The Drive-In Theater
The next afternoon, soft and fluffy. While I was holed up in the lab under the pretext of world surveillance, fully absorbed in crafting Devices, I received a message from Adele and chuckled. [I'm bored... (๑-﹏-๑)] Isn't Silvia home? You could play one of your favorite games. Ten minutes after I ignored her message, my phone buzzed again. [Why are you ignoring me? (๑❛ᴗ❛๑) By the way, it shows whether you've read my messages or not. The star disappears when you've read it! Just in case you didn't know!]
I already knew that. I was just ignoring you on purpose. Why did that bright little emoticon suddenly look angry? I tapped out a reply. [Sorry. I'm busy...]
[You're making a Device, aren't you? Silvia's not around, so can I come to the lab?]
[You won't have anything to do if you come.]
[Still, it's better than being alone. I promise I won't get in the way. I'll just watch quietly.]
[Then come on over.]
[٩( ᐛ )و]
After ending the chat, I returned to my work. When it seemed like Adele would arrive soon, I pulled out the sandwiches I'd brought from the Doctor's place yesterday and set them on the table. A short while later, the lab door opened with a soft pushik! Adele appeared, smiling brightly. Today's outfit... a white flare dress with flowing sleeves. The hem reached just above her knees. The ribboned sandals suited her perfectly. The bulky black backpack was the only flaw.
"Jihyeok! Hello!"
Adele greeted me cheerfully after switching into indoor slippers. I stood up, gave her a fatherly smile, and pointed toward the lounge. "There are sandwiches on the table in the lounge. Help yourself."
"I already ate!"
"Then save them for when you get hungry."
"Okay. Oh, just pretend I'm not here and keep working. Got it?"
"Understood."
Adele headed straight for the lounge, sat down, and reached for a sandwich. Soon she was munching away, watching TV in a relaxed posture. She said she'd eaten... but apparently not enough. Still, that was just like her. I shrugged and returned to the workbench, picking up the welding torch. Every so often I glanced over to see what she was doing. Even after finishing all the sandwiches, she raided the lounge snacks and opened the fridge for drinks. Her movements were completely natural. A fond smile crept across my face.
Before long she seemed to grow drowsy and fell asleep. Lying stretched out on the sofa, breathing softly, she looked unbearably cute. I wanted to hug her tight. Moving as quietly as possible, I went into the lounge and draped a thin blanket over her. Just as I was about to slip back out, she called my name in a small voice.
"Jihyeok."
I froze.
"Sorry. I woke you up."
"I wasn't actually asleep. I was just resting my eyes."
Really...? She had looked completely out. "I see."
Adele giggled and pulled the blanket up to her chin. After feeling the fabric, the corners of her mouth curved into a crescent. "It's so soft. Can I take this home?"
"Go ahead. By the way, where did Silvia go?"
"She's been training every day. She said she was signing up at a martial arts gym today."
"Sounds like her. What about you? Is there anything you'd like to do?"
"I'd like to watch a movie at the theater, go on a picnic, see the ocean... but it's lonely doing it alone."
"If you asked Silvia, she'd go with you."
"She's enjoying life on Earth. I don't want to bother her."
So you'd rather bother me? This cheeky, sharp-tongued girl. That's exactly why I like her...
"You must spend a lot of time alone at home."
"Lately, yes."
"Then how about watching a movie with me today?"
Adele shot upright on the sofa, her face lighting up. But then she seemed to think I was only being considerate and quickly grew glum again. "No. You said you'd be making Devices all day. I won't get in your way."
"I never said I'd work without any breaks. Let's catch the next showing at the nearby theater and come right back."
"What about world surveillance?"
"It's linked to both the Doctor's phone and mine. If anything happens, we'll get an alert immediately. What do you want to do?"
I could almost see her ears twitching. She was tempted. Hurry up and say yes. I was dying to watch a movie with her too.
"I-I'd like to watch...!"
Adele sprang off the sofa, slipped her indoor slippers on the wrong feet, and beamed. Watching her practically bounce with excitement, I grinned. "Your slippers are on backwards."
"It's fine! We're going out anyway!"
"True enough. Let's go."
"Okay!"
**
"Wow... this is really good...!"
Adele mumbled around a mouthful of buttered squid, then glanced at me checking our tickets and offered me a piece. "You should try some too, Jihyeok. It's amazing."
I opened my mouth naturally. She popped the squid in, accidentally brushing my Adam's apple.
"Kuhk! Cough!"
I started coughing violently, my face turning bright red. Adele panicked and apologized. "S-Sorry...! Are you okay?"
After a few dry coughs, I nodded. "Yes. I'm fine."
"What should I do... Did it hurt?"
"It was just a cough. It was partly my fault too, so don't worry about it. It's time—let's go in."
"Okay..."
Even inside the theater, Adele's mishaps continued. She yelped at the loud trailer, kicked the seat in front of her while crossing her legs, nearly spilled her cola while trying to put both her phone and drink in the cup holder... After several incidents, she finally seemed to learn theater etiquette the hard way. Once the lights dimmed and the movie began, she leaned in and whispered, "I'm sorry... because of me..."
A strange sensation tickled my ear. Her breath was warm. Tempting. I brought my lips close to her ear and reassured her. "This is how you learn. It's fine."
Adele shrugged, as if her ear had suddenly itched, and accidentally bumped my chin. Realizing she'd hit me, she flailed and bowed her head. "S-Sorry..."
Thud! Then she headbutted my nose... She was a complete disaster today. Still, her head was surprisingly hard. My nose stung.
"Hwaaah... What do I do... I'm sorry..."
Adele's face was nearly in tears. Suppressing the dull pain, I smiled silently. "It's all right. The movie's starting—let's focus."
"O-Okay..."
Kugung—! Right on cue, the distributor's logo boomed. Adele, reaching for the popcorn she'd set down, flinched and flung her arms up. "Eek!"
Popcorn scattered through the air. I snatched a few mid-fall, popped them into my mouth, and stood to apologize to the surrounding audience. Adele jumped up too, bowing repeatedly. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..."
How many times had she said that today...? This really wasn't her lucky day.
**
Adele trudged behind me, dragging her feet. She stayed completely silent all the way to the parking lot, utterly deflated. The trouble she'd caused in the theater must have weighed heavily on her. If she couldn't even enjoy the movie she'd been looking forward to, that said it all. She was too kind. Which only made me want to corrupt her even more.
Once we were in the car, I chuckled when Adele, reaching slowly for her seatbelt, spoke up. "I was really clumsy, wasn't I...?"
"Clumsy" was such an old-fashioned word. When I silently shook my head, she continued. "I'm such an idiot. I get startled over nothing and end up causing trouble for everyone around me."
She was scolding herself. Even this dejected version of her wasn't bad. It was cute. "Everyone makes mistakes like that. I've done it plenty of times myself."
"Don't lie."
"You really think so?"
"Yes. You're not the kind of person who makes mistakes like mine. You're always so calm."
"I'm human too. I get startled all the time. Especially during horror movies. I've even dumped an entire bucket of popcorn onto the person next to me. They got free popcorn, at least."
A silly joke. Adele let out a weak laugh. Deciding she'd calmed down, I started the car and pulled out. She must have assumed we were heading back to the lab, because she sat quietly until we turned into a certain lot. Then she looked around, confused. "Where are we...?"
"A drive-in theater."
"Huh...? A drive-in?"
"A place where you watch movies from inside your car. They're rare these days, but there's usually one per district. It's getting dark, so we won't have any trouble seeing the screen."
Adele didn't say anything. She just stared blankly while I picked a movie, bought the tickets, and parked in a decent spot in the lot. After turning off the lights, I tuned the radio to the frequency on the ticket, handed her the popcorn, and reclined our seats a little. "Good timing. The movie's about to start. And there aren't many people here, which is nice."
Adele, who had been spacing out until then, shook her head and snapped back to reality. "Why did you bring me here...? We already watched the movie..."
"You couldn't focus properly because you felt bad for the other audience members, right?"
"B-But..."
Just as she started to protest, a deep thud echoed from the speakers installed around the car. "Kyaa!"
Startled, Adele spilled the popcorn again, just like in the theater. Despairing, she looked at me with teary eyes. "What do I do... I spilled it again... The car's all dirty now..."
That phrasing was oddly suggestive. Smirking, I soothed her. "It's fine. We can just clean it up."
"I'm sorry... really..."
Adele hung her head, looking mortified. I turned down the radio volume and studied her expression. "Adele."
"Yes...?"
"Do you remember the advice I gave you in the lab hallway last time? About character."
"I-I remember..."
"When you made all those mistakes today, did anyone glare at you or scold you? No, right?"
Adele thought for a moment, then nodded. "I don't think so... But a few people were laughing at me..."
"They weren't laughing at you. They smiled because your pure, kind nature was pleasant to see. The others were the same. That's why they let it slide so easily."
"...Really?"
"Yes. I know better than anyone that you have no ill intentions, so something like this doesn't bother me at all. Apologizing for accidents is only natural, but you don't need to feel crushed by it."
"....."
Adele stared at me, stunned. My words seemed to have moved her. I turned the volume back up and added one last thing. "You're a far more remarkable person than you think. People who can bring positive energy to those around them are rare, no matter where you look. Take pride in yourself. Just like the Adele who serves Lady Rosario."
I turned my eyes to the screen. Soon I heard the sound of popcorn being eaten, snack bags rustling, and a soda can being opened. The urge to smile at Adele's adorable behavior rose, but I couldn't. Because I realized she was staring straight at me even while eating.
Pretend to focus on the movie, I told myself. But when Adele scooped five pieces of popcorn into her palm and brought them to my mouth, I had to bite my lower lip hard. The laughter's about to burst out... Hold it in... I have to hold it in.
Finally managing to compose myself, I spoke softly. "I'm fine."
"This is delicious. Try some."
"I said I'm fine."
"I'll keep doing this until you eat. If you don't want me to watch the movie, you can just stay still."
Even her threats were cute... I let out a helpless laugh at the laughter I'd been holding back, hesitated, then opened my mouth. Adele's lips curved into a bright smile, revealing her neat white teeth, and she placed the popcorn in my mouth. "How is it? Tasty, right?"
After chewing and swallowing, I nodded. "It is."
"It's caramel popcorn."
I know. I bought it.
"I see."
"You must be thirsty too, so I'll get you a cola. Just a second..."
"Adele, the movie's already started... If you're thirsty, I'll drink on my own, so watch the screen before you miss anything."
Ignoring my words completely, Adele grunted and opened the cola, then held it out. After confirming I'd taken a sip, she finally turned to the screen with a sunny smile. Her energy seemed to have returned. Thank goodness.