Chapter 34: Unraveling Truths and Unexpected Turns

When Kim Inho woke up, he splashed his face with cold water. His mind was foggy.

He wanted to sleep more, but that would make him late for the appointment.

Stumbling, he made his way to the bathroom and looked in the mirror.

A zombie stood there. A zombie who had barely slept after tossing and turning all night, managing to get some rest around 4 a.m.

The horrid sight made him think, Should I cancel the appointment? but he resisted. It wouldn’t be polite.

Still, after a shower and some lotion, he felt somewhat better.

Standing in front of the full-length mirror in his room, Kim Inho hesitated.

What should I wear?

He avoided the checkered shirt. Not only did he not like it, but its image didn’t sit well with him.

He also discarded the sweater and polo shirt.

After much deliberation, Kim Inho opted for a simple but very neat and neutral outfit: a shirt with jeans.

If someone didn’t look good in that, they probably didn’t look good in clothes at all.

He didn’t make the mistake of wearing a backpack, and instead chose canvas shoes over sneakers.

Good.

Feeling like a college freshman again (even though he’d been drafted right after entering and was now returning for his second semester), Kim Inho moved toward the meeting place.

The clock tower near the cinema. When he arrived, he checked the time.

He was 50 minutes early. He had woken up a little late and worried, but fortunately, he had managed to arrive on time.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Kim Inho looked around. It was about time for Han Yurim to arrive.

And then, his eyes immediately dropped.

He had made eye contact with a woman.

It’s Min Chae Won.

Min Chae Won. A colleague from the movie theater, who was very blunt and had an intimidating aura (or so he assumed), making it difficult to get close to her.

Is she meeting her boyfriend?

Not wanting to draw attention and risk trouble (paranoia), Kim Inho cautiously tried to move to the other side, but—

“Kim Inho-ssi?”

Min Chae Won called out to him, making him stop in his tracks.

Why is Min Chae Won calling me?

In that instant, a hundred different thoughts flashed through Kim Inho’s mind. He won’t get into specifics due to privacy concerns.

Min Chae Won, wearing sunglasses, continued.

“You’re early. Unnie is at the café. Follow me.”

“Huh?”

“Didn’t Yurim unnie call you here?”

“Uh, yeah, but…”

What’s going on?

Still dazed, Kim Inho followed Min Chae Won and quickly checked the message he had received yesterday.

Han Yurim: Do you want to go shopping tomorrow? I’ll pay.

…So this wasn’t a one-on-one meeting.

He wanted to scream in his head but instead sighed and followed Min Chae Won into the café.

Inside, with its antique-style decor, something caught Kim Inho’s eye.

A bright blonde, almost as if it were the sun itself.

Clear blue eyes, as if reflecting the sky, the kind of beauty that made the word perfect seem too small.

Every time he saw her, it was hard to get used to.

Kim Inho steadied his pounding heart and walked toward Han Yurim.

“Unnie.”

“You’re early.”

“You were early too.”

“Well, I’m always like this. Hmm.”

At Han Yurim’s scrutinizing gaze, Kim Inho shrank back. Why is she doing this?

Han Yurim, who had been staring at Kim Inho, slowly nodded and then nudged Min Chae Won in the side.

“I told you, right?”

“Yeah, you did.”

What is it that’s right? What’s going on? Kim Inho felt a little left out and was starting to feel upset when Han Yurim spoke.

“Actually, today, Chae Won is buying me clothes.”

So that’s why Min Chae Won is here.

But why is that?

“It’s because I wear popular items from an online shopping mall. The moment I heard that, I thought of you, Inho.”

Me?

“You also use the same site as I do.”

The secret code they had just exchanged meant that my fashion sense was garbage.

It would have been better to stay feeling left out.

Frozen by this shocking revelation, Kim Inho stared blankly, and Han Yurim sipped her Americano before speaking.

“I’ve received a lot from you, Inho, and I’m really grateful. So, while Chae Won is buying me clothes, I decided to buy clothes for you too.”

“…You could’ve told me other people would be involved.”

“Didn’t I tell you? I didn’t, huh. Since you and Chae Won know each other, I just glossed over it. Sorry.”

Han Yurim bowed her head apologetically.

Everything was fine, but a question popped into Kim Inho’s mind.

“You and Min Chae Won know each other?”

“No?”

“We’re coworkers, but that’s not the context. You mean you thought we were close, right?”

“At least I thought you had become close to Chae Won.”

Why would she think that? Is she implying that if I think someone is pretty, I automatically like them?

It wasn’t completely wrong, but I didn’t think it was that serious.

Confused, Kim Inho furrowed his brows, and Han Yurim asked,

“Do you not watch my streams?”

“I can’t really catch live broadcasts. If you had a YouTube channel, I’d watch it, but you don’t.”

“I do have one.”

“Only game PVs are uploaded though.”

“Well, I guess you don’t know what I’ve been doing on my streams then.”

I almost didn’t know. I occasionally tuned in but turned it off after about 10 seconds.

Han Yurim glanced at Min Chae Won. She had a look as if seeking approval.

When Min Chae Won nodded, Han Yurim began explaining.

“Min Chae Won is a broadcaster.”

“A broadcaster?”

“Yeah. By the way, I can’t believe you didn’t know. How is that possible?”

“People are less interested in personal broadcasts than you think.

Big companies like MiTube have celebrities, but I’m not that famous.

It’s not just you, Inho. Other people probably don’t know either.”

For a moment, Kim Inho felt the urge to search Min Chae Won’s name online. But he resisted. It was almost a feat of iron will.

Whether she knew how hard he was struggling or not, Han Yurim popped a piece of chocolate cake into her mouth and widened her eyes.

“This place… the desserts seem to be handmade. They’re amazing.”

“So, unnie, what does it matter that Min Chae Won is a broadcaster?”

“Huh? Oh, I thought Inho might be watching Chae Won’s broadcasts because we’ve been involved with each other so much. If you watch regularly, you get curious, right?”

“Is that related to familiarity?”

“Viewers usually develop a sense of closeness with broadcasters.”

I didn’t really know, so I just let it slide.

It was tiring to hear any more.

“Unnie, let’s go.”

At Min Chae Won’s urging, Kim Inho moved with Han Yurim toward their destination.

It had been a long time since he had been to a department store.

These days, everything could be ordered online.

There was almost no reason to visit an offline store anymore.

Min Chae Won navigated the department store with ease, recommending clothes to Han Yurim.

About one out of every ten recommendations was for Kim Inho’s clothes.

“Hmm.”

“Hmmm.”

“I like this.”

“Hm.”

“Whoa.”

“Wow.”

“Ahh.”

“This one’s nice.”

“Hmm…”

These were Han Yurim’s reactions every time Min Chae Won brought out clothes.

It seemed like she had a firm preference, but Kim Inho couldn’t understand why she only wore popular items from clothing malls, just like him.

The brief clothes recommendations for Kim Inho came to an end quickly.

As she handed over the clothes, Min Chae Won advised, “Inho should wear darker colors because of his skin tone.”

There were many other explanations, but they sounded like a foreign language, so he couldn’t remember beyond that.

After quickly handling Kim Inho, Min Chae Won went on a hunt around the department store to solve the main dish—Han Yurim.

About two hours later, Min Chae Won mumbled softly.

“Unnie.”

“Yeah.”

“Are you really only going to wear this?”

“Isn’t it pretty?”

“If you’re the model, everything looks good on you.”

Min Chae Won sighed. It seemed like she didn’t like the clothes Han Yurim had chosen, but honestly, Kim Inho didn’t understand.

Wasn’t it good?

Kim Inho wasn’t the only one who thought that.

Han Yurim tilted her head and opened her mouth.

“Isn’t it good?”

“It’s good, but it’s too…”

“Too?”

“It’s the kind of clothes certain types of guys like on girls.”

“What type?”

“…Otaku.”

At those words, Kim Inho flinched. He had a trauma when a girl like Min Chae Won called someone an “otaku.”

He subtly glanced at Han Yurim to gauge her reaction. He was worried she might change all the clothes after hearing that.

However, to his surprise, Han Yurim smiled brightly.

“Now it makes sense.”

“Now it makes sense?”

“I was wondering why you liked only these kinds of clothes. I’m an otaku, you know. I’m pretty deep into it.”

Han Yurim puffed her chest out. Kim Inho followed suit and puffed his chest out too.

Min Chae Won shot Kim Inho a glare (he had moved suddenly, but there was no intention behind it). Immediately, Kim Inho shrank back.

Han Yurim grabbed her shopping bags and started walking.

“Shopping’s done. Let’s go eat, I’m hungry.”

“I’ve already made a reservation.”

The restaurant Min Chae Won had reserved was a stylish Korean restaurant with a traditional Hanok setting.

The reserved spot was a private room. Following the guide, they entered the room, and Han Yurim sat down. Min Chae Won sat next to her.

Kim Inho sat at the empty seat, across from Han Yurim.

“I knew you liked Korean food, so I reserved here. It was a good choice, right?”

“I’ve been craving Korean food lately, but I like all kinds of food.”

She liked everything, huh? Kim Inho made a mental note of that and drank some water.

After a brief wait, appetizers arrived: steamed abalone, grilled pine mushrooms, and salad.

Everything was served on individual plates, making it feel like they were at a fine-dining restaurant.

Kim Inho, holding his chopsticks, hesitated and decided to try the salad first. At least that was familiar to him.

The salad had fruit in it.

There were various types: apples, tangerines, and peaches.

“Peach?”

Kim Inho looked up.

Han Yurim was eating the salad.

Kim Inho quickly shouted.

“Unnie, this is a peach!”

“Huh?”

Despite Kim Inho’s warning, Han Yurim put the salad in her mouth.

Munch. Swallow.

Han Yurim spoke.

“Yeah, it’s a peach.”

“No, that…”

Kim Inho stumbled over his words, his mind racing with all kinds of thoughts.

The gaze was burning. Specifically, Min Chae Won’s gaze was burning.

He wanted to turn back time.

Buzz. The vibration sound. Min Chae Won pulled out her smartphone and excused herself as she went outside.

“Unnie, just a second. I need to take this call.”

Now alone, Han Yurim kept moving her chopsticks. The clinking sound filled the room.

Should I leave too?

Kim Inho, unsure what to do after making a mess on his own, started to feel restless.

Han Yurim ate a piece of grilled pine mushrooms and said.

“You remember that well? I only mentioned it casually.”

“Yeah, I remember it right!”

Kim Inho jumped up.

About three weeks ago, when Han Yurim visited his house, she had said she couldn’t eat peaches. But now, she ate them as if nothing was wrong. It surprised him.

So he had remembered correctly.

But why did she lie about that?

“Hmmm.”

Han Yurim scanned Kim Inho with a strange look. Feeling awkward, he sat down in an uncomfortable position.

Han Yurim put down her chopsticks and spoke.

“Inho.”

“…Yes?”

“Did you come out because of me?”

“I guess it’s because of my habit…”

Did I do something wrong?

Was I too serious about a joke?

What if she thinks I’m stalking her?

Kim Inho lowered his head. What should he do?

Bam-bam-bam

At the sound of the effect, Kim Inho lifted his head.

Han Yurim was eating steamed abalone with a neutral expression on her face.

“Congratulations. The Han Yurim route has been unlocked. Continue to pursue the truth.”

“Huh?”

“Chae Won’s ability to pick restaurants is impressive. So far, there haven’t been any bad choices.”

Han Yurim continued eating as if nothing had happened.

Kim Inho relaxed and leaned back in his chair.

There were times when he didn’t understand what his unnie said.

Really.

“Still, thanks to you, Inho, one problem has been solved.”

“What problem?”

“I’ve decided what kind of game to make next.”

Thud. Han Yurim set her water glass down and declared.

“The next game is a visual novel. The protagonist is a student repeating the year. This is all thanks to you, Inho.”

Kim Inho didn’t understand how it was because of him, but decided to let it go.

Anyway, he wouldn’t understand even if he listened.