episode_0391

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The weather is clear.

After brushing off my mom’s complaints this morning about where I was going again, I shielded my eyes from the blazing sunlight with one hand and pulled out my phone.

Come to Hyehwa Station by 11 AM. Don’t be late.

Beneath the message I’d sent to Seo Woo-jin before going to shower, I spotted a brief reply: Got it.

Is this just how all guys are?

Woo-jin’s like this now, and Baek Ji-ho always left similarly terse replies back then too.

Not that I particularly dislike it, of course.

It’s just interesting how similar they are to my boyfriend in that way.

Besides, Woo-jin did send one long message a few days ago… He’s probably the type who doesn’t waste energy on unnecessary things.

Then again, I do think his approach is reasonable.

Lost in pointless thoughts, I headed to the subway and soon arrived at Exit 4 of Hyehwa Station.

Since it was Saturday, Daehangno was crowded with people.

People here, people there—I couldn’t help but wonder where all of them had even come from.

With this many people around, meeting up with Woo-jin might not be easy…

Scratching my cheek, I shielded my eyes again and checked my phone.

10:30 AM.

About 30 minutes left until the scheduled time.

When I used to hang out with Ji-ho, it was fine if I was a little late—I’d just bang on his door and drag him out.

Waiting around until he arrived is a bit annoying, though.

Maybe I’ll just find some shade and avoid the sun for now.

…Speaking of, it’s only early June, but Seoul’s already this hot? Is the planet really about to go extinct?

I was lost in dumb thoughts like these when—

“You’re already here?”

“…?”

Right beside me. A familiar voice came from the direction of the subway staircase, and I turned to look.

Unsurprisingly, it was Woo-jin.

Unlike the white coat I see him in every day at the academy, he was wearing casual clothes today.

Not that it meant anything special.

I’ve never been good at judging men’s fashion, and what he was wearing—a T-shirt and slacks—was no different from any other guy walking around.

What’s so special about that?

But…

“…….”

A good frame makes things a little more pleasing to look at, that’s all.

Even if I’ve disliked Woo-jin ever since our first meeting—no, ever since I figured out who he was—I can’t deny that he’s decent-looking.

I vaguely knew about his popularity even before he started dating Ha-yoon, and objectively speaking, he is handsome.

So it’s only natural that right now,

I can’t help wondering how he’d look even better if he styled himself a certain way.

Not that I’m in any position to order him to change.

It’s just a suggestion, really.

“Why are you staring? Don’t recognize me out of uniform?”

“No. I recognize you. Your voice is the same, your face is the same, and I’ve seen you in casual clothes two or three times before—there’s no way I wouldn’t recognize you.”

“You’ve just been staring at my face since earlier.”

“I had something to think about. Hold on.”

Maybe I’ll just casually mention to Ha-yoon later that I think a dress shirt would suit him better.

What was that shirt Ji-ho wore last time? I feel like it’d look good on this guy too.

Snapping out of my stray thoughts, I stared intently at Woo-jin—then spoke up.

“Why are you here so early? I said 11 AM.”

“Coming 30 minutes early is arriving on time, really. Besides, you’re already here too.”

“…….”

Now that I think about it, I have no rebuttal.

Considering subway intervals, it’s not like he showed up ridiculously early.

Then why did those words come out so naturally?

After turning it over in my head, the reason quickly became clear.

I’ve just seen Baek Ji-ho running late way too often, that’s all.

Maybe because we live right next to each other, he usually shows up exactly on time—or with one or two minutes to spare…

Actually, wasn’t it the same in school?

The kids who lived farther away came early, while the ones who lived right around the corner barely made it on time.

…Anyway.

I wasn’t interested in sharing something this personal with Woo-jin, so I smoothly changed the subject.

“It opens at 11 AM, right? The arcade you mentioned?”

“The one where I showed you photos I found online and you said it looked like the right place—that one opens at 11.”

“What about others?”

“Not sure. I didn’t check that carefully.”

“Then let’s assume around 11…”

I mean, tracking down the business hours of every arcade in the area just in case would honestly be creepier than anything else.

With a soft sigh, I led Woo-jin under the shade of a nearby tree.

Under the swaying shadows cast by the humid summer breeze, our conversation continued.

“We’ve got 30 minutes left till then.”

“Yeah.”

“Want to walk around nearby a bit?”

“Walk around…?”

“Not to scout everything out—just to get a feel for the area and the general vibe.”

A pretty reasonable decision, I think.

Woo-jin didn’t seem to disagree either, nodding without hesitation.

“Sure. Might spoil the surprise a little, but I actually prefer planning ahead.”

“I kinda get that. I lean that way too.”

“Are you the type who avoids new restaurants?”

“No, I don’t mind that kind of challenge… Oh, actually, there was this one time my boyfriend dragged me to some random mala tang place without discussing it first, and I really—”

I wanted to thump him on the head so badly.

Now that I think about it, I might’ve kicked him a few times too.

Something like, If you pull that again without checking, you’ll be stopping by the infirmary.

My Ji-ho-bashing session only stopped when Woo-jin, who’d been listening with an amused smile, opened a map app and asked, “Where should we go first?”

The weather is cloudy.

Over the remaining 30 minutes, we surveyed the spots we’d hit tomorrow. I ended up borrowing Woo-jin’s back without permission.

Well, more accurately, I borrowed the shade his back cast.

Our impromptu scouting mission wrapped up with decent results.

We didn’t check everywhere, but the places we did see passed muster—clean buildings, and even a quick glance through the windows showed well-kept interiors.

Though honestly, that’s to be expected. Over half the places we’d planned to visit came recommended by friends.

If even one of them was a dud, it meant those were purely our own bad picks.

There are still one or two unchecked spots like that left, but…

Since it’s time now, let’s start with the arcade nearby.

Weaving through the loud chirping of cicadas, we arrived in front of a neat-looking arcade.

“Is this the place?”

“Yeah. The one I showed you last time.”

Being on the first floor probably made it easier to spot.

After checking if there was a step at the entrance, I carefully headed inside.

My only prior experience with arcades was from way back in grade school, when I tagged along with relatives.

Now, after so long, the place felt much more casual.

To put it bluntly: It was packed with crane games.

Back in the day, it was filled with machines I couldn’t even figure out how to play.

Aside from those, I spotted air hockey and what looked like a racing game.

A basketball game machine took up one corner, and there were still a few enigmatic-looking contraptions whose purpose I couldn’t guess.

Honestly?

I didn’t feel like putting in the effort to play any of them.

Not that I’d say that out loud where the owner might hear.

“What do you think?”

“Not sure yet.”

If I really meant that, I’d have walked around more.

But feeling too lazy, I just looked up at Woo-jin and asked:

“Would this be fun with four people?”

“Hmm… Besides heavier games, things like these seem fine.”

By “heavier games,” he probably meant those mysterious contraptions I mentioned earlier.

Following his gaze, my eyes landed on the air hockey table near the center.

That was the safest option I could think of too.

Even if it weren’t in an arcade, I’ve played it a few times—it’s fun.

But is this really enough to drag everyone here?

“I might be weaker compared to you, your sister, and your boyfriend, but this doesn’t rely on strength, right?”

“I doubt it’d matter even if we went all out. What if you go flying with the puck?”

“That table would break first. Probably.”

“….”

His argument was so persuasive that I pressed my lips together.

By then, Woo-jin had already wandered over to the air hockey table.

Curious, I followed—just as he turned to me with a playful grin and held out a paddle.

The thing looked like a damn hotteok press.

“Want to try a round while we’re here?”

“Now? We can do this tomorrow.”

“I just asked because I don’t think you’ll come tomorrow.”

“….”

…Was it that obvious?

Actually, I have been making my disinterest pretty clear.

Somewhere along the way, I’d crossed my arms without realizing. Now, I uncrossed them and extended a hand toward Woo-jin.

Though for some reason, I’d been glancing toward the window, so my reply was delayed.

“Give it here.”

“…Oh, seriously? You’ll play?”

“You’re the one who challenged me. Backing out now?”

Such is the pride of Seol Da-bin.

Retreating here would shame my family name.

Especially since my opponent is just a rare healing-type—basically no different from an ordinary guy.

Never mind that scheming to beat an ordinary person is petty as hell 📌❗❗❗

Taking the paddle, I trudged over to the opposite side.

“Don’t cry when you lose. It’s inevitable.”

“No worries. I used to play this a lot with a friend who loves games—I might even win.”

“…Oh-ho.”

So that’s how you wanna play.

Guess I’ll have to crush him utterly then.

I’m not particularly good at games, but I am an evolved transcendent—even half-assing it, I should beat any ordinary human.

With that confidence, I gladly took on the challenge.

I lost—three times in a row.

And all by frustratingly narrow margins.

Once by 3 points. Once by 2 points. And in the final round, after an intense battle sparked by my competitive spirit, by just 1 point.

Just one more game. Just one more, and I could totally win.

“Another round?”

“If I leave it like this, I’ll die of shame. And you better give it your all—no throwing the game.””Got it. Oh, hold on. Let me swap some cash first.”

As I tied up my hair again (thanks, heat), Woo-jin grabbed a card and walked off somewhere.

Past his retreating figure, I glimpsed the outside scenery.

The weather is cloudy.

A light shower pattered against the windows.