Just an Okay Date

“It was just okay.”

I raised an eyebrow.

Even if its nature was a bit different, this was also a hard story to accept right now.

Of all people, you went on a date with Sey, and it was just okay?

That makes no sense. If it were me -

“…Hmm. I guess that could be the case, now that I think about it.”

“I’m sensing a rather shallow change of stance here.”

“It’s probably just your imagination.”

Come to think of it, it would probably just be okay for me too. It’s not like I passionately like Sey in a romantic way either.

Eating or drinking together wouldn’t feel like anything special. That’s what we do every day anyway.

[Liar.]

I ignored the remark from the nagging AI and continued speaking.

“So, why was it just okay? Was it not fun?”

“No. It was fun. We’re a pretty well-matched bartender duo, after all. There’s no reason for it to be awkward. We communicate well, and we can joke around comfortably.”

No, then what was the problem? Isn’t that enough to be a successful date?

When I made a face like I didn’t understand, Tony shook his head.

“That was the problem. It was too comfortable. From start to finish, there wasn’t a single flutter of excitement. The sexual tension that should naturally be felt when a man and a woman go on a date didn’t exist at all.”

“Aha.”

I could imagine it.

They were exchanging jokes like usual, talking about work or life. Tony was teasing Sey and getting beaten up for it.

The very familiar scene I always saw played out in my mind.

Anyone could see that was just a meal or a drink between close friends rather than a date.

“If you felt there was no distance between Sey and me, it’s probably because our relationship crossed over from the realm of romantic possibility to the realm of romantic impossibility. We completely entered the friend zone, the realm of friendship. We don’t even see each other as the opposite sex anymore, so there’s nothing to be uncomfortable about.”

Well, maybe that’s not so bad in its own way.

It’s about time to stop having my heart drop every now and then when we run into each other while living together, and feeling tense or uncomfortable for no reason.

I hope I can become very comfortable with Sey soon, just like I am with Tony.

“Getting used to someone is scary. There was a time when I fell in love at first sight and felt like she was an unparalleledly beautiful woman - of course, Sey is objectively very pretty - but after working together and going through thick and thin for half a year, I don’t feel the same inspiration no matter how beautiful she looks now. Well, this has its own advantages too, but…”

I looked at Tony, who was rambling blah blah blah, with a sullen expression.

I get that the excitement disappeared because he got used to Sey and they just remained as friends, but why is he explaining it so lengthily?

As if reading my mind, Tony spoke with a sigh.

“What I mean is, the days of that phase you’re going through right now are numbered. There are your heart racing just from looking at her, feeling nervous just from having a conversation, and feeling proud until you go to bed at night if a joke happens to land. It might seem completely annoying right now, but - .”

“If you’re talking about me, that’s not the case at all.”

“Ah, shut up and just listen for a second. When you look back later, there’s nothing as precious as that period, you know? At least I gave it a try. If you just stay shy and do nothing, letting things slide vaguely, you’re missing the opportunity. I guarantee you, if a few months pass like this, you’ll end up like me. You won’t be able to feel any romantic feelings at all. I’m speaking from experience. If that’s what you want, there’s nothing I can do about it, though.”

But you’ll definitely regret it as time passes.

Tony shrugged as he said that.

“Whether the target is Sey or not, if you’re a man, you need the courage to just close your eyes and go for it no matter what happens. Got it?”

“…”

Uh, sure.

I know what he wants to say, but… why now of all times?

His voice is too loud, and above all, the timing doesn’t seem good.

When I stared blankly with a dumbfounded expression, Tony also realized he had been passionately speaking loudly enough for other people, even the bar’s customers, to hear, and let out a fake cough.

“Ahem, hem. I just said a word because it was frustrating to watch. You look perfectly fine, so why are you acting so timid and ascetic as if you’ve never even held a woman’s hand… Burning love is the privilege of youth, and you have to enjoy it a lot while you’re even a little bit young. So you just confess first, and if you get rejected, it can’t be helped; you just find someone new. That’s how the world works. Eh?”

At first, it was definitely serious advice about love, affection, relationships… that sort of thing, but as it went on, it turned into something like a life lecture from a Kkon-dae.

Tony is older than me, but not to the extent of spouting these kinds of words without hesitation.

Noticing the somehow strange atmosphere, he also spoke in an awkward tone.

“This wasn’t what I had in mind. Anyway, it’s a teaching from a dating master, so make sure to keep it in mind. Today’s lecture ends here. Any questions?”

I raised my hand and asked.

“So Teacher, do you currently have a girlfrie -”

“Shut up.”

“Thanks for the answer.”

Although my first question was rejected, the in-head AI also had something it was curious about, so I recited exactly what the guy said.

“Teacher, do you happen to have any intention of teaching me about the correlation between love and politics?”

“Are you crazy by any chance?”

I just shrugged my shoulders.

* * *

Regarding love and politics, the topic that the artificial intelligence brought up, I also had one thing that came to mind.

To be exact, there was one person who came to mind.

Like most of the people I’ve gotten to know recently, he was also a customer of the bar, and boldly enough, he declared it right as he sat down.

“I am the fiancé of the famous El Valentine.”

That’s right. He was a crazy person.

Even though Dragon’s Lair was frequently visited by madness-filled customers reminiscent of the infamous Subway Line 1, this customer was one of the top ones among them.

A person claiming to be the fiancé of Elizabeth Valentine, a Dusk City mayoral election candidate and one of the direct family members of the Valentine Family, which owned a megacorp, was, in short, a self-proclaimed fiancé. It was to the point where the Self-Proclaimed Holmes, whose visits had become infrequent lately, felt like an angel in comparison.

The scary thing about this person was that if it were a shabby-looking beggar going around doing that, I could at least understand it, thinking, “Something bad must have happened for them to lose their mind,” but that wasn’t the case.

He looked extremely neat. His hair was styled in a pomade hairstyle that exposed his forehead, and on his white, slender face, there were piercings and a few streaks of metallic marks, which could be considered basic for Duskians.

The light in his pupils also gave off a mechanical and bizarre feeling, as if he were wearing an optical lens. He gave off the scent of young upper-class/high-ranking officials.

I would have thought he was quite a handsome person, with that trustworthy appearance, dressed in a casual suit and shoes, and speaking in a husky yet attractive voice if it hadn’t been for his first line.

In short, he was a person who looked perfectly normal on the outside, which made him even scarier. You could say I felt a subtle, true madness from him.

“Um… customer. So, your name is?”

“Kim - Valentine. Not yet, but I’ll soon be a family member of that Family, so I’d like you to call me that in advance. Kim Valentine, hmm. The nuance is definitely nice.”

“Yes, Ms. Kim.”

I strictly excluded the surname and called only the first name.

Am I crazy to call him Kim Valentine?

I have absolutely no intention of holding hands and being dragged to a megacorp for defamation.

For reference, it wasn’t the surname Kim used in Korea.

It’s a nickname for Kimberly, a name commonly used in the English-speaking world.

Also, when examples of celebrities like Kim Kardashian were examined, the name was mostly used by women rather than men.

That’s right.

This person in front of me wasn’t a crazy bastard, but a crazy bitch. She was a crazy psycho lesbian.

Of course, being a lesbian itself isn’t very important here.

What kind of place is this city? It’s none other than the 22nd century Dusk City.

It’s hard to even call homosexuals a sexual 'minority' anymore, because it’s so politically correct and progressive.

They have to be small in number to be a minority.

Sometimes when I walk down the street, I even think that I, a normal person, have become the alienated minority in society.

Anyway, for that reason, homosexuality was a very popular sexual orientation, and there was absolutely no reason for it to be taboo.

As for me, I belong to the side that understands it but doesn’t want to get close, because the conservative Confucian ideology from my previous world is ingrained in me.

The important thing is that she wasn’t just a lesbian, but a “crazy psycho” lesbian.

Of course, this was just a thought in my head.

If the other person is truly a lunatic, I definitely shouldn’t say it out loud. There is nothing good about poking a hornet’s nest.

So I wasn’t going to point that part out…

“Hah, a woman claiming to be El Valentine’s fiancé - now that’s a lesbian with her head screwed on straight.”

A nasty-tempered customer next to her picked a fight, sneering. Twirling a finger next to his temple was a bonus.

It was to provoke true madness.

I was worried that the self-proclaimed Ms. Kim Valentine might suddenly roll her eyes back and try to stab him with a knife, but instead, she looked at the person who picked the fight and gave an alluring eye smile.

“Of course, it’s true that I’m a woman with my head screwed on straight, but there are a few things you got wrong.”

“What?”

“First of all, I’m not an ordinary woman. I am a woman, but I’m also someone who possesses a male identity. I didn’t want to give up either side.”

And I’m not a lesbian either. I’d appreciate it if you called me a polysexual. It’s true that I like women, but I also like men. For instance, someone like you…”

Saying so, she licked her blue lips with a slippery, long tongue.

At the same time, as she shifted her body in her seated position, large breasts and a significant bulge beneath her plastic material suit skirt were revealed.

The man’s face suddenly turned the color of dirt, and he put down the drink he was having, paid his bill, and left the bar.

Great, another customer got scared and ran away today.

This is why business isn’t doing well, damn it.

As I just blinked, having nothing to say, Ms. Kim eventually looked my way and whispered softly.

“Ah, for the record, that was a lie. It’s true that I like men too, but I’m the one rejecting a stupid-looking human like that. I have tastes too, you know. Rather… if it were a cute Asian like you, maybe.”

Saying that, she stroked her thigh and winked her thick-eyelashed eye.

I got so many goosebumps that I froze in place like a frog in front of a snake.

Ah, damn it.

I should have just left with that man when he ran away earlier.