Han River Date (3)
"Have you ever thought about going to college, Hyunsoo?"
"I mean, I'd like to try it at some point."
Perhaps because he'd dropped out of high school, Kim Hyunsoo still harbored a small lingering attachment to the idea of university. He'd wanted to experience campus life like everyone else, after all. But he had no real plans for it now. He was busy enough just making a living — there was no room in his schedule for school.
Tuition was a problem, too. He didn't have the kind of money it took to pay several thousand dollars a year in university fees. Right now he was doing rental boyfriend work specifically to save money, and if he enrolled in college, he wouldn't even have time for that anymore.
"I see...?"
"Wait, aren't you in college yourself, Noona?"
"I am not?"
Kim Hyunsoo had known that Shin Yuna was a Holy Maiden Candidate, but he'd had no idea she was a university student as well. Startled, he widened his eyes and stared at her.
"Really?"
"Yep. Though I don't exactly attend every lecture..."
It sounded like one of those cases where your name was simply on the roster. Even so, the university Shin Yuna mentioned was quietly considered one of the top schools in the country. Kim Hyunsoo felt a flicker of regret over his own education — he hadn't even finished high school. He was technically a middle school graduate. Maybe he should have at least gotten his high school diploma.
"Oh! The delivery's here! I'll go get it!"
While they'd been chatting, the food they'd ordered from the Chinese restaurant had arrived. Shin Yuna shoved her shoes on and darted off. The sight of her scampering so recklessly made him laugh. Still, he wasn't sure he shouldn't just help her out — she might not be able to carry it all by herself. Kim Hyunsoo got up from his seat and followed after her.
The Han River had designated spots called Delivery Zones, pickup points where delivery drivers left their orders. You'd collect your food there and eat it while looking out over the river — which had its own particular charm. And sure enough, Shin Yuna was flustered, her hands too full to manage. If that was the case, she could just ask for help; women in this world had such strange pride about the oddest things.
Jajangmyeon, jjamppong, and tangsuyuk on top of that. How was one person supposed to carry all of that? Add in the side dishes and it became downright impossible. If they'd had a tray to load it all onto, things might have been easier, but finding one out here by the river was a hopeless prospect.
"Here, Noona, let me help."
"Ah... Hyunsoo, I said I've got it..."
Shin Yuna's voice wavered, uncertain. Hearing it, Kim Hyunsoo replied,
"Nope. I wanted to walk anyway. And we're eating this together — it wouldn't be right for you to carry everything, would it?"
"But... I could just make two trips."
"Aw, come on, there's no need for that."
"Hyunsoo, you really are so sweet."
The two of them split the delivery food between them, half and half. Naturally, Shin Yuna insisting on carrying the larger share went without saying. When Kim Hyunsoo offered to take more, she made a huge fuss and told him to stand still and behave, and he wisely didn't argue. Anything more he said, he suspected she wouldn't hear it anyway.
"Alright!"
Arriving at the wooden bench, Kim Hyunsoo and Shin Yuna set the containers down and got everything ready to eat. Which is to say, they put the dishes on the ground and laid out the side dishes. That was it — and really, wasn't that effortless, no-fuss simplicity the whole appeal of delivery food?
"Dig in, Noona!"
"You too, Hyunsoo. Eat lots."
Kim Hyunsoo deftly peeled the plastic wrap off the jajangmyeon. Picking up his wooden chopsticks, he mixed the black bean sauce into the noodles with practiced ease, until the color turned so glossy and rich it made his mouth water just looking at it. He wound up a big forkful and took a bite. As expected, jajangmyeon was gospel — the one dish whose flavor never dipped below a guaranteed baseline, no matter where you ordered it.
Shin Yuna, meanwhile, sat staring blankly at him as he ate with such hearty appetite, her expression like someone under a spell. Noticing her gaze, Kim Hyunsoo spoke up.
"What's wrong, Noona? Do I have something on my face?"
"No! No, nothing!"
Startled out of her daze, Shin Yuna tore the plastic wrap off her jjamppong. The vivid crimson broth was striking. She picked up her own wooden chopsticks and started eating as well. Though come to think of it, they still hadn't settled the most important question of all — what to do about the tangsuyuk.
"Noona, do you pour the sauce or dip it?"
How to handle the sweet and sour pork sauce was a matter of grave importance. Depending on how you looked at it, it was a choice that could matter more than life itself. Shin Yuna glanced sideways at Kim Hyunsoo. He genuinely didn't care either way, so he decided to leave it to her preference. She was the one who'd bought the food, after all — eating it exactly the way she liked was only right.
"I can... pour it over?"
"Of course. Either way is fine with me."
"Thank you, Hyunsoo!"
And with that, she began drizzling the sauce over the tangsuyuk, letting it soak evenly into every piece. Kim Hyunsoo picked up a piece and, before taking one himself, held it first to Shin Yuna's lips. She loved being fed like this. Back when they'd had bossam together, it had been the same — whenever Kim Hyunsoo lifted his chopsticks and fed her directly, she'd accept the bite with her eyes glistening with tears.
These days she'd apparently gotten a little used to it, since she managed to hold back from actually welling up.
"Here, have a bite!"
"Mm!"
Shin Yuna beamed as she took the tangsuyuk from him. In this world, you couldn't find a woman who didn't melt at being fed like this. Every single one of them loved it. He suspected that little courtesies like these, one after another, were exactly what kept women booking him as a rental boyfriend again and again.
Even doing only half of what men back in his original world routinely did for their girlfriends was enough to leave the women here not merely satisfied but over the moon. To think a world this wonderful existed. Kim Hyunsoo found himself hoping that this world was his reality, not some dream.
Every time he woke up, he worried for a moment that he might have been returned to his old world. He did not want one of those famous wake-up-it-was-all-a-dream endings.
"Hyunsoo, what are you thinking about?"
"Oh, just this and that."
"If something's bothering you, tell me. Whatever's within my power, I'll help with."
"Just hearing that means a lot. You're a real comfort, Noona."
"I... I am?"
Kim Hyunsoo applied himself to his jajangmyeon. It was the large size, and the portion was filling. Between bites, the two of them kept chatting away, and before he knew it, the food they'd ordered had all vanished. It had looked like too much for the two of them to finish, but Shin Yuna could really put it away — she'd single-handedly eaten close to two full servings' worth.
Then again, Kim Hyunsoo had barely touched the tangsuyuk.
"I'll clean up! Hand me the empty containers!"
"Let's do it together, Noona. You bought the food — if I won't even do this much, I'd feel a little bad about myself."
"Hyunsoo... you really..."
Shin Yuna was genuinely moved. She'd never had a boyfriend before, but what Kim Hyunsoo was doing right now was classic concept man behavior — the kind of considerate gesture an ordinary man in this world would never dream of. The internet was full of stories about men who wouldn't lift a finger on a date. But looking at Kim Hyunsoo, it was clear those posts were nothing but slander.
And Shin Yuna had met every kind of nightmare client back when she worked at the church, but dating Hyunsoo like this made her heart melt into mush. Maybe this was the power of having a boyfriend. The difference between having one and not having one was night and day.
"Thank you!"
Together they gathered up the empty containers and tossed them in the trash. Since this was a zone specifically for eating delivery food, there was a dedicated space for sorting the waste, which made cleanup convenient. Shin Yuna sidled up close to Kim Hyunsoo's side. He simply smelled so good. He must be wearing the cologne she'd given him as a gift. Just standing next to him, the fragrance rolled off him in waves — and honestly, nothing in the world beat that. The date was ripening beautifully.
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And so the Han River date came to an end.
"Hyunsoo, want me to hail you a taxi home?"
"No, it's fine. I can just take the subway from here. Why waste money on a cab?"
"Still... I heard you got groped on the subway the other day..."
"I'm okay. I just made a mistake and got on a regular car instead of the Men's Only Car. That's all."
Shin Yuna studied his face for a long moment, then declared,
"No way! You're taking a taxi today, and I'm hailing it for you. I'll pay for it too."
If she was going to cover the fare, there was no reason to refuse. Kim Hyunsoo nodded at her insistence.
"All right then. If you feel that strongly about it, Noona, a taxi it is."
"Great choice!"
Kim Hyunsoo walked over to the taxi stand. Shin Yuna saw him into the cab and called out to the driver.
"Ma'am! Please get my Hyunsoo home safe and sound!"
"Don't you worry, missy."
The taxi driver was a woman. Which went without saying — in this world, middle-aged women driving cabs was a completely ordinary sight.
"Bye, Hyunsoo~ Let's do this again sometime!"
"You get home safe too, Noona~"
Waving, Shin Yuna saw him off. Today's date had been wonderful. And since Hyunsoo had arrived late to their meeting, they'd gotten to spend even more time together, well into the evening. Wearing a happy smile, Shin Yuna started walking toward the subway station. She'd put on a strong front for him, but today's date had cost her quite a bit. She'd need to tighten the belt for a while.