Flirting with Life on the Line – 1

“Garam, don’t say you’re going to die so easily. I don’t like that word.”

I warn her, cutting her off.

“Then, help me so that doesn’t happen.”

She’s somewhat passive, but she doesn’t back down.

“Haa…”

I scratch my head at the frustration rising from deep within.

My scalp felt more prickly than refreshed from my untrimmed nails.

“Anyway… Garam, have the center remodeled and send me the estimate. Let me know when it’s time to pay.”

“Thank you.”

Garam gives a 90-degree bow.

She seems like the Garam I know, but her recent behavior is a little strange.

With the general situation sorted out, we had nothing to say and stared blankly at each other.

Garam tilted her head, looking at me as if she was happy about something, and grinned.

I stared at her with a sullen face, and she put her arms on the desk, lacing her fingers together.

“So, what shall we do now?”

“Should we at least clean up here a little? It’s too awful to leave it like this.”

At least we should clean up the broken glass.

“And then? Do you have any plans?”

What shall we do for fun? What shall we do for fun?

She looks at me with that expression.

“No. I was going to go home and rest. It’s too late to exercise.”

I gesture around, as if to say, ‘Look at this mess,’ and she scratches the back of her head, looking embarrassed.

“Hehe… But you don’t necessarily have to exercise only at the center, right?”

Where did she learn to sweet-talk like that?

“You want to go out? To a park or something?”

“Going out is good. Indoor exercise is good too. Like bowling. There are many exercises you can do while having fun.”

Personally, I find climbing fun, but it’s a bit much for Boss yet…

She trailed off.

I’m not a fan of climbing either.

“Do we have time for that? We have to clean up here, have lunch, and look for remodeling companies…”

“I’ll take care of finding the companies. It takes time to select them.”

When I expressed a slightly negative opinion, she waved her hand and quickly ran to grab a broom and dustpan.

“Okay! Shall we clean? Boss can rest. I can do it all.”

She swung her arms around, emphasizing her health and energy.

You should get rid of those dark circles first before you say that.

“Then, I’ll just tidy up the simple things.”

There’s so much you’ve broken. I swallowed the rest of the words.

Cleaning finished earlier than expected.

Garam was an expert at cleaning, wielding the broom at an invisible speed, and even brought a mop to make the floor shine.

I was slower, tidying up the scattered papers on the desk.

After cleaning, under my supervision, as I was still worried, she narrowed down a list of remodeling companies.

-I could do this alone.

She pouted the whole time she was looking for companies, as if she didn’t like something.

Still, I was a little surprised that she, whom I had always seen as clumsy, was quite skilled in this area.

I briefly reflected on whether I had underestimated her too much.

Then we decided to have an early lunch.

Garam emphasized that since I had eaten something high in calories for breakfast, I should stick to a diet for lunch.

So we chose a salad cafe.

Barely managing to force the tasteless green weeds into my mouth, I vowed to order chicken at home tonight.

Honestly, I was going to rest at the hotel while eating delicious food, but I think this much compensation is okay.

“Hmm… This is delicious.”

Whether she knew what I was thinking or not, Garam munched on the chicken breast and gave her review.

She seemed unusually happy today, and it seemed to be because I was next to her.

Please, I hope she doesn’t become more obsessed than I think.

Judging from the past, it seems like a direct rejection turns on a switch, so maybe I should express my refusal with non-verbal cues as much as possible.

“Aren’t you eating?”

Garam tilted her head and asked me, seeing me staring at her face with unfocused eyes.

“I have to eat.”

I put a bitter chicory in my mouth and chewed it as I replied.

Life is so bitter.

After storing the tasteless salad in my stomach, we went to a nearby bowling alley.

Perhaps because it was a time when there weren’t many people, besides the enthusiastic club members, we were the only ones there.

We were guided to a lane in the most secluded area.

Whether it was the owner’s consideration or not, the assigned lane was far away from the club members.

“Bowling can be a good exercise. Of course, the fun aspect is stronger. Ah, have you ever bowled before?”

Garam said, bringing a 14-pound ball.

“Yes. But not much.”

Bowling. I had only thrown a few times at company dinners.

“It’s okay. Just throw it straight. What weight ball do you want to use?”

“About… 12?”

If I throw with a 13 or 14, my arm will hurt a lot the next day.

“Then I’ll throw first.”

Garam, who had already changed her shoes, said as she brought a heavy 12-pound ball.

“Here I go~”

Garam, who had taken a stance, slowly moved forward, pulling her arm back.

-Whoosh

Swinging forward, she threw the ball.

Yes, she threw it, not rolled it.

-Bang!! Rumble rumble rumble Wachaachaaachaang!

The bowling pins flew everywhere.

The pins that were clearly placed on the right flew to the left.

The club members on the other side looked over here at the sound of the explosion.

After a brief tally, an X mark appeared on the screen.

“Yay! Strike!”

She jumped up and down, beaming, and held out her hand to me.

“???”

“It’s a strike! High five!”

“Huh? Ah… Yes. High five.”

With a dazed expression, I held out my palm, and she slapped it with a loud smack!

“See? Bowling is easy.”

Will I ever be able to physically escape from this woman?

The foundation of my plan is shaking.