Realization (2)
We had a blast skating and then headed outside. Dusk was starting to settle in. The sun dipped low, and dazzling lights began illuminating the streets as we strolled along them.
"That was fun."
"Yeah."
She looked up at me, her face half-buried in her scarf. "You must've been freezing out here."
"Hey, I came to have fun too."
I waved off my overly polite junior and kept walking. Crunch, crunch. Our footsteps crunched over the remaining snow as we pressed on.
"...Guess that's it, then."
She trailed a bit behind me, stepping carefully in my footprints. I'd expected her to walk side by side—kind of unexpected.
"Huh?"
"...Nothing. It was just so much fun, I kinda hate for it to end." Was it my imagination, or did her faint smile look a little wistful?
I slowed down and turned back to my trailing junior. "Who said it's over?"
"Huh?"
I pointed to the massive Christmas tree. "That thing's about to light up. They say it's the biggest one ever made."
It was decked out with all sorts of lights, and tiny messages scribbled by passersby dotted its branches.
"So, we gotta see that before we go. Wanna write a wish?"
It wasn't even Christmas Day, but plenty of people had already added theirs. Guess Christmas Eve and the day itself really do go together like a set.
Han Seol peered at it curiously, then nodded. "Yeah...!"
We approached the table stacked with wish papers.
"Hello! Wow, what a handsome couple!"
A Santa-costumed part-timer greeted us enthusiastically.
"W-We-We're not a couple...!"
Han Seol recoiled in horror. I chuckled awkwardly to keep things from getting too weird and grabbed a slip of paper. "Mind if we write one?"
"O-Of course...!"
She'd already backed away stealthily. I beckoned to her from five steps back. "Come on, you write one too."
"..."
She scratched her cheek, embarrassed by her overreaction, and gave a small nod. By then, I'd already finished mine and hung it on the tree.
"...What'd you write?"
"You know wishes don't come true if you tell anyone."
"R-Really?"
As I hung it up and walked back, she clutched hers protectively. "I won't peek, promise."
"Y-You never know..."
She seemed done. Because of our height difference, she had to hang hers a bit lower than mine. We had about five minutes left, so we joined the crowd gathering nearby.
Then it began to glow. The enormous tree overwhelmed us. We fell silent, no words needed. Beautiful. That single, unadorned word was all that came to mind.
I gazed at the brilliantly shining tree, hoping her wish would come true. Someday, Rie will reach the top.
Today, I'm going to meet my senior. The one who loves me.
Han Seol finally finished setting up and stepped outside. It had taken longer than expected, so she was a little late. And the weather was the worst for someone as weak to the cold as her. She wanted to scold herself for scheduling on a day like this.
But that mood melted away the moment she spotted him waiting ahead of her. She walked beside him, just like all the couples around them. The air was frigid, but her body burned hot. Her senior looked even more handsome today in his coat. His flushed cheeks from the cold were adorable.
She stared blankly for a moment until he beckoned with his hand.
Let's head in first.
Where to?
Was he prepared with a plan again? If so, she'd feel even guiltier for wasting his time.
But his reply was unexpected.
Anywhere.
Anywhere was fine. As long as it got her out of the cold. As long as she could be with him.
They ducked into the nearest big building. It housed a bunch of facilities, and he suggested the arcade. She'd gotten into games for her streams, so she naturally agreed and headed straight there.
The arcade was packed with games she'd never seen—like discovering a treasure chest from childhood. Before she knew it, Han Seol was hooked.
Her eyes sparkled as she browsed, landing on a whack-a-mole machine with cute moles popping up. She asked her senior about it, and he grinned confidently, took off his jacket, and fed a coin into the machine.
Cheerful music played as he grabbed the hammer and started whacking. It was simple enough. But his stance looked awkward somehow.
His turn ended, and Han Seol stepped up. She hefted the hammer and began. Her score was near perfect.
Senior's surprisingly bad at games. Come to think of it, he'd never revealed his tier when they first met. She'd already figured it out—he had no game sense. Even in fighting games, watching him spam low attacks had nearly made her burst out laughing. It was obvious he wasn't playing normally, even for a first-timer. Time to end it quick.
When the game finished, he approached. Not wanting to hurt his feelings,
"You went easy on me, right?"
"...Was it obvious?"
Don't lie. She returned the consideration he'd always shown her. He must have some pride about games.
Thinking back, she remembered how he'd backseat-gamed her every time. It irked her. She'd planned to throw the next few games slowly, but now she changed her mind. Time to show him the gap between them. Make sure he never backseat again.
. . . . . .
"One... more... round...?"
"..."
I'm exhausted... I had no idea he was this competitive. It was fun at first seeing this new side of him, but it was getting really tiring. She'd tried to throw one and end it, but he always sniffed it out.
You went easy on purpose, right? Rematch.
They ended up playing over 20 rounds. Her fingers wouldn't even move anymore, so she approached him and raised both hands in surrender. "For real... I'm dying here..."
"...Really? Guess we can't help it..."
Seeing him like this really drove home that the mature senior was Pyeonui Jeom Ppaltte Dojeok.
"Let's grab some food."
After eating and chatting about this and that—mostly him rambling about games—the topic of skating came up, and they headed to a nearby rink. It had slipped out casually, remembering how fun it was as a kid.
At the rink, it was great. The cool breeze brought a sense of freedom. They skated together, enjoying the time.
Eventually, under the darkened night sky, they walked side by side. It had been so much fun. She'd gotten lost in the moment without realizing it. Parting felt regrettable. Her steps slowed. His back came into view.
Someday... if senior changes his mind, will he leave me behind like that? Can we stay like this forever? Side by side?
"...Guess that's it, then."
There was no more excuse to meet. This was probably the last time during break. She followed the path he'd blazed. Thanks to him, she'd made it this far. She overlapped her footprints with his, hoping this day would be a fond memory for him too.
Lost in sentiment, he suddenly pointed to the tree with a smile. The biggest in the country, he said. A tree that grants wishes. True to his word, it was covered in wish papers.
The flow naturally led to writing and hanging wishes. As they approached the table, a part-timer popped out. "Hello! Wow, what a handsome couple!"
"W-We-We're not a couple...!"
C-Couple...? Is that how we look to others? My face right now... must look ridiculous. Panicking, she didn't want him seeing her like this—one step, two steps back.
He didn't care, grabbing a paper and seriously writing something. Feeling awkward, Han Seol returned to the table and wrote her own wish.
An indefinable emotion. She wanted to know what her feelings were. To interpret this madness consuming her now. Then, maybe she'd find answers. About her relationship with him.
She didn't want to chase his back forever. Didn't want to be the selfish girl living off his kindness. So she wanted to know. For him to tell her. For her to realize that emotion herself.
That was her wish.
Suddenly, colorful lights burst forth. The interplay of confetti and glow was mesmerizing. "Beautiful..." His soft murmur made her turn. If you hadn't come along, would streaming have meant anything? Staring into passing nights, it had always been darkness. Then, without warning, she met him. And he slipped inside her. He shook her colorless, numb heart.
Thump. Thump. She felt her heartbeat. I get it now. Her hand unconsciously gripped her clothes. She gazed at his smiling lips.
I love you. I love you.
The darkness lifted, and she saw light. Only Han Seol did. Not the tree—she was looking at him.