Where Shall We Go?
While slacking off at home playing games, some really great news came in.
Na-eun had raised her grades.
I'm truly, deeply grateful for it. At the same time, I'm so proud of her.
Na-eun was so thrilled that she was typing even faster than usual.
That said, if she scored that well on a school exam, I can rate her skills a bit higher. I'd honestly thought she was around 3rd grade across all subjects.
Can't be helped. School exams are way tougher than ones at home.
So how'd she manage to boost her grades like that?
Anyway, if she keeps practicing problems and preps for new question types, she's got a solid shot at getting into our school.
Wishful thinking, sure.
But that's not the priority right now.
The important thing is...
Where Na-eun wants to go.
I'd promised her that if she beat the grade threshold I set, I'd turn one tutoring day into a play day.
She'd boldly cleared it, so now it was time to hold up my end.
Na-eun replied without a second's hesitation.
"Anywhere's fine," she says—she'd totally hate it if I took her to a PC bang.
...Not that I'd actually do that. Even I know better than to take a girl to a PC bang.
So where to? After mulling it over, I came up with a decent spot.
The minor issue? It's a place I'd gone with my ex, the one who wore her shoes on the wrong feet like a total klutz.
Honestly, it still bugs me. My heart still hurts.
It's only been about two months since the breakup, so my chest still tightens and aches.
Taking Na-eun there feels off. If I ever do, it'll be after my wounds have fully healed.
I grabbed the pen on my desk out of habit and started twirling it around.
Where should I take her? Where would make Na-eun happy?
By the time I'd decided, I was already messaging her.
A movie theater—solid, safe choice. Kinda cliché and predictable, though.
But our sweet Na-eun was thrilled beyond belief...
She even threw in two exclamation points. What a good girl. Na-eun really is.
I'll cover movie tickets, snacks, dinner—the works.
That's the least she deserves.
Nodding to myself, I quit the game and pulled up the theater site.
I scanned movies at nearby theaters for the weekend.
What genre? Romance for a girl, maybe that mystery thriller. Or a straight-up comedy.
They all looked good, so I messaged Na-eun.
Would've been easy if she picked, but I could guess her reply.
'Anything's fine!' or 'You pick, oppa.'
Na-eun always hands me the choices and goes full positive mode.
But surprisingly, she had a firm preference for movies.
Unlike expected, she nailed it down: romance.
Made picking easier, so I sent her two options—one Korean romance, one foreign—and asked her to choose the better one.
She picked the foreign one.
I booked tickets for a good time slot and sent her the confirmation pic.
Seeing her chatter excitedly made me grin.
At the same time, I made it clear: this play day ends today—no more till next month.
She sent a nodding puppy emoticon, but it felt a tad regretful.
...Still, maybe one more reward if she nails the June mock exam.
Boosting scores from March to June? That's on another level.
*
Two days flew by.
I'd been a total bum, but come Saturday, I ditched the vibe.
Shaved clean, dressed sharp.
Seong started eyeing me weird when I did stuff I never do.
"...Bro, whatcha doing?"
"What else? Getting dressed."
"I see that... but why're you so done up today? Going somewhere?"
"Yeah, hanging with Na-eun."
"......Not tutoring?"
"She's celebrating her grade-up with a day off."
She glared hard.
Did I mess up again? I looked at her, and she hit me with a weird question.
"...You're not planning to hit on her, right?"
"What kinda nonsense is that?"
"Nonsense my ass—you only dress like that when you're dating."
...Do I?
Nah, I put effort into outfits even as a slob.
Okay, maybe a bit more today.
Na-eun's like a little sister, but taking her out in my usual sloppy clothes would drag her down.
Dressing my best is the right move for her.
No point explaining to Seong—she wouldn't get it—so I just denied it flat-out.
"I got zero feelings for Na-eun. Not a single romantic one."
But my sister operates on a different wavelength.
"Doesn't matter if you do or don't—just wait till she's legal if you're gonna touch her."
Not worried about Na-eun. About me messing around.
"Crazy bitch."
I hurled the compliment with all my heart, and Seong grinned, pulling out cash.
"Little bro short on money?"
"......Why this now?"
"Take back what you said~, or no allowance."
"Take it back."
I caved quick, and she burst out laughing, handing me a 50,000-won bill.
"You can eat crap, but feed Na-eun right. Got it?"
"Yep."
Come to think of it, Na-eun got along great with my sister too.
She's younger than me, but the age gap with Seong is bigger, and she adored her.
......Wait, wouldn't Seong have been a better tutor?
She's not as book-smart as me, but top of her class back then, same gender—easy rapport.
But Seung-min asked me specifically, and he finds Seong intimidating, so I scrapped the what-if.
"Anyway, I'm off."
"Have fun~"
She waved me off and headed inside. I didn't look back and stepped out.
Strolled to the bustling district with our theater, about 20 minutes away.
When I got there...
"Oppa~ Over here~ Here~"
Na-eun was already waiting.
Nothing like her usual look—a pink sweater, plaid skirt, light makeup. A fresh Na-eun.
* * *
I couldn't sleep a wink the night before. The thought of a date with Seonwoo oppa kept me wired.
Woke at 7 a.m., and even though we were meeting at 11:30, I bathed, did my makeup, picked an outfit by then.
Outfit took forever.
How to look approachable but cute for oppa? How to seem pretty?
Settled on effortless chic, best combo I could find.
Not totally thrilled, but couldn't do better.
After hours in it, headed to the spot.
Waited 30 minutes, then oppa showed—10 minutes early.
But...
......He looked way too hot.
White V-neck knit, black slacks—clean, ultimate boyfriend look.
Even casual, Seonwoo oppa had me falling harder.