Saturday (5)
Saturday (5)
Jin-hyuk hastily exited the theater, leaving behind an empty seat.
Ga-young's pupils trembled as if an earthquake had struck.
'I've lost my mind, Shin Ga-young... I've lost my mind... Was I too hasty...? I shouldn't have held his hand...'
Cold sweat ran down her spine.
The dating guidebook clearly said, "Natural physical contact in dark places increases the other person's heart rate," but...
'It increased his flight instinct, not his heart rate...!'
No... calm down.
Maybe Jin-hyuk really just had to go to the bathroom urgently. He drank cola, after all. Physiological needs can't be helped.
'...But the timing is just awful!'
Why right after I placed my hand over his? Without a hint of hesitation?
Anyone would see this as, "Ugh, this is suffocating! Let's escape!" flow.
'Did he start hating me...? What do I do...'
What if he used going to the bathroom as an excuse to go home?
Overwhelmed by anxiety, Ga-young couldn't help but pull out her phone from her pocket.
She lowered the brightness to minimum so the screen light wouldn't leak out, hunched over to hide the phone deeply, and started typing.
[Ga-young and Kids (4)]
[Me]
: Guys
: What do I do... I'm screwed... ㅠㅠ
[Park So-young]
: ?
: What's up
: Aren't you watching the movie? Did you spill popcorn?
[Me]
: No, it's not that
: I tried to set the mood and subtly grabbed his hand
: But right after I grabbed it, he ran off saying he had to go to the bathroom...
[Choi Yu-na]
: Lolololololololololololololol
[Lee Min-ji]
: Ah, lollol Is that timing for real
: Girl, that's 100% for sure
[Me]
: What's 100%...? ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
: He could've really needed the bathroom...
[Park So-young]
: Nope. In guy psychology, that's a polite way of saying 'rejection'
: He fled because it was too much pressure
: Good luck with that. Try again in your next life
[Lee Min-ji]
: Hey, don't be so brutally honest. She's crying lololol
: But seriously, didn't he run away? Did he go home?
[Me]
: Hey, stopㅠㅠㅠㅠ I'll actually cry...
Her friends' ruthless analysis made Ga-young's complexion turn ashen.
'You mean girls... You said you'd support me.'
Instead of helping, they were just fanning the flames.
On the verge of tears, Ga-young glanced toward the exit.
The dark-curtained entrance remained eerily still without a single movement.
'Did he really run away...?'
The more she imagined it, the more only the worst-case scenarios circled in her head.
What if I run into him at school next week? No, will he even let me run into him? What if he avoids me? What if rumors spread?
'I was too hasty...'
Self-blame washed over her. But she also couldn't help feeling wronged.
Sitting next to him, her heart felt like it would explode, and that hand on the armrest was so close, almost touching...
I just... I really just wanted to hold it once. What was I supposed to do when my hand moved before my brain?
It was practically an instinctual pull.
How many minutes of hell had passed like that?
A faint shadow flickered in the screen's glow.
'Huh...?'
Someone was walking in through the aisle, bent over at a 90-degree angle, taking quick short steps.
It was Seol Jin-hyuk.
He passed in front of her familiarly and plopped down naturally into the seat next to her, making a thud sound.
"..."
Ga-young instinctively held her breath.
She glanced at the time.
Approximately 5 minutes since he left.
'Time-wise... it's exactly enough time to go to the bathroom and come back.'
Was it really just a physiological need? Or did he flee because it was too much, then come back out of politeness?
Her mind got complicated again. She wanted to confirm.
'Hey, did you leave because I made you uncomfortable?'
No, that would make me look too pathetic.
'Was the bathroom refreshing?'
What kind of bizarre question is that...?
Ga-young's lips moved silently as she watched Jin-hyuk's reactions in the darkness.
And while she was writing all sorts of scenarios in her personal hell, time cruelly flew by.
With grand music, the ending credits rolled up, and bright lights turned on inside the theater.
"Ugh-ah..."
Next to her, Jin-hyuk stretched his arms wide with a satisfied expression.
"Wow, that was really fun. I'm glad I came out today. Ga-young, how was it for you?"
Startled by his bright question, Ga-young stammered.
"Huh? Uh... Me?"
Was it fun? She couldn't remember a single thing about the content.
Did Tanoshi do the finger snap? Did Captain do a tap dance? Who cares. Her mind was just replaying the 'Bathroom Escape Incident' and 'Hand Skin-ship' on an endless loop.
But she couldn't say that honestly, so Ga-young put on an awkward smile.
"Uh... it was fun. Totally."
A lie, of course.
People started packing up and trickling out one by one in the disorganized atmosphere. Ga-young secretly checked her phone's clock.
6 PM.
'According to the original plan...'
This was the timing where she was supposed to naturally shout, "Aren't you hungry? There's a great pasta place nearby, let's go!"
She'd searched for a week and found a restaurant with a 4.5-star rating.
But the words wouldn't come out of her mouth. The memory of having her hand held and then being rejected (or so it seemed) was holding her back like a trauma.
'What if I get rejected again? What if he says he's tired and going home?'
'If he fled to the bathroom because it was too much pressure earlier, would he hate it even more if I ask him to eat?'
All sorts of negative thoughts kept piling up.
But it was too disappointing to just part ways like this.
She bought clothes for today, woke up at dawn to do her makeup...
'Ah, screw it.'
She already messed up once. What's there to lose? If she backed down now, she'd definitely kick her blanket three thousand times at home.
'Right, let's put on a brave face. Shin Ga-young, you can do this.'
Ga-young clenched her trembling fist and carefully took a step closer to Jin-hyuk. She tried to smile as if she was relaxed, but the corners of her mouth trembled uncontrollably from tension.
"Hey... Jin-hyuk."
"Huh?"
"Don't tell me... we're just going to watch the movie and part ways?"
"......?"
"I've scouted out a really nice place that I want to go with you."
Ga-young watched Jin-hyuk's reaction and added in a shrinking voice, afraid of being rejected.
"Let's eat before we go. Okay? I'll pay."
She went for it.
She really went for it.
Ga-young forced down her heart-stopping tension and waited for his answer.
Jin-hyuk stroked his chin, pretending to think about it.
"Hmm..."
1 second. 2 seconds. 3 seconds.
Thump. Thump.
The sound of her own heartbeat echoed in Ga-young's ears like tinnitus.
'Is he going to reject me? Is he going to say let's meet another time because he's tired?'
'Was holding his hand really that burdensome for him?'
Just as the brief silence felt like an eternity and her breath was about to stop, Jin-hyuk opened his mouth nonchalantly.
"If we eat now, it'll be dinner, right? Sure, let's go."
"......!"
"But I'll treat you to dinner. Since you bought me popcorn earlier."
".....?!"
Ga-young's eyes widened.
Not a rejection, but acceptance. And what? He's paying?
A man, a college student at that, offering to buy a woman a meal? That was something you heard about as rarely as saying, "The earth is square." In this world, it was common sense and virtue for the woman to say, "I'll take care of everything, just bring yourself."
'What did I just hear?'
Too surprised, Ga-young stood frozen in a daze. Jin-hyuk tilted his head.
"What's up? Not coming? People are starting to crowd in."
With an expression that said it was no big deal, he strode toward the exit.
Only then did fireworks go off in Ga-young's head.
'It worked...!'
Success. He didn't run away. No, he even suggested eating together! And he said he'd pay!
Ga-young clenched her fist and silently cheered.
"Uh, yeah! Wait up! Let's go together!"
Afraid of missing her chance, Ga-young fixed her bag and chased after Jin-hyuk.
The feeling of falling to the depths of hell just moments ago was instantly replaced by a lightness like walking on clouds.
.
.
.
That's how the two of them exited the theater.
As soon as they stepped outside, a wave of warm air hit them.
A weekend evening. The downtown area was absolutely packed with people.
Women dressed to the nines filled the streets. Occasionally, men could be seen here and there, but most looked like they were being pulled along by their girlfriends.
Even amidst that crowded chaos, Jin-hyuk stood out. No, he couldn't help but stand out.
'He really is big...'
The top of her head barely reached his shoulder. Tall stature, broad shoulders. Even setting aside the rarity of men, his physique was definitely eye-catching.
From curious glances to blatant stares that scanned him from head to toe. Everyone looked at her, walking closely beside Jin-hyuk, with envy and jealousy.
On any other day, she would have enjoyed those gazes, puffed out her chest, and thought, 'See? This is my man.'
'...'
But right now, Ga-young wasn't purely happy. On the contrary, a chill ran down her spine.
The anxiety that if she slipped up even once, she could fall back into that crowd.
The very real fear of being reduced to just one of those countless 'passing pedestrians number 1.'
Ga-young lifted her head slightly to steal a glance at Jin-hyuk's profile.
A sharp nose bridge, a strong jawline. Whatever others might say, in Ga-young's eyes, this was an overwhelmingly handsome face.
But the problem was that expression.
'I can never tell what he's thinking.'
He's often like this. Is he happy? Bored? Or just zoning out?
Unfocused, hazy, empty eyes. What her friends would call 'dead fish eyes.'
Having such a handsome face but eyes that were bone-dry made it impossible to read what was going on inside.
She was burning up inside, unable to tell if he enjoyed being with her or if he was just being dragged along.
"It's here."
Hiding her complicated feelings, Ga-young stopped in front of a restaurant.
An Italian restaurant with a savory aroma wafting from the entrance.
'A pasta place.'
She picked it after seeing advice on an online dating community that said, "Men like eating pasta in atmospheric places."
She didn't know if it was true or not, but since everyone said so, she had no choice but to trust it.
Ga-young swallowed dryly and watched Jin-hyuk's reaction.
"Jin-hyuk, pasta's okay, right? I heard their cream pasta is really famous."
A brief silence.
Jin-hyuk glanced at the signboard once, then nodded calmly.
"Uh... yeah, sounds good. Let's go in."
That indifferent agreement was so welcome. Ga-young let out a silent sigh of relief.
Trudge, trudge.
Following behind Jin-hyuk's back as he walked ahead, Ga-young clasped her hands together and prayed earnestly.
Please, don't let tonight be a disaster.
Please.