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Join the ServerThe restroom was bright and quiet.
It felt even more so, having just emerged from the dark, noisy screening room.
Eunhae hastily squeezed herself into an empty stall and locked the door. A primal sense of security washed over her.
“Whew…”
The darkness surrounding her and the immense screen had created a level of immersion far beyond watching TV at home. The problem was that Eunhae herself had become too deeply engrossed.
She was naturally empathetic, easily putting herself in others’ shoes. This was why she struggled when seeing fates, always empathizing with the individuals involved.
“It wasn’t this bad when I watched it at home.”
Having become so absorbed in the protagonist’s constant struggles, even her own trauma had been triggered.
Being in a bright, quiet place made her feel significantly better. Yet, she couldn’t bring herself to re-enter the screening room.
“There’s still over two hours left until the movie ends.”
Eunhae ran a hand over her face, lost in thought.
Then, a chilling realization suddenly struck her.
“My hat!”
The screening room had been dark, so she’d comfortably taken off her hat. In her frantic rush to leave, she had completely forgotten to retrieve it.
“Oh, what should I do?”
Going back into the screening room felt terrifying. However, facing people without her hat was even more frightening.
After a long period of agonizing, Eunhae finally made up her mind.
“I’ll just go in, grab my hat… just my hat, and come right back out. It’ll be fine if I’m only in there for a moment.”
She mumbled, taking a deep breath. A tiny spark of courage ignited within her.
“I can do it, I can do it, I can do it—Gah!”
“Reacting like that makes me feel like a very bad person.”
“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t expect to see you here…”
Jung Seunghee offered a wry smile, meeting Eunhae’s gaze.
“Are you alright?”
“Huh? Y-yes?”
“Your complexion looked terrible earlier. I was worried when you went out and didn’t come back for so long.”
“Oh… has that much time passed?”
She had been so engrossed in her internal struggle that she hadn’t even checked how much time had elapsed.
Feeling embarrassed, Eunhae continued to fuss with her hair unnecessarily.
“B-but why did you come out?”
“I couldn’t concentrate on the movie at all because I was worried about you, Noona.”
“I’m sorry…”
“Are you alright now?”
“Huh? Oh, yes, I’m fine.”
“Then let’s just go out and get some coffee. Or there’s a bookstore nearby, we could browse for books there.”
“Oh, oh…”
Eunhae’s face contorted with distress.
‘I need to get my hat back!’
But Jung Seunghee had already left the screening room as well. She couldn’t even remember where they had been sitting.
And now that she thought about it, the dark screening room meant she wouldn’t be able to see where her hat had fallen, which was another problem.
“What’s wrong?”
“Ah, well… I dropped my hat.”
“Your hat?”
“Yes… I think I dropped it somewhere on the way out.”
“It might be hard to go back and find it now. We should just tell a staff member.”
‘No, I need that hat right now!’
…If she said that, she would also have to explain *why* she needed the hat.
Eunhae quickly concocted any excuse she could.
“It’s my, my comfort hat.”
“…Pardon?”
“Like a comfort doll, you know. I can’t feel psychologically stable without my hat… something like that.”
“There’s such a thing?”
“Of course. There are quite a few things in the world that others can’t easily understand. My… comfort hat… is one of them.”
“You said earlier that you wear a hat because you’re sensitive to sunlight.”
“I sa—Ah! Right, I did say that.”
“…”
“W-well, because I’m sensitive to sunlight, I kept wearing a hat, and then I became attached to the hat… and now I’m attached to the hat itself… That’s it. Yes, that’s it.”
“Hmm. So, it’s not that the hat holds special memories, but rather that you became fond of it because you had no choice but to wear it?”
“Exactly! You’re so smart!”
Jung Seunghee, the top student in Physics, swallowed a hollow laugh.
“Then let’s come back another time for that hat, and today, let’s go out and buy a new one.”
“Huh?”
“We can’t just wait here for another hour until the movie ends, can we?”
“No, I can wait…”
“Buying a new hat is much more efficient. I didn’t like that hat anyway.”
“H-huh?”
“A brighter color suits you much better than black, Noona.”
“Is that so?”
Eunhae nodded, then reminded herself that she shouldn’t just agree here.
She couldn’t go hat shopping without a hat!
‘Should I say… my stomach hurts?’
Her stomach already felt a bit queasy from the excessive stress.
“There are sports brands in the mall downstairs. Let’s go down.”
“…Okay.”
She didn’t have the courage to hide in the restroom for an hour, feigning a stomachache. Eunhae sighed wearily and followed behind Jung Seunghee.
“Noona, you’re going to trip if you keep doing that.”
“Why would I trip if I’m only looking at my feet?”
“You won’t see people coming.”
“Seunghee, you keep an eye out for me.”
Holding Seunghee’s hand tightly, Eunhae clung to him, taking small, hurried steps.
She looked like a frightened child venturing into the world for the first time.
A weak and fragile creature.
Unconsciously, Seunghee tightened his grip on Eunhae’s hand.
“Seunghee, you’re hurting me.”
“I’m sorry. I put too much strength in my hand, afraid I’d lose you, Noona.”
“D-don’t let go of my hand.”
Eunhae’s voice trembled, betraying her anxiety.
Seunghee’s tongue felt dry with thirst. He licked his parched lips and smiled.
He wanted to lift her bowed head and see her expression.
Instead, he feigned a gentle and kind voice.
“Of course. I’ll hold on tight.”
“Thank you! But is it still a long way to where they sell hats?”
“We’ll be there in no time.”
The sports brand store was not far.
Suddenly, Seunghee had a thought: Eunhae wouldn’t know if he took a detour. She was looking down anyway, unaware of their direction.
Then he could savor this sweet anxiety a little longer.
‘I never knew I was such a pervert.’
After a brief moment of contemplation, Seunghee decided not to detour and headed straight for the store.
If he stayed like this any longer, he felt he might cause a truly significant incident.
Either to himself, or to Eunhae.
“We’re here.”
“Really?”
Eunhae lifted her head sharply.
“Hats!”
Excited, she let go of Seunghee’s hand and began picking up the displayed hats one by one.
Seunghee looked down at his suddenly empty hand. Her touch still lingered, but it was quickly fading.
A sense of regret washed over him.
‘How can I keep her with me longer?’
His gaze shifted, landing on Eunhae’s back.
She had picked up a black hat and was trying it on. What was she so afraid of? She wasn’t even standing properly in front of the mirror, just peeking her head out to check.
“Noona, I told you to pick something other than black.”
“Ah… Black is just the most comfortable.”
“Because you can just wear it carelessly?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ve always thought a brighter color suits you much better than black, Noona. Try this on.”
Seunghee placed a vintage-style denim hat on Eunhae’s head. The heavily washed, faded sky-blue hat suited her quite well.
Eunhae seemed to realize it too, her eyes widening.
“Wow, this is pretty.”
“Right? For you, Noona, lighter denim colors are better than darker ones.”
“You have really good taste! Do you usually pick things out like this for people?”
“You’re the first person I’ve ever shopped with.”
“…”
Eunhae’s expression turned serious.
“Do you really not have any friends either?”
Her gaze was filled with genuine concern. It was so endearing and amusing that Seunghee burst into laughter.
“I do, and I don’t.”
“I thought you had tons of friends…”
It was as if ‘shared suffering’ was written in each of Eunhae’s eyes.
‘She’s truly someone whose emotions are so transparent.’
“You don’t have any friends either, Noona. It’s good that we, who don’t have friends, are dating.”
“No, I do! I have lots of friends!”
“You eat alone, Noona.”
“…That’s true.”
“Where are all your friends, Noona?”
“They’re on the internet.”
“…”
“You just made the same face as my dad. You thought, ‘What kind of friends are internet friends?’ didn’t you?”
“That’s not important. Do you like that hat?”
“Oh? Uh, yeah…”
Eunhae checked the mirror once more. Her slightly flushed expression answered for her.
“Then give it to me. I’ll go pay.”
“Huh? No, it’s fine. I have money to buy a hat.”
“I want to buy it for you.”
“But you already spent a lot of money today…”
“If you wear the hat I bought you and think of me, it’s a good deal.”
You think this chapter was thrilling? Wait until you read I Just Wanted An Ordinary Life This Time! Click here to discover the next big twist!
Read : I Just Wanted An Ordinary Life This Time
