Chapter 27: Misunderstanding

Who invented the Gyro drop?

Who created such a terrible torture device that forcibly straps people in, sends them up into the sky, and then drops them at breakneck speed?

Whoever it is will be struck by lightning. They definitely deserve to be punished.

“Senior, are you feeling a little better?”

“A little… a little bit…”

My legs are wobbly. I sat on a nearby bench to rest for a while as soon as I got off the Gyro drop, but I still can’t bring myself to stand up.

At least my heart rate has returned to normal, and my vision, which had been spinning, is now somewhat able to focus.

“Senior… you’re more scared than I thought…”

“It’s not fear, it’s just… shock. I’m not that scared.”

I don’t think I’m particularly fearful. I just don’t enjoy thrills.

So what if I’m not good at riding amusement park rides? So what if I can’t watch horror movies? Or anything else…

“Really? Then, besides this, there’s a haunted house-like thing over there—”

“N-no way!”

…Ah.

“…Pfft. Heh heh…”

“…Don’t laugh.”

How embarrassing.

“People can be scared of some things…”

“Y-yeah, but it’s just that it’s so different from Senior’s usual image. It’s a bit of a letdown.”

To show such a sight in front of a junior at work, I can’t even lift my head out of embarrassment.

“Senior usually has this image of just smiling kindly and moving on, no matter what happens. Like a Grandfather.”

“So you’re saying my image is that of a Grandfather…”

“Ah, no! That’s not what I meant… um…”

Why can’t she speak?

“Haha…”

Actually, I’ve heard it often before. That my personality is calm or that I’m like a Grandfather.

But now I’m hearing it from a junior. It’s kind of… sad.

“…From now on, I hope we only ride the more comfortable rides. If my heart races at my old age, I’ll kick the bucket in an instant.”

“Pfft… Okay.”

I’m not kidding, I’m serious.

After that, we just wandered around the amusement park normally.

I didn’t even go near rides like the Gyro drop, but since we went around here and there, I guess it was worth the ticket price?

We ate together, participated in events together, took commemorative photos together…

“Okay, say cheese~.”

“Cheeeese…”

It feels like we’re on a date, now that I list it all out.

Click. The camera shutter clicks, and the flash hurts my eyes.

“It feels like it’s been a long time since I took a photo.”

“Don’t you usually take pictures? I thought you’d always carry a camera and take pictures when the scenery is nice.”

“That’s Team Leader’s style…”

I don’t have a hobby of taking pictures. I tend to think that it’s enough to just appreciate good scenery with my eyes once.

Have I ever taken a picture in my life…? Ah, I’ve taken pictures of my ID for identity verification. Other than that, I don’t really remember.

“Did it come out?”

“Yes, can I have this?”

“Well, I don’t mind…”

It’s been a while since I’ve seen a physical photo. I was smiling awkwardly and awkwardly in the photo.

It doesn’t look like a good photo, so why would she bother printing it out and taking it with her?

“Hmm…”

She’s surprisingly hard to figure out. Se-young is.

I think I need to improve my perception. Or learn telepathy.

After taking the picture, we came out of the amusement park.

“I had a lot of fun today, Senior! Let’s go out again next time!”

“I’m not going to an amusement park next time.”

The sun is setting, it’s time for the moon to rise with the sunset.

It was like this before too. The sunset always happened around the time I left the amusement park.

Of course, the scenery of that amusement park and this amusement park are very different in many ways, but… well…

“…Ah, right, Se-young.”

“Yes?”

“Is there anything you like?”

――

It was a fun Saturday.

More fun than ever, the best Saturday.

“~♪”

“I heard you were going out with a friend, you’re back earlier than I thought? Why does your face look like that?”

“What’s wrong with my face?”

“Your grinning face is ugly. I told you, you shouldn’t smile because you look like your Dad when you smile.”

Mom’s teasing, which I would normally brush off with annoyance, didn’t feel so bad today.

“It’s okay, I usually look like Mom. That’s why I’m pretty, right?”

“Oh, now that you’ve joined the company, you’ve learned how to flatter me. You’ve grown up so much.”

Is there a better way to enjoy the weekend than this? I don’t think there is.

“Go wash up, you little brat.”

“I’ll wash up later, later~.”

Ignoring Mom’s nagging, I went into my room and threw myself on the bed.

I wonder if she’s home by now? She probably is, right?

“I’m… home… Senior…?”

Just as I was about to write a message while lying on the bed, the scroll started to go down even though I hadn’t written anything.

“Huh…?”

I stopped writing, and I could see that the reason the scroll went down was because of a message from Senior.

A gift has arrived from Seo Hanbyeol Senior!

“Cosmetics…?”

The gift was cosmetics. A pile of cosmetics, many in number and diverse in type.

But why cosmetics all of a sudden? Could it be because of what I said before we parted?

I’ve always been interested in makeup. Actually, it’s not strange for a woman to be interested in makeup.

So I think it’s average for a woman. I don’t think it’s the same from Mom’s perspective.

Mom strictly forbade me from buying cosmetics, and she still forbids it now that I’m an adult.

It’s not that she tells me not to buy them at all, but she only allows what she considers necessary, such as lipstick or lotion. Even then, she would often stop me from buying expensive ones, saying that I could buy something else with that money.

“How much is all this… Eek…!!”

The cosmetics that Senior sent me were not something I could just say thank you and move on from.

The prices of each one were not easy to touch, and there were quite a few products that I had been eyeing but gave up on due to Mom’s opposition.

“Wow…”

Is it okay to receive this? Is it okay? No, I should ask first…

Seo Hanbyeol Senior

A return gift for the watch 🙂

“….”

This means I can use it as much as I want.

Well, it looks like it.

…But why is this happening? I should be happy to receive a gift.

Something… feels uneasy.

――

Is this enough? Should I send more?

I heard that she likes to wear makeup but can’t buy cosmetics because of her parents’ opposition, so I gave Se-young cosmetics as a gift.

The expense was very painful, but I received a gift that was no less valuable, so it’s not polite not to spend this much money. This is not something that can be settled with just the amusement park ticket price and food cost.

So even though my heart aches because of my empty bank account, I have no regrets or lingering feelings. This will make me feel more comfortable.

“Hmm…”

I wonder if she had fun.

Se-young probably had fun. She said she had fun herself, and I could see that she was excited just by looking at her expression.

Did I… have fun?

I don’t know. I was just dragged around half-soulless, so I can’t remember anything.

Still, if Se-young had fun, wouldn’t that be enough?

Should I rest a little?

My body isn’t that tired, but my mind is completely exhausted.

As expected, crowded places don’t suit my constitution. I should have just suggested going to see a movie. There aren’t many people in the movie theater these days.

“…I wonder what Team Leader is doing.”

I suddenly wondered about That person. I wonder if he’s recovered by now?

He’s not usually in good health, so it’s hard to be sure. I hope he comes to work at least next week, but it’s not right to force someone who’s having a hard time to come.

“….”

I turned on my phone and turned on the radio as a habit.

After being betrayed that day… well, it’s not really betrayal, but I was disappointed, so I vowed never to turn it on again, but habits are more difficult to break than I thought.

…Yes, today is another Saturday, just like any other. Some people are resting, some people are working, some people are regretting Friday night, and some people are waiting for Sunday morning.

It’s a very ambiguous day, isn’t it? It’s definitely the weekend, but sometimes you can’t rest, and Sunday is red on the calendar, but Saturday is blue.

That’s why some people hate Saturdays. Of course, it’s not that they hate it because it’s the weekend, but because they can’t rest on the weekend.

I feel very lonely every time it’s Saturday. I work all the time on weekdays, but appointments are usually only made on Sundays, so I’m just stuck at home alone on Saturdays.

Well, that’s because I’m a bachelor. How could a guy like me have a woman to marry? I’m unattractive and short, and I’m old, so all I have is a little bit of eloquence.

I’ve given up on marriage. Of course, I’ve given up on dating too. Who would love someone like me with so many flaws?

Young people, handsome people, and rich people are always sought after, but I’m not young, handsome, or rich.

I wonder if there’s a lonely bachelor among the people listening to this radio who has the same worries as me? Haha, probably not. Everyone must be handsome, young, and rich.

Still, I imagine that there might be someone as lonely as me, a poor and lonely soul stranded in the middle of the desert.

Today, I’ve prepared a song for me and for lonely souls. It’s 𝗟𝗮𝘂𝘃’s 𝗠𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀.

“….”

I’m depressed, I shouldn’t have listened to it.

Even so, I didn’t turn off the radio this time.

I just, wanted to.