Chapter 127
* * *
— “Heeheehee~ This looks fun~”
Ji Nuri’s minimi hummed as it led the way, toddling along.
I quietly watched the minimi.
‘…Is it really that great?’
In the end, we decided to watch the movie Ji Nuri wanted to see.
There weren’t any currently showing films that could really be called popular, either.
On top of that, I gave her a little help.
— “There are four of us, so four pieces of merch…! I should suggest that Seungho and I secretly trade them later. We can split them half and half, right?”
Apparently, Ji Nuri thought it was an anime I knew, too.
She was wrong. Completely wrong. I had never even heard of the title.
I’d have to give her all the remaining merch later, too. She’d be happy.
“I’ll check your tickets for you~”
A female employee approached us with a professional smile.
The minimi on her shoulder checked the tickets, then blinked.
— “…Is this movie popular these days?”
Three conspicuous girls and one boy.
That was the reaction we got when they heard this group was going to see an animated movie.
Thinking about it that way, it was a little strange.
“Yes, they’re confirmed. Theater 6, inside. Enjoy the movie~”
The employee pointed inside with her usual gestures, showing no reaction. She had an impressive sense of professionalism.
“Thank you.”
I thanked her and entered Theater 6 as directed.
Since it was a weekday, there weren’t many people in the theater.
It wasn’t empty, either, but with this many people, we probably wouldn’t have much trouble watching it.
Since Shin Ayoung was holding the tickets, she led the way.
— “D…E…F…G…”
Shin Ayoung’s minimi hopped up the stairs.
— “Ah, here it is.”
It stopped at our seats.
“We can sit next to one another like this.”
Shin Ayoung went into the innermost seat, and since I had been behind her, I naturally sat beside her.
Then Lee Sol moved quickly and planted herself in the seat to my right.
“Hmm.”
One seat remained.
Ji Nuri sat in the end seat with a drink in one hand.
The seats had ended up arranged this way by chance.
Perhaps Lee Sol and Shin Ayoung had reached some unspoken agreement between themselves.
“……”
Come to think of it, this was my first time watching a movie with Ji Nuri.
— “This is going to be fun…!”
Ji Nuri’s minimi was chattering away.
It was already like that before the movie had even started. Somehow, I had a feeling I wouldn’t be able to watch it quietly.
…….
“A movie like this is nice once in a while.”
Shin Ayoung murmured softly as she left the theater.
Ji Nuri looked proud, as if she had been praised for a movie she herself had made.
“Right, right?”
“Yeah. Even though some of the dialogue was exaggerated, it didn’t feel awkward at all. It definitely would have felt awkward in a live-action movie.”
“…Huh?”
Ji Nuri’s expression subtly fell.
Regardless, Shin Ayoung continued sharing her thoughts.
“What did you think, Seungho?”
“Animated movies definitely have a different feel from ordinary movies. Did you notice the direction during the stage sequence?”
“Ah, right, that part.”
Shin Ayoung nodded in agreement and lightly clapped her palms together.
“They used some really bold camera angles. Even the background colors changed dramatically when they were showing the protagonist’s emotions.”
“Animation costs less than live-action CG.”
“…That’s definitely an advantage unique to animation.”
Shin Ayoung rested her chin on her hand.
Her eyes lit up as if she had discovered an interesting difference.
— “It’s hard to join in….”
— “So does that mean it was fun or not…?”
The two people listening to our conversation wore subtly awkward expressions.
Had we been talking only to each other too much?
“Ahem.”
I gave a small cough and changed the subject.
When I checked the time, it was indeed around dinnertime.
We had eaten popcorn, but our stomachs had emptied quickly from walking around for so long.
“Let’s head out for now.”
Eating outside would give us larger portions at a better price than eating at the department store.
We went outside and strolled along the street in the cool autumn breeze.
“What do you want for dinner?”
“Yeah, good question.”
Lee Sol’s eyes turned serious, as if this were an important matter.
With three people involved, choosing a menu was a task in itself.
What they wanted to eat changed from day to day, and everyone’s tastes differed a little.
There was a good method to use at times like this.
“I’ll name restaurants one by one, so tell me if you hear anything you like.”
The minimi was genuinely helpful at times like this.
I named the food I saw around us one by one.
“There’s a ramen place, too….”
“I’m not really into noodles. We need to eat something filling for dinner.”
Ji Nuri shook her head. She usually ate well enough, but not right now.
— “…Hmm. I like noodles, though.”
Lee Sol’s minimi awkwardly rubbed the back of its neck.
Unlike Ji Nuri, it wanted to eat noodles.
Then somewhere with both noodles and meat would be good.
I raised my hand and pointed in another direction.
“How about the tonkatsu over there? There’s a Japanese restaurant.”
“It’s not bad, but…”
— “…Hmm, I want to eat lots of rice.”
Shin Ayoung didn’t like that they served so little rice.
“I’m not sure.”
— “…Tonkatsuuu….”
Lee Sol’s minimi narrowed its eyes. She wasn’t keen on tonkatsu.
Come to think of it, she didn’t like tonkatsu. Maybe she had some bad memory associated with it.
They were so picky.
I looked around the street, searching for a restaurant that fit their conditions.
“Then how about that place?”
After looking around, I spotted a restaurant. I raised my hand and pointed to it.
Lee Sol read the sign aloud.
“…Pasta?”
“Yeah, they sell things like risotto and fried rice, too. They have meat as well.”
It was nearby, too.
Fortunately, the response was positive.
“Oh, pasta sounds good.”
“Yeah, I’m in.”
“I agree.”
All three minimi wore satisfied expressions at that conclusion.
The three of them quickly led the way with light footsteps and brisk strides.
They seemed to be hurrying more than usual, perhaps because they were hungry.
“……”
I walked behind them.
I watched the three of them joking around as I followed a step behind.
No matter what, having them around put me at ease.
* * *
……The weekdays passed in an instant, and the weekend arrived.
Having fun with the girls had been great. Time like that always passed in an instant.
I felt the fatigue of labor as I moved nonstop around the store.
But it was all right.
I only had a few more weeks to endure.
Thinking that it would all be over soon somehow gave me the strength to keep going.
“Phew……”
I let out a weary breath and wiped the sweat from my forehead with a towel.
When I checked the time, it was finally time to clock out.
“Hyung, good work.”
A male student with a youthful face greeted me.
He was a new part-timer who had just joined us. He was in his third year of middle school, but apparently they had hired him because they were short-staffed.
He would be entering his first year of high school soon anyway, so there was no major problem.
“…You’re early.”
“Well… I still haven’t memorized the whole manual, so I wanted to look it over once more before I started.”
That was a commendable attitude.
I gave a small chuckle and nodded.
“Take your time. You don’t need to rush. Ask me anytime if there’s anything you don’t know. You still have the notebook I gave you last time, right?”
“Yes. It’s been really helpful.”
At some point, I had written him a notebook full of tips.
It seemed he had kept it with him.
“All right, good work.”
I moved aside without bothering him any further.
Soon, he turned his attention to the manual posted in front of the refrigerator.
“……”
Ha Seorim came from the dining area into the break room and made eye contact with me.
She gave a small bow. Her gesture was gentler than before.
“Good work, sunbae.”
“Oh, you too.”
I gave her a light wave in response.
— “We’re meeting at the station, so… I’ll still have plenty of time even if I take it slow.”
The minimi muttered softly as it passed by.
It checked the time, then went into the changing room.
It seemed she was going somewhere for fun.
It wasn’t something I needed to pay much attention to.
“Seungho—”
The manager called me from inside the staff room.
I got up from my seat and went over.
“Yes. Did you call me?”
“Do you want to throw these out before you clock out?”
He pointed to two garbage bags piled up in the corner.
“Okaaay.”
I packed the garbage bags as tightly as I could, then twisted and tied the plastic handles.
I held a heavy bag of trash in each hand.
Creak—
Whoooosh—
“Hss……”
When I came outside through the back door, I saw the recycling bins in the cold wind.
The weather had grown quite chilly.
“Hup.”
I set the bag of general waste down inside.
I dusted off my hands.
That marked the end of my workday.
“Phew….”
Now all I had to do was change clothes and head home.
I could grab a quick snack on the way back and go to the gym…….
“……Seungho?”
A delicate voice pierced my ears.
There was a familiar note in the way she called my name.
At the clear voice that fell over my shoulder, I stopped as if rooted to the ground.
“……Lee Seungho. You’re Seungho, right?”
“……”
Even without turning around, I knew instantly who was calling me.
I tried to head inside, pretending I hadn’t heard, but my feet refused to move.
“……”
Of course they did.
She was someone who had left a strong impression on me, whether for better or worse.
Though I tried not to show it, my body reacted before I could stop it.
“Hk……”
I drew in a faint breath. Cold air filled one side of my chest.
I slowly turned around.
My gaze, which had been trailing along the ground, slowly lifted.
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(!Signboard!)
(There’s an illustration if you scroll down!)
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Yoo Haneul concept illustration