Cinema Date (2)
The Couple Combo cost just a bit more than the Double Combo. Was that the movie theater's little scheme for squeezing couples? Kim Hyunsoo stole a glance at Shin Yuna, but she didn't seem to care in the slightest. If anything, she looked purely delighted with her Couple Combo choice.
Shin Yuna naturally pulled out her card and paid. Kim Hyunsoo stood quietly behind her. On their first date, he had taken the lead, but from the second date onward it was usually Shin Yuna driving things. Apparently she'd realized that as the woman, she was the one who was supposed to lead — which, from Kim Hyunsoo's perspective, was nothing but a win.
"Noona, I'll go grab the popcorn."
Since Shin Yuna had handled the payment, Kim Hyunsoo said this with every intention of fetching the popcorn himself. But Shin Yuna didn't hand over the order number.
"Let's go get it together. I'll carry it."
"Sorry?"
"It's heavy if you carry it alone."
How heavy could popcorn and a couple of sodas possibly be? But the look in Shin Yuna's eyes said she didn't want to be apart from him even for a moment. Kim Hyunsoo simply went along with her — she clearly wasn't going to hand it over even if he asked.
Clutching Kim Hyunsoo's hand tightly, Shin Yuna waited for nothing but the popcorn to come out. It was the weekend, so the place was packed. Everywhere he looked there were nothing but women, though every now and then a man hiding among them would come into view. The women around them watched such couples with undisguised envy. The women glancing at Kim Hyunsoo and Shin Yuna right now wore that exact same look — jealous of nothing more than the fact that the two of them were enjoying a sweet date on a holiday like this.
Just as he was beginning to feel all those gazes on him, the popcorn and cola finally arrived.
"Order 600, one Couple Combo. Enjoy!"
The employee handed over a freshly scooped tub of popcorn and the drinks. Kim Hyunsoo gave her a light smile, took the popcorn and one of the colas — and Shin Yuna, who had been staring fixedly at him, quickly picked up the rest.
"Noona? What's wrong?"
Kim Hyunsoo asked what had made her expression stiffen a moment ago. Shin Yuna answered with a faint trace of embarrassment.
"Don't smile at other women..."
"Sorry?"
"I want your smile to be something only I get to see."
She seemed to have a fair bit of possessiveness in her. Then again, even he wouldn't feel great if his girlfriend went around flashing smiles at other men. Kim Hyunsoo nodded and said,
"Got it. I won't smile at any women who aren't you, Noona."
"N-no, you don't have to go that far..."
One moment this, the next moment that. Even after coming to this world, a woman's heart remained impossible to figure out. Come to the reversed world as he might, the reed-like fickleness of the female heart was eternal. Popcorn and cola in hand, they headed into the theater.
"That actor's only good because of the lighting, honestly."
"Really? I think it suits her."
"Hyunsoo-ya. Noona's right."
"Yes, ma'am..."
They were chatting away during the pre-movie commercials, which currently featured an exotic-looking woman advertising cosmetics. Mercifully, women in this world splurged on skincare and makeup just as much as anywhere else. Maybe that was why a pleasant fragrance seemed to drift off Shin Yuna beside him. Whether it came from an expensive perfume or was simply her natural scent, he couldn't tell.
"Here we go!"
The commercials faded, and the theater lights began to dim one by one. The chatter around them died down. As darkness settled over the auditorium, the distributor's banner appeared on screen. Foreign corporations were exactly the same even in this world — though domestic ones had their subtle differences, admittedly.
His throat was dry, so Kim Hyunsoo took a sip of cola. He generally avoided drinking anything once a film started, but he had no choice. If he downed his cola early in the movie, he'd need to pee right at the climax — that was the cruel truth of it.
Crunch, crunch—
Beside him, Shin Yuna was devouring the popcorn like it was water. There were two drinks but only a single tub of popcorn, so he had no option but to reach his hand into the one she was holding.
Tap—
Their hands collided. It was unavoidable contact if either of them wanted popcorn. Shin Yuna seemed to relish the contact — she stopped picking out pieces entirely and simply waited until Kim Hyunsoo made his choice first. Seeing her do that, Kim Hyunsoo grinned.
Then he grabbed her hand.
"!!!"
Startled by the sudden move, Shin Yuna nearly let out a shriek — but she quickly realized it was one of his pranks and gave his shoulder a light thump.
"You scared me!"
"You're the one who wouldn't move your hand, Noona."
"Still..."
They were whispering back and forth, but they had to mind the people around them. Talking during a movie was, after all, a public nuisance. Before long, Kim Hyunsoo and Shin Yuna went quiet again.
[Yeonwoo... I love you! Marry me!]
[Ms. Hyeji...]
True to the romance films of the gender-reversed world, the heroine had beaten the hero to the punch, delivering a dashing confession of her own. The moment that scene played, a chorus of sighs rippled through the female audience — and Shin Yuna beside him was no exception. She was completely absorbed in the movie.
Kim Hyunsoo, for his part, couldn't work up any enthusiasm for such a predictable romance flick. So he pulled his eyes from the screen and looked around instead. There were women who'd come alone, and there were couples. That couple over there, fidgeting and squirming about, was clearly getting up to some affectionate mischief during the romance film. Their behavior was conspicuous enough that Kim Hyunsoo spotted it after only the briefest glance.
Kim Hyunsoo decided to stage a little surprise of his own — a way of thanking Shin Yuna for buying the popcorn earlier. He slowly reached out and gently took her sweat-damp hand. Shin Yuna flinched in surprise, but once she realized it was Kim Hyunsoo holding her hand, she began kneading and stroking his like it was clay. Somehow, she seemed to have lost all ability to focus on the movie.
Kim Hyunsoo never found the right moment to withdraw his hand until the film ended. If it was going to turn out like this, he should have just waited and grabbed it right before the credits rolled.
"That was so much fun, wasn't it, Hyunsoo-ya?"
Shin Yuna said it as though the movie had been an absolute masterpiece, and Kim Hyunsoo played along.
"Yeah, I enjoyed it too. Though it was hard to concentrate with you never letting go of my hand, Noona."
"Is... is that so?"
She laughed sheepishly. If they hadn't been a couple — if they'd been two men — the way Shin Yuna fondled Kim Hyunsoo's hand would have had the police hauling her off for molestation on the spot. It got to the point where Kim Hyunsoo had to endure glares from the surrounding women that bordered on outright jealousy.
Of course, that jealousy was directed entirely at Shin Yuna, not at Kim Hyunsoo. Whether she knew it or not, Shin Yuna kept playing with his hand right up until the movie ended. If anything, he suspected she knew perfectly well — and kept going anyway.
Pressed flush against Kim Hyunsoo's side with her arm looped through his, Shin Yuna escorted him out of the theater. She had a nicely proportioned chest, and as a result, it kept brushing against his elbow the whole way.
Was this how women seduced men in this world? Shin Yuna, however, didn't seem to be doing it with any particular intent. Once they'd pushed their way through the crowd, she released his arm and said,
"Hyunsoo-ya, you're hungry, aren't you? Noona's buying, so let's eat before you go!"
Hyunsoo glanced at his watch. As much as he liked Shin Yuna, business was business — he needed to keep up a professional front. Shin Yuna seemed to have done the math as well. There were still a full two hours left on the date. Have dinner, then finish things off at a café — the timing was perfect.
Even though it was the weekend, Shin Yuna had rented a full six hours of Kim Hyunsoo's time today. Considering that weekend rates ran fifty percent higher, it was a serious expenditure on her part. She'd mentioned before that her income wasn't much to speak of — she was only twenty, after all.
Then again, it wasn't as though clergy were known for being rich. Though Kim Hyunsoo couldn't help thinking that the moment Shin Yuna stepped away from being a Holy Maiden Candidate and took a hospital job, she'd be wealthy overnight. With her extraordinary healing abilities, all she'd have to do was put them to work mending the wounds of wealthy tycoons and politicians, and she'd be sitting on a cushion of cash in no time.
That said, it would be overstepping for Kim Hyunsoo to decide her career for her. In the end, he decided to simply eat the meal she was buying.
"Sure."
"Then let's go!"
Bubbling with excitement, Shin Yuna grabbed Kim Hyunsoo's hand and led the way toward the restaurant.