you would have avoided it.”

Even so. Usually, these things require mental preparation, right? Actually, it’s a bit funny to be embarrassed by just a kiss on the cheek when we’ve even slept in the same bed… anyway.

“Siwoo. This one seems a bit blurry. Should we take one more photo?”

“…You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?”