episode_0085

… … … … …

On Saturday morning, I woke up early and got ready thoroughly. I took a deep breath while adjusting my clothes in front of the mirror.

“… … Okay! Ready! ”

Today was my first ever date, so I was extremely nervous but also excited.

When I arrived at the meeting place, Yeoreum was already there. She greeted me with a bright smile.

“Have you been waiting?”

“No, I just got here.”

We bought tickets and went into the amusement park. It was crowded with people thanks to the sunny weather.

As I was walking alongside Summer and choosing which ride to ride first, I suddenly felt a gaze behind me and got goosebumps.

“… … … Huh?”

I glanced back, but there was nothing particularly noticeable. There were just ordinary tourists.

“Autumn, do you want to ride the roller coaster?”

“Ah, uh.”

I nodded to Yeoreum’s words and walked towards the roller coaster. The feeling I just had was probably an illusion.

When I got off the roller coaster, I had that strange feeling again. It felt like someone was watching us. I looked around, but again, there were only ordinary people.

“Why are you looking around like that? What’s going on?”

As I was looking around the area, Yeoreum asked me as if she was passing by.

“Ah… … No. It’s just, this is my first time coming to this amusement park.”

We continued to ride the various rides, but the strange feeling did not go away.

Whether riding the carousel, leaving the haunted house, or even having a quick lunch, I felt someone’s gaze.

After such a dreary yet enjoyable morning, in the afternoon, an announcement was made that there would be a special event in the central square. Curious, we headed there.

“Wow, what is that?”

In the middle of the square stood a dazzling white unicorn. People were gathering around it.

“A special experience where you can touch the unicorn, a fantasy species from an extraterrestrial dimension!”

The host continued his explanation in front of the gathered crowd.

“It is said that the unicorn can only be touched physically, or by someone with a pure heart who is single-mindedly devoted to one lover!

Because of this, there is a saying that in the dimensional world where unicorns are born, unicorns are banished far away because they cause trouble.

Okay, who wants to try first?”

There was a commotion and laughter among the people. A couple stepped forward.

“Brother, let me try it!”

… … … Brother? Not Oppa?

The one who looked like a cute girl in the couple confidently reached out to the unicorn, but the unicorn quickly turned its head away and refused.

“What, what! Are you by any chance… … .”

“Oh, no! I haven’t done it with him yet――”

“Not yet?!”

The two men glared at each other and began to raise their voices. The people around them couldn’t help but giggle.

Other couples also tried it, and while for some couples the unicorns obediently accepted their touches, for others the unicorns turned their heads away and refused. Seeing this, some couples even pushed and pulled each other, saying, “You try it.”

“Autumn, shall we try it too?”

Summer asked me with curious eyes.

“Yeah, that would be fun.”

I answered right away. I am a virgin who has never had a girlfriend before.

As a man, being single for life was not something to be proud of, but this time it was actually an advantage. That unicorn would not refuse my touch.

Finally, it was our turn. Summer reached out and petted the unicorn first.

“Phuhhhh.”

The unicorn quietly lowered its head and accepted Summer’s hand. Looking at that, I felt a sense of relief for some reason.

“Hehehe, how is it? Is it good?”

“Ah, haha… … Yeah.”

My cheeks felt hot as I looked at Yeoreum, who was smiling coquettishly and glaring at me.

This time it was my turn. I carefully reached out and stroked the unicorn’s mane. And at that moment… … .

“Phu… … Huu …

The unicorn suddenly made a face as if it had seen something it shouldn’t have seen, then vomited and foamed at the mouth. I was startled and stepped back.

“Huh, what should I do… …?!”

Unlike me who was extremely embarrassed, the people around me seemed to be having a lot of fun with this situation. Loud laughter could be heard here and there.

Summer looked at me with a surprised expression and then suddenly said.

“Ga, Autumn… … I didn’t see you like that. You’re such a womanizer, aren’t you?”

“Ah, no. I’m… … a virgin!?”

Even though he claimed his innocence and revealed embarrassing secrets, Yeoreum didn’t seem to believe him at all.

“Well, it’s okay for now. But if we start dating officially, you can’t cheat, right?”

“What are you talking about!?”

At that moment, I felt intense gazes behind me once again. When I turned around, I saw several women wearing hoodies and sunglasses looking at me. However, when I rubbed my eyes and looked again, there was no one there.

“Hey, shall we go to the next ride first?”

I led Summer with an awkward smile.

… … … … …

After seeing the unicorn’s strange vomit, we continued to enjoy the amusement park. We spent time riding various rides such as roller coasters, carousels, and haunted houses.

Although I felt strange stares from time to time, I gradually got used to it, and more than anything, since I was with Yeoreum, that anxiety gradually disappeared.

We left the amusement park as the sun began to set. The evening air was cool and made me shiver a little in the summer.

“Today was fun, Autumn.”

Summer said with a bright smile. I laughed along with her.

“Yeah, I really enjoyed it too.”

We headed to the subway station. We talked and laughed about the events of the day in the car. It felt like time had passed really quickly.

As we neared our stop, Yeoreum suddenly looked at me and said.

“Over there… …Autumn.”

“Huh?”

“Want to have some coffee at my house before you go?”

Summer’s eyes sparkled. Looking at her gaze, I couldn’t hide my embarrassment. My heart started beating fast.

“Oh, that’s… … .”

Yeoreum quickly continued speaking after seeing me hesitating.

“Don’t worry. Just have a cup of coffee.”

Summer’s offer sounded appealing and felt like a good opportunity to end the day on a good note.

And maybe, that… …they could develop into lovers.

“Okay, good――”

The moment I opened my mouth to say words of acceptance.

Suddenly, a terribly cold chill ran down my spine.

Then, unable to continue speaking, I froze. An inexplicable sense of fear enveloped my whole body.

It felt like someone was staring at me with a sharp gaze. It took my breath away and my heart felt like it was going to burst.

“Autumn? Are you okay?”

I could hear Yeoreum’s worried voice, but I couldn’t answer properly.

“Mi, sorry. I suddenly felt sick… … See you next time!”

I barely managed to spit out the words and hurriedly got off the subway. I saw Yeoreum’s embarrassed expression, but I didn’t even have the courage to look back.

After getting off the subway, I almost ran home. As soon as I opened the door and went inside, I collapsed on the floor. My heart was still beating hard, and my whole body was soaked in cold sweat.

“Haa, haa… … What the heck… … Why did you do that?”

I was confused. The fear of that moment was so vivid, but I couldn’t figure out why I felt fear.

“You’re stupid… … .”

A sense of guilt came over me. I sighed at the thought that I had blown a golden opportunity to develop my relationship with Yeoreum.

But at the same time, I also felt like something terrible would have happened if I hadn’t run away at that moment.

“Ugh… …What should I say to Yeoreum next time… …?”

I spent the night in worry, regret, and an inexplicable sense of anxiety.

The strange stares I felt throughout the day, and the unknown fear on the subway – the question kept coming up.

… … … … …

A few days later, I decided to go back to work at the distribution center.

The thought of apologizing to Yeoreum kept running through my head. I thought it would be better to talk about this in person rather than apologizing through text, so I didn’t contact her at all after the date.

On my way to work, my heart was pounding. I practiced countless times in my head what I would say when I met Yeoreum.

I arrived at the distribution center and changed into my work clothes in the locker. I looked around to find Yeoreum, but I couldn’t find her.

As time passed and it was lunchtime, Yeoreum was still nowhere to be seen. I had no choice but to ask my colleagues, who I only knew by face, but no one said they had seen her.

“Summer? It’s been a few days since I’ve been out… … .”

A colleague’s words gave me an uneasy feeling. Could it be that she was heartbroken because I had rejected her and run away on our last date? Or was there another reason?

Eventually, when it was time to leave work, Yeoreum didn’t show up. At this point, I started to get worried. Is she avoiding me because of what happened last time? Or is there another reason?

On the way home, I looked at my phone and thought about it.

I haven’t contacted you in a few days, so is it okay to contact you now? Wouldn’t it seem strange to call you out of the blue after you ran away then?

As I was sighing and staring at the contact screen on my phone, someone appeared in front of me.