episode_0042

The bed at my hometown was so comfortable that the Rakkurakku bed felt relatively uncomfortable.

Due to a sudden decline in sleep quality, I slowly opened my eyes feeling a slight sense of fatigue.

“…The weather is nice.”

Checking the time on my phone, it was half past six in the afternoon.

I immediately pulled back the blackout curtains to look outside, where the clear evening sky greeted me.

I made a good call setting up this appointment, yeah.

No matter how nice home is, on days like this, you have to go out and have some fun.

As I stretched preparing to go out, what caught my eye was Jaehyuk hesitating in front of his clothes.

Seeing him switching between two outfits with a serious expression was so amusing that I lightly tapped his back and chuckled.

“Why are you pondering so much? Are you going on a blind date or something?”

“Ugh, cough…! Ouch, you brat! You forgot your spicy hands hurt?”

“It’s all spicy and hot, whatever you wear looks similar, so just throw something on. We’re just hanging out as friends, no need to dress up for what?”

Just going out to eat and have fun, no need to overdo it.

Shaking my head, I ignored the clueless guy and headed straight into the bathroom.

After taking a light shower, did I finish getting ready in my usual attire to go out?

Jaehyuk, on the other hand, seemed to have finished preparing without me noticing, walking towards the entrance with a relieved expression.

After contemplating hard, he ended up choosing the outfit he usually wore to work.

As I stepped out of the apartment, I started teasing him with a mischievous smile.

“The same outfit again? Aren’t you tired of it?”

“My mom bought me this, she said it suits me well.”

“…Well, it does suit you! No wonder!”

“Is that so?”

With a mischievous grin, he cast a spell and vanished, leaving me startled.

Feeling lost for words, I glanced around only to find Jaehyuk laughing and smoothly changing the subject.

“By the way, is it just the two of us hanging out today? What about Hyeun and Junhyun?”

“Junhyun said he has something to do, so he can’t make it, and Hyeun… I don’t know, when I asked if she would join us, she just hung up the phone.”

“…I never understand what’s on her mind.”

“I agree with you on that.”

Ever since the call was abruptly ended, he turned off his phone, cutting off all communication.

But one thing was certain.

There was definitely some sinister intention behind ending the call and even turning off the phone.

He will probably laugh it off and tell lies if asked later.

My battery was dead, and even the power bank was drained.

What kind of scheme led to ending the call?

I have a rough idea.

Constantly making ominous jokes about there being no friendship between men and women, it’s likely to be along the same lines this time too.

Damn brat.

It’s not like that, seriously.

After resolving to confront him later, I looked around to find a restaurant.

“Let’s eat first! Even Geumgang Mountain says ‘eating comes before sightseeing’!”

Feeling a strong sense of hunger after sleeping for over 12 hours.

Although I wanted to quickly enter any restaurant and eat, I couldn’t afford to do that.

Eating anything with garlic could lead to disastrous consequences, akin to swallowing rat poison and suffering.

Even if I accidentally consumed a drop of diluted garlic, I would scream and roll around, so if I were to directly ingest garlic…

It would likely result in an unimaginably dreadful experience.

So, what did I choose from the menu?

A hamburger, of course.

“When in doubt, a hamburger is the answer, right?”

“Do we really have to come out to eat this? Might as well go to a family restaurant and have some steak.”

“Why steak? With that money, a hearty burger is…”

“…You used to be obsessed with rice dishes, now you’ve evolved into a burger fanatic.”

What was so dissatisfying that Jaehyuk sighed, touching his forehead with his hand.

Ignoring him, I quickly counted the sesame seeds on top of the bread.

Wow –

I took a big bite of the hamburger.

The moistness of the meat, the richness of the bread, and the freshness of the vegetables created a fantastic harmony of flavors.

Smiling widely at the consistently delightful taste, I glanced at Jaehyuk, tilting my head.

It’s delicious, so what could possibly be the problem?

Why was he making such a disappointed expression?

I had no idea whatsoever.

—–

“So, what now?”

After having a light meal at the franchise burger joint,

Jaehyuk and I, feeling pleasantly full, began contemplating our next activity.

An escape room cafe, a board game cafe, a comic book cafe, or maybe bowling.

We tossed around various ideas like “anything goes,” but there weren’t many options for just the two of us.

At best, we could watch a movie or maybe play a few rounds of fighting games at the arcade?

If one of us were even remotely social, we might have had a lot more fun, but unfortunately, we were both homebodies.

In fact, what we would do after eating had been decided from the start.

“…Let’s watch a movie.”

“Are there any good movies out these days?”

“‘True Man Special,’ let’s decide when we get there.”

“A guy who’s lost his edge calling himself a ‘true man’? What kind of ‘true man’ is that?”

“Shut it.”

Anyway.

As usual, engrossed in conversation with him, we arrived at the movie theater in no time.

Despite it being the last evening of a holiday, the theater was quite empty.

“…Not many people here. Does that mean there are no good movies to watch?”

“From the posters, it’s like they’re saying, ‘I’m not fun.’ Honestly, that children’s animated movie looks the most entertaining to me.”

“Where? ‘Baby Blowfish’s Wild Adventure’? Hey, should we go for this? The story doesn’t seem too bad.”

“You’re not being serious, are you?”

No, why not? A mechanical baby blowfish facing off against a giant monster (Whitebelly Eel). Isn’t that intriguing? Am I the only one who thinks so?

Despite its cute appearance, the children’s animated movie subtly contained a man’s dream.

I tried to convince him that it was worth watching, but unfortunately, it ended in a stalemate at the brink of a fight.

After a lengthy debate,

we ultimately decided on the safest choice for a movie.

A fail-safe option, a hero action film.

Produced by a reputable company, so even though it might be pricey, it should be worth it.

With the movie chosen, as we approached the ticket counter to reserve our seats, the tired-looking attendant asked us a question.

“Are you a couple?”

“Pardon?”

“I asked if you’re a couple.”

“What difference does it make if we are a couple?”

Seeing the indifferent expression on his face, it didn’t seem like there was any malicious intent.

Thinking there might be some event going on, we inquired further, and the attendant lazily explained the couple’s event.

“We currently have a couple’s event ongoing, offering ticket discounts and a size upgrade on popcorn purchases if you are a couple.”

“How does the verification process work?”

“Just install the app and set yourselves as a couple.”

Seems simple and easy enough.

If you can bear a bit of hassle, getting a ticket discount and a larger popcorn… that’s somewhat appealing, isn’t it?

After a brief moment of contemplation, I cautiously turned to Jaehyuk and asked.

“What do you think?”

“About what?”

“Registering as a couple. They offer ticket discounts and a popcorn size upgrade.”

“…”

After a moment of a complex expression, he eventually nodded in agreement.

Well, the reward is quite substantial for the inconvenience of doing it.

When you hear the sound of a coin dropping for just two minutes, you can save nearly ten thousand won. If you don’t do it, that’s just foolish.

Following the method the part-timer informed us about, we finished registering as a couple and then went back to book our seats.

“Um… Thank you for using our service. Enjoy the show.”

Surprisingly, not only did we purchase tickets at a discounted price, but we were also able to get a large-sized popcorn for a small amount of money.

After booking our tickets, we endured the boring wait until the movie started.

It was strange that the guy who usually complained didn’t say a word, so I sneakily glanced over at him pretending not to look.

“Hey, what’s wrong with your face?! Are you feeling unwell?”

“…Mind your own business.”

I couldn’t help but stare.

I’m talking about Jaehyuk’s face, which turned red as if it were about to explode.

…Why is he like this? He seemed fine just until dinner last night, right?

Startled, I placed my hand on his forehead, feeling a warm heat emanating from him as if there was a heater nearby.

Realizing the seriousness of the situation, I tried to suggest that we should go back without making a fuss.

“I’ll quickly go to the restroom.”

“Huh? Uh, yeah…”

After a quick trip to the restroom, he suddenly seemed fine, and we moved on as if nothing had happened.

What was with that dazed expression and flushed face?

Was the cinema unusually hot?

No, the air conditioning was blasting cold air.

Then what could be the problem…?

Even after pondering deeply, I couldn’t come up with an answer.

I briefly considered the possibility that he might see me not as a ‘friend’ but as a ‘romantic interest.’

Didn’t he say himself while drunk last time that I’m not his type and he wouldn’t be interested in me?

“I just can’t figure it out.”

I came here to relieve accumulated stress, but it seems like I’m just adding more to it.

Clearing my head of complicated thoughts, I entered the theater with him.

The movie was quite ordinary.

A hero awakens his superpowers, faces hardships, and ultimately triumphs over the villain in the final showdown.

It was the epitome of cliché upon cliché, that kind of storyline.

…Why am I saying all this?

Well.

An unknown kid mentioned the remaining popcorn count at the start, making me meticulously count the popcorn left, unable to focus on the movie.

I swear I’m never coming to the movies again.

Damn it.