episode_0084

The operation was going smoothly.

I met Siwoo at the cafe, we shared the drinks we ordered, and had a lively conversation.

The conversation topics? Nothing special.

Just talking about things like classical music news, school stories, where the professor is going for a business trip this time. Just exchanging stories we had experienced alone. They were all trivial stories.

“Let’s go out.”

Siwoo, who occasionally glanced outside to check the position of Baek Cheong-ha, seemed to think it was time to go out and got up from his seat first.

Arrogant kid. I was the one who proposed the operation, but he acts like he’s the leader.

I quickly got up from my seat, put the cup I had finished on the tray, and gently pushed it towards Siwoo.

“…?”

“Take this. I’ll go out first and wait for you.”

There was a moment of silent agreement. Who bought the coffee? Me. Who got the coffee? Jung Siwoo. So, the one who cleans up is Jung Siwoo.

Without saying a word, Siwoo nodded and went to the counter. He soon stopped next to me, looking out at the street in front of the cafe.

“Hand.”

“I’ll hold it without you having to say.”

Now, I have to be on edge.

‘Holding hands should be fine.’

Just think of it as spending more time in close contact with each other. It’s like a mini-game. The pins of the grenades inside the powder keg are pulled out on their own, and all you have to do is find them and throw them out.

No one knows when the fuse of the grenade will ignite. So, you have to be very tense. Hold hands tightly. Focus on the sensations transmitted through your nerves.

I slowly reached out my hand. I cautiously, carefully held Siwoo’s hand that was waiting for me.

As the warmth spread through our palms, tttttttt.

‘Oh, damn.’

All six pins came out at once.

Luckily, I confirmed where all the grenades were.

Throw them out, two at a time, accurately from the powder keg.

Thud, thud. Thud. Thud, thud.

After six vibrations rang out, I finally let out a relieved sigh.

‘This is tough.’

If there were six from the start, what will happen next? Holding hands and walking like this is a first, even though Chaewon likes it too much.

Having destroyed the ego of the 1,000-man army while rebuilding the tower, I have to do it alone. It’s going to be tough from the start, but there’s no other way.

“So, where do you want to go now?”

“… I haven’t decided yet.”

It was hard to focus on the conversation. The grenade pins started flying around again with a slight movement.

Throw, throw, throw.

“Shall we go watch a movie then? I already booked the tickets.”

“Oh, uh, sure. Let’s do that.”

… I didn’t hear that properly. What did you just say?

“You booked them?”

“Yeah. John Wick’s final installment is out now.”

“When…?”

I almost let go of his hand without anyone noticing. Outwardly, I didn’t show it, but inside, my heart was racing like a sprint.

“When? After we discussed the operation.”

“Why?”

“Why? Because. Didn’t we plan that you would only walk around holding hands with Baek Cheong-ha?”

“… Oh. Right.”

“I thought you would come up with a date course, so I prepared accordingly.”

I see. So that’s why. John Wick. It’s a good movie. A very good choice. The problem was the name of the seats booked on Siwoo’s phone screen.

[Couple Seat]

You crazy bastard.

“Is this appropriate?”

“Why? It’s a couple seat, so why can’t a couple sit there?”

“Well, it’s just that…”

“Even if it’s a contract, dating is… dating, right?”

Siwoo said confidently, pulling my hand with a self-assured expression that I had never seen before even in the mirror.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of everything. I mean, do you really think I don’t know your preferences? I’ll have popcorn and drinks ready, so don’t worry. Just hold my hand and follow along, it’s that simple, right?”

Matching my own preferences should be easy, of course. But I don’t have the upper hand. I’m just being dragged along by Siwoo, doing as he pleases.

‘I have no choice but to be dragged along…’

The pin of the grenade is pulled out at a rapid pace. With him holding my hand tightly, now even the dynamite fuse is starting to ignite, not just the grenade.

I can’t afford to take the lead from Siwoo. There are too many bombs going off on their own, I can’t focus at all.

Save me. I might die at this rate.

#

“Wait, how far are you going to follow me…?”

Baek Cheong-ha and Kwon Han-gil had somehow arrived at the movie theater.

“You’re a witch, right? I just want to confirm how bad you really are. It doesn’t seem like that at all on the surface, right? That’s why I’m curious, so Cheong-ha, you don’t have to worry about it.”

It was absurd, but Cheong-ha couldn’t say anything to Han-gil, who kept following her.

They weren’t exactly helping each other, but at least they weren’t getting in each other’s way. Their actions overlapped strangely due to their respective purposes.

“Ugh… when are you going to let go of my hand…?”

“It seems like I won’t let go at all?”

“What are you looking at?!”

Han-gil pointed to Min Chae-won’s blushing face and trembling arms. The feeling of excitement had been present since the moment she held hands with Jung Si-woo.

“It looks like you two really like each other. Are you going to die if you don’t confess your feelings?”

“Oh, no?! Siwoo oppa was deceived?! If that wicked fox hadn’t played tricks… she must have done something wrong. She probably used a love potion.”

Indeed, her face was optimized for a love potion. No, Min Chae-won, the woman herself, is a genius who can make both men and women angry. That’s why she must be cast. Jung Si-woo and Baek Cheong-ha are proving it.

Han-gil was increasingly drawn to Min Chae-won.

She looked like a girl in love at first sight. Is that acting?

Even if it’s not a mask, and her true feelings of excitement are visible on her face, it’s okay. Love eventually ends. And that emotion remains deeply ingrained in a person’s body.

‘Only those who have loved can understand the feeling of love…’

Whether the object of affection is a man, a woman, a parent, or a pet. It doesn’t matter. An idol is a natural-born actor. They face the fans while recalling everything they loved. What they show in front of the camera is the truth, the dream, and hope.

…So, Min Chae-won must debut through KJ.

“Ugh… you. You… you wicked…”

Baek Cheong-ha, who teased Min Chae-won, was like a Chihuahua cowering and growling in front of a big wolf.

He wanted to rush in and do something, but maybe he didn’t want to show a bad side in front of Siwoo oppa, whom he likes.

He doesn’t have confidence in winning an argument with Min Chae-won. Maybe he has already lost once.

“Cheong-ha, did you get rejected?”

“What are you saying?!!”

Baek Cheong-ha’s thunderous voice echoed through the corner of the movie theater.

Min Chae-won and Jung Si-woo, who were standing in front of the kiosk to buy popcorn, were surprised and turned around.

Han-gil had managed to pull Baek Cheong-ha behind the corner just before they met the two.

“It’s been rejected.”

“Oh. Oh, n-no, it hasn’t been rejected?! I haven’t even confessed yet!”

“If you haven’t confessed and the other person has already started dating, we usually call that being rejected.”

“…………….”

Suddenly, large teardrops began to form.

“Sniffle….”

“Uh, why are you crying? Why?”

Kwon Hanguil, who had inadvertently made the girl cry with his favorite fact bombardment, became the bad guy who made her cry. Flustered, he quickly pulled out a handkerchief from his jacket pocket.

“Sniffle, it smells like cigarettes….”

“Let me wipe it—.”

Glancing over his shoulder, he saw Jung Siwoo and Min Chaewon walking towards where he was. They had just finished ordering at the kiosk and were clearly coming to check on them.

“We’re in trouble. This way.”

Kwon Hanguil quickly grabbed Baek Cheongha’s arm and headed towards the stairwell. He managed to climb half the stairs and hide against the wall before the two of them followed them.

“Phew. Being honest is good, but you should control your emotions a bit.”

“Ugh. Who wants to be like that….”

Fortunately, she quickly stopped crying, and Baek Cheongha handed the slightly damp handkerchief back to Kwon Hanguil. Looking at the handkerchief moistened with the girl’s tears, he asked with a pitiful look.

“Do you really like him that much? He seems pretty ordinary.”

To Baek Cheongha, it was a slander against Jung Siwoo, but from a general perspective, Kwon Hanguil’s words were not entirely wrong.

A man who was very ordinary except for his height and slightly larger hands.

A man who always had dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep.

That was the objective evaluation that could be given to Jung Siwoo.

“He’s not ordinary. He’s an angel….”

A man who had lived together for fifteen years without ever getting angry at Baek Cheongha. A man who always cared about Baek Cheongha’s preferences first. If she was tired, he would let her rest, and if she wanted to hear music, he would play for her.

That kind and caring teacher and brother was Baek Cheongha’s Jung Siwoo. But to others who didn’t know their fifteen years together, it was natural that they didn’t understand why Baek Cheongha was so obsessed.

Watching Baek Cheongha, who wouldn’t give up no matter how much he tried to persuade her, Kwon Hanguil felt awkward. Because he knew very well what kind of crisis would eventually come.

“Fine. Then let’s go inside and see for ourselves how close they really are. You can’t feel it just by watching from afar.”

Although she looked at Kwon Hanguil with resentful eyes, Baek Cheongha couldn’t resist her curiosity in the end.

She was curious to see the conversation between the two up close. She wanted to see if they would show a more intimate side than her, who had spent 15 years with him.

“Alright. Let’s go inside, to the cinema.”