EP.21 At the Festival
“The weather’s nice.”
In this place where warm spring breezes blow, the last time I went out to cause trouble was already last week. Since then, I haven’t stepped out and had been cooped up at home, so this certainly feels like a long-awaited outing.
On the way to the festival, Seo Eun, Soobin-ssi, and I were walking together — a rarity these days. Ah, but it’s not really rare for Soobin-ssi, is it? She’d always been out and about, going to the market and back. Anyway, the feeling of the sun on my skin after such a long time improved my mood.
Right, people need to bask in the sun occasionally. I seem to recall hearing somewhere that sunlight contains Vitamin D… It’s not good to stay indoors all the time.
“Oppa, you’re wearing black again?”
Seo Eun reproaches me. Having lived together for quite a while now, I’ve learned that Seo Eun has her criteria for distinguishing when to call me ‘hyung’ — brother, or ‘oppa’ — older brother. She calls me ‘hyung’ as usual, but refers to me as ‘oppa’ when she needs a favor or when she’s in a good mood.
…Can’t we just stick with ‘oppa’ all the time?
To be honest, if I ever sat her down for a serious talk, she might start calling me ‘oppa’ permanently. But honestly, I don’t want that. It would just make things awkward and create a distance between us. I should wait until her heart opens up. She’ll call me ‘oppa’ consistently one day, right? I’m sure it’ll happen…
For now, the fact that she’s calling me ‘oppa’ because she’s in a good mood is pleasing enough. But why the black clothes again?
I check the outfit I’m wearing. A black coat. Everything else is rather ordinary, hidden by the coat anyhow.
In the end, just like during Egoistic times, my appearance is embraced by black. But hey, a black coat just looks best on me, doesn’t it?
I decided to tell Seo Eun a truth she might not be aware of.
“Seo Eun-ah, for men, black is the color.”
“What are you talking about?”
Seo Eun chuckles in response. This was unexpected; I was prepared for her usual scornful retort.
Instead, she seems to be in a very good mood, humming a little tune as she walks.
Seo Eun-ah, you really were serious about ice cream, weren’t you?
Or is it just the excitement of a rare outing?
Soobin-ssi, finding Seo Eun’s mood adorable, is smiling behind her hand.
Seo Eun, with her unusual silver hair, attracts curious glances, and Soobin-ssi, being a beauty herself, becomes the center of attention even just walking down the street. What’s going on?
For your reference, Soobin-ssi has an identity-concealing filter applied due to her initial appearance on a broadcast. This filter, despite its role in rendering the face unrecognizable to the point of prosopagnosia, does not work on me since I already know Soobin-ssi for who she is.
And come to think of it, it’s quite remarkable. While I appear on various broadcasts with masks and filters, allowing me to walk openly with my bare face, Soobin-ssi finds the identity-concealing filter essential for outings.
By the way, this identity-concealing filter is of cutting-edge technology, invented by a genius American researcher who was tired of heroes walking around in weird spandex masks. A wearer steps under the device and the filter applies to their face for a set duration…
The Hero Association office has one each, and somehow Seo Eun managed to get a hold of the blueprint and set one up in our underground base too. Thank you, Seo Eun-emon!
Without this filter, Soobin-ssi would be doomed… unable to even go to the market.
If Soobin-ssi can’t go out, we’d have no choice but to order delivery for three meals a day. That’s what being a ‘homebody’ means…
“Ah, there it is!”
Seo Eun shouts, full of excitement.
Yes, I see it too.
[The 13th International Ice Cream Festival]
This place adorned with a large banner.
Never did I expect to find myself at an ice cream festival.
Booths with refrigerators line the streets. The only thought in my mind now is how much the combined electricity bill for this festival might be.
Seo Eun is already giddy, glancing excitedly in all directions, and Soobin-ssi looks intrigued, casting her gaze around.
“Oh, it’s rice ice cream!”
Off she goes hurrying somewhere, Seo Eun on the move.
✧˚·̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥·̩̩̥͙✧·̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥˚·̩̩̥͙✧ 𝑔𝓇𝒶𝓋𝒾𝓉𝓎𝓃𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁𝓈 ✧˚·̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥·̩̩̥͙✧·̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥˚·̩̩̥͙✧
