Chapter 36: Deformation – (3)

Humans are creatures of imagination.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that humans only exist in imagination. (Though your girlfriend might sometimes feel like she does.) It means that no other creature is as ruled by imagination as humans are. 

We anticipate future situations in our minds and avoid them out of caution.  

This is because we’re intelligent.  

It also means we can become trapped by fears we create ourselves.  

At the same time, humans are creatures of adaptation.  

When faced with challenges, we specialize in finding the best path forward. Rationality, surprisingly, doesn’t collapse easily. And when we overcome the situations we were so wary of in our heads, we eventually realize:  

“Huh? This isn’t as bad as I thought…”  

Humans imagine,  

fear,  

confront,  

and ultimately adapt.  

The reason I’m suddenly rambling about this is that my two friends Mija and Juri have each overcome the situations they were afraid of.  

「Juri “A sudden party feels overwhelming, but… if it’s just one person, yeah, I’ll go.”」 

「Mija “If it’s just a quick greeting, then… I’ll come too.”」

That’s how the meetup came to be.  

At first, of course, it was awkward.  

Even after arriving at the meeting spot, neither of them said a word to each other.  

“Hi, Hana.”  

“H-hi, Hana-chan.”  

“Yeah, hello to you both.”  

I spoke once both Juri and Mija had arrived.  

“This cute girl with glasses is Oh Juri, my friend. A professional actress—well, she was, but now she’s back to studying acting. And this golden-smile girl is Yoo Mija, another friend of mine. She’s in the same art department as me and dreams of becoming a manga artist.”  

“Ehehe… g-golden smile? That’s… kind of embarrassing.”  

“Hana, they’re both your friends, right? Did you really have to introduce them so dramatically?”  

“Hey, role introductions are important.”  

“True… casting is critical.”  

Mija tilted her head as she listened to our conversation.  

“W-what are you even talking about…?”  

Juri gave a small bow, her face partially hidden behind her scarf.  

“Hi. I’m Oh Juri. You’re starting at Hanul next year, right? I’ll be in the same year as you. …Let’s get along.”  

“H-hi… uh, I’m Yoo Mija.”  

“M-Mija?”  

“Yeah.”  

“I see.”  

“D-does my name sound weird?”  

“H-huh? No… not at all. It’s just… interesting. I’d only heard you were Hana’s friend, but then… um… your appearance is… Ah! I don’t mean that in a racist way or anything! It’s just, this is my first time experiencing this kind of situation…”  

Juri’s cheeks turned bright red as she shyly hid her face behind her scarf.  

“Ahaha… Sorry, I’m nervous.”  

“I-I’m nervous too. This is my first time meeting someone from TV…”  

“O-oh, really? Have you seen Crazy Big Family by any chance?”  

“Ah, no. I don’t watch much Korean TV… I only know because Hana-chan told me about you…”  

“Is that so…?”  

“…..”  

Awkward…  

“……”  

“……”  

Mija and Juri.  

Both were sensitive to the eyes of others.  

So, at first, they were wary of strangers intruding on their space.  

“Th-this kind of gathering feels unfamiliar. I don’t have many friends.”  

“Uh, uh, um, same here. I-I actually don’t have many either.”  

“Really…? That’s unexpected. With your blonde hair, you seem like you’d be really popular.”  

“B-bl-blonde otaku, they say… People talk to me a few times and then leave, saying I’m weird.”  

“Otaku?”  

“Someone who l-l-likes manga or anime.”  

“Ah, I see. Is that such a bad thing…?”  

“Huh?”  

But after getting to know each other, they both quickly let down their guards.  

Before long, laughter followed every word they said.  

“Ahaha!”  

“Uhahaha!”  

I chuckled to myself.  

‘They’re getting along so well already. Why were they even hesitant in the first place?’  

The two of them managed to keep the conversation going much better than expected.  

Was it a kind of shared understanding?  

Rather, they seemed to accept and even appreciate each other’s quirks.  

With a more relaxed expression than before, Juri spoke:  

“Don’t you dislike open spaces? Too many people staring, right?”  

“Yeah, they keep staring at my hair. Hehe. On the subway, people even scold me, asking if I dyed it.”  

“Really? Your blonde hair looks so natural and pretty, though. I dyed my hair once for a drama shoot, and it turned out completely clay-colored. I always wanted to try something like your natural blonde.”  

“T-that’s… q-quite embarrassing to hear.”  

“Mija-chan, what’s with that tone?”  

“It’s… the speech style of an otaku….”  

Juri reacted to the nickname I used.  

“Mija-chan?”  

“Yeah, it’s her nickname.”  

“That’s so cute! It’s really adorable! Mija-chan~”  

“Hehe…”  

An endless barrage of affectionate head-pats.  

Mija twisted her fingers in delight.  

“Fuhi, fuhihi… uhahaha… This is…! Thank you, lovely maidens, for the compliments! I’ve enjoyed them immensely!”  

“Mija-chan, Mija-chan…”  

“Even your laugh is cute when you hear it enough. It’s so unique. You’ve got such a distinct character. Even your gestures… it’s like you’re a Japanese variety show comedian or something. I’ve seen a few while studying broadcasting.”  

Juri accidentally pressed the rapid acceleration button.  

Mija snapped her head around and spoke.  

“Oh! You know Japanese variety shows? 

My grandmother is Japanese, so we watch a lot of Japanese variety shows at home. 

There are so many funny ones! They have hidden camera pranks or quiz shows, especially around the New Year. 

Those are super entertaining! 

My mom’s American, so she watches American dramas, but it’s hard without subtitles. I just follow my grandma and watch Japanese shows, and my Japanese naturally improved without me realizing it. 

Do you want me to recommend any dramas or shows if you’re interested?”

“Haha!”

Mija, with her sparkling eyes, approached us with an almost overwhelming enthusiasm. Despite her intensity, Juri found her genuine response delightful and laughed.

“Oh, so you’re good at Japanese, Mija! But how’s your English?”

“Well, uh… just, uh, average.”

“That’s interesting. I heard people are usually good at their parents’ languages.”

“Well… it’s just… English takes, uh… effort.”

“Oh, is there some story behind it I don’t know? Sorry if I’m prying!”

I placed a hand on Mija’s shoulder.

“Hey, she’s just a golden kimchi-person. Talk casually with her.”

“Hey! Hana!”

“What? Kimchi-person? Haha, what’s that supposed to mean?”

Mija, Juri, and I headed to the comic book café.

Of course, I had scouted the place beforehand. 

It wasn’t your typical manga café. It was more like the private reading or comic cafés that would become trendy 20 years later. 

The place was divided into private rooms, allowing us to hang out without worrying about being seen.

“The price here is double that of regular comic book cafés, but… it’s worth it. Maybe I should open a study café or something like this someday. It’s a total blue ocean right now.”

After all, it was 2004—soon to be 2005. Compared to 20 years in the future, franchise cafés were still few and far between, making it a blue ocean of opportunity. 

Empty spots in Seoul seemed like gold mines to me.

“Not just being a writer—I need to dabble in business too, make some money, and secure a studio. Hehe, this is exciting. Once I have the seed money, it’ll be ‘Now’s the time!’ and straight into the meta…”

I glanced at an empty alley and swallowed hard.

Mija, noticing my expression, asked, “Hana-chan, why are you smiling creepily at an empty lot?”

“Mija, I’m going to be rich soon.”

“?”

Mija tilted her head in confusion. Juri opened her mouth in surprise and said, “Oh~ is this some kind of skit?”

“No, it’s not.”

“Is it… from a manga?”

“…Nope, it’s not that either. Just… daydreaming.”

“Hana-chan, you’re so mature, but sometimes you’re just weird.”

“Yeah, sometimes you’re weird.”

“….”

As we walked, we finally arrived. I opened the door to the comic book café. The bell at the entrance rang clearly.

Ding-dong~

“Welcome.”

“We’re three teens here.”

At the same time, I offered to pay for the entrance fee.

“Huh?!”

“Hana-chan?!”

Juri and Mija both looked visibly uncomfortable. It seemed awkward for them to accept a treat from someone two years younger. Only after I explained that the money was from my uncle, who had given it to me to spend with friends, did they relax. 

‘Well, it was my uncle who came up with the plan, so technically, it’s not wrong… right?’

We quickly settled in comfortably. Each of us grabbed a comic we wanted to read. 

As expected, Mija picked a Japanese manga with an edgy, “chuunibyou” vibe, while Juri chose a light-hearted gag comic. Naturally, I opted for a martial arts comic, the kind older men typically enjoy. 

The faint scent of cigarette smoke wafted from the comic book. This was an entirely different breed of manga. Brushing away some cigarette ash, I lightly tapped the pages of the old, tattered martial arts comic. 

‘Most modern comics get spoiled for me anyway since I already know their endings from the future. At times like this, a finished classic is a safer bet.’

Both of them were taken aback by my choice. 

“Hana-chan, your… taste is…”

“Hmm. It’s very… vintage.”

“What? What’s wrong with martial arts comics? They’re fun once you get into them. Wanna read it together?”

“Ugh, no way. It’s just so… uncle-like.”

“Hahaha. Yeah, I can’t really get into old-school comics like that either.”

“Hana-chan, you’re like an old man sometimes.”

“Right? Normally, you seem super mature, but then suddenly, it’s like you’re from another era.”

“Why, though?”

“…..”

What…?

Old comics? Like an old man…?

Excuse me, aren’t we all the same age here?!  

How dare you two call me old?!  

“……”

Silently, I sharpened the metaphorical blade in my heart.  

‘I’ll have you know I’m from the future… From my perspective, you two are 32-year-old aunties. Let’s see how much fun I can have teasing you in 20 years.’  

Twenty years later,  

at the 2024 reunion,  

I’ll bring this up to tease them mercilessly.

‘You two, clinging to every last shred of youth at 32… I’ll remind you of this day!’  

Let’s see how youthful you feel when that time comes, dear friends.

“Fufu…”

With that resolve in mind, I settled back in. Sitting cross-legged on the cushion, I found myself fully engrossed in the comic. 

For a while, the only sound in the room was the rustling of turning pages.  

Eventually, after finishing their comics, Mija and Juri started chatting again. This time, Juri brought up the topic of anime.  

Mija’s eyes sparkled with curiosity as she said,  

“Wow, I didn’t know. Since I don’t watch Korean TV, I had no idea there was a channel dedicated to anime here.”

Juri, catching her sapphire-like gaze, responded confidently.  

“Yeah, sometimes on days without broadcasts, I’d spend the whole day watching that channel.  

I watched it almost every few days, so I don’t know the details, but even watching it sporadically was fun.”

“Oh, which one? Which one? Hehe…!  

The title seems localized, so tell me the content!  

I’ll bring the original comic book!”

“So, it was about an elementary school student who graduated early and entered a girls’ high school ahead of time…”

“Ah! That one! Hehe!  

That one is super famous!”

While I was reading the comic book, I was startled by a familiar sound and turned around.  

“Huh? Me?”  

“No, no.”  

“Hehe…! Not you. I was talking about the comic.”

“Hehe, but it’s strange.  

It really was exactly one story.”

“Really? That’s weird.  

I didn’t aim for it.”

“I thought you said it on purpose.”

Mija suddenly burst into laughter.  

And her laughter was contagious.  

As the two girls giggled, I found myself laughing along without even realizing it.

“Ahahaha…!”  

“Hehe…”  

“Haha…”

We laughed together so suddenly.  

Rather than understanding why we laughed,  

It was just fun to see each other enjoying ourselves.  

‘Is this the power of being at an age where you laugh even if a twig rolls by…?’  

Honestly, I joined in too.  

But I couldn’t really explain why it was funny.  

It was such a strange atmosphere.  

We just laughed along with the momentum.  

But…  

Well.  

It wasn’t bad.  

Isn’t this what friends are for?

We chatted, read comics, and spent time reasonably.  

In the end, we even ordered jajangmyeon for lunch.  

Of course, Juri, who’s mindful of her weight, brought her own lunch.

Mija, who had black sauce around her mouth, tilted her head.  

“Why does Juri-chan only eat boiled eggs and vegetables?”  

“Uh, huh?”  

Juri covered her mouth and chuckled.  

“Hehe, ‘vegetables’… your choice of words is really unique.  

Anyway, it’s for weight management.  

I’ve been paying attention to it.  

Though not as much as when we were filming.”

“Hehe, when my mom was young, she said you didn’t need to worry.  

Hahaha, when Hana-chan comes over, she eats three servings of tonkatsu!”

“Tonkatsu?”

“Yeah, my grandma always made it for Hana-chan because she liked it.”

“It was delicious…”

“Seems like my grandma liked Hana.”

“Yeah!  

Next time, Juri-chan, you should come visit too.  

Grandma would love it!”

Juri spoke with a slightly awkward expression.  

“Ah, I actually live on Jeju Island…  

But if I come to Seoul, I’ll definitely visit.  

Where is Mija’s house?”  

“Seongbuk!”  

“You live in a nice place.”  

“It’s a good house…”  

This time, Mija looked at me.  

“Why have you been looking so wistful since earlier, Hanajjang?”  

“I’m jealous. I don’t have a house or a tonkatsu…”  

“…I see.”  

“…I see.”  

Anyway, quite a fun time passed.  

When I came to my senses, the sun was already setting as we were about to leave the comic book store.  

I said to the two who were exchanging phone numbers.  

“Can you two hang out tomorrow?”  

“Huh? Of course! I’ll be free until Christmas.”  

“Hehe, what about we three go somewhere tomorrow?  

Or later, we could have a Christmas party at my house? Hehe…”  

“No…”  

“Huh?”  

“Uh?”  

“To be exact, I want to invite one more person…  

Tomorrow, I want to bring someone we each became friends with, just like today.”  

Mija and Juri looked at each other, then looked back at me.  

“Who?”  

“Who?”  

“…”