Chapter 81: Summer Vacation Begins (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 81: Summer Vacation Begins (3)
Tap, tap—
Shin A-young lightly tapped the screen to turn it off. Her own reflection stared back at her from the black glass. She looked incredibly sullen.
“…”
She had just sent a string of texts to Lee Seung-ho. Slowly rising from the sofa, she began pacing around the living room. She shouldn't have sent those.
“…”
She gnawed on her lower lip. She couldn't help but feel anxious.
‘Ah, this is really getting to me—’
It wasn't just a little annoying; it was driving her crazy. And it was all because of Lee Sol.
“Haaa…”
She wanted to go and sabotage them right now. That was how she truly felt.
‘…No.’
She forced the feeling down, deciding to put it on hold for now. It wasn't that she wanted to play fair; it was just that there was no rule saying her opponent couldn't do exactly what she had done.
Was this what they called Mutual Assured Destruction?
‘Right, we have plans for Monday.’
Shin A-young tried to soothe her frayed nerves. She already had a date scheduled with Lee Seung-ho. If Lee Sol decided to interfere then as revenge, A-young wouldn't have a leg to stand on.
Ding!
An alert sounded. Shin A-young snatched up her phone instantly.
— [(Ad) Only 3 days left! 5,000 won coupon!]
“Oh, for f—”
Her temper almost got the better of her.
“Sigh…”
She flopped back onto the sofa, her hair fanning out behind her.
Ding!
The alert sounded once more. It probably wasn't him. Lowering her expectations, she lazily picked up her phone.
— [Lee Seung-ho]
His name was displayed at the top of the screen.
“…!”
She bolted upright.
“Ahem.”
Shin A-young set the phone back down. She shouldn't check it immediately. If the '1' disappeared too quickly, it would look like she’d been hovering over her phone waiting for his reply. After waiting for a minute or two, she finally opened the message.
— [Lee Seung-ho: How about 8:00? Let's catch a morning screening.]
— [Shin A-young: (Golden Retriever nodding emoticon)]
8:00 AM was a bit early, but she didn't care. It meant they could meet sooner.
— [Lee Seung-ho: Any movie is fine with me.]
— [Shin A-young: Then should we watch Animal Utopia 2?]
A movie by a famous animation studio had recently been released. Since it was a family movie, it was the kind of thing most people would enjoy regardless of their personal taste.
“Hehe.”
A faint smile escaped her lips. Even she thought her choice of movie was brilliant.
“…”
The silly grin vanished instantly. Reality came crashing back down. Right about now, Lee Sol was alone with Lee Seung-ho…
“Ugh…”
The thought immediately made her feel depressed again. When would Monday ever come?
“…”
After a brief silence, she let out a hollow laugh. Even to her, the thought felt ridiculous.
“Sigh…”
Normally, the weekend would have passed in the blink of an eye. But today, time refused to move.
‘…Maybe I should just hang out with Nuri.’
Seriously. She needed to go out and see someone. Only then would this loneliness start to fade.
— [Shin A-young: Nuri, you want to hang out now?]
She sent the message and put her phone down.
Ding!
— [Ji Nuri: Sure!]
The reply came instantly. It was so fast it was as if she had been waiting for the text.
“Hmm.”
I guess she was bored, too.
*
I arrived at the movie theater with Lee Sol. Going to the movies hadn't originally been part of the plan, but ever since I saw the text about her setting up a movie date, things had turned out this way.
“…”
It was a little scary. Naturally, a woman's favor isn't something to be taken lightly. I had a feeling I’d be seeing a lot more of this in the future.
“Is there a specific movie you want to see?”
If there was, I planned on watching that. At my question, Lee Sol shook her head gently.
“Anything is fine with me.”
“…Really?”
Is that so?
“Then, do you want to watch this?”
I pointed to one of the posters on the wall.
— “So Seung-ho likes these kinds of movies…?”
It wasn't necessarily that I liked them. But since I had plans with Shin A-young, I picked the one that looked the best out of the movies she hadn't mentioned wanting to see. It was a choice born of moderate compromise.
“Okay.”
Lee Sol nodded. With the movie decided, I headed to the snack bar with her.
“You're having popcorn, right?”
“Caramel.”
“And a Coke for the drink?”
“Yeah.”
After ordering at the kiosk and waiting a bit, the snacks were ready. I picked up the popcorn and drinks and started moving.
— “Oh, the popcorn…”
Lee Sol’s hands fidgeted. It seemed she wanted to eat some right away. I lowered the popcorn bucket slightly so it would be easier for her to reach.
— “!”
Her Mini-Me’s eyes sparkled.
Crunch, crunch—
— “It’s delicious.”
The Mini-Me giggled and happily munched on the popcorn. She looked quite content.
“We still have some time left…”
I checked the time. There were about twenty minutes until the movie started. If you factored in the trailers, it would be even longer. I needed something to do during the wait.
“Hmm…”
I looked around and found a suitable spot.
“Want to go over there?”
“Oh, a game room?”
It was a good place to kill time. We walked inside together.
“It’s pretty big.”
Since it was right next to the theater, it was significantly larger than the claw machine shops you see on the street.
“…Oh.”
While looking around, I stopped in my tracks. I recognized one of the plushies there.
“Do you know that character?”
Lee Sol suddenly poked her head forward.
“A little?”
It was the cat-eared character that Lee Seung-ah had sold at the event last time. Maybe because I’d seen it so much back then, the design felt familiar. She’d made a pretty penny off that one.
“…”
Lee Sol examined the claw machine from various angles.
— “…I feel like I’d just be wasting money.”
It was a cold, rational judgment.
Whirrrr—
And yet, Lee Sol was already putting money in.
“Ah.”
Thud—
As expected, the claw lost its grip. The cat plushie, which had been lifted halfway up, dropped right back down.
“…”
Lee Sol’s face immediately turned into a pout. The Mini-Me’s cheeks puffed out.
— “…I feel like I could get it if I just try a little more.”
The Mini-Me twisted its lips stubbornly and started stretching its limbs. It was a gesture that said, Let’s see who wins.
“Hey, hey.”
I tapped Lee Sol on the shoulder. I had to stop her before she squandered her fortune here.
“Instead of this, let’s play a game over there. I saw a basketball game, too.”
“Really…?”
Lee Sol didn't look particularly interested. Right, she never did like moving around much.
“…”
I searched for something else—something that would cost a reasonable amount of money but didn't require physical exertion.
‘Ah, there was that.’
Conveniently, there was something perfect.
“Then how about a different kind of machine?”
I gestured toward the Capsule Toy Machines. At least with those, you were guaranteed to get something.
“…Should I?”
Lee Sol was interested. She obediently took her hand off the joystick. Thank goodness; I managed to divert her attention.
Rattle, rattle—!
Time flew by as the two of us played with the capsule machines. Before we knew it, it was time for the movie.
“Let’s head in.”
“Okay.”
“Do you have the ticket?”
“I’ve got it right here.”
Lee Sol pulled out the movie ticket and waved it.
“I can help you check your tickets~”
A theater employee approached with a kind smile.
— “…Wow, is she a trainee or something?”
The employee’s Mini-Me let out a gasp of admiration upon seeing Lee Sol. He didn't give me a second glance. Well, that made sense, since I’m a guy.
“Theater F is down the hall and to the left. Enjoy the movie~”
“Thank you.”
After the formal greeting, we headed inside.
“Where are our seats?”
“Wait a sec…?”
The lights were dim, so Lee Sol narrowed her eyes, struggling to see.
“Let me see.”
I leaned in to look at the ticket she was holding, using the light from my phone screen to check the seats.
— “—!”
Lee Sol’s Mini-Me emitted a faint noise. She seemed startled by my sudden proximity. I could see her pupils dilate. I quickly looked away and slowly increased the distance between us.
“Let’s go.”
“O-okay.”
I walked up the stairs. Let’s see. Row D… E… F… G…
“It’s here.”
I sat in the inner seat, and Lee Sol took the one next to me.
‘It’s been a while since I’ve been to a theater…’
I watch movies often, but it had been a long time since I’d seen one in a cinema. There was a reason for that.
— “Oh, right, I need to turn off the sound.”
— “Sigh… When is it starting…? Is it still a while away…?”
The Mini-Mes of the surrounding audience members were chattering away.
“…”
I silently leaned my back against the chair. Right, this was why I didn't come. The sounds of the Mini-Mes were distracting. If it was already this noisy, I could easily imagine what it would be like once the movie started.
“…”
I’d prepared myself for this, but now that I was experiencing it, I didn't think I’d be able to focus. That was why I usually caught morning screenings for movies I really wanted to see.
— “Oh, I think it’s starting now.”
Lee Sol’s Mini-Me wiggled and adjusted its posture.
Shhh—
The dim lights turned off completely. Soon, the movie began.
— “Ooh…”
I could hear the vivid reactions of Lee Sol’s Mini-Me sitting next to me.
— “Wow…”
“…”
I wondered if this was more like studying a movie than watching one. I could tell in real-time which parts people liked and which parts they found confusing through Lee Sol’s reactions. This was a new experience in its own way.
*
“Ugh—”
Lee Sol let out a small stretch as we walked out of the theater.
— “That was fun…”
She had a satisfied smile on her face, clearly having enjoyed the movie.
“The song during the highlight was really good. I’m going to look it up later.”
Lee Sol talked about the movie without stopping. It seemed to have left quite an impression on her.
“Oh, and besides that—”
Clomp, clomp—
We walked side by side, chatting about various things. After that, we did a bit of shopping, talked about our summer vacation schedules at a cafe, and parted ways before dinner.
And so, my day with Lee Sol came to an end. It was a fairly productive day.
*
The following Monday.
— “Hehe, this is going to be fun…!”
I followed Shin A-young’s Mini-Me as it trotted along. I had come to the theater with her. For some reason, it was the exact same place I’d visited last weekend.
“I can help you check your tickets~”
The theater employee approached with his professional smile.
— “?”
Soon, his Mini-Me narrowed its eyes.
— “This guy… he was here the other day…”
I guess he remembered me. I could see the Mini-Me’s pupils trembling.
“…”
I quietly avoided that shocked gaze.
…I felt like I had to.
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(Sullen A-young)