Shopping Date
"Hurry up already, don't dawdle!"
"…Sigh."
A peaceful weekend with no Supporter duties for once. I'd planned to lounge around the house all day, but Seo Chaerim summoned me. She wanted me to tag along while she shopped for clothes.
Normally, I'd have told her to cut the crap and hung up, but I owed her one from when we saved Marie, so I couldn't say no. When I asked why she had to call me, she said Hwang Yerang shops online because it's a hassle, and Diana hates going out. Seong Haneul had been holed up in the hideout this whole time, but he conveniently vanished today. In my eyes, the guy sniffed out her shopping plans and bolted early.
Sigh. Honestly, we're not exactly the type to go shopping together, are we? I wasn't dying to go either, but it pisses me off that I'm her last resort.
I like shopping for clothes too, so I figured I'd pick some up while I was out, but tagging along with Seo Chaerim doesn't sit right. Someone might call this a date, but she just dragged me along because she hates shopping alone. She parked me in the store and tried on clothes by herself, all excited.
Usually in novels, shopping scenes have the heroine changing outfits and shyly asking, "How do I look?" Sadly, no such luck here. No need for it anyway.
Still, on a whim, I mentioned it to her. "You gonna ask what I think of the clothes?"
"You? Why would I?"
She recoiled, face scrunched up in disgust. Yeah, figures. Better she didn't show me—reacting would've been a chore anyway.
The store had men's clothes too, so I window-shopped while waiting. I didn't need anything, so I wasn't buying unless it really caught my eye.
That's how I killed time while she shopped, until—
"Huh? Pervert?"
"Marie?"
We bumped into Marie inside the store. She was in a bucket hat and mask, so I didn't recognize her at first. Heroes are celebrity-level famous here, so she had to cover up to shop in peace.
"Fancy running into you here. Out shopping?"
"Not me—got dragged along. You shopping solo?"
"Yeah. I asked Spica to come, but she said she had training."
After the kidnapping mess, I'd called Marie the next day to check if she was okay. Told her I'd worried when the call dropped. She apologized, saying a monster distracted her. Good thing she didn't suspect me.
We chatted lightly since it had been a while, but then Seo Chaerim emerged from the fitting room and spotted us.
"Oh. Chaerim? What's this? No way—you're shopping with… Yuseong?"
"Uh… yeah…"
On our first Supporter patrol, Seo Chaerim had teamed with Marie once, so Marie remembered her. Seo Chaerim shot me a glare, silently demanding to know what the hell was going on. I just shrugged.
"Heh. Never guessed you two were dating. All that bickering… Guess I'm the third wheel here."
Marie fully bought into the couple idea and laughed, waving goodbye. It was a massive misunderstanding that grated on me, so I grabbed her arm on impulse.
"Wait—that's not it."
"…Huh?"
She jumped, eyes wide. Grabbing another girl mid-date with your girlfriend? Yeah, that looks bad. My hand moved before my brain caught up.
But I didn't want Marie getting the wrong idea, and shopping alone with Seo Chaerim felt off anyway. Plus, with Marie here, it'd be petty revenge on Seo Chaerim, who seemed annoyed.
"Um… Yuseong? Even so, grabbing another girl's arm on a date with your girlfriend…"
"She's not my girlfriend. You think I'd date her?"
"Hey! What the hell's that supposed to mean?!"
"See? I like 'em quiet."
"Fine, just let go already."
"Oh, right."
Marie seemed convinced we weren't together— or at least pretended to be. Crisis averted. At my urging, we ended up shopping as a trio.
Marie and Seo Chaerim had only met once, so it was awkward at first, but Marie's sociable nature loosened things up as they shopped and chatted. Seo Chaerim still looked uncomfortable, but that wasn't my problem.
Honestly, wandering with just her felt weirder. This was better for me.
…Two hours later, the shopping showed no signs of stopping. What was there to browse? With Marie joining, it might drag even longer.
I played pack mule, when Seo Chaerim suddenly froze, face twisting as she scanned around.
"What? What's wrong?"
"…Something's off."
"Like what? Lose your wallet?"
"I hear… crying? Screaming? No, it's…"
"Sounds? I don't hear anything."
As a werewolf, my senses are sharper than a normal human's even untransformed. Nothing reached me.
Wait. She hears it, I don't? Means it's a monster sound, not human.
Bad timing with Marie right here—
"Kyaaah!! It's a monster!!"
"M-monster!!"
I debated splitting Marie and Seo Chaerim up, when screams erupted about monsters appearing.
Monsters in a busy street during the day? We call 'em monsters, but they're living creatures with ecosystems and habits. Mostly nocturnal, hunting in low-traffic spots. They pop up in crowds sometimes after losing territory fights, but it's rare.
"Pervert! Hold these!"
Marie shoved her bags at me and bolted toward the screams. Mission to separate them: success.
"Hey. Was that monster the sound you heard?"
No witnesses now, so I asked Seo Chaerim—but she looked off.
"Hah… hah…"
Breathing ragged like a panic attack, eyes wide and teary. Not normal.
"Hey! What's wrong?!"
"This can't… it can't be… why?!"
"Seo Chaerim! Calm down! What's happening?!"
I grabbed her shoulders and shook, yelling. She's usually rational and cool-headed, even if she explodes at a touch. Seeing her this rattled unnerved me.
"I don't know! This never happened before!"
"Something wrong with your power?"
"No. The monsters… they're going berserk."
"Your monsters? Out of control?"
"No, not mine. It's like they're sharing emotions—all losing reason, hyped up."
I couldn't parse it. But I didn't need to. Reality hit fast.
"Kyaaaaah!!"
"What the fuck?!"
"Aaah! Help!!"
Monsters burst from everywhere, mindless beasts charging people. The crowded street turned to chaos.
A man's head vanished into a monster's maw before he reacted. A kid fleeing with his mom tripped, trampled under panicked feet. Blood sprayed, screams everywhere.
"What the…"
Villain Alliance terror? But they can't control monsters.
Whatever—staying put meant disaster. It was disaster. I wanted to transform and fight, but sunset was hours away.
Glanced at Seo Chaerim—her face was a wreck.
"Hey. Can't you handle it with your power?"
"No. They won't communicate."
"Damn it!"
Call Hwang Yerang? No—heroes would swarm a busy area. Calling her would blow up. Use Seo Chaerim's monsters? That'd expose Betrayer.
What now? Untransformed, I'm just a helpless civilian. Best bet: run.
But watching people die? I couldn't flee just 'cause I couldn't shift. I hate regrets. There had to be something I could do.
"Seo Chaerim. Head back to the hideout and assess."
"What about you?"
"Save people, obviously."
"You can't even transform—what can you do?"
"Better than doing nothing!"
A guy tripped fleeing. A monster growled, closing in. I snatched a baseball bat from a nearby sports store and charged.