After that, the next movie started playing right away, so I just ended up watching it.
Maybe because she was worried I’d feel burdened, Seohui unnie only stayed until midnight before going home.
The next day, I turned on my phone as soon as I woke up.
There was a message from Seohui unnie.
[Seohui: Yeonseo, how are you feeling? I have to cover the part-time shift I missed yesterday too, so I’m pretty much full-time today ㅠㅠ Even if I miss you, I think I’ll have to see you tomorrow.]
I sent back a reply telling her she must have it rough and to hang in there, and my phone immediately vibrated again.
This time, it was Park Gaeul.
[Gaeul: Are you feeling a little better today?]
[Me: Yeah, I’m totally fine now.]
[Gaeul: If you’re okay, come out and play!]
[Me: What are we going to do?]
[Gaeul: There’s a lot to do near Hyehwa Station. How about there?]
There were plenty of places to hang out near my house too, so I couldn’t understand the mindset of social butterflies who insisted on going so far away, but since I had nothing else to do, I replied that it was fine.
Then Gaeul added, as if she had been waiting for that.
[Gaeul: Oh, but there are two more classmates from my department. It’s okay if they come with us, right?]
I hesitated for a moment at the thought of hanging out with people I didn’t know.
[Me: I don’t mind.]
But I decided to be brave, thinking that if things went well, I might make new connections.
[Gaeul: They live nearby, so they’ll get there quickly. We need to leave a little early, so I’ll come to your place around one!]
I replied briefly that I understood, and after Gaeul’s final message saying she’d see me later, I set my phone down.
There were about three hours left until Gaeul arrived.
I sank deep into my chair and turned on my computer.
Between resolving things with Seohui unnie, going out, and then collapsing sick, I hadn’t uploaded a video in nearly two weeks.
In the past, my channel’s upload schedule had been about once every three to five days.
If my silence dragged on like this again, it was obvious the comments section would once again be filled with “rumors of the owner’s death” or “kidnapping theories.”
‘My subscribers must be waiting…’
The sound of mouse clicks began to fill the quiet room.
---
As I focused on making music like that, the promised time had drawn near before I knew it.
I hurriedly finished showering and carefully chose my clothes so that Gaeul wouldn’t be embarrassed to walk around with me.
But my wardrobe was disastrously empty.
I didn’t have many clothes to begin with, and on top of that, I had put off doing laundry with the excuse that I’d do it all at once.
‘Ah, seriously, I have nothing to wear…’
In the end, the only thing I could choose was the black hoodie that had barely survived.
When I had finished all my preparations and was catching my breath for a moment, I heard a knock on the door.
“Yeonseo! Are you ready?”
It was Gaeul.
“Yeah! Wait a second!”
I quickly put on my shoes and opened the door.
As soon as the door opened, Gaeul brightly raised her hand and greeted me.
Gaeul was radiating her usual lively energy today as well.
Seeing her bright outfit in contrast to my dreary black hoodie somehow made me feel like my energy was already being drained a little.
But then I grew curious as to why she had come all the way to my door and knocked instead of waiting outside the building.
“Are you coming in?”
“No, I just came to check. I thought you might be passed out again.”
“…So that’s why. Then let’s head out.”
I went out of the building with Gaeul.
It was about a twenty-minute walk to the station.
As we started walking side by side, Gaeul asked a question as if she had been waiting.
“Hey, Han Yeonseo. Why was Seohui unnie at your place yesterday?”
“Ah… We were originally supposed to meet yesterday. But since I was sick and couldn’t go out, unnie got worried and came to see me.”
At my answer, Gaeul shook her head and narrowed her eyes.
“No, that’s not what I mean. Why? I’m asking why on earth.”
“…What are you talking about?”
When I looked at her like I had no idea what she meant, Gaeul continued as if she were dumbfounded.
“You clearly said you rejected Seohui unnie last time. You said you somehow handled it.”
Only then did I realize my mistake.
I hadn’t explained any of the process of having an honest conversation with Seohui unnie and moving our relationship forward to Gaeul.
Seeing Gaeul standing beside me with her arms crossed, her eyes saying, ‘Hurry up and spill it,’ I was at a loss for where and how to begin.
I told her everything, starting from the day I had gone out to reject her, to how unnie had fled the scene as if running away.
And then, a week later, how I had been the one to hold on to her and tell her I would try to get closer.
As Gaeul listened to the story, the corners of her mouth kept twitching, and once she had heard it all, she gave me a satisfied smile.
“Wow, Han Yeonseo, you’ve really grown up. You even know how to do something that cool now.”
“…It was partly thanks to what you told me.”
At my honest answer, Gaeul seemed embarrassed and gave my shoulder a light smack, laughing heartily.
“Yeah, now really do your best. If you let someone like Seohui unnie slip away, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life, okay?”
Hearing her encouragement somehow made my heart feel reassured.
But I still had worries left.
“…But even if I do come to like Seohui unnie, I’m still scared of how people will look at us.”
Inside, even more complicated thoughts were tangled together.
No matter how much the world these days had come to accept homosexuality a little, the reality was that there were still overwhelmingly more people who felt repulsed by it.
And in that situation, if I became deeply involved with Seohui unnie…
That meant not only I, but unnie too, would have to live while hearing harsh words and receiving cold stares.
Gaeul quietly studied my worry-filled expression before tossing out a question.
“Hey, Han Yeonseo. How do you think of Seohui unnie right now?”
“……I do like her. But I don’t think that ‘like’ has fully reached the romantic side yet.”
At my answer, Gaeul let out a small laugh as if she found it absurd and replied.
“Hey, if you end up falling hard for that unnie later, you won’t even have time to worry about stuff like that. So don’t go out of your way to suffer in advance. If people’s gazes bother you that much, she has that specialty, doesn’t she? Just make her cross-dress as a man.”
For a moment, I was at a loss for words. Because Gaeul’s opinion was exactly the same, word for word, as the thought I’d had that if Seohui unnie was going to make moves on me outside, she should at least come dressed as a man.
“Pfft…”
In the end, I couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing.
“Thanks, Gaeul. I feel a little better thanks to you.”
We started walking again and arrived at the nearby station.
Even though rush hour was long over, the station was crowded with people.
Beep—
We tapped our cards and entered the platform to wait for the Line 4 train.
While waiting for the subway, I asked Gaeul what the friends coming to hang out today were like.
“What are the kids coming today like?”
“Hmm, one of them is short, but she’s got way more temper than you, and the other one sings ridiculously well.”
Gaeul reassured me, saying they were all nice, so I shouldn’t worry too much.
Just as her words eased my nerves a little, we boarded the subway as it came in with a loud roar.
I didn’t know if they would really be as good as Gaeul insisted… but I’d find out when I saw them.
[This station is Hyehwa, Hyehwa Station.]
About thirty minutes after we departed, we finally arrived at our destination.
“The train came quickly, so we’ve got about ten minutes left. Go to the bathroom or let’s wait here.”
“Then I’ll go to the bathroom for a second.”
“Don’t take too long.”
And so I set off to find the bathroom.
Just then, I heard a commotion from the side.
“No, if you bump into someone, you should apologize. On top of that, you even spilled coffee on my clothes. What are you doing?”
“I’m sorry.”
“Hah… So you apologize when I put it like that. Were you never taught any manners?”
“I’m sorry…”
A sharp voice echoed through the hallway, as if someone had made a mistake.
I was curious about the situation, but I needed to use the bathroom, and more than anything, I didn’t want to witness the uncomfortable sight of strangers fighting.
I deliberately averted my gaze and walked past them, entering the bathroom.
‘So there are people like that too.’
If it were me, I would’ve ended it after receiving one apology, so I wondered if there was really any need to say something that harsh, like asking whether someone had never been educated.
No matter how I looked at it, she seemed like a woman with a seriously ruined personality.
After finishing my business and returning to where Gaeul was, Gaeul took the lead and said we should head toward the exit now.
Before we went outside, a woman standing in front of the convenience store waved at us.
When I saw a short girl standing beside her, I intuitively realized they were Gaeul’s friends.
“You came right on time.”
“We did come a little early, but sure, I guess that’s on time.”
The gazes of the two people who had been chatting lightly with Gaeul soon turned to me.
“We’re meeting for the first time today, right? I’m Baek Seohyeon.”
“Hi… I’m Han Yeonseo.”
When I greeted her cautiously, the short girl beside her stared intently at me and opened her mouth.
“Han Yeonseo? I feel like I’ve heard that name before… Anyway, I’m Lee Gaon.”
At Gaon’s strange gaze, I grew slightly tense and nodded.
“What, did you spill coffee on your clothes?”
Gaeul looked at Seohyeon’s clothes and asked in surprise. Seohyeon smiled awkwardly and answered.
“I made a mistake… Sorry if it looks unpleasant.”
“Ah, no. I was just curious.”
Gaeul waved her hands in a fluster, but as I looked at Seohyeon’s wet clothes, I recalled the commotion I had heard before going to the bathroom.
It perfectly matched the voice of the woman I had thought had a ruined personality.
‘It seems like something’s gone wrong here…’
No, you said they were nice.