Chapter 42
The noise died down quickly. Shin Ayoung’s Minimi drew in short breaths.
— “W-Wow, that startled me….”
She didn’t seem injured, but her pupils had shrunk, apparently from being quite startled.
She was pressed against the wall in an awkward, half-crouched posture.
— “Ah, damn… so embarrassing. I got carried away for no reason….”
Minimi’s face crumpled, and it blushed.
“Want to step outside for a moment?”
I wondered if we should go outside so she could compose herself.
“No, I’m really okay.”
Shin Ayoung shook her head. She waved a hand as if telling me to hurry and follow.
Instead, she moved forward bravely.
…But.
Her movements were strangely stiff, so I couldn’t help worrying whether she was really okay.
……
“Should we head out soon?”
“Huh?”
Shin Ayoung, who had been gliding smoothly across the ice, slid over and pressed herself against the wall.
It was a movement she’d grown fairly accustomed to by now.
“You’re leaving already?”
She turned her gaze backward and arched her eyebrows.
— “Why? Can’t we skate a little longer?”
Minimi licked its lips regretfully. It lightly kicked at the ice.
…Still.
It was hard to call it “already.”
“It’s almost six.”
I pointed to the electronic clock attached to the wall. Quite a lot of time had passed.
We needed to leave now, eat, and so on.
And there was travel time too.
“Huh?”
Shin Ayoung’s eyes widened.
— “…It’s true? Has it gotten that late already?”
She must have been enjoying herself. She had even forgotten the passage of time.
That was gratifying.
But.
Grrr—
A rumble of hunger rang out. It came from my stomach.
I cleared my throat with an embarrassed “ahem—.”
I couldn’t help it. Moving around had made me quite hungry.
“……”
Shin Ayoung must have heard it too. A trace of laughter appeared over her round eyes.
— “…You must’ve been hungry.”
Minimi let out a faint laugh.
“Yeah, let’s go now.”
Shin Ayoung took the lead. She circled the ice once and came out through the exit.
Once I stepped onto the ground, the strange wobbling sensation felt odd compared to the smooth ice.
Just as we were walking to where we’d left our belongings.
“Ah…!”
Shin Ayoung was halfway through removing her helmet when she put it back down atop her head.
She rolled her eyes around, surveying the surroundings.
Her hair seemed to have become disheveled from sweat.
— “Ugh… I’m completely drenched in sweat… Do I smell?”
Minimi touched its hair, its face crumpling. Its eyebrows twitched as though it felt uncomfortable.
“Just a moment?”
Shin Ayoung glanced at me and moved away.
“Oh.”
I nodded appropriately to show I understood.
She waddled toward the restroom like a penguin. She hurried along without even taking off her skates.
In the meantime, I changed into sneakers.
My body felt light, as though I’d removed heavy shackles.
At the same time, Shin Ayoung’s noise had been dealt with. I felt even more relieved.
……
‘She’s taking a while….’
Whatever she was doing, Shin Ayoung was nowhere to be seen.
After waiting until I grew tired, I was sipping a drink from the vending machine when—
“I’m back.”
Shin Ayoung appeared again.
Her helmet was tucked under her arm, and her messy hair was tied back.
Maybe she’d sprayed deodorant; she smelled of fresh soap.
…She looked strangely radiant.
She must have carried all sorts of things in her schoolbag.
— “Phew— I took care of it for now, so this should be enough.”
Minimi tossed its tied-back hair over its shoulder with a swish.
It had been agitated about its condition until just now, but now it looked to have regained its confidence.
“Let’s go.”
When we stepped outside, the slightly darkened sky greeted us.
“This is kind of awkward….”
I checked the time, slipped my phone into my pocket, and muttered.
If we went home now, it’d be well past seven.
I was hungry from moving around, so I wanted to eat here if possible, but…….
Still, I should ask.
“What do you want to do?”
I asked Shin Ayoung’s opinion.
“Want to eat nearby before we go? If we take the bus now, I think we’d get home late.”
“…Huh? You weren’t thinking that?”
Shin Ayoung tilted her head.
Perhaps Shin Ayoung was hungry too.
It seemed she had intended to do that from the beginning.
Then came the next question.
“What do you want to eat? Is there anything in particular?”
There were many restaurants nearby.
We could find whatever she named just by looking around a little.
“Hmm… Nothing comes to mind right away. I eat pretty much anything.”
Shin Ayoung folded her arms and fell silent, seemingly lost in thought.
— “What should we really eat…? What did he like again…?”
Minimi glanced at me, deep in thought.
She seemed to be paying attention to me.
But I couldn’t think of anything right away either.
…There was a good way to handle situations like this.
“Then I’ll list things one by one, and you can point out anything that sounds good.”
I raised my head and looked around the street.
I read out the menus on the signs set up along the road, one by one.
“Let’s see… What I can see right now is hamburgers, tteokbokki, gimbap… There’s a pasta place over there….”
“Hmm….”
Shin Ayoung drew out the word.
— “…It’s hard to choose… I don’t think that would fill me up… Wasn’t he hungry?”
Minimi rubbed its chin.
I’d mentioned things Shin Ayoung might like, but she seemed completely lukewarm.
“Over there they have tonkotsu rice bowls, and dakgalbi….”
— “……!”
Minimi straightened its back sharply. Its shoulders bobbed.
It seemed to have reacted to the dakgalbi.
“…….”
Shin Ayoung’s mouth, however, refused to move.
— “Ah. Uh. This. Would this be okay?”
Minimi opened its eyes wide and looked around nervously.
It fidgeted with its mouth while sweating profusely, seemingly unsure whether to say it or not.
“Dakgalbi?”
I repeated the last menu item.
“I think this one sounds good.”
Because I liked this menu item too.
Besides, I wanted a proper rice-based meal.
“Yeah, yeah, dakgalbi sounds good.”
Shin Ayoung nodded eagerly. Her complexion brightened.
Now that we’d decided.
We went straight into a dakgalbi restaurant.
딸랑—
“Welcome~ How many?”
“Two.”
“Yes, right this way.”
The employee smiled brightly and guided us to our seats.
It was an exceptionally friendly smile.
— “Haa… Must be nice….”
The employee’s Minimi, with a face worn out by fatigue, twisted its stiff neck from side to side.
Though grumbling inwardly, the employee guided us courteously on the outside.
Was this professional spirit?
We sat facing each other at the table the employee had shown us.
“What should we get? Anything you want in particular?”
Shin Ayoung asked that.
I pondered while looking at the menu centered on the table.
“I think the basic one will do.”
“Then I’ll get that too. Two basic orders, then? Want any add-ons?”
“Yeah, add ramyeon.”
The decision was made quickly.
We were so hungry that anything would probably taste good.
“Excuse me~?”
Shin Ayoung raised her hand and called the employee. Apparently, this place didn’t have a kiosk.
“Yes— Coming—!”
The employee hurried over at a quick pace.
“What would you like to order?”
“We’ll have two servings of basic dakgalbi, with an extra serving of ramyeon noodles.”
“How spicy would you like it?”
“Umm……”
Shin Ayoung tilted her head at the question, then turned her gaze to me and asked.
“Regular?”
“Yeah.”
“Regular, please.”
She relayed my answer exactly.
The employee scribbled on the order slip, then confirmed.
“Two servings of basic dakgalbi with ramyeon noodles added, correct?”
“Yes, yes.”
“It’ll be out shortly.”
“Thank you~”
Shin Ayoung smiled brightly, then, once the employee had completely disappeared.
“…Yaaawn~”
She covered her mouth with her hand and yawned.
She must have been tired from moving so vigorously at the ice rink.
Then her eyebrows twitched.
— “…He didn’t see that, right…?”
Minimi glanced in my direction.
I naturally turned my gaze toward the window. The mood called for pretending not to have seen it.
* * *
She subtly stretched her legs beneath the table. Her fully extended thighs trembled.
“Phew….”
After finishing a small stretch, Shin Ayoung let out a small breath.
Her body was tired, but her mind had become soft and relaxed, with heavy distracting thoughts gone.
When she’d first heard it was an ice rink, she had wondered what it would be like.
It seemed she’d made the right choice coming.
‘It was a little rough at first….’
Even now, her butt still ached when she thought of falling.
Once she got the hang of skating, she had been excited somehow……
When some children shot past her, she was startled when Lee Seungho suddenly pulled her sharply.
Shin Ayoung propped her chin on her hand as she quietly recalled it.
“……”
…He’d really yanked her along.
He had been helping her, but she hadn’t expected to be pulled along so effortlessly.
Shin Ayoung lightly rubbed down her forearm. It was the spot he had grabbed.
“…Ahem.”
Thinking about it made her embarrassed for some reason.
She briskly rubbed her sweaty palms against her gym clothes.
“Here.”
Lee Seungho, who had brought aprons over at some point, handed her one of the two.
“Ah. Thanks.”
Shin Ayoung carefully accepted it.
Then she found herself studying Lee Seungho, who was standing.
Her head tilted upward. The angle seemed a little steep.
Something…….
This guy….
“Are you a little taller?”
Looking again carefully, that was definitely the case.
Compared with her memories from the start of the new semester, it was apparent he’d grown.
She couldn’t understand why she’d only noticed it now.
“…Really?”
At that question, Lee Seungho sat back down and gave a fake cough.
His eyebrows lifted subtly. The corners of his mouth poked out.
Though he swallowed as if pretending otherwise, it was obvious he was secretly pleased.
“……”
Seeing that, Shin Ayoung gave a subtle smile with her eyes. His reaction was somehow amusing.
“Do you work out or something? You grow really fast?”
“…Just working out.”
“Mm-hmm. And?”
Shin Ayoung quietly tracked his expression with her eyes.
For some reason, her gaze kept being drawn there.
She remained that way for a while.