Chapter 517: Comic Book Cafe
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 517: Comic Book Cafe
Let’s think about what to do.
An hour passed just doing that.
Our coffees were already long gone, yet we were still sitting in the same spot, talking.
"Is there really this little to do in 21st-century Korea?"
In response to Yoo Ah-rin’s bewildered question, I repeated the answer I’d already given several times.
"It’s because of you and Seo Ye-rin."
"……."
"……."
The two of them fell silent.
It wasn't that we truly couldn't find anything to do.
Amusement parks, famous restaurants, rooftops, exhibitions, night markets, and so on.
Plenty of ideas had been tossed around, but most were rejected for the obvious reason: there were too many people.
"Can my ultra-kawaii aura really not be hidden?"
"You haven't even been a Neutuber for that long; how are you this popular?"
It sounded like bragging—and honestly, it was—but in this situation, it was the primary reason we were stuck.
"Sigh, I ended up on that 'Actresses Whose Disappearance is Most Regretted' ranking recently, so my face is way too well-known."
Look at Seo Ye-rin, looking all proud of herself.
"And I even took first place."
"Ugh, tell me about it."
Yoo Ah-rin, who had been listening from the side, immediately jumped in.
"Why did I show up in the special edition of that list as the 'Female Neutuber Who Suddenly Vanished'?"
"……."
"Did you see? It said I was a Neutuber who was incredibly popular for my 'visuals that don't pale in comparison to actresses' and my 'bubbly, refreshing personality.'"
When is this bragging session going to end?
It was so absurd that I looked to Choi I-seo for help, but she wasn't even pretending to listen anymore, focused on her own thing.
"Woo-jina, you should answer."
"Hey, Kim Woo-jin. No reaction?"
"……."
And these two.
Since they’d been talking about how amazing they were for a while now, they were steadily pressuring me to express my gratitude for their presence.
"Tell us how it feels to have impregnated Seo Ye-rin, the number one 'Regretted Actress.'"
"How does it feel to possess a bubbly, charming Neutuber with looks that rival an actress?"
"……Yes, thank you. I'm so happy."
No joke, I’d said that at least three times now.
"Hmph!"
"Hehe."
It was nice to see them happy every time I said it, but I was getting exhausted. I wished they’d stop.
If we were going by titles, I had a pretty incredible one myself: the youngest son of Uju Group.
"I found a place."
Choi I-seo, who had been looking at her phone with her chin resting on her hand, finally spoke up.
"A place where there are people, but we can stay without worrying about others' eyes."
The important point here was 'where there are people.'
A weird rumor had been going around that if we went somewhere deserted, Kim Woo-jin would immediately pounce on them, so we’d decided to avoid empty places.
Pounce on what?
They’re probably the ones who’d pounce.
As I grumbled internally and checked the phone, the place Choi I-seo suggested was quite fresh and piqued my interest.
"A comic book cafe?"
"Those still exist?"
"What kind of comics?"
Seo Ye-rin and I quite enjoyed manga and anime, so we welcomed the idea, but Yoo Ah-rin was different.
She grumbled, asking what kind of comics they were, but Choi I-seo—who also didn't really read comics—was on our side.
"Looking at the reviews, even if there are people, everyone is so busy reading their own books that they don't pay attention to anyone else. There are rooms where you can watch Netflix and stuff, too. You can even play board games."
What?
Doesn't that make it not a comic book cafe anymore?
"You can do everything these days."
Regardless, going to a comic book cafe seemed better than just sitting here.
With a vote of three to one, we headed out.
The cafe itself wasn't that far. Seeing as there was an escape room cafe nearby, this area seemed to be a hub for these kinds of activities.
After paying at the unmanned kiosk and stepping inside, I was shocked by how much more spacious and cozy the interior was than I’d expected.
"Whoa, look at this."
My heart fluttered at the sight of the rows of manga volumes.
I’d wondered if there would be anything worth watching, but seeing the books lined up made me struggle to decide what to read first.
"Ooh!"
Seo Ye-rin, seemingly as excited as I was, dashed toward the bookshelves.
Since it was a relatively quiet time of day, there weren't many people, so she didn't stand out much.
"Th-this is cooler than I thought."
Yoo Ah-rin also seemed overwhelmed, looking around in surprise. She hadn't been interested at first, but seeing so many options, she seemed to be considering picking something up.
"Woo-jin, can you give me a recommendation?"
"A recommendation?"
"Yeah. Is there something I might like?"
Choi I-seo slid her arm through mine and gave a subtle smile.
It seemed she’d planned this from the moment she suggested the place.
Well, I-seo didn't know much about manga. Usually, I was the one receiving help, but I guess this time I was the one helping her.
"Sure. What's your taste—"
"Hey, hey! Me too, me too!"
Yoo Ah-rin grabbed my other arm.
Suddenly, I was sandwiched between the two women.
Led by them, I started pointing things out.
"Hmm, you both like exercise, so maybe sports?"
"Sports? I feel like I'll just want to go work out if I read that."
"Oh, right. We started our own running crew. You're joining, right?"
"That's right, Woo-jin. It starts tomorrow."
I shouldn't have said anything.
I’d stepped right onto a landmine.
"Aren't you going to answer?"
"Woo-jin."
They pressured me by squeezing my arms or pinching my side, but I did my best to ignore them and pointed at the most famous series.
"Read One Piece. It's fun. There's a reason so many people read it."
"I don't know. Seeing a person's body stretch like that is kind of gross."
"Then shouldn't Kim Woo-jin be gross too? He stretches like crazy."
"Ah-rin, that's not 'stretching,' that's a phenomenon called an erection."
Choi I-seo rejected it with a frown. On the other hand, Yoo Ah-rin seemed quite interested.
"I watched a bit of it on Tooniverse when I was a kid. Should I give it a try?"
With that, Yoo Ah-rin let go of my arm, grabbed a few volumes, and went to find Seo Ye-rin.
"Hey, where'd you grab a spot?"
"Wahaha!"
"She's still doing that."
Seo Ye-rin was still having the time of her life browsing the shelves.
"I-seo, so... you don't like battle series?"
"Hmm... maybe a thriller? Is there anything like that?"
"Huh?"
I was surprised by the sudden preference, but I-seo looked a bit embarrassed and tightened her grip on my arm.
"Well, after doing that escape room earlier... I'm kind of into it now."
"Ah, I get that."
When you enjoy something, you often find yourself craving more of the same genre.
I’m the same way.
Which is probably why I have zero interest in thrillers right now.
Because the escape room was no fun for me.
Well, as long as I-seo enjoyed it.
A thriller, huh?
But I don't really read much in that genre, so it was tricky.
"……Detective Conan?"
"……I'll just find something myself."
Total failure.
Anyway, I picked out some manga for myself. Since they were all laid out like this, I grabbed something I’d never seen before and headed to where the girls were.
There were spots where you could lie down and read, and Seo Ye-rin and Yoo Ah-rin were already squeezed in together.
I wondered why they were overlapping like that, but if they were comfortable, whatever.
I sat down in the spot right next to them. A moment later, Choi I-seo crept in.
"It's nice and cozy."
"Right?"
"Yeah. And I'm glad there's a warning sign."
[No Public Displays of Affection.]
"……."
"……."
I-seo and I locked eyes at the same time. I nodded awkwardly at her meaningful look, which clearly meant 'keep that in mind.'
"I get it. Stop giving me that look."
"Yeah, just hold it in. If we're going to do it, let's do it at night. Okay?"
"People are going to think I'm some kind of sex-crazed maniac."
"I won't say anything because it feels like you're just playing dumb."
With a playful laugh, Choi I-seo sat down beside me and leaned against the wall.
I looked to see what she’d brought, and it was that manga where giants eat humans.
"I heard this one is famous."
"Well, it is famous."
For a while, we read our books in silence. It felt much better than I’d expected.
We shifted positions several times while reading; occasionally, I’d touch I-seo’s butt and get smacked for it.
"I'm getting hungry. Should we get some ramyeon?"
"Mmm, I'm okay."
She's totally focused.
She seemed to be enjoying it quite a bit.
I went to find Seo Ye-rin and Yoo Ah-rin, and both were also deep into their books.
Yoo Ah-rin seemed to be having a good time too.
"Anyone want ramyeon?"
"Me!"
"Oof, I'm starving."
Both of them followed me out to get ramyeon. You could eat while reading, but we decided to just chat while we ate.
"There are so many menu items."
Seo Ye-rin ordered various things at the kiosk.
"How's the manga? Is it fun?"
I decided to ask Yoo Ah-rin for her review. I was going to suggest watching Netflix if she found it boring, but she seemed to like it more than I thought.
"It's pretty good. Great for killing time. I'm really sucked in."
"A masterpiece is a masterpiece for a reason. Where are you at?"
As someone who had already read it, I couldn't miss out on a newbie's impressions.
"I remember some of the early stuff from when I was a kid, so I skipped ahead to... a desert? They're fighting there."
"Ah, that part."
That’s a fun arc.
"The protagonist's brother? The guy who uses fire is so cool. He's my favorite. But why does he just use his fists when he has those powers—"
"He dies because a hole gets punched through his stomach, you know."
"……."
"……."
Seo Ye-rin, who had finished ordering, looked over at us with a smile, but her expression slowly froze as she felt our gaze.
It was a fact well-known to anyone who had read the series, but to someone seeing it for the first time, it was a massive spoiler.
"……."
Seo Ye-rin fell silent and slowly turned her head to speak to me.
"Woo-jina, I can't read while sitting up. My breasts block the book."
"A-ah, really? That's... impressive."
She tried to change the subject, but Yoo Ah-rin asked Seo Ye-rin with a dazed expression.
"He... why does he die? His body is fire. No, he can turn his body into fire, so how the hell does he die?"
"……."
"……."
"Don't lie to me. If a person can turn their body into fire, fuck, they can't die."
"……."
"……."
"Even if a hole is punched through him, his body is fire, so it shouldn't matter. R-right? Am I right?"
When we didn't answer, Yoo Ah-rin stared at us blankly for a moment, then let out a sigh and muttered.
"Fuck, I'm reading something else."
That day, Ah-rin's world crumbled.
