episode_0043
by admin#43
A man and a woman share an umbrella.
The act of inevitably bringing the body into close contact,
“… .”
In Japan, it is a very meaningful act, to the point that it is used as a symbol to indicate a loving couple.
‘… It won’t smell weird, right?’
The problem is, I am the male one among the men and women who use that umbrella.
“Come closer… You’ll get wet.”
The bigger problem is that the woman is the famous heroine Yun Seol.
‘I’m going crazy.’
As if I were some kind of adolescent boy, my heart, which has been beating violently since a while ago, shows no signs of calming down.
Especially when our shoulders touch.
“… .”
Yunseol… can’t see very well because she’s wearing sunglasses, but she doesn’t seem to be particularly conscious of it.
Bam.
‘But, what has this been going on since a while ago?’
From a while ago, amidst the sound of rain pitter-patter, a strange sound can be heard.
It sounds like the sound of teeth clenching, something like that… I don’t know. Where is it coming from?
“Was the store this way?”
“Oh, yes.”
We are currently going to the alley where [Oasis] is.
Yunseol said she would just take me home, but my house was a bit far and I had to go to the store anyway.
“Excuse me, sir.”
“Yes?”
“I told you to come closer. Your shoulders are all wet.”
“… .”
After Yoonseol’s nagging, I finally leaned towards her.
Then, the shoulders naturally close together.
Through the arm holding the umbrella, I could feel her bare skin.
Thump, thump.
A heart that keeps beating faster and faster.
To make matters worse, even though I try not to look, I can occasionally see Yunseol’s wet figure from the side of my vision.
“… .”
The white one-piece dress, which revealed Yunseol’s slender shoulder line, was slightly wet and clinging to her hair due to the rain.
If you look down a little further from there… .
“Hoo.”
“…Why are you sighing all of a sudden?”
“I’m just going to meditate for a moment.”
Thud thud.
After walking for a while like that, a familiar alley appeared in front of us.
“Can I go this way?”
“Yes.”
As soon as we reached the end of the alley, we saw the sign for [Oasis].
…If I go inside the store, this strange companionship will end.
Thinking about it that way, I felt a little disappointed.
Honestly, when in my life will I ever get to share an umbrella with a beauty like Yunseol?
Of course, excluding Jia and Mina.
‘They’re family.’
That’s not something that family does.
… The reason I’m still remembering the made-up face of Jia I saw yesterday is because I’m out of my mind.
‘Jia is a minor… Come to your senses.’
If I found out that I was looking at myself through the eyes of the opposite sex… I don’t even want to imagine it.
At that time, when I was thinking about all sorts of things,
“… Hmm? Sir. What is that cat?”
Yunseol, who was walking down the street next to me without saying a word, pointed toward the store door and spoke.
‘cat?’
Thinking, “No way,” I approached closer…
“That cat from yesterday.”
… a white cat was seen sleeping soundly in front of the door in the so-called loaf of bread position.
***
The cat, who had been sleeping soundly in a loaf of bread position, naturally came inside the store as soon as we entered.
“… .”
After that, the cat went into the box where it had been left last time,
“Boss, did you originally raise cats here?”
“That’s not it, it came yesterday too… and it came again.”
Soon, he started looking at me and Yunseol with his head sticking out like yesterday.
‘That’s strange.’
I didn’t really feel that way yesterday… but somehow, I feel like I’m being watched.
‘… It must be my imagination.’
After leaving that slightly awkward feeling behind, I took out a towel from the store drawer and handed it to Yunseol.
Of course, with my head turned away so as not to let the wet snow fall into my eyes.
“Oh, thank you.”
Fortunately, it seemed like Yoonseol didn’t find my appearance strange, so she calmly accepted the towel I handed her.
“You shouldn’t be thankful…you didn’t have to get rained on because of me.”
“A.”
The umbrella I brought to the store was a bit small for two people to use.
In addition, they secretly went outside under the umbrella, saying they would give in to each other, so they both ended up getting soaked.
‘Should I laugh at this or cry?’
Well, I guess it would be nice if it was warm though.
Swaaaah-
by the way.
The rain shows no sign of letting up any time soon.
Well, I just have to stay here until the rain stops… What is Yunseol planning to do?
“Mr. Yoon Seol.”
“Yes?”
My curiosity grew and I eventually asked Yunseol.
“I plan to stay here until the rain stops… What are you going to do now, Yunseol?”
“Ah. I… .”
When Yunseol opened her lips to answer my words,
Suddenly, as if a camera flash had gone off, the surroundings brightened up─
Quagmirah─!
“Whoa?!”
─Suddenly, an ear-piercing thunder rumbled from the sky.
At the same time, the rain became heavier.
Now I can barely see out the window.
… I think I heard a cute scream in the meantime, but let’s move on from that.
“Oh, surprise… .”
Yunseol wipes her chest with her hand, as if startled by the sudden thunder.
I was absentmindedly looking at her, but immediately turned my head away at the slightly embarrassing sight.
I’ve been thinking about this for a long time, but Yunseol is bigger than I thought… No. What are you thinking, Dohan?
‘… Come to your senses.’
Fortunately, Yunseol didn’t seem to notice my sinister gaze, and was still looking out the window with a slightly surprised expression.
“Over there… ”
To hide my embarrassment, I spoke to Yunseol first.
“Yes?”
“If it’s okay with you, Yoonseol, how about staying here until the rain stops?”
“Uh… .”
Yunseol looked somewhat troubled after hearing my suggestion.
… I felt a little uneasy, wondering if he thought I was doing something strange.
At that moment,
Quagmirah─!
Once again, a loud clap of thunder echoed.
“… Huh.”
Yunseol, who flinched slightly in surprise at the sound of lightning, soon answered softly.
“Well, then, I’ll owe you a favor for a moment.”
Our schedule, which was to just have lunch and then part ways, was extended a bit due to unexpected rain.
***
Swish─.
“Here, here’s some hot chocolate. Be careful, it’s hot.”
“Oh, thank you.”
Yunseol bowed her head slightly after accepting the mug I handed her.
You might say, “What kind of summer day is this with hot chocolate?” but it was a little chilly because of the air conditioning.
It’s like turning on the boiler and eating ice cream on a winter day.
‘weigh.’
Oddly, I took a sip of my hot chocolate and turned my head towards Yunseol to see her reaction.
It’s hot chocolate, well, it tastes the same, but… I’d be a little sad if you don’t like it.
“Hey, how does it taste?”
“Whew…Whew…It’s delicious. …It’s a little hot though.”
Luckily, Yunseol seems to like hot chocolate.
“… .”
It was a little cute to see Yunseol blowing on the hot chocolate to cool it down and putting some in her mouth.
By then, the sound of rain and people drinking hot chocolate filled the store.
‘… And come to think of it, it’s been a while. It’s been just the two of us in the store.’
Looking at Yunseol quietly sipping her hot chocolate, I was reminded of when I first opened the store.
“Excuse me? This place is open for business, right…?”
The day when Yunseol, wearing a hoodie pulled down low, visited the store for the first time where no one had come for a week.
“… .”
At that time, I never imagined that the two of us would be sitting side by side like this, drinking hot chocolate.
As expected, you never know what will happen to people.
“Boss?”
Perhaps because she was bothered by my snickering appearance while recalling the events of that time, Yoonseol quietly spoke to me.
“… What are you thinking that makes you laugh like that?”
“Ah. I remember when Yoonseol first came to our store. It was so amazing.”
“Ah…”
“Actually, at that time, I didn’t know that I would end up drinking hot chocolate with Yoonseol like this.”
At first, I didn’t even know that Yunseol was the hero Yunseol.
“That’s right… .”
Yunseol, who heard my answer, glanced at me, trailing off.
Did I say something that you didn’t like? You seem a little upset.
‘Did you find it strange to say that we were drinking hot chocolate together?’
At that time, I was feeling slightly uneasy.
Yunseol took a deep breath as if she had made up her mind, then opened her closed lips and spoke.
“… It’s Seol-ah.”
Yunseol’s voice is not heard clearly, entangled in the sound of the rain.
… but there was no need to ask back.
Because Yunseol met my eyes again and spoke again, one word at a time.
“My name is Seol-ah. Not Yoon-seol.”
As if telling me never to forget.
“… .”
Could it be that you didn’t like the fact that I called you Mr. Yoonseol?
While I was standing there dumbfounded, Yunseol added in a voice that sounded like she was crawling into a mouse hole.
“Usually, friends call each other by their names… .”
Where did Yunseol, who used to speak confidently while making eye contact earlier, go?
As I watch her continue to speak weakly with her head bowed again, my heart starts to pound.
“… .”
I covered my face, which was starting to turn red, with my hand and slowly said Yunseol’s name.
“Yes, Seol-ah.”
Could it be because of the heartbeat?
The sound of rain coming from outside was no longer heard.
***
After that, a strange atmosphere hung over the store.
“… .”
Since the conversation earlier, Yunseol has been staring blankly at the mug she finished drinking from, as if lost in thought.
I wonder what he’s thinking… I was curious, but I couldn’t ask.
I turned my head away from Yunseol and looked outside, where it was still raining.
‘… The rain has lightened a bit.’
It’s a bit of a shame, I thought, when Yunseol cautiously spoke.
“Boss.”
“Yes?”
When she turned her head at her call, she saw Yunseol pointing at the cat.
“Boss. By any chance, can I touch this cat?”
‘ah.’
Now that I look at it, the cat is still there, guarding its spot on the bar table.
You probably heard our conversation just now.
It was fortunate that it was a cat.
“… .”
I felt relieved inside and said to Yunseol.
“Um… As I said, since it’s not our store cat, you don’t have to ask permission. And if you try to touch it, it runs away.”
“Really?”
After hearing what I said, Yunseol finally stared at the cat.
Then, he slowly raised his hand…
“Yep!”
…quickly, he snatched the cat with his hand.
‘and….’
I think they said that a cat’s reaction speed is four times that of a human’s. I guess that’s no use to a hero.
It was a cat that avoided everything when I tried to catch it.
It seems that he couldn’t keep up with the hero’s kinetic vision, so he is struggling in Yunseol’s arms, unable to move.
Then, finally, the cat, perhaps exhausted, collapses.
… In the end, he looks resigned as if he has accepted Yunseol’s touch.
“The fur is so soft… Wow. Would you like to touch it too, sir?”
at las.
“Hehehe.”
“… Boss?”
Finally, it’s time to show off my skills by subduing the police station’s tyrant cat (10 years old, neutered).
I carefully reached out to the cat,
“Nyaa?!”
─Right, he started caressing and tickling me roughly.
The cat tried to resist at first, but his body was honest.
And then there’s the so-called “Gungdi Pangpang”.
Adding the technique of gently hitting the cat’s tail,
“Nyaa… … .”
The cat eventually melted into liquid form on the table, exhaling with a relaxed expression.
“Wow. My wish finally came true. Thank you, Yunseol… no, Seol-ah.”
“Yes… .”
It was probably an illusion that Yunseol’s face turned a little red as she watched the whole scene.
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