Ban Eun-hyeol was at the ticket booth, printing out the tickets he had reserved in advance.
The deep blue knit sweater and black long coat, perfectly matching his blue-black hair, made him stand out even more.
“Oh, you’re here?”
He greeted me with a dry, indifferent voice, handed me the tickets, and said he’d be right back after using the restroom.
Thinking I might as well buy some popcorn while I waited, I glanced at the concession stand—only to be horrified by the long line.
I’d always spent Christmas at home, watching the special broadcast of that movie about the kid left home alone, so I had no idea the movie theater would be this packed.
‘Maybe I just shouldn’t get any.’
Still, since I was at the theater, it felt like I should at least have some popcorn.
The decision didn’t take long. I shoved the tickets into my pocket and stood at the end of the line.
Couples here, couples there.
Was today a “couples only” day at the theater or something?
The place was so full of couples, I couldn’t help but wonder.
‘Isn’t someone going to make a fuss if they see me here alone with Ban Eun-hyeol?’
This was just the kind of situation people would misunderstand as a date.
In the past, I would have done everything I could to avoid this or tried hard to make it clear we weren’t a couple, but now I didn’t really care enough to bother.
Maybe it was because I’d gotten used to the girls’ wary glances, or maybe I’d just adapted to this world so much that worrying about it all the time felt like a hassle.
‘One popcorn and two colas should be fine, right?’
I’d already picked out what to order and was just waiting for the line to move when a couple of thuggish-looking guys got in line behind me.
I was deeply contemplating whether to get original or caramel popcorn.
Now that I thought about it, I didn’t even know whether Ban Eun-hyeol preferred cola or cider.
“Are you here alone?”
“Wanna watch a movie with us, cutie? I’ll buy you popcorn.”
“You’re too cute to spend a day like this alone.”
‘Well, I’ll just get the cola.’
Just as I was finally about to settle on my order and step forward, someone tapped me on the back.
“If you ignore me, I’ll be upset.”
Was this guy insane?
The gross pick-up line made my face twist up in a scowl.
This wasn’t some deserted alley where thugs usually hang out—it was a packed movie theater, and they were trying to hit on me here.
People around us glanced over with worried looks and furrowed brows, casting anxious glances at me and the thugs.
I was wondering how best to get rid of them when I saw Ban Eun-hyeol walking over from a distance.
If he showed up, the thugs would probably leave on their own, but since we’d already bought movie tickets, I didn’t want to make a scene.
Besides, this sort of thing had happened more than once—I wanted to deal with it myself this time.
“I’ll say this nicely: leave.”
I tried to sound as polite as possible. If they still didn’t back off, I was going to summon Shahin.
Just showing him off would send them running.
“Whoa, check her out, playing hard to get.”
“I’ll say this nicely: leeeave.”
As expected, the thugs didn’t back down easily.
Ban Eun-hyeol stopped walking and stared at them with a look that was equal parts annoyed and incredulous.
I heard him mutter under his breath, clear as day.
“Are they out of their minds?”
Wait, I’d heard that somewhere before.
‘Didn’t he say that in the original story when thugs tried to hit on Yeon Ha-yeon?’
Unlike the original, the current Yeon Ha-yeon was an S-rank Awakened that everyone in the Republic of Korea knew, so the thugs had reason to be wary.
He was reacting the same way to me now as he did back then.
The only difference was, back then, he wasn’t close to Yeon Ha-yeon, but now he was close to me—or at least, that’s how it felt to me.
Ban Eun-hyeol’s eyebrow twitched in that oddly familiar way as he strode toward us. It was just like the expression I’d seen in the webnovel.
So that look was real, after all.
‘Maybe it’s better to let Ban Eun-hyeol handle this than to summon a spirit and cause a scene.’
There were enough people here who’d be freaked out by spirits.
With that thought, my plan to call Sahin quietly faded away.
“Oh, you’re back?”
I waved to Ban Eun-hyeol as he approached.
The thugs’ attention immediately shifted to him.
“Huh…?”
The thugs, caught off guard, instinctively took a step back.
Ban Eun-hyeol walked up, looming over them with a deep frown.
“What’s going on?”
His voice made it clear to anyone that he was in a foul mood.
At that, the thugs flinched and, as if on cue, shouted in unison.
“Sorry!”
“Sorry, we didn’t recognize you!”
“Hey, let’s go! Crap, we messed with the wrong people.”
While no one was looking, I secretly summoned a spirit and tripped the thugs, making them fall with a loud crash as they ran off.
Watching them tumble away was oddly satisfying.
“Damn, he’s so cool.”
Someone muttered, and suddenly the whole place was abuzz with excited chatter.
I wasn’t even surprised anymore.
We headed into the theater, using the flurry of excited comments as our background music.
The movie we picked was an action film.
Maybe because it was Christmas, most of the movies showing were romances, but I wasn’t a fan of that genre.
That’s why I chose this one.
As the movie started and time passed, the atmosphere in the theater grew increasingly tense.
“Gasp!”
“Aaah….”
Occasionally, muffled screams echoed throughout the theater, suppressed by the setting.
It turned out this “action movie” was actually a horror film in disguise.
I glanced over at Ban Eun-hyeol to see his reaction.
Clunk—
At a particularly shocking scene, the seat next to me jolted.
At the same time, Ban Eun-hyeol’s popcorn flew up like a fountain and spilled all over the floor.
“Ahem, hmm.”
He coughed awkwardly, clearly embarrassed, and fixed his gaze on the screen.
I found it oddly entertaining to watch him squeeze his eyes shut during the scary parts.
Maybe it was thanks to this movie, but our hands bumped a few times while reaching for popcorn, and I didn’t even mind.
Ban Eun-hyeol held onto the popcorn bucket tightly until the credits finished rolling.
“Wow, was that really an action movie? What kind of theater screens horror films on Christmas?”
As soon as the movie ended, Ban Eun-hyeol grumbled in protest.
Apparently, everyone else felt the same way, since all I heard on the way out were complaints.
It seemed like I was the only one who actually enjoyed the movie.
I had more fun than I expected, and Ban Eun-hyeol seemed oddly mellow, so we spent more time together in a relaxed mood.
We went to a café, soaked in the Christmas atmosphere outside, and before I knew it, evening had arrived.
‘Maybe because we spent so much time together as a pair. Not bad at all.’
When we went to get dinner, I saw a face that made me scowl.
Chae Yuhwan, who seemed to be eating with his girlfriend, turned pale the moment he saw us.
“Oppa, where are you going? I’m not done eating!”
Even though we didn’t say anything, he dashed out, leaving his girlfriend behind as if he was running away.
Well, running into an unpleasant face was one thing, but the restaurant didn’t do anything wrong.
The two of us grabbed a table, ordered two dishes each, and ate until we were full.
By the time we came out, the city was completely dark, with Christmas lights glowing everywhere.
The snow had turned into a light sleet, fluttering gently, blending beautifully with the lights to create a stunning scene.
Carols played from shops, and the streets felt peaceful.
“How was today?”
As we strolled along, soaking up the Christmas atmosphere, Ban Eun-hyeol suddenly asked.
“The movie was fun. The food was good, and the city looks beautiful.”
“You thought the movie was fun…?”
I told him honestly how I felt.
Ban Eun-hyeol looked at me like he couldn’t believe what he’d just heard, but I just brushed it off.
Watching all the happy people laughing and walking down the peaceful streets made my heart feel ticklish.
Spending time together and parting ways after a fun day sounded perfect.
“Let’s go see the Christmas tree one last time before we head home.”
We headed toward the department store nearby, where they’d put up a giant Christmas tree.
The area was beautifully decorated, so it was packed with people.
Couples were taking selfies everywhere. Ban Eun-hyeol glanced around at them, then pulled his phone out of his pocket.
“This is a special day—shouldn’t we take a photo to remember it?”
“Sure, why not.”
We tried to take a nice photo with the tree in the background.
As I looked at the camera lens raised high, I suddenly felt a chill run down my spine.
Everything.
Instead of the pretty tree, the phone screen showed someone running away in panic.
At the same time, we both turned around—and when we saw what was happening, we didn’t need to say a word before we rushed forward.
We had been having such a joyful, peaceful Christmas, and now it was all ruined.
“It’s a Dungeon Break! Run!”
From inside the department store’s Christmas tree,
A monster’s arm burst out.
Someone nearby, who hadn’t even fully made it outside, was snatched up by the monster’s hand.
“Kyaaaah!”
I immediately pulled out my long spear and stabbed deep into the monster’s arm as if slicing it off.
The monster’s grip loosened, and the trapped person barely managed to escape.
“How could nobody notice a gate right there, with so many people around?”
If you leave a gate unattended for too long, monsters burst out in a Dungeon Break—but the location just didn’t make sense.
“I don’t know. Let’s deal with this first and ask questions later.”
Ban Eun-hyeol kept subduing the monsters as they appeared, binding them with the Fire Whip and burning them to death with intense flames.
The fire he controlled never spread anywhere else, burning only the target with perfect precision.
It was especially useful in situations like this.
I mainly attacked the monsters Ban Eun-hyeol missed.
Some monsters used others as shields to break through and attack people.
“Aaagh! What is this?!”
“Ahhh!”
Just moments ago, people were taking photos, laughing, and having a great time.
Now, screams echoed everywhere.
I moved quickly, slicing off the arm of a monster that looked like a giant snowman, then severed its head from its body.
But no matter how fast I moved, protecting everyone on my own was impossible.
‘Should I summon the spirits?’
But what if people got so scared of the monsters and the spirits that they panicked and got hurt while trying to escape?
All sorts of worries ran through my mind.
For now, I decided to focus on saving everyone safely.
I summoned the spirits outside.