Chapter 11
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: I'll Call You Casually
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We'd arrived at a nearby department store, and now we were bickering in the children's clothing section.
"So, just try it on once?"
"No! This one's fine!"
"You're already dressed up like this—might as well try something that suits you. Trust me, it'll be way more uncomfortable otherwise."
"What's wrong with tracksuits? And I'll just be staying home anyway."
"Haa..."
A bright gray tracksuit set, top and bottom.
It's not like we're hitting a fashion show. Isn't this good enough?
Gray is the symbol of safe choices, whether it's cars or clothes.
Plus, tracksuits can double as pajamas, and if you oversleep, you can just head out in them.
"Why won't you wear it, seriously?"
"I'm twenty-three! How could I wear something like that?!"
I pointed at the sky-blue dress dangling from Ga-eun's left hand.
Ga-eun glanced at her own hand with a "huh?" kind of look.
A sleeveless dress that left her shoulders bare. It might look like a nightgown at first glance, but the real issue was the giant cartoon character printed right in the middle.
"Even kids wouldn't wear that."
"No, it'd definitely suit you... Okay, what about this one then?"
Ga-eun thrust the outfit in her right hand toward me.
"...Just no."
Honestly, it was pretty much my style.
Sporty but not childish—a white printed shirt, denim shorts, and matching red sneakers she'd grabbed.
No wonder she was so confident; she'd done modeling gigs back in school.
But wearing something she picked felt like losing somehow, and I didn't care about looking cute to others.
Dressing up would just make the drop back to normal feel even worse. Better to stick to what suits my station.
"Fine, I'll buy it for you, so just try it on once. I wanna see. Please?"
"..."
She'd buy it for me?
Well, in that case, sure, I'd wear it.
It's not like I want to wear it—it's for her to see. That makes sense, right?
She must have taken my silence as agreement because she beamed and shoved the clothes at me.
I shook my head.
"Not that one."
I pointed at the outfit in her right hand.
Ga-eun looked a bit sulky but handed it over anyway.
As I took the clothes, she held out her hand again.
"Hand over the bag. I'll hold it for you."
"...Thanks."
Once Su-hyeon had ducked into the fitting room, Ga-eun sank into thought.
Kim Su-hyeon, twenty-three years old. What kind of life had she lived to end up looking so shabby?
That dingy hoodie and her aversion to people's stares suggested she wasn't the outgoing type.
She'd said they were about the same height, so she must have been fairly tall.
A hoodie big enough for a woman to swim in—maybe she used to be on the heavier side? But the pants size didn't quite match that.
She hadn't even finished her pork cutlet, so she didn't seem gluttonous. Maybe her stomach had just shrunk.
People tend to imagine others in an idealized way.
Before she knew it, Ga-eun's mind had conjured up a tall, gloomy, life-drained woman with massive breasts.
Click.
As she indulged in pointless fantasies, Su-hyeon emerged in the new outfit.
"Mm, perfect."
"Can I go now?"
"Ah, hold on a sec."
Ga-eun blocked Su-hyeon, who was about to dart back in, and dragged her to the mirror.
"See? Don't just wear it loose—tuck the shirt in here like this, just a bit in the front...?"
Ga-eun was about to teach her how to neatly tuck the T-shirt into her shorts when she spotted something odd peeking out from the denim.
"Why'd you try these on over what you already had on?"
"...I-it just gets bunchy otherwise?"
Ga-eun tugged lightly at the waistband of the shorts, revealing the white soccer shorts from the free clinic.
Su-hyeon fidgeted anxiously, pressing her hand firmly over the front placket.
"Sunbae, don't tell me..."
"Eek!"
Ga-eun yanked both the shorts and soccer shorts sideways in one go, and a pale butt cheek popped right out.
Su-hyeon jumped in shock, her heart pounding wildly.
And Ga-eun was just as stunned.
"I can't even! What if you go out without panties?!"
"Th-this is how you're supposed to wear it...! Let go first, ack, ow!"
Ga-eun smacked her butt a few times, then hoisted Su-hyeon up under her arm like a sack and bolted to the checkout counter.
"We'll wear this out, so ring it up!"
She grabbed Su-hyeon's old clothes and bag, then rushed to the kids' underwear section.
I bought some plain girls' panties, slipped a pair on, and stuffed three more of the same into my bag.
Su-hyeon grumbled belatedly, full of grievance.
"The uniform has mesh inside, so you don't usually wear anything under..."
"Quiet. Want me to spank you again?"
"..."
Hmph.
I'm the older one here.
She'd been all deferential when she thought I was her sunbae, but now she treated me like some kid who wouldn't listen.
"What about my old clothes?"
"Stuffed 'em in the bag. Might as well wear the new stuff since we bought it."
Fair point.
Changing back would be a hassle.
I hurried along without a word, and Ga-eun grinned as she caught up.
"Comfy, right?"
Su-hyeon clamped her mouth shut, too proud to admit it.
It was definitely more comfortable than the heavy hoodie.
After wandering for over an hour, we decided to rest at the lounge on the sixth floor.
The open-air artificial garden in the middle of the building, like a balcony, was filled with people taking a break.
Spotting an empty bench in a sunny spot, I dashed over and plopped down.
I set my bag beside me and took off my hat, and that's when Ga-eun strolled up, chuckling.
"What, afraid someone'd steal the seat? Why'd you run like that?"
"...Dunno."
Imagining how I must have looked made my ears burn.
"Did you watch any of my streams, by chance?"
Ga-eun sat on my right, opposite the bag, and asked.
"Yeah, on NewTube. Saw a bunch of them."
"For real? Not just being polite? What'd you watch—tell me?"
"Totally for real. You gaming, singing, just chatting with viewers. And that game ad."
"...You mean the cosplay one? Ugh, hearing about it IRL is embarrassing."
Ga-eun fanned herself with her hand.
"How was it...?"
"Fun. You yelling and laughing with everyone—it really felt like you were all close friends."
"Ah... I do cuss a lot compared to other girl streamers. But with friends, I think it's right to be honest and say what you want straight up."
"Sounds nice. Kinda jealous..."
We ended up talking quite a bit.
"I used to stream too."
"Wait, really? When?"
"After seeing yours on NewTube. Got banned, though."
"What?! Why...?"
"Too many reports saying a kid was playing violent games... And some about suspected ID theft."
"Oof."
It had been ages since I'd talked this much with someone.
I barely even chatted in games, so this felt incredibly fresh—like I'd gone back to elementary school.
It was fun. Really fun.
"So, can I drop the honorifics now?"
"S-suddenly?"
"You told me to in the first place."
"True... But I was just getting used to it."
"It's not even been a day yet? It'll be harder to switch later. Plus, wouldn't it look weird if people heard me using formal speech with my sunbae?"
"Mm..."
Honestly, casual speech didn't bother me.
I knew my looks didn't exactly scream "worthy of respect."
But it felt like the fragile connection we'd built might reset, and that gave me pause.
I'd thought we were becoming close enough to relax around each other—what if it twisted into something totally different?
And what if she got sick of me and we ended up with nothing?
That scared me.
Ga-eun picked up on my unease and added,
"If it's really uncomfortable, I won't. Doesn't mean I'm giving up, though."
"Go ahead. Casual's fine."
"You sure?"
"We started that way anyway."
"Alright then, Su-hyeon."
"...Yeah."
It hit so suddenly—I felt embarrassed.
"Su-hyeon, Su-hyeon, Su-hyeon. Heh heh, casual with a twenty-three-year-old feels kinda thrilling."
"?"
"Your looks, your antics—totally kid-like. Formal speech felt so awkward. Ahh, what a relief."
"I acted like a kid?"
"Didn't you notice? You act exactly your age... I mean, looks."
"Wha...?"
I thought I'd been acting cool and aloof...
All this because of my stupid kid body.
The heat rising to my face was pure indignation.
That's when a sweet scent wafted in on the breeze.
I craned my neck toward the source and spotted a food court in the distance.
A place selling sweet desserts like coffee and ice cream.
The aroma was coming from there.
"I'll grab some ice cream. Want any?"
"Chocolate for me."
"Got it. Watch the stuff."
Ga-eun followed my gaze to the food court and stood to go buy some.
Warm afternoon sun, spring breeze, and ice cream...
Anticipation bubbled up, and my legs swung back and forth.
Swing, swing.
"Arf! Arf!"
"Whoa, what's with this guy all of a sudden?!"
"Huh."
I whipped my head around at the commotion to see a massive brown furball charging at me.
"Gahk."
"Rich, stop! Wait! Sit!"
"Hah! Hah! Hah!"
A woman—the apparent owner—rushed over from somewhere and reined in the golden retriever.
"Oh god, I'm so sorry! You okay? Did it scare you?"
"Cough! Y-yeah, I'm fine..."
"He likes people, but he doesn't usually barrel in like that. Really sorry..."
"It's okay, really. Just caught me off guard for a sec."
To reassure her it was no big deal, I tentatively extended a hand toward the retriever, who was lolling its tongue out.
"Arf!"
Suddenly, it reared up on its hind legs in a rodeo stance, half-climbed onto the chair, and started slobbering all over my face.
"Ewww!"
"Hah hah hah!"
"Eek! Down, Rich! Down! Lie down!"
It was the same cycle: calm the dog, apologize, repeat.
The dog stood taller than me on its hind legs, which startled me, but it was truly no harm done. I spent a sweaty minute soothing the woman.
"Ugh, I can't even with this dog!"
The finally calmed retriever took a couple swats to the back and flopped down with a pitiful whine.
That was when it happened.
Chirp chirp!
"Huh? Where's this bird noise coming from all of a sudden...?"
The woman's words made me scan the surroundings too.
"Huh?"
The chirping grew louder, and in the distance, I saw a massive black flock approaching.
"A flock of birds...?"
"W-wait."
Feeling uneasy, I stood from the bench—but it was too late.
The birds from outside swarmed me.
Sparrows, pigeons, crows—all kinds of birds surrounded me.
Chirp chirp chirp chirp!!
"Gaaaaah!!"
"Kyaa! What the heck?!"
"Su-hyeon!"
Amid the flailing, I glimpsed Ga-eun sprinting over from afar.
The ice cream she'd been holding splattered on the ground in slow motion.
Ah, chocolate—that was mine.