Exam Period # 8
Exam Period # 8
Whoa!
"Hey! You little brat, suddenly grabbing my arm?!"
I immediately barked at Kitty!
"Huh? I can't?"
But Kitty just tilted her head and looked up at me without letting go. This kid...! Showing affection for me like this!
This is a problem!
"Hey. Kitty. Logically speaking, doesn't it look weird if I'm walking around arm-in-arm with you? People are gonna give us shady looks."
"What's shady about it?"
"You know, it's just kinda... no matter how you look at it, it seems shady."
"It's not shady at all so don't worry. What are you even thinking?"
Kitty said that and just kept walking forward with her arm linked in mine. She's a pretty assertive one, this kid.
Well, anyway, she's gone this far, so pulling my arm away now would definitely hurt her feelings. You have to be careful with kids.
"No... still, isn't it a little shady?"
"It's fine. Who's gonna think it's shady. Let's hurry up."
"Oh. Yeah."
Kitty pulled me along, and so I ended up following her. Well, I did come out to hang, so we'll grab some food, talk, do whatever, and then head back.
But how old is Kitty anyway?
I don't really know her exact age.
"Hmm."
Anyway, Kitty kept scrutinizing me as we walked. What, does she want to see my face? She was examining me so closely that it felt like that. She's really interested in my face.
"Geun-cheol."
"Yeah, what."
"Have we seen each other somewhere before?"
Does my face look familiar?
"What are you talking about? The first time we met was when that monster showed up."
"I thought so, right?"
"Why. You think you've seen me before?"
"Mm... I don't think that's it."
What the hell.
"But Kitty?"
"Yeah? What?"
"You've been trying to look at my face for a while now. You telling me you want to see my face?"
"No. It's just, when I look at Geun-cheol, I sort of sense something. Like a feeling that I've seen you before, I guess."
"Really? Anyway, we probably met for the first time back then. If I'd seen a kid like you before, I'd remember."
Kitty has a look that instantly stands out.
Just look at this blonde hair.
No matter how you look at it, it's pretty blonde hair.
If I'd seen her, I'd obviously remember... no, wait. I don't have the memories from this side. Even if I really did see her, how would I know? I didn't even know that Min-cheol guy from earlier.
"Thought so."
"Yeah."
We walked as we talked.
"But Kitty."
"Huh?"
"What's your name?"
"Name?"
"Are you even Korean to begin with? Kitty's a nickname."
Parents who name their kid Kitty have no business being parents.
Kim Kitty? Give me a fucking break.
I always think this, but people who wreck their kids' names deserve a beating.
They think they're so clever, giving them some shit name and then bullshitting about how great the meaning is if you break down the hanja, or how it's some special name they got from somewhere, but deep down their hearts are all black.
They want their kid to grow up like a moron.
This is a kind of narcissism, something crazy parents do all the time, acting jealous because they think their kid shouldn't outshine them. There are parents in this world, sick parents, who feel inferior and jealous of their own children. The manifestation of that horrific mindset is their kid's shitty name.
"Tell me your real name, Kitty."
At that, Kitty stared right at me and then said,
"I can't just give out my name."
She said it like she was on guard!
"No, Kitty! You're the one who said to meet up today! So isn't it fair to tell me your name?!"
"I'll think about it and let you know."
"Then what about your nationality?"
"That's a secret too."
She's a kid with a whole lot of secrets.
"Geun-cheol. It's not nice to try to dig up a lady's secrets."
"Hah, listen to this little brat, calling herself a lady."
First off, she clearly looks foreign, but her Korean is way too good. Where the hell is she from? A foreign Awakened girl. Way too mysterious.
"Why so many secrets? Are you Secret Kitty?"
"What kinda joke is that... Anyway, Geun-cheol? I'm hungry."
"Then let's grab a bite. What do you want to eat?"
"Anything?"
"Okay. Burgers it is."
"Burgers? Wait."
"Yeah. If you say anything, it's automatically burgers."
—Stomp, stomp.
This time I pulled Kitty along. The moment you say "anything," the menu automatically becomes burgers. This is non-negotiable. It's practically a creed of mine.
No rebuttals accepted.
"Alright!"
I immediately marched right into Shake Shack—a burger joint with a hideous name. Then I quickly placed our order and grabbed a seat.
Since I'm paying, I decide the menu. That's the principle.
"Hehehe, our Kitty is gonna eat some tasty burgers with Geun-cheol."
"Okay."
"Do you like burgers?"
"I dunno. It's my first time."
"What?!"
She's never had a burger...?
"Why have you never had a burger?"
"I never got the chance? Anyway, thanks, Geun-cheol. I'm a little excited."
As Kitty said that, she gave a small smile like she was looking forward to it.
"Yeah...! Let's enjoy it!"
Burgers are delicious no matter who eats them! Looks like I can give Kitty a good memory today!
"Ah, right. Kitty."
"Yeah?"
"You're an Awakened too, right?"
"Right."
"What kind of ability do you use? I can use body enhancement and sword aura, you know? What about you, Kitty?"
"Mm, I'm closer to the magic side."
"Magic?"
Come to think of it, none of my friends use magic. Every single one of them is a pure melee DPS crawled up from hell. The type of pure melee DPS that dashes in and kills everything with a sword.
So magic feels kinda fascinating to me.
"What kind of magic?"
"Lots of kinds. It's a little hard to explain. Like this."
—Fwoosh.
Kitty conjured a purple flame on her palm. It's a really radiant fire. It'd be so convenient if you could shoot stuff like that in a fight.
"It's pretty."
"Pretty?"
"Yeah. The flame's pretty."
When I said that, Kitty looked pleased.
"Hehe, thanks."
"Anyway, you're a mage type, right?"
"Yeah. Magic's my specialty."
"Then you'll probably enter the academy later too, Kitty?"
With talent like that, the upper ranks are basically guaranteed. I should say something encouraging so she can keep nurturing her dream of being a hero.
"The academy?"
"Yeah. At your level, Kitty, you could come in and rank at the top, I bet."
"Mm, you think so?"
At that, Kitty ducked her head a little shyly.
Heh. Acting all shy.
"Kitty. Remember that time I saved you in the city? You should enter the academy later, yeah? Become a hero and save kids like that."
"Geun-cheol really is nice..."
"It's just common sense as a hero. Common sense."
As I was talking with Kitty like that, the buzzer went off. I got right up and brought back our food. Just the standard combo with cheese sticks. Plus some wings added on.
"Dig in."
"Burger... looks good."
"Really, the most delicious thing in the world is a burger."
—Slide.
I immediately poured out the fries, unwrapped the burger, and took a big bite. You can taste the real thing here, no comparison to the Don-gapnaegi. A burger is truly a picture-perfect health food.
As I ate my burger, I looked at Kitty.
"Nom."
Kitty was quietly taking a bite of her burger too.
Why is the way she eats so damn cute?
"Ah, it's delicious. So this is a burger."
"Hehehe, right? Tasty, right? It's fucking delicious. That. Eat the fries too."
"Okay."
And then Kitty even grabbed a french fry. No kidding, freshly fried Cajun french fries from a fast-food joint are nothing short of heavenly cuisine.
"Oh!"
Kitty, having eaten the fry,
"This is delicious!"
Her eyes lit up with an intense reaction...!
"How delicious is it!"
"This is so good. This is a french fry?"
"Yep. Tasty, right? That's just how it is."
"Thank you, Geun-cheol!"
—Munch!
Kitty sped up her fry-eating. She's really chowing down with gusto. And so, Kitty inhaled her burger and fries enthusiastically, like a person eating a real burger for the very first time.
It's really nice seeing a kid eat well.
"So delicious. Geun-cheol is so nice."
"Ah, well, I can buy a kid a meal. It's only natural."
Leona also showed me unconditional kindness. So I can show that to Kitty too.
And if Kitty enters the academy later and becomes a hero and all that, that'll be her contribution and service to society. As an academy cadet, I need to set an example for Kitty.
"Hmm, but Geun-cheol. Are you only nice to kids?"
Kitty asked as she sucked down fries.
"Mostly, yeah? It's just common sense to be nice to kids, isn't it."
Being nice to kids is common sense. Because they're kids. Of course, for the ones who run wild like animals, the best move is to ignore them.
"Hmm... I see. Ah, Geun-cheol. Can I eat more?"
"Yeah. I'll order you more."
And so, I enjoyed my fast food while chatting with Kitty.
* * *
"So, Kitty. Why'd you call me out today?"
I said that as we came out after finishing.
"Just. I wanted to see Geun-cheol. I wanted to see you last time too, but you said you were at the training camp, remember?"
"Ah. That's right."
"So when you said it was over, I called you."
I knew it.
She wanted to see me.
"Kitty. I'm saying this seriously."
"Huh?"
"Did you maybe fall for me?"
"Hmm?"
Kitty tilted her head, playing dumb.
"Is that why you wanted to see me?"
"What are you talking about. Geun-cheol. Don't say weird stuff."
No, what do you mean weird stuff!
"It wasn't?"
"I just wanted to meet you, that's all."
"That's really the only reason?!"
When I asked in a half-joking way, Kitty paused for a moment and answered while gently chewing her lip.
"Yeah... actually, I called you because I wanted to figure something out."
"What?"
"From Geun-cheol."
—Step.
Kitty turned around and looked up at my face.
"You kind of have a feeling similar to my sister."
What?
A feeling similar to her sister?
"Whether it's a familiar feeling, or like I've seen you somewhere before. I'm not sure. How do I put it, when I look at Geun-cheol, I get a feeling like my sister."
What's that supposed to mean.
"You mentioned you have a sister, right?"
"Yeah... I said you two live together?"
"Yes. How do I put it. Anyway, that's why Geun-cheol's on my mind a bit. Ah. Maybe it's because Geun-cheol takes good care of me? My sister takes good care of me too."
So she's sensing the charm of an older figure from me!
"Could be that. Now that I think about it, I did take pretty good care of you."
"Yeah. Even when we first met, you made a big fuss about having to save me. I think that stuck with me."
"That stuck with me too. Anyway, similar to your sister, huh."
Looking at how Kitty looks, it's not very likely her sister and I have anything in common. Her sister's obviously a blonde beauty too. I don't think I resemble a blonde beauty.
Wait.
Blonde beauty?
"Hey. Kitty."
"Yeah?"
"Can you show me a picture of your sister?"
"Ah, that's no. I can't just show people my sister's picture."
"Aw, why not. You said she's similar, so I just wanted to see if she resembles me."
"It's not that you look alike."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah."
Kitty nodded and then looked right at me again.
"Hmm, I really do get a sister-like feeling from you. Anyway, Geun-cheol? What should we do next?"
She smiled again and linked her arm back in mine.
"Well, this is my first time hanging out with a kid, so I dunno. I don't even know what to do. Wanna hit a PC café?"
"A PC café?"
"Or there's pool halls too."