I'll Buy You Pork Cutlet Later (4)
"Take a deep breath. It'll be over in about fifteen minutes, so try not to worry too much."
"Ugh... okay."
The worker lay me back in the chair at the blood draw station, prepping the needle. For someone like Ha-min, who'd only ever had flu shots or COVID vaccines his whole life, this was the biggest needle he'd ever seen, just waiting to plunge into his vein.
If the needles he'd encountered before were like toothpicks, the one for blood donation here looked practically like a straw.
Clunk. The realization that something like that was about to go inside him made Ha-min's hand twitch in sudden fear.
"Uh, I'm not quite mentally ready yet... could you wait just a bit...?"
"Aw, c'mon, didn't you come here to look cool in front of your girlfriend? If you're shaking like this, she might get disappointed..."
Thump. At the worker's casual reference to Do-young as his girlfriend, Ha-min's heart—which was already racing from nerves—started pounding even harder. Could other people really see us that way? What if this makes Do-young feel offended by the misunderstanding? That's why I should've worn my usual drab black hoodie instead of this white one.
"N-no, it's not like that... we're not..."
Ha-min felt like he had to clearly deny any relationship with Do-young. He turned his head toward the worker prepping the shot and spoke up.
"If you're not together, then you should show off even more. Acting all calm and composed right now might make your friend see you in a new light, y'know?"
Was it because Ha-min's reaction—head turning away in cold sweat from fear of the needle—looked so cute? Even after hearing they weren't a couple, the worker encouraged him with a couple of pats on his arm.
"What do you think? Doesn't a friend who steps up and does something cool like this seem pretty awesome?"
The worker called out to Do-young, who was waiting in the lounge they were using like a café. Maybe Ha-min hadn't completely tuned out the world either. He subtly turned his head toward where the worker had indicated.
"Whoa! This blood center has comics in the café too? Never thought I'd find a full set of One-Nabled here."
"Oh, collecting novels and comics is the director's hobby. I figured kids these days wouldn't be into that stuff—kinda surprising."
"Must be the director's grace at work..."
But no response came from Do-young. Completely absorbed in the café's comic collection, she'd crossed her legs on the chair and started reading as if she'd forgotten all about Ha-min.
"..."
"...Gonna insert the needle now."
"...Okay."
Poke.
Ha-min's heartbeat went utterly silent, beyond words. Even as a needle bigger than any he'd ever had pierced his vein for the first time in his life, his eyes didn't so much as blink—he welcomed the unfamiliar intruder into his body.
"Good, that's it. Just slowly clench and unclench your hand for the draw. Not too hard. Relax, got it?"
"Y-yeah. Thanks."
Ha-min leaned back in the chair and moved his left hand as instructed.
"It's really no big deal."
His eyes had been watering from fear just moments ago, and now he felt embarrassed about it. The left hand with the needle stuck in it, having its blood siphoned away, felt nothing special. If anything, not pain—but a sense of wonder. Every time he flexed, the tube bulged with his own blood from his arm. And staring at it all, feeling nothing.
"I wonder what she's doing right now."
Ha-min turned his head right to look toward the lounge where Do-young sat.
"Ah, there—volume 45. That's the one I was curious about."
Do-young was still glued to that same spot and comic, totally immersed. He'd figured she'd get bored quick, scroll her phone, or chat up other friends she knew—but this was a bit unexpected.
"What? Is 'Flame Spear?' the actual line? I thought 'Kuh, Ace, what the hell is this attack' was from the original..."
Flustered by the gap between the original and the memes online, she still kept her head bowed over the book she'd been holding the whole time he waited, focusing on every panel.
"...She really does think Magical Girl Marina★Harina is fun."
Watching Do-young, lost in the book's world and ignoring him completely, Ha-min found a smile creeping onto his lips without realizing.
Her comment about wanting to watch a movie together wasn't just a throwaway joke after all. That realization eased his heart from the inside out.
Understanding Do-young's actions had always been hard for Ha-min. He couldn't grasp why she kept him around, why she paid him more attention than other kids.
Am I just pitied?
Easy target for teasing, so she keeps me close?
She just feels sorry for me.
To find even a scrap of reason for Do-young's interest, Ha-min always ended up shrinking himself down, killing off his self-worth.
But seeing her smile at the book and stories, he found a tiny alternative—one that didn't require self-destruction.
Maybe she likes the same things I do.
Maybe she wants to hang out because we share tastes.
Maybe being with me is fun for her.
That she might actually like him? Ha-min couldn't quite reach that conclusion. Sixteen years of life hadn't built up enough self-esteem for that choice.
But at least he didn't have to kill himself off anymore. They shared interests. They liked the same things. Those two facts granted a nothing-extra like Ha-min permission to stay by the side of someone like Do-young, who felt like the world's protagonist—at least as friends.
Yeah, that's enough.
The heavy weight in his heart lifted. Tension gone, Ha-min unknowingly let his eyes drift shut while gazing at Do-young.
**
"Ah, that was fun."
Who knew I'd rediscover a nostalgic One-Nabled in the world of Half Half Island. The 30-minute wait flew by like 30 seconds.
"Oh, looks like you're done already."
The rest timer beeped. Do Ha-min shuffled back to the lobby, rubbing his left arm where the needle had been.
"Good job. Arm hurting at all?"
"Nah, it's fine. Just a little sting when they stuck it in and pulled it out—nothing after."
"Heh heh, told ya it was no big deal."
"Yeah, seems like it really wasn't."
Do Ha-min nodded sleepily, his face a bit languid.
"...You fell asleep? You said you slept great last night."
"Huh? Oh... guess I was so tense it caught up with me. Once I relaxed, my body just went loose."
Was it really just relaxation? He wasn't stammering like usual, speaking all calm and steady. Without those pauses to catch his breath mid-sentence, he almost seemed like someone else.
"Thanks for your help. We're so grateful you donated today. As posted, full blood donors get two souvenirs—whatcha want?"
"Uh, two movie tickets, please. These work at the theater right upstairs, right?"
"Of course. If your girlfriend—er, friend—had donated too, I could've hooked you up with burger set vouchers from downstairs."
"Guess we'll aim for next time then."
"Thanks—come back soon!"
With our souvenir tickets in hand, Do Ha-min and I headed straight up to the theater.
"Here. Show's at 11, so we gotta go right in after buying. I'll handle tickets—you hit the bathroom. You've been chugging water and juice post-donation; better go once."
"Yeah, will do."
Perfect timing at 11 a.m. The blood center was busy, but everything went smooth as planned.
"You washed your hands good, right?"
"O-of course..."
"Shook off the bottom too?"
"S-stop...! Even my mom doesn't ask that!"
"Kuhkuk, c'mon, let's go. Perfect timing now."
We slipped into the auditorium and took our seats. It was a niche film, so even on a weekend, the theater was mostly empty. Sure, an animated movie—even one aimed at teens or adults—might draw families with kids, but they usually picked Korean-dubbed ones.
Magical Girl Marina★Harina had aired sub-only in its anime run by setting, so no way the theatrical version had a dub.
Flick.
Lights out, screen glows on. Sponsor logos roll, then the black fades into the opening from beyond.
A white, doll-like creature bounces frantically across the screen.
The official mascot of Mari★Harina, Q.Q. Ping.
With bouncy steps oozing cuteness, the mascot suddenly gets snatched by a pitch-black witch—the film's villain—and skewered like a kebab.
Around here, anyone thinking this was a kids' movie got up and left on their own.
Opening: Monotone
Song: KlariS
Close-up on the mascot collapsing coldly, bloodied. The title logo thuds in, black-and-white imagery kicking off the opening as the film truly begins.
"Ooh... using the volume 10 boss witch for staging like that? That's fresh."
One perk of watching with someone: sharing your real-time reactions right there. Barely any audience, opening still rolling, so I turned to Do Ha-min to share my thoughts.
"What'd you think of that direction just now? I thought it was pretty—"
Thud.
Do Ha-min's head lolled right onto me without resistance.
"A-asleep?"
"..."
Three minutes in. Barely into the opening. And Do Ha-min had passed out, using my chest as a pillow.