Chapter 27
Chapter 27
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Going to the Movies Together (1)
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The next day, as soon as I woke up, I started making small preparations to head to the movie theater.
Truthfully, it wasn't anything grand enough to call preparations. It was just picking out clothes that Seol-i wouldn't find embarrassing when we went out together.
"Umm... What should I go with...?"
I pulled out my clothes and began pondering.
Since I was still in middle school, most of my clothes were ones my parents had bought me.
That meant I couldn't really dress in the style I wanted.
So, I had to find the best designs from my limited options.
"How about these two... Tsk... Nah...? Hmm... These two... Urgh..."
No matter which pair I chose, they were all safe bets, but none of them really satisfied me.
I was starting to understand how girls felt when picking outfits before a date.
Wait, a date?
The moment the word "date" crossed my mind, I immediately rejected it.
Going out with Seol-i wasn't a date. It was just friends hanging out.
How could anyone call friends hanging out a date? That would be a total abuse of the language.
I shook my head vigorously and started looking through my clothes again.
And I reached a conclusion.
The initial combination I'd thought of seemed like the best choice.
A white short-sleeved T-shirt with beige shorts. It was the most unadventurous outfit imaginable.
Once I'd settled on the clothes, I neatly folded everything else and packed it back into my suitcase.
My suitcase was doubling as a wardrobe right now, so I had to keep it organized like this.
As I was finishing up putting away the clothes, a sound came from the direction of the door.
-Knock knock knock
The knock was a bit high up. Unless Seol-i was stretching her arm way above her head on purpose, there was only one person who could knock from that height.
"Hey, Haneul, are you up?"
The moment I heard Auntie's voice, I replied right away.
"Yeah~ I am~"
As I opened the door for her, Auntie smiled warmly while glancing around my room.
"Looks like Haneul's picking out clothes too, huh?"
"Y-Yeah... Wait, me too?"
Catching the hint in her use of "too," I cautiously asked back, and Auntie nodded with a giggle.
"Seol-i was picking out her clothes too. You two are exactly alike~"
Auntie's teasing words made me blush without warning, and I ducked my head.
It was just friends going to the movies, but I felt way too excited about it.
Yet beneath that embarrassment was a twinge of joy.
After all, didn't it mean Seol-i was looking forward to going out with me? How could I not be happy about that?
At the very least, it felt like I'd become a really good friend to her, and that filled me with immense joy.
Thinking back to the days when little Seol-i would run away the moment she saw me, the emotion was overwhelming.
"What time did you decide to head out?"
"We're going at 1 to catch the movie."
"You having lunch at home?"
"Yeah, I think so."
In response to my answer, Auntie held something out to me.
"Here, Haneul. A little something from Auntie."
"Huh?"
She'd already given me two movie tickets yesterday as a gift. What more could this be?
I looked at what she was holding, and I couldn't help but be a little surprised.
What Auntie handed me was none other than her credit card.
"Auntie...?"
"I was going to give it to Seol-i at first, thinking you might refuse, but you seem more reliable than her. She's my daughter and all, but she's still so innocent and a bit oblivious in some ways."
The gentle smile on her face made it clear just how much Auntie loved Seol-i.
"Will you take it? Buy something tasty with it, and get some popcorn and cola at the theater too."
"I'm really fine."
"Oh? Then I'll give it to Seol-i instead. That okay with you?"
I thought about it for a second.
What would happen if Seol-i took the card.
...Nope, not going there. More bad scenarios than good ones came to mind.
"...I'll take it. Thank you so much."
"Good boy~ That's my Haneul~"
Auntie let out an even more playful giggle.
The moment I accepted the card, she turned to leave as if her business was done.
"Have breakfast with Seol-i in a bit, kill some time, then head out. Got it?"
"Yes, got it."
I carefully tucked the credit card into the deepest pocket of my wallet.
It was the one thing—after Seol-i herself—that I absolutely could not lose.
Wait, no. Seol-i wasn't a thing. She was the most precious friend I could never lose.
After slipping the card into my wallet, I had breakfast with Seol-i and lounged around watching TV together.
Around 11, Seol-i and I went back to our rooms to change, then came out again.
As I waited briefly by the entryway, the door to Seol-i's room—the one closest to the entrance—opened.
-Creak...
Seol-i emerged from the slowly opening door...
"Haneul, did I keep you waiting long?"
......She was unbelievably cute, in a way I never could have imagined.
The sky-blue shirt paired with a slightly long beige skirt perfectly highlighted her pure and adorable charm.
"...Y-yeah, uh, no. Not long at all."
The words slipped out before I could stop them, but even that faded away in the moment.
"Hehe, good."
Seol-i's little smile was the cutest thing ever.
If I could shrink her down, I'd make her even tinier and carry her around in my pocket, right?
She was that adorable.
"...Wanna head out and grab something to eat first?"
"Yeah! Let's do that!"
Seol-i and I put on our shoes in the entryway and said goodbye to Auntie.
"Mom~ We're heading out~!"
"We'll be back~!"
We stepped out together, took the elevator down to the first floor, and headed to catch the bus.
But right as we were about to board...
-Swish...
-Squeeze...
Seol-i's small hand slipped into mine.
It was so tiny and soft. I wondered if a person's hand could really be this small.
...No, that wasn't the point.
"Seol-i?"
"Hm? What?"
"Your... hand..."
When we were little, we'd held hands all the time, and it felt natural.
But after starting middle school and maturing a bit... around the time midterms ended, Seol-i and I had stopped holding hands.
There had been signs even before that. We'd hold hands less often if other kids were around.
And now, Seol-i was holding my hand.
Startled, I tried to let go, but she squeezed even tighter.
"...Don't want to?"
Her voice as she asked outright was a little intimidating.
It felt like if I said no right here, she'd burst into tears.
So, I went with my honest feelings.
"No, not at all."
What was I saying? No, it was fine. Of course it was. A hand this small, soft, and squishy? Loved it. But that wasn't the point.
The point was that Seol-i was holding my hand. Outside, no less.
Wasn't this the perfect setup for misunderstandings?
I needed to explain firmly. That we shouldn't hold hands, that weird rumors could spread.
When we were kids, we could brush off rumors like that. But in middle or high school, rumors between boys and girls could be way more damaging. Especially for a girl like Seol-i.
But Seol-i didn't seem to care about any of that.
She held on casually, like it was the most natural thing, gripping tightly as if telling me not to let go. What could I even say?
"......Let go if it gets sweaty, okay?"
"Yeah, got it."
Seol-i beamed and nodded, her smile even brighter.
It was a total contrast to her earlier low, nonchalant tone.
But seeing her in such a good mood made it all worthwhile, right?
With that thought, we boarded the bus together and headed downtown.
But the moment we arrived downtown, a problem arose.
......Where should we eat?
"Seol-i, anything you're craving?"
"Whatever Haneul wants is fine with me!"
...My Seol-i was already a pro at dodging decisions.
Lunch menu choices usually needed firm opinions.
It wasn't because I had decision paralysis. Lunch was just that important.
The issue was that Seol-i had dumped the choice on me, and I had nothing to counter her with.
So now came the crucial part.
Our first trip to the movies together. To get off on the right foot, where should we eat?
What place would Seol-i like?
Think, Kang Haneul.
Think!