#95. Romance Fantasy Heroine
#95. Romance Fantasy Heroine
December 21st.
Around my birthday, the weather always started charging straight toward the dead of winter.
There had been a few times when it snowed on the actual day, and I remembered how, back when I was in the military, it really ruined my mood from the morning on big time.
[Hello?]
[Hey. Son. Happy birthday~]
Still, my parents always made sure to call me first thing in the morning on my birthday to congratulate me.
[Thanks, Mom.]
[You doing well at school?]
[Of course~ We had End of Semester not long ago, so it's all done now.]
[Oh man~ You've worked hard. When are you coming home?]
[Probably around Lunar New Year's again this year.]
Wait, no. Should I go down when I go to Na-eun's place?
I hesitated for a second, but then I remembered I still didn't have any savings stocked up, so I decided to just stick to the original plan.
[Alright. So how are you spending today?]
It was Dad's voice now.
[I'm gonna meet my girlfriend out today.]
[What? You've got a girlfriend now?]
...What the hell does Dad think I am?
[Yeah. It hasn't been that long, but I'm seeing a junior from my department.]
[Whoa~ That's great. I was seriously worried you'd end up a lonely old bachelor just like me.]
Ugh... Why are you being so earnest? That's just sad.
[Yeah. Anyway, I gotta get ready to head out now, so I'll hang up.]
[I sent a little pocket money to your account, so treat yourself to something nice.]
[Yes, sir. Thank you.]
After hanging up, I headed to the bathroom for a quick shower.
Amusement park... Amusement park, huh...
It was our first anniversary, and we'd probably take some pictures, so I wanted to dress decently.
Suddenly, I remembered Na-eun pointing out my fashion sense.
...Do I really dress that badly?
After a quick shower, I opened my closet and started wondering if she might be right.
Overall, the colors were all dark and gloomy—it straight-up looked like the wardrobe of some shady returnee student.
...Next time, I'll ask her to pick stuff out with me at a department store or something.
Still, I had plenty of safe options, so I went with a black turtleneck inside and a navy coat outside.
It felt a bit too drab, so I added a pop of color with our ridiculous first couple's item: the red scarf, then headed out.
Huuu.
I let out a long breath, and my exhale puffed out like a dragon's breath, stretching way out.
On the subway, I pulled out my phone and searched for X-World.
Any new rides added...
It'd been about seven years since I last went, and it looked like a ton of attractions had opened up since then.
Still, everyone's taking pics in front of the carousel, huh.
That was the same even when I was a kid.
I picked out about three rides I wanted to hit and got off the subway.
Meetup time: 3 PM.
Current time: 14:43.
I arrived a bit early, so I grabbed a pamphlet and started plotting our route.
"So... We do this one here... and it flows right into that, should be around 5 PM..."
"I don't wanna ride that one?"
A familiar voice from beside me.
"What? When'd you get here?"
"Just now. Happy birthday, Oppa."
Na-eun, flashing a bright smile.
Her outfit today was perfect too.
Black stockings topped with a black wool pleated miniskirt.
A pink polo knit sweater under a beige peacoat had her fully geared up.
"Thanks."
Her coordination was on point as always, but my eyes were drawn to the small paper shopping bag she was holding.
"That. A present?"
"Yeah. It's a present."
"Lemme see."
"Ah. No way. I'll show you later."
She twisted away, clutching the bag like her life depended on it.
"When later?"
"Hmm~ After we ride a few rides?"
"Fine, whatever. Shall we head in?"
I'd already analyzed every discount trick in the book on the subway ride over, so I grabbed our tickets at the booth.
"Birthday discount—50% off."
"No way. Companion gets 50% too?"
"Nah? You just got the credit card discount. 20%, but hey, it's something."
"Bummer."
We handed over our tickets and went in, stunned by the crowd.
"Whoa... It's a weekday and it's packed."
"Yeah. Looks like everyone's out since school's out."
"But Oppa, before we ride anything, there's something we gotta do."
"Something?"
"Come on."
She grabbed my wrist and bulldozed through the crowd to a costume rental shop.
"...School uniforms?"
"Why? Don't wanna?"
I'd actually seen pics online of people in uniforms when I searched earlier, but I didn't think I'd be the one wearing one.
Honestly, it was a hassle.
Paying to wear a uniform again? I'd worn them plenty in school.
And yeah, if I were around twenty, I might've gone for it no problem, but at twenty-six now?
I was pretty far removed from uniforms.
Still, knowing opportunities like this don't come often, I steeled myself and decided to go along with Na-eun's request.
"Fine. Let's do it."
When else am I gonna see Na-eun in a uniform?
Wait, no. If I asked her, would she order one just to wear it?
Nah, nah. That doesn't sound right.
If I asked, the uniform she'd wear probably wouldn't be a normal one.
It'd likely be some adult-modified cosplay costume.
"How about this?"
Gray checkered vest with a pink skirt.
That looked less like a uniform and more like something from an audition show.
"If you wanna wear it, go for it."
What about me?
"Then Oppa, match me and wear the pair to this."
Following her lead, I grabbed the navy uniform on display nearby, and we each headed to the changing rooms.
I changed quick and came out to wait for Na-eun outside.
Girls take forever, huh.
Ten minutes to change? Seriously?
"Uh... How's it look?"
Na-eun finally emerged, her face all flushed for some reason.
Is she embarrassed to show me her uniform look?
"Looks good. C'mere."
She shuffled over slowly in her shoes.
"Did your school uniform look like this?"
"Pfft. What? How many schools have pink skirts?"
"I went to an all-boys high school, so no clue."
It was freezing winter, so we couldn't just rock the uniforms alone—we grabbed our coats separate and stashed the rest in lockers.
"Alright. Time to ride!"
"Hey. You good leaving the present out of the locker? Not a hassle?"
"Ah... I'll reveal this one soon, so I'll just carry it."
What's the big deal?
I didn't wanna pry pointlessly, so I nodded and hooked my pinky with hers.
We agreed on something tame for the first one and lined up for the teacup ride.
It had good turnover, so we got on quick.
"Oppa. You good at spinning these?"
"Hey. Don't even. I can spin this faster than anyone on it right now."
"Oho~ I'll watch."
I'm weirdly competitive about random stuff, so I went all-in turning that cup.
As soon as the staff announced takeoff, I cranked the wheel hard.
"O... Oppa. This is way faster than I thought!"
"Not yet!!!"
I spat out a cool "mada mada da" in Japanese and spun the disc like my arm muscles were on fire.
"Lee Min-ho! Stop! Stop!"
Na-eun looked dizzy, but I wasn't stopping.
This thing runs two minutes max.
It'd been years since I rode one, and I was hyped, so I ignored her whining and soaked in the birthday vibes.
The result...
"Hey, Na-eun. I'm sorry, okay."
"You're not some little kid— I told you to stop."
One ride in, and we were straight to recovery mode.
Na-eun was still complaining of a headache from the dizziness.
We ended up in a nearby cafe, ordering one coffee to split.
"Hey. How about showing me the present now?"
"...Sure?"
After about ten minutes, color started returning to Na-eun's pale face.
She set the paper bag on the table and slid it over to me.
"Check it out."
I grabbed the bag, peeled off the tape, and peeked inside.
"More than one thing?"
"One felt kinda lacking."
I pulled out the top box first—and froze.
"Hey... You got something this expensive...?"
A box from a pretty famous men's watch brand.
We hadn't been together that long—going this far?
Sure, I'd splurge even more on her birthday, but for students like us, wasn't this a bit much?
"Open it."
I unwrapped it, revealing a shiny silver metal watch gleaming inside.
"Whoa... It's seriously cool..."
"Heh... Glad you like it, Oppa. Try it on."
"Yeah."
I rolled up my sleeve and strapped it on.
It had some weight, but metal watches are like that, right?
"Hey. This is already too much—what's the other one?"
How much did this cost? Seriously.
"Ah... The second one's the main dish, but it's cheaper."
Huh? This isn't the main?
Another box in the bag.
No brand logo or anything this time.
I opened it to find a super suspicious pink remote.
"What's this?"
I had a guess, but no way...
No... That kinda classic cliché wouldn't happen...
Right then, Na-eun "accidentally" dropped her wallet on the floor.
It landed under the table by my legs.
As I naturally bent down to pick it up—
Na-eun suddenly grabbed the hem of her pink uniform skirt with both hands and lifted it up.
Clear view inside her stockings.
Even her panty line was visible, but I spotted something different from usual.
A thin, distinct line inside the stockings.
No way I wouldn't recognize it.
"Oppa. Wanna press a button?"
I've seen [Sun Holding the Moon], but [Girlfriend Holding a Rotor] is a first.