Chapter 17: Train To Busan

“Wow… So this is Busan Station.”

After a 3-hour journey, I arrived at Busan Station.

Looking at the map, I could see that the sea was right in front.

I wanted to take a look at the sea, but Yujin unni would be waiting, so I decided to see it next time.

It didn’t seem polite to just broadcast from her house, so I took a break from streaming today and tomorrow.

Since it was my first break after debut, the viewers were understanding.

Numerous taxis were lined up at the taxi stand.

At Yongsan Station, there were always people queuing, so I could really feel that this was Busan.

“Hello~ Please go here!”

I held out the address and showed it to the driver.

“Yes~ Alright~”

As the taxi driver’s natural dialect flowed out, it felt even more like Busan.

But, didn’t Yujin unni not use a dialect?

I should ask her later if she can speak in dialect.

In Seoul, I rarely get to see people who speak the Gyeongsang dialect, so I need to observe a lot.

That’s because sometimes scripts with dialect recordings or mixed words come up.

After about a 40-minute drive, I arrived at Yujin unni’s house.

It was a place where ordinary apartment complexes were gathered.

Building 103, Unit 2102… This is it.

I paused for a moment to catch my breath before going in.

There were numerous “red pill” speculations when she was Yuha, but…

Yujin unni had never even turned on her camera, let alone revealed her face.

Meeting someone who was my idol in person, I’m so nervous…

Ding dong-

I heard rustling sounds from inside, and after about 3 minutes, the door opened.

“Come in.”

Yujin unni’s voice was heard, and a fragrant scent brushed past my nose.

Her silver hair caught my eye first. Her fine hair looked like silk.

She probably couldn’t wash properly because of her broken wrist, so how did she manage it so well?

…And even pigtails?

It was a hairstyle that suited her youthful face and slender figure.

However, for some reason, her lack of any light in her eyes looked a bit scary.

“E-Excuse me~”

Watching her slowly walk out on crutches, I could feel Yujin’s fragility.

However, even amidst that, her usual confident attitude stood out.

“Don’t your family live with you?”

“…They all live abroad.”

“Ah, ah…”

Perhaps due to Yujin unni’s personality, not a speck of dust was visible.

Sitting on the sofa in the spacious living room, I listened to her story.

***

“You said it was broken, right? How many days will it take to heal?”

“Actually, my wrist isn’t broken, it’s just cracked. They said I need to watch my wrist for about 2 weeks.”

“Huh, you took off your cast?”

“Yeah, they said I can take off the half-cast on my wrist when I wash, so I took it off for a bit.”

Her wrist was in a half-cast, so it was placed on the table.

“Then, your leg is broken, right?”

“Yeah. They said my leg will take a few weeks.”

Even though she must be in pain, her expression didn’t change at all.

Like a person devoid of emotions, her facial muscles showed no sign of moving.

“Do you know how to drive?”

“Huh? Yes… I have a license, right?”

“Good. Take me out for a drive.”

“Huh? Will you be okay with that leg?”

Yujin unni tapped her crutches and nodded.

Well, since her leg was broken, she probably couldn’t go out freely, so it’s understandable.

If it were me, I’d probably be dying to go out too.

I served in the army as a driver, but it’s been a long time since I drove, so I don’t know if I’ll be okay.

If I get into an accident, wouldn’t the insurance not cover it?

“The insurance… Is it okay?”

“Yeah. I applied for short-term insurance.”

“…You’re very thorough with your preparations.”

Yujin unni’s car, parked in the apartment’s underground parking lot.

Suhyeon, Yujin unni, and Rea all drive.

Should I really buy a car too?

“How much does this cost?”

“Well, I don’t remember, but I think it was around 40 or 50 million won.”

“……”

I decided to put my dream of owning a car on hold for a while.

It had been a long time since I drove, but surprisingly, my body remembered, so I could do it smoothly.

Honk!!

“Ah, they’re honking so much…”

The Busan city center, where they honk immediately if you hesitate for even a second after the light turns green.

“Hey!! Why are you cutting in here!!! You didn’t even use your turn signal?!”

I was driving perfectly fine, but there were numerous drivers who suddenly cut in without using their turn signals.

As I continued to get flustered and angry, Yujin unni occasionally turned her head.

Didn’t you just turn your head to laugh?

“Didn’t you just laugh?”

“No. I didn’t.”

“……”

Her attempt to hide something was so serious that I was at a loss for words.

“There’s a good sashimi restaurant near Gwangalli. Let’s go there.”

“Yes, alright.”

“You drive well, though. Driving in Busan can’t be easy.”

“I have some experience, hahaha…”

Because I drove a lot and hard in the army.

It’s possible because the memories from back then remain in my body.

A recent graduate in their early twenties driving in Busan?

They’d be prone to accidents.

Following her directions, we arrived at a sashimi restaurant with a panoramic view of Gwangalli Beach.

Located in a tall building, we could eat sashimi while looking at the sea.

“My treat. You can order anything you want.”

“Uh… Um… What’s delicious?”

Listening to her contemplation on sashimi, I just ordered two seasonal sets, which seemed like a safe bet.

As I looked at the seafood laid out so lavishly that it seemed the table legs would break, my mouth began to water.

“Let’s eat.”

“Huh? Is it okay if you don’t take pictures?”

Suhyeon was busy taking pictures when the food came out.

“Pictures…? Why would I take those?”

“Ah. L-Let’s eat!”

Since Yujin had injured her right hand, she was eating daintily with a fork in her left hand.

I wonder if this is what it would feel like to have a younger female cousin.

Her silver-dyed hair makes her look like a well-made doll.

Perhaps because her expression rarely changes, I get that feeling even more.

“Why are you staring at me like that?”

“Ah, ah, I’m sorry.”

“Was your journey here uncomfortable?”

“The train arrived pretty quickly. The seats were comfortable too.”

“That’s a relief.”

I still can’t believe that the her I saw on stream and the her here are the same person.

Even seeing it with my own two eyes is unbelievable, so I feel like I’m experiencing cognitive dissonance.

“Where is fun in Busan?”

“Well. I don’t know either.”

“Huh? Weren’t you born in Busan?”

“That’s true. But I didn’t go out to play.”

Thinking about it, it’s a bit strange.

Given her personality of liking the outdoors, I thought she would have gone out to play a lot.

“Where did you usually go when you went out?”

“The park near my house.”

“…Let’s think about where to go.”

While eating, I searched on my phone for good places to go.

Since it’s cold, indoors would be better than outdoors, right?

“Huh? There’s a pop-up store at a department store nearby, want to go together?”

“What kind of pop-up?”

“Pokemon!”

“Okay. Let’s go together. You like Pokemon, right?”

Perhaps because I spoke so excitedly, Yujin unni seemed to have noticed right away.

That I’ve been a Pokemon fan since I was young.

When I was a man, I didn’t dare to go, but since I changed into a woman and my personality changed, I really wanted to go.

Arriving at the department store, we encountered an obstacle right at the entrance to the parking lot.

No, can the width really be this narrow?

“Driving is difficult, right? It’s okay if it gets a little scratched.”

“Ah, no! It shouldn’t get scratched…”

Although she said it was okay if it got scratched, I couldn’t scratch someone else’s car.

Focusing all my attention, I succeeded in entering the parking lot.

As I made a proud expression, she was staring at me intently.

After parking, I looked around the car.

I smiled in relief, looked at her, and said.

“Haha… Thankfully, it didn’t get scratched.”

“Good job. Can you hold my hand?”

Since she could fall if she made a mistake, I held her hand tightly.

As our soft hands touched, I felt a sense of peace.

My first time at a pop-up store.

There were all sorts of Pokemon merchandise, so my eyes were truly feasting.

“I know this one. Gardevoir.”

“Huh? Ah? You remember?”

“I drew it a lot back then. Not by my own will.”

“Ah.”

There are a few non-human characters that frequently appeared in Yuha’s art streams.

Gardevoir, Lopunny… etc.

She was also carefully looking at those kinds of characters.

“Should I buy you one?”

“No, it’s okay.”

Since Yujin unni was looking at it intently, I felt like buying it for her even though she said it was okay.

As I picked up a doll, unni waved her hands and stopped me.

“It’s okay~ Wouldn’t it be nice to have one at home?”

“Thanks.”

The new house seemed a bit desolate, so I should fill it with dolls on this occasion.

I carried a handful of dolls and also paid for the Gardevoir doll Yujin unni was looking at.

With the doll in her hand, she looked like a scene from an illustration.

Holding hands, we also looked like an older sister and a younger sister.

Of course, I’m the one who looks like the older sister.

“Shall we go home now?”

“Okay.”

Perhaps because the sun had set, the wind had become incredibly cold.

Come to think of it, isn’t the beach if I turn right here?

“…Is it okay if we see the sea once before we go?”

“I don’t mind.”

Haeundae Beach was much larger than I thought.

It looked completely different from the small beaches I had only seen in pictures.

The apartments visible in the distance, shining as night fell.

I captured the seaside in a picture.

The sea breeze was cold, but wearing an outer garment made it quite bearable.

“Is walking okay?”

“Yeah, it’s okay because you’re holding my hand.”

Even after coming here, Yujin unni’s expression didn’t change at all.

Is she perhaps not having fun…?

“…Did you have fun today?”

“It was fun. Thanks to you, I got to go out after a long time.”

“That’s a relief… I was worried because your expression didn’t change at all.”

“Sorry.”

Her words were dry.

However, I could tell she was sincere.

Holding hands and sharing each other’s warmth seemed to provide a basis for understanding her feelings.

Her hand, trembling slightly as she looked at the sea.

Looking closely, her breathing had also been slightly shaky since earlier.

“Are you perhaps cold?”

“Huh? Uh… Uh. I think so.”

She was spacing out for a moment, so her response to my words was a bit late.

I offered her my outer garment and then took her to the car.

Before going up to Seoul, I should come to the beach one more time.

I wanted to dip my feet in too, but I couldn’t because I had to hold Yujin unni’s hand.

With a lingering sense of regret, I returned home.

Fortunately, her house had a separate guest room.

Three rooms, a broadcasting room, a bedroom… and a guest room?

Is it possible because her family lives abroad?

After a quick wash, I half-dried my hair and organized my luggage.

Among the dolls, I found her doll, went into her room, and handed it to her.

“Unni, here’s your doll.”

“Oh. Thanks.”

She clutched the Gardevoir doll tightly in her hand and looked at me, having changed into her pajamas.

It felt like looking at a younger sister, adding a sense of inexplicable pride.

“Good night.”

“Yes~ See you tomorrow~”

The exciting first day of my Busan trip ended satisfactorily.

I ate delicious food and went to places I wanted to go.

“I wonder what I can do tomorrow~”

***

“……”

Yujin’s room, completely dark and incredibly quiet.

Yujin lay with her eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling.

Then, she stared blankly at the Gardevoir doll Eunseo had bought her for several minutes.

“…I’m sorry. For lying.”

Soon, she looked at the doll and apologized softly.

Still, no emotion was visible on her face.

Eunseo had no idea what lie she had told.

She was simply looking forward to tomorrow in Busan.

“Should I go to the aquarium tomorrow~”