Realization (1)
Winter fog blurred my vision. Amidst it, the glowing lights had a certain charm. Christmas Eve. The eve of the grand festival that happens once a year. Accordingly, the streets were crowded and noisy. The weather was freezing cold, to the point where you had to bundle up thickly. It was so cold it was hard to breathe, but people walked around laughing with each other, looking pretty happy. Of course, I couldn't understand why people crowded the streets on a day like this.
Man, it was really damn cold. I was shivering in real time even now. I regretted not just holing up at home. As I sighed, watching the smoke rise from my mouth, I spotted my junior waving her hand, bathed in the full glow of the lights.
"S-sorry...! I'm late, right?"
Definitely. About three minutes late. I didn't bother pointing it out.
"I just got here too."
"Th-then, please take care of me today."
Han Seol, wrapped in a muffler and thick puffer jacket, bowed with a grunt of effort. I had to casually cover the smile tugging at my lips.
"Pretty cold, huh?"
"...Yeah, it is."
She was shivering even more than me, so she must be weak to the cold. I shoved my hands in my coat pockets and nodded toward the building.
"Let's head inside first."
"Where to?"
Come to think of it, I hadn't told Han Seol the destination. I usually didn't plan things out when meeting friends.
"Anywhere."
So I just walked wherever my feet took me. Escaping this goddamn cold was the top priority. We entered a big building, and every floor looked packed with stuff to do.
"Let's kill some time here."
"Ah, sure."
My junior nodded in agreement, so I slowly looked around. The arcade stood out the most. It had been ages since I'd been to one. But don't girls usually hate games? I worried a bit. Even if we were hanging out like friends, her preferences mattered.
Guess I should ask.
"How about the arcade? You like games?"
"...The arcade sounds fun."
Surprisingly, she seemed into it—more excited than I'd ever seen her. Her cheeks flushed red from the cold, she clenched her fists tight. We hopped on the elevator and headed straight up.
Maybe because the building was huge, but this arcade was the biggest I'd ever seen. Looking closer, there were plenty of nostalgic games. These days I mostly played PC games, so I hadn't touched stuff like this in forever. I got a little pumped. And apparently, I wasn't the only one.
Han Seol skipped lightly around, checking out the machines.
"...So many games. Lots of weird ones I've never seen."
"You like games, huh?"
"I do, but this is my first time at an arcade. H-how do you play that one?"
She pointed at the whack-a-mole. I sensed it was time to show off my long-dormant skills. I hung my coat on a nearby machine and exchanged some coins at the counter.
"Watch closely, Seol."
I picked up the hammer plugged into the machine. Heavy, cool to the touch. Aaah, time to return as the mole exterminator. She watched me intently, full of curiosity. That gaze felt kinda heavy, so I started the game.
The familiar tune played, and moles started popping up. The key to this game is hand-eye coordination and reaction speed. And me...
"...Senior, you were joking, right?"
I'm actually a total klutz. What can you do? I was born this way.
"Guess my shoulders are stiff today."
I demonstratively rolled them and set the hammer down. Gotta make excuses to save face. Then Han Seol picked up the hammer I'd left.
I smirked. Even if I sucked, I was still a bit above average. No way I'd lose to my junior. I shrugged and fed it a coin.
"Don't grip too hard, or your muscles might cramp."
"Okay."
The air shifted. Her eyes turned icy cold. An almost emotionless expression. It felt like seeing the old Han Seol. The tune started up. Cute moles peeked out.
Whack!Whack!Whack!
The cheerful song turned into a funeral dirge. Brutal hammer blows rang out with crisp thwacks from the moles' heads.
"Whew... This is more fun than I thought."
I turned away. Didn't want to meet her eyes. Time to pass the Mole Exterminator title to my junior. Mortified, I pointed to the next game: a fighting one. This was my specialty.
"You get the controls?"
"I'll figure it out from the instructions."
Sorry. Forgive your inept senior. Already broken from that crushing defeat, I wasn't myself anymore. Just a ugly demon obsessed with victory. I put on a grim face and inserted the coin.
The game began. I deliberately picked a character with long reach and leaned in. Then, spam the weak attack. This was an unbreakable wall for noobs. I mashed the button to end it quick.
But...
Tap. Tap. Taptap.
The button sounds echoed like delicate piano notes. In sync with the precise presses, her character moved. Mine got launched into the air like a scripted combo. It was like watching a puppet show. Every attack dodged perfectly—face shot, torso shot, leg shot. Hits landed. My character crumpled like a marionette with cut strings.
...Cheater. No way this was her first time. Total lie. I shot up from the chair and faced her.
"Really your first time?"
"Yeah. This one's fun too. You went easy on me, right?"
No, I tried my goddamn hardest.
"...Was it obvious?"
"Yeah."
"Wanna try something else?"
I vowed as I watched her nod eagerly, looking thrilled. I'd crush her mercilessly today. No more losses from here on out.
In the end, my arcade experience ended in a humiliating 0-27 record after two hours. Han Seol's final glare, like she'd had enough, was quite the sight. "Senior, you're bad at games," she said. Ha, seriously. Sure, I'm Bronze in Leo Rel, but that's just bad team luck keeping me down. Same with other games. Just unlucky today. I begged for one more round, but she was wiped out. Seemed like my stamina was better. The one standing till the end is the winner, right? With that self-consolation, I grabbed some tteokbokki and cooled my rage while eating.
"Where to next?"
I asked, sipping hot fish cake broth to cool it. Han Seol tilted her head.
"...Haven't we done everything already?"
Oh. I bowed my head to the clear broth, my reflection staring back like a pitiful animal. She probably didn't even grasp the idea of hanging out all day, friendless as she was. Swallowing tears, I resolved: we'd have real fun today. Ah, but I gotta watch Rie's stream. No, screw that. How could I ditch this poor junior? I could catch the evening stream later. Play till dinner at least.
"It's still Christmas Eve. We gotta hang till it gets dark."
"...R-right."
She twisted her hair nervously as she replied.
"Anywhere you wanna go?"
"Hmm... A skating rink?"
Please no physical stuff. But wanting to indulge her more, I searched nearby rinks right away. Found one ten minutes away and booked it.
"Let's go digest a bit."
"We're going?"
"You said you wanted to. Already booked."
"...Okay. Ah, send me your account! I'll pay."
Why's she always insisting on paying? I shook my head, said it was fine, and stood. Even after, she kept pushing to cover everything, so I had to plug my ears till we got there.
Skating rink after ages. My legs shook as I stepped onto the ice.
"You ever skated?"
"Yeah, when I was really little, I think. Don't remember much now..."
To catch her if she fell, I reached for her hand. But it was unnecessary. Knew it. She glided off effortlessly, showing off her skills. Her black hair fluttered against pale skin, blending with the white ice. Pairs of eyes fixed solely on her.
She's pretty. I smiled faintly, watching her go, my honest thoughts bubbling up. Beautiful. Her subtle smile, hard to notice. Those small lips puffing white breath. No one on this rink shone brighter than her right now.
I sat against the wall, watching her glide smoothly. If I'd never shown up, and she'd grown up in a better environment. Or at least had real friends. She'd already be dazzling. We probably wouldn't have gotten this close.
After a few more laps, she came back and offered her hand. Something I couldn't have imagined before.
"Senior, what're you doing over here."
Worried about her man-hating side, I gripped her sleeve instead.
"Thanks."
"...No, thank you."
Was it the cold? Her nape flushed red. I watched her back as she skated ahead, far beyond me. Someday. She'd pull way out front. So till then, I'd just give her a push. That'd be enough.