This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 474

After finishing a photo shoot that turned out to be much more enjoyable than I had expected, I stepped out of the building, and it seemed that the outside was preparing to grow dark.

“No, but…”

“What?”

“Why did you pick that photo? There are plenty that turned out better.”

“I just… liked this one better, for some reason.”

“That so?”

“It’s just… it feels alive, you know?”

It definitely was more vibrant compared to the others.

While I kept taking photos, a playful spirit took over, and I secretly tried to mess with Yoonseo from behind, but got caught, ending with a snapshot of me being grabbed by the collar.

Still, there were clearer pictures available, so asking for this one felt a bit…

At that moment, I was probably gazing at the slightly blurry photo that Yoonseo was holding.

Did she catch the look in my eyes?

“Why? What? Are you dissatisfied or something?”

Yoonseo, who was peering closely at the photo with a puzzled expression—wondering what was so great about a picture that didn’t seem that well taken—suddenly whipped her head around towards me and slightly snarled with furrowed brows.

Was that a warning not to mess with her taste?

“Ah, of course not. I was just wondering where we should go next.”

“Ah… um.”

She seemed to understand my meaning, nodding once. Then taking the photo from her pocket and tucking it away neatly, Yoonseo pulled out her smartphone.

With some deft movements, she began manipulating the navigation to input an address.

Maybe it was because we had traveled from Seoul to Paju.

The distance turned out to be quite significant.

‘Once we enter Seoul again, traffic will start up, so this will take at least two hours, right?’

So, what kind of place is that?

At first glance, it seemed to be on the outskirts of Seoul, but nothing else notable caught my attention, so I had no choice but to ask Yoonseo.

“So what’s that place about?”

I had asked that for that reason, but she seemed reluctant to provide a straightforward answer.

“Well…?”

An ambiguous smile spread across Yoonseo’s face—

“You’ll find out when we get there…”

That was even more cryptic!

You’ll find out when we get there?

The tone of her words and the expression on her face suggested maybe she was planning some surprise event without me knowing.

‘Oh boy…’

My birthday is still far off, though.

Or could it be… is today some special anniversary?

I quickly racked my brain just in case, but no candidates popped up.

That meant it wasn’t anything, but then what could it be?

Even though that thought crossed my mind, if something really had been prepared, it would be best to be ready for a surprise.

After all, it would make the person who worked hard preparing it happier, right?

So even while concentrating on driving, I was simultaneously preparing to be surprised.

Thankfully, the road conditions were much smoother than I had worried about, and we reached our destination area much quicker than expected…

And since I had just about finished mentally preparing myself, I actually found myself surprised by what came into view.

Can’t quite say it was just a sight.

A huge LED screen that you wouldn’t easily find in a baseball stadium stood prominently in the middle of a wide-open space.

And near that LED screen, various cars were parked at regular intervals.

“How about that? It’s a drive-in theater. Isn’t it cool?”

“Um, yeah…”

“…Why? Do you not like it?”

“No, that’s not it… just surprised, you know! Surprised!”

It truly was surprising.

I mean, I had known these existed, but seeing one in person was my first experience.

So yes, it was neat and all, but I couldn’t shake the thought, ‘if we’re going to watch a movie, isn’t it better inside a theater than in a car…?’

Honestly, from my perspective, it was only logical to think so since Yoonseo had rented a larger car, providing plenty of room, but even so, car seats couldn’t possibly compare to theater seats in comfort.

Not to mention, movies also mean butter squid and popcorn. Unlike today’s theaters that sell popcorn and squid in addition to hot dogs, here it was just an empty field.

That meant unless we went to a convenience store or something, there’d be no way to get snacks.

And given my state of being… after the long shoot, my belly was sticking to my back.

In such a situation, how could I even think about watching a movie?

Thanks to that, I probably had a rather ambiguous expression.

“It seems like there’s still some time until the movie starts, should we order something first?”

“What? You can get delivery here?”

“Yeah, I heard so?”

“Wow…”

No wonder.

The girl who used to just take taxis suddenly rents a car, must have had a plan all along.

Could it be that going to a drive-in theater was one of her bucket list items for a date?

If that’s the case, she could have just said so.

I gave a smirk at her meticulous planning, but decided to fully enjoy this now.

That’s why I had Yoonseo step out of the car and adjusted the seats first.

Honestly, it wouldn’t have been a problem to watch it as-is, but might as well enjoy it comfortably, right?

So I quickly adjusted the seats and then started tuning the radio frequency according to the pamphlet I got upon entry.

“Is this how you do it?”

“Probably, yeah?”

“Hey, I think I hear sound! Is this how it works?”

“Seems like it!”

Is it because it’s a drive-in theater?

There’s a different vibe from a regular movie theater.

Knock knock—

“Delivery!”

“Oh, yes! Thank you!”

Being able to enjoy food you can’t get at an ordinary theater while watching a movie was pretty nice.

“So what movie are we watching?”

“Don’t know.”

“But they should be showing a recent movie, right?”

“You’ll see.”

No sooner had she said that than the bright screen turned black, and then a title filled with romance appeared.

And true to the title, the movie was a romance film.

However… there was a slight melodrama mixed in…

Not sure if that’s why, but as the movie neared its climax, Yoonseo’s eyes began to get a little red.

The frequency of her sniffling started increasing too.

‘Oh boy…’

She didn’t seem like the type, but she was surprisingly sensitive to this kind of thing.

So I casually opened the pack of wet wipes that came with our chicken and slid it toward Yoonseo.

Thankfully, since the ending itself was a happy one, she didn’t end up crying buckets, but still, wouldn’t she need to clean up the tears she did have?

“…What.”

“No, just wipe it.”

“…I didn’t cry, you know?”

“Sure, sure. So let’s just clean up.”

Maybe she couldn’t outright deny that tears had trickled down her face.

Yoonseo, pouting her lips, snatched the wet wipes from my hand.

But the problem was…

Until now, the sounds from the movie had been filling the air through the car radio, but now that the movie had ended, it was all gone.

What remained was the lingering aftertaste of the movie and the awkward silence that followed.

And it felt like the only thing that could resolve it was time, so I decided to step out of the car for a moment to gather the trash and soothe the emotions that had arisen.

Just as I was about to get out of the car…

“I… I have a business trip starting tomorrow.”

“…Huh?”

Just as I was stepping out, an unexpected sentence echoed in my ears.

“A business trip? Starting tomorrow?”

“…Yeah.”

“Where to? And why?”

“Just… it happened.”

To be honest… I didn’t understand it.

No matter how you look at it, even though the association was responsible for public safety across Korea, sending someone like Yoonseo to another location given the current situation in Seoul didn’t seem right.

‘Could it be…’

Is there some issue occurring in another region?

I don’t think I heard any news about that…

“So how long will you be gone this time? A day? Two?”

“For now… about a week. It could be… longer.”