Chapter 4
Why do people go to movie theaters?
Most people would give the obvious answer: ‘To watch a movie.’
But movie theaters are also a tried-and-true date spot that couples have always loved.
Then why?
“It’s dark, for one. Aside from the movie, it’s quiet, and you’re really close to each other.”
“So?”
“It’s the kind of atmosphere where you can’t help being aware of the other person!”
A self-proclaimed dating expert holds forth with her mouth full of popcorn.
We haven’t even gone into the theater yet, but the pile of popcorn in the tub is already noticeably lower.
“You come here to focus on each other, not the movie.”
“Is that so…?”
As someone who’s never been to a movie theater with someone of the opposite sex, I can’t really relate, no matter how she explains it.
But the same goes for Sis, doesn’t it?
“There’s still time before the movie starts, right?”
“Yeah. About ten minutes.”
“Then let’s do that. That over there.”
I turned to look where Sis was pointing and saw an arcade.
It was an area with a few simple arcade games where people could kill time before the movie started.
I followed Sis, who was already walking off with the popcorn tub hugged to her chest.
“What do you want to play?”
“There’s always one of these around… Ah! There it is.”
“This?”
Where Sis stopped, there was a basketball game I’d seen and even played a few times myself.
It was a simple game: get as many basketballs into the net as you could before time ran out.
“Heh… Your big sis was really good at this back in high school, you know?”
Sis was already feeding bills into the coin changer.
Considering her stamina and athletic ability, I wasn’t sure I could trust that claim.
“Then want to make a bet?”
“Sure! What if you win, honey?”
“No calling me honey when we’re outside.”
“W-what? That’s so mean!”
“Then put up something just as high-stakes.”
I did come on strong because, no matter what, I planned to go easy on her.
“H-high-stakes… Right! You have to hold my hand during the movie.”
“Uh… That’s a bit much. Pick something else.”
Watch a movie while holding hands with my actual older sister…?
A sudden shiver ran up my arms, raising goosebumps.
It just felt wrong on a biological level. Why would siblings hold hands…?
“Why not? We have to do it eventually anyway. What’s wrong with a married couple holding hands?”
…Maybe she had a point?
Now that I thought about it, if we were going to spend a year pretending to be a married couple, I might as well get used to holding hands.
Even if I still wasn’t keen on it.
“And if you don’t like it, just win. Not confident, honey?”
“Bring it on.”
***
I lost.
“I told you, didn’t I? I spent so much money on this back in high school~”
My sister stood there, shrugging and looking triumphant.
I’d even started throwing the balls for real halfway through… and lost. Badly.
“Then you’ll honor our agreement, won’t you, dear husband?”
“…Fine.”
My sister held out her right hand toward me.
The movie would be two hours at most… I could endure it.
I held out my left hand.
Our hands joined, our fingers lacing together.
Soft. Warm, and small.
“When you hold a woman’s hand, you’re supposed to bend down a little to match her height, you know?”
“I didn’t know.”
“Honestly… I’ve always wanted to say something like, ‘How did I end up marrying a man like this…’”
“That’s what Mom says all the time.”
“Yeah, exactly.
Sis grinned at me.
Of course, there was nothing wrong with our parents’ marriage.
“Let’s go. It’s almost time.”
“Mhm!”
When was the last time I held Sis’s hand?
I was sure it had been when we were so young that the memory had blurred away.
“Let me check your tickets~”
“Here.”
“That’s right! Two seats in Theater C’s couple section. Enjoy the show~!”
Isn’t calling them couple seats a little too on the nose?
It’s a stereotype to assume that a man and a woman who come to the theater together and sit in couple seats must be a couple.
“Couple seats… They called them couple seats. Did you hear that?”
“Why don’t they have sibling seats?”
“Then what about married-couple seats? We could call them ‘spouse seats.’”
“That’s not funny. Not even a little.”
Still holding hands, we headed farther into the theater.
I worried I might be holding her too tightly, but I had no idea how firmly I was supposed to hold her hand.
“Go in first.”
“Can I let go of your hand?”
“All right.”
There were hardly any people sitting in the dark theater.
The regular seats were mostly empty too, but ours were at the very back: a couple seat made by joining two seats into one wide space.
As soon as I sat on the left, Sis took off her shoes and climbed onto the seat on the right.
“Don’t let go of my hand while we’re watching the movie.”
“I said I wouldn’t.”
My right hand was about to lose its freedom for the next two hours or so.
Hang in there, right hand.
“Honey, your hand’s all sweaty. Are you nervous because we’re holding hands?”
“That’s your sweat.”
“N-no, it isn’t! Want to check? Want to check?”
That wouldn’t do. I wasn’t confident I could handle that.
So I stayed still, keeping my fingers laced with hers without loosening my grip.
Holding Sis’s hand, I kept my eyes on the screen, where the previews were playing.
“It’s starting.”
When the previews ended and the screen went dark, the lights that had dimly lit the theater faded away at the same time.
With our hands clasped so tightly that I couldn’t let go, I was going to have a hard time focusing on the movie.
***
I hadn’t checked the time, but it felt like about an hour had passed.
I’d been holding her hand the whole time, and I was just starting to feel a little used to it when—
“Honey…”
That startled me.
Sis called to me from right beside me, her voice lowered as much as possible.
“What?”
“I… I need to use the bathroom for a minute.”
The moment I’d expected had arrived. There was still plenty of popcorn left, but she’d finished her large drink.
If the hand was the problem, I could go with her as far as the bathroom.
“Want me to come with you?”
“N-no… It’s embarrassing. I’ll be right back.”
She had no problem calling her little brother honey, but going to the bathroom together was embarrassing?
Women really are hard to understand. Older sisters even more so.
“Suit yourself.”
I let go of her hand, which I’d been holding tightly.
I thought about following her as she hurried out of the theater, but decided against it.
She’s not a kid. She can manage the bathroom on her own.
‘…When can I see you again?’
I’d lost track of the movie for a moment, so I couldn’t make sense of the dialogue.
So instead of looking at the screen, I looked down at my left hand.
My left hand—the one that had been laced with Sis’s right—was a little warmer than my right.
It wasn’t quite sticky, but it had gotten a little sweaty.
“So it really was my sweat.”
I gave it a quick swipe against my pants.
Even though I knew I’d be holding her hand again soon.
When I looked back at the screen, the scene had already changed.
With romance, even missing a single moment can make it hard to understand what’s going on.
Or maybe that meant every moment was precious and meaningful in its own way?
Creeeak—
The heavy door to the theater opened.
Sis was back.
She’d left empty-handed, but now she had a drink cup in her hand.
“Going to the bathroom again?”
“D-don’t tease me…!”
I held out my hand slightly toward Sis beside me.
Her hand settled naturally on top of mine. It was still small and warm.
Maybe by coincidence, she’d brought the drink in her other hand.
“What? Why are those two smiling? Did they make up? Are they dating?”
Sis asked about the scene she’d missed while she was in the bathroom.
Sorry, but I couldn’t answer that.
“I don’t know.”
“What? Seriously… Pay attention to the movie.”
She pouted and grumbled, sounding disappointed.
Hadn’t she been the one who said that earlier?
That you came to the theater to focus on each other, not the movie.
It was dark, and we were close. The atmosphere made it impossible not to be aware of the other person.
If only that person weren’t my actual older sister… If this were just some stranger,
I had to admit Sis was right.
***
“Of all times, I had to miss the important part… It was fun, but I’m still bothered!”
“You shouldn’t have drunk so much.”
The movie was decent enough.
There weren’t any big twists, but it was the kind of movie with a happy ending you could accept.
Both Sis and I had just missed a scene where something important had clearly happened.
“So, are you satisfied?”
“Hmm… For a beginner husband, you weren’t bad.”
“Then that’s good enough.”
A decent husband to go with a decent movie.
For a little brother pretending to be her husband as part of their married-couple act, that was more than enough.
“Then let’s go home.”
The movie was over, and it was getting late—almost nine o’clock.
I assumed it was time to go home, but Sis had a slightly different idea.
“It feels a little disappointing to go straight home like this…”
“It’s too late. Save it for tomorrow. There’s nothing to do at this hour.”
“Wait… I just had a good idea.”
“What?”
“Let’s go grocery shopping.”
Groceries. She meant we should go to the supermarket, right?
Most big supermarkets stayed open until midnight, so it wasn’t that late yet.
Considering how empty Sis’s fridge had been, it was actually a sensible suggestion.
“When I went grocery shopping after work, I’d sometimes see couples shopping together.”
“Were you jealous?”
“So jealous.”
Sis naturally clung to my right arm.
Maybe because we’d been holding hands for so long, the awkwardness had faded quite a bit.
That didn’t mean I was completely fine with it, though.
“Let’s go, honey!”
“Could you not call me that when we’re outside?”
“Then should I call you by your name?”
“My name?”
“Yeah, your name. Try saying it once.”
“Lee Hyuna.”
“No~ What husband calls his wife by her full name? Try again!”
Then what… was she asking me to leave out her surname and just use her first name?
I’d rather call her honey.
“Hy, Hyu… Hyun…”
“Hyun…?”
“…Just settle for honey.”
“Come on! Just try it once!”
“Oh, right. Or how about calling you the missus?”
“Hey!”