A Date (?). 2
The subway that departed from Hongdae Station was quieter than expected.
A weekend evening.
Most of the seats were taken by people returning from their outings, but it wasn’t crowded enough to feel suffocating.
Kang Ihyun leaned against the side of the door, gazing out the window.
His faint reflection shimmered on the dark glass.
“...”
The train rattled.
It emerged from the tunnel and began racing across the Han River, now dyed in the glow of the nightscape.
The perfect moment to get lost in thought.
Today’s events slowly replayed in Kang Ihyun’s mind.
It had been a long time since he last visited Hongdae Station.
Among the throng of people, Han Seo-yun had spotted him, shouted loudly, waved her hands, and come running.
The rather delicious lunch.
The MBTI test.
The coffee whose aroma hadn’t been half bad.
The claw machine that had unexpectedly sparked his competitive spirit.
And the photo booth.
“...I smiled a lot today.”
Of course, he wasn’t someone who never laughed on a normal day.
He would smile when the orphanage kids got into mischief.
There were always things to laugh at—fun mobile games, entertaining YouTube videos, and so on.
But.
Today’s laughter had felt a little different.
The reason he thought so wasn’t complicated.
Laughter is contagious, after all. Spending the whole day with a girl who kept giggling nonstop had made him smile too, even when nothing particularly funny was happening.
He had smiled at the way she took the MBTI test so seriously.
He had smiled again when the doll in the claw machine refused to budge no matter what.
And he had burst out laughing when she saw his expression in the photos and cracked up.
She really was a girl with a lot of laughter.
“...”
Kang Ihyun slowly closed his eyes.
But what on earth had been so funny to her?
Even now, he still didn’t quite understand.
He had been completely sincere when he said the MBTI didn’t mean much and that the questions were strange.
He had also genuinely believed the claw machine was rigged.
After all, with his senses, it should have been impossible to fail at something as simple as a claw machine.
‘How much money did she end up spending on that thing?’
Yet Han Seo-yun had clutched her stomach laughing at every casual remark she tossed out.
—Ah, this oppa is seriously funny.
Suddenly.
“...”
The thought crossed his mind: Am I a funny person?
It was the first time in his life he had ever received that kind of evaluation.
In the other world, people had mostly said things like:
You’re strong.
You’re reliable.
You’re a little scary.
You’re amazing.
That made sense. He had been the hero, after all.
At the orphanage, the kitchen ladies and other teachers often said:
You seem diligent.
You seem kind.
Those were the common assessments.
But “funny” was a first.
Honestly, hearing it from a pretty girl like Han Seo-yun felt pretty nice.
—The next station is Mullae. Mullae Station. The doors on the right will open.
A few people got off.
New passengers boarded.
Kang Ihyun naturally shifted his position a little to make room for the newcomers.
Then he looked back at the window, now darkened again.
“...”
Suddenly, the photos from the booth came to mind.
Han Seo-yun beaming brightly.
The face that had exploded into laughter the moment she checked the pictures.
On impulse, he pulled out the photo he had slipped into his back pocket.
“...She really is beautiful.”
A quiet murmur.
He immediately let out a soft, self-deprecating chuckle.
He had no idea how many times he had thought that today.
It was simply a fact.
Her features were so neat and elegant that even in the other world, it would have been hard to find anyone who matched her.
But what came to mind now wasn’t just her face.
The way she had laughed without pause.
The sound of her chattering voice.
The casual way she had called him “Oppa.”
The way she had begged him to win her a doll.
Even the way she had naturally linked arms with him in the photo booth.
“...”
Kang Ihyun suddenly realized something.
Come to think of it.
Even though they had just met, she hadn’t kept any distance at all.
Yesterday, asking for his number in front of all those people was one thing.
“...Is that just how she is?”
Would she act like that with her friends too?
Was she the type of person who approached everyone so easily?
“...”
Well.
It wasn’t really any of his business.
Other people’s personalities weren’t something he needed to worry about.
And yet.
For some strange reason, once the thought entered his head, it refused to leave.
Kang Ihyun stared at his reflection in the window and let out a small laugh.
“...No. Why would I even be curious about how she behaves around other people?”
That would be nosy.
He rode along with that puzzling feeling in his chest for a while.
Then, out of nowhere, the conversation he had shared with Jeong Seok-woo yesterday came back to him.
The one about how approaching someone based solely on appearance led to shallow relationships.
At the time, he had meant it.
No.
More precisely.
He had simply assumed it was true.
Since he had never dated anyone in his life, he had believed that was how proper relationships between men and women worked.
“...”
But.
Recalling today, he wasn’t so sure anymore.
It was possible he had asked for her number because of her looks.
That part was true.
Han Seo-yun had openly told him several times that he was handsome.
But was that really all there was to it?
“...”
Kang Ihyun thought for a moment.
Could someone really approach another person that openly just because they found them attractive?
And before long, he arrived at an honest conclusion.
He didn’t know.
He really didn’t know.
After all.
He had never even considered such things before.
Let alone dating—he had never even spent time alone with a member of the opposite sex like this.
In the end, the things he had said earlier.
They hadn’t come from real experience or conviction, but from vague assumptions.
“...”
In the end, there was only one thing he could say for certain right now.
Today had been far more enjoyable than he had expected.
That was it.
※
At the same time.
Inside a subway heading in the opposite direction.
Han Seo-yun was staring blankly down at the photos from the booth.
“...”
In the picture, she was smiling brightly.
And beside her stood Kang Ihyun, still wearing that slightly awkward expression as he looked at the camera.
“...He really is handsome.”
After murmuring to herself, she added in a small voice.
“...So that must be why.”
The inexplicable attraction she had felt from the very first moment she saw him on the subway yesterday.
The reason was simple.
Just as she had said outright several times.
It was because Kang Ihyun was handsome.
Extremely.
The most handsome man she had ever seen in her life.
That was why he kept coming to mind.
Why she wanted to keep looking at him.
Why she hadn’t wanted to part ways.
It was like setting a photo of your favorite idol as your phone wallpaper and turning on the screen for no particular reason.
“...”
Han Seo-yun nodded.
It sounded plausible.
Very logical.
However.
Somewhere deep in her heart, a voice kept asking if that was really all there was to it, refusing to let her convince herself.
“...”
The fact that she was staring at his photo like she had come down with some kind of crush, all because of his face.
She simply couldn’t understand it.
The way he had seriously pondered each MBTI question had been cute.
The way he had glared at the claw machine and grumbled like a child.
—This thing’s rigged.
The awkward way he had acted while they were taking photos—everything had been cute.
And.
When she had suggested meeting again.
“I’d like that.”
“It was fun.”
The calm way he had answered.
At that moment, Han Seo-yun had felt her heart flutter.
“...”
Han Seo-yun hugged the photo tightly to her chest.
Then she quietly looked out the window.
Why did he keep occupying her thoughts like this?
Why did she want to see him again so badly?
Why exactly?
The answer still eluded her.
But.
One thing was certain.
She was already looking forward to their next meeting even more than today.
‘Will I figure out why I feel this way by then?’
※
“Did the date go well?”
When Kang Ihyun returned to the orphanage, sat down in the cafeteria for a late dinner, Jeong Seok-woo—who had told him to eat first because of work—sat down across from him and asked.
“Huh? It wasn’t a date.”
Kang Ihyun scooped up a hearty spoonful of spicy stir-fried pork and rice before continuing.
“We’re not even dating, so it can’t be called a date.”
“...”
Jeong Seok-woo was rendered speechless. He lifted his water cup, took a sip, set it down again, and remained silent.
Inside, he thought with deep exasperation.
‘What am I supposed to do with this rascal?’
Any normal guy.
If a pretty girl approached him first, asked for his number first, contacted him first, suggested they meet first.
And then spent the entire weekend together in Hongdae, eating and hanging out all day.
Frankly, he would already be thinking about what to name their future grandchildren.
But this guy.
Was sincerely convinced that today had not been a date.
“...”
Suddenly, Jeong Seok-woo remembered a documentary he had seen on TV a few years ago.
It had been about a child who grew up in a wolf pack from a young age.
‘Is it something like that?’
The thought actually crossed his mind.
“...Why are you looking at me like that?”
“It’s nothing.”
Jeong Seok-woo shook his head.
He knew that explaining it would only come across as meddling and wouldn’t mean much.
“So.”
“Yes.”
“What did you think of her after meeting her?”
Kang Ihyun paused with his chopsticks in midair.
What kind of person she was.
“...”
After thinking for a moment, he opened his mouth.
“She was louder than I expected.”
“...What?”
“She talked a lot.”
“Like, she didn’t stop talking for a single second.”
Kang Ihyun was completely serious.
“While we were eating.”
“While we were walking.”
“Even at the café.”
“And the topics kept changing while she was talking.”
“It was exhausting.”
Perhaps his tone made it obvious that he had been drained, because.
“Hahaha!”
Jeong Seok-woo ended up laughing out loud.
But.
Kang Ihyun didn’t stop there.
“And she smiled even more than she talked.”
“...Is that so?”
“I have no idea what was so funny, but she kept laughing the whole time.”
Upon hearing that, Jeong Seok-woo actually stopped laughing.
Because.
There wasn’t a single negative comment about the girl in anything Kang Ihyun was saying right now.
He was the only one who didn’t realize it.
“So.”
Jeong Seok-woo asked.
“Was it not good?”
“No.”
Kang Ihyun answered immediately.
“It was pretty fun.”
“...”
“More than I thought.”
A brief silence.
Jeong Seok-woo let out a soft chuckle.
‘That’s enough.’
This was plenty for now.
Whether the boy started dating her right away or not wasn’t important.
At the very least.
For a kid who had spent twelve years in another world doing nothing but fighting a war.
The fact that he could spend time with someone and say it had been enjoyable.
That was enough for now.
Jeong Seok-woo didn’t ask any more questions.
If he kept digging, the boy would probably just say something weird again.
He simply thought to himself.
‘I’ll get to see this rascal’s wedding before I die.’
That alone felt like a rather grand wish.
※
Late at night.
The orphanage hallways had grown quiet again.
All the children were asleep.
Most of the remaining teachers had gone home.
Kang Ihyun was lying halfway on his bed, holding his smartphone.
The screen showed the mobile game he had been playing since yesterday.
“...”
And just now, he had finally succeeded in defeating a boss that was even more vicious than that claw machine.
Kang Ihyun nodded in satisfaction.
“Yeah. This is how it should be.”
The hero who saved the world.
The demon king subjugator.
The legendary champion.
By defeating a mobile game boss monster, he had taken one step closer to saving a new world.
At that moment.
—Ding.
A text notification popped up.
Kang Ihyun tapped the screen without thinking.
And.
When he saw the sender’s name, the corner of his mouth unconsciously lifted a little.
—Oppa, did you get home safely? Haha
And.
A few seconds later.
Another message arrived.
—I just showered and got into bed!
—Oh, and I’ve been looking at the photos we took today.
—Oppa, you really suck at taking pictures lololol
—What kind of expression is that on such a handsome face lololol
“...Good grief.”
Kang Ihyun let out a small laugh without realizing it.
The image of Han Seo-yun’s face, laughing nonstop in the photo booth, floated into his mind.
Then.
He thought for a moment.
This time was a little different from yesterday, when he had agonized for over ten minutes just to send a single greeting.
His fingers moved naturally.
—I got home safely. I’m glad you did too, Seo-yun.
After thinking for a second, he added one more line.
—The photos turned out that way because you were laughing too much.
Sent.
“...”
After confirming the message had been delivered, Kang Ihyun was about to return to his game when he paused.
He had a feeling she would reply quickly, and sure enough, his prediction proved correct in less than ten seconds.
—What
—Are you teasing me right now?
—Oppa knows how to joke?????
“...”
Kang Ihyun stared at the chat window.
And ended up laughing again.
Then another message flew in.
—Oh right!
—Oppa, can’t you drop the formal speech with me?
“Already...?”
—Already?
—What do you mean already? Why not?
—I’d like it if you called me comfortably haha
If she were beside him, he could easily picture Han Seo-yun giggling at such a trivial remark.
Kang Ihyun thought for a moment.
He wondered if dropping the polite speech might cause him to lose respect for the other person.
But the hesitation didn’t last long.
—Alright, Seo-yun.
Because he was confident that something as small as speech style wouldn’t change his attitude.
After everything he had been through, of course it wouldn’t.
※
At the same time.
In a studio apartment somewhere in Seoul.
Han Seo-yun was lying face-down on her bed, staring at her phone.
“...”
And.
She had been reading the single line on the screen for several seconds now.
—Alright, Seo-yun.
“...”
She read it again.
—Alright, Seo-yun.
“...”
She read it once more.
A moment later.
The tips of Han Seo-yun’s ears turned slightly red.
“...What is this?”
It was nothing. It really was nothing.
Yet for some reason, her chest felt ticklish.
‘Can’t you drop the formal speech with me?’
She had thrown the suggestion out lightly.
But when oppa actually did it, the feeling was completely different.
“No...”
Han Seo-yun hugged her pillow for no reason.
Then she murmured.
“Isn’t this cheating?”
Until now, Kang Ihyun had used only polite speech.
His tone had been proper.
His behavior had been proper.
There had been a certain distance.
It had almost felt like she was the only one desperately trying to close the gap.
But suddenly.
—Alright, Seo-yun.
Just that one sentence where he called her by name.
That was all.
Yet it somehow made her feel much closer to him.
“...”
Han Seo-yun pressed down on the corners of her mouth.
She was trying not to smile.
But she kept smiling anyway.
“I must be crazy.”
Anyone watching would think she had received a confession.
Then a strange thought occurred to her.
“...Wait a second.”
Oppa probably had no idea she was reacting like this.
Given his personality.
He was definitely thinking he had simply dropped the formal speech, nothing more.
When that realization hit her.
Han Seo-yun smiled with a slightly hollow feeling.
‘Seriously, how does a person like this even exist?’