Fox Behavior
I sniffled, my breath hitching. "...Hic... Hoo... I'm so sorryyy."
By the time the movie ended and we stepped out of the theater, we stood for a while near the entrance. The reason was obvious—Yuna, standing right in front of me.
Her eyes were red and puffy from crying so hard that I had to wait until she calmed down.
To be honest, it was a touching scene, but I didn't think it was worth crying this much over. Still... this was just like Yuna.
That's why I don't play story games much. My immersion is way too intense—if I get into one, it's a total disaster.
Besides the issue of broadcast time, if we were talking pure stats, Yuna's empathy was maxed out. She displayed insane levels of empathy even at points that were hard for most people to relate to.
I thought I was pretty good at over-immersion myself, but there was no competing with Yuna.
"It's okay. You don't have anything to apologize for. Take your time and catch your breath."
Well, being emotional wasn't exactly a bad thing.
I decided to wait patiently until Yuna's tears stopped.
Honestly, what bothered me more than her crying was the stares from people around us.
"Oh my, did that couple fight?"
"Looks like it. Making a grown woman cry like that in a movie theater?"
It's not what it looks like! This is so unfair!
The hushed whispers from passing aunties. And the judgmental glances from everyone around, all treating me like I was some kind of trash who made a girl cry.
She's just crying because the movie was sad, okay? She's doing it by herself!
But I couldn't exactly shout that out to everyone.
Standing in front of the theater holding an empty couple's combo box probably didn't help. It really did look like we'd come on a movie date, fought, and now she was crying.
But the whole premise was wrong. We weren't even a couple, and I definitely wasn't the one who made her cry.
"...I feel like Oppa is getting all the misunderstanding because of me... I'll just go to the bathroom real quick."
"Yeah. Go ahead."
Yuna must have heard the whispering around us. Her voice was still thick with tears as she spoke, then she disappeared toward the restroom.
...Even when she's crying, she's cute.
The way she sniffled and tried to hide her reddened eyes somehow triggered my protective instincts. If I had the courage, I would've walked right over and pulled her into a tight hug.
[You guys think a girl crying is cute? Are you all perverts?]
[No, seriously, why do so many people like it when girls cry? That's weird. Everyone in this chat is not normal.]
There were always a few comments like that popping up in the chat. I think it was during one of those "ideal type" talks between the viewers and Yuni.
Back then, I couldn't relate at all to the idea that a girl crying could be cute. But after seeing Yuna cry... I kind of got it now.
...Am I a pervert?
It was the moment I discovered something about myself I never knew before.
Shaaaa.
Standing in front of the rushing water from the faucet, I looked at my reflection in the mirror.
I was relieved that the sniffling had finally died down a bit.
Ugh... my makeup's all ruined.
I touched the streaks left by my tears, trying to cover them up. Looking at my face—which had gotten even uglier from crying—I let out a deep sigh.
...I wonder if Oppa saw me like this.
Just thinking that he'd seen me in this state made resentment toward my own weak personality bubble up. Why did I have to cry over something that wasn't even that big a deal?
At times like this, I really hated this part of myself.
But no matter how much I hated it, I couldn't stop the tears from falling.
For now, I did a quick temporary fix on my makeup, washed my hands, and walked out of the bathroom.
In the distance, I saw Oppa standing there, fiddling with his phone.
I slowly walked over to him.
"Oppa. Did you wait long?"
"Nah. You came out pretty quick."
He was being considerate, acting like it was no big deal. The way he never got annoyed and always treated me so gently was still one of those heart-fluttering points about him.
"But was it really that sad?"
"I don't even know. The tears just kept coming."
"Still, the movie was pretty good, right?"
"Yeah. I think we picked a good one."
It was definitely worth all the effort we'd put into choosing it together. Planning the date course had been more fun than I'd expected.
"Then should we go grab something to eat now?"
"We should. I burned a lot of energy crying, so I need to recharge."
"Yeah, that makes sense."
Crying took more energy than people realized. I'd picked at the popcorn here and there, but after our hands touched, I couldn't even reach for it anymore.
Right now, I was feeling pretty hungry.
Oppa and I headed to the handmade sandwich and bakery café we'd decided on beforehand.
"Welcome~!"
With the cheerful greeting from the staff, we sat down at a table. The view through the full-length glass windows gave everything a refreshing feel.
I stared at the menu, falling into my usual trap of endless hesitation. My small appetite paired with a huge list of things I wanted to eat was my chronic condition.
"What do you want to eat, Oppa?"
"Hmm... I'm not sure."
"...This looks good... but so does this..."
We placed the menu between us and stared at it for a long time. Of course, that didn't mean we actually made a decision.
While I was stuck between the egg salad sandwich and the tuna sandwich, Oppa spoke up.
"How about we get both the egg and the tuna?"
"Huh? Is that okay?"
"You want to try both, don't you? We'll order both and split them half and half."
Did Oppa not have anything he really wanted? It felt weird to say no when he put it like that, so I just nodded.
"Want a drink too?"
"Yes, yes. I'll have that one—the grapefruit ade."
We finished ordering, and the food came out not long after. Since it was mostly sandwiches, it didn't take much time.
Forks and knives were placed in front of us. This place really was on another level for a handmade sandwich café.
Thinking that, I awkwardly cut into my sandwich and took a bite. The refreshing flavor of tuna and vegetables spread through my mouth, and I couldn't help but be impressed.
After savoring the taste of the handmade sandwich and looking up, I saw Oppa still struggling with his.
"...Ugh."
...So Oppa isn't good with knives either.
Of course, when would a regular Korean person ever need to use a knife like this?
Watching him grunt and wrestle with cutting the sandwich, I couldn't help but smile. It was like finding a total newbie struggling in a game.
Ah, I can't watch this anymore.
"Oppa. Give it here."
"Huh?"
I slid his plate toward me and took the sandwich he'd been fighting with. Then I cut it into easy-to-eat pieces.
I'd come here a few times with friends, so I was a lot more used to using forks and knives than he was.
"Whoa. You're good at that. How do you do it in one go?"
"It's because you're just really bad at it, Oppa."
"...Ah. Is that so?"
He scratched the back of his head, looking embarrassed by my comment.
"Who holds the knife straight up to cut? Hehe."
"...I don't usually eat stuff like this."
He looked so cute being all shy that I couldn't hold back my laughter. I giggled and took another bite of the sandwich.
"Waa. It's so good."
Oppa was watching me eat with a satisfied smile.
...Eat something yourself, Oppa. Stop staring.
Feeling awkward under his gaze, I took a long sip of my grapefruit ade through the straw. The refreshing sensation filled me up, sending a pleasant tingle through my body.
They said it was made with homemade grapefruit syrup, and it really lived up to the price.
"Oppa, Oppa. Try this too."
"Ah. Okay."
I wanted to share the taste with him, so I held out my grapefruit ade. He hesitated for a second before taking a sip through the straw.
"How is it? Good, right?"
"...Yeah. It's good."
His answer came with a somewhat awkward expression. He didn't look like he was enjoying it that much.
For some reason, his eyes seemed fixed on the straw of the grapefruit ade.
Did he not like the straw? Ever since they started switching to paper straws, I'd found them a bit off too.
His lukewarm reaction made me wonder if I'd picked the wrong place.
"What kind of food do you like, Oppa?"
In case something like this happened again, I decided I'd take him to a place that served his favorite food next time. I was curious what he liked anyway.
"Me? I don't really have anything I avoid."
"If you had to pick, what would it be?"
"If I had to choose... Korean food, I guess?"
Korean food, huh.
Oppa seemed to have pretty traditional tastes. I didn't dislike Korean food either. Not many Koreans did.
It just took a lot of work, so most people got lazy about making it.
"...I really like doenjang jjigae. I just don't make it because it's a hassle."
When I heard that, the urge to brag surged up inside me. The doenjang jjigae I learned from my mom was seriously delicious.
I'd even taught myself a special version of the recipe and sometimes made it while living alone, always ending up impressed with myself.
The moment I said that, Oppa choked on his sandwich and started coughing. Then he looked at me with a strange expression.
Why are you looking at me like that?
His reaction made me replay what I'd just said in my head.
...Yeah, that could definitely be misunderstood.
I hadn't meant it that way, but I could see how it might sound weird.
"No, Oppa. I didn't mean I'd cook it for you for the rest of your life or anything like that!"
"...Cough... I know, I know."
Ah, I'm not trying to act all coy and flirty!
I waved my hands frantically, rushing to explain myself to him.