Shopping Spree and a Song That Lingers
The awkward tension hung heavily in the exhibition hall. Kim Seo-yeon and me. The strained atmosphere between us never quite eased until the very end.
"...Try smiling a bit more naturally."
"Like this?"
Her mouth curved in a half-broken smile that barely moved. I gave up on correcting it.
Click. A short shutter sound.
Ever since the mirror room incident earlier, we'd been sparing our words, focusing solely on taking photos.
Before we knew it, we'd reached the exit. As we stepped out of the exhibition hall, the dazzling autumn sunlight greeted us. A cloudless, brilliant blue sky. My tangled thoughts and racing heartbeat seemed to quiet, if only for a moment.
"Uwaaaah—."
Kim Seo-yeon stretched her arms wide, taking in a deep breath of the crisp air. I heard a soft whoosh from beside me.
"......"
I felt her gaze. She opened and closed her mouth a few times while looking at me, then finally spoke.
"...But, Jun-woo. You've been dressing a lot better lately, huh?"
Her eyes scanned me up and down.
"You used to always wear those drab gray hoodies or weird shirts. You should dress like this more often."
"Ah, this?"
I shrugged lightly in response.
"I only have this and the one from the musical last time."
"Why?"
"Well... I only bought these when I went shopping last time? My tutoring student picked them all out. Should I ask her to pick again?"
No sooner had my casual reply landed than Kim Seo-yeon's hazel eyes narrowed. The corners of her mouth, which had been happily curved just moments ago, slowly drooped. Her brows subtly furrowed at the same time.
"...What? Tutoring student? Don't tell me it's a girl?"
"Huh? Yeah, it's a girl."
Her voice dropped a tone. Her expression didn't look great.
In the brief silence, her gaze sharply scanned my outfit once more.
"Ha, seriously. Why are you asking a kid to pick out your clothes?"
"......?"
"And you're a full-grown adult, going to your tutoring kid for that."
Kim Seo-yeon let out a disbelieving scoff. Suddenly, she grabbed my arm and yanked me along.
"Hey, come on."
"Where?"
"I'll help you. With picking clothes. Your wallet's okay, right?"
"...Huh? Yeah. Money's fine."
"Then let's go."
Without even listening to any objections, Kim Seo-yeon strode ahead. Our destination was a large outlet mall right near the exhibition hall.
A moment of hesitation. Pretending I couldn't resist, I let her lead me into the shopping mall.
The fourth floor was lined with familiar brand stores. Kim Seo-yeon scanned the shops with the sharp eyes of a hawk hunting prey.
"Try this on. And that one. Oh, this knit color's nice."
My tastes or opinions were completely ignored. I just took the pile of clothes she'd picked and headed into the fitting room.
Mostly toned-down, clean knits. And key fall long coats with a drop-shoulder fit.
I changed and checked myself in the full-length mirror.
'Not bad.'
Different vibe from the Hongdae outfit. Thanks to consistently maintaining my body, the fit looked pretty sharp.
I pulled back the curtain and stepped out. Kim Seo-yeon, lounging on the sofa with arms crossed and legs propped up, had her eyes widen slightly.
"......"
"Looks okay?"
"Uh, no! I mean... it's passable, I guess."
Her gruff tone spat it out. But her hazel eyes were shaking nonstop. Her pupils darted up and down without pause, her gaze unable to settle anywhere.
"...Your shoulders are broader than I thought. Even the looser ones fit well."
A voice tinged with surprise. How narrow did she think they were? It was a bit absurd, but I let it slide. She was buying me clothes, after all. But the main goal was to lift her mood.
"Hmm... this should do it."
Shopping bags filled both hands. Outlet prices were reasonable, but buying everything that caught my eye added up more than expected.
Felt like instant ramen-only life for a while.
"Want me to pick something for you? I'll check it out."
"You? Picking clothes?"
Doubtful look. Her offer to take photos this morning had been odd, but this was confident skepticism. A guy bad at fashion critiquing her? I wouldn't trust it either.
"Fine. Let's see."
She seemed to ponder briefly, then nodded.
She headed to a famous sportswear brand.
"Sportswear?"
"...Yeah. Need clothes for working out."
She averted her eyes a bit.
....... Her intentions for coming to the sportswear store felt highly suspicious, but I let it go. Couldn't force her to buy unnecessary stuff.
Probably just testing if I really could judge.
"How's this?"
She changed and did a light spin in place.
"Suits you well."
"Right? I'll get this."
No need to ask opinions. Just plain achromatic sportswear. She'd picked some flashy ones at first, but switched to neutrals after glancing at me.
......My motivation plummeted.
A thumping bass echoed through the space. Flashing colorful lights. And...
"I only like you~!"
High-pitched shouting from beyond the door.
After our long shopping trip, the next stop was a nearby coin karaoke. It was that awkward afternoon time—too early for dinner. Since we were already out, I wanted to grab a meal before parting, so we'd wandered and found this place.
"Pretty cramped......"
"Scoot in more."
"This is my limit."
The booth looked even smaller than the ones we'd been to before. With all the shopping bags down, we had no choice but to sit practically touching.
Inevitable close proximity. Side by side on the sofa, our shoulders and knees brushed teasingly.
Sitting next to her, her scent naturally wafted over—sweet and tangy, tickling my nose.
The unexpectedly intimate distance brought a strange tension.
"Me first?"
She naturally grabbed the remote and punched in a number.
We'd come here often as a group after drinks for round two. But alone, stone-cold sober? This was a first.
"Starting with a tough one."
"I'll show you my skills. Don't worry."
The song she'd queued was packed with relentless high notes—a daunting choice for an opener.
...She'll handle it.
The grand intro accompaniment flowed out. She gripped the mic and opened her mouth.
"Suddenly arriving—facing the disaster—."
From the opening lines, the room's air shifted dramatically.
"......!"
I couldn't help but widen my eyes.
"Pain endlessly comes—!"
The high notes were one thing, but her volume was beyond expectations. A solid, resonant voice that wasn't thin at all. It suited the song perfectly.
I knew she sang well usually. But we'd always been drunk, belting party tracks nonstop, so hearing a serious song like this sober was new.
"Hooah......"
She nailed the climax, set down the mic, and checked her throat with an ahh.
"Here. Water."
I handed her the pre-bought bottle.
She took a light sip and glanced my way.
"Not queuing the next one?"
"Ah. Yeah."
"Heh? So focused on my singing?"
Face like she'd caught teasing ammo. Not wanting to feed it, I ignored her and took the remote.
What to sing? No plans to hype or kill the mood. Just pulled up the popular charts and tapped a familiar one.
A common guy's go-to at karaoke.
Beep. Reservation hit, gentle piano intro started.
I adjusted the mic, cleared my throat lightly, and started the first verse.
"Back then, we were so young~"
Didn't want to overdo it early and crack, so I sang plainly, straightforward and emotionless.
The song itself was ordinary. A chart-topping, dime-a-dozen love ballad. Normally, if someone sang it in group karaoke, I'd scroll my phone and tune it out.
[The one who stayed by my side.]
Singing along absently to the on-screen text, my gaze naturally drifted sideways.
"......"
Our eyes met. Kim Seo-yeon's face was calm, playfulness gone. Slightly parted lips, eyes subtly glistening.
"......!"
I quickly snapped my head back to the screen.
[Now, I'll protect you.]
'Were the lyrics this on-the-nose?'
Continuing the song, what started mindless now felt self-conscious. The mid-song lines whispering sweet nothings to a lover. Singing them here, in this tiny booth, shoulders nearly touching—it made the mood weirdly off.
'Stay calm.'
Embarrassment surged, but I couldn't show it. Panicking and missing a beat would make it weirder.
I forced my eyes on the monitor, steadily finishing the rest without a waver. No choking, no pitch slips. If anything, focusing hard made it more perfect than usual.
[The one I long for.]
Last verse done, I set down the mic.
[Congratulations! You scored 97 in my heart!]
Followed by fanfare. With that sound, heavy silence settled in the booth.
"......"
"......"
We sat in awkward quiet, words failing us. The air felt itchier, more ambiguous than before. A fragile mood ready to shatter at a poke.
I had to break this suffocating stillness. Pretending nonchalance, I tossed a usual joke.
"Hey, not queuing the next song? Too mesmerized by my sweet voice?"
A light jab to lighten things. Normally, she'd snap back instantly.
"Huh? Oh... sorry. Doing it now."
But her response was a fumbling stutter. She fiddled with the innocent remote, avoiding my eyes. Her flustered reaction made the atmosphere, which I'd tried to defuse, even stranger and heavier.
That was when...
Bzzz. Her phone screen beside me lit up brightly.
The popup message on the screen. From Kang Min-jun.
Perhaps due to the song's lingering ambiguity, Kim Seo-yeon, who had been spacing out, noticed the phone screen. For a split second, her hazel eyes trembled faintly.
'......'
Brief silence. She stared deeply at the screen as if pondering something, then unhesitatingly flipped the phone face-down.
She turned to me and quietly spoke.
"What should we sing next~."
Pretending to scan the screen for the next song. Like the message didn't matter, fully immersed in this moment with a subtle nuance.
Soon, a familiar alert chimed, and a system window appeared in the air.
Your life has been extended by 3 days.
Remaining Life: 56 days
The blue translucent window floating in the air. Good news of extended life.
But oddly, it didn't bring much joy.
...Just made my head more complicated.
Kim Seo-yeon, trying hard to focus on picking a song (Image)
