#31 The Girl Who Wants to Leave 1
“I never thought there’d be a place like this here too.”
After pedaling the bike for a full fifteen more minutes, they arrived at a clothing store in the town center. It was impressively large, the only maker’s outlet for miles around—a facility meant for the island’s students, no doubt. The town itself was nearly deserted. It was a weekday during vacation season, so open shops were few and far between.
“Hehe, won’t you praise me for discovering this place stays open 365 days a year? Bonus points if you pat my head while you’re at it.”
“Sure. So what brings you here?”
He ran his hand through her hair—fine and soft, like touching gentle waves. She let out a pleased little purr, and her hair still carried that fresh sea scent. It was amazing how no shampoo could fully mask a woman’s natural body odor; women truly were mysterious creatures.
“To buy you some clothes, Ajusshi.”
“Not for me to buy?”
“Hehe, caught me.”
“What about your uniform, then? You specially brought your middle school one because you wanted to wear it, right?”
“You prefer the uniform? I figured, but you really do have that taste...”
“No, I just thought since you went out of your way to bring it, it must mean something special—unlike your usual impulsive self.”
“Hey, that implies I act without thinking normally.”
“Don’t you?”
“No.”
Yuchan and Seohae propped the bike against a nearby streetlamp and stepped inside.
“Just buy it for me. I won’t wear it today—save it for next time.”
Following the clerk’s guidance, they headed to the women’s section. Their age gap and her middle school uniform from another region must have drawn eyes; the clerk had been glancing over since they arrived.
“What do you think, Ajusshi?”
After three minutes of standing with arms crossed amid the fluttering women’s clothes, Yuchan turned to Seohae as she emerged from the fitting room. She’d chosen a casual outfit: a navy long pleated skirt and white blouse. Her signature frilly dress wasn’t exactly everyday wear, and with the weather turning chilly, even a cardigan wouldn’t cut it.
“Better than I expected.”
“Right? I found this magazine called Fit Life and studied it hard.”
Seohae spun, showing off the fit at her waist.
“You know a lot about women’s clothes, Ajusshi?”
“A little here and there.”
He scanned her outfit and gave a vague reply. Stuck in the countryside, her fashion sense was predictably lacking, even if she’d pored over magazines. Short skirts suited her petite frame better. The color coordination felt off too. But those flaws were overshadowed by her stunning figure and looks—clothes were just the hanger.
“You must know women’s underwear well, then.”
“Don’t say baseless things.”
The clerk was already glaring daggers.
2.
After buying and changing into the outfit, Seohae led them—surprisingly—to the school. It was empty save for the security guard, and sneaking in would be trespassing. Yuchan alone might’ve slipped by, but with Seohae as a glaring liability, he hesitated. Yet she dashed to the guard post and got permission with embarrassing ease, leaving him bemused as they entered.
“Hmm~ So this is what a high school smells like.”
“Stop saying dumb things.”
She was buzzing with excitement. Seohae practically skipped down the halls, peering into classrooms on tiptoe through the windows.
“The desks are way taller here? Wow, college admission charts!”
“High school isn’t for making memories—it’s for getting into college. Fail that, and plenty end up at cram schools like mine.”
“You’d make a great cram school teacher, Ajusshi. Shattering naive dreams like that. So full of yourself.”
She shot him a cheeky look, then resumed wandering. A place she longed to stay in but couldn’t. Even standing there, her face showed not a trace of regret.
“It’s not like I desperately want to stay here.”
“What?”
She’d caught his unspoken thought, sharp as ever. Clumsy and scatterbrained usually, but in moments like this, she flashed the keen insight from their first meeting.
“Being right next to you is enough for me.”
Next to me... She grinned, testing his reaction, but Yuchan had grown wise to her games.
“Doubt it’s that great a spot.”
“Hehe, no need to be so modest.”
With a knowing smile, she lingered in the school far longer.
3.
As they left, the sun had fully set, casting long twilight shadows. Yuchan pedaled with Seohae aboard toward their date’s final stop: a deserted beach. Twilight vanished the moment they arrived. It was a quiet seaside park he’d only seen from afar at the lighthouse. Quite the detour from there—this was his first time coming directly.
Seohae hopped off expertly and trotted to the shore, kicking off her sandals onto a bench. Barefoot, she left prints in the sand with a gleeful face.
“Come on, Ajusshi!”
She waved from a distance, the new moon rising over the darkened sea behind her. Yuchan slipped off his shoes, rolled up his pants, and joined her. The cool sand reminded him it was far too late in the season for swimming.
“Not cold?”
“Feels nice and cool.”
True, without the sticky summer heat, the beach felt refreshing in a way he’d never considered. He’d rarely been to crowded ones, where the throngs alone screamed sweltering.
Suddenly, Seohae hooked her arm in his.
“What’re you doing?”
“Arm in arm?”
“Why?”
Her playful eyes met his.
“Don’t like it?”
“Not that. Just... why all of a sudden?”
“We’ve done everything else—can’t handle this one thing?”
She stuck out her tongue in complaint and started pulling away. Yuchan caught her slender wrist on impulse.
“Huh?”
Neither spoke. He had no words prepared for her wide-eyed stare—half curious, half anxious.
“Gonna do it here too?”
She lifted her skirt with a beaming smile. Moonlight glinted off her white teeth and lit her plump thighs in silvery blue. Alluring, yet Yuchan shook his head.
“What’s gotten into you? You love this stuff.”
“That’s not why we’re here.”
With a moment to think, he realized why he’d grabbed her—and refused sex. She seemed the same, but the mood was utterly different.
“We can do that back home anyway. No need to force it unwashed. If you’ve got something to say, say it now.”
“If you insist.”
She linked arms again, caressing his forearm tenderly, like cradling something precious.
“How was today, Ajusshi?”
“Not bad for a first escort gig.”
“Not looking for a grade.”
“Praise, then?”
“Duh. When a girl asks, a guy’s supposed to sweetly oblige. Pat my head too, while you’re at it.”
“You really love head pats.”
“Who doesn’t? You barely do it. Does touching my hair bother you?”
She pulled a lock forward and sniffed it.
Dog-like. No scent, so she wrinkled her nose.
“I wash it daily—it’s clean!”
“You can’t smell your own scent.”
Clinging to his arm, he stroked her hair gently. Brown by day, it shimmered silver or pitch black under the moon. She melted into a puppy-eyed bliss, savoring it.
“Mmm... Ajusshi smell.”
She nuzzled closer, sniffing him too. Bike sweat be damned? Surprisingly, she pulled back unfazed.
“Sweaty.”
Of course. Alone, he wouldn’t sweat from biking, but the afternoon heat plus her as passenger...
“We biked.”
“Gonna puke.”
She gagged dramatically and scooted away.
“You’ve been sniffing it all day—why now?”
Just teasing; she dropped it.
“Wanna rest over there, Ajusshi?”
She pointed to a bench far from her sandals. No harm, so he grabbed their shoes and sat with her.
“Sigh, date’s over.”
She stretched languidly on the bench, oddly content.
“Yeah.”
“Last course awaits, but that’s daily stuff—not really a date. Crushes the dream.”
Chatting idly as usual, they gazed at the horizon where black sky met black sea.
“Typhoon hits tomorrow—rain for the island too.”
“Heard it on the radio.”
“Nailed the timing, huh?”
“Wasn’t it spur-of-the-moment? You planned post-rainy season.”
“Quiet. Why’s a guy so petty...”
He did, and she fell silent too.
“Stars... so pretty.”
Staring at the brilliant sky like last time, she murmured dreamily—not for anyone, just overflowing emotion spilling out.
“Not cold?”
Wind bit while sitting, even for him.
“I’m fine.”
He draped his shirt over her shoulders. Despite the size difference, it swaddled her completely over her clothes.
“Thanks.”
Unfazed in words, she clutched it tight, wrapping herself up. Definitely chilly.
“That sky covered in storm clouds soon... feels like a bad dream. This moment too.”
“...”
After a pause, she continued.
“You’ve really killed someone, haven’t you, Ajusshi?”
Yuchan hesitated briefly, then nodded. She’d see through lies anyway. Her unnerving insight—piercing his psyche—was why he’d watched her warily from the start.
“Won’t you kill me?”
The words from her ever-cheerful lips felt alien, jarringly out of place.