Chapter 19
Chapter 19
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: Affection
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The clue pointed to the 'head'.
A common element that appeared in the diary, the note, and the photo.
I looked around the small bear doll's head this way and that, then realized it wasn't it.
"J-Jinah!?"
Ignoring Lee Sea's startled call,
I cautiously approached the monster bear doll tied in the center of the room.
Looking at the seam around its neck, I was certain. From a distance, I carefully tugged on its ear.
And sure enough, the head came off smoothly with a pop.
Inside, instead of a human head, there was a card key.
The card to get out of this room.
Even knowing it was staged, the sight of the headless bear doll twitching was grotesque.
I reflexively checked the timer. About two minutes left.
The ceiling had come down quite a bit too.
"Let's get out quick!"
[■■■──! ■■─!]
By now, the chains were almost undone, and the bear doll was starting to chase us. We ran, leaving it behind.
I let Yoon Jiu dash out first, then pushed the girls following behind him one by one.
"Huff... huff."
"Is it over? Whew..."
I caught Lee Soyun as she stumbled out last, making sure she didn't fall, pulled her out of the room, and slammed the door shut.
"Th-thanks."
It's over.
It was only about thirty minutes, but it had drained every last bit of energy from me.
To the me from thirty minutes ago,
I wanted to praise myself for convincing Yoon Jiu to go with the easy difficulty.
Anyway, it was a fresh experience.
First time at a horror escape room cafe, and it had a descending ceiling and a monster... what a spectacle.
Clap clap clap!
As we caught our breath, applause came from beside us.
"Congrats... You escaped so fast... Do you have a lot of escape room experience...?"
The staff member approached us.
"Ah, thank you. It's our first time today. Haha..."
"Oh my... You're so clever..."
Following the staff's guidance, we returned to the lobby.
"Would you like a commemorative photo and card...?"
"Yep!"
Yoon Jiu, his energy restored, answered.
In the commemorative photo the staff took, Seong Yurin and Lee Soyun looked utterly exhausted.
"Ugh... It was so scary..."
Lee Soyun readily admitted it had been frightening.
"Wh-what? It was no big deal."
"Liar. You were hugging Soyun and shaking like a leaf."
"Urk."
Seong Yurin tried to act tough but sank under Hong Yeonseo's sharp jab.
After a short wait, the staff returned our confiscated phones and gave us the commemorative cards.
The laminated cards had a business-card-like design.
Along with the shop's name, there was a creepy illustration of Gomdori, the bear concept of the room we'd cleared.
Below it, our clear time was printed.
"Oh. Collecting these could be fun."
Yoon Jiu said, examining the card.
"I'm never coming back..."
The girls' refusal made the listening staff look dejected.
We exchanged goodbyes with the staff and stepped outside.
After the dim, gloomy interior, the bright sun greeted us.
"Rain stopped?"
Hong Yeonseo stretched her hand out from under the roof to check.
"Yeah, coming out of that dark place into this feels weird."
"...Like leaving a movie theater? You know."
Yeah, I knew that feeling.
Makes you want to stretch for some reason.
Too tired to wander right away, we headed to a nearby cafe.
The parade of handsome guys and beautiful girls drew stares.
There weren't many people before we arrived,
but the weather had cleared up nicely. Being downtown, it was bustling.
After grabbing seats at the cafe, to avoid any more mishaps, I steered us toward Dutch pay.
"I'll cover the bill, so split it and send it to me."
They didn't want to bicker again, so they tapped away on their phones obediently.
Soon our drinks arrived, and Lee Sea and I went to pick them up.
The lineup was quite unique.
Yoon Jiu: Java chip frappe. Lee Sea: Sweet potato latte. Lee Soyun: Strawberry smoothie. Seong Yurin: Americano. Hong Yeonseo: Grapefruit ade.
Everyone ordered something that suited them.
For the record, mine was hot chocolate.
What's wrong with hot chocolate?
We also grabbed a few slices of cake.
Surprisingly, Hong Yeonseo nibbled at desserts too... despite worrying about gaining weight.
I wondered if desserts were really the issue,
but I stopped before my thoughts veered into dangerous territory.
Sipping hot chocolate and leaning back in my chair, memories of the escape room cafe faded like a dream.
I leaned against the chair, half-watching the kids' chatter from afar.
"Jinah? No cake?"
Lee Sea, sitting across from me, looked my way.
Then Hong Yeonseo beside me lit up, sliced some cake with a fork, and held it out with her other hand cupped underneath.
"Here. Ahh~"
......
Did the temperature drop a bit?
They already turn on the AC?
"I'll just eat it myself... Ah..."
Her smile deepened, and I couldn't refuse. I ate the cake obediently.
...The tiramisu Hong Yeonseo fed me melted with the hot chocolate in my mouth,
sweet to the point of madness.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ We chatted away at the cafe for a full hour.
Am I the only one getting tired? Yoon Jiu was thriving surrounded by the girls.
He was still full of energy like some endless battery, and the girls seemed to have shaken off the escape room trauma, lively as ever.
My body was fine, but my head was exhausted.
"Karaoke! Karaoke!"
Hong Yeonseo shouted excitedly.
Karaoke in broad daylight...
At least it wasn't active stuff.
From their talk, even though the weather cleared,
there was still a lot of standing water, so no outdoor play.
We left the cafe and found a timed karaoke spot downtown.
A regular haunt we'd frequented with Yoon Jiu's group since way back.
Greeted the familiar owner and entered a big room.
...And yeah, I handled the payment roundup again.
Anyway, we came here often purely because of me.
They had rooms with mats laid out.
Bigger than regular seating, you could even lie down comfortably.
Back in middle school, I'd been surprised by this room type on my first visit.
No such thing in my previous life's Korea.
"Ah... So comfy."
I went in first, half-leaning against the wall as I lay down.
Lee Sea and Lee Soyun followed, sitting beside me.
Seong Yurin came in after, eyes full of curiosity as she looked around.
"First time at karaoke?"
"Yeah. Experiencing so much today."
Her bright smile made her look genuinely happy.
Soon, Yoon Jiu and Hong Yeonseo entered carrying trays with drink cups.
Before entering, we'd done rock-paper-scissors; the losers fetched the drinks.
These were unlimited refills for the session duration.
Those in the know might recognize it, but it resembled Japanese karaoke from my past life.
A subtle cultural mashup in this romcom world.
"Whoa! Place is clean!"
Hong Yeonseo, a first-timer, marveled.
Not for nothing we came here often.
Alright... Let's hype up the mood. Yoon Jiu!
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ In the dim room, colorful lights illuminated Seo Ijin's face.
Singing a gentle ballad, his deep voice suited it perfectly, filling the room with pleasant notes.
And Hong Yeonseo found herself drawn to Ijin as he sang.
At first...
Yeah, it was simple curiosity mixed with a bit of pity.
From entrance ceremony day, seeing him slouched and listless was amusing, and teasing him led to hanging out, and somehow we got close.
Then it turned into pranks.
After getting friendly with Ijin and his friends.
Between the two girls who subtly liked him.
Stirring jealousy was a new thrill.
Clinging to him more, teasing relentlessly.
Day by day.
Until, spending time together, I fell for Seo Ijin like an addiction.
'Was I such an easy girl?'
The thought crossed her mind about herself.
It wasn't just his looks or skills that turned curiosity to affection.
The natural thoughtfulness and manners that shone through, his kind nature without showing dislike...
And a maturity beyond his peers that made it all feel effortless.
Enough to understand why girls who held their own anywhere fell hard for him.
'Everything but that lazy personality is a strength... No, even that's charming now.'
Sitting on the mat, leaning forward with her chin propped on her hand on the table, Hong Yeonseo gazed at Seo Ijin, lost in thought.
At some point, she'd developed feelings beyond curiosity.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Time flew at the karaoke.
We fueled up on retort foods orderable till evening, squeezing every bit of fun from our money.
Correction: everyone except me had a blast.
I just quietly sang my turns.
Well, I did enjoy the unlimited hot chocolate, so maybe I had fun too.
Surprisingly, Seong Yurin, new to this, sang amazingly well.
Her clear tone matched her looks, echoing through the room.
Anyone in another room would mistake her for a pro singer.
Just as it was getting stale, time wrapped up perfectly, leaving us satisfied as we exited.
"Today was fun, right?"
Hong Yeonseo said, swinging her duffel bag.
She was still full of energy.
"Yeah. Let's hang out again."
Yoon Jiu grinned back.
"Count me out..."
"What? Seo Ijin, you didn't have fun?"
"No, it was fun, but I have a disease where I die if I stay out too long."
"What's that? Pfft."
Did I say something funny? I was serious.
Felt energy draining from my body in real time.
Just wanna go home, shower, and crash...
We parted from Hong Yeonseo downtown and headed to the old town.
She seemed reluctant to go alone.
Though everyone offered to walk her to the dorm, she refused anyway.
Same as always.
Dropped off Yoon Jiu and Lee Sea at their homes, then Lee Soyun at hers.
Finally, Seong Yurin and I walked to our houses.
"Did you have fun today?"
So many new experiences for her.
I hoped they were enjoyable, so I asked.
She looked at me briefly after hearing that, then turned forward with a smile.
"Yeah. So, so much fun. Not just today. Ever since I met you, and your friends."
Her happy smile warmed me too.
"Good. Glad to hear it."
"Suggesting we get close was the right call."
"I'm glad we're friends too."
"Eek."
"...What's that reaction?"
"Nothing. Just... no big deal."
We bantered lightly until we parted at my house.
Seong Yurin's retreating figure,
her bright blonde hair glowing in the sunset,
shone brighter than ever.