Hongdae Street
Siwoo and Sia had arrived at the meeting spot about ten minutes before two, but…
Almost all our classmates had already gathered there.
The ones who were still missing had gone to the bathroom, so it turned out we were the last to show up after all.
Well… even though we weren’t late for the scheduled time, there was something strangely intense about the way everyone’s gazes kept landing on us.
But since no one was giving us dirty looks or anything, it was fine.
Once the others who had gone to the bathroom came back, the teacher who had herded us all together spoke up.
"Alright, everyone—did you enjoy the field trip?"
"""YES!!!"""
"Yeah, yeah. No idea where you guys prepared everything, but your reports were perfect, all of you."
"Of course we are. We’re total elites, you know."
"…Sure, sure. Anyway, thanks for writing the reports. You all took great photos too."
"""Then can we go now?!"""
"No."
The teacher’s firm refusal made all of us groan at once.
"Awww…"
"What else is there?"
"Another parent meeting?"
"Nothing like that. We still have one minute left."
"Ugh!"
"You guys are so mean!"
"Hey, you shameless ones. I even let you in before nine without counting it as tardiness. If you keep being late like this, we’ll have to extend it by another hour."
"We’re sorry!"
"One minute of waiting quietly, please!"
"Fine, I get it. Alright, two o’clock is here. Don’t wander off anywhere else and head straight home—right? You won’t listen?"
"""YES!!!"
"…When you really don’t want to, don’t you say ‘no’ even as a half-hearted excuse? Anyway, try to head home as much as possible!"
"""Bye everyone!!!"
That was how our field trip ended.
In the past we would’ve gone straight home, but…
"Then shall we head somewhere else?"
"Yes!"
Instead of going home, Siwoo and I decided to check out another place.
And that place was… Hongdae.
The reason we were going there was because Siwoo had said she wanted to see it.
Even though we were still minors, we couldn’t go into the bars in Hongdae and drink alcohol.
"It’s so much fun just people-watching!"
Exploring the unfamiliar space of Hongdae was appealing, and walking together while observing the people there felt even better.
After taking the subway to Hongdae, the scene that greeted us was…
"…There are so many people…"
"I know…"
It really was crowded.
It was a weekday and only about two-thirty, but Hongdae was way more packed than I had expected.
Based on my hometown city, my prediction had been modest, but seeing even more people than that left me surprised.
As we walked past, the foreign languages we overheard made it clear that many foreign tourists were visiting Hongdae.
The signs with English, Chinese, and Japanese all around made it even more obvious.
Since there were so many people, I naturally reached out and took Siwoo’s hand.
"Because there are lots of people, let’s hold hands."
"Yes! But wait a sec…"
"Hm?"
Just when I thought she was going to say something, Siwoo suddenly yanked her hand back.
I had already said ‘okay,’ but when she pulled away so abruptly, I was surprised.
ㅡKWA-KWA-KWA!
Instead of holding hands normally, Siwoo slipped her fingers between mine and wove them together into a firm clasp.
Then she raised our joined hands and gave me a cute little smile.
"It feels safer this way."
"…Yeah."
I kept my blushing cheeks hidden by forcing my expression to stay neutral.
That was how our date began.
Right after leaving the subway, we entered the inner area where vehicles were prohibited.
It seemed they controlled entry on weekends, but since the crowd was so thick, it was practically impossible to get inside.
"Where should we go first? You mentioned there’s a shop you wanted to see, right?"
During our earlier conversation with the other girls about Hongdae, I had heard that Siwoo was interested in a certain store.
"Well, it’s a bit far away, so I’d rather keep exploring first."
"Hmm… but the sun is still pretty strong…"
Even though Chuseok had passed, the daylight sun still beat down, so I wanted to take a short break in a cafe rather than wander outside.
"Then… let’s go to some cafe?"
"Yes, I like that."
"Then where should we go…?"
Still, I wanted a place near the main areas of Hongdae to enjoy the view, so as I looked around, a cafe that caught my eye stood out.
It was a cafe run on the second floor and the rooftop.
Its location near a busy intersection also made it easy to explore the surroundings, so I immediately led Siwoo inside.
The moment we stepped onto the second floor, a refreshing air-conditioning breeze washed over us.
"Waaah… it’s so hot… Siwoo, what do you want to drink?"
"I’ll have a strawberry smoothie."
"Then I’ll get a grapeade."
We paid for our drinks and headed to a window seat.
Thanks to the angle, we could enjoy the scenery without the direct sunlight.
Plus, from the second floor it was easy to see all the way into the distance.
The distant market area looked especially crowded.
"Wow…"
Siwoo stared blankly out the window as if she had been mesmerized by the view.
Normally, when we went to the city, sitting like this didn’t feel special, but now it felt quite different.
Just as I was lost in the view, the waitress’s voice called out.
"Your strawberry smoothie and grapeade are here!"
"I’ll go pick them up."
"Oh… okay."
As I carried the tray over, Siwoo set both glasses on the table.
"Thanks."
I sat down comfortably again.
Both Siwoo and I had been served in large glass cups.
"They look like a lot more than I expected…"
"I know…"
The glasses were enormous.
Even though it was grapeade with ice, and Siwoo’s smoothie was still quite full.
"Whoa… it looks like they blended the strawberries whole."
"For real? You can even see the strawberry pieces…"
The shape of the fruit was still visible, which meant the quality was outstanding.
When I had first seen the price, I thought it was expensive, but now I realized it was actually a bargain.
Anyway, we began sipping our drinks.
Taking a sip through the straw, the carbonated kick of the grapeade hit strong and crisp.
I had assumed they had stirred it, but apparently they hadn’t.
I stirred my drink again and glanced at Siwoo.
Siwoo was sucking on her smoothie and watching me.
I wondered if she had something to say.
"Why are you looking at me?"
"Bad taste?"
She asked if my grapeade was bad.
It wasn’t bad at all.
"It’s not bad—it’s actually stronger, so I was stirring it a bit more."
"…Can I try yours?"
"Sure… I just stirred it, but if you want, go ahead."
I handed her my grapeade glass.
When I passed it over, I forgot to take out the straw.
Just as I was about to retrieve it, Siwoo snatched it from me.
ㅡDak!
Then she took a sip before I could even ask for it back.
It looked like she only took one sip, but she kept the straw in her mouth for a strangely long time.
After savoring it for a moment, she swallowed.
"Mmm… it’s delicious! Want to try mine?"
She offered her own smoothie in return.
"It’s fine."
I really was fine with it, but…
Siwoo shot me a sidelong glance.
Whenever something bothered her, she gave that look, but I couldn’t figure out what I had done wrong.
Could it be because I hadn’t drunk my smoothie? But she wouldn’t glare over something that small.
After that, I got the grapeade back from her and chatted while sipping with Siwoo.
"It’s already past four."
"Yeah, time flew by so fast."
We hadn’t been in the cafe long, yet over an hour had passed.
When I was with Siwoo, time disappeared in the blink of an eye.
"Then should we head out?"
"Sure. Since we’ve had enough, walking around will feel good."
"Yeah."
We had ordered an extra slice of cake, so we brought it to the cashier and stepped outside the cafe.
Even inside the cafe, the number of people had increased as time passed.
"…Let’s hold hands again."
"Yeah."
That was why we walked Hongdae street hand in hand once more.
We passed the shops on either side, people-watched, and even paused to listen to the busking in the distance before moving on.
It was a scenery we could see back home, but it felt a little more special here.
Continuing to walk with Siwoo, we reached what looked like a market.
The stalls displayed bags and trinkets, and the fun of browsing was endless.
As we wandered around happily,
"…."
Siwoo’s gaze fixed on one spot.
The place she had been staring at since earlier was an accessory shop selling rings and necklaces.