“…Who are you?”
For the first time, Su-yeon showed strong wariness. Instinctively narrowing her eyes, she moved a step closer to Ga-young, keeping her guard up against the man.
Ga-young, watching Su-yeon in this wary state akin to a stray cat, did not stop her but observed for a moment before speaking.
“A junior from my department. I was on my way back after finishing a group project.”
“Hello…”
“Oh… I see? Hello??”
Rather than easing, Su-yeon’s wariness grew even stronger.
As if a small lesser panda were attempting to intimidate, the growing crowd drew attention. The man left a brief farewell and quickly disappeared.
Su-yeon glared at the man’s retreating figure until it faded from sight, then finally lowered her guard and returned to her usual self.
“Why did you come here?”
Ga-young asked why Su-yeon had come all the way to her school, which was at least an hour from his house.
After thinking for a moment, Su-yeon explained what had happened to her that day, prompting Ga-young to make a suggestion.
“Do you want to look around my school?”
***
Choi Ga-young POV
“Senior! Great job on your presentation today!”
Not a close acquaintance—in fact, far from it. A mere junior from the same department whose name he didn’t even know.
Someone who ended up in the same group by the professor’s random team assignment.
“Thanks. Next time, it’ll be better if you organize the materials properly before sending them. It’s tough to prepare if you just copy and paste.”
“Yes..!”
Feeling there was nothing more to say, Ga-young quickened her pace slightly.
“…Do you have something to say?”
At first, she thought they were simply walking the same way and tried to ignore it.
But since the junior had no reason to follow her all the way to the entrance, curiosity prompted her to ask.
“Uh… Do you have any plans?”
“Why?”
“I just… need someone to hang out with.”
“I have plans. Go hang out with someone else.”
“Tsk….”
After curtly declining, Ga-young headed toward the entrance to return home.
But oddly, there were more people gathered at the entrance than usual.
The sounds of camera shutters and murmurs filled the air.
At the entrance, a figure stood, gazing curiously at the campus and the exterior of the buildings, as if captivated.
Bright red, sparkling eyes peeked out under a hat, while a ponytail of white hair swayed gently, impossible to hide.
“…Su-yeon?”
“Unnie! …Unni…?”
As soon as Su-yeon heard my voice, she turned and froze upon seeing me.
“Do you want to explore our school?”
Allowing outsiders into the campus was undoubtedly prohibited, but wandering around the vicinity should be fine.
Besides, I was grateful to have been rid of a bothersome person earlier.
“Yes!”
Su-yeon answered cheerfully and began following me closely.
Honestly, there wasn’t much to show off at my university.
Perhaps the affordable cafeteria food, neatly arranged campus streets, or the bench where Eun-ah often napped, along with the exterior of the school buildings.
Yet, Su-yeon marveled at even these trivial sights, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
After a full tour of the school, we sat down at a quiet bench, and a sense of curiosity arose within me.
***
Lee Su-yeon POV
Chocoa was already seated on the bench, sipping half-finished coffee and taking a break.
Watching her, even in such an ordinary moment, I thought she looked cool. I took a seat next to her.
Within a few seconds, she asked me.
“Are you not attending university?”
“No…”
Caught off guard by an entirely unexpected question, I hesitated before answering.
“Is there a reason?”
“There’s no reason, really. To be exact, I just don’t see the need to attend university. There’s a lot I need to do, and I’ve found something I want to pursue.”
“…Are you talking about streaming?”
Ga-young unnie’s expression darkened slightly, more out of concern than disapproval.
“Yes! It started out as simple curiosity, but these days, I genuinely enjoy it.”
I began explaining my plans.
“For now… since the café isn’t operating, I’m focusing on Strawberry, my sister, and streaming. I probably won’t take on a part-time job unless it’s something I really want to do. The café can run just fine without me now. I plan to save up as much as I can to send my sibling to college and eventually move my parents’ business to a bigger space. Not a three-square-meter kitchen but… I don’t know! A bigger one! I’ll fill it with plenty of tables! In that spacious kitchen, I’ll help run the place while working there myself. I’ll also find a new house for my parents and get them a new car. They’ll be thrilled, don’t you think?”
“…I see. You’re such a filial child.”
“Filial… Ha… Haha… Thank you.”
I’d been called filial before, but hearing it phrased differently felt similar to the first time my sister called me “unnie.”
“Do you have plans today?”
After chatting idly on the bench for a while, Ga-young unnie asked.
“What time is it now?”
Without a phone, I wasn’t sure when I needed to head back home. Ideally, I’d return by dinnertime to prepare a meal for my sibling and Eunah unnie.
“It’s about 3 o’clock. Do you have anything scheduled?”
Ga-young unnie tilted her head inquisitively.
Honestly, even if I had plans, I would’ve liked to decline them just to spend time with her, but lacking the confidence, I replied that I had nothing scheduled.
“Then, do you want to hang out together?”
“…”
The words almost left my lips before retreating back.
If I hadn’t come here, would she have hung out with that junior? Were there others too?
Was I interfering?
Overwhelmed by unnecessary and unproductive thoughts, my confidence waned as I anxiously gauged Ga-young unnie’s reaction.
“Um… Were you planning to hang out with that person from earlier?”
Ga-young unnie tilted her head again.
“I don’t even know his name. The group project’s over, so I have no reason to see him anymore.”
“Really?”
“Of course. So that’s settled, right?”
Ga-young unnie stood up confidently and looked at me. Though she didn’t extend a hand, I found myself following her lead, getting up as if pulled along.
“Do you come here often?”
“No.”
We walked along a large street I had passed earlier.
Since it was near her school, I thought Ga-young unnie might know the area better than I did, but she explained that she rarely came here.
“Unless I have to, I usually go straight home after school.”
“You’re quite the homebody.”
“…Shall we go there?”
To hide her embarrassment, Ga-young unnie pointed to a film photo booth.
“Yes!”
Entering the store, there were several small booths curtained off, along with a few simple costume headbands for props.
Both Ga-young unnie and I, seeing this for the first time, froze slightly as we took in the unfamiliar surroundings.
If someone had been there, we might have drawn strange looks, but fortunately, the place was empty.
Gradually, we began moving around more naturally, exploring this awkward space.
“Want to try this?”
Ga-young unnie held up a cat-ear headband and offered it to me. I accepted it since she handed it to me, but it felt odd.
The texture was too different from the fur of Strawberry, who I was used to petting.
“Hmm…”
It was a cute black-furred headband, and I held it up as if placing it on Ga-young unnie’s head.
“Unnie! Can’t you wear this? It’ll look amazing on you!”
“Me?”
Hesitating briefly, Ga-young unnie took the headband from me and, after some contemplation, looked at me and took a deep breath before putting it on.
“…Ugh…”
Ga-young unnie seemed embarrassed as she glanced at herself in the mirror, clenching and unclenching her fists nervously.
“Well… how is it?”
“It’s adorable!!!”
I showered her with compliments—cute, fitting, incredibly pretty—until I practically ran out of breath.
Her face turned bright red, and she waved her hands in the air, hastily selecting a headband for me.
“You… try this one.”
She handed me another cat-ear headband, this one in a color similar to Strawberry’s fur.
I took off my hat and adjusted my hair, still slightly bothered by how unwashed it was but glad it wasn’t tangled. Once done, I put on the headband.
Two girls wearing matching headbands entered the booth together.
In the cramped space, Su-yeon’s small shoulder brushed against Ga-young’s. An awkward air lingered momentarily until Su-yeon hurriedly inserted a bill.
“Um… So, we pick two photos… out of ten… four total… Uh…? Is it working??”
As a ten-second timer suddenly started ticking down, Su-yeon panicked, pulling back in a fluster.
“Uh… What should we do?”
Ga-young, who hadn’t planned any poses either, looked to Su-yeon for suggestions, but Su-yeon seemed even more frazzled.
“Su-yeon, calm down.”
Watching her panic as the timer ticked away, Ga-young decided to let a few photos go to waste.
She pulled Su-yeon closer, meeting her eyes.
The small booth left little room to move, so Su-yeon’s back pressed against the wall, and their height difference forced Su-yeon to look up at Ga-young.
Unintentionally, Ga-young propped her arm against the wall to steady herself, her pose inadvertently performing a “wall-slam.”
The camera lens perfectly captured this timeless yet unfamiliar scene.