061. Promise
061. Promise
Everyone had lost their memories.
And I had definitely been through a similar situation before.
‘Could it be that their souls were eaten by a yokai, rather than them just going missing?’
I had lost my memories once before.
One man and three women I'd met at the abandoned house.
My memories of them had evaporated in an instant.
Of course, those memories had returned by now.
I didn't know the cause.
I hadn't even made a particular effort to remember; the memories just suddenly regenerated starting one day.
Anyway.
The symptoms other people were showing now were far too similar to what I had experienced back then.
‘It really did seem like the work of a yokai.’
If it wasn't a yokai's doing, this situation couldn't be explained.
According to what Gomdori said.
A human whose soul was eaten by a yokai ceased to exist entirely.
In other words, they were erased from other people’s memories.
‘But why weren't my memories erased?’
Just like how my old memories had come back.
It was strange that my current memories were being preserved intact, too.
‘...I should ask Plum Blossom about this later.’
While I was thinking that.
Eight-Nine-Two tapped me lightly on the shoulder and spoke.
"Se-hun?"
"Ah, uh... I guess I got confused for a second. Maybe because I had a weird dream this morning?"
Using the lie about having a weird dream.
I brushed off the question I'd just asked as no big deal.
Because even if I explained that everyone lost their memories due to a yokai, they obviously wouldn't believe me and would just treat me like a mental patient.
"Oh dear. Se-hun must have been very nervous because of our daughter."
The police chief laughed heartily.
"Well, our daughter isn't exactly not pretty, right? She's enough to make men lose their minds. Hahaha."
She was under a strange misunderstanding.
Well, it was actually more comfortable for me if she just misunderstood like that and moved on.
"Ah. So that's what it was. Se-hun, you rascal. Knowing she's pretty... Ah! But does that mean I appeared in your dream, Se-hun? Ohh."
At the chief's words, Eight-Nine-Two also made a face like she'd just had a revelation.
I could let the chief slide.
But Eight-Nine-Two genuinely seemed to have below-average intelligence.
"Who did our daughter take after to grow up so upright and pretty? Haha."
"Not her mom, for starters."
"You wanna die?"
While the mother-daughter duo were filming their little skit.
The soldiers were also whispering among themselves.
"Wow. The guy must really be head over heels for the Deputy Platoon Leader? If he's so out of it he's confusing dreams and reality."
"...Isn't he just tired?"
"Right. The Deputy Platoon Leader isn't that level."
"It's just because her hair's short right now. If she grows it out just a bit more from there, she'd chew up and spit out most celebrities."
"Hmm... To my eyes, she doesn't look much different from us."
"They say women and men have different eyes for these things."
"Usually, it's pretty similar."
"Then does the guy like Sergeant Park Gyuri?"
"What man makes a meal appointment with a woman he's not interested in in the first place?"
"That's true."
"Did I mishear? Can't you make an appointment just as friends?"
"I don't know. I don't have any male friends."
"I don't know either."
"Me neither..."
"But looking at this situation now... Maybe Sergeant Park Gyuri wasn't lying all those times she said with her own mouth that she was popular with men..."
The last line felt like something I'd heard somewhere before.
Anyway.
The misunderstandings kept piling up, but as I said before, I had no intention of clearing them up.
Since it was more comfortable to just let it slide simply like this.
And honestly.
Being linked with Eight-Nine-Two didn't make me feel bad anyway.
*
*
*
After saying I was going to the restroom.
I hurried over to the counter and handed my card to the employee.
But something unexpected happened.
Our table's bill had already been settled.
Just as I was flustered.
"To think you'd really try to pay on the sly..."
A familiar voice came from behind me.
I turned around to see the police chief walking slowly toward me.
"Uh... Don't tell me you already paid, Chief?"
"Yes. Actually, Gyuri mentioned that with your personality, Se-hun, you might try to pay secretly."
"..."
"So I paid in advance, just in case."
Eight-Nine-Two was surprisingly perceptive.
I'd only ever thought of her as stupid, so this was unexpected.
"Haha! As if a man would try to pay!"
Eight-Nine-Two, who had followed a bit late, put her hands on her hips and laughed.
Depending on the case.
It was a line that could easily be mistaken for a sexist remark.
I looked back and forth between the chief and Eight-Nine-Two and said.
"No. Still, I'm the one who received help here, so getting treated feels a bit..."
"Se-hun. Since Gyuri's squad members were here too today, it's only right that we pay. Because we joined you without asking in advance, you see. If it really bothers you, why don't you make another appointment later and treat us then?"
The chief answered with a kindly smile.
Her choice of words was incomparable to Eight-Nine-Two's.
And she showed her veteran skill by subtly securing a second appointment, too.
"...Yes. Then I gratefully enjoyed the meal today. Thank you."
Left with no choice, I decided to be treated this time, and to make another appointment to treat them next time I got the chance.
***
After saying goodbye to the police chief.
And exchanging farewells with each of the soldiers, I returned to the parking lot.
For reference, Eight-Nine-Two was clinging right to my side, insisting on seeing me off to the very end.
"Ppaguri."
"Huh? No, don't call me by my nickname in real life. What if someone hears?"
"What are you talking about? I just called you Park Gyuri."
"Oh, did you? Did I mishear?"
"Keep your ears open. Anyway, Ppaguri. Since you're here, want to show your face on the stream for a bit?"
"All of a sudden? I thought you wanted to keep us eating together a secret?"
"It wasn't exactly a secret? I was just being considerate of you."
"Yeah? But if I show my face on stream for no reason, I feel like the guys will give me a whole basinful of abuse."
Actually, I was suggesting it precisely so she would get cursed at a bit.
Because Eight-Nine-Two's confidence in her looks seemed excessively over-the-top, beyond imagination.
Of course, it was true she was pretty.
But that didn't mean it was good for her narcissism to be pathologically severe.
This required mental treatment via Guburi's venomous tongue.
"If you don't want to, then don't."
"No. I actually wanted to show off a little, so this is perfect."
Eight-Nine-Two accepted the suggestion without catching on to my intent.
Before opening the truck door.
I briefly checked the chat window on my smartphone.
【Reformed Guburi】─Gye Bastard-hun when are you coming.
【Yoho】─You're still not here?
【Reverse-Rape Maniac】─I came in after a while and this is too much.
【Semen Thief】─I just came in for the first time. T_T
【Qkrnfl892】─Going now. lol
【Drift AI】─I speak. I state that he is coming now.
【BigGirl】─How do you know that?
【Drift AI】─I speak. I state that I confirmed it via CCTV.
【BigGirl】─Ah. Yes.
Gyejipsa's game broadcast seemed to be over.
"Guys. I'm here."
After taking the camera out of the car, I immediately aimed it at myself and Eight-Nine-Two.
"Ah. And next to me here is..."
"Hello, ugly losers! I'm Eight-Nine-Two, and I just had a sticky meal together with Se-hun today. Haha!"
Eight-Nine-Two cut me off mid-sentence.
And out of nowhere, she pressed the viewers' seizure button.
She'd been worried about getting cursed at.
Yet here she was, picking a fight first.
She really was a bit of a dimwit, that was for sure.
*
*
*
It was just as I expected.
Most of the viewers did not compliment Eight-Nine-Two's appearance.
As if they had all agreed on it.
They were busy concentrating their fire on criticizing Eight-Nine-Two.
【Reformed Guburi】─Is that army bitch Ppaguri's real body?
【Hottie Licker】─lolol real body lol *lick*.
【Se-hun Defense Force】─Oh lol Sergeant Ppaguri appears. lolol
【Yoho】─Gasp...
【Min-ji】─You had a meal appointment with Eight-Nine-Two?
【Yoho】─No! Why am I the only one you won't meet? -_-
【Reverse-Rape Maniac】─Oh. Pretty.
【Semen Thief】─Is that soldier Qkrnfl892?
【Bubblegum Collector】─Wakyapya! Why are you only eating with Eight-Nine-Two? Are our mouths not mouths too!!!
【Gyejipsa】─Not mouths too! Cola when you come.
【Plum Tree】─Don't cling to Se-hun so much. You ugly bitch.
【Dick Lover】─That bitch Eight-Nine-Two's sticking to him like crazy. Keep your distance.
【Plum Tree】─Being stuck next to Se-hun makes you look even uglier. Get away from him fast.
"Yeah. Not gonna get away. Se-hun doesn't really hate it even if I'm stuck to him like this. Of course, if ugly bitches like you tried it, he'd cuss you out immediately."
【Yoho】─??
【Min-ji】─Stop acting up.
"This is reality, guys. If you're jealous, you should have been born pretty like me."
【Reformed Guburi】─No but didn't you say Ppaguri was pretty when we did the video call last time? Gye Bastard-hun you've really got lying stuck in your mouth. lol
【Hottie Licker】─For real lol uglier than me. Ptooey ptooey.
【Yoho】─Eight-Nine-Two. Shall I recommend a plastic surgery clinic?
【Min-ji】─For that, even plastic surgery won't fix it. heh
【Plum Tree】─Our Se-hun. Your standards have really dropped, huh? When I saw you, my heart was pounding so hard, how did you stand it?
【Dick Lover】─lol Plum Blossom stop acting up.
【Bubblegum Collector】─Wakyapya! Can't you eat with me too!!!
【BigGirl】─To my eyes, she seems pretty.
【Drift AI】─I speak. I ask BigGirl if your eye is only one-sided.
【BigGirl】─Yes. It is only one-sided. My left eye went blind, you see.
『'Drift AI' has left the chat.』
【Se-hun Defense Force】─Why did Drift suddenly leave? lol
【Bubblegum Collector】─Wakyapya! Can't you eat with me too!
【Hottie Licker】─Bubblegum. Stop spamming. *lick*.
【Reformed Guburi】─Wow. The more I look at that bitch Ppaguri the uglier she is. lol Just look at how she compares to Gye Bastard-hun. lol
They probably weren't chats filled with sincerity.
Because objectively, Eight-Nine-Two was pretty.
It definitely seemed like they were just blinded by jealousy and criticizing her.
On top of that, Eight-Nine-Two had provoked them first.
‘But the criticism was growing harsher as it went on.’
There hadn't been any chats crossing the line yet.
But I had a feeling that at this rate, Guburi would eventually cross it.
"What, you retards. No matter how much you bitch, the fact that I'm pretty doesn't change."
Eight-Nine-Two raised her middle finger toward the camera.
Her expression full of confidence was still the same.
【Reformed Guburi】─lolol I'm telling you, you're really fucking ugly? Don't you look in a mirror?
"Yeah. No. No matter how much you deny reality, the fact that I'm pretty remains the same."
【Hottie Licker】─She's a real crazy bitch. *lick*.
【Bubblegum Collector】─Wakyapya! Fairly, can't you eat with me too!
【Reformed Guburi】─That fucking bitch, I really wanna throw down in real life. Stop acting up.
I decided to step in at this point.
Before things got bigger.
***
【Qkrnfl892】─lol leftover woman bastards. So fucking funny seeing you spaz out from jealousy.
【Dick Lover】─Wanna die?
【Reformed Guburi】─Fuck. Can a soldier act up like that?
【Min-ji】─I'm gonna file a complaint.
After calming the situation down.
I sent Eight-Nine-Two back to where the chief was.
Because if I kept featuring her on the stream, the viewers seemed like they would explode.
‘But even after getting cursed out that much, her confidence wasn't broken.’
I couldn't even begin to gauge how high her self-esteem was.
Anyway.
The Eight-Nine-Two incident gradually quieted down as time passed.
And I was on my way home after finishing a call with Cheerful Namsu.
【Reformed Guburi】─Gye Bastard-hun. You're eating dinner with the neighbors? Were you always close with your neighbors?
【Yoho】─I think it's that mother and daughter he met while hiking last time.
I just told them who I'd made the meal appointment with.
It wasn't just Guburi.
All the viewers kept spamming about it and making a huge fuss.
They kept suspecting I was meeting another viewer, so I had no choice.
【Se-hun Defense Force】─Hiking? Mother and daughter? What did those people look like?
【Dick Lover】─Their faces didn't come out on stream. Only their voices came out.
【Plum Tree】─Hmm. Just in case, I'm gonna have to secretly follow.
【BigGirl】─Why are you following? Are you a stalker?
【Plum Tree】─Nah, I'm just checking if he's really eating with his neighbors and not meeting another viewer. I'm just confirming and leaving, so don't misunderstand.
【Dick Lover】─That's stalking, you retard.
【Plum Tree】─Shut up.
【Dick Lover】─This bastard's a dangerous one.
【Bubblegum Collector】─Wakyapya! Se-hun I'm near you right now, can't you take me?
【Gyejipsa】─Can't!
【Bubblegum Collector】─I want to eat with Se-hun too!!!
Originally, the evening appointment had been made with Cheerful Namsu.
Nam Hyeon-su, the Neotuber with a million subscribers I'd gotten connected to at the mart.
But an unexpected variable had come up.
‘A fellow Neotuber suddenly committed suicide...’
A female Neotuber who had been close with Nam Hyeon-su.
Apparently, she had suffered from countless malicious comments and made an extreme choice.
So I had no choice but to cancel the appointment and contact the neighbor mother and daughter to make dinner plans.
They said the timing worked for them, as it happened.
Anyway, with that settled.
I planned to stop by home first and then visit the neighbors in the evening.
‘Once I got home, I should call Plum Blossom first and ask about the yokai.’
While I was driving and thinking that.
A small object was spotted up ahead.
It seemed to be a person.
‘What? I shouldn't tell me it was hitchhiking again?’
As I got a little closer.
I squinted and looked closely, and by the side of the road, some little kid was flailing their arms at my car.
‘...They were super short. They clearly look like a kid, could it be a lost child?’
I put my foot on the brake and slowly reduced my driving speed.
The kid who'd been attempting to hitchhike put down the bag they'd been carrying on their back.
And they rummaged around in the bag and pulled something out.
It was a large signboard.
The kid stood up from their spot and raised the signboard high.
On the signboard, crooked letters were written in a large scrawl.
=====
Wakyapya!
To run into Gye Se-hun in a place like this!
Is there any more insane coincidence?!
Since this is fate, take me too!
I'll pay for the food at the neighbors'!
<Bubblegum Collector>
=====
I pulled my driving speed back up.
To 80 kilometers per hour.