#50. Bookstore
#50. Bookstore
I got home and quickly started preparing for tomorrow's Architectural Design.
Now the early parts were pretty much over, and the time had come when I couldn't just coast by anymore.
I had to draw something resembling blueprints, and plan out what programs needed to go inside.
Oh right.
I also had to upload the Manuscript...
Ever since Na-eun started dragging me around, I hadn't been able to write as regularly as before, so my stockpile had pretty much run dry.
...Fuck. Looks like I got all the sleep I'm getting tonight.
I stretched looong with a big yawn and was about to tackle my tasks one by one when—
Wiiiiing
My phone vibrated.
[Han Na-eun]
Our first day as a somehow-coupled pair.
I picked up my phone, turned on the screen, and checked the text.
[You doing well on your Design?]
Some kinda feeling.
It was the first time.
The first time a casual, everyday text from Na-eun that wasn't laced with threats...
But why of all things...
[Nope.]
Like there'd ever be a day when Design goes well.
Fuck. She's not even teasing me.
But I couldn't exactly send that to my 'girlfriend,' right?
Even as a Mosol, I knew that much manners.
[Mine's totally fucked tooㅠㅠ]
Yeah. That's more like it.
But what do I even reply?
[Yeah. Fighting.]
That should do it, roughly.
[Oppa, I prepared something to cheer you on too!]
Prepared... some... thing?
At this hour? What could she have prepared?
Feeling uneasy but curious, I texted her back.
[What is it.]
[Wait.]
How many seconds did I wait? She sent me a photo.
But the contents were...
In the photo, Na-eun was pulling down her pajama top with her mouth, exposing her bra.
Her modestly swollen, pale breasts were slightly visible.
She was even winking.
...Way too stimulating for a boyfriend on the first day after getting together.
I was wondering what to reply when another text came right after.
[You hard?]
Her text naturally drew my eyes downward.
And like a ghost, my junior was yelling 'Yes! Master!'
Such loyalty, kiddo.
[Nope.]
Exchanging dirty talk from day one wasn't good.
For now, I'd wrap this convo up with a lie.
[BS.]
[Fr tho;]
This didn't feel like the fresh-sprout couple banter it should be...
If I imagined what Pure Love couples texted on day one from what I'd seen...
[Oppa. How's the work going?]
[Yep! Of course!]
[Heh... Ah~ I miss Oppa.]
[What~ That~]
[Doesn't Oppa miss me?]
[I miss our Na-eun so much too.]
[Really?ㅎ Then let's eat together tomorrow!]
[Sure sure~]
Kinda cringy, but isn't this the standard?
'Hard?' is fuck...
I couldn't help but snort in disbelief.
No no.
I can take the lead.
If Na-eun was telling the truth, she had zero dating experience too.
A blank white canvas untouched by anyone else—so if I guided her well, we could have a normal relationship.
Since I said I really wasn't hard, Na-eun didn't reply for a while.
Then about 30 minutes later.
Her final text of the night was.
[gn]
I was tracing blueprints, calculating areas, but even then I intuited that our future would be extremely rough.
"Yeah. Minho-ya. See you next week."
After somehow getting lightly chewed out by the Professor-nim and leaving the classroom, I let out a deep sigh of relief.
If someone asked what 'Architectural Design' class was like, I could explain it perfectly with a metaphor.
[Defense game.]
Just prep for one day, bare your ass in front of the Professor-nim, and scrape by—that's Design class.
I pulled out my phone and called Na-eun.
[Where you at.]
[4th floor~]
[Come to the 1st floor.]
[Ok!]
Her energy seemed way too high for someone just finishing Design class.
November 5th.
The time of year when it was starting to get chilly.
Despite the cold, had Na-eun dressed up extra for our first date?
"Oppa!"
Na-eun, in a trench coat and jeans, waved at me.
She smiled brightly.
At first glance, we'd look like a perfectly happy couple, but I had to keep my guard up.
My opponent was Han Na-eun.
A woman who could pull unpredictable stunts anytime.
"Yeah~ You came~"
I grinned at her.
"Wow~ But Oppa! I didn't expect you to be the one asking for a date first!"
This morning.
I'd mustered up the courage to ask Na-eun out.
I needed to gather intel on her first.
See how she'd react to a normal date, how she'd take it.
Less excited boyfriend heart-pounding, more sharp observer's gaze—I watched her.
"But where we going?"
I hadn't told her the destination, but once we were on the bus, I finally did.
"Hosang Bookstore."
"The bookstore?"
"Yeah. You hate bookstores?"
"No? I like browsing stationery too. Feels like I go once every two months?"
Hoo... Is that so.
"Good. Glad to hear it."
"But Oppa."
Her playful expression made me gulp.
"In a big bookstore like that, I don't think they'll have stuff Oppa likes..."
No need for long explanations—what Oppa liked was obvious.
"Nah? I got a gift I wanna give you today."
"A gift?"
"Yeah. A book."
Na-eun blinked for a sec, then asked in a super calm voice.
"If it's the [I Imprisoned Her.] paperback, I'd like to pass."
"As if..."
Who gives their girlfriend a Female Corruption Genre as a first gift?
"Hmm~ Then I'll buy Oppa a book too! How 'bout it! I don't wanna just receive."
Hmm...
"Yeah. Let's do that."
I was super curious what she'd pick too.
I'd already decided on her gift.
The book I'd researched for her was...
[101 Reasons Why I Love You.]
Of course, I'd never read it, but the reviews said it fit my intentions perfectly.
The number one book 'normies' give their lovers.
Explains what love is in various sweet expressions, full of affectionate lines.
For someone like me with a solid rom-com fantasy, it seemed like a great gift.
"Let's go."
We got off the bus and walked side by side into the bookstore.
The signature paper scent of bookstores tickled my nose.
"Mm~ Shall we browse together first, then pick gifts?"
"Sure."
Excluding Web Novels, I don't read regular books much, so I just scanned the shelves indifferently.
"Oppa. Do you read a lot of these paper books too?"
"Nah. Mostly Web Novels."
Na-eun didn't seem that into books either, so we breezed past the bestseller corner pathetically quick.
Past the humanities section, we arrived at...
The manga corner.
Her attitude had clearly changed—I naturally eyed the shelves too.
"Oppa, did you read a lot of manga as a kid?"
"Me? Well... I read the famous ones..."
Not quite a weeb, but I did binge shonen manga in middle school.
"I look at manga covers a lot for illustration references."
Other illustrators, sure—but Na-eun...
You're an erotic illustrator.
Didn't you reference hentai more?
I swallowed the drip rising to my throat and awkwardly smiled, agreeing.
"Ah~ I see~ You read 'em?"
"Bought 'em, so yeah, I read to not waste."
Arms crossed, tapping her bicep with her index finger, she went quiet for a bit.
"Oppa. Time to go pick gifts separately."
"Already?"
Felt like we'd only been wandering together 10 minutes.
"I want to pick a really good one for my first gift from you."
Sounds reasonable, but why the bad vibe.
"Got it. See you in how long?"
"Like... 30 min? Meet back at the entrance."
"Yeah. Okay."
I left her there and searched the info desk for the title.
C-12 corner... Around here...
The shelves were packed with cringey titles.
Never thought I'd buy one myself, but whatever.
I grabbed it quick, flipped through the pages.
Cute illustrations of couples on dates.
Short, sweet lines.
Perfect. This is Pure Love.
I was dying to see Na-eun's reaction.
No way she'd chuck a gift from her boyfriend.
Time left was awkward, so I wandered the store aimlessly.
And one corner any guy's eyes drift to...
[Minors prohibited.]
Big bookstore, so they sold 19+ books too.
Just a quick peek...?
I checked if Na-eun was around, gulped, and stepped in.
Yeah... Just browse a bit and go. Whatever.
But...
My scan meant nothing.
"Oppa?"
...Picked a good one, huh. Na-eun.
Looks like Na-eun's gift wasn't a book, but some jerk-off material.