W-what, what is this?
Anyone would be nervous if someone came this close, close enough that their faces might touch, and it was none other than Beomwoo.
Even if I had sorted out my feelings a lot, if someone I had a crush on for years closed the distance like this, I couldn’t help but be nervous.
Moreover, Haejin had shared kisses and even a physical relationship with him in her past life, even if there was no love.
So this situation even seemed to overlap with those moments.
That ambiguous tension of being almost touched, and an unknown fear.
Because of that, Haejin flinched and tried to create distance.
But she stumbled and got caught on the chair.
There was no room to retreat.
Actually, there was no need to retreat either.
The current him had done nothing bad to me, and didn’t seem like he would.
But like someone caught in a trap, she was stuck, unable to do anything, just flustered.
Unconsciously rolling her eyes, searching for an escape route, he reached his hand toward me.
Just as he naturally got even closer and I tightly closed my eyes, a sharp metallic sound was heard.
Click.
“The seatbelt.”
“Ah……?”
Seatbelt?
Sneaking her eyes open and looking down, Beomwoo was fastening my seatbelt.
Ah…….
So he came close to fasten the seatbelt…….
The moment she realized, the tension drained away completely.
A strange sense of emptiness washed over her.
As if I had actually been expecting something like that.
I really didn’t have such expectations, looking up at the sky.
So why do I feel so empty watching him pull away without doing anything?
I wished there was a mouse hole to hide in.
Her face flushed bright red as she hung her head low.
She could feel Beomwoo’s gaze staring intently at her.
I wish he wouldn’t look…….
As Haejin avoided his gaze and repeatedly clenched and unclenched the fists she had placed on her knees, Beomwoo slowly pulled away while staring at her.
Then he grabbed the steering wheel again.
“Let’s get going.”
“Yes…….”
Her face must have been flushed.
He must have seen her flustered, not knowing where to look.
But he spoke calmly and grabbed the wheel.
It’s better that he pretends not to know…….
But it felt like he probably knew I was flustered, thinking about something and being embarrassed.
That made me want to die of shame.
Haejin secretly lowered the window to cool her heated face.
It seemed it would take quite a while to cool down this heat.
****
By the time the heat on her face had cooled, they had arrived at the movie theater.
Haejin felt a sense of novelty as she entered the building with him.
She never dreamed she would come to a place like this with him again.
Actually, even though I said it was our first date, I had been to a movie theater with Beomwoo in my past life.
Not like now, making an appointment and calling it a date.
But a few times when he happened to have movie tickets and asked if I wanted to go watch.
He said tickets often became available because one of the affiliate companies ran a theater.
Haejin usually liked movies.
But she also loved going somewhere and doing something with him.
So she would follow along without even knowing what movie it was.
But once she got to the theater, her heart would grow cold.
It was understandable; I went because I enjoyed the experience of being with him.
But Beomwoo would often leave during the movie to take a call and not return until it was almost over.
Or he would tell me to finish watching the movie myself while he went to take care of some business.
I went to watch it together.
But after such incidents happened a few times, I realized that what he wanted wasn’t to watch the movie with me.
My heart grew cold.
‘……And that person is taking me to a movie theater, calling it a date.’
Thinking it was strange, she waited briefly while Beomwoo went to pick up the tickets.
Before she knew it, he had returned and stood before her, holding something out.
“My hands are full, so could you hold this for me?”
“Ah, yes……!”
Lost in thought, she didn’t even notice what he was bringing or handing to her.
She just took it reflexively.
Only later did she see that what he had placed in her hands was popcorn.
The movie theater and popcorn were a perfect combination many people sought.
But Haejin hugged the popcorn to her chest with both hands and looked at him with round eyes.
As recalled earlier, she had been to a movie theater with him before.
But it was literally just going to the theater together.
So she had never seen him buy popcorn, nor had she seen him eat it.
Regardless of whether he liked or disliked popcorn, as someone who valued efficiency, he also disliked filling calories with unnecessary things.
Seeing him eat the fruit the housekeeper occasionally packed for him, it didn’t seem like he disliked snacks in general.
But she had almost never seen him put things like these snacks in his mouth.
“Half is original, and the other half is caramel flavor because you seem to like sweet things.”
“…….”
That person…… not only buying popcorn was surprising.
But he also considered my taste?
Considering the preferences of the person you’re meeting is the first step of a date.
But even something so ordinary felt surprising because it was him.
Maybe my expectations for him were just that low.
Countless thoughts crossed her mind.
As Haejin just looked down at the popcorn hugged to her chest in silence, Beomwoo, who had been standing there looking at her, cautiously asked.
“By any chance…… do you dislike popcorn?”
“Ah, no!”
“I like it……, I just haven’t eaten it much.”
“…….”
Was my reaction too unresponsive?
As Haejin jumped and answered in surprise, the expression on Beomwoo’s face, who had been asking cautiously, darkened.
Did it look like I was forcing a reaction?
That wasn’t the case…….
As Haejin awkwardly checked his mood, he let out a small sigh and opened his mouth.
“It’s almost time.”
“Let’s go in.”
“Ah, yes…….”
He looked like his feelings were hurt, didn’t he?
She sensed she might have given the wrong reaction.
But before she could ask, Beomwoo moved his steps into the theater.
Seeing his cold, retreating back, Haejin hurriedly chased after him.
The mood had definitely been fine.
But now she was trying to read the situation, wondering what mistake she had made.
****
“Did you enjoy it?”
“Yes, well…….”
“It was okay, I think.”
On the way out after the movie.
Walking down the corridor leading to the exit, Beomwoo asked for her thoughts.
Him asking for my thoughts after watching a movie was rare even in the past…….
But then again, occasions like today where we watched a movie together until the end and came out were few.
So perhaps it was natural.
As Haejin answered while blankly thinking that, Beomwoo seemed to notice something was off.
He furrowed one eyebrow as he spoke.
“Your reaction isn’t great.”
“Was it not good?”
“It’s okay if you didn’t like it, so feel free to say so.”
“I just want to know your preferences.”
Beomwoo urged her to answer.
He said she didn’t have to hold back if she was being reserved because he chose the movie.
He said he actually wanted to know her tastes, so she should be honest.
Is it okay to be honest with the person who suggested watching the movie together…….
In Haejin’s standards, it seemed impolite, so she hesitated.
But her dates with Beomwoo had a limited number set.
So, it wasn’t that she didn’t understand he wanted to know her preferences and focus on those things going forward.
Haejin hesitated a little before opening her mouth honestly.
“No…….”
“It wasn’t that it wasn’t good…….”
“I just didn’t really understand the protagonist’s emotions.”
“What aspect do you mean?”
“I don’t really get how she could regress, even time and again, with just the one goal of saving the male protagonist, when they weren’t in any kind of relationship.”
The movie they watched today was a common loop genre.
The protagonist, who could turn back time repeatedly, regressed infinitely to save the male protagonist.
Under normal circumstances, she would have passed it by without much thought.
But perhaps because she, like the movie’s protagonist, had regressed, she couldn’t just watch the movie and move on with a light heart as before.
They weren’t in any special relationship, yet she kept turning back time and enduring sacrifices to prevent his death.
Could one really do that without any feelings?
From her perspective, it was hard to understand.
As Haejin answered honestly though cautiously, Beomwoo seemed to think for a moment.
Then he stated his opinion.
“I think it’s possible.”
“…….”
I thought he would just ask whether I liked or disliked this kind of movie.
I didn’t expect Beomwoo to share his own thoughts.
It was unexpected.
But it wasn’t the first time I felt surprised by him in this life.
Also, it was a movie that left Haejin—who usually enjoyed any movie and never said she disliked anything—with enough discomfort to harbor complaints.
So she found herself opposing his opinion without realizing it.
“They weren’t in any kind of relationship, though?”
“Seeing someone die right in front of you, it could be due to guilt.”
“But it wasn’t that person’s fault, so why feel guilt?”
“It might not be a direct reason, but doesn’t the protagonist think that way?”
“That if she had just talked to him one more time back then, he might not have died.”
But Beomwoo responded to each of my points.
He said the protagonist could very well feel that emotion.
If I had watched the movie with someone else today, this conversation wouldn’t have been strange.
But as thought earlier, it was the first time having such a conversation.
He wasn’t usually talkative.
Seeing him not only share his thoughts on the movie but also counter my arguments, was the movie that interesting?
By this point, she even wondered if he didn’t just want to know my likes and dislikes.
She wondered if he wanted to state and make me understand his opinion.
But even hearing his words, the protagonist’s actions didn’t become particularly understandable.
As Haejin made a face that showed she still didn’t get it even after hearing him out, Beomwoo closed his mouth.
Then he opened it again belatedly.
“Perhaps there was an emotion she herself wasn’t aware of.”
Unlike earlier when he was sharing his movie thoughts, his voice was strangely more subdued.
It was tinged with seriousness.