Chapter 35 – Dating (1)
The time is 1:00 PM. The roads on the weekend afternoon were quieter than expected. I was out on the side of the main road tapping the sidewalk block with my tiptoe. At the snack bar behind my back, children in uniforms flocked in and ordered tteokbokki.
“After…”
I took a deep breath. Because it was the first date of my life. At the same time, I felt a little pathetic about myself without a car yet. Shouldn’t I go pick up senior Yoo-jung by car at a time like this? Senior Yoojung said it was okay, but I thought I should buy a car right after I graduated from the academy.
“Mr. Suhyeon!”
The clockion rang briefly and senior Yoojung poked her head out the window. A little away from where I was standing, Senior Yoo-jeong pulled over and waved her hand. Like a pet dog whose name has been called, I hurriedly ran and stood in front of the passenger seat. Senior Yoojeong was wearing jeans that fit snugly to a shirt that exposed one shoulder of her. She lowered her head slightly and looked at me through her window.
As I stared blankly at Yu-jeong, her senior peeked at the back of her car and said,
“Come on.”
“Ah yes.”
I stopped staring at her and jumped into her passenger seat and buckled her belt. Yujeong sunbaenim was also wearing her belt, and thanks to her belt crossing her breasts, her breasts looked more attention today. I looked away and said, trying to resist the urge that had been boiling since lunchtime.
“You look very pretty today.”
“I was always pretty. Yes?”
I nodded and laughed at Yu-jeong’s joke. She looked at me and said
“What time shall we watch the movie? I wonder if it would be better to watch after lunch.”
“I eat from lunch. We. What would you like to eat?”
“Hmm… What do you like, Suhyun? What do you like?”
“I can eat just about anything.”
I liked soup, but I knew that eating soup on a date was taboo. She grinned at me and asked:
“Shall we just have a light lunch? Because the main thing is to watch movies and go around. How about a homemade burger? They say there’s a nice house near the movie theater, so let’s go there.”
“Oh, I like homemade burgers too. Is there a place like that?”
I asked with a smile. In fact, I’ve never had a homemade burger before. Senior Yoo Jung said.
“Yes. It is said to be a famous brand in the United States, but this time it was the first time it opened next to a movie theater. Let’s go.”
Once the destination was decided, the steering wheel turned flexibly. The vehicle carrying me moved directly towards the cinema. In the meantime, I started booking movie tickets on my cell phone. While the car stopped at a red light, I showed the movie schedule to Yoo-jeong and asked.
“Wouldn’t it be nice to have a 2:30 movie?”
“Is that enough? It’s one o’clock now.”
I nodded and booked the 2:30 movie [Iron Beast]. I went into the movie theater parking lot and pulled out a parking ticket. Yu-jeong got out of her car with her small handbag, and I followed her. Senior Yu-jeong glanced at me as I followed behind her, then slowed her pace. Then she clung to me and wrapped her arms around me.
“Uh, uh.”
“Why? No, I do not want?”
“Oh, no. Because it was too sudden.”
“This kind of thing is originally led by a man. Now, try again.”
Senior Yoojung stood in the middle of the parking lot and untied her arm. She put one arm out in front of her and looked at me, as if she wouldn’t move until I crossed hers. Like someone afraid of static electricity, I stretched out and touched her hand, then coiled around her arm like a snake. Senior Yujeong was wrapped around my arm, and she was naturally drawn in. She said clinging to me.
“Mr. Suhyun. Have you gained more muscle?”
She was touching my forearm. It was the result of hard training and training. It looked like she could probably move her training to 15+ training soon. I said.
“My muscles have grown significantly. How is it?”
I showed off her muscles in front of senior Yoo Jung. It was still not enough to be a muscle man, but when I applied strength to her arm, a small bicep bulged out. Senior Yoo-jeong laughed out loud, as if my actions were funny, and poked my biceps like popping a balloon.
“Aww.”
Startled, I untied my arms again. Senior Yoojeong said while kneading her soft arms again.
“No way. It’s still a long way. What.”
“Sooner or later, I’ll come back with a body like that bodybuilder.”
“I will expect. Mr. Suhyun.”
The handmade burger house was full of people, but there were still seats for us. Senior Yoo-jeong ordered two special burgers, which are said to be the most delicious here, and tapped her table with her fingers, making her eyes twinkle. As soon as he sat down in her seat, senior Yoo-jeong said.
“Is it a test soon?”
“Yes.”
The exam for which the subsidy came out was right around the corner. Time passed so quickly that I couldn’t believe it was already next week. Senior Yoo-jeong asked.
“How is it? Did you study a lot?”
“First of all, I try to memorize everything I heard, but I don’t think it’s as good as seeing it with my own eyes. I remember the characteristics of kids like Holligan just by hearing their name, but I couldn’t really feel it when I looked at the picture book for kids who had never seen their faces before.”
“Yes. Most hunters do. When we encounter a rare species, we are on the alert first and search through the illustrated book. Among them, the bravest people collided with their bodies. So, I’ve been thinking. Do you want to go here after watching our movie?”
Senior Yoojeong took out her cell phone and moved her slide around. She and she found a link and showed it to me. Across the rink was a large strong bore standing inside a building. I frowned as I looked at the photo.
“Did you release the strong bore?”
“No. No. This is stuffed animals.”
Stuffed. The story of stuffing the monsters inside the gate sounded strange to me. Senior Yoo Jung said.
“We donate at least one of the C-class or lower monsters to a museum for stuffed animals or specimens. It’s hard to catch it from B rank, and the ingredients themselves are very valuable, so I can’t do that. This time, the Minotaur is also new to the museum.”
“A Minotaur?”
I thought of a monster in mythology. A monster in the labyrinth that had the head of a cow and dragged its massive, muscular limbs. That man-eating monster exists inside the gate? It was a little regretful that I didn’t bring pads. It was because I wanted to search for the Minotaur in the encyclopedia right now.
Senior Yoo Jung said.
“It’s probably not the Minotaur that Suhyeon expects.”
The notification bell I had brought rang. I got up and got a burger. The handmade burger boasted a unique taste of a mixture of freshly baked patty, lettuce, and avocado on warm, sweet bread. Senior Yoojeong took a big bite and showed me her thumb. I raised her thumbs just like hers and pressed her fists together as lightly as her wine glasses. Yujeong senior laughed as she mumbled her mouth.
“After that, I’m full.”
“It is delicious.”
It was much better than I expected, so I was really surprised. I licked my lips and nodded. Senior Yoojeong patted her on the stomach and smiled. I also wanted to pat senior Yoo-jung on the belly, but I had to endure it in a public place.
Senior Yoojeong took my hand and walked her toward the cinema. She bought popcorn and two cokes and put them in my hands.
“Go quickly. It will start in a little while.”
I followed Yu-jeong, keeping my balance on the edge so that the popcorn would not spill. She was walking forward with her eyes twinkling, unable to tell if it was the excitement of her date or the anticipation of the movie. Seeing that she smiled wider at me, it seemed that my face was full of the same anticipation. I closed her gaping mouth and managed her expression again. Advertising was starting.
********
Ending of the movie. A wolf stands at the interview statue. Reporters stare at the wolf, waiting for what he has to say. The wolf clears his throat and then raises his front legs on the platform.
“I am the Iron Beast.”
Then the reporters shout at the same time.
“Wolves speak human language!”
**********
“It was a really fun movie.”
“Me too. The last scene was really admiration?”
“Really. Isn’t the voice of the actor who played the wolf really cool?”
“After looking it up, I heard that he was the one who played the main character in [The Invisible Hunter] Before.”
“Ah, who is that? Wow, it wasn’t like this at the time. That’s interesting.”
She said curiously. I also watched the movie and was in a good mood. As soon as we got into the car, we took a deep breath and enjoyed the anticipation for the movie. Senior Yu-jeong pushed her back a little and stretched her head all the way back. She looked at me and said
“Good night.”
I carefully reached out her hand to her. Her and my hands, like the cowherd and the weaving girl, were separated from each other with gears in between. When my fingers touched the back of her hand, she closed her eyes, then raised her head again to look at me.
“What’s wrong?”
“I just wanted to catch it like this at the cinema, but it’s a pity.”
How much I longed for the soggy and lewd dates that took place at the cinema. One of my dreams was to become a troublesome couple sucking and biting at the cinema. But because the movie was so much fun, I couldn’t even try a lewd date today. Senior Yoojeong said while gently stroking the back of my hand.
“What is there to regret? We will always be together. Then next time you see it, would you like to go see our romance movie?”
I nodded her head and moved closer to her. Senior Yoojeong smiled and closed her eyes as I approached. If someone had been watching from the back seat, our shadows would have been tangled together like a bridge connecting the two seats.
When I lifted her head again and opened my eyes, Senior Yu-jeong was breathing her excited face with her flushed face. She blinked her hazy eyes, then came back to her senses and straightened her chair. Senior Yoo Jung said.
“Then, shall we go see the Minotaur now? Because I have to ‘study’.”
Senior Yoo-jeong pronounced her words, “Study,” With strange force. Whenever I heard the word study, I felt my alter ego getting a hard erection.
I wanted to “Study” Quickly.
