Red Sports Car and Bakery Cafe
"Tock."
A bright red sports car with a body color identical to her own hair sat perfectly in the base parking lot. Han Jihye, who had taken many combat leaves and vacations, had clearly parked her car right there.
"Why? It looks a little different?"
"It does."
"Oh— I wasn't caught by Harang?"
"What do you mean?"
"You haven't left the base yet, right? I was about to give you a proper scolding for the switch to casual speech, but you read me like a book exactly when it counted."
Really? I had no idea. I was about to get into serious trouble. Did anyone actually think you could use casual speech the moment you stepped outside the base?
Because of everything I'd endured, I had reached the point where I suspected everything. You all wrecked me.
"Still..."
"True, unnie has money now. She's been an Awakener for five whole years— that's enough to live on, don't you think?"
"Do Awakener lives really make that much money?"
"Of course. A sports car? And that apartment overlooking the river just sitting there waiting to be bought?"
Really? For real?
Whitey! It was true that Awakener money was real!
"Why are your eyes sparkling like that? You've probably seen the balance in my account a few times already."
"Ah, no."
"Then what exactly?"
Han Jihye turned the key in the ignition and asked.
The thunderous engine roared, vibrating through my heart. That's why men get obsessed with cars, right?
"Almost everything I earn goes straight into my little sister's account."
"...into your little sister's account? Why?"
"We grew up together, and I came here alone like this. My little sister deserves to eat well and live well. If it's just me, my heart would feel so heavy."
I said it while buckling my seatbelt. Was the belt supposed to sit between the chest? I changed the position to below the chest because it felt weird.
This time it felt like I was pushing something up. No matter what I did, the feeling didn't change at all. It was really...
I glanced sideways at Han Jihye. She had positioned the belt right between her breasts as if it was nothing at all. The sheer size exposed so plainly overwhelmed me without me realizing it.
I hadn't felt much spark because she only showed me the rogue, delinquent, demon-like appearance before...
"...You've been talking about your little sister since earlier. How close are you two?"
"If we're close, then we're close."
With a comfortable boong, the car began to move.
"We don't text or call each other every day, but yeah, we're pretty close."
"Hmm."
It didn't seem to stir any emotion. Had I only been asking out of curiosity?
"How did you live back then? Before?"
She hadn't been asking out of idle curiosity. That was a relief, because if conversation had stalled, I would have felt the heavy burden of having to say something entertaining.
"Just like the other seniors. Mom and Dad passed away, and there were only my little sister and me left."
"Hmm."
Jeong Seung-ah empathized, but Han Jihye showed no such reaction.
Truth be told, it was correct. We had never said it outright, but we had both known the environment was similar.
"Still, the insurance money must have come through. There should be some savings tucked away. So you didn't have to worry about money, right?"
"Well, yeah..."
I had always come from a family that was short on cash. Even the insurance payout felt like too much of a burden.
I only received basic death benefits. Nothing extra was added. Thanks to that, the hospital bills had cleaned me out completely.
But did I really need to bring it up? It was old news now. There was nothing to gain from feeling sorry for the poor me. Even though we were in the same boat, it felt like only I was the one struggling.
"That's right. I lived a moderately comfortable life."
"Hey."
"Superhuman Seo Harang."
"What are you pointing at? The base is behind us now. You can speak casually if you want."
"...Still..."
"You're not trying to make your unnie angry, are you?"
"I'm not! Of course not!"
"What? You're doing well."
Han Jihye, who had just slammed on the brakes at the traffic light, smiled. It didn't look like she had been laughing because something was funny.
"So, why did you bring me out, unnie? Did you have to pull me from combat leave with my own blood relation?"
Well...? I hadn't thought about it before. Now that I thought about it...
I recalled Han Jihye's past actions: light pat on the butt, shoulder leans, arm links, and occasional hair ruffles.
"...Because I'm a lesbian?"
"You're insane."
"No! I'm sorry!"
"True, you've been different from the other girls. I don't know why, but you've been getting under my skin a little. But your unnie doesn't have that kind of taste, does she? Like, wanting girls? Eww, you should say things that make sense."
I must have noticed I was joking because Han Jihye immediately waved her hands in a flustered way to stop me. She quickly explained the real reason without needing further prompting.
"Even though I was poking you a lot, thinking about it now, I didn't really care. I just wanted to talk to you."
"Ah, that's a bit touching."
"You said to use casual speech? You're going to die?"
Do you want to help me or not?
The conflicting feelings gave me a headache. On top of that, casual speech itself was unfamiliar to me.
"Um... I get it. For now."
Saying it with that awkward casual speech made my head spin, and Han Jihye's lips curved upward again.
"Your head's just as messy as usual. Are you really a woman?"
"No, that's..."
My words faltered.
Don't women ever touch their hair? I should have experienced being with a woman.
"You look like you could bully anyone, man or woman alike... Ah, is this praise?"
"I haven't actually bullied anyone."
"That makes sense. From what you've said, you only live for your little sister. Hey, you didn't even tell me where you were going, but it's fine. So, are we heading to the cafe?"
"Um, well..."
Words wouldn't come out. Every time I tried to use polite speech it felt stiff, but suddenly wanting to drop it to casual left my mouth completely stuck.
The red sports car let out a satisfying roar as it pulled into the bakery cafe parking lot. It wasn't a chain. It was a full four-story building taken over by the bakery cafe.
To me, who only ever drank big Americanos from the menu, this flashy cafe felt like a tall hurdle.
Suddenly, the coffee a woman walking past on the street had been carrying came to mind.
No, was that even coffee? There was a mountain of whipped cream on top, and the thick liquid inside felt more like a drink than actual coffee.
"Hmm."
"What? You don't mean you're going to say something like 'I only drink Americanos'?"
"That's true..."
"For real? What kind of life have you been living? Anyway, let's pick a menu first. The croissants here are really good. Since I haven't eaten breakfast, I'll just fill up here."
"Croissant?"
"...Did you raise crops or something? You know what a croissant is, right?"
"No, I do. Just..."
Was that enough to fill my stomach? Isn't it the rule to eat a solid breakfast? Then you'd have energy for the day job or whatever.
...Now that I thought about it, the breakfast they served at the base wasn't exactly lavish. Just soup, kimchi, and rice. It felt like they wanted us to eat lightly instead of going all out on the sides.
Maybe I was the only one who ate a proper breakfast.
"What are you drinking for coffee?"
"Ameri—"
"Try the one my unnie recommends instead of Americanos. The next time, you'll only drink this. I'll buy it, so don't worry."
"...Then I'll have that."
"You're so obedient."
She had planned it from the beginning but still asked for my opinion.
I grumbled internally and stared at the two pieces of bread on the tray. It was a ham and vegetable sandwich made by splitting a croissant in half. Three bites and it would be gone.
"Hello."
"Ah, yes. The small one."
The female part-timer looked our way. Was she checking the menu in advance before ordering? So diligent.
She was barely tall enough to peek over the glass counter. Was Han Jihye's height average? If so, this part-timer was truly short.
The part-timer glanced at Han Jihye, then at me, and asked.
"Do you always order the same thing?"
'The same thing I always eat.'
The words suited a New Yorker tearing into a bagel, and they surprised me here. A regular?
Han Jihye nodded casually, as if stating the obvious.
"Does the lady beside you also order the same... thing?"
She glanced back at me and asked again.
"Hey."
"Superhuman, ah. Um."
"You're not used to it yet? Whatever. Since I'm buying it anyway, just eat what you want? You can't not eat sweets, right?"
"There's no special restriction..."
"Then it's fine. Two of the same, please."
Even to other people she used polite speech. I had discovered a new side of her.
"Ah, I understand! So... vanilla cream latte frappe apogato style, and add one more shot at the end, correct?"
...What? What was that? Vanilla what?
It felt like she was casting a magic spell. Ordering this for me, who only ever slurped down Americanos, was way too much.
What was there to add? I didn't see anything like that on the menu?
"Anything else you'd like to try?"
Han Jihye asked as she watched me stare blankly at the menu, as if it were a board with 9 and 3/4 platforms.
"Ah! N-no, it's nothing."
"It must be your junior."
"Yes. A pretty interesting friend."
"Hehe..."
What was so funny? I was the one feeling sorry for myself!
I grumbled internally in protest, but thinking about it, I would have smiled too if I were in her shoes.
By straightening my back and answering 'I got a lot of military water in me,' I was speaking with my whole body.
Every time this happened, the image I had seen in the mirror came back to me.
Slender.
My height wasn't particularly small for a woman.
But the most important thing was my eyes. They had the sharp, half-wild-cat look of someone who hadn't been fully tamed by civilization, yet my behavior was always tense.
Yeah, laugh more. Instead of pitying me, maybe that would make my heart lighter.
I decided to act shamelessly, picked up the tray and the vibrating bell, and took my seat.
The view outside the window was nice.
It felt like a much freer life than when I had been a man. Something about my heart felt calmer too.
...No, don't kid yourself. This is just a universal misconception among victims. Until yesterday I was still doing butt-showing at that base. Tomorrow it would go back to the same routine.
So don't get comfortable with this ease. Stay tense and sharp at all times. Make sure you never get called away by Jeong Seung-ah. Just work hard.
"From now on, I'm going to work hard! Same thoughts, right? You?"
"Eh? How did you... I got it?"
"I can tell just from your expression? Your eyes are fierce, but your true feelings are all over your face."
I touched my cheeks. Even if I did, there was no way she would notice.
"Don't work too hard. It won't get you the attention of the people on the other side, and then you'll just get tired."
Han Jihye was about to continue when she shook her head slightly and gently tapped the table with both hands.
"No! It's not just you who'll get tired. Our living quarter... no, our whole unit will be tired. Really. So don't think about doing anything. Absolutely not. Like last time with the gate response team, don't think things like 'I have to help!'"
It wasn't advice. It was a warning. One person's actions could hurt everyone else.
It seemed Kim Heejin had been watching the gate response team too. Han Jihye was also referencing that incident.
"I understand..."
Even though my words came out, the hierarchy had flipped. After all, I had watched this person fight with my own eyes—how could I fight back!
"Kid, you're cute. Ah, I wasn't saying that in any special way, so don't overthink it."
Han Jihye added, as if the 'lesbian' comment from earlier still bothered her.
A faint smile slipped out because my heart felt a little lighter.