Chapter 50…
“It’s a Dating Sim but There’s No Romance”
Mahae-won took me to an underground arcade.
Maybe because it was popular with families, there were quite a few large machines, but the problem was…
“Wow! Whac-A-Mole!”
“Wanna play a round?”
“……That seems too dangerous, let’s check out this one instead!”
But even with other machines, her reaction wasn’t much different.
“Mini basketball!”
“Wanna play?”
“Hmm… no, basketball’s not really my thing. Look over there, there’s a shooting game.”
“Shall we try it?”
“……That’s a bit much too.”
Why did she even want to come to this arcade?
‘I thought she’d be bouncing around excited.’
She did bounce around—up until we came in. She had been exchanging bills for coins and showing excitement.
“Hey, they have a pump game too? That was in <Kissing the Obsessive Student Council President>!”
“Wanna play a round?”
“Ah, not now.”
But what was with that half-hearted attitude?
By the end of a single lap around the arcade, Mahae-won hadn’t spent a single 500-won coin.
“Hey, junior. About the arcade machines…”
“Why?”
“The machines are too close together, don’t you think?”
“……Huh?”
“That’s what I think.”
At what point did she come to such a conclusion on her own?
Luckily, her attention quickly shifted to something else as she muttered to herself.
“Wow, look at this!”
A claw machine glittering with colorful lights.
Mahae-won pressed her face close to the glass, nearly touching it, and gestured excitedly.
Inside, at the tip of a long index finger, was a rabbit plush with a smart expression.
“This one looks like you, junior.”
“You should go to an eye doctor.”
I had never heard anyone say I had a gentle face—what’s she talking about?
But Mahae-won was firm.
“Nope. It’s the same when you smile.”
“My mom wouldn’t think that.”
“Eh, come on. If that were true, it’d just mean your mom doesn’t know.”
Clink, clink.
Mahae-won inserted 500-won coins one after another, her eyes sparkling.
She grabbed the lever with a determined gesture.
“Ahhh! Almost got it!”
Even though it ended up being empty-handed.
“Haewon, that’s enough, get up now.”
“Just one more round.”
That “one more round” had already been repeated several times.
The yellow-haired girl showed no signs of leaving the claw machine.
“Gambling is a fast track to ruin. Listen to your sister.”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. There’s still plenty left.”
“What a typical excuse…”
She must have spent almost 30,000 won by now.
‘I think I’ve seen this scene in some comic.’
Mahae-won’s persistence, despite her usual cheerful demeanor, usually came down to one thing.
‘Secret buddy? Happy Miracle Bakery? Welcome to the Freesia Garden?’
I recalled one by one the comics she had praised, when suddenly a loud cheer rang out.
“……Junior, junior! Look! I got it!”
“What comic is that from?”
“Comic? What comic?”
“Didn’t you keep playing to copy a successful scene from a comic?”
“Nope.”
Nope?
Mahae-won muttered while holding a large plush about the size of her palm.
“I just thought it looked like our junior……”
Blinking slowly, her light eyelashes moved up and down.
“Looks like you……”
She must have been really bored.
I quietly examined another rabbit plush Mahae-won picked.
Purple ears, upward-tilted eyes, a mischievous smile.
“You really think this looks like me?”
“It’s identical, identical. So… uh, I’ll give it to you, junior.”
“You’re giving it to me?”
Her bright head bobbed lightly.
She put the purple rabbit plush in my hands and turned away, looking somehow… embarrassed.
Uncharacteristically so.
“Sanha, are you really okay now?”
“I said I am.”
Her gentle eyes glistened as if about to cry.
“You didn’t eat much dinner earlier.”
That was because the snack Mahae-won brought hadn’t digested properly…
“Don’t you want to eat something? I’ll buy it.”
“Huh, Eun-jin, then I want ice cream.”
“Okay. Choi Min-ji, you pay for yours.”
Less than half a day later, we were back at the convenience store.
Before even opening the door, the class leader group was already noisy.
‘I don’t know why I even brought them along.’
The kids surrounded me and rattled off what they had done today.
“The waterfall was really pretty.”
“Oh, I saw some kids from another school too. Were they from Jeonju?”
“Don’t know. Didn’t that kid try to get Min-ji’s number?”
“That one’s from Gyeongju.”
“That’s right, the dombae meat we had for lunch was super tasty.”
“I almost asked for a takeaway to give to Sanha.”
The class leader even showed photos on his phone gallery to describe everything vividly.
“This is what we had for lunch—ah, what about tomorrow? Can you manage it?”
“Tomorrow… wait a sec.”
My phone vibrated.
I gave the class leader a quick glance and stepped outside.
Through the clean glass, the black sky stretched out.
“Oh, Eun-oh, why?”
Did you get here okay?
“Yeah, I got here. You called to ask that?”
I didn’t get a reply to my text, so I thought I’d call as well.
He usually doesn’t make unnecessary calls—what’s going on?
‘I guess being alone at home makes him restless.’
“Did you eat dinner?”
Yeah. How about you?
“I ate too. Seaweed soup and a bit of this and that.”
How’s the weather? Is it raining a lot there too?
“A little cloudy. Want me to bring some chocolate?”
Really? Then I want tangerine chocolate.
His tone was slightly higher, childish even.
After the short call, I finally noticed a text I received hours ago.
‘I should reply even now… right?’
A familiar silhouette.
As I stepped closer, the shadowed face became clear. Our eyes met in midair.
“See you again.”
“Ah… yeah.”
Kwon Cha-hyeok approached with his usual gentle smile. His hair was slightly damp at the ends, probably just washed.
“Just now, the call……”
“Huh?”
“No, um, are you okay?”
“……Huh?”
“I heard someone in the front class collapsed. Vanessa… told me it was you.”
So rumors spread that fast.
Kwon Cha-hyeok looked extremely worried and asked again.
“Are you okay?”
“Of course, I’m fine. Just a little motion sickness, nothing serious.”
“I heard you fainted.”
“Fainting? Uh, that’s exaggerated. Just a little dizzy, so I rested.”
No need to ruin my reputation by reporting the truth.
I smiled brightly, emphasizing:
“I’m perfectly fine.”
“Then that’s a relief.”
This guy still doesn’t believe me.
‘Is my face really that bad? I’m really okay now, but does he have to look this serious?’
Better divert the conversation before my likability drops.
“When should I give you your jacket?”
“Oh, that.”
“I originally planned to return it at the airport, but I forgot and kept wearing it. Sorry.”
“It’s fine.”
“I left it in your room. Do you want it now or tomorrow morning?”
“I’ll wear it until the school trip ends.”
His calm gaze lingered on my shoulder before dropping.
“Your clothes look a bit thin too.”
“Then what about you?”
“I have another outer layer.”
I’m not too sensitive to the cold anyway; my tone remained casual, as usual.
The next morning.
‘Oh, lucky.’
Gu Eun-chan, class 1’s class leader’s twin, whistled to himself as he entered the dining hall.
At the end of his sight was the girl he had been quietly observing for the past month.
Slightly upturned eyes, fair skin, neat profile.
‘No wonder I wanted to eat breakfast early today.’
He wanted to talk to her, but despite his strong interest, he hadn’t directly expressed his feelings.
Partly shy, but more because his twin’s strict guard was a bigger problem.
‘When did I ask for help—well, I did, but still? Who just blurts out a confession like that! I just want to get to know her!’
Whenever he tried to speak, the twin would glare and say, “Mind your own business.”
‘Maybe I’ll just casually ask something. Like, do you usually eat breakfast early?’
It would be easier if he used his friend Gu Eun-jin’s name to start a conversation.
Unfortunately, Eun-chan’s plan didn’t go through, because around the girl…
‘Is that even a friend?’
Something about the atmosphere was… strange.
