Delusional Love

Hyerim’s thumb hovered over the send button. The KakaoTalk message to Yoonwoo asking about his Saturday plans felt bold. They’d only dropped formalities today. Yet their encounters - two shared classes, adjacent seats, collaborative assignments - seemed like destiny. She was getting carried away.

Had following him to the gym after lunch been too much? Hyerim cringed, remembering her bare face. What if he found her unattractive without makeup?

She smiled. But it was fun and kind of exhilarating.

And she managed her physique well, so it was possible he saw her in a good light.

Didn’t Romeo and Juliet go from meeting to murder and suicide in less than a week? She and Yoonwoo had talked for over three hours today, nearly five including class time. They’d already spent four days in the same class, two and a half hours each day. Wasn’t that longer than Romeo and Juliet’s courtship? Suggesting drinks wouldn’t be strange. Strangers met for drinks all the time in university.

Still, maybe it was rushed. Better to include Jieun. If Jieun and Yoonwoo became friends, she could always invite him to their meals. Perfect. After Yoonwoo replied, Hyerim messaged Jieun about drinks.

Can you believe it’s the same Yoonwoo from my fourth-grade class? Amazing.

Right? But don’t fall for him just because he looks like Haku. And Hyerim?

Yeah?

There’s no one like Haku in real life. Be realistic. Adult men with hairy legs and all can’t compete.

Hyerim giggled at Jieun’s message before writing:

He is like Haku. You’ll see.

Nope, I don’t buy it.

Anyway, you’re coming for drinks, right?

Of course. I want to see what he looks like.

So, what should we have?

Soju and beer?

No, I meant what food.

Jieun didn’t care about food, only alcohol. She’d even go to that shabby place serving spicy chicken gizzards where seniors took freshmen. She fit right in with the guys there.

Something about her charm made seniors buy her drinks without ulterior motives. She was the club’s drinking mascot.

What about LG Fried Chicken?

Yep.

Unni. Please show some interest!

LG Fried, let’s go!

Yoonwoo agreed to LG Fried Chicken. All Koreans loved chicken and beer, and LG Fried was the best nearby - a safe choice when unsure.

***

On Saturday, Hyerim and Jieun finally met Yoonwoo at the chicken restaurant.

“Hello,” Yoonwoo said with a polite nod to Jieun.

“Yoonwoo?”

“Yes, Miss Jieun?”

“Just drop the formalities already,” Jieun replied assertively. “It’s awkward and ruins the taste of the alcohol.”

“Ah… Okay.”

Hyerim smiled. In minutes, Jieun had Yoonwoo speaking casually.

“So, shall we have some soju and beer?” Jieun asked quickly.

Jieun was serious about her love of alcohol. Hyerim had wrapped up her workout earlier, gone home to change, and headed back out while Jieun was still in her training pants and a department jacket. Sitting beside her now, Hyerim could smell a subtle scent of beer coming from her jacket.

Could she be an actual alcoholic?

If Jieun had long hair instead of a bob, the smell might linger there too.

Yoonwoo hesitated. “I’m... kind of a lightweight. Is that okay?”

“So, soju?”

“Unni, no! He’s not a big drinker. Just beer for Yoonwoo.”

“Beer is boring,” Jieun countered. “Makes the next day harder. And you’ll get full quickly.”

“Oh, true. Yoonwoo, maybe you shouldn’t drink beer.”

“I don’t think...”

“It’s settled then. Owner, a bottle of soju, please!”

“Uh...”

Jieun ordered without waiting for Yoonwoo’s flustered response. Hyerim felt bad, but his perplexed expression was cute. She wanted to see him drunk.

“Yoonwoo, have you seen ‘Inside Out’ yet?”

After toasting, Jieun assessed Yoonwoo’s tastes. “Inside Out,” released earlier that year, had done well at the box office. It was a good conversation starter.

Usually, student meet-ups begin with major and class talk. But Jieun jumped straight to her interests.

“No. What’s that? A movie?”

“Seriously, Hyerim?” Jieun’s eyes widened. “He hasn’t seen it yet?”

Jieun loved “Inside Out.” When she first met Hyerim, she’d asked about Hyerim’s favorite parts.

Animation fans were often seen as rambling enthusiasts. But Jieun preferred hearing others’ thoughts. Maybe because she’d watched it nine times and analyzed every scene.

“It must be nice to watch it fresh. I’m jealous. You have to watch it. Twice.”

“Uh, okay, I’ll download and watch it.”

“No, no. First time must be in a theater. The experience is different.” Jieun checked her phone. “I heard the cinema nearby does reruns. Just a sec...”

Hyerim thought the movie wasn’t worth such enthusiasm. Jieun seemed to overwhelm Yoonwoo.

“Jieun, wait. You don’t need to—”

“Oh don’t call me that. Call me ‘Noona’. And it’s no problem, Yoonwoo. I’ll buy the tickets. I’ll come too. I actually want to watch it again.”

Yoonwoo wondered if she was already drunk after just one shot of soju. Her dedication was impressive, but ten viewings seemed excessive.

“Oh, tomorrow works. Yoonwoo, you’re free tomorrow, right?”

“Tomorrow? I mean, I’m free, but…”

“Then we can sober up and go watch it. Hyerim, do you want to come too?”

“I’ll come,” Hyerim agreed, despite having seen it.

“Okay, three tickets! Booked. Cheers!”

“Uh,” Yoonwoo mumbled as they clinked glasses.

Hyerim was glad she’d invited Jieun. She’d been wondering how to casually suggest hanging out with Yoonwoo, and now they had movie plans. It wasn’t the most seamless invitation, but she hadn’t been the one to suggest it.

Anyway, it all worked out.

Excited, Jieun listed favorite films: “Monsters, Inc.,” “WALL-E,” “Up.” But Yoonwoo knew none. He hadn’t even seen “Frozen,” making Hyerim wonder if he disliked animation. She switched to general movies, but he hadn’t seen “Memories of Murder” either. Finally, he mentioned “Welcome to Dongmakgol.”

I mean, it’s a great movie. It was fun, for sure. But out of so many movies, why did he choose that one?

Despite Yoonwoo’s limited movie knowledge, Hyerim enjoyed the chat. They barely discussed school. She disliked her school circles, and Jieun’s school life centered on movies and drinking. Yoonwoo seemed solitary, likely appreciating the relaxed atmosphere.

Hyerim wondered why Yoonwoo was a loner. Was it the fourth-grade bullying by the “chimpanzees”?

After four soju shots, Yoonwoo’s cheeks flushed, his gaze unfocused. Clearly a lightweight. Jieun seized the moment.

“You don’t know Ghibli films? ‘Nausicaä,’ ‘Princess Mononoke,’ ‘Spirited Away,’ ‘Kiki’s Delivery Service,’ ‘Porco Rosso,’ ‘Laputa,’ ‘Howl’s Moving Castle?’ They show these at school sometimes, right?”

“Ah, I’ve seen most as holiday specials on TV.”

“What’s the best one?”

“Um,” Yoonwoo furrowed his brow. “Maybe Kiki’s Delivery Service?”

“Oh, what did you like about it? Have a drink, take a drink.”

Jieun had a knack for frequent toasts. A strong drinker, she was hard to keep up with. Hyerim sipped at her own pace, but Yoonwoo tried matching Jieun’s every toast.

Hyerim considered intervening, but stayed quiet, curious about his preference for Kiki. Not exactly mainstream. Kiki out of all the characters? She hoped he didn’t have a thing for underage girls or women with giant hair ribbons.

“Just the way Kiki gains recognition?”

“What recognition? Does Kiki get recognized?” Jieun looked puzzled.

“Kiki’s a witch, but can’t fly well. It’s a world where witches aren’t needed, and Kiki’s not very competent. Later, she loses her powers completely.”

“Hm, and then?”

“But people keep supporting her. It felt like they accepted Kiki for who she is, not just as a witch.”

“Oh. Good point. I watched for the cute witch and cat. Funny how people see different things. Yoonwoo, let’s cheers and drink.”

“Uh, Jieun—sorry, Noona. I can’t drink anymore...”

“What? We’ve only had one bottle each.”

“Unni... Let’s give Yoonwoo a break. We’re not here to kill him. Here, drink some water.”

Hyerim wondered if Yoonwoo felt dejected like Kiki when she couldn’t fly.

Is that why he always seems so down?

Now that she thought about it, she hadn’t seen Yoonwoo smile even once since the start of the second semester.

She pursed her lips as she remembered how the chimpanzees in the fourth grade had tormented and ostracized Yoonwoo. Kiki flew again thanks to people who accepted her even without powers. Had Yoonwoo lacked such support for ten years?

Perhaps that’s why he looks so deflated.

If that was the case, someone needed to affirm that he was worthy of being loved.

Despite only drinking one bottle of soju, Yoonwoo was drunk, so they sent him home with a carton of chocolate milk after paying.

After he left, Jieun turned to Hyerim and said, “What’s with him? Why can’t he handle his alcohol?”

Jieun might look like a kid, but she was a caring senior who looked after drunk juniors. Her only flaw was encouraging them to drink excessively.

“He’s not good at drinking, and we drank too fast... I wonder if he ate chicken, though.”

“Shame. I wanted to review every movie from ‘Nausicaä’ with him.”

“Looks like Yoonwoo caught your eye?”

“He’s nice, isn’t he? I planned to pay, but he insisted and thrust a fifty thousand won note at me.”

“So what did you do?”

“Smacked his back and sent him off, of course.”

Hyerim laughed, imagining tall Yoonwoo getting hit by tiny Jieun. She’d missed it while in the restroom.

“So what do you say? Does he look like Haku to you?”

“He’s handsome, but not Haku-level. Can’t admit that.”

“Hmph. What about his voice? It’s charming, isn’t it?”

Jieun smiled. “Agreed. Sweet like Mudshakes. He said, ‘Noona. I can’t drink anymore.’ My ears melted.”

“Don’t you have any metaphors other than alcohol?”

“Well, then, sweet like a gold medalist…”

“What’s that?”

“A non-alcoholic cocktail.”

“Still alcohol-related.”

“It’s non-alcoholic, though.”

“Oh, I forgot. Unni, how much was the bill?”

“I’ll pay for the first round. You pay for the second.”

“Second round?”

“What, you’re not planning to go to the second round? I’d be disappointed.”

“Ah, yes, we should go for a second round.”

Hyerim wanted more drinks but worried about looking hungover at tomorrow’s movie.

“What time is the movie tomorrow?”

“3.10 p.m. Perfect, right? The alcohol should have worn off by then. It’s also a good time for a drink after the movie.”

“Drinking again on a Sunday evening?” Hyerim shook her head.

“Just light drinks.”

“Yoonwoo probably won’t drink.”

“Oh? That won’t do.”

“Then let’s think of something other than drinking,” Hyerim suggested.

“Something other than drinking... Is there such a thing?”

“We can just go to a cafe.”

“Oh.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? Unni, do you only know about watching anime and drinking?”

“I play Maple sometimes too.”

Hyerim laughed.

When they arrived at the skewer place for the second round, they realized it was next to Yoonwoo’s place.

“Maybe we should have walked home with him,” Hyerim said, disappointed.

Jieun sighed. “Yeah. I wonder if Yoonwoo got home okay?”

***

How was today, Tofu?

I’m dizzy.

Did you drink a lot?

A bottle of soju.

That’s not much!

Struggling.

How was it? Seems like that girl has feelings for you, right?

No, she doesn’t.

Nothing happened?

I talked more with the senior who came with us.

Was the senior who came prettier?

It’s not that. We kept talking about movies, so we planned to see a movie tomorrow. It was kind of sudden.

Just the two of you?

No, the three of us.

That’s good. What movie?

I’m not sure. They kept asking if I had seen the movie before.

Tofu! You already scored a second invite. Seems like you’ve become close with them quickly.

No, she just booked the tickets without asking from the start. She loves movies. And drinking.

Did she seem strange?

Not really. The senior paid for all the drinks.

Maybe she liked you. Are you surrounded by women now? Perhaps I shouldn’t have pushed you to go drinking with them.

Please, as if. And tell me your bank account number. I’ll return the money.

What’s so unbelievable about that? And I gave it to you so you could enjoy something nice. If you return it, what about tomorrow?

Tomorrow? The senior said she’d show us the movie. So no expenses for now. I can buy her a meal after I get next month’s allowance.

Tofu, are you planning to watch the movie and go home?

Uh...? What else is there?

Aren’t you supposed to have coffee together after the movie or have dinner?

Aren’t those things for close friends?

If they’re inviting you for drinks, doesn’t that mean you’re pretty close?

Hmm, I don’t know. I’ve never really been close with anyone, I guess.

The person who invited you definitely thinks of you as close. What time is the movie?

I don’t know. She didn’t tell me yet. Do you think she actually booked it?

She’ll contact you, don’t worry. For now, Tofu, you should get some sleep and sober up.

If I can’t wake up, maybe I don’t have to go.

Why? Don’t you want to go?

Yoonwoo sighed as he thought about how to explain his worries about going.

Aren’t movie theaters places where only cool people hang out? If I go with extroverts, I’ll definitely feel left out. Wouldn’t they regret inviting me?

Tofu! That’s quite the assumption. Besides, you’ll be watching a movie. I’ve even gone alone before.

Oh. Which movie?

Inside Out.

Um... I don’t know. But why are you only texting today, Rabbit?

My throat is a bit sore today. Maybe I caught a cold.

Is it because of the changing seasons? It’s sad to be sick alone. Do you want to leave the voice chat while you sleep?

Thanks, but you also drank, and I bet you’re tired, so you’ll go straight to sleep, right? I’m fine.

Okay, make sure you stay warm, Rabbit.

Thanks.

“Yoonwoo’s so kind, what’s a girl to do?” Rabbit murmured to herself as she pocketed her phone.

Rabbit learned Yoonwoo’s name from the money transfer. But sensing that his wariness toward her had softened made her happier than confirming his name. Initially, he had tried not to talk about himself, but now he had given out his account number and even his name. Plus, they were engaging in what almost seemed like relationship advice, though he might not see it that way.

If Yoonwoo’s trust in Rabbit continued to grow, then maybe her hopes would someday be realized.