A Secret Date in Spring ♡ (2)
When had it been? Yeon-ha had been idly scrolling through the internet one day when she stumbled across an interview titled “How dare you devour me.” It was a short video about why some women were attracted to unattractive men. That was the day she realized the true nature of her own tastes in adult videos. It wasn’t simply that she liked being taken roughly. It was something far more specific. A secret she could never tell anyone.
Yeon-ha and Colossus woke up early that morning, almost in perfect sync. They kissed without a word, then rose to prepare breakfast together. Yeon-ha handled the cooking while Colossus took care of the cleanup and dessert. It had become their cherished routine.
Once the dishes were done, Yeon-ha sipped the coffee Colossus had brought down and casually tossed out, “Want to go out somewhere?”
“Mm.”
“I’m not a hero anymore, after all. I’ve got some free time for a while. I was thinking of catching up on all those advertising shoots and guest requests I’d put off… but the weather’s just too nice today.”
The spring morning was clear and bright. Korea no longer suffered from yellow dust, after all. During the chaotic dawn of the twenty-first century, when the emergence of heroes coincided with the invasion of monstrous beings, one of the countries hit hardest had been China. More precisely, the region stretching from Southeast Asia all the way to China itself. A massive gate incident in the South China Sea had devastated the Philippines, Vietnam, and Malaysia. The invading forces that swept up along the coastline had even collapsed the western seas. As a result, Korea had finally been freed from the scourge of yellow dust.
After the South China Sea incident, simultaneous gate outbreaks had occurred worldwide, but thanks to China’s horrific example, most nations had prepared for the worst. These days, gate incidents were treated much like everyday villain terrorism. In some ways, they were even preferable. Gates were essentially doorways to other worlds, and the rare minerals and resources that came through them fetched astronomical prices.
In any case, Korea no longer had yellow dust. Spring had finally begun to paint the streets in the colors it deserved.
On a day like this, skipping a date would be far too disappointing.
“I’m going to change. Colossus, hurry up and get ready too!”
“Mm.”
“We’ll be walking a lot today, so prepare yourself!”
“Understood.”
“…You’re not even going to ask where we’re going?”
“Anywhere is fine with me.”
“…Idiot. Seriously. You really have no shame, do you?”
Yeon-ha grumbled as she headed toward the dressing room, then suddenly poked just her face back through the doorway.
“Look forward to it!”
Her cheeks were flushed as she ducked back inside. Colossus watched her for a moment before quietly tidying up the coffee cups.
After finishing his own preparations and waiting quite a while, the dressing room door finally burst open and Yeon-ha came bounding out. She wore a flashy yet perfectly ordinary date outfit—her favorite style. A daringly short black tennis skirt over a white cotton t-shirt, topped with a black short jacket. A black choker accentuated the bare neckline of her tee, while pink sneakers added a playful touch. It was the kind of look you might see anywhere on the street, yet on her it carried an almost magical allure that made people turn their heads.
“Ta-da! How do I look!”
“Beautiful.”
“Boring!! I’ve got one secret, but I’m not telling you yet! Let’s go!”
She skipped ahead and called the elevator. Colossus followed, grabbing the car keys from the shelf. That was when Yeon-ha clicked her tongue.
“We’re not taking the car.”
“Hm?”
“Our little bunny is way too noticeable! No matter where we go, people shout ‘Bopal Rabbit!’ and come running. Today is a secret civilian date! You need to wear these too!”
She handed him sunglasses and a mask. After watching Colossus put them on, she shook her head, dashed back to the dressing room, and returned with a baseball cap.
“Your gray hair stands out too much. With that huge body, people will recognize you instantly! Put the hat on too!”
“Mm.”
“I’m only wearing a mask today since my eyes look pretty!”
She smiled with her eyes in a cute way and pulled the mask over her face. Even though it was the kind meant to block fine dust and covered half her face, her clean nose bridge and large, sparkling eyes still made her look stunning. If anything, it gave her the seductive air of a dancer wearing a silk veil.
“Aren’t you curious what the secret is?”
“You can tell me whenever you feel like it.”
“You’re seriously no fun at all!”
Yeon-ha grabbed Colossus’s hand tightly and headed out to the elevator.
When they moved anywhere together, Colossus usually walked behind Yeon-ha. It was easier to protect her from all directions that way than walking in front. It was a formation he’d grown used to from their hero team days, now simply a habit. But this time, Yeon-ha insisted on having him walk ahead—whether they were boarding a bus, climbing stairs, or walking up a slope.
At first he thought it was coincidence, but by now it was impossible not to notice. As they boarded the bus heading toward the subway station, Colossus glanced back at the woman following him. Yeon-ha’s face was completely red, and she seemed strangely restless.
“Are you uncomfortable somewhere?”
“Eh?! No? Not at all?!”
“…Mm.”
“Why? Is something weird?”
She looked at him with a playful expression. No matter how he studied her from head to toe, Colossus couldn’t spot anything out of the ordinary. Yeon-ha let out a small laugh and lightly smacked his arm.
“Since it’s come to this, I won’t tell you until you figure it out yourself, Colossus. What my secret is!”
“Mm…”
“You’d better find out before the day is over~?”
She gave him a coy smile and poked his side. For some reason, he felt a twinge of unease.
“So where are we going exactly?”
“The weather’s perfect for flower viewing! Let’s go to Hangang Park.”
Yeon-ha shouted brightly as they boarded the subway. Since no one around them recognized her, she was in an absolutely giddy mood. Heroes basically had no private life. It was even worse for someone like Yeon-ha who had never hidden her identity. Her face was so well-known that even without her suit, most people would spot her, rush over, and beg for photos or autographs.
So psychologically, she really wasn’t a hero right now. And no one around them recognized her. She stretched luxuriously, savoring a sense of freedom she hadn’t felt in ages. Her short t-shirt rode up, fully exposing her midriff, but she didn’t seem to care.
Colossus’s sharp senses caught something strange in that moment. There was no bra line visible. And when she stretched, her breasts bounced heavily, as if nothing was holding them in place.
“…You’re not wearing a bra?”
“Hehe! Just nipple patches~!”
“…”
“There’s one more secret. Want to know?”
“Mm.”
“Not telling!”
Yeon-ha called out cheerfully and dashed down toward the subway platform.
“This… I didn’t expect this… It’s been so long since I’ve ridden the subway…”
“Mm.”
On a nice weekend afternoon, Line 9 was hell. The car was so packed they could barely move without pressing against other bodies. While the massive, well-built Colossus might have been fine, the petite Yeon-ha was jostled from every direction and grumbled in annoyance.
“I can’t even use my strength, this is so annoying!!”
“Should we have taken a taxi?”
“Let’s do that on the way back. Still, it’s been ages since I rode the subway. I wanted to try it.”
She pouted and reached for Colossus’s hand. That was when it happened.
“Eek?”
As the subway arrived at the next station, the wave of people getting off swept Yeon-ha away. She let out a strange sound as she was pushed. She managed to hold her ground and not get off, but the surge of new passengers shoved her into the corner. Buried among the crowd, only her face was visible.
She urgently pointed at her phone and typed rapidly.
When Colossus looked at her again after reading the messages, he saw a chubby young man in a deeply pulled-down hood standing right in front of her. He looked to be in his early twenties at most. His face was covered in acne, and he wore thick horn-rimmed glasses. He was sweating profusely from the heat, and greasy hair stuck out from under his cap.
The subway jolted with a loud clatter. Yeon-ha seemed to have given up on complaining and lowered her phone. Colossus watched her for a moment, then turned his gaze toward the window.
After spacing out for a while, he checked the route map and saw they were about halfway there. The subway was a strange space. If you just stood still, time crawled by endlessly, but if you closed your eyes for a moment, it flew past in the blink of an eye. Colossus counted the remaining stops and turned his head toward where Yeon-ha was standing.
More people had crammed in during that time. She was now pressed so tightly between bodies that she looked almost crushed. She couldn’t even reach for a handrail and was instead bracing herself with one hand on the man in front of her. Whether she was pretending to sleep or simply enduring until they arrived, her head was bowed low.
No further messages came from her. Well… she’d probably be fine. Colossus turned back to the window.
Snapped out of his thoughts by the announcement, Colossus exited the subway along with the surging crowd. Perhaps because she had been pushed all the way to the corner of the car, Yeon-ha didn’t come out even after a long wait.
‘Hm?’
After all the passengers getting off had left and a new wave of people poured in, there was still no sign of her. Colossus took out his phone and sent a message.
The message was full of typos, completely unlike her. Colossus stared at his phone for a moment, then turned to watch the train pulling out of the station.
It was fifteen minutes later when Yeon-ha finally appeared at Exit 3 of Seonyudo Station. She was breathing hard, as if she really had run the whole way.
“You should have just taken a taxi.”
“The weather’s nice! I thought it’d be fun to run around like a normal civilian for once!”
Yeon-ha spun around, grabbed Colossus’s hand, and began walking briskly. She glanced back, gave him a little smile with her eyes, and said,
“I’ll tell you everything when we get home, but wouldn’t it be better if you figured it out before then?”
“…You mean your secret?”
“Yep, yep. It’d be bad if someone else figured it out first, right…? You need to try harder!”
If you don’t figure it out before we get home, there’ll be a penalty! Yeon-ha poked him playfully with sparkling eyes and walked ahead with lively steps.