# Chapter 29
After finishing a fancy lunch of tuna steak, it felt wrong to just leave after eating, and I was feeling quite grateful to Oh Eundo, so this time I took the initiative and led him away. After a good meal, one needs to digest it pleasantly.
And so, I headed to an arcade I had spotted previously while walking down the street. It seemed like it wasn’t just my idea of a hot spot, as the inside and outside of the arcade were packed with people coming and going. Most of them were students dressed up for the weekend.
“Have you ever been to a place like this before?”
“Ah… Of course I have! Isn’t that obvious?”
“Really? You said you don’t eat anywhere unless it’s expensive. But you’ve been to a place like this?”
“Hey, hey, hey! Don’t look down on me. Fuck.”
Hmm~ Is that so?
At first, I just asked casually, but Oh Eundo’s reaction was hotter than I expected, making me want to tease him more. A young master like him wouldn’t go to an arcade. Well, technically Gu Haejin is also a young master from a wealthy family, but excluding this body since I’m the one inside it.
Entertainment, how many years has it been? I naturally put my arm around Oh Eundo’s shoulder.
“Gu Haejin, are you crazy? Get your hand off me.”
“Shut up. You held my wrist too.”
“……”
He closed his mouth, seemingly at a loss for words after my merciless factbomb. Well, shall we go? Oh Eundo followed reluctantly, frowning as if he was being dragged against his will. Heh. Finally, it’s time to show off my arcade skills honed through years of unemployment.
But as soon as I stepped into the arcade, I felt my mood souring. Everyone who had been chattering so loudly fell silent like mutes who had eaten honey and stared at us as we entered. The only noise around was the obnoxious beeping sounds from the arcade machines.
They started whispering in voices loud enough for anyone to hear.
“Wow! Hey, the Choigang Apex and Devil Apex are here.”
“Holy shit. We hit the jackpot! The jackpot!”
“They’re both so handsome, so beautiful… *sniff* I never thought I’d see them in person…!”
“Oh no. I heard the Thousand-Year Prince was diagnosed with a terminal illness, and he looks thinner than before.”
“Ah… he’s wearing a mask. That’s sad…. I guess his condition has worsened.”
“But the Choigang Apex and Devil Apex hang out together quite often. Weren’t they spotted before too, causing a commotion on HioIl?”
“Any duo shot of Apexes is absolute truth.”
“Their noblesse oblige is so awesome. To think they’d come to an arcade….”
“Hey. Quickly take photos and videos of everything! Let’s upload them to HioIl!”
Sigh… once one person starts talking, everyone competes to spout nonsense. If you’re going to talk, couldn’t you do it when the subject isn’t around? The so-called Thousand-Year Prince is completely embarrassed. And what the hell does an arcade have to do with noblesse oblige? And of course, there’s that ridiculous misunderstanding on top of everything. Damn.
Sighing deeply at these baseless conversations, I was busy pulling my mask up to cover my face as much as possible. I often forgot that this was actually fueling more of their imagination.
“Aren’t you going in?”
What’s most surprising is Oh Eundo, who remains completely unfazed as if this happens all the time, despite hearing such comments. Rather, he looked at me with a strange expression and actually led me inside. Yeah, so you guys are the normal ones? I’m the only one dying of embarrassment. Hmm. That’s hardly news. Right?
Since we’re already at the arcade, I thought we might as well play something good before leaving. Looking around wondering what to do, I noticed Oh Eundo standing still like a stone statue. I wondered what he was looking at, and it turned out that what captivated his eyes was none other than a claw machine.
I pointed at the machine with my chin and asked.
“…Want to play?”
“What is that thing for?”
So you were staring at it without even knowing what it was? I was so dumbfounded I couldn’t even get annoyed.
“Claw machine.”
When I told him that with a pathetic expression, somehow his eyes seemed to sparkle with curiosity. What? Are you really going to try it?
So we first stood in front of the claw machine. Ah, this feels like the kind of thing you should do as a clean finish after playing all the other games.
But Oh Eundo, what are you doing?
“Ah… where is it?”
He muttered to himself while thoroughly examining the machine, then ruffled his hair with one hand as if annoyed.
“What are you looking for?”
“Don’t we need to insert money to do this?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“But it’s so fucking annoying that there’s no place to swipe a card. Fuck!”
……
I was literally at a loss for words as Oh Eundo proudly held out the VVIP black card he had confidently swiped for a lump sum payment at the restaurant earlier, with a serious expression.
…Are you really an idiot? I had to openly make a genuine “What’s wrong with this idiot?” expression. Should I call this pure or just extremely stupid? Seeing my face freeze in disbelief, Oh Eundo must have sensed something was off as he started to open his mouth but stopped, and for a while, a cold wind blew between us. Then he carefully asked.
“…What?”
“Cards don’t work here. Not just this, but everything here.”
At my words, he looked completely lost. It was obvious that countless thoughts must have been running through his head at that moment. Oh, what to do. Suddenly I felt like laughing. How hard must it have been for him to put on airs and pretend to know everything while refuting me so confidently earlier when in fact he had never been to an arcade? Kuk kuk kuk. Oh Eundo’s face started to turn red at my laughter.
Ah, this is hilarious.
“Ah, I knew that! I knew it! Stop laughing, Gu Haejin.”
“Okay, sure. I won’t lau— Pfft… Ah. I won’t laugh.”
I had to raise both hands while trying to keep a straight face at Oh Eundo’s glare. He turned his head sharply as if he was sulking and rummaged through his wallet. He was probably checking how much cash he had? Thankfully, it wasn’t a bundle of checks. I personally led him to a nearby change machine, exchanged a 10,000 won bill for 1,000 won bills, and stood in front of the machine again.
“Is there anything you want to get?”
I couldn’t help but smile slightly at Oh Eundo, who was back to his majestic posture and asking as if he would get anything I mentioned, but I decided to humor him with a feeling like “Okay, big brother will indulge you.”
There was a famous character plushie among the dolls that was quite large, so I pointed at it.
“That’s a piece of cake for me.”
Yes, yes. Of course it is.
Putting on airs that didn’t fit him, he inserted 1,000 won into the slot and began to focus on the claw game with the most serious face in the world. In just 3 minutes, he had wasted two games. “Fuck. Why isn’t this working!” His aura turned menacing as if he was going to smash the machine in frustration, which made me slightly nervous. If it was easy to get, would it even be a claw machine? Seeing him aggressively inserting more money, I understood why people said he was simple-minded and hot-blooded. Oh Eundo was now properly invested.
“I’m going to play some games too.”
When I casually mentioned this to him as he was concentrating as if he was going to bore a hole through the machine, he just nodded and said “Uh-huh…” without even looking at me. It seemed like he was going to be at it for quite a while.
I turned around without regret and approached the Tekken area I’d been wanting to play. After inserting some change and channeling all the skills and techniques accumulated during my 6 years of doing nothing but playing games since I was twenty, I achieved one victory after another. Students who initially couldn’t approach me because I was an Apex gradually started to come closer. Soon, my once-empty surroundings were crowded with fellow Tekken enthusiasts.
“Gu Haejin.”
Attack! Ack! No way. Defend! Switch, switch! While I was manipulating the joystick with inspired hand movements amidst the chaotic noise from unknown people, a voice calling my name pierced my ears. Who is it? I slightly turned my head while narrowing my eyes and still moving my hands, when suddenly something soft and unidentifiable was shoved in my face, startling me. Of course, my character took a beating and was K.O.’d at the same time. Ah, fuck!
Game Over.
I could feel my blood boiling at the English letters that appeared on the screen.
Ah…. Sighs of disappointment flowed from the surroundings. AAAAARGH! No! Who the hell is it? Who dared to interrupt my winning streak! I stood up irritably, ready to grab the collar of whoever it was.
“Hey. I got it!”
You crazy bastard. Could you please stop shaking that doll so proudly?
I felt all my energy drain away. That’s because Oh Eundo was standing there with a childlike, innocent smile, proudly holding the doll he had been trying so hard to get earlier. Should I hit him or not? While I was briefly considering it, he continued.
“I blew 200,000 won.”
I immediately changed my mind.
200,000 won… Let me be understanding since he’s pitiful. Still, why is he grinning like that? Look at him, not caring at all about blowing such a huge amount on a claw machine. Don’t show off your gold spoon here. His bright appearance, like a dog expecting praise, made me look disgruntled, and then suddenly he threw the doll into my arms. What’s this? I looked at him in bewilderment as I caught it reflexively.
“Since this is a 200,000 won doll that the great Oh Eundo himself got for you, treasure it well.”
What?! I frowned hard at Oh Eundo’s brazen words. Regardless, he was already rubbing his chin, saying, “What should we do next?” Argh… I stared incredulously at the doll that had instantly become just a burdensome lump. Damn it. Is it just my victim mentality if I feel like this doll is mocking me?
…I want to punch it.
“Hey.”
“What. What. What now!”
“Let’s do that.”
What he pointed to was a coin karaoke booth.
You want me to sing with you? In that enclosed, narrow space? With youuu? But there was no time to object. Oh Eundo had already dragged me into the karaoke booth. Damn it!
“This karaoke booth is so cramped.”
Oh Eundo grumbled quietly as he sat down and flipped through the song book. After apparently finding a song he wanted to sing, he inserted money and pressed the numbers firmly. Since I was in a pretty foul mood, I just sat quietly with my chin resting on the doll he had given me. It’s quite comfortable, being soft and all.
“Because it feels like my heart is being torn apart
I spent another day unable to straighten my shoulders
Because it feels like tears will just pour out
I laughed like I was crazy
Yes, I’m a fool
A fool who only sees one person
I couldn’t even stop you from leaving
And after that, I can’t forget you either
I love you, I love you
You are the only one for me
I miss you, miss you, miss you
I miss you, miss you, miss you”
Oh Eundo was better at singing than I expected. I quietly admired with an “Oooh…” inside.
You might be bad at claw machines, but you’re good at singing. As I watched Oh Eundo sing with such heartfelt emotion, the song came to an end. The space was once again enveloped in silence. Being just the two of us in this narrow space was more awkward than I expected. Disliking the atmosphere, I picked up the microphone as soon as his song ended.
“Could you just remember this
That I lived by your side for a while
Afraid I might see you on the street
I fix myself up in the mirror, looking shabby
Aren’t you hurting? I worry a lot
You’ll be happy, but I’ll pray for you
Remember, even when you meet someone else
That I lived by your side for a while”
Ah, truly a masterpiece. Young people these days don’t seem to know this song well. What a great song it is! Crush generational differences!
After the final interlude ended, I was considering going to the bathroom when I noticed it was too quiet beside me, so I glanced over. Oh Eundo was sitting still for quite a while, deep in thought. He didn’t look too good at a glance, which concerned me. He was singing so well just before, so why was he suddenly like this?
“Oh Eundo.”
“Yeah.”
“I’m going to the bathroom for a bit…”
“Sure.”
I genuinely went “Huh?” at Oh Eundo’s attitude, answering before I even finished speaking. Did he have an existential crisis while singing? The atmosphere had sunk so suddenly, not even like the calm before a storm, making me feel uneasy too. Whatever. Thinking I should go to the bathroom first, I stood up abruptly to open the karaoke booth door.
And at that moment.
……
I felt a warm body temperature around my neck. I froze in my position, hand on the doorknob.
“Gu Haejin….”
A low voice tickled right beside my ear. Oh Eundo had wrapped his two arms around my neck, embracing me from behind. His trembling hands were holding me tightly as if telling me not to go. That trembling was so strong and intense that it was transmitted to me like crazy.
What’s with you…
Suddenly embraced like this, I was so taken aback that I couldn’t do anything but stand there. I am in Oh Eundo’s arms in a secluded place with no one around. I felt like I should say something, but no words came out of my mouth.
“I’m scared… I’m afraid… so…”
The voice of Oh Eundo, who was hugging me, seemed to be choking up.
“…Don’t die.”
No, he was crying. He was.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
