The Room Cafe and the Three of Us
Room cafes. They’re the kind of place you might visit once or twice when the weather is bad or you’re craving an indoor date. They’re equipped with Nintendo consoles, Netflix, YouTube, board games, and some even have karaoke machines. …I wish that were the extent of their reputation, but the reality is quite different. They’re famous among teenagers as places for delinquency, and because of that, the general perception among adults is that they’re dirty, or at best, a temporary pit stop for people in the early stages of dating. Of course, there are plenty of couples who go there to comfortably eat snacks and watch movies or play board games with their partners. But, well, public perception isn’t something that changes easily.
Anyway. That doesn’t mean I came here with the intention of having sex like some horny high schoolers. For starters, there are three of us. Me, Lee Hayoon, and Lee Jiyoon. Even if one of them were to step out to the bathroom, the most time I’d have is maybe 15 minutes at most. That’s enough for a kiss or some light skinship, but it’s far too tight a window to have sex and get dressed again. Plus, the smell would linger. So, what I’m thinking about right now isn’t direct lewd acts, but rather slowly conditioning Hayoon—who still doesn’t know anything—to get used to the three of us being together.
"……."
Will this be okay?
Holding the key labeled 'Number 3', I stared blankly at my surroundings. It wasn’t to find the room. If I just turned my eyes toward the hallway, I could see big numbers on every door, so why would I need to look? I was just checking to see if it was as enclosed a space as I’d imagined. Even if sex was difficult, some light skinship in a place like this seemed like a good way to tame Lee Hayoon to my will. Besides, it’s my first time in a place like this, too. I was worried it might just be partitioned by curtains, but fortunately, the rooms were separated by proper walls. Judging by the fact that sound only leaked out intermittently when someone shouted as if they were singing, the soundproofing seemed decent enough.
The only other thing I was concerned about was whether there might be a CCTV camera in the room. Well, who knows? I’d probably have to get inside to check.
"There’s popcorn, too. Wow…."
As I was fiddling with the key and scanning the area with these thoughts, Lee Hayoon muttered from beside me. I quickly pulled myself out of my reverie and met her eyes.
"Do you like popcorn, Noona?"
"Yeah. Actually, I like anything salty or sweet."
"What do you mean 'sweet' instead of 'sugary'?"
"It’s the same thing, isn’t it? Anyway, are we allowed to just take this…?"
"I think so. I saw other people taking snacks inside earlier."
"Hehehe…. Nice."
Lee Hayoon rubbed her hands together cutely and immediately started shoveling popcorn into her paper bucket. No matter how I look at it, she doesn’t fit the 'Noona' image she claims to have; she looks more like a diligent hamster collecting sunflower seeds. One day, I want to see her give up on the 'Noona' position and see her panting and broken. And in front of Lee Jiyoon, at that.
"…You said you liked that cream-filled red bean bread or whatever last time. I guess you just have the palate of a grade-schooler."
"Ah, no? Jiyoon loves that too, right?"
"Is that so?"
"Right? Jiyoon?"
"Uh, uh?"
Is she trying to form an alliance? Lee Hayoon’s clover-colored eyes, which had been sparkling while looking at the caramel popcorn, turned toward her younger sister. Lee Jiyoon, who was half a step behind her, gave a light nod. …Judging by how she was busy looking around with her ball cap pulled low, she was probably thinking about something else and just nodded vaguely. Well, whatever. I was busy having lewd thoughts earlier, too.
I changed the subject before the flow of conversation could break.
"Let’s grab some more food and head in. I’m curious what kind of board games they have."
"Do you know how to play any? Jiyoon probably doesn’t know anything except card games."
"I know… a few famous ones."
"Really?"
It’s not like I learned them because I wanted to; they were forcibly shoved into my brain because of Yozora, who was a pain in the ass before my regression. She was a girl who would pester me to play with her every hour, let alone every day, because she was bored. That’s why board games, pool tables, and all sorts of playthings ended up in our bleak company hideout. Now, they’re just shitty memories of the past, prettily embellished.
After briefly scanning my old memories, I gathered up the popcorn and snacks and headed toward the assigned Room 3.
It was cozier than I thought, much cleaner than I expected, and thanks to the white wallpaper that looked like it had been recently remodeled, it wasn’t tacky like a cheap motel. Plus, there was no CCTV in sight. Oh, and it didn’t have that foul smell I was worried about. That was my first impression of the room cafe I’d stepped into for the first time. On a scale of 1 to 10, I’d give it a 9. If I’d come here alone with Lee Hayoon or Lee Jiyoon, I might have done a lot of things more interesting than watching Netflix.
…This is why kids use these places for bad things. Even a perfectly normal adult like me is having these thoughts.
As I was taking off my coat and having these miscellaneous thoughts, Lee Hayoon, who had followed me in, also seemed quite pleased.
"The TV is huge…. Is this a sofa?"
"I suppose that’s what it’s for? Though it looks more like a bed."
"Ooh…. Then…."
Lee Hayoon, who had entered with a bright smile, placed the tray of snacks she’d been carrying on the table. Then, as if it were her own home, she lightly laid her body down on the mattress, which was shaped somewhere between a sofa and a bed. Right next to where I was sitting.
Thump.
I wonder if it’s okay for her to do that while wearing a skirt, not pants. Of course, it’s fine in front of me, but I hope she doesn’t do that in front of other men. On the other hand, Lee Jiyoon was looking at us from the boundary between the hallway and the room with a displeased expression. …Since she has relatively sharp eyes and was standing there with both hands shoved deep into the pockets of her khaki jumper, she gave off a vibe similar to the bad girls who used to talk to me in high school. Well, even so, the contents inside were….
"Don’t just stand there hesitating. Come in. Close the door."
"…Ah, okay."
Even though Lee Jiyoon was a game-addicted loner who had never even touched a cigarette. Instead of speaking kindly like we did when we showered together last time, I spoke a bit coldly and gave Lee Hayoon a light flick on the shoulder. It was a sign for her to wake up and get a grip.
"Ugh…."
"……?"
Did she misunderstand? Lee Hayoon’s small head wiggled its way up onto my thigh. As if she wanted a lap pillow, wiggling, wiggling. …Aside from the fact that the roots of her ponytail were pressing into my thigh and making it ticklish, I wondered if she’d forgotten her younger sister was right there. Or maybe she thought this level of skinship was fine even in front of her sister….
Shock, embarrassment, disbelief—no, come to think of it, they’re dating, so is it natural? Lee Jiyoon was sending a complex gaze that was hard to describe exactly. As I tried to ignore her gaze, Lee Hayoon finally slid up, pretending nothing had happened. …Her ears and cheeks hadn’t turned particularly red, but judging by how busy she was swallowing her saliva, it must have been an impulsive action.
"W-we, should we play One Card then……."
"……."
"……."
See? It’s obvious when she’s scrambling to change the subject. Next to Lee Hayoon, who was looking down to find the deck of cards, I let out a light sigh and briefly locked eyes with Lee Jiyoon, who was secretly looking at us behind her sister’s back.
"……."
…Since she was looking with such a blank expression, I couldn’t tell exactly what was in that gaze, but it didn’t look like she had nothing on her mind.
*****
After some time had passed, starting with One Card, I learned one thing. Lee Jiyoon only liked games where you shoot people with guns; she had no interest in other games. One Card. She didn’t know the rules. Hula. Obviously didn’t know. Poker. Same thing. Jenga. She knew that one because she’d seen it somewhere, but… anyway. In this situation, other board games went without saying. She didn’t know any of them. Still, she was fairly bright, so she understood the basic rules in an instant, but why is it that I can roughly picture what kind of life Lee Jiyoon has lived until now….
"…Unnie."
"Why?"
And there was a woman next to me who was happy while beating the hell out of Lee Jiyoon.
"…I, I thought the bell would break."
"That’s what the game is for, isn’t it?"
"It should make a sound. It’s just been making a 'click, click' sound since earlier. That one at least makes a sound like a bell."
"That’s the flavor of it. This game."
This was the fifth time. Lee Hayoon, who had once again taken first place with an enthusiastic look, smiled like a villain. Come to think of it, it’s natural that Hayoon would have a much bigger advantage than me or Jiyoon in a game that requires physical skill like this. But since she didn’t seem to realize that and kept giggling and enjoying herself every time she won, I just let her be. It seemed she had been secretly frustrated that Lee Jiyoon had lost repeatedly as soon as she understood the rules of the games that required a bit of brainpower.
"Anyway, lift your bangs again."
"……Sigh."
In the end, Lee Jiyoon, who had taken last place due to physical skill issues in this game, lifted her snow-white hair and took a flick to the forehead. I couldn’t hit her for real, so I only used enough force to make a reasonably crisp sound…, but maybe it’s because they’re sisters. Or maybe she thought she could just heal it since I was right there. Once again, a dull sound rang out without any mercy.
Just like that. I was approaching Lee Jiyoon, who was rubbing her forehead and groaning, to ask if she was okay.
"Jiyoon, I need to go pee for a second…. No, no, no, that’s not it, I, I need to go to the bathroom."
Hayoon, who had been speaking with a bright smile, met my eyes mid-sentence. She tapped her lips as if she’d made a slip of the tongue and slid her feet into the room cafe slippers.
"……."
"……."
The door opened, and closed.