Final EP. Park-2



I wanted to sew my mouth shut, wishing I could go back a few seconds.

“Divine Power Pouch….”

Maria seemed fixated on this strange phrase, muttering it repeatedly.

“It’s just nonsense, you don’t need to know it.”

“Haven’t you used that phrase before?”

“Ah, no! I, I haven’t.”

My voice came out louder than intended.

I stuttered because I was flustered. Definitely not because I felt like I [had said something similar to her before].

“Is that so? …That’s a shame.”

Her blue and green eyes glanced downwards.

Fidgeting, she repeatedly intertwined and released her fingers.

“Anyway… what brings you to Korea? Tourism?”

Afraid of saying something strange again, I changed the subject.

“I came to meet someone.”

“Oh… a friend? I guess people don’t really use the term ‘pen pal’ these days….”

“It’s not that. Just….”

Maria, who had been looking at me with half-closed eyes, opened them again.

“I came because I wanted to have a fateful encounter.”

My reflection was caught in her blue and green eyes.

Her unwavering gaze made my chest feel heavy.

“So….”

I carefully opened my mouth.

“What drama have you been watching?”

K-dramas must be having this much influence.

Should I consider this a cultural victory?

“Hehe….”

Did she read the suspicion in my eyes?

Maria covered her mouth with her hand and chuckled.

“You’re funny. If we were closer, we might have exchanged jokes sooner….”

She trailed off, as if regretting something.

“Anyway, I came here to have a fateful encounter.”

“I see… how romantic.”

Maria’s eyes sparkled at my words, which I said because I didn’t know what else to say.

“Aren’t you… Kang In-ho also romantic?”

Romantic? I feel like I’m living a life completely devoid of romance.

“I don’t know. Korea isn’t as romantic a country as Maria thinks. Neither am I.”

“Hmm, is that so? I think saving someone in trouble is romantic enough.”

“Ah, that’s really nothing….”

As Maria clasped her hands together, a subtle warmth flowed across the back of my hand.

It’s a little strange to say this, but I felt a familiar comfort.

“That’s not what I meant.”

Maria smiled.

“You didn’t help because I was being hit on? Then what could it be?”

“I don’t know. Maybe you’ve [forgotten]? I certainly remember it. Your appearance, standing up for the weak.”

Maria’s face was too serious to dismiss it as nonsense.

“Haha, you must have seen me somewhere. How embarrassing.”

I placed both hands on my knees and awkwardly started to get up.

It was a signal that I was about to end the conversation.

“I think you’ll definitely remember.”

Maria seemed to understand my intention, as she lightly rose from the bench.

She turned her body towards me, and I looked up at her to avoid looking at something heavy at eye level.

“I think I’ll be taking walks here every weekend. I hope to see you again.”

Maria said goodbye, promising to meet again.

After parting with Maria, I walked aimlessly.

I didn’t really have a purpose, and I walked because I could.

Feeling sweat trickling down my forehead, I briefly thought it was strange.

On a holiday, I would have been lying on the bed watching meaningless shorts, but what wind blew me out like this….

I thought it was too late to wallow in the pain of heartbreak.

Anyway, the weekend streets were lively.

Couples walking arm in arm, children holding their parents’ hands on either side, smiling brightly.

It was bright and bustling, incomparable to the dark office room.

“There aren’t many quiet places.”

Park, avenue, plaza.

By the time I realized I was deliberately seeking out crowded places, it was already heading towards evening.

Watching the setting sun, I turned around and walked home again.

I hadn’t eaten anything since the toast Isis recommended, so my stomach was rumbling.

It was hard to wait for delivery food, so I naturally moved my feet to the convenience store.

I walked for quite a while again. It was a long way because I had to go back as far as I had come.

Suddenly, I felt like the way home was too far.

As if I would never be able to return….

By the time I entered the alley near the officetel, the sun had completely set.

As always, the streetlights brightly illuminated the dark alley.

The thought of eating my Dearest ramen made my mouth water a little.

“Bright.”

As if the streetlights weren’t enough, the moon was lighting up the alleyway.

The soft light of the large full moon was quite impressive.

I remembered a woman who once drank with a glass held up to the moon.

Seeing that it remained strongly in my memory, it must have been quite impressive.

After buying ramen and a hot bar, I prepared to eat.

I poured water into the ramen and put the hot bar in the microwave with the plastic peeled back halfway.

Was it because I was so hungry that my stomach was sticking to my back? Even those three minutes of waiting felt incredibly long.

The three minutes that felt like three days were over, and I took my precious dinner to the table outside the convenience store.

“……..”

“……..”

I was sure there was no one there, but someone was sitting at the convenience store table.

A woman with her black hair tied up and sharp features was drinking from a soju glass, just like last time.

She filled the glass with clear liquor until it sloshed, then raised it high, as if kissing the moon.

I carefully placed the ramen on the table diagonally across from her.

“……..”

Eyes like bright red rubies looked at me with a strange longing.

“We meet again.”

She suddenly spoke to me in informal speech.

I didn’t think, “Why are you speaking informally?”

It was because I felt like someone I had known for a very long time was greeting me.

“Ah, yes….”

I replaced my answer with a nod at an ambiguous angle.

“Is it good?”

“I haven’t eaten it yet, but… it’s good.”

“I see.”

It was a look that felt like she was asking for a bite, but I ignored it.

Perhaps realizing my intention, she picked up the soju bottle with a bitter smile.

“How about a trade?”

With the absurd condition of exchanging a shot of soju for a bite of ramen, she smiled brightly.