No Plan Survives First Contact
There is no plan that survives first contact with the clueless fool enemy in an eroge. I remember it as something said by the Prussian military scholar Helmut… whatever his name was.
Just as that saying went, the perfect plan I had made last night was already falling apart from the very beginning.
Whoosh—
The pretty weathercaster on the morning forecast had confidently declared today would be clear, yet what exactly were these droplets falling right in front of my eyes?
The urine of gods in the heavens, as ancient people once claimed? Or perhaps the sweat of aliens riding around in long-outdated flying saucers?
I had no idea.
Still, as an ordinary Korean citizen who never trusted weather forecasts, I pulled out the umbrella I had packed in my bag.
“…It’s really coming down hard.”
In that moment, the phrase “global warming” no longer felt like some slogan meant to attract sponsors. It truly felt like a cry for survival.
While I stood there blankly watching the torrential downpour—something rarely seen in Korea—I belatedly came to my senses and sent a text.
Along with her cute apology came a photo of Ayoung in bright spring clothes, soaked by the rain and wearing a teary, pouty expression.
A natural smile formed on my lips.
I sent one more message.
It wasn’t far.
With steps as quick as my excitement, I started running toward her.
This was a problem.
In the photo, she hadn’t looked that soaked, but seeing her in person, the upper part of her pink cardigan was wet enough to earn the description “drowned rat.”
Flustered, I reached out toward Ayoung and apologized.
“Haa… Ayoung, I’m sorry. The forecast said it wouldn’t rain today, so I suggested we go see a movie…”
Because I had run all the way from afar, my breathing was a little ragged and I stumbled over my words, but Ayoung still managed to understand and shook her head.
“…It’s okay. I wanted to see a movie today too, you know?”
That was a relief.
I had been worried that the sudden rain—unrelated to last night’s plan—might put Ayoung in a bad mood from the start, but her expression looked better than expected.
So I slowly took in her appearance and offered a compliment.
“…Your outfit’s pretty.”
It wasn’t just a polite remark.
Ayoung was already beautiful enough to live off her face alone for the rest of her life, and now that she had dressed up on purpose, she gave off the aura of a spring goddess—so much so that I felt momentarily dazed.
Even the way her wet top clung slightly to her skin looked strangely seductive, as if it had been staged that way.
“Ah… yeah.”
Blushing at my compliment, Ayoung stared at me for a moment before returning one of her own.
“…You look cool too, Hajun.”
How long had I been waiting to hear those words?
I had agonized over what clothes to wear, what accessories to put on, whether this outfit would be too much or that one too sloppy. In the end, I had gone with a casually neat look.
“Nah… I just threw on whatever I usually wear.”
Unable to brag about my efforts out loud, I scratched the back of my head out of habit.
“…Shall we go?”
Ayoung gently linked her arm with mine as she spoke.
The heavy yet soft sensation against my arm made the blood rush downward, but I forced myself to stay calm and opened the umbrella.
The rain had eased a little compared to earlier, yet I still pulled Ayoung closer under the umbrella.
“Ayoung.”
Without a word, she smiled brightly and pressed herself right up against my side.
…Not a bad start, I thought.
At least, that was how I saw it.
Even though summer had not yet arrived, the movie theater lobby already carried a cool chill in the air.
Outside, the downpour raged, but this place—separated by a single thick glass door—felt like another world.
The musty scent of the enclosed space mingled with the sweet aroma of freshly popped popcorn, making my head spin.
Trailers for various movies played nonstop on the large electronic display hanging from the ceiling.
“Hoo… This is nice.”
Amid it all, Ayoung stood on her tiptoes, watching the people around her.
Despite the heavy rain, quite a few people were bustling about in the lobby.
“Ayoung, this way.”
Worried I might lose her among the crowd, I took her hand and led her to the ticket kiosk.
“What movie do you want to watch?”
It was only a formality.
After reviewing countless lists of movies that would be good to watch together, the most suitable one was Love is Like Soap Bubbles—a melodrama about love between couples.
Of course, if Ayoung wanted to watch something else, I was prepared to go along with her.
“…Hajun.”
Calling my name, Ayoung pointed—as expected—at the poster showing two people facing each other with forlorn expressions.
I immediately printed out the tickets I had already reserved.
“…Huh?”
Ayoung, who had been about to choose seats with me, tilted her head in confusion at the sight of the pre-booked tickets, but soon realized I had prepared them in advance and broke into a bright smile.
As expected of me… When it comes to planning and preparation, I’m flawless.
With that thought, I tore the tickets from the dispenser with a satisfying rip.
“Want some popcorn and cola too?”
“…Ah, I’ll buy that.”
I gently pushed Ayoung’s hand away and said,
“It’s fine. I have a coupon.”
“…R-really?”
Of course it was a lie.
Deceiving the innocent Ayoung, I clicked on the half-and-half popcorn with a wicked grin.
“Ayoung, what flavor do you want?”
After a moment of thought, Ayoung chose caramel, while I picked the classic butter flavor.
When I was about to order two separate colas—
“Ah… I don’t drink much cola.”
While I hesitated, Ayoung spoke carefully.
“…Could we just get one large and share it?”
Of course we could. In fact, I liked the idea even better.
Imagining the two of us sharing a single drink—a heart-pounding, bold act just to think about—I ordered one large cola.
With our order number in hand, we sat down on a lobby bench and started chatting.
Since we were always together, I had thought there was nothing left to talk about, but once we started, I found myself smiling at everything Ayoung said and rambling on about all sorts of things.
“So back in high school, if I drank energy drinks every day…”
“…H-Hajun! That’s dangerous!”
“So I had twenty-six cans…”
While I was spinning what was basically a tall tale, our order number finally appeared on the distant display.
[Order No. 178] [Half-and-Half Popcorn, Large Cola]
“Ayoung, just a sec.”
I headed to the concession counter to pick up the popcorn and cola.
“…Is this your order?”
The visibly exhausted weekend-shift employee asked, and I answered by handing over the number tag.
“Yes, confirmed~”
“Thanks for your hard work.”
With that exchange over, I turned to grab some straws from the side of the counter—
“Hngnya~”
—and spotted a familiar back.
A black ponytail swaying side to side.
“Hey, Lee Harin.”
No need to think twice. It was Harin.
“Ugegegh…”
Startled by the sudden call of her name, Harin made a strange noise and turned around.
I looked at her with pity.
“…What are you doing?”
Once she confirmed it was me, Harin shouted back.
“Y-you surprised me!”
As always, her energetic reaction made me chuckle.
“Our Harin is so healthy. I like that~”
For a moment thinking it was a compliment, Harin tilted her head, then—seeing my mischievous expression—gave my arm a light smack.
“Hey, don’t tease me.”
“…Hey! Don’t teathe me?”
“Y-you—!”
After enjoying a lively exchange with Harin, I finally asked why she was here.
“Obviously to watch a movie. What, did you think I came here to study?”
This time it was Harin who looked at me with pity as she retorted.
Though I felt the urge to give her a light smack on the head, I barely held back and calmed my twitching lips before asking again.
“…I asked what movie you came to see.”
Letting out a “keheh” laugh at my trembling voice, Harin finally answered.
“Of course, the most famous one—Love is Like Soap Bubbles!”
I frowned slightly at her answer.
“…You too?”
Realizing the implication, Harin’s expression gradually stiffened.
“D-don’t tell me you too?”
Apparently, our stubborn bad luck was going to continue even here.