Novel Bin Chapter 30 - What about me...? (2)
It\'s not that I didn\'t want to see Alice, but I\'m basically a homebody. I find comfort and enjoyment in the solitude of my own space.
"Maybe I should wear a wig," I contemplated while rinsing my hair.
As I washed my hair, I stared at my long, blonde locks. Sometimes, even when I cover my face, people still recognize me.
It\'s not a problem when it\'s just me, but I wouldn\'t want Alice to be caught in any trouble. She\'s even taken to wearing a wig when she goes to the convenience store near her house.
"I should have bought a wig beforehand."
But unfortunately, I didn\'t buy a wig. However, I had to make do with a different hairstyle to avoid being recognized.
After my shower, I dressed appropriately and tied my hair up in a bun. Usually, I don\'t tie my hair up; I just leave it down. But when I\'m working out or doing something active, I tie it up.
People only see my hair down, not tied up. When I cover my face, even the slightest difference like that makes people think, \'Is that Shin Hye-Rim? Doesn\'t look like her...\'
I dressed appropriately and went to the aquarium to meet Alice. As I arrived and waited for her, someone approached beside me.
"Ms. Producer!"
Only Alice refers to me that way.
Turning, I saw a stunning woman with shoulder-length black hair—it was Alice in a wig.
"Ms. Alice, how are you? I almost didn\'t recognize you."
"That was the plan. You\'re covering your face too, aren\'t you, Ms. Producer?"
"Alice spotted me right away, though."
I was trying to avoid being recognized, but Alice spotted me right away.
"Well, I know you very well, Ms. Producer, so unless you change your appearance entirely, I\'d recognize you even if you were dressed like this."
"Hmm, maybe I should get a wig."
Her words made me reconsider getting a wig, but ultimately, I decided against it.
Even if people recognized me now, it wouldn\'t be for long, and their interest in me would likely wane after a month or two.
If I\'m meeting Alice, it\'s worth the disguise, but I\'m uncertain if she\'ll try to see me again after today.
I\'m sure she\'s just trying to fulfill her promise from the other day.
"I see you\'re in the same boat as me, Mr. Producer? Hehe."
"I wasn\'t expecting this. By the way, I said you don\'t have to call me Ms. Producer anymore."
Just the other day, you called me by name, but Alice keeps referring to me as Producer now.
I\'m the one who told her to call me that, and it\'s not like I hate it, but there\'s no reason to stick to it.
"But Ms. Hye-Rim is my magical girl producer, so it\'s not weird to call her that!"
\'Magical Girl Producer,\' that\'s kind of funny.
Laughing at Alice\'s comment, I stepped into the aquarium.
"Well, let\'s go in, shall we?"
"Yes!"
I walked side by side with Alice, and we wandered around the aquarium. We saw all kinds of fish, sharks, and even penguins and sea otters.
"Kyaaaa! Look at that! Isn\'t that sea otter so cute?"
Alice\'s eyes lit up with excitement as soon as we entered the aquarium; her enthusiasm was contagious.
She couldn\'t stay still, her gaze darting from one fish to another with childlike wonder. Meanwhile, looking at the same fish, I couldn\'t help but entertain the thought of turning them into sashimi and enjoying them with a glass of soju.
Inside the aquarium, there was also a shark-feeding experience.
Despite its name, it didn\'t involve putting your hands in the water; instead, you tossed food to the sharks.
"Ms. Producer, why don\'t we try that?"
"Sure, sounds fun."
We tossed the food into the tank, and the sharks swiftly snapped it up. Alice clung to me, a mixture of excitement and apprehension evident in her expression at the sight of so many large and diverse sharks at once.
"There are so many sharks!"
"Don\'t worry, there are safeguards in place so you won\'t get hurt."
"Hehe. Even so, it\'s kind of exciting, and the water\'s splashing too."
After the shark-feeding experience, Alice continued to walk around the aquarium with her arm around mine.
It reminded me of the first date between Shin Chul-Min and Alice in the original manga.
Alice hugged Shin Chul-Min from fear of sharks, but she didn’t feel bad hugging him, so she kept walking around with her arm around him.
Alice may appear sunny and innocent, but she\'s surprisingly bold when it comes to romance, a trait that I found both endearing and unexpected.
Of course, my favorite is Ha-Yeon.
However, Alice\'s words to Shin Chul-Min on their first aquarium date echoed in my mind. It was something like…
\'Mr. Chul-Min, did you know?\'
"Ms. Hye-Rim, did you know?"
\'I don\'t just ask anyone to go to the aquarium with me.\'
"I don\'t just ask anyone to go to the aquarium with me."
Yeah, it was definitely this line. It was funny how she subtly revealed her crush on Shin Chul-Min...
"Hmm?"
That\'s odd. I was just recalling the scene, but why did I hear the dialogue as if it were spoken directly to me?
"I asked because I wanted to come with Ms. Hye-Rim—I mean, Ms. Producer."
I didn\'t mishear. I really did hear it right.
I glanced to the side, and Alice was looking straight at me, the corners of her mouth twitching upward.
"Because I don\'t come to my favorite aquarium with someone I don\'t like."
"......"
Why is Alice saying this to me? I\'m not even Shin Chul-Min.
Wasn\'t she just giving off a \'Let\'s go get a bite to eat, yeah?\' kind of vibe? I thought she was just calling me because she happened to have tickets.
I realize that she has some favorability towards me, but why is she telling me this when I\'m not the one she has romantic feelings for?
Ah, I see.
"Ms. Alice."
"Yes."
"It\'s flattering that you think so highly of me."
"Really? Hehe, then..."
"But even so."
I remembered what Alice had mentioned before.
She had asked if I could offer her a reward after the Monster Association incident was over, and her desired reward was undoubtedly...
"I can\'t give my mana to you, Ms. Alice."
"...Ah."
Alice\'s body stiffened, her once bright eyes now wavering slightly.
To infuse my mana into her once again was the reward she wanted.
That\'s why she\'s telling me this now—the Alice-style buildup to get my heart racing, then to get what she wants.
"I\'ve told you before, it\'s not good to frequently take others\' mana into your body."
"But just a little bit wouldn\'t hurt, right?"
"Well, perhaps a small amount would be fine."
"Then...!"
"Still."
Not long ago, I injected my mana into her when I captured Lame Jane, and while I did it out of necessity for her sake, it wasn\'t necessarily a good thing.
"What if you became addicted to my mana?"
Can I do it one more time? Just a little more, right? Oh, just one last time! Seriously, the last time!
Before you know it, you\'re addicted. It\'s like cigarettes. Having smoked cigarettes in the past, I know how scary addiction can be.
"I can find another way to reward you."
"Hmm... Okay."
With a pout, Alice reluctantly relented, giving up her request for my mana.
I felt a sense of relief wash over me.
Ting
My phone chimed; it was a text message from Jung Ha-Yeon.
[Ms. Hye-Rim, would you like to go to the movies with me on Sunday?]
"What should I do with Ms. Hye-Rim?"
Jung Ha-Yeon pondered this question for days. What could they do together on Sunday?
"Just a leisurely stroll in the park... No, that seems more appropriate for a girlfriend or lover. It might feel awkward for just casual acquaintances."
After much contemplation, Jung Ha-Yeon settled on going to the movies. It seemed like a safe and neutral choice after days of deliberation.
"Yes, watching a movie together would be enjoyable for both of us. If I keep suggesting movies, maybe we can become movie-watching friends."
With her decision made, Jung Ha-Yeon promptly texted Shin Hye-Rim. The response came swiftly.
[Okay. Do you have any movies you want to watch?]
Actually, Jung Ha-Yeon didn\'t have a favorite movie. The most important thing for her was spending time with Shin Hye-Rim.
After browsing through recent popular movies, she picked one and proposed it to Shin Hye-Rim.
[I want to watch this. How about at 2 p.m.?]
[Sounds good to me. I\'ll book the tickets then.]
"Okay."
With the plans set, Jung Ha-Yeon pumped her fist in the air. All that was left was to book the tickets and wait until the next day.
"Ms. Hye-Rim is probably with Ms. Alice right now."
The thought of them enjoying each other\'s company makes her heart ache in a strange way. However, she knew that tomorrow she would have her own time with Shin Hye-Rim.
So, it didn\'t matter.
Or so she thought.
[Reports are coming in about Class A gates being opened in Seoul...]
The next day, as Jung Ha-Yeon prepared to meet Shin Hye-Rim, a text from the Hero Association flashed on her phone screen.
"Why now..."
Jung Ha-Yeon wanted to cry.