Motivation (1)
Na-eun had done me a favor, so yeah, I needed to take her out somewhere fun in return.
But where? Honestly, I was drawing a blank.
This might sound embarrassing, but that Western restaurant-movie theater combo from last time was the best I could come up with. Nothing tops it.
Anything "better" would be those adult things I could never mention in front of Na-eun. Or places like art galleries that'd bore a student to tears.
I wasn't sure, but Na-eun didn't seem all that into art anyway. So, galleries were out.
What about a manga cafe?
Back when I was dating, manga cafes were the perfect hideout.
These days, they stock not just comics but webtoons in book form, board games, and more—solid options all around.
Still, considering Na-eun's super popular vibe, she'd probably hate a manga cafe.
So where? Where should we go?
After agonizing over it, I finally came up with a decent idea.
A place that'd refresh the mood, clear my head, and give her some motivation. Perfect.
I needed her input, so I grabbed my phone and fired up KakaoTalk to message Na-eun.
Scrolling through my friends list, I found her—profile pic just like any other high school girl.
No clue who took it, but she looked pretty cute in it.
Made me think, So this is what Na-eun looks like in winter.
I snapped out of admiring her and sent the message.
I thought of a place to go together.
The little "1" next to my message vanished before I could even suggest the spot.
She'd read it.
(sparkly-eyed puppy wagging its tail emoticon)
No idea how hyped she was to hang out, but it was probably gonna be less exciting than she hoped.
Jinhan University—the school I went to, her top-choice dream school.
About an hour away by bus and subway.
No hesitation in her reply.
We're going this week, right?
lololol
Next week it is!
Okay! So what time we meeting?
Whenever works for you.
9 then!
Yeah, see you at 9.
Okay~
Super early.
Na-eun seemed so diligent and hardworking.
She'd whine about it being tough, but she'd always join me for Saturday jogs and never once been late for our plans.
Diligent, hardworking Na-eun—fits her image perfectly.
Smart, bold, bright. Her upbeat personality matched that energy. Couldn't help but smile.
I pocketed my phone and started pondering what to wear for our meetup.
Right on cue, Mom knocked.
*knock knock knock knock*
"Honey~ Honey~ Got something for you~"
I got up from bed and opened the door. "What is it?"
"It's about time to pull out the summer clothes, right? Help me get 'em out."
"Sure. What about Sis?"
"Your sister's useless anyway. Total weakling who never works out."
"She hits hard when she smacks me."
"That's 'cause you deserved it, so she hit extra hard."
Nuh-uh, I don't mess up that much.
Okay, maybe sometimes, but not that often.
Felt a bit wronged, but what could I do? In Mom's eyes, Sis was the pretty daughter bringing in freelance cash for living expenses. Me? Just some discharged slacker kid doing nothing.
Talk about status gap. This what separates working adults from "on break" youth?
Of course, I was on leave from school—back next semester as a full uni student. No need to grovel.
Rationalizing like that, I helped Mom drag out the summer clothes from the closet.
Sorting through them, I picked out some decent ones.
Though a few brought back painful memories mixed in.
"...Mom, where should I put the stuff to toss?"
"What? Throwing out clothes?"
"Yeah, these... and these... oh, and these too."
Mom tilted her head at my picks, then nodded.
"Fine, if the buyer wants 'em gone, who am I to argue."
Those were clothes my ex bought me, plus stuff I got to impress her.
Every time I saw them, old memories haunted me.
Maybe ditching them would help.
Didn't fix my mood much after, sadly.
Small consolation: sorting helped me pick an outfit for Na-eun.
Only silver lining? Man, I'm a real piece of work.
Ex messing up my vibe, fixed by picking date clothes with my buddy's little sis. What a weird mood.
*
Time flew, and Saturday rolled around.
I thought I looked pretty sharp.
Light blue short-sleeve button-up, black pants. Solid, safe combo.
Dressed and at the bus stop 30 minutes early, just chilling on the bench...
*swish... squeeze*
Small hands covered my eyes.
Tiny, soft, wonderfully warm hands.
"Huh?"
"Guess who~"
That bright, bubbly voice. I turned, and there she was.
Na-eun, beaming at me, dressed to kill.
Crisp gray blouse matched with brown shorts. So clean and cute.
"Na-eun."
"Hi~ Oppa, why're you out so early?"
"30 minutes isn't that early."
"It totally is~"
"But you're early too."
"I was too excited to hang out with you, so I came fast! You?"
Her dropping that so casually threw me off a bit, but damn, it felt good.
Excited to hang with me? Huge honor.
Unlike bubbly Na-eun, I was the army-vet uncle type. A high schooler hyped for uncle time? flattering as hell.
"Me? Didn't wanna be late, so early bird."
"So diligent."
"Only thing keeping this corpse alive."
Talk like that, but truth is, I love sleeping in and rolling around in bed too.
Effort I put into seeming diligent? She notices. Felt great.
"Alright, let's head out? Bit early still."
"Yeah, Oppa!"
She nodded big. I checked the bus schedule.
Five minutes 'til the next one.
Bus a ways, switch to subway, straight to my school.
Hour trip, but not boring.
"Might drag a little, so let's chat about whatever."
"Okay!"
With Na-eun next to me.
* * *
I peppered Seonwoo Oppa with questions.
What's Jinhan University like? School facilities? Cafeteria food? Classes?
Extra curious 'cause I could actually end up there. Fingers crossed.
Oppa answered every annoying question patiently.
Jinhan U's just a normal school. Facilities okay except the new builds. Cafeteria—one spot out of three is decent. Classes? Sleepy...
Added it might've changed in two years, but fingers crossed it has.
That way, I could explore it with Oppa. Make it meaningful.
With those hopes, we headed to Jinhan University.
Bus, subway... after about an hour, the train stopped.
Ten-minute walk from the station, and there it was.
Nothing like my old elementary, middle, or high schools. Massive.
I'll attend here someday. With Seonwoo Oppa.
Definitely. And it won't be ordinary.
We'll be that super sweet, happy couple vibe.