Your Commander-in-Chief – Chapter 107

In front of the large shopping complex, I fixed my hair while checking my overall appearance in the shiny storefront windows.

Considering I just threw on whatever I found at home, I looked pretty decent.

I wore neat sneakers, shorts suitable for the hot weather, and a loose, crisp white shirt that hung down.

To top it off, I had swiped Harang’s snapback to shield myself from the sun.

It was a haphazard fashion choice, but it didn’t look messy—thanks to my decent looks.

I pouted, adjusting the brim of my hat.

Under normal circumstances, I would be sprawled out in a capsule playing Deron at this hour.

But today, that wasn’t an option. I had a promise to keep with Sohee.

I recalled the memory from a few days ago.

“Hayun.”

“Yeah?”

“I’m free next weekend.”

“That’s great! Let’s play something then!”

‘…’

That was an incredibly thoughtless and dreadful response. I completely failed to consider how my current active middle school friend’s feelings might be.

I wiped my dry face. That careless reply had wiped the smile completely off Sohee’s bright face.

“J-Just kidding… Would you like to hang out over the weekend? Maybe watch a movie?”

“Yeah.”

Sohee answered as if she had been waiting for my invitation.

After that promise to hang out, a smile returned to her face.

Because of the agreement we made that day, I now had to be out here at this time.

I squatted in the shade of the shopping complex, checking the time on my phone while attempting to escape the blazing sun.

12:10 PM.

That meant I still had 20 minutes left until our appointment.

Sohee – [Did you arrive?]

A message from Sohee had come through. I licked my lips and hesitated to reply.

If Sohee were an ordinary male friend of my age, I would have pressed him for why he wasn’t here yet.

But Sohee was a sensitive middle school girl. I bit my finger and frowned.

If I told her I arrived earlier than her, she might feel pressured.

– Be careful with your reply.

I nodded, carefully drafting my message.

Hayun – [I’m not late.]

Would that suffice?

I thought so as I wore a satisfied smile at that moment.

Suddenly, a deeper shadow cast over me, and a familiar scent of shampoo wafted by.

It was definitely Sohee’s usual shampoo smell.

I slightly removed my hat and looked up.

“Hello.”

“Oh, Sohee.”

“When did you get here?”

“Not long ago.”

Sohee nodded at my answer and began to scan me from top to bottom.

It felt like I was being inspected by an adult.

I forced an awkward smile and asked her, “D-Does this look strange?”

“No, you look good.”

Such direct praise! Sohee beamed at me and extended her hand.

Just because the meeting place changed, her behavior didn’t alter.

As always, whenever we were moving somewhere together, she’d always hold out her hand like this.

I reached out and took her hand. Sohee intertwined her fingers with mine and gently tugged at my arm.

“Where are we going?”

“We’re going to watch a movie.”

“A movie…”

I wasn’t particularly into watching movies, but I nodded.

Since I had come out today with the intention of catering to Sohee, I decided I’d go wherever she wanted.

We began walking side by side. The fact that I was holding hands with an active middle school girl made my heart flutter a bit.

“Hayun.”

“… Huh? Yeah?”

I was a bit slow to respond because I got caught up in my unnecessary thoughts.

I shook my head and looked up at Sohee’s face.

“What genre of movie do you like?”

“Uh, just something average? Maybe something popular these days?”

“Is that so? Can I book it however I want?”

“Uh-huh, go ahead.”

Sohee nodded at my answer and started fiddling with her phone.

Due to the significant height difference, I couldn’t see her phone screen.

When I turned my head, all I could see were her large breasts.

Every time I saw them, I thought to myself—


Is this really what a middle school girl’s body looks like?

As I continued walking while contemplating whether Sohee’s chest was real or not, we soon arrived in front of the movie theater.

Before entering the screening room, Sohee checked her phone.

“Do you need popcorn?”

“Um, no.”

“Then how about a cola?”

“I think that would be fine.”

“Okay.”

To be honest, I wasn’t sure if I could focus on the movie.

I rubbed my tired eyes and secretly yawned when Sohee wasn’t looking.

Lately, I’d been staying up late playing games, and sleepiness crept up on me whenever I had the chance.

There was a good chance I would fall asleep during the movie.

I wondered how much time had passed when it seemed all the preparations were complete.

Sohee led my hand towards the staff, showing them her phone screen.

I stood on tiptoes to see beyond her, curious about what was displayed on her screen.

“Everything’s confirmed! You can enter VR Couple Room 22~”

The staff kindly offered a small card.

Is this how movies are viewed these days? It seemed culture had changed as much as the world.

I walked cautiously alongside Sohee and opened my mouth.

“A couple’s room? What kind of place is that?”

“It’s a place for just the two of us to watch a movie.”

“J-Just the two of us? No one around?”

“Yeah, it’s a place where you can concentrate solely on the movie.”

I sighed in relief at Sohee’s answer.

I had been worried about snoring in my sleep while watching the movie, but it seemed that wouldn’t be an issue after all.

Sohee and I came to a stop in front of the couple room, 22.

Sohee checked the nameplate and held the card she brought up to the door.

With a beep, the door opened automatically.

“Wow…”

Walking into the room with Sohee, I couldn’t help but be amazed.

The room was small and cozy. Everything was dark, but there was a soft light emanating from the large capsule in the center, making it easy to perceive my surroundings.

“Are we watching the movie in there?”

“Yep.”

The capsule in the middle was larger than the gaming capsules I used.

I wondered how movies were enjoyed in this world and quickly sat down inside the capsule.

Since it was a couple’s room, naturally, the spacious capsule was set up for two people.

Sohee began to familiarize herself with the capsule’s settings, looking quite at home.

It seemed like she had been to places like this more than once.

I followed her lead and adjusted the settings too.

Around five minutes later, everything was set up.

Now all that was left was to put on the headset.

I fidgeted with a headset that looked different from the one used in games.

“This isn’t for full dive, huh?”

“Right, it’s just for watching movies.”

The moment I wore the headset, the title and a large poster of the movie popped up in front of my eyes.

It was definitely the movie Sohee had picked.

“Sci-fi genre?”

“Don’t you like it? Should I change it?”

“No, it’s fine.”

Sohee’s choice turned out to be a sci-fi movie.

For a middle school girl, her taste seemed a bit unusual.

“Shall I start it?”

“Yeah.”

Once my response ended, Sohee pressed play.

I relaxed my body, letting myself sink into a lazy position.

Suddenly, the surrounding sounds were cut off, creating an environment where I could concentrate fully on the movie.

The movie’s content was quite interesting, but the drowsiness engulfing my mind made it hard to latch onto the plot.

With a slow, stretching sound lingering in my ears, I felt my limbs grow dim.

As my consciousness dimmed, I heard Sohee’s voice.

I could clearly hear her voice, but I was partially asleep, making it impossible to comprehend what she was saying.

“Uh-huh… It’s interesting…”

So, I spouted out the first thing that came to my mind.

In situations like this, it was natural to inquire about the movie’s impression.

The scenes from the movie flowed by like a dream.

I had no idea how much time had passed.

Just as a gigantic Mecha T-Rex bit down on Mecha Cobra’s neck,

My awareness sank deep.

*

BANG-!

The immense sound that pierced my ears jolted me awake.

I must’ve dozed off for just a moment.

At that moment, something warm that had been resting on my thigh slowly vanished.

As that warmth disappeared, I felt a void in its absence.

“Hayun, I’m sorry. I think I dozed off for a bit…”

Sohee’s voice had a thick, slumberous tone.

She must have been in a deep sleep.

Clearing my throat, I replied, “Ahem… Uh, really…? The movie must have been boring.”

“Uh-huh…”

Sohee and I were snugly seated in the couple’s seat.

Given the way I’d been shifting in my sleep, my hand might have accidentally brushed her body.

I fidgeted, my hands softly stroking my thigh.

Somehow, it seemed like Sohee had placed her hand on my thigh while half asleep.

With that, our conversation faded into silence.

Thankfully, it seemd I hadn’t been caught dozing off.

The movie was now playing its end credits.

It looked like the film had concluded after the earlier explosion scene.

Once I removed the headset from my head, I could perceive my surroundings.

The brightly lit room seemed to sharply differentiate between the movie world and reality.

I loosened my stiff body and stood up.

“Sohee?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Not getting up?”

Sohee was still wearing the headset.

Even after the movie had ended, she didn’t rise.

“Wait, let me check for the post-credit scene.”

“Oh, okay?”

“Yeah.”

I stepped out of the capsule and checked the time on my phone.

The screen displayed 2:30 PM.

We entered the theater around 12:20 PM, so it seemed the movie’s running time was two hours.

Sohee finally emerged from the capsule about five minutes later.

“Looks like the post-credit scene was a bit long?”

“Uh-huh…”

Sohee responded hesitantly, her cheeks slightly flushed.

It seemed like the inside of the capsule had been hot.

Having watched a movie, it was now time for lunch.

I rubbed my hungry stomach and turned to Sohee.

“You didn’t eat before coming, right?”

“Yep.”

“Then let’s go get lunch. This time, it’s on me.”

“R-Really…?”

“Yeah, since you treated me to the movie.”

Sohee’s face lit up. It seemed she was indeed hungry.

With hands clasped, we exited the shopping complex and began walking for a while.

“Yeo, where are we going?”

“Someplace super delicious.”

I was relieved the rendezvous spot was close to my house.

There’s a place nearby that serves the best bone soup.

I led Sohee as we headed there.

[Seongbong’s Bone Soup]

“Here we are.”

“Bone soup…?”

“Yeah, it’s really tasty.”

Since it was slightly past lunch hour, the shop was rather quiet.

As we entered together, I shouted, “Auntie! Two bowls of bone soup, please!”

“Oh, my Hayun is here! Why didn’t you come last week?”

The shop owner’s aunt greeted me with a bright smile upon recognizing me.

I awkwardly smiled back and answered, “I’ve been a bit busy.”

“Really? You came with a friend? Just wait a moment. I’ll serve you right away.”

After waiting side by side with Sohee for a while, two steaming bowls were placed on the table.

Sohee’s expression dimmed a little.

The meal was satisfying.

Sohee left about half of her food, saying she was full.

As expected of a middle school girl, her portion was small.

“Uh, Hayun.”

“Yeah?”

“I think I need to go now.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“Yeah, my dad said he’s coming home for dinner.”

“Then I guess there’s no helping it.”

I had planned to spend the evening with Sohee, but that plan fell through.

Just before we were about to part, Sohee looked at me sadly and went into a convenience store, buying a pack of Soft & Chewy Cow and handed it to me.

Not just one piece.

Today, I got an entire pack.

I fiddled with the Soft & Chewy Cow as I watched Sohee’s receding figure.