Christmas (4): Tteokbokki and the Manga Cafe Hideaway
Na-eun wore a deeply satisfied expression as she asked me a question after we finished our tteokbokki.
"Oppa, the tteokbokki here is delicious, right? Isn't it?"
"Yeah, it really is."
"Hehe~ I knew you'd like it too!"
They say tteokbokki is women's soul food, but plenty of guys love it too.
It's spicy, chewy, and has that addictive flavor that's hard to resist.
Plus, I happen to like tteokbokki myself.
Not just tteokbokki—I'm pretty good about eating most foods without being picky.
"Na-eun, where to next?"
"Hmm~ There's another place I wanna go! You'll come, right?"
"Of course. I'm spending the day playing with you."
"Eee~"
Seeing Na-eun grin at me, baring her teeth, made my heart feel at ease without me even realizing it.
Her smile has that kind of power. The kind that makes everyone around her smile too.
"Na-eun, let's go."
"Okay~!"
Na-eun naturally fell into step beside me, and we started walking together.
I followed her lead, and before I knew it, we arrived at a building.
"Here we are~"
"Na-eun, this place..."
"The basement level 1 is what I wanted to check out!"
Basement level 1?
What's down there?
As I looked around, it hit me what was on the basement level of this building.
A manga cafe.
It was an entertaining spot in all sorts of ways.
"Oppa, do you read manga? Japanese, Korean, anything?"
"I'm an omnivore—I read it all."
"That's unexpected. I thought you only did webtoons."
"Nah, your oppa's friend reads all kinds of stuff."
"My oppa's the root of all evil when it comes to that~ I learned from him too."
The phrase 'root of all evil' fit Seung-min Jeong so perfectly that I burst out laughing without meaning to.
"Yeah, that describes him spot on."
"Right, right~"
Na-eun giggled as we headed down to the basement, where the manga cafe appeared. A pretty massive one, at that.
"The facilities here are amazing! The private rooms are comfy, the sofas are great, the pillows are soft, and you can even nap if you need to."
"You can sleep here too?"
"Yup~ That's why I brought you here—it's top quality!"
With that, Na-eun opened a nearby shoe locker and pulled out some slippers.
She slipped off her shoes and put them inside.
Her feet looked tiny compared to the slippers.
"Na-eun, what's your shoe size?"
"Me? 230."
"That's super small."
"Huh? Isn't that the average for women?"
Women's average is only 230?
Thinking about it, my sister Seong Lee's feet were around 240 too.
Hmm, yeah, 230 does seem like the average now that I think about it.
"Could be."
"What's yours, oppa?"
"Me? 275."
"That's huge."
"This is average for guys, though."
At least that's what I think. 275 is guy average.
If anything, 270 might be the exact average, but 275 is close enough.
I grabbed some slippers from the same locker that matched my size.
Then I tucked my shoes under Na-eun's.
With our shoes stacked like that, the size difference between our feet stood out even more.
"The size gap is insane."
"Yeah, it's pretty big."
Seeing it like this really drove home the difference between men's and women's feet.
It made me feel, all over again, that the girl next to me was well and truly a 'girl'.
Of course, I shoved that thought right out of my head. Girl or not, Na-eun was still a minor, and my friend's little sister.
Na-eun hummed happily as she headed to the counter, and I followed her there.
She'd clearly been here before, because she started explaining how the manga cafe worked.
"Oppa, here's how it goes~"
The system was simple.
Pay by the hour with a drink, or get an all-day pass—whatever you want.
"Na-eun, how long are we staying?"
"Hmm~ About three hours?"
"Three hours?"
"Yeah!"
"Then let's do the all-day pass. It's about the same price."
"Got it~"
Na-eun and I each got an all-day pass and a drink.
Iced Americano for me, lemon tea for her.
A pretty standard combo.
"Oppa, follow me!"
"Sure."
With my pager in hand, I trailed after Na-eun as she confidently headed deeper into the cafe.
Inside, there were stairs going up—not to the first floor, but to the upper private rooms.
Na-eun started up them, but I grabbed her since the steps seemed pretty steep.
"Na-eun, heading upstairs?"
"Yeah, it's comfier up there."
I immediately stepped up beside her.
"Let's walk together."
"Ah... Okay!"
Na-eun beamed brightly and walked beside me.
I used my bag to shield the view under her skirt.
That was the whole reason I'd positioned myself next to her.
A wrong glance could've been risky.
Na-eun either didn't notice my consideration or didn't care—she just kept smiling innocently.
Soon we reached the upper floor, and Na-eun led me to a private room in the corner.
She pulled back the blackout curtain, revealing a super quiet, cozy space.
"Ta-da~ What do you think, oppa?"
"Looks good."
"Right, right~ This is where I come with my friends a lot!"
"With friends?"
"Yeah! Oh, don't worry—all girls."
...I wasn't really worried about that.
No reason to be, anyway.
Of course, I didn't say it out loud. No need to dwell on it.
Na-eun scampered over and flopped right down onto the floor of the room.
"Ooh~ This feels so good~ It's super fluffy—I knew you'd love it here~"
"Aigoo, is this why you wanted to come?"
"Obviously~ Lie down and you'll get it!"
I shook my head, making it clear I wasn't planning to, and sat down next to her instead.
I watched her grinning ear to ear as she lay there.
After Seonwoo oppa and I entered the private room, we had a totally wholesome time—just like that.
We grabbed some manga to read together, recommended titles to each other, picked up our drinks, and read while sipping them.
Even that quiet time felt amazing, honestly.
This private room in the manga cafe feels spacious yet enclosed, almost claustrophobic in a good way.
Like the whole world had shrunk down to this tiny room.
Just me and Seonwoo oppa, the only two people in it.
That fact alone made me feel incredible. My heart was pounding like crazy.
This was probably the first time I'd been in such a cramped space alone with Seonwoo oppa.
...No, wait. Not exactly.
When I was really little, I rode a tube slide hugged against Seonwoo oppa's chest.
That might've been the last time we were alone in a tight space.
Back then, I just thought of him as a super kind, cool, awesome oppa.
But not anymore.
Now I see him as kind, wonderful, handsome, and someone I love.
Maybe even back in those childhood days, I had feelings for him.
But I was too young to realize it then. By the time I did, we'd drifted apart a bit, and when I tried to get close again, it was too late.
It made me so sad. Seonwoo oppa was too good of a person, and I figured I'd never get another chance.
Still, I didn't give up. There was a sliver of hope.
And that hope came true because Seonwoo oppa became single again.
I'm seizing this chance.
That's why we're here.
I inched closer to Seonwoo oppa, who was sitting across from me.
Slowly, carefully...
"...Hey, Seonwoo oppa."
"Yeah?"
"What manga are you reading right now?"
Playing dumb, I rested my head on his shoulder.
Seonwoo oppa didn't flinch at all and just showed me what he was reading.
It was that one I knew about—a pirate who eats a fruit and gets powers instead of turning into a bottle or whatever.
I wondered if he'd read something mainstream, and sure enough, it was a total crowd-pleaser.
But that didn't matter. Even that was cool.
I love and adore every side of Seonwoo oppa anyway.