Chapter 59

It goes without saying, but I don’t get overly flustered by this kind of thing. The world isn’t a novel. I calmly said, “No,” and the employee acknowledged it without much reaction and moved on.

Of course, a 50% discount was honestly tempting. I wasn’t the type to be tight on money, but I wasn’t exactly rolling in it either, and with the contract already finished, it was better to cut down on unnecessary expenses.

But no matter how tempting it was, it wasn’t worth selling my pride over. To save less than 40,000 won, I should pretend to be a couple with some much younger kid, especially a guy? It was a laughable idea.

Anyway, we managed to enter the aquarium without any trouble. I briefly worried that Ji Kang-hyeon might say something silly as a joke, but that didn’t happen. At least, not until we passed the entrance, and he immediately opened his mouth.

“It’s a shame about the couple discount. A 50% discount is quite a lot.”

“Since I’m the one treating, what’s there to feel ashamed about?”

“Still, there’s a feeling involved with these things.”

“What does it mean if I feel bad since I’m the one paying?”

“If we pretended to be a couple, we probably wouldn’t have gotten a discount anyway. Events like that typically require proof that you’re a couple, like couple photos or rings or something.”

“…I hope there wasn’t anything like that.”

“Even I wouldn’t do something I clearly dislike. Though, some places might even ask for a kiss or a hug as proof of a couple act. No matter how I feel, doing that with an older guy is a bit much.”

“Well, that’s a relief.”

Just imagining it made me feel uncomfortable. It was fortunate we both shared that thought. It would be troubling if he viewed me as someone to date, given that he had bluntly suggested going out with me when we first met. Thankfully, after my identity was revealed, he seemed to have let that thought fade, but if he felt even a hint of something strange, I would have never answered his call.

I wasn’t completely certain, but I didn’t feel any awkward atmosphere from him either. There was no discomfort in his gaze or words.

Unlike that day.

I flinched and momentarily stopped walking.

In an instant, a horrifying memory came to mind, leading me to realize something.

What I had felt from Lee Cheon—his gaze, atmosphere, emotion, and feeling—on that day.

It was the first time I had received such a gaze in my life. Hence, I could never have recognized or felt it. Buried in the emotion of respect, there was clearly something sticky about his gaze.

It was difficult to define that “something,” but in the end, we call it desire.

What kind of desire could it have been? Speculating wasn’t difficult.

“Are you okay?”

As I came back to my senses, I saw a face in front of me that exuded no stickiness whatsoever. It was obvious; he was wearing sunglasses.

Seeing me flustered, Ji Kang-hyeon waved a hand in front of my face. There was no negativity in that gesture, but I unconsciously took a step back.

“What’s wrong? Why did you suddenly stop and start sweating?”

“Ah, it’s nothing.”

No matter how I thought about it, my appearance at that moment was anything but normal, but Ji Kang-hyeon didn’t press me further. I moved ahead, leaving him behind, pretending to be distracted by the indifferent fish.

After a brief silence, our conversation resumed as we moved forward, observing various animals. There were increasingly fascinating fish on display. Naturally, the aquarium wasn’t filled only with ordinary fish. Creatures like beavers and crocodiles, which weren’t even fish, were also present. Thanks to that, I could bury those earlier memories back beneath the surface.

Seeing huge sharks, rays, manatees, and seals made my heart race, a mix of fear and fascination. They said there was a seal show later, but since there was still an hour to go, I decided to skip it for now and return later.

The large tank also offered feeding experiences and diving experiences. Ji Kang-hyeon showed some interest in the diving experience, but since it required showing one’s face, he ultimately decided against it. The cost was high, too.

“Speaking of which, um… do you, I mean, do you like fish?”

Looking a bit deflated, he asked in a mix of formal and informal speech. In fact, even now, he occasionally spoke informally, but generally, he seemed to try to show me respect by using formal language.

Aside from his question, the way he addressed me felt a bit uncomfortable. It wasn’t that being called “uncle” bothered me; in fact, I was somewhat pleased. However, it clearly seemed odd for someone in my current state to be called that, and during our conversation, I felt a few glares from around us. I should find a way to address the issue of titles later.

“I don’t have a particular fondness for them, you know? While watching them is fun, that’s about it. You know from reading my work that the nature I depict is far from raw and genuine. While I do like using metaphors, it usually stays at that level.”

“I didn’t ask about your writing, though.”

“Shut up. Speaking of which, I think we need to figure out this title issue. With you calling me ‘uncle’ all the time, people are staring.”

“Should I call you ‘auntie’ then?”

“Do you want to die?”

Why did I ever think this guy was pure? He only ever seemed to think about teasing people.

“The focus of attention likely started with the formal language. Let’s just switch to casual speech.”

“What, you think I should stop talking to someone this age casually?”

“Then what should we do?”

It was clearly a complicated issue. Since being called ‘uncle’ was a problem, being called ‘brother’ was out of the question too. Jae-Ah would call me “brother,” but ever since I’d transformed into this state, I hadn’t had the chance to meet Jae-Ah separately, so it wasn’t something I needed to think about.

Ultimately, without deciding on a solution, we continued walking. Jellyfish, axolotls, octopuses, frogs, turtles, and various animals greeted us. Among them were the famous clownfish from the movie “Finding Nemo.”

“Wow, there’s Nemo here!”

“What’s Nemo?”

“What? You don’t know Nemo? You’ve never seen ‘Finding Nemo’?”

“What’s that?”

“It’s a movie! It’s super famous!”

Ji Kang-hyeon, with an expression that looked clueless, ignored my explanation and started searching for something on his smartphone. I was trying to explain for him.

“I looked it up, and it’s a 2003 movie? Wow, I really feel the generation gap now. Uncle, do you have dentures?”

“No, I’m telling you, it’s really famous! And don’t call me ‘uncle’!”

“I was born when that movie came out!”

“Really?!”

…That was a bit shocking.

Thinking about it, since Ji Kang-hyeon was in middle school, he was right. Realizing he hadn’t even been born when “Finding Nemo” was released struck me with the age difference anew. Had I unconsciously started to think of him as a peer, due to my youthful appearance?

“But I guess you really are 28. You’ve seen movies like this.”

“Still doubting?”

“Not exactly, but seeing you like this makes me forget.”

“You always have to add a comment.”

I tiptoed and playfully punched his head. This was one thing I liked; Hwa-won was so tall that I couldn’t hit him even when I stood on my tiptoes.

I lowered my head and began to read the introduction of the clownfish in front of the aquarium. It briefly wrote about the ecology of clownfish, which I had known nothing about. If a female in a group of clownfish dies, the largest male among those left will change sex to become female.

Hmm… That made me feel a bit uncomfortable. Suddenly, looking at clownfish felt awkward. As I quickly moved toward the next area, Ji Kang-hyeon called out to me and followed.

“Hey, why are you rushing?”

“I want to see the penguins. Let’s go see the penguins.”

“Then I’ll look around here a bit more. You go ahead.”

I couldn’t bring myself to say that I got uncomfortable after reading about the clownfish’s ecology, so I made an excuse. Luckily, the next location was the penguin exhibit. I moved ahead to the penguin area, leaving Ji Kang-hyeon behind.

“…This isn’t what I expected. It’s a bit small.”

However, the penguins on display at the aquarium weren’t what I had envisioned. They looked like penguins but were somewhat different. Disappointment began to fill me as I watched, when suddenly a voice came from the side.

“These are African penguins. They’re a different species from the ones that usually live in places like Antarctica.”

Turning around, I found it was a female employee from the aquarium. The cheerful employee, perhaps thinking I was a child, bent down and began to explain about the penguins.

“Due to climate issues and breeding difficulties, most aquariums in Korea raise African penguins. Unfortunately, the penguins that look like the ones on TV aren’t here. But aren’t they cute?”

“Um, yes…”

Perhaps thinking of me as a child, the employee started discussing penguins in a friendly manner. I couldn’t say I was done listening, so I quietly listened, but being suddenly treated with such kindness was troublesome for me. I wasn’t really a child.

If I had come here in my original form, that employee wouldn’t have shown me such a demeanor.

Just as my irritation began to rise, I heard a voice calling me from behind.

“Hey.”

I turned around to see Ji Kang-hyeon. He had the thoughtfulness not to create an awkward situation by calling me ‘uncle’ while someone else was talking to me. Regardless, it was a good timing. I could use this to detach myself from the employee.

Just as I thought that, the employee spoke.

“Did you come with your older brother?”