18 - Chapter 16: Jin Seo-yoon
After getting home, I washed up, wrapped myself in a blanket, and huddled in the corner of my dark room without even turning on the light.
I unconsciously brushed back my hair, which was still damp from a quick towel-dry. As the soft rustling sound echoed in my head, it brought a strange sense of peace.
As I sat there alone, the phone I'd tossed onto the bed began to vibrate.
'Who is it this time?'
I checked the screen to see who was calling. Jin Seo-yun. It was a call I could answer without feeling any pressure.
"Hello?"
[Hey, Su-hyeon.]
"Hey, Seo-yun noona. What's up?"
I replied easily, keeping the conversation going.
[Well, it's just... we tried to meet up last time but couldn't, right?]
To be precise, she had unilaterally suggested it and I'd turned her down, but...
"Yeah, that's true."
Of course, there was no reason to point that out, nor did I want to, so I just played along.
At my response, her voice over the line perked up a bit.
[S-so, I was wondering... do you want to hang out this weekend?]
I had no reason to refuse.
It had been a while, and reminiscing about the old days sounded nice.
After all, childhood is the happiest time of most people's lives.
It wouldn't hurt to look back on those memories once in a while.
"Sure. I'm free."
[Really? Then do you want to meet this Saturday?]
"Yeah, I don't have any plans or anything to do, so just call me whenever works for you, noona."
[Okay, great. Ah, did I interrupt your rest? I'll let you go now.]
"Yeah, you get some rest too, noona. See you Saturday."
*
"Phew."
Jin Seo-yun let out a soft sigh as she hung up. Her heart fluttered with a strange excitement at the fact that she'd actually made plans with Han Su-hyeon.
'Come to think of it, when we were kids, I used to drag him out to play without a second thought whenever I was bored...'
Either way, her steps were a little lighter as she walked down the hallway.
After leaving school and heading home, she fell asleep while brainstorming ideas for their Saturday hangout.
And then, Saturday arrived.
Jin Seo-yun arrived at their meeting spot a bit early and waited for Han Su-hyeon.
Han Su-hyeon showed up almost exactly on time.
Spotting him from afar, she waved, and Su-hyeon quickened his pace to meet her.
He glanced at his watch and spoke.
"Why are you here so early? I didn't keep you waiting, did I?"
"No, I-I just got here myself, so don't worry about it."
"Hmm."
Han Su-hyeon looked up at Jin Seo-yun, who was grinning like an idiot, and gave her arm a playful nudge.
"Well, that's a relief. Where are we heading first?"
"Do you want to catch a movie?"
"A classic. Sounds good."
The two set off toward the theater. It wasn't exactly a short walk, but since both of them were consistently training with mana-reinforced bodies, they didn't find it tiring at all.
The only annoyance was the midday sun beating down on them, hot and stinging.
Fortunately, the theater was blasting cold air when they finally arrived.
"Let's grab a drink for the movie."
Once inside, Jin Seo-yun bought two canned drinks from a vending machine and tossed one to Han Su-hyeon.
It was the perfect way to cool down after their walk in the heat.
"Thanks."
Catching the can with a quick word of thanks, Han Su-hyeon looked at the label and wore a strange expression.
'This is the drink I used to love when I was a kid.'
Did she actually still remember that?
It was a small, seemingly insignificant gesture, but a faint smile touched Han Su-hyeon's lips.
Granted, he rarely drank it these days because it tasted overly sweet and cheap, but that didn't matter.
'Drinking it after all this time, it's actually not half bad.'
Watching Han Su-hyeon happily sip the drink, Jin Seo-yun smiled warmly.
"Good?"
"Yeah, it's nice and cold."
"You still have the taste buds of a kid."
Finding her childhood friend adorable all over again, she reached out and vigorously ruffled his hair.
Sipping their drinks, they headed to a self-service kiosk to select their seats and print their tickets. Luckily, there were still some decent spots left.
"Alright, got the tickets. Do you want to head in early, or should we hang out out here for a bit?"
"We don't really have anything else to do, so let's just go in. It's only a few minutes anyway."
After heading inside, they had to sit through an endless barrage of commercials and trailers before the movie they'd booked finally started.
The movie was decent enough. While it wasn't mind-blowing, it had a safe, crowd-pleasing plot that was easy to enjoy.
By the time the credits rolled, their empty stomachs were growling in earnest.
Their next destination was naturally dictated by their hunger.
"Man, I'm starving. Su-hyeon, aren't you hungry?"
"Now that you mention it, yeah, I am."
"Let's head out and find a place to grab a bite."
"I saw a few spots on our way over."
Chatting about the movie, they left the theater and ducked into a nearby snack bar.
As hunter trainees, both of them actually earned a decent income for students.
However, Han Su-hyeon had to support his entire household and feed a freeloader on his share, while Jin Seo-yun was aggressively saving while helping with her own family's living expenses. In the end, neither of them had much pocket money to spare.
So, a modest snack bar was the perfect choice.
Since snack bars are a staple of childhood, it was the ideal spot for two old friends meeting up to reminisce.
Back in the day, the three of them—Han Su-hyeon, Jin Seo-yun, and Han Su-in—used to wander the neighborhood all day. Whenever their stomachs started rumbling, they would pool their pocket change and head straight to a snack bar.
They ordered a spread of tteokbokki, tempura, gimbap, and udon.
After happily stuffing themselves, they split the bill and headed back out, wandering aimlessly through the streets.
As they strolled through the downtown area, time flew by, and before they knew it, dusk began to settle.
The streets quickly flooded with people, and before long, they were navigating a dense crowd.
Swept up in the bustling flow, the two began to drift apart despite themselves.
"Ah—"
Afraid of losing him in the crowd, Jin Seo-yun instinctively reached out and grabbed Han Su-hyeon's hand.
"Ah, um... hey..."
Flustered by her own sudden boldness, Jin Seo-yun was the one who panicked. Even so, she held on, pulling Han Su-hyeon closer.
Unlike her, Han Su-hyeon didn't seem bothered at all as he stepped closer to her side with a light chuckle.
"Whoa, we almost got separated there."
He playfully gestured to their joined hands.
"Is this the first time we've ever held hands?"
"I... I guess so?"
Even as kids, they had only ever bickered; there was certainly no memory of them holding hands.
"D-does it make you uncomfortable?"
Jin Seo-yun asked cautiously.
In response, Han Su-hyeon shifted his grip, intertwining his fingers with hers.
"No. Not at all."
"Oh, okay..."
At his reply, a look of relief washed over Jin Seo-yun's face.
Holding hands tightly so they wouldn't get separated, the two navigated their way out of the throng to a quieter side street.
'Since it's evening, maybe we can walk around a bit more, grab dinner, and then head home.'
But just as Jin Seo-yun was catching her breath and planning their next move...
'Huh?'
Han Su-hyeon felt his phone buzz with a text.
[Hey kid, get out here]
'Who is it this time?'
He checked the number. It was the woman who had sexually harassed him on the subway.
'Seriously?'
Han Su-hyeon grimaced. Her demanding attitude, ordering him around out of nowhere, was incredibly annoying.
'But ignoring her feels like a bad idea...'
Han Su-hyeon hadn't spent much time with her, but even in that brief encounter, he'd realized she was no ordinary crazy bitch.
He couldn't help but worry about the fallout if he chose to ignore her.
With an inward sigh, Han Su-hyeon turned to Jin Seo-yun.
"Um, Seo-yun noona."
"Hmm? What's up?"
"Something's come up. I think I have to head out."
"Oh... really...?"
Disappointment flashed openly across Jin Seo-yun's face.
"Well, if you have to go, you have to go. Tell Su-in I said hi."
"Yeah, will do."
Leaving her behind as she tried to force a cheerful smile, Han Su-hyeon tapped on his phone screen.
[So where should I go?]
[Where are you?]
[Me? I'm downtown. Why?]
[Then wait by the main road next to the plaza]
Grumbling under his breath, Han Su-hyeon made his way to the spot she'd designated.
He had only been waiting by the main road next to the plaza for a few minutes when...
With the deep rumble of an engine, a familiar German SUV pulled up right in front of him.
The window rolled down, and the woman inside jerked her chin toward him.
"What are you waiting for? Get in."