—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Simzy
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
I could feel the texture of something other than skin on the back of my neck. It was the tattoo cover-up sticker Kim Sung-joo had mentioned.
I took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.
That simple act calmed my flustered heart. Had I really gotten better after five years? Thanks to that, my voice didn’t tremble.
“It’s a cover-up sticker, but not for a tattoo. I have a scar.”
“Oh, I see.”
Kim Sung-joo looked apologetic, as if he thought he had asked a sensitive question. Was my tone too sharp? I wasn’t angry.
Just as the atmosphere was about to become a little awkward,
Kim Sung-joo grinned and said teasingly,
“More importantly, are you going to keep using formal language? Everyone else is speaking informally. Mi-hyun’s about to start calling me ‘ya’.”
The momentarily stiff atmosphere dissipated.
I nodded dumbly.
“Well, you’re two years older, so…”
“Do whatever you’re comfortable with. You can drop the honorifics later if you want.”
“Ah, okay.”
I nodded, and Kim Sung-joo led the way back to the others.
I also returned to my seat, feeling relieved.
As I placed the desserts on the table, Pi A-reum quickly picked up a spoon.
“Wow, the bingsu looks delicious!”
Milk-infused shaved ice topped with sweet pumpkin and red bean paste.
It looked incredibly appetizing.
I took a bite, and the unique sweetness and nuttiness of the sweet pumpkin blended well together. Was it worth the price? I never thought bingsu could have such a deep flavor, and I couldn’t help but be impressed.
“I think I’ll come here often for bingsu.”
I mumbled to myself, and Pi A-reum, who was happily eating the bingsu next to me, reacted enthusiastically.
“Right! It’s so good! I’m glad I ordered it!”
“Yeah, yeah.”
She reacted passionately to everything. Was she naturally this energetic? I nodded vaguely and started eating the bingsu again. This was really good.
Perhaps because Pi A-reum and I were focused solely on the bingsu, ignoring the other desserts,
“Is it that good?”
“Just one bite.”
“Me too.”
The others, curious, started trying the bingsu.
One bite turned into two, then three, and before we knew it, the bingsu had become a public good and quickly disappeared. These one-bite bandits!
“You said you didn’t want any, you one-bite bandits!”
Whoa, I thought I was the one who said that.
Pi A-reum’s face crumpled as she exclaimed, and the others seemed to come to their senses and put down their spoons. The bingsu was already almost gone.
“S-sorry. This is good. A-reum, try the garaetteok churros.”
“The yakgwa-rongs are good too!”
As if realizing they had eaten too much, they offered the other desserts with apologetic looks.
Pi A-reum’s cheeks puffed out like a hamster as she put a yakgwa-rong in her mouth. But it seemed that wasn’t enough. Frowning, she turned to me.
“Kang Cheol, let’s come back again later.”
“Later?”
“Yeah. You said you’d come here often for bingsu. Let’s come together. I can’t finish it all by myself.”
“…Okay.”
The portion was definitely quite large. It disappeared quickly because six people devoured it just now. Next time, I’ll have to order several for everyone.
·
After finishing our coffee and desserts, we moved to another location.
[Strike!]
The words appeared on the electronic display with a pa-bam! sound effect.
The sound of bowling balls rolling and pins falling echoed throughout the alley.
A bowling alley. Me, at a bowling alley.
I had been to cafes before, even in middle school, but this was my first time at a bowling alley. My head ached from the noise of people high-fiving and chattering excitedly. There were too many people, and it was too loud…
If I had to find some solace, it was that at least it wasn’t a billiards hall. For some reason, billiards halls felt like they belonged to delinquents, not social butterflies.
I tried to act natural, glancing around so as not to reveal my inner nerd, when…
“Wow, this is my first time at a bowling alley.”
“Me too. There’s a surprisingly wide range of ages here.”
“Yeah.”
Three people in the group looked around curiously.
So, I wasn’t the only one who was here for the first time. I felt a surge of confidence.
“Has anyone bowled before?”
Kim Sung-joo said he’d bowled quite a bit. He was the one who brought us here.
“I have.”
Park Mi-hyun raised her hand.
“How good are you? There are six of us, so we could split into two teams of three on two lanes.”
“My average is around 150.”
“Really? You’re good.”
An average of over 100 is considered decent. 150 is good enough to be penalized in betting games, and over 200 is good enough to be excluded from betting games altogether. Of course, this is all based on the average person.
That’s what it said in the online community I read while researching how to beat classic bowling games.
‘I’ve gotten perfect games in the game.’
Of course, games and reality are different. I’d never even touched a real bowling ball.
“I’m about the same, so we can split up and pick teams.”
“Are we betting?”
“Hmm. How about the losing team pays for the bowling?”
“I’m okay with that…”
Park Mi-hyun looked around, and the others nodded, seeming interested.
What? They’re betting even though they don’t know each other’s skill levels? What if they get completely destroyed?
That thought crossed my mind, but I nodded along. I didn’t want to ruin the mood. And it didn’t seem to matter much since it was just a small bet among friends.
“By the way, oppa, how good are you? It won’t be fun if the skill gap is too big.”
“My average is around 180? But it’s probably gone down since it’s been a while. About two years.”
“Hmm. Okay.”
Kim Sung-joo and Park Mi-hyun played rock-paper-scissors and started picking team members one by one.
‘I don’t want to be picked last.’
I remembered being forced to play soccer when they were short on players, and always being the last one picked. My position was always goalkeeper, and if I blocked a shot well, I got glares from the opponents, and if I didn’t, I got glares from my own team…
“Okay, I pick Sung-hyun.”
Kim Sung-joo, who won rock-paper-scissors, picked Ahn Sung-hyun.
I smacked my lips in disappointment, as expected, and then Park Mi-hyun pointed at me.
“Then I pick Kang Cheol.”
“…Me? I’ve never bowled before.”
I asked, widening my eyes, and Park Mi-hyun pointed to the remaining two.
“Neither have they. But you’re a guy, so you must be somewhat decent.”
The remaining two booed at that.
“Unnie, you’ll regret this! You underestimated my athletic abilities!”
“Tsk. You’re a girl too, unnie.”
I awkwardly went over and stood with Park Mi-hyun.
The teams were now set.
Kim Sung-joo, Ahn Sung-hyun, and Lee Seo-jin on lane 1.
Park Mi-hyun, me, and Pi A-reum on lane 2.
We split up and started setting up our bowling balls.
“A-reum, use a light one. Kang Cheol, you’re okay with a heavier one, right? Your hands are big, so I don’t think a light one will fit.”
Was Kang Cheol my official nickname now?
I nodded and looked for a ball that fit my hand. The lighter balls definitely had smaller finger holes. As noona Mi-hyun said, my fingers were a bit thick, so I needed a heavier ball. I wonder if my fingers would get thinner if I lost more weight?
“Let’s get something to drink before we start.”
“What do you want to drink? They have beer too.”
“They have beer at the bowling alley? I-I want to try beer!”
Pi A-reum said, raising her hand.
“If you haven’t had alcohol before, go with something light. They have fruit beer too.”
Kim Sung-joo and Park Mi-hyun, who were relatively experienced, recommended beer. It seemed like everyone except Pi A-reum and I had experience with alcohol.
Is it okay to drink without any snacks? Oh, this one tastes like lemon. A slightly bitter taste tingled on my tongue, followed by a lemon flavor. This was practically a soft drink, so I wouldn’t need any snacks.
We split up to our assigned lanes and started bowling.
Park Mi-hyun, the experienced one, went first.
For the first round, it was decided that the inexperienced players, including myself, would be taught the basic rules and movements. Noona Mi-hyun slowly demonstrated the motions as she explained.
“If it’s your first time, don’t worry about complicated things like spin. See the arrows on the lane? Just try to roll the ball straight towards the center arrow. If you don’t get a gutter ball on your first try, it’s a success.”
After her kind explanation, noona Mi-hyun got into her stance.
She lifted the ball, took a couple of steps forward, and slightly crossed her feet. Her arm, which had been tracing a half-circle, straightened out as she released the ball.
Roll, roll, roll!
My eyes were drawn to something other than the ball. Her posture emphasized the curves of her hips against her jeans. I quickly averted my gaze to avoid any misunderstanding.
Crash!
The ball, rolling at a decent speed, knocked down all the pins.
A strike on her first try.
Pi A-reum cheered, clapping like a seal. I clapped along.
“Unnie, you’re so cool! So, is this how you do it?”
Pi A-reum mimicked Park Mi-hyun, switching between poses. She seemed to have a natural talent; her form looked pretty good.
“Okay, my turn!”
Pi A-reum picked up a ball with the expression of a soldier heading into battle. She was very expressive.
Instead of sitting down, noona Mi-hyun watched Pi A-reum’s form. She seemed chic but was surprisingly attentive. Or maybe she was just competitive.
Personally, I think understanding someone’s characteristics and tendencies is important for getting to know them. So, I was observing everyone whenever I had the chance.
Suddenly, something that had fallen near my feet caught my eye.
What is this?
‘Is it an accessory?’
A flat acrylic plate, smaller than the palm of my hand. It had a picture of a hamster being chased by a cat. It didn’t seem like a simple accessory, as it appeared to have buttons.
Without thinking, I pressed the button numbered 3 in the center.
Click.
“Eek!”
A high-pitched scream erupted.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Is that what I think it is 😳