Chapter 35
Chapter 35
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: Exchanging Photos with an Outsider
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◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "This department store is huge... Looks like it's impossible to see everything in just a few hours."
Yoo So-mi said this, showing a hint of fatigue as she sat on the sofa in front of the elevator.
The big discount mart in our neighborhood usually only uses about three or four floors for shops, so even excluding the parking lot, this department store with eleven floors of retail space would take three or four times as long.
Plus, we hadn't come with specific items in mind to buy—we'd just been wandering aimlessly—so we'd probably walked a pretty decent distance just for that.
We'd checked out floors one through four of this department store, but with seven more floors left... our adventure seemed to end here.
"Let's take a short break here, then switch spots. It's five in the afternoon now, so we should start thinking about how to handle dinner."
Yoo So-mi nodded with a smile at my words.
From what she'd told me, even though we'd only toured floors one to four in this massive department store, it had been a big help to her.
She'd diligently snapped photos with her smartphone of various accessories, watches, clothes, and such, explaining that she'd use them as reference material later when drawing characters.
"Anime characters always show up in similar outfits. School uniforms if it's a school uniform, gym clothes if it's gym clothes."
Among the interests Yoo So-mi and I shared, otaku stuff took up the biggest chunk, so our conversations often veered into topics like this.
"That's why people who make secondary creations like me need to be able to draw characters in more diverse and pretty outfits."
"I get what you mean. In anime productions, making complex or varied costumes eats up a ton of budget, so doujin works might actually have an edge over the originals in that regard, right?"
"Yeah. It's less that they have the advantage and more that it gives fans a reason to spend money on doujin stuff even when the original exists."
If there's a difference in how Yoo So-mi and I approach otaku culture, it's that I see it as just one way to kill time, while she treats it as both a hobby and a way to make a living.
Collecting reference materials even while out playing like this—being an artist is a job someone like me, who prioritizes work-life balance, could never even dream of.
"Yi-an, doesn't the love comedy genre often have that event where the male lead and heroine go on a shopping mall date, and he watches her fashion show?"
"Well, yeah. But every time I see those scenes padded out with still images, it makes me feel a bit sorry for the adults scrimping on production costs however they can."
At my response, So-mi tilted her gaze up and to the left, as if lost in thought.
"But do real couples actually go on dates like that in clothing stores? I can't really see the point."
"Really? In those stories, it's usually framed as 'picking out clothes that match the guy's tastes.' Is it different in reality?"
"Clothes you try on for the first time might not fit right, or they might not feel like you expected once you're wearing them, or they might not suit you at all. There's no reason to show off something so iffy."
"Ah, got it. Heroines in fiction can pull off first-try outfits because the animation staff already picked perfectly fitting ones, but in real life, that's tough."
And with that, our otaku talk continued for a few more minutes.
The time I'd spent with So-mi in the department store had satisfied me too.
There were no creepy aunties, venomous little sisters, or sleazy guys hitting on people here, and Yoo So-mi's bold skinship was limited to just linking arms with me—no escalation.
Best of all, the AC was cranked up so high inside that even after walking this much, not a drop of sweat.
If the restaurants in the department store weren't so pricey, we could've just eaten dinner here.
♩♪♫~♬ As I was pondering dinner options, So-mi's smartphone rang.
"Hm? Call from Mom? I'll take this real quick~"
She said that, got up from the sofa, and walked a few steps toward the elevator.
She's not going far, huh?
So-mi seemed to figure that as long as the other person's voice didn't carry, it was fine.
"Yeah, Mom. Did you get home safe? I'm still in Sinchon with a friend."
"...I have to go too? Guess no helping it."
"Okay, got it. I'll head home and stop hanging out."
From what So-mi explained, one of her elderly relatives had passed away, so she had to attend the funeral.
They weren't close—she'd maybe seen them once or twice in her life—but it was a once-in-a-lifetime event, so she couldn't skip it.
She looked like she regretted it, but ultimately decided to head home.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Yi-an! Text me when you get home? I'll message you once things settle down here!!"
"Got it. Wrap up your stuff okay, So-mi. It'll be hectic, but look up funeral etiquette and order before heading in. See you at school!"
Around lunchtime today, I'd wanted to rush home, but after hanging out longer, I felt a pang of regret at parting ways.
Last time with Han Si-a and the other two on our food tour, it was basically forced labor as punishment for losing a bet on test scores, so it wasn't really "playing."
We'd had the clear goal of supporting Han Si-a's festival prep.
But today with Yoo So-mi? Pure fun, no question.
Hanging out with a friend on the weekend, carefree? Not a super common event in my life.
Since regressing, I'd done it a few times at least,
but before that... probably elementary school was the last.
In college, I got dragged to bars here and there, but those were honestly uncomfortable seats.
This time she treated me to lunch as an excuse to meet, but next time, I'll initiate.
Because friends who only meet for some specific reason? That's kinda sad.
Yoo So-mi is kind, pretty, shares my interests—just tone down the excessive skinship, and she's a great friend.
It'd be a waste if we gradually talked less until one day we couldn't even greet each other without awkwardness.
Sigh... if only for the excessive skinship!!
After parting with Yoo So-mi and getting home, I decided to shower and then have dinner.
Now that summer was really kicking in, I had to shower twice a day, morning and night, or my body would get sticky with sweat and feel gross.
I stripped off my clothes into the laundry basket and stepped into the bathroom.
"Ow, bug bite? Didn't hurt or itch... Must've happened while I was napping earlier. Is that fusion cafe dirtier than it looks?"
There was a red spot like a blotch on the nape of my neck.
Not a mosquito bite from the shape. Some kind I'd never seen before.
Looking closer, the capillaries were congested. Probably stung a bit if I touched it.
But too much hassle to bother with ointment, so I decided to leave it alone.
Later, after showering, eating dinner, and skimming the final exam scope,
my smartphone pinged. Checking it, there was a message from Yoo So-mi.
-(Photo)
-This is the outfit I wore to the funeral home. What do you think?
In the photo, Yoo So-mi was smiling neatly dressed in dark colors overall.
-Looks neat and good. Did you prepare it in advance just for something like this? Funerals always come suddenly, so not many people show up that well put-together.
-Right. My family is kinda strict about family events like this, so I prepped ahead. What're you up to now, Yi-an?
-Studying for exams.
-I sent a photo, but you're not sending one back?
-A photo? Right now?
-Yeah.
...She wants a photo to show what I'm doing.
A bit annoying, but snapping and sending one wasn't a big deal, so I did.
-(Photo)
-Good?
-Yi-an, could you maybe hold the phone camera in your left hand, angle it a bit higher up, and retake it?
-(Photo)
-Like this?
-Yes! Looks good now. You should get back to studying too, so messages end here—see you at school!
-Okay. See you at school.
I finished messaging Yoo So-mi and turned back to my reference book.
But her oddly specific feedback on my first photo bugged me,
so I decided to double-check if there was something wrong with it.
...Just a normal photo of me. To show I was studying, my face and the open reference book on the desk were both in frame.
Nothing embarrassing or problematic in the shot.
No issues.
So I checked the second photo I'd taken per her request.
Hand was different, but still just my face and the open reference book on the desk—totally ordinary.
Except the angle change caught the bug bite mark on my nape this time.
...So why'd she ask me to retake it?