Chapter 108
* * *
A child with kindness ingrained in him.
Isol’s mother, Kim Boyoung, privately described Lee Seungho that way as she watched him.
“…….”
Kim Boyoung’s gaze turned toward the two of them.
“Do you come here often?”
“Um… Sometimes, for birthdays and things like that?”
Even as they talked, his hands naturally took Isol’s outerwear.
He placed it on a hanger and hung it on the rack.
Their movements were perfectly coordinated, as if they had done it more than once or twice.
It was kindness that had become second nature to him.
‘They’re alike.’
Kim Boyoung came to that assessment as she watched him.
He resembled her husband in that regard.
They were both excessively kind to others. They were simply that way, without wanting anything in return.
That was the problem.
Because of it, there had been so many women throwing themselves at him. She had gone through quite a lot sorting them all out.
‘…This one seems similar, too.’
Having had that experience was why she was especially wary of Lee Seungho.
He seemed like the kind of boy who would make quite a few girls cry.
She could tell that he was that type of person.
Conversely, that also meant there was no one better if you kept a tight rein on him.
Clatter. Clatter.
The meal continued.
Kim Boyoung had Isol leave her seat so she could thank Lee Seungho and make “one proposal.”
And so, the two of them continued their conversation at the table, left alone.
“…….”
Before long.
Tap—!
A pudding was placed on the table.
When she turned her gaze, Isol had returned.
“…….”
Kim Boyoung brushed back Isol’s disheveled hair, mussed from hurrying over.
“…I’m fine.”
Isol said that and returned to the seat beside Lee Seungho.
Her expression was blank, but her eyebrows were slightly lowered.
As if to say that if they had something to discuss, they should do it with her present, she sent them a bold look.
‘……Oh my.’
Kim Boyoung couldn’t hide her surprise at Isol’s expression.
Her wariness was plainly visible.
Honestly, she hadn’t expected Isol to express it this clearly.
That didn’t mean it was something they couldn’t discuss, though.
“Seungho. Have you ever thought about filming with Sol?”
It was a somewhat sudden topic.
“…….”
Lee Seungho blinked once.
He merely showed signs of contemplating the proposal. There was no further change in his expression.
Kim Boyoung had expected him to be startled by the sudden topic. His reaction was unexpected.
Had he somehow anticipated the question? Or was he simply bold by nature?
“Mom…!”
Isol raised her voice, but Kim Boyoung calmly countered her.
“Why? I told you about it last time, didn’t I? You said you’d think about it positively.”
“Back then… No, even so, this is too sudden.”
“If not now, when else am I supposed to ask?”
Kim Boyoung didn’t even blink.
She had just found someone who could make Isol take action on her own.
There was no way she could let this opportunity pass.
“What do you mean by filming…?”
In response to Lee Seungho’s question, Kim Boyoung gave him a brief explanation.
“TikTok or other social media platforms.”
NewTube wasn’t a bad option, either…
But if she did that as well, it would take up too much of her time.
She wasn’t asking for that much.
“Are you thinking of uploading Shorts or photos there?”
“That’s right.”
She liked how quickly he understood.
That was how she planned to build up Isol’s profile.
“Influencers are doing rather well these days, too.”
If Isol disliked modeling, there were other paths available.
Isol’s greatest strength was her looks.
Kim Boyoung wanted her to do something that made the most of that advantage, if possible.
Since Isol was a child like her who wasn’t particularly assertive, there was all the more that worried her.
Taking the initiative like this was part of that.
“…But why are you trying to entrust that to me?”
It was a simple question, so it was easy to answer.
“Because you’re good at it.”
For one thing, his skill was more than adequate.
“You frame shots well, pay attention to light and lighting… and you even think about your edit points while filming.”
Kim Boyoung looked down at the photos he had taken.
On his phone screen were photos from the school trip, as well as ones taken at an ice rink and in a valley.
“Did you teach yourself?”
“At school.”
If he was this good from school alone, she liked him even more.
Lee Seungho opened his mouth as if her comment had surprised him.
“…You know a lot about filming.”
“Sol didn’t tell you? I run a small clothing shop.”
“…….”
Lee Seungho’s eyes widened. Apparently, Isol really hadn’t told him.
Click.
Kim Boyoung closed the phone screen.
“So I have a decent eye for what makes things look good.”
…
“Of course, I’m not asking you to do it for free. I plan to pay you a fee on a freelance basis.”
She traced a number on the tabletop with her finger.
“How about… this much?”
It wasn’t enough for a professional, but it was a considerable amount for a student to handle.
If advertisements came through social media, she could split that revenue with him as well.
That much was something she could do for him.
More than anything, the main point of this proposal was to keep Isol’s eye for filming from growing dull.
If she thought of it as sending Isol to a modeling academy, it was an investment well worth making.
“I don’t need an answer right away. Think about it slowly.”
“Yes.”
Lee Seungho showed no change in expression. It was difficult to read him.
“Shall we get up soon?”
They had finished all the dessert they had brought.
She rose from her seat.
……
“Should I drop you off here?”
“Yes. Thank you for bringing me.”
“I asked you out, so it’s only natural. Get home safely.”
“Yep.”
After giving a little bow, Lee Seungho turned around.
Isol wiggled her hips as she scooted out of the car.
“…Sol? Where are you going?”
When Kim Boyoung questioned the movement,
“…No, it’s just… I have something to tell Seungho…? I’ll walk with him for a bit and come back.”
Isol’s eyes rolled around and around.
It was the expression she made when she was lying or gauging someone’s mood.
It looked as though her claim that she had something to say was a lie.
Kim Boyoung was silent for a moment.
“…Don’t come in too late.”
Isol nodded.
“Yes.”
Isol promptly got out of the car.
“…….”
Through the car window, Kim Boyoung could see Isol running after Lee Seungho.
At the sound, Lee Seungho turned around.
Soon, the two of them matched their steps and walked side by side.
“…….”
As Kim Boyoung watched their retreating figures,
another image naturally overlaid itself on them.
It had happened once, long ago.
A faint memory resurfaced of her younger self walking side by side along a stone wall path with her husband.
Yes, there had been a time like that.
“Time really……”
It had passed far too quickly.
“…When did she grow so much?”
She had always thought Isol would remain a child.
As she watched Isol send him a look, a slightly bitter, acrid aftertaste lingered in her mouth.
* * *
Isol got out of the car and came sprinting over here.
She had suddenly gotten out and come this way.
As we walked side by side, I asked,
“Why aren’t you going home?”
“I’m going to walk you home.”
Isol raised her shoulders proudly. Somehow, it seemed our positions had been reversed.
— “It feels a little disappointing….”
Minimi’s fingers fidgeted.
“…….”
At that, I changed direction.
My house was really just around the corner, so it wouldn’t take long, but I decided to walk a little farther.
“Where are you going?”
Knowing this wasn’t the direction of my house, Isol followed after me and asked.
“I want to walk a bit and help digest.”
“Then shall we?”
Isol’s eyebrows twitched, and she promptly fell into step beside me.
“…How was today?”
— “I wish Mom hadn’t asked that at the end…!”
Perhaps the earlier situation had come to mind. Minimi drooped miserably.
“She seemed like a really nice person.”
“Really?”
Perhaps my words had been unexpected. Her eyes blinked.
“She was making a point of looking after you.”
My family was basically laissez-faire, so since high school, I didn’t remember receiving much of that kind of close attention.
It was probably because they trusted me to handle things on my own.
But living that way had made me realize that this, too, was a form of affection.
“I guess…?”
Isol looked unconvinced.
Her feelings weren’t wrong, either.
It was simply different depending on how the person receiving it viewed it. There was nothing strange about that.
“But. Are you okay with that?”
At my question, Isol slowed her steps.
“Huh? What?”
“The filming.”
“…Oh, that.”
Isol plunged her hands into her pockets and continued speaking.
“I don’t hate it, but… I don’t exactly want to do it all that badly, either….”
Isol shifted her stiff head and darted her eyes around.
— “…I’d like to do it if Seungho’s okay with it… but it might just inconvenience him, so I shouldn’t say anything.”
Minimi clamped both hands over its mouth with a muffled sound, as if making a resolution.
She did seem to want to do it, deep down.
It wasn’t particularly surprising.
Isol had refused modeling not because she disliked filming, but because she didn’t want her path decided for her. She had never disliked being filmed.
“…What about you?”
Isol studied me cautiously.
“Hmm….”
After finishing my deliberation, I parted my lips.
“I want to do it.”
“Huh?”
“If you’re okay with it, let’s do the filming.”
“…Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Th-that’s fine.”
Isol nodded calmly.
— “Yay!”
Minimi raised its arms and spun around and around like it was dancing.
Seeing how happy she was made me feel proud, but I hadn’t accepted solely because of that.
— “Yaaay!”
I had accepted after giving it some thought of my own.
Being able to photograph Isol meant
I could practice with a moving subject.
That was the first reason.
‘…I haven’t touched my camera lately.’
Between school, my part-time job, the gym, and studying, I hadn’t had time to handle my camera.
Classes were mostly theory, so I didn’t take it out unless I had an assignment.
— “Heehee!”
Filming Ji Nuri at the festival had been the first time I’d taken it out in a long while.
‘Besides, I could quit my part-time job.’
With the amount Isol’s mother had offered, I had no reason to keep working part-time.
That was the second reason.
— “Heeheehee!”
There was no sign of Isol’s Minimi stopping its laughter.
Calm down.
“…Want to stop by over there before we go?”
“As we walked, I pointed to an unmanned ice cream shop that had appeared along the way.”
Let’s go in and come back, just to clear our heads.
“Huh? Oh, sure. Let’s.”
“Isol came to her senses and followed behind me.”
“…We’re getting ice cream?”
“That’s what you have after going to a barbecue place. The weather’s going to get chilly soon, too.”
“It was the tail end of summer and the beginning of autumn.”
It was a snack we wouldn’t be eating for several months. We had to have it one last time before it got colder.
As I rummaged through the ice cream, I asked,
“Are you getting one, too?”
“……I’d like to, but it seems like too much to eat by myself.”
“Was she cutting down on snacks just because we were going to film her?”
“Then……”
“I picked up a Double Bar.”
It was an ice cream distinguished by the two sticks inserted into it.
Seeing it, Isol said,
“Weren’t you going to have something else?”
“When else are we going to eat this if not now?”
“Since I was there anyway, I bought a few more snacks to stock at home. I paid quickly and went outside.”
I put the snacks in the bag and tore open the ice cream wrapper.
‘Not bad.’
It was still cool enough for the weather to be perfectly suitable for eating ice cream.
“Here.”
“I took hold of one side of the stick and held it out toward Isol.”
It meant she should take it.
Isol licked her lips, took hold of the stick on the other side, and carefully pulled.
She moved her arms cautiously, as if splitting a wooden chopstick in two.
Pop….
“Ah….”
“Isol let out a sigh.”
The Double Bar had split awkwardly.
It had broken into a ㄱ shape, with my side larger than hers.
“Chomp.”
“Isol bit off the protruding part.”
‘…Oh.’
No, this was that thing.
As I stood there flustered by Isol’s sudden action,
— “Sweet.”
Isol’s Minimi didn’t pay any attention and simply enjoyed the sweetness of the ice cream.
I didn’t really mind it, either.
She seemed perfectly fine.
…….
“Since it seemed like I was the only one overreacting, I decided to stop worrying about it.”
Gasp.
I took a big bite of the remaining Double Bar.
— “…Ah.”
At that moment, along with the sigh Minimi let out,
— “W-wait… this is an indire------”
The words that followed gradually turned into noise.
…….
“I stopped my hand with the Double Bar still in my mouth.”
She was the one who had done that, yet it had taken her a long time to realize it.
Tap tap tap tap——!
Isol’s pace quickened.
The ear visible between her silver strands was extremely red.
Watching that, I felt as if I might heat up along with her.
I quietly followed behind, cooling that heat with ice cream.
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(!Signboard!)
(There’s an illustration if you scroll down!)
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Evening Walk, Isol.
Evening Walk, Isol