Chapter 90

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Translator: ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠penny

Chapter: 90

Chapter Title: Cinema Date with Aebom

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It was the first time I'd ever held a woman's hand like this. We'd had sex and everything. Oh Hana and I had done even more intimate things than this.

But maybe because I was so tense before grabbing it? The sensation felt amplified, electrifying. Han Aebom's hand was incredibly soft, almost velvety...

I have no idea what I'm even saying right now, but in this insanely sweet daze, every nerve in my body was focused on my hand.

"……."

Was I always the type to sweat this much from my hands? It was starting to get sweaty and sticky. Is this okay? Do other people deal with this too?

One thing was certain: even in the midst of it all, my heart was pounding like crazy, and it felt so damn good. An undeniable fact. Every time Han Aebom's fingers twitched, I flinched without meaning to.

In another sense, this might as well be sex. Pure mental pleasure.

「Thud!」

"……."

Just holding Han Aebom's hand had me on the verge of getting hard. Should I call it lucky...? Every time, some passerby would bump into my shoulder.

"Fuck."

「Smack!」

...The frequency was way too high for it to be coincidence. And could you even call this bumping? It was more like a full-on body check. Even an American football player's shoulder would shatter from hits like this.

"Hey, watch where you're going."

"…?"

"It's fucking crowded, and you're over there holding some girl's hand."

People said crap like that every now and then. Each time, Han Aebom would look exasperated and try to respond, but I'd stop her.

"It's fine, Aebom."

"But."

"Really, it's okay."

I wasn't lying—it really was fine.

For starters, the hits barely fazed me. Sure, I'd been having a lot of sex lately and working out separately in the studio apartment, but that alone wouldn't have made my body this solid.

Had to be the Stamina +4 at work. I hadn't realized it was this effective.

「Thud, smack! Smack smack!」

"Still, aren't they coming at us too aggressively? It feels totally intentional."

"Haha. Let them bump away."

Not hurting was one reason, sure.

But more than that, it was this sense of superiority? Their childish antics didn't even annoy me—I felt generous toward them. If anything, thanks to those guys, Han Aebom and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I could chat more comfortably, and I could grip her hand even tighter.

We'd come to the movie theater on the 10th floor of the department store.

But strangely, stepping into the 1st-floor lobby always made me tense up without fail. The front entrance was better since the elevators were a bit farther inside.

Coming in through the back meant passing a ridiculous number of jewelry brands on the way to the elevators or escalators. It always felt so out of place for me. I just didn't belong. Like, what reason would I ever have to buy jewelry or accessories here?

"……."

But today felt different.

"Hm."

As we passed by, Han Aebom gave them a light glance. It wasn't us who were tense—the staff at every jewelry brand were all watching her nervously, on edge.

What the hell...?

"These days, even the cheaper products seem to have really high quality."

"Yes? Oh, yeah."

I just nodded vaguely. What was I supposed to say? I didn't know shit about this stuff. It suddenly hit me whether it was really okay that I'd brought someone who fit the department store VVIP profile perfectly... on the bus.

"Hyunwoo, the elevator's here."

"Oh, right."

They said movie theaters were struggling these days. Or maybe it was just because lunch hadn't hit yet. Either way, the elevator was all ours, just the two of us.

As it slowly climbed to the 10th floor, with no more bumps to worry about, I agonized over whether we should keep holding hands.

"Um, Aebom. Your hand... "

"Holding hands like this... it feels really nice."

Seeing her interlace our fingers fully, I squeezed back. In the end, we arrived at the theater still hand in hand.

The floors below had seemed empty, but the theater lobby was packed. Especially the plush seats set out for waiting—they were completely full.

"What movie do you want to see?"

I led Han Aebom over to where the movie posters were displayed. Ever since OTT platforms and VOD exploded, theaters definitely didn't have the same momentum anymore.

Only about seven posters up.

Two of them were straight-up re-releases of old box-office hits.

The other three were rehashes or documentaries, so kinda meh. That narrowed it down to about four options. These days, going to the theater felt like you were basically forced into whatever was playing.

"There's an anime feature in another theater, but."

"Not really into anime."

Figured as much.

While Han Aebom seriously read the posters and the pamphlets below them, pondering, I naturally pulled up "movie rankings" on my phone. According to insiders, audience numbers don't dictate ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠quality.

Basically, a movie's total viewers depend heavily on how well the first 2-3 days perform, which locks in screen count and showtimes. That's why everyone pours insane money into promo these days.

Whatever. That was miles away from a normie like me. No way I'd ever get tangled up in the entertainment world.

Damn, looks like it's true that domestic films struggle to even hit a million viewers these days. And as I said earlier, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Wicked Woman was hogging most of the screens. Showtimes too—totally dominated.

Whoa, this is brutal. Not even 10K viewers. 100% flop material. And yet, Han Aebom was staring at its pamphlet with the most serious, intrigued expression imaginable.

"Aebom, this one's got under 10K viewers. Barely any reviews or ratings because no one's seeing it. The few that exist are all negative."

"I... see."

She nodded, but why did her eyes look even more determined?

"Um, I want to watch this one."

And so, Han Aebom picked In the Countryside. What on earth did she see in it?

"We get them at the counter, right?"

"Nah, not anymore."

"Huh? But there's staff there?"

"Yeah, but check the sign next to them."

They used to print tickets at the counter for people who couldn't figure out kiosks.

But labor costs are up, and theater biz is in the toilet. Even on a weekend, with two staff at the counter, they were both busy making food.

"Kiosk?"

"First time?"

"...Yeah."

Han Aebom bowed her head, looking embarrassed. Fair enough—in this day and age, someone like her who didn't know kiosks was pretty rare.

"I'll show you. Over here."

"Okay."

Her super serious face was adorable. I taught her how to use the kiosk.

"Click here."

"Ah, got it."

Selecting In the Countryside brought up the theaters and showtimes.

I'd expected bad, but this was pathetic. One theater, two showtimes total.

Morning at 11 and midnight? The few people watching this were the real champs.

"You really like this one, Aebom?"

"Yeah. You said it's super unpopular, right? But the pamphlet talks about the director's vision and the actors' dedication."

"Well, uh."

Honestly, who skimps on a pamphlet? It's pure promo material. Hell, these days even resumes are basically novellas...

"Could just be bad luck. But with numbers this low, there's probably a good reason. I'm no content connoisseur, but unpopular stuff usually has a reason."

Though the opposite? No clue.

"That's what I want to find out."

What could I say to that?

I went into the theater with Han Aebom. Even as we took our seats, she kept meticulously rereading the In the Countryside pamphlet over and over. Like she couldn't fathom why something that looked so promising on paper was bombing.

Meanwhile, I scratched my cheek, thinking.

Two tickets for 34,000 won... Have theaters sold their souls?

Surprisingly—no, for real. Until the movie started, the only people in the theater were me and Han Aebom.

In another way, it felt like we'd chartered the whole place. Not bad at all. People these days really ignore anything with bad buzz or low numbers. I get why insiders say only top-rankers matter.

'If it's like this, maybe it really just got ignored unfairly?'

...That's what I thought until the lights went out and the film started rolling. Instantly, I knew I was wrong and the audience was right.

Fuck. What even is this plot?

Using a countryside setting for some peace-and-tension mix? Fine, I get it a hundred times over. But the pacing was a total mess—nothing sank in.

"……."

And the acting? Zero emotional continuity. What am I supposed to watch? Scenery wasn't even pretty. No eye candy.

'Ugh. This is torture in a whole other way.'

The sleepiest moments of my life were post-lunch Korean class or riding back on a 2.5-ton truck at dawn after an all-night army op.

This thing was dredging those memories right up. My eyelids were drooping like someone tied weights to them. No way. Can't sleep on a date. Plus, this was the movie she wanted so bad.

"……."

I pinched my thigh to stay awake. But nope. Disaster. Sleep was winning; even the pain faded.

Then, out of nowhere, my eyes snapped open.

"Aebom?"

In the darkness, Han Aebom's hand was gently rubbing my dick.