LMO 28

The meeting place was the city’s clock tower. Arriving, I saw I was a bit early for the scheduled time. I figured I’d have to wait a bit. I stood in the shade nearby, avoiding the bright sunlight.

The weather was nice. The spring sunlight poured down transparently. Standing idly in the shade, I gazed at the weekend city bathed in sunlight.

Beyond the bustling crowds passing by, I saw the signs lining the street. PC Bang, KTF, Pool, Hair Salon, Flowers, Video, Coffee Shops, Hops & Soju, the old logos of familiar cafe brands that I used to frequent. The signs, with designs that seemed crude to me, caught my vacant stare.

‘How much time will it take for this world to become the Korea I knew…’

Suddenly, everything felt distant.

How old would I be then?

Even after the novel ends… will this world continue to flow?

“Hello?”

“Ah…”

Just as my thoughts were deepening, I was brought back to reality by a voice calling me. Ban Pyo-ran was waving right in front of me.

Ban Pyo-ran was wearing a very cute… snapback. Thinking they had dressed up carefully, believing it to be the latest fashion, I let out an involuntary chuckle. What was a snapback? The worries I had been having suddenly felt trivial.

“I was calling you from over there. You didn’t answer, so I wasn’t sure it was you.”

“Sorry. I was spacing out for a moment.”

“No, it’s okay. I’m the one who’s late.”

“No, you’re not.”

Far from being late, the appointment time hadn’t even arrived yet. Rather, I was grateful they had come early and pulled me out of my thoughts.

Yes, Ban Pyo-ran was just wearing a cute snapback to follow the trend. Whether I saw this world as old-fashioned or not, it was still a place where people lived. And life was much the same everywhere.

It was a simple realization, but somehow, it felt like a weight had been lifted, and my mind felt at ease. I smiled at Ban Pyo-ran.

Although the reason for meeting was to return the towel, I couldn’t just hand it over and leave. “Do you want to go to a cafe for a bit?” I asked, and Ban Pyo-ran, saying they knew a good cafe nearby, led the way.

And Ban Pyo-ran led me to a cafe filled with rocking chairs and swings.

‘Is this… a place I can come to?’

I looked at Ban Pyo-ran with a sense of unease, but they pushed the door open and entered without hesitation. The bell on the door jingled melodiously.

For a moment, the gazes of everyone in the noisy, lively cafe turned to us as we entered. Ban Pyo-ran, unbothered by the stares, pulled me inside. The cafe, which had quieted down, became noisy again with the arrival of regular customers.

“Do you want to sit here?”

“Su…re.”

The cafe was noisy and lively. It was filled with female students chatting over shaved ice and toast. Looking around the interior, I understood why the customer ratio was so extremely unbalanced.

White frills and pink ribbons were hung all over the seats and partitions, and what looked like ivy was installed here and there, as if trying to decorate it like a garden with swings. The tablecloths were a refreshing pink with a small floral pattern.

Even if girls invited them, guys would feel a psychological barrier, right? I had never been to a cafe like this before either. But once I sat down, it didn’t feel strange, even though it was unfamiliar.

“Hae-jun, what do you want to drink? I’m getting a fresh strawberry juice! Their fresh fruit juices are delicious.”

I didn’t know the menu either, so I ordered a fresh fruit juice as Ban Pyo-ran recommended. Ban Pyo-ran said the toast here was free and that they would bring it, so I waited for a moment and left. They hummed a tune, seeming quite happy.

“Here, toast!”

“Thanks.”

“The toast here, if you dip it in whipped cream, it’s really delicious.”

Ban Pyo-ran whispered to me as if sharing a great secret and dipped the crisply toasted bread into whipped cream. I picked up a piece of toast as Ban Pyo-ran suggested and dipped it in whipped cream.

It tasted as expected, and it was too sweet for me, but I smiled and ate toast with them without showing it. Seeing them happily enjoying it like a child, I felt willing to go along. The atmosphere was not as awkward as I expected.

“First, here’s your towel. Thank you.”

Our freshly squeezed fruit juices arrived. Before I forgot, I handed over the cleanly washed towel.

Meeting in a place like this definitely felt different from when we met at the hospital. It was vibrant, you could say. Watching them enjoy the toast, they looked just like a high school student their age. Their bright expression, with no trace of anxiety or worry, was pleasant to see.

“But I wasn’t really crying back then, you know?”

“Pfft.”

“Really.”

“Yes, yes.”

I tried to break the ice by playfully explaining. Ban Pyo-ran, who smiled roundly like ripe fruit falling, nodded. Of course, they didn’t seem to believe me at all. Although I said it as a joke, I felt unfairly accused. It was understandable to misunderstand, given I came out of the hospital bathroom with water dripping from my face. Then again, the Four Heavenly Kings also firmly believed I had been crying.

“It was my first time at that hospital, and I really liked it.”

“The food there is good too. Have you tried it?”

“I tried breakfast. It was really delicious.”

“Right! I really like the food there.”

We chatted about this and that. Ban Pyo-ran was more cheerful, kinder, and gentler than I expected. I immediately understood why they were the protagonist. Their cheerful laughter held a sense of purity.

If this wasn’t a novel, and Ban Pyo-ran wasn’t the female protagonist, I might have liked someone like them. Of course, as the female protagonist, I would never like Ban Pyo-ran, that’s for sure.

“By the way…”

“Yes?”

“Pyo-ran, why were you at the hospital? Are you… sick?”

I asked with a cautious expression. I intended to use the flow of conversation to bring up a heavier topic.

I knew from the novel that Ban Pyo-ran’s mother was hospitalized and had been battling an illness for a long time, but it would be strange to know that without asking, so I decided to bring it up first. Besides, it was something I needed to know to get closer.

“Ah… my mom is hospitalized…”

However, it was clearly too heavy a topic. Their clear expression, which had been smiling without a care, immediately darkened as if sinking. Seeing their face, the words I had prepared beforehand couldn’t continue. A heavy silence enveloped us, weighing down on my chest.

Light shimmered through their lowered eyelashes. Seeing Ban Pyo-ran, whose complexion had turned dull and lifeless, I felt ashamed. My mouth felt dry.

How could a light sentence in a novel be so similar to a harsh reality?

To me, this was just a novel, but here, there were people who were sometimes so sincere that I, in my arrogance, couldn’t understand.

I lowered my gaze and drank my fresh fruit juice. The cold juice was sweet, but the aftertaste was bitter.

“…Sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

Ban Pyo-ran smiled brightly again, as if to say it was alright. Their smile was clear, like the midday sun that couldn’t be blocked by a cloudy sky. In the novel, the Four Heavenly Kings must have fallen for this side of Ban Pyo-ran. Ban Pyo-ran possessed the resilience and fortitude of a wild grass.

Is this the kind of will one needs to become the protagonist of a novel?

“Hae-jun, you, ah, that, because of your twin?”

“Yeah. Seong Hae-min was hospitalized then. He’s healthy and discharged now.”

“That’s a relief.”

Ban Pyo-ran clapped his hands with a ‘snap,’ rejoicing as if it were his own matter.

“I hope your mother recovers soon too.”

“Thanks.”

“She’ll definitely get better.”

“Yeah. Thanks.”

“Really. Trust me.”

“…Yeah. I’ll trust you.”

This wasn’t lip service; it was genuine. As far as I remembered, Ban Pyo-ran’s mother was discharged healthy at the end of the novel. After all, every happy ending concludes by moving towards a healthy and happy future. Ban Pyo-ran had a happy ending predetermined for him.

It might be very difficult until then, but everything will surely turn out well.

‘Because you’re the protagonist.’

Seeing Ban Pyo-ran live his life steadfastly and to the best of his ability, I wanted to tell him that.

Ban Pyo-ran’s reply was the last sound before silence enveloped the table. I idly took a sip of juice. A single sour note within ten thousand sweetnesses provided balance. I collected myself. Staring at the steadfast Ban Pyo-ran, I had almost forgotten my original purpose.

No matter how real it felt, this was inside a novel. So, this was the main point. I put on a brazen expression.

“Um… I really wanted to thank you for giving me the handkerchief back then, after seeing your face.”

“It was nothing, really.”

“No, from my perspective, you’re such a good person. So, I wanted to introduce you to my friends too.”

“Your friends?”

“Yeah. Seoyeon High’s Fo- Four…”

“……”

“Fo, Fo…”

“Fo?”

“Fo…ur Heavenly Kings… there are.”

“Ah, I see.”

To think I had to blurt out “Four Heavenly Kings” myself!

My vocal cords felt like they were about to shrivel up, making my voice tremble. This is a novel, this is a novel, this is a novel! After repeating it to myself about thirty times, I finally managed to complete the phrase “Four Heavenly Kings.”

Introducing my standards of hopeless cases to the diligently living Pyo-ran, I felt a sliver of despair and responsibility and squeezed my eyes shut. Before I could even see his reaction, I continued to babble.

“They’re really great guys. They’re famous, even if they don’t look it. They’re incredibly popular too. They’re all handsome, and their personalities are so good, and although I haven’t seen it, their fighting… Ah, I have seen it. Anyway, they’re amazing fighters. It’s no wonder they’re called the Four Heavenly Kings. Hahaha!”

“Um, excuse me, Hae-jun.”

“Anyway, they’re really good guys. Oh, and they dress well, eat well, poop well, ah, pretend you didn’t hear that last part, um, they also pay attention to the people around them, um… Ah! They have loyalty, and also…”

“Hae-jun!”

“Huh?”

As I rattled off the 99.99% pure fabricated merits of the Four Heavenly Kings like a machine gun, Ban Pyo-ran tapped me and called out. With wide-open eyes, Ban Pyo-ran pointed out the window with his index finger.

…Outside?

“Isn’t that them?”

“Huh?”