Chapter 204 – Plucking Stars (4)
I twist the steering wheel, navigating a corner.
The car is moving towards a secluded area.
– Thud, thud.
The car jostles along the untreated road.
Our destination isn’t Hae-nul’s place.
She had suddenly expressed a desire to visit somewhere, and I’m silently steering the pedal towards it.
– Vroom!
The engine’s resonating sound fills the air. The car is expensive, so the sound it makes has a distinct flavor.
‘But where are we headed?’
The weather and landscape are growing increasingly bleak.
Mountains and farmlands abound in our surroundings.
“If you stayed there, our time together would’ve been cut short.”
Hae-nul, sitting in the passenger seat, speaks in a voice more serious than usual.
Meanwhile, she begins fiddling with the car stereo.
“There was a place I wanted to go with you.”
“Oh? Should I be touched?”
“Hehe.”
Hae-nul giggles at my playful response.
In no time, the foot of a mountain comes into view.
“Let’s get off here.”
A natural landscape devoid of any parking lot.
Sparse vegetation grows around, and there’s barely enough space for people to enter.
I park the car in a suitable spot and disembark.
Opening the door, a mixed fragrance of oil and grass wafts in.
“Ugh! Curious about where we are?”
Hae-nul, having exited the car, stretches her arms wide enough to reveal her armpits before walking over to me.
She appears much lighter without her cardigan.
Fortunately, there’s no one else around.
Taking the lead, Hae-nul grabs my hand and pulls me along.
“Hurry up. Let’s go.”
Innocence concealed within her naive cuteness.
For some reason, Hae-nul seems relieved after the class reunion.
– Trudge, trudge.
She leads me, almost forcing me to climb the mountain.
Where on earth is this place?
She isn’t trying to monopolize me by locking me up in a mountain cabin, is she?
Jesting with such thoughts while ascending, I begin to spot a hill-like formation in the distance.
“I asked why you came here.”
Hae-nul, walking lightly, winds her arm around mine.
As our arms intertwine, Hae-nul rests her face on my shoulder.
The sky grows duskier with time.
Is her hair the color of the sky, or is the sky the color of her hair?
I match my pace with Hae-nul’s sprightly steps.
“Do you get it now?”
Two graves and tombstones.
When Hae-nul stops there, I instantly grasp the nature of these graves.
“I came to see my mother.”
This wasn’t the original plan.
Hae-nul, murmuring to herself, bends down on the ground and gazes at the tombstone.
I can’t clearly see the names of Hae-nul’s parents from my position.
“Si-heon.”
“Yes.”
In response to her solemn voice, I drop the formalities.
Lee Se-young and I, we always prefer to speak informally in such atmospheres.
“I’ve given it some thought.”
“What is it?”
“Now that you have a boyfriend and have become the vice president, have you not gained some confidence?”
Indeed. Today, I hope to shed a layer of my foolish persona.
As a boyfriend… the way Star and I met was more scandalous than fateful. But I have no intention of spoiling the mood by mentioning it.
“But… after drinking, Siheon came on to me. We ended up dating, but isn’t that a bit off?”
I tried to be considerate, but she ended up breaking the mood.
“…Sigh.”
“Hehe. But… I brought you here because I’m confident that I like you.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Normally, I would only come during holidays, but I suddenly wanted to visit. I’m not sure why.”
Star caressed the grass growing on the grave.
“My mother would be overjoyed if she found out that her daughter has a boyfriend. She used to tell me to date every day. Today, I’ve fulfilled mom’s dream.”
“Today?”
“Yes, today. When I think about it, we’ve been rushing without having a proper conversation about dating.”
Star straightened her bent legs and looked up at me. There’s quite a height difference between us. I tilted my head slightly.
Star smiled in my shadow.
“I’ve introduced you to my parents. There won’t be any misunderstandings later, right?”
A cute confession. Unfortunately, there is no such thing as the language of starfruit flowers.
But if there were, wouldn’t it be related to something cute?
“I will be busy for a while and won’t be able to meet you.”
“Ahh, you’re ruining the mood. I didn’t even ask for a pumpkin carriage ride. Can’t you just say, ‘Yes! I get it.’?”
“Why would I abandon you… It’s more likely that you would abandon me.”
My life is pitiful.
Even if it were a joke, the day we sever our relationship would probably depend more on the women than on me.
It’s a dog-like trauma I acquired from Dowon.
“Let’s see if you create another woman in this way.”
“…I can’t guarantee that.”
“Tch!”
Star, who cursed in English, lunged at me with her arms flailing. She charged like a beast and then froze.
Star, held in my arms, wrapped her arms around my waist and took a deep breath.
“Phew… Siheon. You know what?”
“What?”
“My father. He’s subtly a doting dad… If I don’t take responsibility properly, he might get upset and descend from the heavens.”
“Oh… I’ll keep that in mind.”
I can feel her lips curling into a smile in my arms.
“…Siheon.”
A request in front of the tomb followed from Star’s mouth.
I lowered my head to listen to what Star had to say next.
* * * * * * * * *
“Ahhhh! You jungle jerk!”
The clatter of keys echoed as they were struck, a melody of the stars. I found myself entranced, my gaze fixated on the mini-map displayed on the monitor.
The character of Byul was in sight, ensnared and debased by the relentless pursuit of the Jungle and Tower, their eyes hungry for their prey.
“Gank, gank, gank…”
“I’m coming shortly.”
“No, not shortly, but immediately! Or I’ll die! Gank, gank, gank…”
Within the cyber café, each of us ordered a bowl of ramen and a lemonade, the game in progress.
The whispers of courtship were barely audible. The pleas for happiness, the introductions to parents that bound us together, all declaring an inescapable future.
We had spun tales of a simple future, but could it have been a fleeting dream?
“If Si-heon consumes the toad, I’ll surely perish…”
“…I’ll enact the revenge. Perish as you wish.”
– An ally has been defeated.
“Damn!!!!!!”
Byul was screaming, clutching her head as if a migraine was splitting it in two. The environment was somewhat noisy, but a glance around the cyber café revealed this chaos to be its norm.
– Rice (Darius): Rice’s boyfriend (Zeke) – [Alive]
– Rice (Darius): Rice’s boyfriend (Zeke) – [Alive]
– Rice (Darius): Alert – Enemy has vanished
– Rice (Darius): gg
– Rice’s boyfriend (Zeke): gg
…A game for women? It deviated greatly from my expectations.
– Hehe. Brother, let yourself be grabbed~
– It’s okay, even if you’re hit. I’ll vanquish them all~
It seemed overambitious to expect such a scenario, but surely it was not unreasonable to hope for a harmonious game? Isn’t that the norm for lovers? It’s not a generalization, but at least, that’s what my romantic notion suggests.
However, Byul was different.
– Ready your body.
– …Ah, okay.
– Gotcha!
I had anticipated a melodrama today, but it turned out to be a sitcom.
I had assumed it would be a delightful gaming date due to the nickname she had bestowed upon me, but the reality was a grueling marathon of ten consecutive games.
– Victory!
“…Ugh…”
I slumped into the chair of the cyber café, stifling a yawn.
Perhaps it was the exhaustion from the game demanding intense focus after such a long time. More so, it was strenuous keeping up with Byul’s exuberant energy.
“Hehe, it was fun.”
Byul, devoid of her headset, looked at me with a radiant smile.
Her face glistened as if glazed with honey, her eyes devoid of any regret. Was skincare now a game to her?
“Si-heon~”
Byul cozied up next to me, pulling her chair closer. Envious gazes poured in from the surroundings.
‘…This person is terrifying.’
Despite her sweet smile, recalling her past actions instilled fear. Where had the in-game wailing monster of the Tower and the Byul who could rival a professional gamer disappeared to?
Where was the gaming fanatic, Byul? Why was she pretending to be cute now?
“Are you tired?”
“…Yes. A bit.”
“Then, even if it’s a bit early, let’s head home.”
Exhausted, I was unceremoniously dragged along by Byul, who hung the headset to the side.
“Hehehe~ I’ve made preparations aplenty to pull an all-nighter with Si-heon.”
Having prepaid, I exchanged brief pleasantries before leaving the PC café.
“Today was a lot of fun. Don’t you think so too, Si-heon?”
“Ah, indeed.”
“Hee hee.”
Just like wilted spinach, my body sagged; Byul hugged me tenderly and steered me towards her home. We had purposefully chosen a PC café near her house, so the journey was a swift one.
Let’s rest for a moment.
– Beep beep beep. Trrrr!
As the door lock swung open, the distinctive scent of Byul pervaded the room.
And thus, I laid my eyes on her abode…
“…Ah, right. I didn’t clean.”
What appeared to be underwear, presumably discarded this morning, was conspicuously strewn across the floor with the inner side exposed. As I bent to pick it up, Byul seized my arm.
“Hey… Hey! Don’t touch that.”
“Should we start with cleaning up, then?”
Yellow. Everything was blindingly yellow, even the curtains.
Despite the overbearing color, the room had a certain charm, as if every detail was meticulously chosen. I reached out my hand and began to tidy up using magic.
Although there might be some satisfaction in cleaning by hand, for wizards like us, magic was a more convenient option.
“Wow. Are you an academy trainee?”
“What is the vice president doing?”
“……Admiring my boyfriend?”
Indeed, it wasn’t a challenging task. I separated the dirty dishes from the laundry, and soon enough, the room was spick and span.
Byul, seemingly satisfied, took a tour around the room, her approval marked by an enthusiastic thumbs up.
“You’re amazing… Ever consider becoming a full-time househusband?”
Perhaps, once all the work was done, I might contemplate such an option. By then, I would have earned a substantial amount. I could enjoy a leisurely lifestyle in the comfort of home, relying on the steady income.
“That doesn’t sound too bad.”
“Hehehe, I’ll be looking forward to that when we get married. Oh, wait a moment?”
Sporting a broad smile, Byul retreated to her room and returned with a large box.
“This is what we’re going to do together tonight!”
The box was teeming with an assortment of console games. Games we would spend the entire night playing. Just the mere sight of them was enough to induce a heady sensation.
“We also have snacks! Oh, and I’ve downloaded all the anime we could binge-watch. I don’t have a lot of comic books, but they’re all on that shelf over there!”
The food included shrimp crackers… Corn chips among others. There was ample cola to quench our thirst. The setup was so perfect it seemed as if we had raided a convenience store.
Byul’s all-night gaming lifestyle, perfected over many years, was evident in every corner of her house.
“Uh. Everything is great. Can we take a short break?”
“Tired already?”
Upon hearing my words, Byul instantly deflated, her face resembling a child robbed of their favorite toy. The look was reminiscent of Puss in Boots from the animated film. I held my silence for a moment before finally conceding.
“…Alright, let’s do this.”
“Yes!”
Immediately upon entering her room, Byul flung herself onto the bed. She unearthed a gaming console from a box, plugged a game into the colossal screen, and kicked off the game.
It was a racing game, a creation from Japan. Packed with various characters like the Super Plumber, Link’s Adventure, and others, all of them vied for top ranking, steering their carts with competitive fervor.
– Crackle!
As if it was second nature, Byul, sprawled over the duvet, ripped open a bag of snacks and patted the space beside her. The bed was expansive, large enough to comfortably accommodate four or five adults.
“What happens if you drop crumbs from the snacks?”
“Eh? Just change the bedding.”
She crammed her mouth full of shrimp crackers and clutched the gaming controller in both hands.
Being the vice president, she had the means to handle such trivialities.
With all prejudices stripped away, Byul’s room was nothing short of a haven for gaming enthusiasts. Figures and comic books were strewn all around.
If boys were to step into this room, they’d undoubtedly lose their minds.
“Let’s kick off with one round,” Byul suggested.
Having no choice but to agree, I reclined on the bed and picked up a controller.
‘…If it’s just gaming like this, all the energy will be sapped.’
Instinctively, I craved a break from the room. A one-on-one cart race. The controls were simple, and I quickly got the hang of it.
– 3, 2, 1, GO!
Leaning against a pillow and handling the controller while lying prone, Byul’s character, a turtle, pushed past my plumber right from the start.
“I will go a bit easy on you since it’s your first time.”
She was playing the game nonchalantly, munching snacks with one hand.
– Thud!
Perhaps it was because my attention was flagging. My character couldn’t keep pace with Byul’s speed and veered off into a dirt path.
‘Should I lose a few rounds and then stop playing?’
That was unlikely.
It suited my temperament more to propose a bet – if I won, we’d take a break.
“Sis.”
“Hmm?”
“Will the winner have their wish granted?”
“…Considering I’m winning?”
Byul replied, her mouth stuffed with snacks.
“I don’t mind.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
It seemed like she was calling me a pushover. With a twinkle in her eye, Byul resumed driving her cart, and I posed another question to her.
“So, shall we make a bet?”
– Gulp.
“Sure.”
Byul’s voice was filled with excitement as she swallowed her snack. As soon as the bet was on, I made my move.
If I couldn’t outmaneuver her with my skills, then outside the game. I slid my foot between Byul’s thighs and gave her a gentle nudge.
“Ah!”
In her surprise, Byul missed a turn. She tumbled down a cliff, wasting precious time.
“…”
Byul, her cheeks puffed up, glanced in my direction.
You’re asking for it, aren’t you? That was the message her gaze conveyed.
Okay, let me rest. I escalated my playful torment.