Chapter 90: An Unforgettable Christmas Eve

“An errand?”

“Yeah, you too?”

No. 72’s… Now this…

It was the first time I’d seen him since I was with Ihwan in the hallway outside the Association lounge.

Ihwan had asked what we talked about, but I remembered being relieved that it was nothing different from what Sagong Arin had already told me.

“What do we need to buy?”

Do Ihyeon, who was pushing the cart with both hands, glanced at the note I was holding.

He only bent his waist a little to see what was written, but exclamations erupted from all around.

“Wow, that’s crazy.”

“So exciting…….”

“But what’s that next to you?”

I wondered why there were no insults about me.

Not even ‘that person’, but ‘that thing’.

Just because I was walking with Do Ihyeon, people didn’t even treat me like a person.

Still, maybe because videos of me commanding the spirits had spread, a lot of people recognized me.

I thought being called ‘Lee Dana’, even if the tone was disapproving, was better than ‘that thing’, and kept walking.

Before I knew it, shopping with Do Ihyeon had turned into dragging a crowd behind us.

“Did you join the Anti-Cafe for Dimensional Outsiders?”

As I was about to head to the checkout with all the items from the note in our cart, I overheard a conversation from people passing by.

“Oh, me? Of course. If it weren’t for that guy, we could have lived peacefully without any Gates.”

“Exactly. Seeing those idiots even made a fan cafe for him, it’s just…”

Unconsciously, I turned my head to listen to their conversation.

Suddenly, my ears were blocked and the sound faded.

When I looked up, I saw Do Ihyeon covering my ears with both hands.

‘Don’t listen.’

He mouthed the words, and kept my ears covered until the people badmouthing me were gone.

Normally, I would have brushed him off, saying I was fine, but this time, I couldn’t do anything.

‘So you really do believe it.’

He was sure I was a Dimensional Outsider, huh.

Maybe not completely certain, but at least he was suspicious.

Should I be glad that I at least had a friend who knew my secret and whom I could talk to?

My feelings were complicated.

I was just about to pull Do Ihyeon’s hands away, telling him it was enough, when—

“Oh? Dana-dana! Over here!”

There was only one person who called me like that.

I whipped my head toward the voice and saw Han Ji-bin already at the register, checking out.

And behind him, Ban Eun-hyeol was striding over with more items to add to the purchase.

Of all times, just as I was grabbing Do Ihyeon’s wrist to pull his hands away from my ears, I made eye contact with Ban Eun-hyeol.

His gaze turned sharper and sharper.

‘This is bad.’

Every time those two met, they were at each other’s throats, so I immediately started to worry.

To be precise, it was always Ban Eun-hyeol who growled, while Do Ihyeon just coolly countered with a blank expression.

Either way, the two definitely didn’t get along.

I quickly let go of Do Ihyeon’s hand and greeted Ban Eun-hyeol, then subtly stepped in front of Do Ihyeon to put some distance between them.

“Danaaaa! Are you here for groceries? It’s nice to see you here!”

Amid the tense atmosphere between the two, Han Ji-bin approached us with a bright smile.

Judging by the cart, it looked like they were planning a big dinner together.

“I’m just running an errand. But what are you guys doing here?”

Apparently, my thought of ‘Do chaebols even shop for groceries themselves?’ was written all over my face.

“Chaebols shop for groceries too.”

Ban Eun-hyeol chuckled as he replied.

Embarrassed at being so easily read, I mumbled something and moved to another checkout, using the excuse that I wanted to pay quickly.

***

After checking out at a leisurely pace, Ban Eun-hyeol looked down at the items in the cart with a complicated expression.

He’d come to the mart to look around before, but this was his first time actually shopping for groceries.

Besides, everything he bought today was unnecessary for him.

The house chef usually bought all the ingredients, and he never bought daily necessities himself.

“Wow, we bought a lot. Can I really have all this?”

Han Ji-bin asked excitedly, staring at the cart overflowing with groceries and household goods.

“Take it all. I didn’t come here to shop anyway.”

In truth, he was only at the mart because Han Ji-bin had contacted him.

Han Ji-bin, who loved shopping at marts, sometimes came here to push a cart around and pick up groceries, and today, he’d spotted Do Ihyeon and Dana.

He was about to call out to them, but changed his mind and contacted Ban Eun-hyeol instead.

Coincidentally, Ban Eun-hyeol was also looking at a post on social media about someone spotting Do Ihyeon.

It said, ‘Looks like Do Ihyeon has a girlfriend.’

He clicked in out of curiosity, and all the details about the supposed girlfriend matched Dana exactly.

He almost dashed out to the mart right away, but hesitated, not knowing what to say if he ran into Dana.

Should he say he just happened to be there?

Or admit he saw them on social media and followed?

He couldn’t move recklessly.

Just then, Han Ji-bin contacted him.

He said he was at the mart and had seen Do Ihyeon and Dana.

The moment he had a good excuse to go, Ban Eun-hyeol rushed over like lightning.

And then he saw it—Do Ihyeon covering Dana’s ears with both hands.

‘I almost grabbed her wrist and pulled his hands away.’

If he’d done that, people would have started talking about a love triangle, just like at the aquarium last time.

He didn’t really care about rumours, but someone had been acting evasive since then, so he held himself back.

“Thanks! I’ll use it all and eat well!”

After sending off Han Ji-bin, who was making finger hearts with both hands, Ban Eun-hyeol also started heading home.

Then, he noticed the huge Christmas tree decorated outside the mart.

Come to think of it, Christmas, which he usually had no interest in, was tomorrow.

Looking around, there were couples everywhere, out on the streets for Christmas Eve.

He fiddled with the phone in his pocket.

He was never one to hesitate, but for some reason, he kept hesitating.

It was weird to call her back after already saying goodbye, but today, it felt okay to do so.

Brrrrr—

[Huh, what’s up?]

The call connected, and Dana’s voice came through the phone.

[Hello? What, did you call me by mistake?]

What are you doing for Christmas?

If you don’t have plans, let’s hang out.

What are you doing today?

Can you drop off the groceries and come out?

All sorts of words swirled in his mouth.

Ban Eun-hyeol took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the cold winter air.

The chill from his nose to his lungs cleared his mind.

“If you don’t have plans, keep tomorrow free.”

[Why?]

“Because it’s Christmas.”

It was brief, but he’d said everything he needed to.

Ban Eun-hyeol gazed at the giant tree in front of him with a deeply satisfied expression.

Then, through the crowd of people passing by the tree, he spotted Dana standing alone with the groceries.

It was strange.

She stood out so clearly. Amid the swirling white snowflakes, Dana’s light brown hair fluttered.

She didn’t seem to notice he was across from her.

She frowned slightly, tucked her hair behind her ear, and looked at the tree as she answered.

[Okay, sure.]

At that moment, Ban Eun-hyeol’s heart pounded violently.

He had a strong feeling he’d never forget this moment.

On a snowy Christmas Eve, with the tree between them, they’d made a Christmas date.

Of course, Dana probably didn’t think of it as a date, but he could work on that, little by little.

“Wow… he’s so handsome.”

“Did you see him smile? I’ve never seen Ban Eun-hyeol smile like that.”

“Does he like the tree?”

I must have been smiling without realizing it.

Hearing the nearby girls whispering, I touched my lips and found that the corners of my mouth were lifted high.

This change in himself felt unfamiliar, but he didn’t dislike it.

He wanted to hold onto this good feeling for a long time.

He’d promised himself to sleep early for tomorrow, but ended up tossing and turning all night.

***

Chirp chirp—

The pleasant sound of birds woke me up in the morning.

The snow from yesterday was still piled up, and it was snowing again today.

‘Ah, I’m supposed to meet Ban Eun-hyeol for lunch today.’

Stretching, I tried to decide what to do today, and then remembered the promise I’d made yesterday.

‘But is it just the two of us?’

If possible, I wanted to see the others too.

I was curious what everyone else was up to.

Since I’d never really celebrated Christmas before, I hadn’t even realized yesterday was Christmas Eve.

But after making plans with Ban Eun-hyeol, I wanted to spend Christmas with my other friends, too.

“Maybe I should go out and talk to them. Right?”

I spoke to Bishap, who was still sound asleep as I got ready to go out.

As expected, there was no reply.

‘Why does it feel so awkward to meet just the two of us?’

After getting ready and stepping outside, an indescribable feeling washed over me.

I thought it wasn’t snowing today, but as I walked, it began to fall little by little.

We’d agreed to meet at the movie theater.

It might seem like a typical date spot, but I tried not to think about it.

If I became too conscious of that, the whole day would end up awkward and uncomfortable.

I entered the theater, drawn by the smell of popcorn. I didn’t even have to look around to know where Ban Eun-hyeol was.

Whether openly or with sideways glances, wherever there were a lot of eyes, Ban Eun-hyeol would be there.

I quickly spotted him and walked over.