Feeling It Firsthand
All sorts of thoughts crossed my mind.
Should I stop taking this road from now on?
Do I look like an easy mark?
What should I do with these brats?
I had never run into this sort of nonsense in my previous lives. Thankfully, having vented my lingering impulses on the Boss earlier, murderous urge wasn't surging up within me, but that didn't make this any less irritating.
“I asked what grade you're in! A freshman?”
“I'm not a student. Please let me pass.”
I gave a brief, dismissive answer and tried to sidestep around them, but one of the girls immediately mirrored my step, blocking my path once more.
“See? She says she's seen you.”
Looking up, I caught sight of eyes looking down at me with a sly, greasy grin. When I didn't bother responding, the girl blocking my way turned back toward her friend.
“You bullshitting me? You really saw him?”
“For real. I remember his face.”
“Then why is he saying he's not a student?”
“Right? Wonder why.”
The two of them snickered among themselves, thoroughly amused by something only they understood. In the meantime, another female student and the male student walked up, closing the circle behind my back.
“Pfft, haha! Hey, maybe it's because you shoved your ugly mug in his face.”
“Ugh, what are you even doing~? Why mess with someone just passing by?”
My mood was rapidly souring past annoyance toward genuine irritation. As the students boxed me in from front and back, the stench of cigarette smoke stung my nose, mingled with the nauseating reek of cheap perfume and heavy makeup.
“What's wrong with my face? I look decent enough!”
“Bullshit~ You look totally punchable, you know that?”
I quickly scanned the girls engaged in their pointless bickering. As if it were the reigning trend, their faces were powdered ghost-white without exception. That thick, cakey makeup paired with aggressively altered, shortened school uniforms created an eye-straining, vulgar impression.
I had no desire to listen to their chatter any longer. The problem was that I couldn't be the first to resort to physical violence.
“Whatever, forget it. Hey. She says she saw you. What grade are you in?”
The girl standing directly in front of me spoke up again, demanding to know if I had lied to them. I honestly had no idea what her point was. Were they picking a fight to shake me down for cash?
“Are you picking a fight with me right now?” I asked bluntly, my patience finally scraping bottom.
“Oho... Look at the attitude on him. Come on, we just wanna see your face. Just curious, that's all.”
And what the hell are you going to do once you see my face?
The retort rose all the way to my throat. Common sense clearly didn't apply to these brats.
Right at that moment, through the gap between the two girls in front of me, I caught sight of another group. Four young women wearing matching jackets were walking in our direction.
“Ah! Noona!”
I shouted at the top of my lungs. Time for a change of tactics.
All the high schoolers' eyes snapped toward the direction I was looking.
Tap.
I darted forward without hesitation. The newly arrived quartet looked like university students. Startled by my shout, all four of them were staring right at me as I dashed toward them.
“Noona!”
Calling out once more, I threw myself toward the woman standing right in the center. Behind me, I could feel the bewildered gazes of the high school brats burning into my back.
She was nearly as tall as Yeo-eun noona, with a solid, athletic frame to match. I threw myself straight into her arms, wrapping both arms tightly around the waist of this complete stranger and looking up into her face. A flicker of confusion crossed her features.
“Um... do you need help?”
“Yes. Those kids are bothering me.”
“Ah... okay. I got you.”
Thankfully, she didn't push me away. Having quickly grasped the situation, she wrapped her arms around me in return, her ample chest pressing soft and reassuring against my face.
“Wait, what? Who's this? Do you know him?”
“Shh. Just stay quiet.”
“Oh, gotcha.”
One of the university students blurted out a clueless question, but her friend promptly shushed her.
“Um... so...”
“I'm Jungseo. Noh Jungseo.”
“Ah, right. Jungseo... Is it okay if I pick you up for a second?”
“Yes, please.”
The reason I had picked this woman was simple: she looked the strongest out of the bunch. She was at least a head taller than those delinquents, and her quick grasp of the situation meant I didn't have to waste time explaining everything from scratch.
“Up we go.”
She lifted me with ease, resting one arm firmly beneath my bottom to support my weight as she casually strolled forward. I wrapped my arms loosely around her neck.
“Excuse me, students? Did something happen with my little brother?”
“No. Nothing happened.”
“Then why were you surrounding him? Were you bullying him?”
“No, we weren't! We were just... asking him something...”
Just as expected. The brazen attitudes of those delinquents shrank instantly, their voices dropping several octaves lower than before. From the comfort of her embrace, I leisurely watched the college students put the squeeze on the high school brats.
The high schoolers ended up offering a meek apology before scuttling away. There had been no physical contact, so pressing the matter any further would have been awkward anyway.
Now, I was sitting inside a nearby fast-food joint with the college noonas. I had brought them here to treat them in return for their help, buying each of them a thousand-won soft-serve ice cream cone.
“Wow... you're seriously handsome.”
“Thank you.”
Four pairs of eyes stared intently at my face, soft-serve cones held midair in their hands. They had been in that exact state ever since I pulled down my mask. Apparently, all four belonged to the same club at the same university. They were all twenty-one, making them older than me, but they were looking at me as if I were a tiny kid brother. Their tone of voice reflected that too, even though they knew we were only a year apart in age.
“Stop staring, you're making Jungseo uncomfortable.”
“Hey! You're the one holding him on your lap...!”
At that very moment, I was perched comfortably on Eunjung noona's lap—the very same noona I had run to and hugged earlier.
After the high schoolers dispersed, she had tried to set me down, but I had asked if I could stay in her arms just a little longer in order to calm my frayed nerves. Eunjung noona had agreed without fuss, and she had carried me all the way to this shop. She hadn't said a word even when my hands rested against her chest, so I had subtly felt her softness to restore my inner peace. Sitting on her lap now served the exact same purpose. Eunjung noona possessed a delightfully plush chest, and her natural scent was very pleasant.
“So... does she really look that similar to Eunjung?”
“Yes. Pretty close.”
“That's so fascinating.”
Initially, the noonas had found it strange that I clung to a total stranger without hesitation. In response, I had brought up Yeo-eun noona, explaining that being held helped me regain my emotional stability.
It wasn't a lie. Thanks to those high school girls, the impulses I had only just vented had nearly flared up again. I had been fine at first, but their relentless provocation had pushed my buttons. If not for these college noonas, something terrible might have happened—an outcome that would have ended poorly for both those girls and myself. Borrowing their strength had ultimately been the best choice for everyone involved.
“By the way, Noona, why is your hair cut so short?”
Resting my head back against Eunjung noona's chest, I peered up at her. Her hair was trimmed even shorter than mine.
“I've kept it like this since I was little. It's just... more comfortable now...”
“That's because Eunjung does sports. She used to be a competitive judoka.”
“Whoa, really? That's amazing.”
“It's nothing... I just did it for a bit when I was younger.”
Eunjung noona's cheeks flushed red. I couldn't quite tell what she was feeling embarrassed about.
“Anyway, what was going on with those kids earlier?”
“I'm not sure. I was just walking along when...”
Eunjung noona smoothly changed the subject. She seemed like the type who disliked talking about herself. Taking it in stride, I explained what had transpired.
“What kind of delinquents pull that garbage in broad daylight...?”
“Right? Maybe I should just stick to the main streets from now on.”
“That's probably for the best. Especially since you're so handsome, Jungseo.”
“Really? You think I'm handsome, Noona?”
“Huh? Ah... well, yeah. You definitely are.”
Her face flushed crimson all over again. Women in this world really blushed far too easily. Next time I saw Leehyun noona, I'd have to ask her about the physiological reason behind why women here turn red at the drop of a hat.
“He really does look like him. If he dressed up, he'd be a perfect match, right?”
“Totally. Dye his hair, pop in some colored lenses, and...”
The other three noonas weren't paying much attention to my conversation. While Eunjung noona and I chatted, they kept glancing between their phone screens and my face, whispering among themselves. Peeking at what was on their display, I caught a glimpse of an anime character.
“Guys, let's talk about that later.”
“Ah! Right, yeah. Later.”
When Eunjung noona noticed my interest in their screens, she quickly shushed the other three. With that, our conversation wound down, and we rose from our seats.
“Um, before we part ways...”
We stepped outside the fast-food shop. The college noonas clutched their phones, hesitating with fidgety hands.
“Hmm... do you want to trade numbers?”
“No! I mean, not that—would it be okay if we took a photo together?”
“Sure, I don't mind. But why a photo?”
I had assumed they would ask for my phone number.
“Well, we're in... a creative arts club. Seeing your face just sparked a ton of inspiration.”
“A creative club? What do you create?”
“Just all sorts of things. Novels, scripts, stuff like that. We also draw manga, but...”
She trailed off into a mumble, speaking so quietly that I couldn't catch the rest. Either way, it didn't bother me, so I took photos with each of the noonas individually.
“Could I... maybe trade numbers instead of a photo? I promise I won't bother you.”
“Sure, sounds good. You don't want a photo too?”
“Of course I want a photo too!”
With Eunjung noona, I took a picture and exchanged phone numbers. Meanwhile, the other noonas were grinning ear to ear as they stared down at the photos they had taken with me.
“Are you that happy to take a picture with me?”
“Yeah! Totally! Just looking at it is therapeutic.”
“Same here! Thank you so much! Where else would we ever find someone as hand—well... anyway, thanks a ton!”
They seemed genuinely grateful. Even Eunjung noona, who had maintained a calm demeanor the entire time, was looking down at our picture with a shy, goofy smile.
“Do you happen to have social media?”
“No, I don't use any.”
“Ah... what a shame. I guess you don't plan on making an account... right?”
The disappointment on their faces was palpable. Eunjung noona then timidly asked if she could invite me to a group chat room.
“Sure, that's fine.”
“Oh hell yes! Do you take selfies often? Ah, not that we're trying to pressure you or anything!”
“Yeah, yeah! Just think of it as a little fan service... If you're ever bored, dropping a picture every once in a while would make our entire year!”
“Fan service? From me?”
When I joined their group chat, the noonas practically cheered in delight. Watching their ecstatic reactions made me rethink my appearance once again.
“Oh man, I'm officially changing my ultimate bias.”
“Hey.”
“Ah... I mean! Uh... I just meant you're that ridiculously handsome!”
These women had readily stepped in to help in an annoying, potentially dangerous situation. And now they were overjoyed just from taking a single photo together—even though they knew practically nothing about me.
I could only conclude that this was entirely the power of my looks.
“Jungseo, you can just ignore what they're saying.”
“It's fine. It just feels a bit strange.”
“Right? Even I think they're acting weird. So don't feel burdened, okay? You can just mute the chat and forget about it.”
“No, it's alright. If I ever have a reason to take a picture, I'll post it.”
Following the incident at the cafe, this was another moment where the reality of my popularity truly sank in.
And this day was only the beginning.
The next day, and the day after that.
Little by little, I was growing accustomed to life as an extraordinarily handsome man.