Chapter 75 - An Ordinary Date?
"Wow... those chairs look incredibly comfortable..!"
Minseo's eyes sparkled, utterly captivated by the movie theater, where you could watch films from plush, sofa-like seats.
He and Hayoung were at a recliner movie theater, exactly as he'd imagined.
What's more, Hayoung had chosen a couple's seat—a large sofa designed for two, with no divider between them.
"Are we... sitting here..?"
Minseo felt a flicker of anxiety about sharing a sofa with Hayoung, but he decided to trust her promise not to torment him.
Crunch.
Hayoung took a handful of popcorn Minseo was clutching like a treasure, chewed it, and asked, "...Minseo-ya, is this really your kind of movie?"
Her question was understandable. Minseo had picked a fantasy action film.
'He looks so delicate; I thought he'd be into sappy romance or something,' Hayoung thought, shrugging at the unexpected choice.
"...It looks cool, heh..."
"Sure... if you like it, that's all that matters..."
Minseo smiled sheepishly, and Hayoung, who never cared much for movies anyway, replied indifferently, as if it made no difference to her.
'I'm really looking forward to this... ha...' Minseo clutched his popcorn tightly, incredibly excited to watch a movie with grand sound and a huge screen for the first time in ages.
Soon, the lights dimmed, and the movie began.
Whoosh!
Bang!
Boom!
Amidst dazzling visuals that almost hurt his eyes and booming sound effects that hammered his ears, Minseo watched the movie with intense focus, not even blinking.
And Hayoung, who had absolutely no interest in the film, found this moment incredibly boring.
Boring, yes, but... there was a small pleasure for her right now.
Because it was a couple's seat, they were together on one long sofa, and...
If she turned her head, Minseo's face was right there, incredibly close.
The sight of him watching the movie with such passionate, focused eyes, munching on his popcorn—
crunch, crunch
—was a form of entertainment and pleasure for Hayoung.
'Watching him like this is actually pretty fun, compared to only seeing him cry or looking all erotic.'
Observing Minseo's expressions change from moment to moment, Hayoung felt she'd found a different kind of fun, better than the movie itself.
She'd certainly gotten used to him, but even when she first saw Minseo, Hayoung had thought he was handsome.
Now, his appearance was a mix of handsomeness... and eroticism.
'Ah... this makes me want to tease him again...'
A mischievous thought arose in Hayoung for no reason, and she placed her hand on Minseo's shoulder.
Flinc
h.
As the soft touch reached his shoulder, Minseo flinched, slightly startled, and looked at Hayoung.
Munch, munch.
Seeing Minseo look at her with a surprised expression, his mouth full of popcorn, Hayoung felt a strange emotion once again.
An emotion she had never felt in her life.
Hayoung herself didn't really know what this emotion was... but she knew very well that she wanted to do something impulsively.
That action was...
Hayoung used the hand that had been resting on Minseo's shoulder to wrap around his neck.
Then, tilting her head slightly, she began to kiss Minseo's lips softly.
In the strange space where the screen flashed brilliantly and then darkened...
Hayoung and Minseo pressed their soft lips together.
Smooch, smooch.
Her tongue naturally entered Minseo's mouth, winding around his, and their saliva mingled.
Minseo's already surprised eyes grew even wider, like a rabbit's.
This wasn't the first time he'd kissed Hayoung, but...
The emotion he felt now was quite different from their previous kisses.
Unlike before, this wasn't a forced, erotic kiss...
How should he put it... it was a soft, gentle, and pleasant kiss, just like real lovers share.
Minseo thought this was what a kiss was supposed to feel like.
And at the same time, his heart pounded like crazy.
As if it were about to explode.
It wasn't a pounding caused by tension... or fear, or terror.
How should he put it... he didn't know, but... it wasn't a bad kind of pounding.
After indulging in his mouth for a few minutes, Hayoung stopped the kiss, taking the popcorn that had been in Minseo's mouth.
Crunch.
Hayoung smiled as she chewed the popcorn that had been in Minseo's mouth.
Minseo's eyes, which Hayoung was looking at, were shaking helplessly, having lost their focus.
".........."
Minseo stared at Hayoung, dumbfounded, as if he were speechless.
Even though grand, ear-hammering sounds were pouring out in the movie theater right now...
Minseo couldn't hear any of it... it was just silent, as if time had stopped.
"You... you said you wouldn't torment me..."
"I wanted some popcorn."
Hayoung smiled as if to ask if there was a problem.
After the movie ended, Minseo and Hayoung left the theater side by side.
.......
He couldn't remember the plot of the movie.
He remembered what it was about up until the middle...
But after kissing Hayoung, Minseo couldn't focus on the movie at all.
"Was the movie fun?"
"Ah... yes... it was worth watching... what about you, Master?"
"I don't really like movies."
Seeing Hayoung answer indifferently, Minseo's head began to feel chaotic again.
'If you don't like movies... why did you ask to come see one...?'
Could it be... just because I like them..?
That you came to see it because of me..?
It was the same earlier.
You asked me if I liked movies.
Could it really be because of me... because I like watching movies, you came to see one...?
Why....?
Minseo was incredibly confused, his mind tangled up by the kiss from earlier and this whole situation.
And seeing Minseo standing still and looking at her like a fool, Hayoung said, "What are you doing, standing there like an idiot? Let's go eat."
"...Yes.."
Clutching his chaotic head, Minseo got into the car as Hayoung told him to.
The car arrived at a luxurious restaurant.
It gave off an even more high-end impression with its cozy yellow lighting... and the people dining here all seemed to be dressed neatly and eating with formality.
Though Minseo was only in his usual everyday clothes.
Looking at the menu, Minseo was slightly startled by the unusual price range and said to Hayoung, "Master... this place is too expen..."
"Do you even know how much I earn? It doesn't matter, so order whatever you want to eat."
Seeing Hayoung speak in an incredulous tone, Minseo realized he had forgotten.
That Hayoung was the head of a mafia organization... and the scale of the business rights she held was enormous...
Minseo chose a menu after much deliberation, and Hayoung ordered two steaks and a bottle of wine in a gentle voice.
"..Can I have that wine too...?"
Minseo opened his mouth after quietly listening to her order the wine.
"I ordered it for you to drink, didn't I? You like alcohol, don't you?"
Hayoung said it as if asking why he was asking something so obvious.
.......
Had Hayoung's personality changed...?
Or... had she lost her memory..?
If not that... was she giving him the medicine before the poison to torment him even more severely later?
Minseo looked at Hayoung, thinking all sorts of things.
Knowing that Minseo was staring intently at her, Hayoung asked, "Why are you staring at me so intently?"
In fact, Hayoung had also secretly noticed.
Why Minseo was looking at her with such confused eyes.
He must be very flustered that I'm suddenly being nice to him.
Hayoung just found such a side of Minseo cute.
Of course, the kiss at the movie theater had been slightly impulsive and flustering for Hayoung as well.
However, she decided not to think about what kind of emotion that was.
Hayoung was that kind of person, after all.
If she thought too deeply about such unfamiliar emotions, her head would only get dizzy... so she usually erased those things easily.
"Why... are you being so nice to me...?"
Hayoung, who had naturally expected Minseo's question, replied, "You're mine."
"..Yes..?!"
At Hayoung's words, Minseo was startled and his eyes became like a rabbit's.
"You're my slave."
Hayoung smirked, as if asking why he was making such a surprised face.
"...Ah......"
Only then did Minseo realize he had been teased, and his face turned red immediately.
Minseo was still someone whose emotions were easily revealed on his face.
Hayoung thought teasing Minseo was truly fun and continued, "Since you're mine, it's only natural to take care of you. I can't just make you work all the time, right? So enjoy it while you can."
It was obvious.
A slave couldn't live by only working.
Just as he needed rest and food to serve as the driving force to make him work, Hayoung had simply granted him rest.
Minseo was grateful that Hayoung cared for him to some extent, but... in one corner of his heart...
He also felt a sense of disappointment.
Thinking that she was only being this nice to him in the context of managing a slave... made him feel... somewhat unsettled.
Is this the end?
To Hayoung, am I just nothing more or less than a slave?
'Master... am I just nothing more or less than a slave to you..?'
The question rose to the tip of Minseo's throat, but... the timing was bad, and the waiter carrying the food approached.
Minseo had no choice but to miss the opportunity for the question and eat his meal.
"Eat a lot. You never know when you'll get to go out again."
"Yes..."
Minseo replied while slicing the steak, which looked delicious and full of juices.
Putting his unsettled feelings behind him, the taste of the steak paired with the wine was... ecstatic beyond words.
The tender meat and the sweet and bitter wine really went together perfectly.
Watching Minseo, who had suddenly focused on his food and was biting into a mouthful of meat, Hayoung smiled contentedly without even realizing it.