Ditching the Glasses Won't Turn You Into a Hottie (9)
Weekend had arrived. It was a day off from school, but Ha-min still took the train to Do-young's neighborhood, just as they'd planned the day before—to get him some new glasses together.
"You said we had to meet at 10, so you'd need to get up at 8. Let's just do 11 instead. You can still sleep in a bit till 9, right?"
True to that agreement, Ha-min caught the train arriving at Do-young's station around 11:05. They hadn't specified an exact meeting spot at the station. Do-young's neighborhood was bigger and busier than Ha-min's, closer to a bustling commercial district full of crowds. The station was massive to handle them all, so without a precise spot, even if you arrived on time, it could take forever to link up if you didn't know where the other was.
"Hey! Model student! Over here!"
"Ah… hi."
"Can't even see properly without your glasses, and you still spotted me right away?"
"Y-yeah, guess so."
But for Ha-min, finding Do-young in that crowd wasn't so hard.
'Oppa, you were just staring at that girl's face, right?'
'N-no…? No. Not the face, just the chest.'
'We're done.'
"…."
'Whoa, check out that girl. She's freakin' gorgeous, for real.'
'Some idol trainee? With that height, she'd be perfect for center.'
'Totally, she'd blow up on debut. Should I ask if I can take a pic?'
"…."
'Aigoo, she's so pretty and refined. Whoever's kid she is, she's a real looker.'
'Tell me about it. Nice hips too—bet she'd pop out healthy babies.'
'Old man, you know you can get arrested for talk like that these days? She looks like a high schooler.'
'Back in the day, girls that age were already married off. What's wrong with saying it?'
As Do-young had said, without glasses, Ha-min's vision turned everyone around him into blurry clay blobs, like some failed optimization. But that just made him hyper-aware of the sounds—the voices of the crowd, especially the guys letting out awed exclamations, the girls' tones laced with jealousy. Head toward the epicenter, and there Do-young was, naturally.
It was like using the low-key mutterings of NPCs as clues to hunt down a hidden treasure chest on the map. And if he put it that way, did that make Do-young the treasure at the end? Ha-min felt a bit embarrassed even thinking it.
"Eyes might be shot, but you've got a good sense of direction here, huh? Makes sense—you've walked this way to school a bunch now, so it's familiar."
"…Yeah."
He couldn't bring himself to say it. That his "sense of direction" only worked for finding Do-young.
"What, got something to say to me?"
"N-no, nothing…"
Ha-min kept quiet. Yesterday he'd already overstepped with that kind of talk and gotten his ass kicked. Better not poke the bear and make Do-young mad.
With that in mind, once they met up, Ha-min headed to the glasses shop with Do-young.
…
"Welcome to Glassy Glasses! How can I help?"
"Walked here. This guy's train."
"Ah, came from far away. Take your time browsing, let me know."
Ha-min and Do-young visited the new glasses shop in the terminal that Sa-hyung had tipped them off about. Spacious open floor, shelves of colorful frames, even a sleek café corner. Just like Sa-hyung said, it looked top-notch at a glance. Not just for buying specs or lenses—you could easily make it a date spot for a guy and girl.
'Oppa, check this out. These sunglasses cute? Think they'd suit me?'
'Yeah, shape and color are nice. Oh, since we're at it, how about this color?'
'Hmm, but isn't this one too flashy?'
'With your face, Mi-ae, you need that level of glam.'
'Oppa, shh, everyone's hearing.'
And yeah, that vibe was spot on. Besides folks getting their own glasses, there were plenty of couples shopping for vacation shades. He wasn't even trying to eavesdrop, but with his vision out, his other senses sharpened up, piping the convos right to him unbidden.
'How about this one then? White-framed sunglasses. Suits me better, right?'
'Huh? Oh, uh… yeah. That'd look good too.'
'You were staring at that girl who just walked in.'
'N-no, I wasn't.'
'What color frame was on the sunglasses I just showed you?'
Of course, Do-young's aura-drawing looks were in full effect here too. You could tell from how the chats were turning icy.
"More decent frames than I thought. Oh, you can't see 'em right now, huh?"
"Ugh… no, up close I can still make out colors and shapes."
"Too bad. There were some hilarious ones I wanted to stick on you for pics."
"…."
"Kekeke. What're you glaring at? C'mon, pick new ones. Hey, sir?"
"Ah, yes! One sec, coming right up!"
Do-young stifled her giggles and smoothly called over a nearby staffer. Places without kiosks—restaurants, salons, glasses shops, phone stores—where you had to flag someone down for service always intimidated Ha-min. Do-young's ease with it drew his gaze even in the dark.
"Manager, we can come to you."
"No, no, I'll come. You kids relax."
The glasses shop employee came hustling from afar, catching his breath. Even with other female staff nearby, the one they called "manager" brushed them off to handle Do-young himself. Like he couldn't wait to get up close to her face.
"Huff, huff. Need anything?"
The staffer stared into Do-young's eyes—not Ha-min's—asking politely.
"Getting new glasses."
"Ah, got it. So you're wearing lenses now?"
"Nah, not me. This guy's broke his, needs new ones."
"…Ah. Aigoo, sorry. The lady blocked my view—I didn't notice you were with someone. Really sorry."
Only after Do-young pointed at Ha-min beside her did the staffer clock him, dropping his gaze.
"Student, right? Mind if I see your old glasses?"
"Ah, sure."
"Got it. Aigoo, sorry, kid. Your sis there's so pretty, I got distracted and didn't see you. My bad."
"Pfft…! He called you lil' bro. Kekeke. Whaddya think, January 1st baby?"
"…."
"Huh? Oh, not really?"
"Friends. Same class in high school."
"Aigoo, I'm messing up left and right today. Truly sorry, kid. Lemme check this frame and bring it back?"
The guy kept bowing like he'd committed a mortal sin—no real malice there. His attitude toward Ha-min wasn't much different from with Do-young. But hearing how his build looked so puny next to her, mistaken for siblings… that stung Ha-min's pride all on its own.
"Sir, that's too much, right?"
"I-I'm fine…."
"Mistaking us for siblings means he thinks we came from the same womb. Kinda offensive, no?"
"…You're the worst."
"Call the owner out! I'm pissed enough for a free pair!"
Of course, no owner showed for something that minor.
"Checked it out—super old pair. Scratches all over the lenses. Better to go fresh instead of forcing a new frame on 'em."
"Ah, figured…."
"Vision might've changed anyway, so come on back here for new lenses. Friend can wait—café's got coffee, popcorn, help yourself."
"Whoa, drink bar! Zero Lime!"
Spotting Zero Lime Cola at the drink bar, Do-young toddled over excitedly. Ha-min glanced back at her, then headed into the back room with the vision-testing gear.
—Gulp glug glug
"Gulgulgulgul…."
Do-young dispensed cola at the café drink bar, mimicking the machine's whir with her mouth—thrilled over free fizz.
"You with the student who went in?"
"Yeah. Glug."
As Do-young sipped from her paper cup, a female staffer approached her at the café table, catalog of frame models in hand.
"You two a couple?"
"Hm… dunno? Glug."
"Ah, so not official—maybe in the talking stage?"
"Mmm… who knows. Glug."
"Got it, friends it is then. Quote's coming soon, but I got some nice frames to recommend."
The staffer spread catalogs on the table—hot brands among young folks, pricey ones too.
"Popular with the kids these days. Suggest these when your friend comes out? Matching couple pairs are cute. Or any style you want him to try? Like, 'this'd boost your look' vibe?"
"Hm, but Do Ha-min looks the same with or without glasses anyway."
"All the more reason to care. One pair can totally change your vibe."
"Then… this one?"
"Th-that one?"
Do-young picked a plain horn-rimmed frame from the catalog's corner. Nothing fancy, like Ha-min's old ones.
"…It's sturdy but so basic, nobody picks it."
"Exactly. Perfect."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"If that guy got popular, I'd be in trouble."