Comic Cafe
Comic Cafe
"Wow... they cut it off like this?"
Early in the morning, I was reading a manga by an author known as a master of the cliffhanger divine skill.
This manga was so immensely popular that it completely overshadowed its bi-weekly serialization cycle. Even though it hadn't been running long, it had already built a fanbase in Korea that could rightfully be called a fandom.
So among people who liked manga,
even if they hadn't read it, it was famous enough that they'd at least heard of its name.
Moreover, since it was serialized online, accessibility wasn't bad,
and the biggest advantage, you could say, was that the 'official Korean edition' was being sold by a publisher through an episodic payment system.
However...
This author had one flaw.
"If they cut it off like this, it drives me crazy..."
They always cut it right at the highlight,
which was starting to wear me out.
They should at least use a little moderation.
Every single time they cut it at an important moment like this, readers who have to wait a month gradually grow exhausted.
I wasn't the only one who felt that way.
In his fan community, rather than content and plot points, opinions about his cliffhanger divine skill dominated.
He doesn't even cut it in the middle of the story; he cuts it right at the start of a new development. There were even sarcastic remarks asking where on earth he'd cut it off next.
Ah, that was the nickname A-ra used.
"I heard they weren't like this in their previous work..."
Their previous work must have been popular too, as compiled volumes were occasionally released in Korea,
and it seemed the entire series up to the finale was available.
In that case, wasn't it a pretty popular manga?
As I sat there browsing the community for a while,
the bathroom door opened, and A-ra came out, drying her hair with a towel.
For some reason, I got a feeling—or perhaps it wasn't just a feeling—that her eyes held a hint of irritation
as she came out after showering.
"Noona, what's wrong?"
"It's nothing."
But upon seeing my face, she smiled brightly and gently stroked my cheek.
Just in case, I searched A-ra's nickname in the community search bar
and scrolled down a bit.
Traces of mindless shielding and keyboard battles were rampant there.
"This is you, right, noona?"
"Hiccup..."
A-ra, who had been sitting next to me drying her hair, started hiccupping as if startled.
It seemed she never imagined I would know her nickname.
"When I see what noona posts, it just feels so distinctly like you."
"I-is that so? This is bad..."
"Well, it's probably to the point where no one but me would recognize it."
At times like this, I felt proud as A-ra's husband.
No matter how skilled a fan might be, there was probably no one who could pick up on A-ra's distinctive feel in every single sentence
and every single photo.
"I see noona reads Armageddon too. Now that I think about it, it seems like all women do."
"Huh? You read it too, Seong-hwan?"
"Well... it was pretty fun."
Maybe because it was a girl's manga,
or maybe because it contained the keywords effort, friendship, and victory, with a battle story as its base,
I could enjoy reading it too.
It seemed ordinary men didn't read it,
but I was unique, I guess.
"I didn't know you liked manga, Seong-hwan."
"They're fun, right? Same with web novels."
"That's true."
A-ra nodded in agreement.
"Then, shall we go on a date today?"
"Sounds good. But where should we go?"
Going out was nice, but there were no movies worth watching,
and since it was the weekend, there would be a lot of people...
When we went on dates, if certain conditions weren't met,
we couldn't really go outside.
"Have you ever been to a manga cafe?"
"A manga rental place?"
"Hmm... it's a little different from a manga rental place. Should I call it a manga rental place with a cafe feel?"
After hearing A-ra's words, I did a quick search on a wiki.
It seemed they had sprung up all over the country alongside the demise of manga rental shops and book rental stores,
and were gradually becoming more popular.
Looks like they had a lot of Japanese manga, not just Korean manga...
American comics weren't my taste, so pass...
"Do they have that author's manga here too?"
"They probably have his previous work, and the one before that—all of them?"
I had been wanting to see their previous work too, so that was fortunate.
It had been officially published, but since it was already out of print, there was no way to see it.
It didn't seem to be on sale as an e-book either, and the only way to read it was through illegal sites or the like,
so I had just given up.
"Then, shall we go check it out today?"
"Yeah, let's go, let's go."
Perhaps because she wanted to go more than I did,
I watched A-ra spring up from the bed and change her clothes for a moment,
then I also changed mine.
***
Since I said I wanted to drive,
I personally drove my beloved Cayenne, and we arrived at a bustling downtown area.
That said, it wasn't a place like Gangnam or Myeongdong
where the floating population alone exceeded a million a day;
we had come somewhere relatively quiet.
We didn't keep having our dates in one place;
we were traveling around various parts of Gyeonggi Province.
And so, I parked in the parking lot and turned off the engine.
"Noona, put on your mask and sunglasses before getting out."
"Let's do that. There are way too many people today."
It wasn't celebrity syndrome; if we really got out here without any disguise,
forget a date—our day would simply pass by being mobbed by fans.
And even if we tried to just ignore it and go,
we wouldn't be able to escape because too many people would surround us...
Just imagining it gave me goosebumps.
After gearing up completely, we got out
and quickly entered the building where the manga cafe was located.
It felt like some spy movie, seriously.
"Huh? There's an entrance fee here?"
Didn't they call it a cafe?
I had imagined a place where you could read manga books while drinking coffee or tea,
but it seemed to be something different.
"A manga cafe is more like... how should I put it, rather than a cafe?
Never mind. Once we go inside, you'll roughly get the feel of it."
With that, A-ra took my hand and led me inside the manga cafe.
Once we were inside, it was definitely different from what I had imagined.
This was simply a manga rental place transformed to be enjoyed a bit more comfortably,
and the cafe part was set up like the food ordering system at a PC bang.
Thinking of a Japanese net cafe would be a perfect comparison.
While A-ra was getting a membership card made, I looked around.
Manga books were placed on shelves here and there, and like a library search system,
a few laptops for searching were set up in the center.
"How is it? You get the feel of it now, right?"
"It looks pretty fun."
"Right? Shall we go into one over there?"
The place A-ra pointed to was a small room with a curtain.
Indeed, it would be better to go inside and read rather than stay out in the open.
Before that... since this was a cafe, I should order a drink too.
"Noona, I'm thirsty."
"What do you want to drink? They have coffee and other beverages."
I looked up at the menu board hanging overhead.
I was surprised they sold quite a variety, but when I thought about it, they were all just menus
that could be easily obtained from a place like a supermarket.
That fried rice there was probably just a 2,000-won frozen fried rice stir-fried and served, right?
But they charged 5,000 won for it.
Well, it wasn't like we were going to eat a meal here anyway.
"I'll have a caramel macchiato."
"Iced?"
"Yes, cold, please."
After hearing me, A-ra headed to the counter,
and since she told me to go in and wait, I went inside.
"Oh? Not bad."
I had thought it would be a really cramped space, but it wasn't.
There were stepped seats going downwards,
and above them was a desk-like canopy, so even in a low, narrow space,
it was set up so you could read books comfortably.
The lighting could also be switched between an incandescent lamp and a fluorescent lamp,
and this was definitely a great spot for a date.
First, I came out to pick out books.
"Are you going to pick out books? Let's go together with your noona."
I heard A-ra go inside and let out an exclamation.
As expected, it seemed this was A-ra's first time here too.
"But how much is it per hour here?"
"Was it 3,000 won? I just paid for the whole day."
"Then we can finish reading all those manga today before we leave."
When I smiled brightly, A-ra stroked my head and laughed.
She seemed pleased that I liked the place she had brought me to.
Since I hadn't even known places like this existed before.
And so, we went to the search area, searched for the book, and headed toward the section with Japanese manga.
*
"Ah, that was fun."
I finished reading all 15 volumes of the compiled series and closed the book.
Indeed, an author who hits it big is different.
Their previous work was this entertaining too.
It was the kind of fun that made me look forward to how they would handle their next work.
"You already finished it all?"
"Yes, this was really fun."
"Right? The way it ended at the end, not a happy ending nor a sad ending,
actually left a lingering aftertaste, which I liked."
I nodded my head vigorously.
The slightly bittersweet way the story was wrapped up
was also a reason this work received such high praise.
"That author's work before that was here too, right?"
"Yeah, but that one might be a lot sadder?"
"Hmm... tearjerker stuff is...."
That said, I didn't really like things that were too sad.
Manga was meant to be read for fun; how should I put it, things sad enough to make tears fall
just ended up making me feel miserable.
I didn't want to spend my time reading something heartbreaking for no good reason, either.
"If not that, there's also a manga drawn by that author's assistant who debuted.
Want to check that one out? It's a romantic comedy, though."
"Then I'll try reading that one."
If it was a recommendation from A-ra, who knew my tastes well,
the fun was guaranteed.