[No title provided]
I'd wanted to snap some photos just the two of us, but the game wrapped up with plenty of free time to spare. Even though Yujeong sunbae had lined up some active events, you could tell she hadn't scheduled anything too exhausting since it was an MT.
Yoo Seol-ah was getting dragged around by everyone for pics, and I had no choice but to trail behind her like a shadow.
"Seol-ah, come here for a sec."
"Huh? Why?"
"Take a photo with us..."
"Five thousand won for four cuts. Per person."
She could set up a four-cut photo booth and make bank. But her friends seemed to love it.
"That's all? If it means a pic with Korea University's pride, Yoo Seol-ah..."
"Ah, stop! I'm kidding... And quit with that 'Korea University's pride' crap..."
She always downplayed it as just getting by in the department, but Yoo Seol-ah was insanely popular with the fashion majors. Sure, plenty of people in the same department barely know each other, but her standout looks made it inevitable.
Though it wasn't like she was some untouchable flower on a cliff—more like the department's official mascot, showered in cuteness overload. Which made total sense. She's basically sweet but has that tsundere bite, overflowing with talent in some areas yet full of endearing airhead moments.
Especially since she insists she's "basically 157cm," when she's really 156.9cm, paired with a face that screams cute. That had to be the biggest factor.
"Ah, grab that water gun too."
"...What're you even shooting."
She was getting full idol treatment. After striking all sorts of poses for photos, the topic shifted. One friend glanced at me and asked Yoo Seol-ah,
"...Wanna do one with him too?"
"Ah, no. We're good."
"Why? No couple pic?"
"Yeah, neither of us does SNS."
"For real? That's such a waste..."
Come to think of it, we'd been together a while, but we'd never taken a single selfie. Like she said, neither of us is the type to post anywhere, and we don't follow the usual couple routine. No profile pics of each other, no "in a relationship" status. We see each other in person every day anyway, so photos never felt essential.
Yoo Seol-ah wandered back over a bit later.
"Miss Popular."
"...Whatever."
"Korea University's pride?"
"...Hey."
She glared at me with gritted teeth, and I swear my will to live skyrocketed. Letting out a huge sigh, she scanned around before stepping closer to me.
"It's free time now, so as long as we don't wander too far, it's cool. Wanna walk?"
"Sure. But what's up with you?"
"...We're here to have fun, so we should stroll around sometimes."
For some reason, she—who hates walking—was suggesting a walk first. The path along the hill was nicely paved, perfect for a mood refresh. The weather was cooling just right, crisp and pleasant. Cherry blossoms weren't quite out yet, but the scenery was refreshing enough.
While others stopped everywhere for pics, we kept a steady pace until no one was around. Yoo Seol-ah slyly scooted closer, one foot at a time, until there was no space between us. Our fingertips naturally started brushing.
"...Ahem."
She was blatantly checking my reaction, so I just grabbed her hand first.
"......"
She wasn't this shy about skinship in bed, but a simple hand-hold wrecked her hard. I felt her soft hand tense up just a bit.
We walked in silence like that until she stopped first.
At a bend in the path. The valley below and lush green trees stole my gaze too.
Yoo Seol-ah, who'd been staring for a moment, squeezed my hand harder and whispered quietly,
"...Wanna take a photo?"
"Didn't you say no earlier?"
Selfies have angle and distance limits, so usually it's better if someone else takes it. But she had other ideas.
"...I wanted our first one to be just us."
"......"
If that's it, then obviously just us. She patted my pocket, so I pulled out my phone and handed it over. Her sense for aesthetics is sharper anyway.
I barely take selfies, so my gallery was basically empty.
"...Bend down a little. You're too tall."
I matched her height like she said, and she fiddled with the phone, adjusting angles naturally. But she tilted her head, unsatisfied, then just let go of the phone.
Of course, instead of dropping, it floated in midair.
"...Can't get a good shot at my height. No one's around anyway."
She waved her hand like she'd given up, and the phone started hunting for the perfect angle in the air. True to form as someone who shoots her own cosplay pics, she nailed it quick and said,
"...This is how you do photos properly."
She was laying some groundwork, then suddenly wrapped both arms around my waist completely. With her face buried in my chest, she wiggled her fingers, and the shooting started right away.
"...Mm."
After a few shots, she fanned herself with her hand and pulled back a bit. She scrolled the gallery alone, picked some, then started another round.
This time, she adjusted my pose herself, touching me directly.
"...C-concept shot, got it?"
I leaned down a lot like she wanted, and she went up on tiptoes—not enough, so she floated herself a bit higher, lips almost touching mine. Then she covered just our mouths with her hand for the shot.
On camera, it looked like we were actually kissing behind the cover. As expected from an artist, she crafted the exact image effortlessly.
She kept continuous shooting without actually kissing, but then she rolled her eyes awkwardly like she was pondering, and just went for it.
"......"
The second our lips parted, she snatched the phone back with her hand, face flushed, and started sorting photos frantically.
"If you're covering it anyway, why bother..."
"Realism matters...! For this kinda thing..."
Her sensation still lingered on my lips. Yeah, realism is key.
I ended up wanting to take photos without even realizing it—the scenery was just that stunning. Maybe because the pension's midway up the mountain, the harmony of greens cleared my mind completely. And above all, I wanted to capture this perfect spot with Baek Sion.
We'd been glued together so much that photos never crossed my mind before, but until today—before unnie introduced us—I'd felt so stuffy. If there's a reason for photos, isn't it to soothe that longing when you're apart even briefly?
Baek Sion leaning on the railing, taking in the view from behind. His hair isn't super short, so I watched it shift slightly in the breeze. I stepped back a bit and snapped his back first.
He seemed to like the view too—no turning when I slipped away briefly. Got the back shot easy; now for the front.
"Baek Sion, dummy."
Just those two words had him half-turning naturally, and I nailed the shutter without missing a beat. Expression unchanged, but his cute head-tilt.
"What?"
"Nothing. Ready to head back?"
"Yeah."
We've got that hanwoo I won to dig into. No one's around anyway, so hand-holding till we descend is fine. He grabbed first last time—my turn now.
"So good..."
We polished off all sorts of meats, ramen, budae jjigae at the pension's BBQ spot—a satisfying feast. We did win hanwoo, but at Yoo Seol-ah's suggestion, everyone agreed to share with the thief team too.
Still stuffed to the gills, we all sprawled in chairs. With others around, she skipped booze, but like always after good food, her expression softened a tad.
"Seol-ah eats like a champ. Nice to watch."
"She always ate well, but lately it's next level. Doesn't gain a gram though."
"Unnie doesn't either. Family metabolism, I guess."
"...You two talking about me like I'm not here."
It was getting dark, so groups of friends chatted in pockets. At an hour where moonlight's all you've got without lights, Yujeong sunbae vanished somewhere and returned with a mic.
"How was dinner? One more event before we wrap tonight!"
I figured cop-and-robber wasn't the end, but at this hour... probably...
"Nighttime? Courage test, obviously! Starts in about 30 minutes, so pair up now if you've got someone in mind!"
Courage test. Hit checkpoints and return—simple, but scary for the faint-hearted.
"No pairs? I'll randomly duo you up, so better snag who you want early. Got a crush today? Shoot your shot?"
Obviously I'd go with Yoo Seol-ah, but this felt more like a night stroll than test. Because...
"Ahh, so scary."
...What? What was with that blatant fake-out.
"I seriously suck at this stuff..."
...What was she setting up?