episode_0036

I looked at their faces in fascination.

That too for a whopping 10 seconds.

It was the first time I had looked at him for this long.

“Kang Ha-hwi, what’s wrong?”

“Why are you suddenly staring at our faces like that?”

“···No.”

I came to my senses late and turned my head.

What happened to your hair?

I just wore an animal headband…

At that moment, Seo Yi-eung and Isabella’s faces overlapped with the faces of the cat and dog they had met before.

Those guys I gave them nicknames like Meow and Doggie.

‘It seems like there is a subtle resemblance…’

Seo Yi-eung is a cat person.

The fact that Isabella was a dog dealer also played a role.

I looked sideways at their faces while choosing props.

And I added the faces of a meow and a dog to Seo Yi-eung and Isabella’s faces, respectively.

‘This makes me feel more familiar.’

I feel like my rejection of pretty girls is fading further.

It was an unexpected new discovery.

I never thought I could shake off trauma this way.

it was good.

From now on, let’s think of Seo Yi-eung as a meow and Isabella as a dog.

If you hypnotize yourself like that, it will be easier to get closer to them.

“No, why do you keep looking at me like that…? Does the headband not suit you?”

Isabella noticed my gaze and played with her headband.

I answered, picking up the bear headband.

“Just. Because you wear that headband, it looks like the dog I mentioned last time.”

“Uh, huh?”

Isabella trembled and stuttered.

Why is it like that?

I moved my gaze to Seo Yi-eung and continued speaking.

“And Seo Yi-eung looks similar to Meow.”

“What, what?”

Seo Yi-eung also trembled.

Why is he like this too?

Both reactions were the same.

Something didn’t look good on his face.

Is it rude to tell a woman that she resembles an animal?

This was meant as a compliment, but the reaction made me feel embarrassed.

I quietly apologized while wearing a bear headband.

“I was just complimenting you, sorry if I offended you.”

“Huh? no···. It wasn’t a bad feeling…”

“Me too…”

Isabella and Seo Yi-eung are restless and avoiding my gaze.

The more I look at it, the weirder it gets.

Did I eat something wrong?

As I was having doubts, Isabella cleared her throat and pulled my arm.

“Ah. anyway! Let’s take a picture quickly!”

As expected, it was still difficult to understand the creature called a woman.

***

The photo was printed right away.

I slowly looked at the photo handed to me by Seo Yi-eung.

Me in the center, wearing a bear headband and expressionless. Isabella is smiling brightly while striking various poses on the right. On the left, Seo Yi-eung is looking straight ahead in a rigid posture.

Although the overall picture was awkward because of me and Seo Yi-eung, I still liked the picture.

‘It came out well.’

A satisfied smile naturally comes to mind.

I even felt like the empty hole in my heart was filling up a little. Combining my previous life and this life, this is my first time taking pictures like this with my friends.

“It was taken well! Hehe.”

Isabella smiled brightly as she looked at the photo,

“Keep it well so you don’t lose it…”

Seo Yi-eung carefully and preciously placed the photo in her wallet as if she were handling a baby.

They also seemed satisfied with the photos.

I also stuffed the photo in my pocket.

So that you never lose the first photo you took with your friends.

*

The next place we arrived was the movie theater.

Isabella wanted a romantic movie.

But unfortunately, Seo Yi-eung and I did not prefer romance.

Therefore, romantic movies were excluded by majority vote.

Seo Yi-eung and I chose a noir movie and reserved tickets, ignoring Isabella, who was downcast.

The movie we chose was the newly released Crime Universe 4.

After entering the movie theater, I came out after watching the movie for two hours.

“Wow. This movie is very interesting.”

Isabella’s dark face brightened again.

I was secretly sorry that she didn’t see the romance she wanted, but I was glad.

After that, we moved without stopping.

We also make dolls.

I also stopped by the shooting range.

Enjoy the arcade for a bit.

Eating snacks at a traditional market.

I also bought and tried a food called crepes at a street vendor.

Enjoy a quick beer while playing bowling at the bowling alley.

Then, the sun had already set.

Before we parted ways.

Lastly, I stopped by the emotional cafe.

It was my first time going to a place called Emotional Cafe, and to be honest, it wasn’t very good.

It’s also strange that it’s located in a place that looks like a construction site.

It was also strange that the outer wall was collapsed.

In addition, the chairs and tables were replaced with bricks, and the sanitary conditions of the store did not seem to be very good.

As I looked around the cafe, I lowered my voice and spoke.

“No matter how you look at this place, it looks like a half-built building…”

“I don’t know what. These days, this kind of interior design is the trend.”

Isabella answered.

It feels like they just put a sign on an abandoned building without any special interior design…

Still, it certainly seemed like a popular place.

Young people are very busy.

‘I don’t understand. ‘Is this emotional?’

Well, as long as the kids like it, that’s fine.

Isabella and Seo Yi-eung look happy as if they like this place.

anyway.

I was worried that I might not be able to enjoy the day properly and ruin the mood, but I was glad that I enjoyed it without any problems.

At that time, I thought it was a truly rewarding day.

“Lee Eung-a, let’s give it a go now.”

“Already? Wouldn’t it be better to give it to you later when you break up?”

Seo Yi-eung and Isabella, who were drinking coffee, were whispering among themselves.

They looked at me and started taking things out of their bags.

It was a box wrapped in striped wrapping paper.

“Kang Ha-hwi. Take this.”

“This too.”

Isabella and Seo Yi-eung handed the box to me.

I looked at the box in silence for a moment.

Is this really a birthday present?

I never expected to receive a gift.

When I raised my head and looked at them, Isabella grinned, showing her white teeth.

“Happy birthday.”

“Congratulations. Take it quickly because my arm hurts.”

Seo Yi-eung avoided my gaze.

He shook the box with an indifferent expression.

“uh… Thank you…”

I was handed the box in a daze.

“Can I open it right away?”

While caressing the box, I asked about it in case something happened.

It might be polite to go home and check.

You should have received a proper birthday present.

The only birthday gift I ever received in my past life was a box filled with disgusting bugs.

“It doesn’t matter. If you want to open it now, do so.”

With Seo Yi-eung’s permission.

I nodded and immediately unwrapped the box.

The box given by Seo Yi-eung.

What was inside it…

“A bracelet?”

“Yes. It’s an enchanted bracelet.”

“It’s enchanted? Aren’t those things expensive?”

“Don’t worry about the price.”

It was a bracelet that looked expensive at first glance.

I don’t know, but I thought it would cost hundreds of thousands of won even if I couldn’t do it.

This kind of thing is burdensome.

Normally I would have declined.

Since this was a birthday present, I decided to just accept it cheerfully.

“Thank you, I will write well. But what is the given magic?”

“Protection magic and location tracking magic.”

“Location tracking magic…?”

“Yes. It’s a magic that sends your location to the police in real time when you’re in danger.”

ah. It was something like that.

I felt like he gave me this gift out of concern for my safety.

I wore the bracelet I received as a gift on my left arm.

I opened the wrapping of the gift I received from Isabella.

The contents were a small pouch that looked like a bundle.

Is this a lucky bag?

When I had that question, Isabella explained the gift.

“That’s an amulet pouch. I put various kinds of amulets inside.”

“Did you make it yourself?”

“Yes. I think sincerity is important when it comes to gifts. I never made it myself because I had no money.”

During my free time, I made something.

I guess this is what I was making at the time.

I expressed my gratitude, clutching the amulet bag I received from her.

“···Thank you. I will always take it with me.”

And later, my heart sank.

Following Santoto and Forest Toto.

Even Seo Yi-eung and Isabella.

I still can’t believe that someone else took interest in me and celebrated my birthday. It felt like their kindness was killing the bug called trauma that had been gnawing at my heart.

Today was truly a happy day that I will never forget.

***

Seo Yi-eung and Isabella.

After breaking up with them, I returned to the one-room building I currently live in.

“You came late.”

Cha Seol-yu, who was sitting on the bench, welcomed me.

For some reason he didn’t seem to drink alcohol today.

There are a lot of beverage cans piled up on the floor.

And I also saw a cake box.

“Take this. Ha-hwi says it’s your birthday today.”

Cha Seol-yu handed me the box as if he had been waiting.

I wondered why he was out without even drinking, but was he really waiting here to give me this?

Cha Seol-yu also seemed to know that today was my birthday.

“Thank you. But how did you know it was my birthday?”

“I remember showing you your ID when signing a room contract… Oh, no. Yesterday, Santoto and Forest Toto gave us side dishes and talked as we went.”

The rabbits also prepared side dishes for Cha Seol-yu.

When I saw them taking care of their former students like this, it seemed like they were very affectionate rabbits.

“I will eat the cake right after I get home. Thank you so much.”

“There is no need to eat it right away, just eat a piece as a snack whenever you feel like it.”

I sat down on the bench.

I was thinking of keeping her company for a while.

Because you can’t just accept a gift and go home cheaply.

“But Ha-hwi, your conversational skills have improved a lot. Is it because I went to the academy?”

“Ah. I did some practice talking to women.”

“With your classmates?”

“No. With my gaming friend.”

After chatting with Cha Seol-yu for over 10 minutes, I slowly got up to go home.

“Then I’ll just go in.”

“Yes. Go in and get some rest.”

After saying hello to Cha Seol-yu.

When I was entering the building.

“······.”

I made eye contact with the woman who was squatting on the stairs and leaning against the wall.

It was the woman in room 303.

what?

Why is this person here?

Could it be that you were hiding here and overhearing our conversation?

Before I even had any doubts.

The woman in room 303 put on her hat, jumped up from her seat, and hurried up the stairs.