A Double Date With Zero Couples
On the day of our appointment, Riya and I met in the morning and headed to the meeting place together.
The meeting place was a department store nearby. We had other things to buy as well, so we settled on the department store instead of just a clothing shop.
And so, ten minutes before the appointed time.
"Looks like everyone's here?"
Surprisingly, all five of us had arrived earlier than scheduled.
And the one who had gotten there first—most surprisingly of all—was Kang Yuwon.
"Better early than late, right?"
Kang Yuwon was the type who hated inconveniencing others more than you'd expect. Even in the original novel, he was the sort who would do whatever it took to keep a promise—whether that promise was to someone else or to himself.
"I met up with Haryeong halfway and we came together."
"It's been a while, sunbae-nims."
Hoyeon and Jin Haryeong seemed to have arrived together. Whether they had met from the start or truly linked up midway, as he claimed—well, my private guess was that they had been together the whole time, but there was no need to say it out loud, so I kept my mouth shut.
"Alright, since we're all here, let's go."
"I already sent over the list of what we need."
We had gathered to buy swimsuits, but none of us intended to stop at just that after coming all this way. A school trip required more than you'd think—snacks, notebooks, the little everyday things that added up.
"...You're buying that many snacks?"
"More is better! Better than not having any."
"Sihyun. No becoming a pig..."
Hoyeon's snack haul was a bit much, but he had a point—better too much than too little. Once we had loaded the cart with snacks and shared supplies, our last stop was the electronics section.
"We need a watch, right?"
"Yeah. Can't take our phones, so we'll need one."
With phones confiscated, a watch for the trip was essential. It was even listed among the required items. There were plenty of styles, but what we needed was something small—something we could carry and check at a glance.
This should do.
I picked out a palm-sized digital watch. Not expensive, easy to carry. Naturally, Hoyeon would be the one hauling it around. I dropped it into the cart and looked around to tell him—only to find Hoyeon nowhere in sight. I spotted him in the next aisle over, the one with cameras and microphones.
"What are you doing over here?"
Had he always been interested in this kind of thing? I had never seen him show any particular interest in cameras, so I asked. He picked up a webcam and spoke.
"Hey, what do you think about me trying streaming?"
"Streaming? Like internet broadcasting?"
"Yeah. I've gotten kind of interested lately."
Internet streaming. It was a career path I had never really considered—not in my past life, and not in this one. I had no personal connection to it, but I knew what it involved. Which was why I answered without a second of hesitation.
"You'd be good at it."
He had a gift for banter, solid mental fortitude, a sharp read on people, and an easy way of getting along with anyone. In that sense, he was built for streaming. He looked at me for a moment after my firm reply, then smiled faintly and slipped the webcam into another pocket of the cart.
Right then, another voice piped up from the side.
"Then let's hurry to the next section! Time to buy swimsuits!"
I was curious why he had suddenly gotten into streaming, but I didn't ask. He probably had his reasons. And he would probably do well at it, too.
I do wonder how he'll manage the time, though.
He would figure it out somehow.
"Sihyun, what are you doing over here?"
"Just thinking."
"Let's go get the swimsuits."
With all the school-trip supplies bought, we headed for the clothing section to pick out swimsuits. Mid-April—swimsuit season was just around the corner—so the swimsuit section was easy enough to find.
"Oh! This is pretty similar to the one I wore before."
The moment we stepped into the store, Hoyeon grabbed a pair of loose, knee-length swim trunks. Bright orange—perfectly suited to his personality. I watched him for a second, then picked up a pair of black trunks from the rack beside me. Not too tight, not too short. Exactly what I wanted.
"Sihyun, you getting a top?"
"...Probably?"
I was not bold enough to walk around bare-chested. Hoyeon, on the other hand, looked ready to go shirtless.
"Yuwon?"
"I'm buying one. Absolutely."
The trunks Kang Yuwon chose were long enough to reach his knees. He had never liked showing off his body in the original either, so it was only natural. Unless he ran into the original heroine, of course—but for now, this was the expected outcome.
"Sihyun. This."
"A rash guard?"
What Riya held out to me was a black rash guard—not a one-piece, but one with a zipper down the front. The black-and-white combination looked sharp and refined.
"I thought you'd like it."
She knew my tastes perfectly. Nothing flashy, nothing that stood out—just black. It was exactly the kind of swimsuit that fit.
"Would you like to try it on?"
"I'll try it on now."
The swimsuit was far more comfortable than I expected. The trunks weren't the clingy kind to begin with, and the rash guard was a loose fit, so nothing felt restrictive. A little skin showing was inevitable with a swimsuit, after all.
"Riya. How is it?"
"...I-it's good. It looks really good on you."
When I showed her, she flushed and took a step back in a little flustered episode—but she said it was fine, so it was fine.
Beside us, Jin Haryeong was handing Hoyeon a loose orange cover-up.
"Sunbae. It's still cold, so put this on."
"Huh? Ah... okay."
"I want to go with you too..."
"We'll go together later. Around summer break, let's go together."
After chatting with Hoyeon while handing him the cover-up, Jin Haryeong came over to us almost at once.
"Riya sunbae, we should pick ours out too."
"Ah. Okay."
Linking arms with Riya, Jin Haryeong steered her toward the women's swimsuit section.
Th-this is embarrassing...
Riya still wasn't all that close with Jin Haryeong. She liked her well enough and was trying to get closer, but with her personality, that was never going to be easy. And now—women's swimsuits. Being handed options by Haryeong turned her face bright red.
"Sunbae, try this on!"
"The exposure... it's too much..."
What Jin Haryeong playfully held out was a bikini—and a rather skimpy one at that. Of course she wasn't seriously expecting Riya to wear it. She knew Riya's personality.
"Alright then, I'll find you something with a little less exposure."
This time she produced a bikini with more coverage, paired with a pareo wrapped around it. Definitely less revealing than the first option—but still, objectively speaking, quite a lot of skin.
"This much is okay, right?"
"It's... okay?"
Pulling out the tiny bikini first had been for this exact reason. If she framed it as relatively more coverage, Riya might go along with it.
Th-this feels weird...?
Riya sensed it on some level too, but she didn't refuse. The biggest reason was none other than Baek Sihyun. She had never worn anything particularly revealing when she was with him. Maybe it would be okay to show him this once. No—she wanted to show him. That was the strongest force pushing her forward.
"Okay."
Taking the swimsuit, Riya went straight into the fitting room and changed. It was the first swimsuit she had put on in five years. The first emotion that hit her once she was dressed was pure embarrassment.
The exposure... it's too much.
Especially her midriff. Mortifying. Instant regret. Should she just change back and pick something else?
...No. Just once...
Just once for Sihyun should be fine. Repeating that thought like a mantra, Riya steadied her breathing and stepped out.
I was already waiting outside. Riya spoke.
"S-so? How is it?"
The Riya who asked that was beautiful. Truly—more beautiful than anything I had ever seen. Above all, the slender waist and stomach I was seeing for the first time while knowing her. The long, smooth white legs slipping free of the pareo. And finally, her face, flushed deep red with embarrassment. This first glimpse of her like this was beautiful, and captivating.
"Sihyun...?"
"Ah... it looks good. Really good."
I pulled my mind out of its daze and spoke whatever came out of my mouth—raw, unfiltered impression.
"Out of everything I've ever seen, this suits you the best."
"Augh..."
At my words, Riya covered her blazing-red face with both hands and curled in on herself. Then, in a voice so small that even I, standing right in front of her, barely caught it—
"I'm glad..."
It was worth it.
After that tiny murmur, Riya sprang back up as if bouncing off the floor. Too embarrassed to meet my eyes, she avoided my gaze and headed back into the fitting room.
"I'll take it. This swimsuit."
After that, things wrapped up quickly. Hoyeon and Kang Yuwon had already paid for theirs, and once we finished paying for Riya's and mine, we left the store at once. For the record, I paid for Riya's as well. I still had money left, and besides—
Appreciation fee...
That kind of money. Riya said she would buy it herself, but I had already finished paying.
"Alright, let's go eat. I know a good place nearby."
At Hoyeon's words I checked the time—already six. Dinner hour. My stomach was rumbling just as he said. The others must have felt the same; everyone agreed, and we headed for the restaurant Hoyeon had mentioned.
...This feels a little new.
Walking a few steps behind, I looked at the lively group ahead and thought that. New. Had I ever had this many friends around me? Had I ever gone out like this together?
No.
Which was why this scene felt new to me. If someone asked whether I liked it, I still wasn't sure. Having Riya alone had always been enough for me. But if someone asked whether I disliked it, I could answer without hesitation.
I don't dislike it.
I don't dislike it. That was what I would say, without a doubt.