Chapter 81
* * *
Tap tap—
Shin Ayoung lightly tapped the panel, turning off the screen.
Her face was reflected in the black screen beyond it.
She looked somewhat sullen.
“···.”
Shin Ayoung had just sent Lee Seungho several texts in a row.
She quietly rose from the sofa and paced around the living room.
She had done it for no reason.
“···.”
She nibbled at her lips.
It was probably because she couldn't stop worrying about it.
‘Ah. This is really bothering me—’
It wasn't just bothering her. It was bothering her a lot.
This was all because of Isol.
“Hng···.”
She wanted to interfere somehow.
Honestly, that was how she felt.
‘···No.’
Let's not do that.
She pushed that feeling down and decided to put it off for now.
It wasn't that she wanted to play fair.
There was no guarantee the other side couldn't do what she had done.
Was this what people called mutually assured destruction?
‘Right, Monday is our date.’
Shin Ayoung gently soothed herself.
She already had plans with Lee Seungho.
If Isol came to interfere out of revenge then, she wouldn't have any right to complain.
Ding—!
An alarm went off.
Shin Ayoung quickly picked up her phone.
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“Ah, damn···.”
She almost lost her temper.
“Phew···.”
She flopped down on the sofa. Her hair spread out like a fan.
Ding—!
The alarm rang once more.
It probably wasn't him.
Shin Ayoung gave up hope and leisurely picked up her phone.
— [Lee Seungho]
His name had appeared at the top of the screen.
“···.”
She sprang up—
and sat upright.
“Hmm.”
Shin Ayoung put her phone back down.
Let's not look right away.
If the 1 disappeared immediately, it would look as though she had been waiting for him.
She waited for a minute or two before opening her phone.
— [Lee Seungho : How about 8? Let's catch the early showing.]
— [Shin Ayoung : (nodding retriever emoji)]
Eight was rather early, but it was good news for Shin Ayoung.
It meant they could meet early.
— [Lee Seungho : Any movie is fine.]
— [Shin Ayoung : Then how about Animal Utopia 2?]
A movie from a famous animation studio had recently been released.
It was a family film, and she figured he would enjoy it since it wasn't the sort of movie that depended too much on personal taste.
“Hehe.”
Shin Ayoung let out a faint laugh.
Even she thought it was a brilliant choice of movie.
“···.”
The smile she had been wearing just moments ago abruptly vanished.
‘Ah.’
It was because reality had come to mind again.
By now, Isol was probably alone with Lee Seungho···.
“Ugh···.”
Thinking about it made her depressed again in an instant.
When was Monday going to come?
“···.”
After a brief silence, she let out a hollow laugh.
Even to herself, it was a ridiculous thing to say.
“Phew···.”
Normally, the weekend would have passed in the blink of an eye.
But today, time refused to move.
‘···Maybe I should just hang out with Nuri.’
She really meant it. Maybe that would be better.
She should go out and meet someone.
That might ease her loneliness a little.
— [Shin Ayoung : Nuri, wanna hang out now?]
She sent that, then put down her phone.
Ding—!
— [Ji Nuri : Yesss!]
A reply came back immediately.
It was so fast that she might as well have been waiting for the message.
“Hmm.”
···She must have been bored too.
* * *
I arrived at the cinema with Isol.
Going to the movies hadn't been part of the original plan.
It came about after I saw the text saying she had made plans to see a movie.
“···.”
It was a little frightening.
Naturally, a girl's goodwill wasn't something to take lightly.
I had a feeling I was going to see more situations like this in the future.
“Is there a movie you wanted to see in particular?”
If there was, I intended to watch that one.
Isol gently shook her head at my question.
“I'm fine with anything.”
“···Really?”
So that's what she meant.
“Then, do you want to watch this?”
I pointed at one of the posters attached to the wall.
— “So Seungho likes movies like this···?”
Not exactly.
Since I also had plans with Shin Ayoung, I chose what looked like the best option among the movies she hadn't wanted to see.
It was a reasonable compromise.
“Okay.”
Isol nodded up and down.
With that, the movie was decided.
I headed to the concession stand with her.
“You're getting popcorn, right?”
“Caramel.”
“Cola for the drink?”
“Yeah.”
We ordered at the kiosk, and after waiting a little, the snacks came out quickly.
I picked up the popcorn and drinks and started walking.
— “Oh, the popcorn···.”
Isol's hands moved hesitantly.
Apparently, she wanted some popcorn.
I lowered the cup a little so she could eat it more easily.
— “!”
The Minimi's eyes sparkled.
Crunch— crunch—
— “Tasty.”
The Minimi giggled and happily munched on the popcorn.
It ate with great gusto.
“We still have some time···.”
I checked the time.
There were about twenty minutes left until the movie started.
It would be even longer if we included the advertisements.
We needed something else to do during the free time.
“Hmm···.”
I looked all around and found a suitable place.
“Do you want to go over there?”
“Oh, it's an arcade?”
It was a good place to kill time.
We went inside together, side by side.
“It's pretty big.”
Maybe because it was beside the cinema, it was considerably larger than a street-side claw machine shop.
“···Oh.”
As I looked around to see what was inside, my feet came to a stop.
There was a familiar plush toy there.
“Is that a character you know?”
Isol suddenly stuck her head out.
“A little?”
It was the cat-eared character Lee Seungah had sold at the event last time.
Maybe because I had seen it so much back then, I found the design somewhat endearing.
We had made quite a decent amount of money from it.
“···.”
Isol examined the claw machine from every angle.
— “···I feel like we'll just waste money.”
It was a cool-headed assessment.
Whirrr—
Even as she said that, Isol was already putting money in.
“Ah.”
Clunk—
As expected, the claw lost its grip.
The cat plush that had risen halfway up dropped right back down.
“···.”
Isol immediately turned sullen.
The Minimi's cheeks puffed up.
— “···I think I could get it with just a little more.”
The Minimi twisted its lips and wriggled its body.
It looked as though it were challenging the machine to see who would win.
“Hey, hey.”
I tapped Isol on the shoulder. I had to stop her before she squandered all her money here.
“Let's play a game over there instead. I saw a basketball game too.”
“Really···?”
Isol didn't look particularly interested.
Right, she didn't like moving around.
“···.”
I searched around for something else.
Something that would let her spend a reasonable amount of money without moving her body.
‘Oh, there was that.’
As it happened, there was just such a thing.
“How about a different kind of claw machine?”
I nodded toward the capsule machine.
At least that one actually gave you an item.
“···Should we?”
Isol was interested in that. She obediently took her hand off the joystick.
Thank goodness. I had managed to turn her attention elsewhere.
Roll— roll—!
As the two of us played the capsule machines, quite a bit of time passed.
Before we knew it, it was time for the screening.
“Let's head in.”
“Yeah.”
“The tickets?”
“I'm holding them right here.”
Isol pulled out the movie tickets and waved them lightly.
“I'll help you check your tickets~”
A movie theater employee approached us with a friendly smile.
— “Whoa, is she some kind of trainee?”
The employee's Minimi exclaimed in admiration when it saw Isol.
It didn't pay me any attention.
Right. Since I was a guy, that was only natural.
“Theater F is inside, on the left. Enjoy the movie~”
“Thank you.”
After exchanging the customary greetings, we went inside.
“Where are our seats?”
“Wait a sec···?”
Perhaps because the lights were dim, Isol narrowed her eyes sharply.
“Let me see.”
I leaned my head out to look at the ticket she was holding.
I checked the seats using the light from my phone screen.
— “---!”
Isol's Minimi let out a faint burst of noise.
She seemed startled by my sudden approach. I could see her pupils widen dramatically.
I quickly turned my gaze away and slowly put some distance between us.
“Let's go.”
“Y-yeah.”
I went up the stairs.
Let's see.
D··· E··· F··· G row···.
‘Here it is.’
I sat in the seat on the inside, and Isol took the one beside me.
‘It's been a while since I've been to a movie theater···.’
I watched movies fairly often, but it had been a long time since I had seen one in a theater.
For one thing—
— “Oh, right. I need to turn off the sound.”
— “Sigh··· When does it start···? Is it still a while···?”
The Minimis of the surrounding audience chattered noisily.
“···.”
I silently sank back against the seatback.
Right. This was why I didn't come here.
The Minimis' voices interfered with watching the movie.
If it was already this noisy, it was easy to imagine what things would be like once the movie started.
“···.”
I had been prepared for it, but now that I was experiencing it, I really didn't think I would be able to concentrate.
That was why I watched the early showing whenever there was a movie I especially wanted to see in a theater.
— “Oh, I think it's starting now.”
Isol's Minimi squirmed as it adjusted its posture.
Sss—
The lights, which had been faintly on, went out completely.
The movie began soon afterward.
— “Ooh···.”
I could hear the vivid reactions of Isol, sitting beside me.
— “Wow···.”
“···.”
Rather than watching a movie, it felt like I was studying one.
I could tell in real time which parts people liked and which parts they found puzzling through Isol's reactions.
That was new in its own way.
* * *
“Ugh—”
“As we left the theater, Isol gave a small stretch.”
— “That was fun···.”
She wore a satisfied smile, apparently pleased with the movie.
“The song during the highlight was really good. I think I'll listen to it again later.”
“Isol talked about the movie without a break.”
It seemed to have left quite an impression on her.
“Ah, other than that—”
“Trudge, trudge—”
We walked side by side, chatting about this and that.
······After that, we did a little shopping and talked about our summer vacation plans at a café before parting ways before dinner.
And so, my day with Isol came to an end.
It had been a fairly fulfilling day.
* * *
This coming Monday.
— “Hehe, this should be fun···!”
I followed Shin Ayoung's Minimi as it toddled along.
I had come to the movie theater with her.
For some reason, it was the exact same place I had visited the previous weekend.
“I'll help you check your tickets~”
“The movie theater employee approached us with a professional smile.”
— “?”
Soon, his Minimi narrowed its eyes.
— “This person··· The one from the other day···.”
Apparently, he remembered me.
I could see the Minimi's pupils trembling violently.
···.
“I subtly avoided that shocked gaze.”
···Somehow, I felt as though I should.
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(!Sign!)
(There's an AI illustration if you scroll down!)
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(Sullen Ayoung)
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