Chapter 32 : Chapter 32

Although the flowers hadn't bloomed yet, when passing by the street lined with cherry blossom trees, there was still a street full of traditional Korean houses even after all this time.

There were hardly any houses left neglected in an old state.

Most had been remodeled with a modern touch and were being used as eateries or cafes.

The mix of modern elegance and the structure of old houses made of wood and tiles created a fresh atmosphere.

Yoo Ha-neul bought a bag of walnut cookies at one of the stores.

To be honest, it was a little expensive for walnut cookies.

The price for a bag wasn't significantly different from the usual walnut cookies, but the contents were clearly less.

"It's fine since eating too much will just make us uncomfortable by lunchtime anyway," was Yoo Ha-neul's reasoning.

"Here."

Yoo Ha-neul held out a walnut cookie to me.

I reached out to take it and eat it,

"Uh-uh."

Pretending to be strict, Yoo Ha-neul dodged my hand.

My hand awkwardly grasped at empty air.

Yoo Ha-neul's hand, which had dodged mine, came down near my face.

It was a clear gesture that she intended to feed me.

"I can eat it with my own hand though…"

However, Yoo Ha-neul's expression remained firm.

It was as if she was determined to feed me like this no matter what.

I glanced around.

The narrow street was crowded with people passing by, and we were walking among them.

No one was particularly paying attention to us.

…Is this normal?

Do girls usually feed each other like this?

Even with such thoughts, in the end, I could only go along with Yoo Ha-neul's actions.

There was no one else to consult with, and more importantly, I'd already let her feed me at school.

Of course, at school, hardly anyone paid attention to us, so it wasn't that embarrassing.

It wasn't like anything would happen even if someone saw.

Besides, the school was already a somewhat enclosed space.

As long as the 'inside' and 'outside' were separated, it was much less embarrassing to do something silly 'inside.'

But this was in the middle of the street.

A completely open place filled with strangers around us.

Of course, these people wouldn't remember our faces, but still, there was something uncomfortable about doing this in public in front of so many random people.

Yet, Yoo Ha-neul didn't seem embarrassed at all.

Watching her like this made me wonder if I was the strange one.

…It's not like I'm upset about such a pretty girl feeding me.

It's just that something about it feels a bit awkward.

"Here, ah~"

Yoo Ha-neul even made an 'ah~' sound as she fed me.

"…Ah…"

In the end, I ate the walnut cookie from Yoo Ha-neul's hand.

For some reason, I felt like I was being tamed…

…It's probably just my imagination, right?

*

"But now that I think about it, you're still dressed the same as when you went out for exercise."

"Ah."

At my comment, Yoo Ha-neul looked down at her outfit as if realizing it for the first time.

"Does it matter? I didn't sweat that much anyway. And the weather isn't too cold either."

That's not why I said it.

It's just… wouldn't it feel a bit out of place to be walking in such a scenic area while looking like you're out for exercise?

Of course, saying that to her directly might upset her, so I kept that to myself—

"Ah, look over there."

It was bothering me a little.

Even though this wasn't exactly a date, when two friends meet up, it feels a bit off if one of them is dressed like they just came from a workout.

So, I pointed to a nearby store in front of us.

"There's a clothing shop over there. Let's go buy something."

At my suggestion, Yoo Ha-neul was surprised.

"What? But I didn't bring enough money with me to buy clothes today…"

It didn't really matter to me since my wallet was filled with fifty-thousand won bills, but Yoo Ha-neul, ever the righteous heroine, seemed to have no intention of borrowing money from me.

"Then, as repayment for the favor, I'll buy you something."

I shrugged, keeping my hands in my jumper pockets as I said this.

Yoo Ha-neul widened her eyes in surprise.

"Huh, but you don't owe me any favors…"

"Of course, I do. The fact that I'm even out here right now is because of you."

Well, I had intended to go out at some point, but it was because Yoo Ha-neul came to get me today that I was walking around outside.

Otherwise, I would have spent the day lazing around on my bed in the mansion again.

At my words, Yoo Ha-neul closed her mouth.

She looked at me for a moment, then nodded.

"Alright, then I'll gratefully accept."

There's no need to be so serious about it though.

*

After walking for a while, my legs were honestly starting to hurt.

In reality, it hadn't been that long.

If I had to guess, it had probably been about an hour.

It wasn't just that I was tired, but I'd also already worn myself out running hard this morning.

Despite that, I think I had a pretty good time during that hour.

Walking around made one thing clear.

This world, this country was also called 'South Korea,' just like the one I lived in, but it wasn't exactly the same place.

Of course, there were similarities.

The names of places in Seoul were mostly the same, and there were familiar chain stores and landmarks.

But it still wasn't identical to the Korea I knew.

For one, I may not look like it, but I'm a native of Seoul.

I wouldn't claim to know every corner of the city, but I've been to a lot of the famous places.

I've never gone deep into 'date spots,' but I have visited well-known areas nearby.

Like that large bookstore in the basement or the place with the huge calligraphy brush statue at the entrance.

However, none of the places matched my memory perfectly.

Sometimes the buildings looked different, or the interior layout of places I had visited didn't match my recollections.

Come to think of it, there was no such thing as 'Eugene Electronics' in the world I lived in either.

Yet, in this world, that company boasted a market capitalization of 3,600 trillion won, a figure on par with the largest companies in my world, so it made sense that this world would be significantly different.

Most of the smartphones people were using on the streets were also from Eugene Electronics.

That alone was enough to say this world was very different from the one I lived in, so it wasn't surprising that some buildings or landmarks didn't match my memories.

No wonder I got lost before.

It wasn't completely different but similar enough to be confusing.

Yoo Ha-neul noticed where my gaze landed, linking her arm with mine as she eagerly led me around.

She probably thought I was fascinated.

To be honest, I was intrigued.

Walking around a city similar but not identical to the one I knew made me feel like I was on an overseas trip.

But more than that, I was preoccupied with the person clinging closely to me.

"Ah, are you tired? Should we stop by a cafe and rest for a bit?"

Yoo Ha-neul asked in a worried voice, noticing my slowed pace.

Instinctively, I was about to say I was fine, but I reconsidered and said,

"Yeah, that might be a good idea…"

I was definitely feeling tired.

Both physically and mentally.

Because of the outfit Yoo Ha-neul had chosen in the clothing store earlier.

When I had asked, "Are you sure that's okay?" Yoo Ha-neul had confidently replied, "It's a one-piece, so I only need to buy one!"

Her reasoning was that since the top and bottom were connected, it was more economical for me to gift it to her.

And she was right.

So now, Yoo Ha-neul was wearing a sky-blue dress.

It wasn't particularly short.

The slightly pleated skirt reached down to her calves.

The top wasn't low-cut either.

The part of the dress covering her upper body was neatly buttoned all the way up to the collar.

But still, how do I put it?

Just moments ago, the girl next to me had been dressed in athletic wear, but now she was in a soft, flowy dress, perfect for the approaching spring.

It felt… different.

How do I say this…

It might be rude to Yoo Ha-neul, but it felt a bit like I was on a date.

On top of that, Yoo Ha-neul had been sticking right by my side for a while now.

It was impossible not to notice.

"Alright, let's go to that cafe over there. You'll feel better after resting for a bit."

Without a word, I nodded in agreement.

*

We entered the cafe, and after informing Yoo Ha-neul in advance, I went to the restroom.

Since it was a small cafe, thankfully, the restroom had a single stall for both men and women.

I still found it uncomfortable to use public restrooms where a woman might be sitting in the next stall, so I let out a sigh of relief.

Not that I came here for any particular reason.

I took off my hat, tucking it under my arm, and turned on the water at the sink, splashing my face a few times.

The cold water helped clear my head.

Alright, let's think rationally.

Even if Yoo Ha-neul is bisexual, there's no way she's openly harboring romantic feelings for a friend she's known for less than a week.

Sure, people talk about love at first sight, but…

She's the protagonist.

She's not the type to start dating someone just based on looks.

You know, that typical protagonist thing, where they look at someone's heart, not just their appearance…

Though Yoon Da-ho's route complicates things.

Honestly, if someone could even choose that guy after seeing his personality, it suggests that maybe some people really do fall for looks alone.

Once Yoon Da-ho's route begins in earnest, he follows the 'you're the first person to treat me like this' mindset, making it impossible to escape his path.

"Hoo…"

Okay, let's think about this another way.

Let's recall any memories of the women around me.

How did they end up getting boyfriends…?

…But then I realized that the only women around me were my relatives, so I expanded my search to include my college classmates, even those I wasn't close with.

"One couple did form after the OT…"

Not a helpful scenario.

Now that I think about it, the good-looking and attractive students had already started making connections during the freshmen welcome party, and some were already dating before the first month of school was over.

"…"

Ah, whatever.

I don't care anymore.

In retrospect, I was getting ahead of myself.

No matter what Yoo Ha-neul thinks of me, she hasn't confessed or anything, so there's no reason to worry about it now.

I was already imagining grandchildren just from holding hands.

This was exactly what was happening.

There was no way I'd embarrass myself like that.

"Hoo."

I exhaled deeply once more.

Okay.

I was feeling a little calmer now.

I gathered my scattered thoughts and stepped out of the restroom.

I could see Yoo Ha-neul sitting with her back to me in the distance.

It seemed the drinks hadn't arrived yet.

Yoo Ha-neul didn't notice me approaching.

There were quite a few people in the cafe, and music was playing, which was probably why.

As I walked past her to get to my seat, purely by chance, I caught a glimpse of her smartphone screen.

On the search bar displayed on the screen—

[Seoul Date Spots]

—were the words typed out.

"Huh?"

Without thinking, I let out a noise.

"Ahh!"

Startled by my voice, Yoo Ha-neul hurriedly fumbled to turn off the screen in a very cartoonish manner.

Then, stiffly, she turned her head toward me.

Through the brightness of her blushing face, I could clearly see her embarrassed expression.

"…Did you see?"

"…Yeah."

Yoo Ha-neul's face flushed a deep red.

It seemed she had forgotten to even cover her face with her hands.

…No, seriously.

Stop showing me things that could cause misunderstandings.

For someone who's never dated, this is way too overwhelming.