An Embrace in the Mirror Maze
The next day. Early morning. I stood in front of the entrance plaza to the massive silver spaceship-like Dongdaemun Design Plaza, aka DDP.
"Yaaawn~."
A yawn slipped out naturally despite my efforts to hold it back. I opened my mouth wide enough to hear a satisfying pop. Still, the sleepiness lingered, my eyelids feeling as heavy as lead weights. The crisp autumn morning air nipped at my collar, but it couldn't fully chase away the deep-seated drowsiness.
Exams were all done, and even classes were miraculously canceled. On a day like this, the university student national rule was to sleep in until the sun was high and the blankets grew warm. But thanks to yesterday's sudden morning appointment with Kim Seo-yeon, I'd left home earlier than everyone else and was stuck standing in this chilly wind.
Her abrupt proposal to check out an exhibition as thanks for the musical tickets. It happened to be similar to the place Kim Ye-eun had mentioned at the drinking party, so I hesitated for a moment on accepting. But in the end, I did.
I had a rough guess about the method that could dramatically extend my lifespan. Since my life was literally on the line, I needed clear confirmation of that speculation.
What to do after confirming... I'd figure that out step by step.
"Jun-woo!"
Kim Seo-yeon hadn't arrived yet, so I was killing time scrolling mindlessly through short-form videos. At the familiar voice calling from the crowd, I looked up.
A petite silhouette bouncing toward me from afar. Her subtle ash-gray silver hair shimmered in the transparent sunlight. She wasn't close enough for a clear view yet, but even from a distance, she looked like she'd put in real effort with her outfit.
But what really caught my eye was the tip of her shoes. Heels that looked pretty high—something she'd never wear normally. Running in those precarious things, she wouldn't trip over her own feet, would she?
An inexplicable anxiety hit me, and I found myself taking a step forward without thinking.
"Huu... Almost late. Ugh, I'm beat."
Thankfully, she landed safely in front of me without falling. Kim Seo-yeon panted heavily, her chest heaving as if her breath was right up to her throat.
"It's 10:05 right now?"
"Exactly, so I'm not late. Korean time. You don't know that?"
Our appointment was precisely at 10 a.m. I was about to scold her cheeky attitude despite the huffing, but I just shut my mouth.
"You look pretty nice today."
Instead, I tossed out a light compliment. Kim Seo-yeon widened her light brown eyes in surprise, then flashed her signature sly smile and leaned in close.
"Why? Does it make your heart race?"
She was acting all casual, but the corner of her mouth trembled faintly in my view. She was obviously nervous.
How should I react here? A brief moment of thought. The safest stance in this subtle gap was, as always, to tease her like usual.
"Nah. Not at all. Drawing lines on a pumpkin doesn't make it a watermelon."
"What?! Hey, Lee Jun-woo! You done saying that?!"
She'd clearly expected praise, but at the jab, her face flushed red and blue as she yelled.
I left her cute outburst behind and turned toward the exhibition entrance without a second thought.
Maybe because it was a weekday morning, the inside of the DDP felt spacious and relaxed. From what I'd heard online, weekends meant waiting in line for a full hour. We skipped that boredom, just showed our tickets, and slipped right in comfortably.
"Kim Seo-yeon, give me your phone and stand over there. I'll take one for you."
Right past the entrance was a massive photo spot. The entire wall was covered in cute illustrations of the exhibition's mascot characters. When I'd mapped out the route on All Day Time yesterday, this was the hottest spot for Instagram shots, so I'd marked it firmly in my mind.
"You any good at photos?"
She squinted suspiciously but handed over her phone. I didn't bother explaining. No need to tire my mouth detailing my framing skills or lighting tricks.
I was practically a semi-pro photographer for a famous influencer. Just show overwhelming results—that was enough.
"A bit more forward. Good. Stay there. Chin down a little. Eyes on the lens. Relax your face, natural. Good, taking it."
I directed her based on the most striking shots I'd seen yesterday and poses that suited her. She grumbled midway about when I'd even press the shutter, but Kim Seo-yeon followed my instructions well enough, striking the poses.
Click, click.
Pretty satisfying results on the screen. Background visible without awkwardness, lighting hitting just right to highlight her features clearly. Better than I'd envisioned.
I smiled contentedly and handed the phone back.
"Here, check it out."
As I casually offered it, her eyes widened like a rabbit's at the screen.
"Whoa. What? Jun-woo, you had this skill? Honestly, didn't expect it."
She zoomed in and out on her photo, marveling. Lost in it, she sidled up close to me.
"Hey, look. This one's killer, right? The proportions are insane."
She thrust the screen into my view. At the same time, our shoulders brushed oh-so-close.
Every time she tilted her head for reactions, a sweet, tangy, pleasant shampoo scent wafted from her silver hair.
Before I got any closer without meaning to, I hurried to speak.
"I made you look way taller than real life."
"...What do you mean by that?"
Her beaming face turned menacing in an instant. I cleared my throat and fled to the next section like a coward.
The next area was filled with dreamy, surreal media art. Lights shifting through subtle colors every moment, gentle music soothing the mind. They filled the vast space without a gap.
We wandered, admiring, until we reached the dark mirror room section—a viral spot on All Day Time. No one inside.
Kim Seo-yeon went in first.
"It's really dark."
Every side sealed with mirrors, lighting dimly nonexistent. Hard to tell front from back.
Her confident stride grew noticeably cautious.
"......"
Words gone, she glanced around anxiously and subtly—very carefully—gripped the hem of my shirt sleeve. Not a full grab, just her thumb and index finger pinching the edge pitifully.
"...Too fast."
Her soft mutter. I slowed my pace so she could keep up easily even in the dark.
...Come to think of it, she'd worn those high heels today, which she never does.
A foreboding thought flashed through my mind.
"Kim Seo-yeon. Floor's slippery with lips—watch your step, don't trip."
"Who'd trip—ack!"
My warning barely ended when her precarious heel caught dead-on on a shallow ledge.
With a short scream, she lost balance and lurched toward me. Before she hit the floor, my arms instinctively shot out, wrapping firmly around her slender shoulders.
"Told you to be careful."
In that instant, the distance between us shrank dramatically. Not even a fistful of space.
Multicolored faint media art glows reflecting off the surrounding mirrors in the dark. Those vibrant lights sparkled brilliantly in her light brown eyes.
"......"
Staring up at me blankly in my arms. Her red lips parted slightly in fluster, her hot shallow breaths hitting my chin directly.
Time itself seemed to stretch, flowing agonizingly slow.
Kim Seo-yeon's eyes shook like an earthquake, unable to settle. Not meeting my gaze straight, nor turning away—just frozen in my hold.
Was it her heartbeat from her chest, or my own unconsciously quickening? The mad thump-thump echoed hugely in my ears.
In that moment of strange tension,
Life extended by 5 days.
Remaining life: 53 days
The cold text reflected in my eyes made the pounding in my ears vanish like a lie.
Just as I'd expected.
The sure condition for greatly extending my life. Snacks only gave 1-2 days at best. This simple event netted a whopping 5.
Musical yesterday, exhibition today. Hypothesis confirmed completely.
'......'
To greatly extend my life, deepen ties with the original novel's main characters far beyond now.
Among them, Kim Seo-yeon had the highest chance of getting closer.
But the half-ignored thought remained: to me, she was still overwhelmingly a 'character from the novel', not a full real person.
No matter how I tried to change my mindset, the lingering unease persisted.
With that unease, only one way to advance our relationship: pretend to like her without truly doing so, thoroughly exploiting her affection and emotions.
'But......'
"...Don't let go?"
Deep in endless rumination, her voice snapped me back to reality. Gone was her usual bold, bubbly tone—now a thin, trembling whisper like an ant crawling in.
Her ragged breaths hit my ear too.
"Let go of my waist first, then say it."
At my words, she startled and whipped her gaze down. Her hands clutched my waist like a lifeline.
Realizing it now, she yanked them away and stumbled back awkwardly.
"S-s-sorry! I was so startled, it was unconscious...!"
"It's fine. Happens between friends. Let's go. Floor's more dangerous than I thought."
I acted nonchalant, quickly turning and leading the way out.
A murmur of "Friends......" trailed from behind, but I ignored it.
My head was a tangled mess like knotted threads. I didn't want to show her whatever face I was making.
Flustered Kim Seo-yeon (Image)
