Chapter 25
Chapter 25
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: Lee Sea's Birthday #2
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"Ooooh..."
"This is like a mini theater."
"Whoa! The seats are recliners!"
Following Seong Yurin's guidance, we arrived at a room decked out like a small movie theater.
No, I mean it was small compared to a real theater.
It certainly wasn't the size of a room you'd find in a normal house.
Of course, this wasn't a normal house—it was a massive mansion.
Unlike the small home theater setups people install in their homes, this had a truly cinema-sized screen and speakers that really stood out.
A mansion with an old-fashioned exterior, modern interior design, and now a movie theater...
This place just keeps getting more impressive.
I couldn't wait to see what other surprises it held.
...Where were the maids hiding, though?
While I was lost in my scholarly and philosophical musings about Seong Yurin's mansion, the others had followed her lead and moved on.
"They've got popcorn and drinks too!"
"Oh yeah!"
The butler must have come ahead and set everything up, because we were able to grab steaming hot popcorn in various flavors to our liking.
Hong Yeonseo and Yoon Jiu were bouncing around excitedly.
The two of them were such an energetic pair—they really suited each other.
Lee Sea and Seong Yurin had a more mature vibe, while those two seemed to match their age perfectly.
...Or maybe even a bit younger?
"I'll take caramel!"
Right behind them, Lee Soyun—who loved sweet things—dashed toward the popcorn too.
She'd just stuffed herself with snacks earlier, and now more sweets? Incredible.
Of course, as someone who went crazy for chocolate sweetness myself, I got it.
...Come to think of it, I suddenly remembered that day not long ago when I'd watched a movie with Lee Soyun.
She'd had caramel popcorn that day too.
I grabbed some popcorn and cola and headed to my seat.
Waiting for the kids to sit first,
for some reason, Lee Sea, Lee Soyun, and Hong Yeonseo were eyeing me.
"...Why are you just standing there? Sit down."
"No, it's just..."
"Um..."
The three of them looked like they wanted to say something, but they kept glancing at each other and hemming and hawing.
Finally, they all let out heavy sighs at once and huddled in the corner.
Then they started whispering and playing rock-paper-scissors.
......What the heck were they doing?
"What are they up to?"
"Beats me..."
Yoon Jiu, Seong Yurin, and I were left with question marks over our heads.
Well, actually, just Yoon Jiu and me.
Seong Yurin had a serious expression, like she had some idea what was going on.
I was about to ask her what it was, but she beat me to it by shaking her head at me.
Her gesture seemed to say not to ask, so I just nodded to show I understood.
A moment later.
"Eeeek! Let's do it again!"
"Hehe. We said best of one."
"Ughhh..."
Some commotion broke out, and the scheming trio returned.
Lee Sea, leading the pack, grinned brightly as she spoke.
"Huh? Why is everyone still standing? Sit down already."
At Lee Sea's quick glance, Hong Yeonseo dragged Seong Yurin along, while Lee Soyun pulled Yoon Jiu.
"Hey, wait."
"Whoa, what's with the sudden grab, Soyun?"
What was going on here...?
No way, could it be,
no, hold on. This situation right now.
It wasn't a "could it be"—it was definitely!
They were deciding who sits with Yoon Jiu!?
Lee Soyun must have won...
And since Seong Yurin wasn't squeezed in there, it seemed she hadn't developed any feelings for Yoon Jiu yet.
Makes sense. Whatever events were supposed to happen, they'd probably have overlapped in the Academic Advancement Class and sparked some mutual interest.
In the current situation, it might take her a bit longer to warm up to him.
While I was pondering Seong Yurin and Yoon Jiu,
once everyone else had sat down, Lee Sea approached me.
"Let's sit too. Hehe."
Surprisingly, Lee Sea didn't seem to care much about Yoon Jiu and Lee Soyun as she flashed a bright smile and tugged me along.
"Uh, okay."
The seats were recliners made of comfortably soft material.
These chairs were clearly top-of-the-line, providing that scientifically optimized comfort.
Thanks to the recliners, we could practically lie down to watch the movie.
"Wait, hold on! Ijin. Y-You're gonna... lie down to watch?"
Lee Sea asked, sounding flustered for some reason.
"Yeah. This is super comfy. You should lie back too."
"Uh, um..."
Lee Sea stared at me with trembling eyes.
What was with her?
"Th-That's not it..."
She muttered something under her breath while clutching her popcorn tub.
As if waiting for us to settle, the lights in the room dimmed and the screen lit up.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Sea glanced sideways.
The boy was focused on the screen, munching popcorn with a relaxed expression and posture.
Seo Ijin.
Despite the screams erupting all around them from the seats nearby,
one was glued to the screen,
the other to a single boy.
Unmoving.
'Ugh. I was gonna pretend to be scared and grab his arm.'
But now that he's lying back like that.
It'd look weird to cling to someone who's already reclined.
She puffed out her cheeks in frustration for a moment.
Then Sea fell deep into thought as she gazed at Ijin's face.
'Does Ijin... really feel nothing for me or the others?'
To Sea, it seemed like Ijin didn't see them as romantic interests at all.
Sure, he'd shown flickers of being rattled here and there, but only in those instants.
He'd snap right back to his indifferent face.
Was it because of his mature personality?
Even though they were the same age, to Ijin, they all probably seemed like kids.
'I was trying to change that gaze today.'
That morning, her surprise knee pillow attack on Ijin had been part of the plan.
She'd inwardly cheered when his eyes shook.
But then he just looked away and acted like nothing happened, leaving Sea to sigh dozens of times inside.
'Idiot. If I'd done this since we were kids... you'd have noticed by now.'
In truth, Sea hadn't been that obvious with her advances while growing up together.
They said the first to fall loses, so she'd blame Ijin's lack of reaction anyway.
'And now it's really getting dangerous...'
Even when she first met Soyun, Sea had felt uneasy.
She'd ended up with a headache upon realizing Soyun had fallen for Ijin.
If one Soyun was trouble, then entering high school brought chaos.
Two classmates more appealing than any celebrity or idol were in their class,
and worse, both had shown interest in Ijin from day one.
By that point, Sea had already reached enlightenment.
She knew Ijin was popular.
That's why she'd worked so hard in middle school to guard his side.
But before Sea could even touch him, Seong Yurin and Hong Yeonseo had already gotten close to Ijin—and there was nothing she could do.
...Now, Sea herself was on friendly terms with those two as well.
Of course, Seong Yurin hadn't outright confessed to "us" that she liked him yet..., but Sea honestly thought it was only a matter of time.
...But,
but.
BUT!
'No more!'
Even in polygamous Korea, four women would raise eyebrows.
Sea thought any more girls would be dangerous.
They weren't even dating, let alone married yet.
But Sea seriously considered marriage.
'Jia.... And Ijin's club president too? Anyone else...? Ugh, no way even Yurin’s sister in one day!?'
Before she knew it, flames flickered in Sea's eyes as she stared at Ijin.
Sea felt an urgent need for countermeasures.
Not just for herself.
For "all of us."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ I was pretending to ignore it and watch the movie, but...
One side of my face felt burning hot.
For some reason, Lee Sea spent most of the movie glaring at me.
Was the movie so scary she had to look away?
No, that didn't seem like the vibe from her eyes.
Had I done something wrong?
Wait. No way...!
'Is she mad at me because she couldn't sit with Yoon Jiu!?'
She'd seemed fine earlier. Guess not.
No, but Sea, that wasn't my fault.
You should've won at rock-paper-scissors!
I desperately ignored her stares and pretended to focus on the movie.
It was a pretty gory horror flick loaded with jump scares.
Because of that, I couldn't tell if the squeals came from the movie or the seats around me—left and right.
I should never go to horror movies with these guys.
We'd probably get kicked out of the theater.
In the end, her gaze didn't let up until the credits rolled, nor did the noise from the sides.
I was getting exhausted fast.
But man, these chairs were comfy.
Someday, when I made bank,
I'd build my own home theater.
And a home gym too. How much would that cost?
Daydreaming about some uncertain future, I reached into my nearly empty popcorn tub, swirled around for the last handful, and dumped it into my mouth.
Delicious. Farewell, caramel popcorn.
I'll send you off to join your friends so you're not lonely.
Crunch crunch—the sound of popcorn filled the theater as the credits rolled and the movie ended.