Finally, we arrived at the Mochi-kun store.
The three-story building stood out from the start.
A signboard decorated in various colors.
Mochi-kun characters painted on the outer walls sparkled brightly.
As I looked at the store packed with people, I asked Dabin, “Are all those people part of that Mochidan or whatever?”
“Yeah. It’s super popular, right?”
Following her inside, we were immediately met with a dense crowd.
People everywhere were taking pictures while holding Mochi-kun plushies.
‘Wow, I didn’t expect there to be this many abnormal people.’
Seeing this level of popularity, I could understand why Kim Harin didn’t win.
The pickup area for the limited-edition plushies was on the third floor.
The problem was…
Not only was the store packed, but the line stretched all the way to the elevator.
We took our place in the long queue and waited for our turn.
Dabin’s eyes sparkled as she looked around the store, while I just wanted to get out of here as soon as possible.
***
Ding-dong.
At the sound of arrival, we stepped into the elevator.
A confined, enclosed space.
Pressed into a corner, Dabin and I waited for the elevator to ascend.
Then, a large-built man stepped inside.
‘You should really take the stairs. Good for your diet too.’
I let out a sigh without realizing it.
More people kept squeezing in, and before long, the elevator turned into a scene straight out of rush hour.
Before I knew it, my body was leaning toward Dabin.
Looking down at her, significantly shorter than me—
Dabin, stuck in the corner, quickly turned her head away, looking embarrassed.
Somehow, the situation had turned into one of those “wall slam” poses you’d see in dramas.
‘Maybe I should’ve just taken the stairs.’
As I was thinking that, Dabin, feeling uncomfortable, shifted her body toward the wall.
Soon after—
Ding!
The elevator doors slowly opened, and people poured out.
At some point, Dabin had slipped out before me, her eyes shining as she took in the store.
“Wow…”
She quickly walked toward the display where the limited-edition plushies were placed.
A bear plushie with tiny hands and feet, like a little rice cake.
Her excitement was obvious.
“They’re so cute! Seriously… Ah, this is the limited-edition Mochi-kun plushie!”
Dabin grabbed two plushies, handed one to me, then ran over to a store employee to show her phone.
‘All this trouble on a weekend just to get this…’
Reality hit me hard, but—
Seeing Dabin hugging the plushie with such a happy expression, I didn’t feel too bad.
With shopping bags containing the plushies in hand, we left the store.
***
“What do you think of the real-life limited-edition Mochi-kun?”
Dabin hugged her bag tightly, looking at me expectantly.
‘What’s so great about that thing…?’
Still, in moments like this, it was best to play along.
‘If I said the wrong thing, she might just take back the plushie.’
“It makes sense why it’s so popular.”
“Right?”
“So, how much do I owe you?”
“Forget it. I wouldn’t sell Mochi-kun for money.”
As expected from a rich kid, so easygoing about it.
I didn’t mind getting it for free, but… I felt like I’d just been receiving things from her.
“Then I’ll feel guilty. You already treated me last time too.”
“Hmm… And you did save my life once. If you really want to repay me…”
An uneasy feeling crept up.
‘She’s definitely about to ask for something annoying.’
She glanced at her phone before speaking.
“There’s a waffle shop nearby! The strawberry flavor is supposed to be really famous. That’ll be enough.”
“That’s all?”
“Yeah. That’s more than enough for a fellow Mochidan.”
‘Waffles, huh? Something girls go crazy for.’
Honestly, it felt like I was getting off too easy.
I felt a little guilty, but since she was fine with it—
I followed Dabin’s lead.
***
The place wasn’t far, about ten minutes from the Mochi-kun store.
“This is it.”
A flashy signboard with big letters reading “Fruits Waffle” caught my eye.
A long line of customers had already formed outside.
Mostly women.
‘Of course…’
Quietly, we joined the line.
“I heard these waffles are amazing. They’re all over Instagram, and the fruit is super fresh, plus the cream is homemade.”
“Got it.”
Before long, it was our turn to order.
Looking excited, Dabin glanced at the menu.
“You want strawberry waffles too?”
“Anything’s fine.”
“Mister! Two strawberry waffles, please!”
The warm, toasty smell of waffles filled the air.
I wasn’t big on sweet things, but this much was fine.
After a short wait, we received our waffles in paper boxes.
Dabin opened hers and beamed.
“Wow, the strawberries are huge.”
“But we have to eat standing up?”
“We can sit over there, see?”
She pointed at a nearby bench.
As we headed toward it, a little kid suddenly dashed ahead—
Then.
Splat!
A dreadful sound.
Something squishy pressed against my leg.
Lowering my head, I looked down.
The cream from the waffle the little kid had been holding was now smeared all over my pants.
‘Damn brat.’
I let out a sigh internally and looked at the kid.
He stared up at me with a flustered expression, his eyes welling up with tears.
On the ground lay the tragic remains of his fallen waffle.
“I-I’m sorry….”
Seeing this, Dabin hurriedly rummaged through her bag and handed me a wet wipe.
But, of course, it wouldn’t come off that easily.
‘Kim Harin is definitely going to scold me for this.’
Sometimes, life just throws you unlucky situations.
Not that I was the type to stress over something like this.
This was just a minor incident.
I glanced at the kid, who was staring at the ruined waffle on the ground, his lips trembling.
Then, I handed him the waffle box I was holding.
“Hey.”
“Huh?”
“Eat it.”
“Really?”
The kid’s eyes sparkled as he took the waffle from me.
A strange turn of events—he was the one who caused the problem, yet here I was, offering a solution.
Not like I enjoyed sweet food anyway.
I had only gotten the waffle to humor Dabin.
And it’s not like I could punch a little kid over this.
Beside me, Dabin looked at me in surprise.
“Are you okay? Your pants are completely ruined.”
“It’s just clothes. I can wash them. Besides, I don’t really like sweets anyway.”
I nonchalantly wiped at the sticky cream with the wet wipe.
From the corner of my eye, I noticed Dabin taking a bite of her waffle while staring at me with an odd expression.
Her gaze lingered, but I ignored it.
She took another bite, then murmured in a quiet voice, “You’re really kind… it’s unexpected.”
“What is?”
“That kid just now. Most people would’ve been mad.”
“I just couldn’t be bothered. What, was I supposed to demand a little kid pay for dry cleaning?”
Having finished her waffle, Dabin dusted off her hands and smiled brightly.
“Anyway, we should get going now. Mission accomplished.”
“Yeah.”
Hugging the shopping bag with the plushie inside, Dabin walked ahead with a satisfied expression.
I silently followed beside her.
***
“Alright, I’m heading out. Today was fun.”
“Yeah.”
I gave a small wave as she got into a taxi, then glanced at the shopping bag holding the Mochi-kun plushie.
‘Kim Harin is going to flip when she sees this.’
Just imagining her reaction already had me feeling exhausted.
Maybe this was a mistake…
***
Inside the taxi, Dabin leaned against the backseat, watching the scenery pass by outside the window.
She held the shopping bag tightly, cradling the Mochi-kun plushie inside.
‘Kim Dohyun… he’s kind of unexpected.’
The moments from earlier replayed in her mind.
The way their bodies were pressed together in the elevator.
Her heart had suddenly started racing, her face heating up.
Kim Dohyun had looked as indifferent as ever, acting like nothing was unusual.
But why had she been the only one feeling that way?
‘What’s wrong with me…?’
‘Then, there was the incident in front of the waffle shop.’
‘When the cream got on his pants, she had expected him to get annoyed, maybe even scold the kid.’
‘Instead, he had just handed over his own waffle without a word.’
—”Eat it.”
That short phrase had somehow seemed incredibly cool.
‘He’s really kind…’
The thoughts wouldn’t stop swirling in her head.
‘If it were me, would I have acted the same way in that situation?’
There was a term for someone like him…
Right—tsundere.
That kind of vibe.
Now that she thought about it, Kim Dohyun had always been like that.
Always acting half-hearted, like he didn’t care.
Yet, it was that very attitude that had helped their team win at the sports festival.
Maybe that’s why he was so popular with their classmates.
And then—when that motorcycle had suddenly sped past earlier, The way he had instinctively grabbed her wrist and pulled her back.
That brief touch had felt reassuring. Warm.
Just like when she had been floating in the ocean.
‘God, I must be losing it…’
His indifferent face kept flashing in her mind, making her shake her head furiously.
Behind that laid-back attitude, he was surprisingly thoughtful and considerate.
And even though Yuna kept throwing herself at him, he ignored her completely, making it seem like he wasn’t interested in girls at all.
But then again—
She had caught him looking at those kinds of books in the library.
So it wasn’t like he had no interest in romance.
And then, there was the way he kept trying to clear up misunderstandings with her.
‘What was that about?’
‘Could it be… does Kim Dohyun like me?’
The thought popped into her mind before she could stop it.
—”Seo Yuna isn’t my type. If I had to be honest… you’re closer to my type.”
‘Ah, crap. This feels like some kind of ridiculous soap opera.’
Dabin clutched the plushie tightly and lowered her head.
“Haa… this is so confusing…”