I Like Pure Love
"Whoa, it's been forever! You doing okay?"
"Yeah! You too, Rika-chan! Your hair color is insane!"
Im Nana and the blonde woman, Rika, grabbed each other's hands and started jumping up and down without even thinking about sitting. That high-pitched Japanese tone, words firing like machine-gun fire. I felt like a total outsider stuck in the middle.
...What the hell are they even saying?
I pulled out my smartphone to fire up a translation app, but the surrounding noise mixed with their shrill voices made it impossible to even recognize anything. I quietly slipped into my seat and picked up the menu. Figured I'd at least order something, but there was no way I could focus on the text. For starters, I couldn't read Japanese anyway.
My gaze naturally drifted to Rika, who was chatting away with Im Nana. Bright yellow blonde dye job, sparkling piercings in her ears—one, two, three... how many were there? And baggy training pants on top of that.
Hmm... Yankee? Biker gang type?
The classic style from Japanese dramas and manga. Who knew Im Nana hung out with such a rough crowd? Then again, coming from an athletic background, she probably had some edge to her.
Maybe sensing my stare, Rika glanced my way. She leaned toward Im Nana and whispered.
"Nana-chan, that super cute girl you came with... she's glaring at me hard. She's not mad, right? She's scary~"
"Huh? Haha! Nah, it's fine~. She looks kinda cool, but she's actually super nice and total pushover. No need to worry~"
I couldn't understand the Japanese, but I got the vibe. Those sneaky glances, Im Nana's awkward laugh.
They're whispering about me for sure. Probably trash-talking.
Should've learned a foreign language. So frustrating not knowing what they're saying right in front of me.
Then Im Nana seemed to realize and turned to me.
"Oh, right. Rika-chan, Areum doesn't speak Japanese."
Rika's eyes went wide.
"What? You should've said so sooner! That was rude!"
"...?"
I couldn't believe my ears. That was fluent Korean. Not some awkward foreigner accent, but perfect standard Seoul speech.
"Hi! I'm Ichinose Rika. Nana-chan's friend."
"Oh, uh... Han Areum."
I managed a greeting, but... why was her Korean this good?
"Your Korean is amazing."
"Haha, I've studied a bit."
Rika shyly scratched the back of her head with a grin. She looked every bit the Japanese yankii on the outside, but her speech was like a polite Korean exchange student. What was with the gap moe?
"So, Rika... what do you do?"
I asked carefully. Couldn't exactly blurt out if she was an active yankii or biker.
Rika blushed a little.
"Me? I do internet streams. Game streams..."
"YouTuber?"
"Nah, mostly live on platforms... Haha, embarrassing."
Game streamer, huh. I'd played some games back in the day. But why was everyone around me a content creator? Im Nana, Little Areum's family, and now a friend from Japan.
Is the whole world streaming and I'm the only one out of the loop? Truman Show much?
"And thanks so much for this morning. I heard you helped my little brother and parents."
"Oh, no biggie. Just ran into them by chance."
"Tatsuya got lost, and Mom was freaking out. You saved us."
So the kid from this morning was Tatsuya. But he looked kindergarten-age... big age gap with Rika? Her parents must have some stamina.
As we exchanged intros, a thunderous rumble echoed through the shop.
"......"
Silence fell. Rika clutched her stomach and burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! Nana-chan, same as high school! Your belly clock is spot on!"
"Hehe... I had sushi earlier, but it's all digested now..."
Im Nana scratched her head sheepishly. She'd scarfed down over 20 plates of sushi, easy...
Rika wiped tears from her eyes.
"Grandpa's cooking is all delicious, so order whatever! I'm mid-stream right now, just popped down. Be back soon after I wrap up!"
"Yeah! Good luck with the stream!"
Rika waved and dashed upstairs. The whirlwind visit over, it was just us two again.
I opened the menu. More izakaya snacks than full meals. Decent booze selection too—not just a dinner spot, huh.
"Seasonal sashimi assortment and skewer set to start?"
"Sounds good! Let's get it all!"
Im Nana smacked her lips at the photos. After ordering, she suddenly suggested,
"Areum, vibe's nice here. Wanna grab a drink? You love booze."
Memories flashed: '80s ballads, me yelling "Oppa!", and all those camping gallery memes immortalized forever. Shivers down my spine.
"...No booze for a while."
"Huh? Why? We're on vacation."
"Uh... f-for workouts! Gotta manage stamina..."
"Oh~ Yeah, you've been hitting the gym hard. Keep it up!"
She bought it easy. Lame excuse, even to me... but no more black history in my life. Ever.
While waiting, I circled back to my curiosity.
"Rika's Korean is insane. Could pass for Korean."
"Right? She's been killer since we met. Made learning Japanese from her a breeze."
"How'd she get that good?"
Im Nana propped her chin, spinning a tale like an old story. Ooh, setting the mood—getting intriguing.
"Rika had this Korean transfer student guy in elementary school. Same class, and she wanted to be friends."
"Ooh..."
"To get close, she self-studied Korean like crazy. Dramas, songs, everything."
O! Straight out of a shonen manga—one panel of grinding to connect with the crush.
"And?"
"They got tight. Now he's her boyfriend."
"Whaaat..."
Jaw on the floor. What pure love is this? Mastering a language just to talk to your crush. Not shonen—straight shojo!
I'm dying from romance overdose.
"Oh, think there's pics on Rika-chan's SNS..."
Im Nana pulled out her phone.
"Here! This guy's it."
The photo showed Rika beaming cozily with a guy. Hmm. Boyfriend looked... friendly. Not hot, but that approachable, hearty build... wait, teddy bear vibe! Total teddy bear energy.
Ah, crap. Never judge by looks. My bad. Guys like that are the real gems.
Rika's flashy style meshed weirdly well with his cozy aura.
"Cute couple."
"Right? I was shocked too when I first heard."
Mid-chat, a deep voice boomed from the kitchen.
"(Here ya go! Sashimi assortment and skewer set!)"
The white-haired grandpa from the kitchen carried out the tray himself. I rubbed my eyes at the plates piling up.
"......"
This for two? Sashimi and skewers stacked to overflow. Looked like four servings easy.
I stared in shock; he flashed pearly whites, thumbs-upped Im Nana, and headed back.
Ah... he knows. Her 'greatness'.
"Whoa! So much food! Grandpa's the best!"
Im Nana cheered, chopsticks at the ready.
"(Let's eat!)"
She snatched two sashimi pieces without hesitation. A few chews, then blissful moan.
"Mmm! This is so good!"
That big a deal? No backing down. I grabbed a prime whitefish slice.
Crunch crunch.
"...!"
Wow... the texture's on another level. From slicing fish a few times camping, I knew: needs peak freshness, quality meat, and precise cuts along the grain. Miles beyond my hack jobs at camp. Nutty flavor bloomed with every chew.
"So good..."
"Right? Skewers are killer too!"
Im Nana devoured a chicken skin skewer in one bite, beaming. Glanced at the kitchen—grandpa silently grilling more. A master hiding in a neighborhood izakaya. World’s vast, experts everywhere.
Savoring the feast, footsteps thundered from the upstairs stairs.
"(Whoa! Tatsuya! No running on stairs, dangerous!)"
Rika's panicked voice.
"(I'm fine!)"
The kid's followed. Huh? What’s up? I turned just as a tiny shadow dashed to our table and screeched to a halt.
The kid from the airport morning—and plane seat next to me. Panting, he looked up with sparkling eyes.
"(Pretty sisters from this morning!)"
"Oh, the one from—"
Before I could play it cool, he slapped his belly, bowed 90 degrees, and yelled,
"Thank you for helping me!"
Clunky but earnest Korean. Probably crammed from big sis Rika. His face beet red.
Too adorable—I was defenseless.
"Pfft..."
A smile crept up. Came all this way for a greeting this cute, huh. Couldn't resist petting his head.
"Hey, kiddo."
He squirmed shyly but didn't pull away, giggling hehe. Im Nana offered a skewer.
"Tatsuya! Want one?"
Eyes lit, he took it. Im Nana sharing food? Park Hyunseo would flip. Guess that's how cute he was?