9 – Date
We entered the nearest movie theater.
It had a towering screen, boasting about IMAX or whatever.
“Oh… indeed, action movies need a vast screen.”
“Right, right? I’ll go reserve our seats!”
Whether she was excited about watching the action movie or about our date, I couldn’t tell, but Ara was pure high tension.
Watching her like that, a chuckle escaped me.
“Well, then, should I get some popcorn?”
Don’t people always get popcorn at the movies?
We stood in line at the popcorn place right next to the ticket counter.
It seemed there were still people even at this time.
“Yes… heh… I’ll take your order, sir.”
“A large popcorn, half with cheese flavor and half with onion flavor, and two medium-sized colas, please.”
“If you purchase it as a combo, it’ll be more affordable. Would you like that?”
“Yes, and also, please add some cheese nachos.”
“Altogether, it’s 10,500 won. Yes, I’ve received your card.”
The hand taking the card seemed a bit odd, but for now, I had bought popcorn, drinks, and nachos.
Nachos are purely my taste.
By the way, did Ara go to the main office to buy the movie tickets?
Where did she go?
“Seonghwan, did you buy popcorn?”
At that moment, Ara approached me from behind, wiping her hands.
She must have gone to the restroom.
“Yes, can you please hold this?”
“Huh, what’s this?”
Ara’s expression turned puzzled.
And it seemed a bit dark…
What, did I forget something?
“The butter squid…?”
“Yes? Did unnie like butter squid?”
“Yeah… that’s her favorite.”
No way, did that make her upset?
Have I ever seen someone so adorable?
Certainly, I even bought cheese nachos.
I handed Ara all the popcorn and cola I was holding.
And from the pocket, he pulled out a card.
“Shall we get butter squid and something else?”
“Hmm… how about a hotdog?”
“Got it. Just wait a moment.”
I smiled and headed back to the store to place another order.
*
“It was fun, but…”
“The action thriller was lacking, huh?”
I went expecting something like John Wick, but in reality, it turned out to be more like Jeon Woochi.
It’s not that Jeon Woochi wasn’t enjoyable, but I was expecting a thriller filled with guns and physical combat, and instead, mystical elements and magic popped up, ruining the excitement.
“But still, that chase scene was decent enough to make my palms sweaty.”
“Right? Just that scene alone deserves to be in the top picks of a lifetime!”
Ara began to get excited again, reminiscing about that scene.
Even if she hid her body tightly with sunglasses and a mask, her voice might have given her away.
“Um… excuse me! Could I get your autograph, by any chance…”
Look.
Already, a fan who realized it all appeared, requesting an autograph.
Ara slightly lowered her mask, gesturing for silence, and after a ‘shh,’ she took the note the fan handed over and signed it.
Since only that person seemed to notice, we decided to leave the spot for now.
With things like this, it wasn’t a date anymore; it was turning into a fan signing event again.
***
“I’m hungry.”
“Should we go eat?”
It had been about an hour since they started walking hand in hand in the park.
It seems Ara’s stomach started growling.
“Can’t we have homemade food instead of eating out?”
“I’m fine with that, but…”
“To be honest, I think Sang-ho’s cooking is tastier than dining out.”
Ding.
Something stirred deep in my heart.
How could I not reciprocate such sweet words?
He’s so lovable.
I reached out and gently patted Ara’s head.
“hehehe… Actually, there’s something I want to eat today too…”
“Just tell me. I’ll make it all for you!”
“Carbonara and crispy pork belly…”
These were all dishes I had seen in recent YouTube videos.
Especially the crispy pork belly, it was a hit after a famous overseas chef uploaded a video.
“Let’s see… I think I need pancetta for the carbonara… Does Costco have it?”
“What’s that? Is it really necessary?”
“Well, even if there’s no observation lettuce, you can replace it with pancetta or bacon, so it doesn’t matter much.”
“Th-then, that’s possible?”
I nodded.
Looking at Ara’s brightened face, I felt an inexplicable urge to tease her.
“Sis, do you know that?”
“Know what?”
“The pepper that goes on top of the original carbonara pasta was originally coal dust.”
“I feel like I’ve heard that before? Or maybe not?”
Originally, carbonara was a simple dish that miners filled their stomachs with.
Because they ate it in the coal mine, the dust of falling coal would end up on top of the noodles. But without caring, they just ate it. Later on, it became black pepper.
“So today, I’m going to try making a ‘traditional’ carbonara.”
“Wh-what? No way… right?”
“On Ara’s pasta, we’ll sprinkle coal dust…”
“Eek! In that case, never mind!”
I laughed heartily, watching Ara, who was hitting my thigh with a pout.
She’s really someone who knows how to have fun teasing others.
***
As usual, I tidied up the blanket and did the laundry.
Come to think of it, the entrance to school is approaching…
It’s a relief that I don’t need to enter a dormitory since the school is right in front of me.
I didn’t want to be separated from Ara for no reason.
By the way, Ara went down to Busan to film a program.
It seems like it will take at least two days because it’s a tour program.
Sigh…
Is this what it feels like for a wife to send her husband on a business trip and be alone at home?
It feels strangely empty.
From Noble mtl dot com
It’s just a little distance away, but it feels different from when I commute to the broadcasting station or agency.
Ding dong~
At that moment, the doorbell rang.
What could it be?
Did a package arrive?
I picked up the intercom and pressed the button.
“Who is it?”
– Excuse me, is this the residence of Song Ara?
“Yes, that’s me.”
The unfamiliar woman’s voice made me feel uneasy, as if she had a sharp edge to her voice.
– A registered mail has arrived for Song Ara… Are you the recipient?
What’s this?
She was from the post office.
To my surprise.
“No, she’s my husband.”
– Oh.. Can I know when Ms. Song Ah-ra will be coming?
“Um.. It’s a bit difficult to reveal my wife’s occupation.. She’ll be away for two days for now.”
– Ah. Then I’ll leave the parcel slip here, please pass it to Ms. Song Ah-ra when she comes.
Before I could reply, the post office lady dashed off and disappeared.
Is she that busy?
Normally, even if they’re busy, they don’t just slap the slip and leave without asking when the recipient will be back, right?
I opened the front door and looked outside.
It seems like the hurried footsteps I heard earlier weren’t just my imagination.
“Huh?”
She clearly said she would leave the slip, but there was no slip, not to mention any trace of a sticker.
Did she forget even that in her rush?
I sighed with my arms crossed.
Then, I took out my phone and logged into the community site.
I can’t be the only one who knows about this hilarious incident, can I?
[“The post office lady just came and left without putting the registered mail slip ㅋㅋ”]
She said she would leave it because the recipient wasn’t home, and then she disappeared.
When I opened the door, no one was there.
Seems like someone’s really busy, lol.
I went inside, wrote some stuff, and then threw my phone onto the sofa.
The washing machine was making a racket, probably demanding to be emptied. Ara changes clothes so often that I have to do laundry every single day. Especially her panties and underwear. They’re expensive items that need to be washed separately in a laundry bag, so I have to take good care of them.
I picked up one of Ara’s panties.
“Snniff…”
It only smelled like fabric softener, but it was kind of an exciting scent.
I’ve seen Ara sniffing my panties before, so we’re even.
“Ughhh… haaah.”
But to anyone else, it would seem like a weird thing to do, so I tossed it into the laundry basket and headed to the veranda.
***
After hanging up the laundry and finishing the tidying up, I sat down on the sofa.
Doing housework turns out to be surprisingly time-consuming.
“My shoulders are a bit stiff.”
I wonder if Ara will massage them a little when she gets home. Normally, it should be the other way around…
Thinking about it, I had left a post on the community site earlier.
I turned on my phone to check the comments I had received.
“Wow, look at the comments…”
Although I hadn’t checked the content yet, it showed a +999.
Indeed, things that are interesting should be shared with others.
I went into the post I had made and started reading the comments one by one.
ㄴHey, isn’t that a recent method used in kidnappings against kids?
ㄴI heard stalkers use this trick to catch a glimpse of your face.
ㄴBro, did you check if no one was there when you opened the door? If they were caught in the act, you should check CCTV footage, collect evidence, and find witnesses.
ㄴListen to this scatterbrain. It’s in the news these days. Don’t you watch the news, gay boy?
ㄴIs it a girl or a guy?
ㄴIs that even important, you horny brat?
ㄴJust worried, that’s all.
No matter how much I scrolled down, there were only similar replies.
They mentioned that it’s a method often used in kidnapping or rape cases.
Usually, they make it seem like you can receive it even if there’s no recipient, then they either kidnap or rape you, one of the two.
In cases like attempted crimes, they say they stick a sticker on saying you can’t receive it unless you’re the person involved and then they run away.
And when you actually open the door and check the front gate, there’s nothing attached.
I shivered for a moment.