Chapter 38: Luna's Date (4)
TL/Editor: Raei
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"....Well, actually... there's no problem. It's still safe here."
"....'Here' as in?"
I asked again, caught by his choice of words.
He shrugged slightly, looking a bit worried.
"...There's been a terrorist attack in Seoul. But it's okay. Shake has responded to the situation."
"Ah."
That was a relief. The problem didn't seem as serious as I had feared.
Our day wouldn't be ruined.
"Thank you for letting me know."
I said to the hero.
He nodded in response.
"You're welcome. Have a good day."
His kindness was surprising, and it made me smile.
Indeed, there are some heroes like this.
Well, I suppose some level of kindness is expected from heroes for image-making purposes.
I went back to Song Soo-yeon.
"....? What's this?"
A man was standing next to her.
Song Soo-yeon sat with an expression of displeasure I had never seen from her today.
He said,
"Excuse me, yes? I really fell for you, can I have your number...?"
"....Get lost, asshole."
Ah. That's what it was.
She had taken off her mask to eat, and in the brief moment I stepped away, she received unwanted attention.
I hurried over to her.
The man hitting on Song Soo-yeon was persistent.
"Don't be like that, if you don't have a boyfriend, let's just hang out-"
I opened my mouth.
"Excuse me. She said no-"
And then Song Soo-yeon's eyes widened as she saw me.
She abruptly stood up and linked her arm with mine.
".....?"
"I have a boyfriend. Right here."
I was taken aback, forgetting what I was going to say to the man.
Song Soo-yeon spoke up.
"Do you think I came to the amusement park alone for no reason? Is your brain just for decoration? Get lost, it's disgusting."
The man looked back and forth between me and Song Soo-yeon, then muttered to himself and walked away.
"....They don't look good together..."
Song Soo-yeon bristled.
"That jerk, till the very end...!"
I calmed her down.
"Okay, okay! It's over now, let's forget about it."
I took her arm and turned her to face me, leading her to take deep breaths.
"Take a deep breath in."
Her furrowed brows slowly relaxed.
"Exhale... and breathe in again... exhale..."
As she followed my instructions, I said,
"Today is supposed to be a good day. Let's forget this and have fun. It would be a waste to spoil it."
"..........."
"Don't worry. Nothing bad happened. The amusement park is safe. It's just somewhere in Seoul that's problematic. But even that's under control with Shake handling it."
"............."
I continued to look at her.
She still seemed a bit upset.
Times like these always call for a joke.
It's perfect for lightening the mood.
I had an idea for a joke.
I said,
"..........But boyfriend?"
She lowered her head and punched my chest with her fist.
-Thump! Thump!
"..I, I just said that so he would leave....!"
Her voice was much quieter than before as she spoke.
The mood lightened up just as I had hoped.
"Kuk-kuk-kuk. I know. Dont worry, I didnt think anything strange."
"..........."
"Let's just eat, and then we can go to that haunted house you mentioned. Okay? It's a shame to be angry when you have that cute beanie."
".......Mister."
"Just joking, just joking. Let's finish our meal, okay?"
I felt bad for teasing her further.
I got Song Soo-yeon to sit back down.
"....Yes."
She responded, and we continued our meal.
---
---
She was quite nervous about going to the haunted house, even though she was the one who suggested it first.
"......Are we really doing this?"
".........Yes."
While I was excited to see her different reactions, from her perspective, it was hard to understand.
Why insist on doing this when she was already trembling with fear even before entering?
Our turn arrived, and Song Soo-yeon didnt turn back until the last moment.
The staff at the haunted house handed us a small flashlight.
After briefing us on several precautions, he helped us enter.
As we stepped inside the haunted house, the staff closed the door behind us, and we were greeted by complete darkness and a chilling air.
-Click.
The flashlight turned on.
It was a weak flashlight, barely illuminating anything.
It didn't take long to realize that this flashlight was more decorative than functional.
Song Soo-yeon, unlike before, clung a bit closer to me.
"Shall we go?"
"Wa-Wait a moment."
She held me back as I was about to start walking.
Even in complete darkness, I had no trouble seeing Song Soo-yeon, accustomed as I was to the dark.
Thinking she was invisible in the darkness, she closed her eyes, took a few deep breaths, and then linked her arm with mine.
"........Let's go."
She whispered cautiously.
But it was her linking arms that came first.
"....No, Soo-yeon. The arm linking-"
"-Ju-Just... Dont say anything. Just this once. Okay...?"
Was this the kind of fearful experience she wanted?
Song Soo-yeon was making the most of her day.
I shrugged my shoulders and moved forward.
As we passed through the black curtain, the dimly lit haunted house with its red lights was revealed.
The space was decorated with various props.
And unintentionally, I pinpointed the location of every staff member dressed as ghosts.
I just couldn't help it.
I knew where they all were.
I could see where they would jump out from, how they planned to scare us.
.........
Still, I kept my mouth shut.
There was no need to ruin Song Soo-yeon's fun.
As we walked, her grip on my arm grew tighter.
"Mwaaah!"
A staff member, hidden behind a barred section, reached out towards us.
"Eek..!"
Song Soo-yeon, startled, buried her face in my arm.
I had to restrain myself from letting out a laugh at her scream.
Being in a situation where I couldn't get tense made every reaction of hers vividly register in my mind.
To tease her more, I said,
"Soo-yeon, you should look. You wanted to come here."
"..........."
"Are you scared?"
"I-I'm not scared."
She timidly opened just one eye from my arm, glanced forward, then buried her face back in my arm again.
For her sake, I moved forward.
Ghosts jumped out from here and there.
"Waaaah!"
"Ugh...!"
"Soo-yeon, you need to look ahead..."
"Yaaah!"
"Uh....!"
"Careful, put some strength in your legs...! You might fall...!"
Watching her reactions, my desire to tease her faded.
She was genuinely scared.
That 'Luna' was.
Thus, Song Soo-yeon, startled countless times, clung to my arm with such force that blood circulation nearly stopped, as we navigated through the haunted house.
By the time it was over, I was utterly exhausted too.
As soon as she faced the bright outdoor light, she relaxed her body and leaned against me, still not letting go of my arm.
Breathing heavily and still burying her face in my arm, I asked Song Soo-yeon.
"........Did you see anything?"
"............"
".....But you got what you wanted, right?"
She paused for a moment, then hugged my arm tighter.
".......Yes."
"....That's good then."
".....How come you werent scared even once?"
"No, I was. Just on the inside."
I lied for her sake.
Perhaps the haunted house was her fantasy, something she had always wanted to experience.
Just because it seemed meaningless to me, didn't mean it was meaningless to her.
"Alright, let's let go of the arm now. Let's walk around some more."
I gently disentangled her grip from my arm.
I wasn't sure what she might say once she regained her composure after being so frightened.
".....Ah."
She let out a short sigh.
".....Soo-yeon?"
"Huh? Oh.....yes. Let's go... to the next thing."
She then walked past me and started moving ahead.
I watched her for a moment, then followed her with a smile.
After a day full of fun, Song Soo-yeon and I were waiting for the final event.
The parade.
Everyone's anticipation for it made me look forward to it too.
Song Soo-yeon, though pretending otherwise, was probably most excited about this parade.
While waiting, I got lost in thought.
It truly felt like I had returned to being an ordinary person for the day.
Of course, I had been living as a regular person since my regression... but it's really a matter of feeling.
Blending into the crowd, enjoying a normal day.
I couldn't remember the last time I had felt as happy as I did today.
But one thing was certain: life after regression was hundreds of times better.
......Really, this is how I should have lived.
I wasn't the only one satisfied.
It was evident, even without words, that Song Soo-yeon had spent a happy day.
She laughed a lot, took many photos, and swore only once at a man who hit on her.
It was a day for the records.
Song Soo-yeon, still tightly wrapped in her scarf, had her hat pulled down deep.
After wearing it all day, she seemed to have lost all aversion to it.
With nothing else to do while waiting, I pressed the footpads of her bunny-eared beanie.
The ears wiggled amusingly.
"...Kuk-kuk-kuk."
A simple laugh.
Just being able to laugh so easily meant the beanie had done its job.
Song Soo-yeon hopped her feet to fight off the cold, no longer rejecting my touch like before.
"....When does it start?"
She asked.
"Any moment now."
I replied.
My words weren't a lie.
From our left, the sounds of cheering crowds and music started to fill the air.
Soon, the parade began.
People dressed as Santa Claus, others as Rudolph.
Fairies, bizarre animals, snowmen numerous people in delightful costumes waved at us, smiling.
I couldn't help but respect them.
People who strive to bring laughter to others.
Unlike me, who once instilled only fear in the eyes of others... they were truly admirable.
I waved back at them.
Expressions I hadnt noticed much when I was a villain appeared everywhere.
What expression was Song Soo-yeon wearing?
I turned to look at her.
"Huh?"
She wasn't watching the parade she had been anticipating.
Instead, she was staring intensely at me.
With a somewhat dazed look, she slowly blinked, continuing to fix her gaze on me.
"Soo-yeon, aren't you watching the parade?"
".......Ah. I should, yes."
She responded somewhat indifferently and turned her eyes to the parade.
....Was she tired?
As I watched the parade again, Song Soo-yeon cautiously spoke.
".....Mister. I have a wish."
Her voice was calmer than ever before.
"Ask Santa over there."
I joked in response.
Song Soo-yeon didn't react.
"....Its something only you can fulfill."
"..........."
I slowly nodded.
"I'll listen."
"............"
Song Soo-yeon fell silent again.
The music of the parade grew louder.
After a long pause, as if she was contemplating, she finally spoke again.
"......Let me drop the formalities."
".........."
I froze, taken aback.
I too fell into deep thought.
It seemed like a serious request.
Asking to drop the formalities.
Such a change from the past, when she firmly said she wouldn't change her way of addressing me and to not get any closer.
I smiled again, ensuring the mood didnt become too somber.
"......Thats quite a difficult request."
".....Yes...?"
She responded weakly.
"Weve been using this way of speaking for so long. Its not so easy to change."
".......Oh..no..."
"And I also use it to maintain some distance."
"....Mister....?"
She suddenly grabbed my arm.
As Song Soo-yeon placed her hand on me, I turned to look at her.
Our eyes met.
Fireworks burst momentarily, shooting up into the black sky.
The myriad colors of the lights were reflected in her eyes.
I spoke while looking at her.
"....Just kidding, Soo-yeon."
Song Soo-yeon's movement stopped.
I gave her a broad smile.
"Where else could you find such an easy wish to grant."
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