Yu-ri and the Dojang People # 2
Yu-ri and the Dojang People # 2
In the end, Yu-ri dragged me all the way to the theater.
This is insane.
Absolutely insane.
Do I really have to watch a horror movie with Yu-ri? I live alone in the dorms and can't even shower after seeing a scary meme, and now a horror movie...! When I'm trying to sleep with the lights off, I get terrified that someone's watching me!
"Ugh, seriously. Why a horror movie, Yu-ri? Let's watch the one with aliens, aliens."
"Wow, this bitch-ass dude won't stop running his mouth. You know what? Today, I'm gonna make a man out of you."
"I'm already a person!"
"Yeah. In the eyes of a master, you're not. Come here."
Yu-ri grinned and yanked me by the collar.
That is just a purely wicked smile...! A different vector of wickedness from Leona's smile when she feeds me jjamppong!
"Hey, hey! Let go! Let me go!"
"Oh? You're resisting? I'm gonna poke you. Poke you with my finger? Don't you know you get thrashed for resisting the master?"
"Yu-ri! You're turning way too violent lately!"
"You're the one making me like this!"
"Aaack!"
Only when I screamed did Yu-ri finally let me go!
"Yu-ri. I'll be serious. If we watch a horror movie now, no kidding, I won't be able to sleep tonight...! I'm scared someone'll be staring at me!"
"Then just slice it up with a sword aura."
"How do you cut a ghost?"
"You can cut anything, dumbass. Heheheh."
She's dead set on watching it no matter what! That cursed-looking movie poster with the ominous house—she's going to pick it!
"Please! Have some mercy! I seriously can't watch horror movies!"
"Yeah. Still watching it."
I was practically clinging to Yu-ri's shins and begging, but she just looked down at me, thoroughly enjoying herself.
She's a total bully who loves tormenting people.
And this woman is my master.
"Don't worry, idiot."
"Don't worry about what?"
"If a ghost pops out during the movie, I'll go like, wham-wham, and protect you."
"What!"
Yu-ri will protect me...!
"That's only for the theater! What about when I go home!"
"Want me to walk you home?"
"What!"
Walk me home?!
"Bullshit. Just kidding, dumbass. Why are you pretending to be shocked? You're hilarious, you little shit. Heheheh."
"I've been betrayed. I thought you'd take responsibility, but you betrayed me."
"Life's just a series of betrayals. So, Kim Geun-cheol? Stay right here. I'll go buy the tickets and snacks."
"Don't just ditch me...!"
"Ha, you're so damn picky. Then just follow me."
"I'm begging you for the horror movie."
Of course, she completely ignored me. Yu-ri strode off immediately and bought tickets for a movie called The Black House, which looked ominous right from the name.
She even had the sense to grab popcorn and cola.
I stuck right by Yu-ri's side.
Because I was already scared.
"Bought, bought. Now we're definitely watching it."
Yu-ri casually shoved all the random stuff into my hands.
"Ha, what am I gonna do."
"What's there to be scared of with me next to you?"
"Yu-ri. You're too strong to understand the hearts of the weak. To reach the next level, don't you think you need to understand frailty?"
"If you spout bullshit one more time, we're coming back for another horror movie, got it?"
"Fine, I'll endure it and watch it just this once."
Fine.
I'm a man too.
I can't show a pathetic side in front of a girl. I hardened my heart with ironclad resolve like that.
"The Black House, Theater 9, please enter!"
I moved to Theater 9 with Yu-ri.
"Hey. After the movie, want to hit the department store next door?"
"What for?"
"If I've got a shuttle, I should use it."
"Am I just a shuttle for you?"
"You're not?"
Yu-ri grinned and said it with absolutely no shame.
"What about the dojang?"
"Then we'll hit the dojang first and go after. It's not like you've got anything else to do. Ha, but is this punk trying to weasel out of it?"
"Fine! I'll do whatever you want!"
Thinking back, Yu-ri had the same vibe when teaching swordsmanship. Back then, she spoke through her sword rather than words, so I didn't really notice it, but Yu-ri's swordsmanship has this bulldozer feeling to it.
The feeling that she's just swinging me around everywhere.
Anyway, we went into the dim Theater 9 and took our seats. Yu-ri sat on my right, and I shifted my body slightly toward the right.
"Why are you clinging?"
"To neutralize the horror by sticking just a bit closer."
"Ha, a guy who dices up monsterkin is a total chicken shit. Want me to hold your hand? Should I hold your hand?"
"Would you really hold it?"
"Nah, kidding."
"My last hope!"
"What were you expecting, you moron! Who the hell asks a girl to hold his hand just because of a horror movie!"
Yu-ri shouted energetically. And honestly, she's right. But what can I do if ghosts are terrifying? Maybe my imagination is just too vivid.
—Bwoong.
The movie soon started.
"..."
In a state of extreme tension, I gulped and squinted my eyes open.
"This punk's squinting."
"I'm East Asian, my eyes are a bit small."
"Heh, the hell you are."
Of course, that wasn't enough. I stretched both hands forward to form a tiny gap and watched the screen through that gap.
"Hey. Put your hands down?"
"No, I'm already scared."
Yu-ri grabbed my wrists and pulled them down.
She won't even let me put up a barrier?
—Saaaak.
Anyway, a gloomy atmosphere.
The opening began with camera work exploring the inside of that ominous house. A terrifying atmosphere overflowed, like something was about to jump out at any second.
Me? Alone in a place like that?
I'm confident I'd straight-up faint.
The moment the movie was about to really begin—
—Kyaaah!
"Whoaack!"
A damn ghost jumped out, shit!
"What the hell, screaming from the very start? Whatever, Scream Man punk. Heheheh."
I got the shock of my life, but Yu-ri was just going "hehehe," poking my forearm like it was the funniest thing she'd ever seen. I think this is the first time she's seen me outside, and she's already manhandling me to death.
The power difference is so huge I can't even resist. That's the real tragedy.
"Are you really scared? Huh? Scared shitless?"
She's even teabagging me...!
"I'm the most terrified person on Earth...!"
"For real, want me to hold your hand?"
"Please, just hold it!"
"Yeah. I'm not holding it."
"Stop crushing my expectations!"
She's messing with me way too much!
I mean, honestly, if she held my hand, I think I'd calm down a bit.
"Ha, seriously, you're such a total noob. Is this what it feels like for Leona?"
"What about Leona?"
"You're Leona's son."
"I mean, I guess. She just looks after me."
Either way, I watched the movie with Yu-ri.
My impression as I watched it: it was scary as all hell. The story's about people who move into a creepy house and get tormented by all sorts of ghosts.
There were so many jumpscares that I shrieked my head off mid-movie, but it wasn't a public nuisance. Everyone in the theater was screaming. Even so, Yu-ri didn't flinch at all.
"Oh almighty Lady Leona, shelter me with your beautiful heart..."
Whatever the case, praying inwardly to Leona made it kind of bearable. Especially at the end, when superhumans suddenly appeared and exorcised the demons by blowing the house to smithereens—I honestly think that was a masterpiece of a scene.
And so, we finished the movie and walked out...
"Keekeekeek. This piece of work is such a joy to mess with, I swear."
"Yu-ri. I'm so wounded. How am I supposed to live after this?"
"Wounded, my ass. Hey. Who told you to make a scene at a fast-food joint? This is payback, you idiot."
"The instigator of this incident was... me?"
I despaired.
"Ah, that was freaking hilarious. Alright, Kim Geun-cheol? Now let's go to the dojang."
"Sure."
"Follow along obediently."
She's the very definition of a master.
* * *
Having quickly changed into casual clothes, Leona headed toward the cinema as if on a stealth mission.
'A movie, just the two of them...!'
She was growing extremely anxious.
Not only had they been laughing and making physical contact at the fast-food place earlier, but now they'd come to see a movie together.
By now, wasn't it a done deal? Could it be that they'd gotten so close while learning swordsmanship that they'd started dating? Leona entertained these thoughts while fixating on the two targets who were still chatting cheerfully.
"Save me! I'm scared!"
"Keheheh, yeah. Not happening."
But listening to their conversation, something was a bit off. Kim Geun-cheol was begging for mercy, and Woo Yu-ri was flat-out rejecting him.
'What is this?'
Eavesdropping more carefully made it clear. Astonishingly, Kim Geun-cheol was right now whining about not wanting to watch a horror movie.
'Good heavens, what in the world do I do with that pathetic man...! How can he show such disgraceful behavior in front of a girl!'
She felt a need to properly educate him, but if she used this situation as an example, it would reveal that she had been tailing him.
Leona pondered how she could teach him this lesson.
'Aha. I can just call him out next time.'
She concluded that she could simply drag Kim Geun-cheol to a horror movie herself.
'Come to think of it, I've never even watched a single movie with Kim Geun-cheol. Neglecting something so obvious... I'm a failure as a Geun-cheol Mom...'
She doesn't seriously think of herself as 'Geun-cheol Mom,' but shouldn't she do what needs to be done?
In any case, Leona continued to monitor the two targets, and the moment they entered the auditorium, she bought a ticket and followed them in.
Once she was seated in an appropriate spot, the targets' figures were even clearer in her view.
"You're such a pathetic coward."
"What do I do if it's scary!"
The two men and women were giggling and chatting as if they were having a blast.
'They're seriously doing an insane amount of physical contact.'
But they didn't seem to be at the dating stage yet. Leona settled on that thought for now. Not that it really mattered if they were dating or not; she was merely worried Kim Geun-cheol might lose his focus on his studies.
Soon the movie started.
'I might as well watch some of the movie.'
Leona watched the film while keeping her eyes on the two. It was just an average horror movie. It wasn't particularly scary, but Leona still squinted her eyes open and watched through a small gap formed by her hands shielding the screen.
Even so, she didn't lose track of her targets.
"Should I hold your hand? Should I hold it?"
"Please, just hold it...!"
He's asking her to hold his hand!
"Nope. Not holding it."
Woo Yu-ri didn't hold Kim Geun-cheol's hand. Because of that, Kim Geun-cheol seemed to be falling into ever greater terror.
'If it were me, I would have held it!'
Holding his hand is the bare minimum!
'What are you doing when he's that terrified, Woo Yu-ri!'