Chapter 7
I clasp Hyunwoo’s hand tightly between both of mine and pull him out of the police station, though he remains completely dazed and doesn’t move on his own.
He seems to have been merely shocked, not so far gone that he’s lost consciousness entirely, and follows along little by little in the direction I lead him.
Leading Hyunwoo, who’s much bigger than I am, like this, I feel strangely like a guide dog helping a blind person.
"...I'm sorry."
After we walk at my pace for about ten minutes, Hyunwoo seems to come to his senses and apologizes to me.
"Huh?"
There was no reason for Hyunwoo to apologize at all, so I stop in surprise at his unexpected reaction.
Hyunwoo stops with me, then looks me straight in the eyes.
His gaze is somehow steeped in guilt and melancholy. It isn’t all that different from usual, but the corners of his eyes tremble faintly as he forces them wide, and his expression is unmistakably sad.
I know that look because I’ve seen those eyes every time I looked in the mirror.
It was an expression I used to wear often myself.
"......"
After staring up at Hyunwoo, I suddenly feel my neck start to hurt and lower my head for a moment.
As I stretch by moving my neck from side to side, I see Hyunwoo crouch down to meet my eye level.
"It got late because of me. I even made you go to a police station you had no reason to visit."
"That's okay, but... "
Sure, when he suddenly tied up my hands and feet and shoved me into a taxi, I really wondered if he’d gone crazy. But in a way, it was a pretty unusual experience—and kind of fun.
Even something that would make an ordinary person feel endlessly uncomfortable was only a slight thrill to me, since I’d seriously considered death.
'I’m fine, but wasn’t Hyunwoo the one who almost got arrested?'
Even if I’m technically a person without legal identity right now, he’d committed the kidnapping so openly and brazenly that there was more than enough evidence.
Anyone could see he’d been caught in the act. They wouldn’t even need to investigate based on my identity.
If I hadn’t protested so desperately, he would’ve been taken away in a police car ages ago.
Thinking about it that way, it seemed like I ought to thank him rather than hear him apologize. But Hyunwoo seemed more bothered by the failure of his original plan to get me home quickly.
"Still... maybe you should avoid doing things that could make other people misunderstand the situation."
It would’ve been ridiculous to just stand there staring intensely at each other without saying a word, so I gave Hyunwoo something like a warning to bring this to an end.
"Yeah. I’ll be careful."
Hyunwoo nodded slightly and said he’d be careful, then stood up and started leading me by the hand we were still holding.
Our strides and stamina were obviously worlds apart, but I didn’t have any trouble keeping up.
He must’ve figured out my walking speed completely in that short time, because even walking normally, he stayed right beside me.
'People who work out really do seem to have good instincts.'
Unless he was paying all his attention to me, analyzing my gait and noticing every little movement, it should’ve been almost impossible to match my stride and walking speed in just five minutes.
Hyunwoo wasn’t usually the type to pay much attention to others, so the only explanation was that he had unusually sharp instincts.
"Minseo, I’m hungry. Wanna eat before we go?"
Hyunwoo keeps pace with me considerately, then spots something in the distance, glances back at me, and points toward it.
It’s a little too far away for the lettering to be clear, but the vivid red on the sign and the round shape with thick lines running through it are enough to bring one food to mind.
"Tteokbokki?"
Come to think of it, tteokbokki was what made me decide I didn’t want to die.
Hyunwoo has no way of knowing that, of course, but it’s a menu choice so coincidental it feels downright strange.
I don’t have any particular reason to say no, so I quietly nod and follow Hyunwoo into the restaurant.
"Welcome to Server Tteokbokki."
As we enter the restaurant, I see a clerk sitting at the counter and a spacious, open dining area.
The large space is filled with tables, and it’s impressive at a glance just how big the place is.
It must be quite popular, because every single seat is occupied.
"I'm sorry, but we don't have any seats available right now... Is that for takeout?"
"What do you want to do?"
After hearing the clerk, Hyunwoo turns to me and asks what I think.
The clerk looks surprised, as if they hadn’t noticed I was there because the counter was so high. That’s an added bonus.
"We were going home anyway. Let's just eat there."
Hyunwoo nods at that.
Then, without even checking the menu, he starts talking to the counter.
"One Set A for takeout, please."
Hyunwoo orders a set meal so naturally that you’d think he came here all the time.
'I didn’t think he liked tteokbokki. Did his tastes change after the military?'
"Um, sir... We don't actually have a set menu. I'd appreciate it if you checked the menu and placed your order. And..."
The clerk gives a faint, wry smile and points upward.
Some people turn to look at Hyunwoo, who’s suddenly come off like a difficult customer, and he gives an awkward smile.
And then I spot something strange, covered in white.
Its mere existence is enough to make Hyunwoo look like an old geezer.
"...Hyunwoo. The kiosks over there..."
The screens of the three white kiosks, right beside the counter just a few steps away, are glowing.
"Haha..."
Maybe because I said what the clerk was about to, they stop talking and give an awkward laugh.
Through that seemingly considerate smile, I can see a blade slipping into Hyunwoo’s heart.
"......"
Hyunwoo gives my hand a slightly irritated tug and walks over to the kiosk with his head bowed.
Without a word, he quickly taps the screen by himself and finishes placing the order.
I can’t see well from down here, and Hyunwoo’s hands are so fast that I have no idea what he ordered. But since I’m getting a free meal, I keep quiet and wait.
"Hyunwoo...?"
Then he sits in the waiting area and settles me onto his lap.
Even if there’s only one small chair, Hyunwoo’s sudden move leaves me flustered.
"It’s okay. You’re not heavy."
"No, that’s not it. I can stand..."
I’d never once imagined in my life that I’d be sitting on Hyunwoo’s lap, so I can’t help showing how flustered I am.
Maybe Hyunwoo thinks I’m small now and, since there’s only one seat, he’s just trying to spare me from standing. But being the one who’s put on his lap feels incredibly strange.
Besides, there’s a hard sensation beneath my butt.
That makes it uncomfortable to sit there.
"The hem of your track jacket... It’s folded up and sticking out. It’s uncomfortable."
Only then does Hyunwoo understand what I mean. Looking a little sheepish, he lifts me off his lap and sets me on the floor.
Then he adjusts his clothes for a moment.
"Want to sit again?"
"...No."
He reaches out to put me on his lap again, but I make it clear that I don’t want to.
'How embarrassing is it to sit on my friend’s lap at this age...?'
With the people nearby still looking our way because of what happened earlier, I feel like I’m an animal in a zoo, trapped in a cage for everyone to gawk at.
"......"
Maybe he realizes how bad it looks to have a little girl standing beside him while he sits alone, because Hyunwoo gets up, looking uncomfortable.
Of course, by then his image had already been cemented, and I can clearly see people at a few tables whispering as they look at him...
"Here’s the tteokbokki you ordered!"
After what feels like sitting on pins and needles, our tteokbokki finally comes out packed to go.
Maybe eager to get out of there, Hyunwoo quickly takes the food and grabs my hand.
I want to get out of there just as badly as Hyunwoo does, so I squeeze his hand tightly in answer.
Hyunwoo opens the door and hurries outside as if making a getaway.
He doesn’t have the presence of mind to match my pace, so I’m practically dragged outside.
"Hyunwoo... A little slower..."
Only after I barely manage to keep up with his half-running pace does Hyunwoo hear me and stop.
"...Sorry."
It’s the same apology as before, and I get a sense of déjà vu. I want to tell him it’s okay, but I’m too out of breath to do anything but steady myself.
Hyunwoo waits nearly five minutes for me to catch my breath, then, of course, walks at my pace for another fifteen minutes before we finally get home.
"It’s gotten a little cold..."