Date(?)
The next day.
Hongdae Station entrance.
As expected for a weekend afternoon, the area was packed with people.
The same went for the exit they had chosen as their meeting spot.
People waiting for friends.
Tourists visiting from abroad.
Couples.
Groups of university students chatting away in clusters.
And right in the middle of it all.
Kang Ihyun stood quietly, dressed in a black hoodie and a short puffer jacket.
“...”
There were still about five minutes left until their appointed time, so he simply looked around, people-watching.
That was when it happened.
“Oppa!”
A bright voice rang out from a distance.
Kang Ihyun lifted his head.
A woman was weaving through the crowd, running toward him with a wide smile and waving enthusiastically.
She wore a white turtleneck sweater.
Dark blue skinny jeans.
Her black bobbed hair bounced lightly over her shoulders.
And that radiant smile—exactly like the emoticon she had sent in her text last night.
“...”
Kang Ihyun blinked once.
He hadn’t really noticed on the subway yesterday because he hadn’t been paying much attention, but Han Seo-yun was undeniably a beautiful woman.
And for the first time, he understood a little of what she had meant when she said people would meet her just because of her looks.
“Oppa!”
Han Seo-yun practically skipped the last few steps and stopped right in front of him.
“Hello!”
Kang Ihyun smiled back and greeted her.
“Hello.”
“Wow.”
“...?”
“You actually showed up.”
Kang Ihyun spoke with a hint of disbelief.
“We made plans. Why wouldn’t I come?”
“That’s true, but…”
Han Seo-yun let out a small giggle.
“Still, I was a little worried you might not show.”
“Why?”
“Just because.”
She said it and then laughed to herself again.
Kang Ihyun watched her for a moment before letting out a soft chuckle.
Han Seo-yun’s eyes widened slightly when she saw it.
“…What?”
“Nothing.”
She smiled awkwardly.
“You look even more handsome when you smile, Oppa?”
“...”
Kang Ihyun was momentarily speechless at her honest, bold remark. He didn’t know how to respond.
And while their short exchange continued.
The eyes of the people around them gradually began to gather.
A woman so pretty that anyone would turn to look.
In the middle of a crowded street.
Running up to an incredibly handsome man and greeting him with a bright smile.
There was no way it wouldn’t draw attention.
Two men passing nearby glanced over.
The moment they saw Kang Ihyun, their expressions grew strangely complicated.
“...”
A brief silence.
One of them deliberately looked away.
The other let out a sigh.
His friend saw the reaction and gave him a light smack on the shoulder.
“Don’t look.”
“You saw that?”
“I saw it.”
“What kind of country is this, damn it.”
The two men walked away with bitter expressions.
Kang Ihyun hadn’t heard their conversation.
But Han Seo-yun had.
That was why she couldn’t hold back her laughter any longer.
“Pfft.”
“…Why are you laughing?”
“Hehe, it’s nothing.”
She pressed her lips together tightly as she spoke.
Then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, she slipped her arm through his and started walking.
“Let’s go.”
“…Where to?”
“To eat.”
“Ah.”
Kang Ihyun followed after her.
A little later, Han Seo-yun asked casually.
“Oppa, is there anything you want to eat?”
“Hmm.”
What he wanted to eat…
It was a harder question to answer than he expected.
After thinking for a long time.
“…I’m not sure?”
Han Seo-yun finally burst out laughing.
“Oppa, then is it okay if I just pick?”
After that, while they were moving, Kang Ihyun didn’t say a single word.
To be precise, Han Seo-yun didn’t give him any room to speak—she was chattering nonstop.
Every time she talked, the topic bounced all over the place.
She’d talk about good restaurants nearby.
Then suddenly switch to stories about university.
Then jump to something she saw on YouTube.
It was dizzying.
“Oh, right.”
“Yes.”
“What’s your MBTI, Oppa?”
“…What is that?”
“…Huh?”
This time Han Seo-yun stopped in her tracks.
“You really don’t know?”
“It’s my first time hearing it.”
“...”
“...”
Han Seo-yun stared at Kang Ihyun’s face for a moment.
His calm expression.
The look that said he genuinely had no idea what MBTI even was.
In the end, she pressed a hand to her forehead.
“Oppa… how old are you this year?”
“I turned thirty this year.”
“…And you don’t know what MBTI is…?”
“Yes.”
And then.
After a brief moment of speechlessness, Han Seo-yun burst into laughter again.
“Ah, seriously. You really are an interesting person, Oppa.”
With those words, the two naturally walked deeper into the Hongdae streets.
※
Deeper inside the Hongdae area.
Since it was a slightly awkward time just past the lunch rush, the restaurant was moderately busy.
The two of them, seated by the window, were looking down at the menu.
“Oppa, you really are fine with anything?”
“Yes, anything is fine.”
“Any foods you dislike?”
“…Not really.”
“You don’t have any picky eating habits?”
“I don’t.”
“...”
Han Seo-yun went quiet for a moment.
Then she spoke with genuine admiration.
“That’s amazing.”
“Is that something to be amazed about?”
“Very much so.”
Han Seo-yun nodded firmly.
“One of my friends won’t eat green onions, carrots, or mushrooms.”
“…Then how does she survive?”
“Exactly.”
In the end, they ordered a suitable rice bowl and some side dishes.
Once the order was placed, Han Seo-yun immediately pulled out her phone.
“Ah.”
She began searching for something.
“…?”
“I just remembered.”
“What?”
“MBTI.”
With a playful smile, she handed the phone over to Kang Ihyun.
“Oppa. Try taking this test once.”
“...”
Kang Ihyun looked down at the screen.
Personality Type Test
“Personality type test?”
“That’s the MBTI I mentioned earlier.”
Kang Ihyun looked skeptical.
“Can you really figure out someone’s personality from something like this?”
In response, Han Seo-yun puffed out one cheek slightly.
“Wow, you’re suddenly saying something really boring. Just try it.”
Boring?
“Seriously…”
In the end, even though he found it a bit ridiculous, Kang Ihyun took the phone.
First question.
[A sudden appointment with a friend has been canceled.]
① That’s actually great.
② That’s too bad.
“...”
Kang Ihyun thought for a moment.
“…Neither.”
“Huh?”
“Wouldn’t it depend on the situation?”
Han Seo-yun was already starting to laugh.
“Just pick one.”
“Why?”
“That’s how you’re supposed to do it.”
“…This is a weird test.”
Even while grumbling, he eventually chose an answer.
Next question.
[You enjoy meeting new people.]
“...”
“Oppa.”
“Yes?”
“Why did you stop again?”
“It depends on the new person.”
“Who doesn’t know that?”
“No, but.”
Kang Ihyun said seriously.
“There are good people and there are people who aren’t.”
“This test isn’t about distinguishing that!”
In the end, Han Seo-yun started laughing while slapping the table.
“Oh my god.”
“Oppa, you didn’t actually live on a mountain and just come down, did you?”
Kang Ihyun felt wronged.
The questions were strange; he wasn’t the strange one.
The rest was similar.
[You like new experiences.]
“...”
“…I do like them, but.”
“But?”
“Things like war…”
“…Nobody likes that.”
[Going on a trip alone VS going on a trip with friends]
“...”
“...”
“...”
“Oppa?”
“Wouldn’t it depend on who the friend is?”
“Here we go again.”
“No, isn’t that an important question?”
Eventually Han Seo-yun ended up banging her forehead on the table.
“Ahaha…”
“I’m going crazy, seriously.”
Kang Ihyun genuinely didn’t understand. They were all strange questions.
Why was she laughing so much?
But strangely enough.
Her laughter didn’t feel noisy at all.
If anything, just listening to it made him feel like smiling along.
At that moment.
The staff brought out their ordered food.
“Your order is ready.”
“Thank you!”
Han Seo-yun greeted them with a bright smile.
Once the staff left, she picked up her chopsticks and said.
“Let’s eat first.”
“Yes.”
“And then finish the test.”
“…Do I really have to?”
“Of course.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m curious about the result.”
“It’s not even yours though?”
“I’m curious because it’s yours, Oppa?”
“...”
Kang Ihyun went quiet for a moment.
Then Han Seo-yun laughed again.
“Wow, your expression is so weird right now.”
“It’s nothing.”
“That was absolutely not a ‘nothing’ expression, you know?”
“You’re imagining things.”
“I’m not.”
“You are.”
“I’m not.”
“...”
“...”
In the end, it was Han Seo-yun who burst out laughing first.
And watching her, Kang Ihyun eventually let out a small chuckle as well.
※
After leaving the restaurant, the two walked through the Hongdae streets again.
Weekend afternoon.
The streets were still packed with people.
The sound of busking music drifted through the air.
The smell of street food wafted over.
Laughter from people mixed together from every direction.
As she walked among it all, Han Seo-yun couldn’t stop the corners of her mouth from turning up.
“...”
To be honest.
It was much more fun than she had expected.
Usually when eating with someone you just met for the first time.
It often gets awkward, conversations die out.
Sometimes you end up staying silent and just fiddling with your phone.
But strangely, with Kang Ihyun, that didn’t happen.
It wasn’t that their conversation flowed perfectly.
In fact, it was the opposite.
He would seriously contemplate even a single silly MBTI question.
And the random things he sometimes said were incredibly entertaining.
“Oppa.”
“Yes?”
“You really never heard of MBTI before?”
“No.”
“Liar.”
“Why would I lie about something like that?”
“…No matter how I think about it, it’s amazing that you don’t know. Even if you never took the test, you should’ve at least heard of it.”
Han Seo-yun ended up laughing again.
Kang Ihyun still wore an expression that said he didn’t understand why she kept laughing.
Even that expression was funny to her.
“Then shall we go to a café now?”
“Sounds good.”
“Oppa, are you really okay with anything? Isn’t there anywhere you want to go?”
Kang Ihyun gave her a look that asked what she was talking about.
“I don’t have anywhere specific I want to go, but if I don’t like something I’ll say so.”
“…Pfft!”
She laughed again.
Kang Ihyun, who still couldn’t understand what was so funny, could only shake his head.
※
The café was a small independent shop tucked inside an alley in Hongdae.
While they sat by the window waiting for their drinks, Han Seo-yun rested her chin on her hand and stared at Kang Ihyun.
“...”
With sunlight casting shadows across his face, his sculpted features stood out even more clearly.
He really was handsome.
She admitted it.
She admitted it completely.
It wasn’t that she had gotten his number just because of his face, but it was undeniable that his looks had played a huge part.
“…Why are you staring so intently?”
“Because you’re handsome.”
“…Do people usually say that so openly?”
Han Seo-yun picked up her iced Americano as if it were nothing.
“Is that weird? Everyone already knows it anyway. Pretending not to notice would be worse.”
Her completely confident attitude and tone made Kang Ihyun let out a helpless laugh without realizing it.
After leaving the café.
Kang Ihyun naturally followed where Han Seo-yun led and ended up inside a claw machine shop.
“Oh.”
Kang Ihyun stopped in his tracks.
Colorful lights.
Stuffed animals packed inside glass cases.
Even the electronic music playing.
“These are still around.”
“Still…? There are tons of them these days?”
“It’s very different from what I remember.”
At those words, a sincere suspicion flashed through Han Seo-yun’s mind—maybe this man really had lived on a mountain—but she quickly shook her head, deciding he must just be the type who wasn’t very used to going out.
“Oppa.”
“Yes.”
“Can you win that one for me?”
Kang Ihyun turned his head.
There was a rabbit plushie.
“Do you like stuffed animals?”
“Yes. They’re cute. And I can’t sleep without one.”
“…So you’re still a kid, Seo-yun.”
“Hehe, that’s right.”
In the end, Kang Ihyun chuckled softly and took out his wallet.
Fortunately, the machines these days accepted card payments.
The problem, however.
Six thousand won gone.
Eight thousand won gone.
Ten thousand won gone.
“...”
The issue was that even the physical abilities of a hero who had slain the Demon King weren’t enough to easily win a claw machine.
Kang Ihyun glared at the plushie.
The rabbit remained completely still in its spot.
“This thing is rigged.”
“Pfft.”
No, he had positioned the claw in the optimal spot, so why wouldn’t it come up?
“Did they put glue on the bottom? It doesn’t even budge?”
He was so frustrated that he even slipped into casual speech.
“Ahahaha!”
Han Seo-yun ended up clutching her stomach as she laughed.
※
When the sun had tilted a little lower in the sky.
The two stopped in front of a photo booth.
“Oppa, do you want to take pictures with me?”
“Pictures?”
“Yes.”
“...”
Kang Ihyun looked back and forth between the photo booth sign and Han Seo-yun.
Her face was clearly full of anticipation.
Kang Ihyun let out a small laugh and said.
“Sure.”
Inside the narrow photo booth.
The two of them sat side by side, facing the camera.
The countdown was about to begin.
“Oppa.”
“Yes.”
“Move a little closer.”
“...”
“We’re still too far. We’ll get cut out of the frame.”
In the end, Kang Ihyun shifted just a little closer to her side.
At that moment.
Han Seo-yun naturally wrapped both arms around his right arm and pulled it close.
He had thought the same thing when they first met earlier, but Han Seo-yun had an oddly low sense of personal space.
‘…It’s touching.’
While Kang Ihyun tried hard to ignore the soft sensation he felt against his elbow.
Han Seo-yun was also feeling a different kind of texture.
“...”
Through the hoodie.
The firm sensation coming from Kang Ihyun’s arm.
‘What is this?’
She had linked arms with him earlier too. Why was she suddenly so aware of it now?
Han Seo-yun blinked.
Even through the clothes, it was clearly noticeable.
The muscles running from his shoulder down to his arm felt heavy and solid.
She didn’t know much about it, but it didn’t seem like the kind of body you got from just working out a little at the gym.
‘Wow.’
Her heart skipped a beat for no reason.
When the photos finished printing.
As they stepped out of the booth and checked the results, Han Seo-yun burst out laughing again.
In the photo, she was smiling brightly.
Kang Ihyun had a distant look in his eyes, as if staring off into the mountains.
“Oppa.”
“Yes.”
“You’re really bad at taking pictures.”
“Why?”
“Look at your expression.”
“...”
“Where exactly were you looking while we were taking the photo?”
Then Han Seo-yun linked arms with him again and pulled him back into the photo booth.
“Okay, like this. Look at the camera.”
“...”
“Make a V.”
Han Seo-yun demonstrated by holding up her fingers in a V shape beside her face.
Kang Ihyun reluctantly copied the hand gesture.
Well, in the end.
There was no helping his awkward expression.
※
By the time the sun had completely set and darkness had fallen.
Since they were heading in different directions, Kang Ihyun and Han Seo-yun were saying their goodbyes before heading down to the subway platform.
“Oppa, I had a lot of fun today.”
“I had fun too.”
“Hehe, really? Was I talking too much and making you uncomfortable?”
“…No.”
“Tch, your answer was a little slow just now.”
Han Seo-yun looked at him with suspicious eyes.
Kang Ihyun made an aggrieved face.
“I was thinking before answering.”
“That makes it even more suspicious.”
“Why?”
“If it wasn’t, you would’ve said no right away.”
“…Seriously.”
An exasperated sigh.
Han Seo-yun, who had been giggling, lightly tapped the ground with the tip of her shoe.
“...”
It felt a little disappointing to part ways.
They had only met once today, so she wondered if it made sense to feel this way, but for some strange reason she really didn’t want to say goodbye.
Still, there was nothing she could do. She had things she needed to do once she got home.
‘I want to see him again.’
Han Seo-yun clenched her fist in her mind, then lifted her head again.
“Oppa.”
“Yes.”
“Next time… do you want to hang out again?”
She had tried to say it naturally, but her voice came out a little smaller than she intended.
Feeling embarrassed, Han Seo-yun quickly added.
“Oh, it doesn’t have to be anything big.”
“Just eating together.”
“Or going to a café.”
“Or watching a movie.”
“Something like that.”
When she said it out loud, it sounded exactly like a couple’s date course. Of course, today hadn’t been any different.
A moment later.
Kang Ihyun answered.
“Sounds good.”
“…Huh?”
“Because it was fun.”
“...”
“I think it would be fine to meet again.”
※
Han Seo-yun smiled and waved.
“See you again, Oppa~”
“Seo-yun, get home safely.”
“Yes~”
And so they walked off in opposite directions.
After taking a few steps.
Han Seo-yun glanced back.
Kang Ihyun was already heading toward the stairs to the platform.
“...”
She watched his back for a moment.
Then.
Pfft.
A small laugh escaped her.
She took out the envelope from her handbag containing the photos they had just taken, pulled one out, and looked at it.
Kang Ihyun’s eyes were awkwardly staring off into empty space.
Then, smiling to herself, she headed down the stairs.