After deciding on a destination, I left the house and said goodbye to Siera, finally being alone with Yubin.
Last week, we went to the hospital together, but it wasn’t quite an intimate time, and today was supposed to be our first quiet moment alone in a while, but Siera’s sudden appearance made things awkward between Yubin and me.
Regardless, I wanted to spend some time alone with her, so instead of going straight to where I’d stay tonight, we decided to walk around outside. We walked through the bustling streets, maintaining an awkward atmosphere.
“Shall we go to a cafe for a bit?”
Thinking it would be better to sit somewhere and talk rather than wander aimlessly, I randomly pointed at a nearby cafe. Yubin followed my finger, thought for a moment, and nodded.
“Yeah, let’s do that.”
We entered the cafe, ordered coffee, and sat down. Classical music played inside, and Yubin took a sip of her coffee, then looked at me with red eyes.
“Do you need to explain in detail?”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
“Team Leader Oh and now Team Leader Four know about your situation. Is there any possibility they won’t leak it externally?”
The more people who know about my situation, the worse it seems. Although Siera and I have had an awkward relationship for quite some time, I concluded quickly that she wouldn’t spread my situation everywhere.
“I don’t think others will talk about it. Luche… I mean, our team leader might talk, but…”
“What exactly does he do?”
When talking about Siera before, I described him as a superior at work. It was fine until now because Siera and I weren’t particularly close, so no further explanation was needed.
But now, Yubin and Siera met. Even though we’ve known each other for a long time, I still don’t fully understand Siera’s thoughts. However, Yubin, who met her directly, needs an explanation.
“She’s been a friend since childhood.”
“From the planet where you used to live?”
“Yeah. Around 8 or 9 years old? That’s when we got to know each other, so it’s been a long time.”
I couldn’t recall the exact age when we first met, given all the events over such a long period. But it’s true that we were childhood friends. While I can’t remember the exact time, I clearly remember playing with Siera in the neighborhood when we were young.
“You treat him differently.”
Yubin seemed to think Siera and I had a special relationship, narrowing her eyes and looking at me intently. I shook my head without hesitation.
“Yes, we’ve known each other for a long time, but there hasn’t been a special atmosphere between us. I’ve only dated Yubin, and this is my first relationship.”
“Really? Okay.”
Yubin smiled slightly with a hint of blush, seemingly believing my words immediately.
“Must have been a shock, meeting Siera suddenly like that.”
“Of course, I didn’t expect to be attacked.”
“Siera didn’t know your situation. Plus, there was the incident with the Guerrilla Team, and it’s only been a month.”
I was the most shocked by the situation. I came home thinking I could be with Yubin, but the house was in ruins, and Yubin and Siera were fighting.
Even seeing the same scene again felt unreal, and it made me doubt if what I saw was real.
“Anyway, it’s all messed up because of that woman. I was excited to be home with everyone.”
“Haha…”
Like me, Yubin also looked forward to being alone together. Recently, I’ve spent a lot of time with multiple girlfriends, leaving no room for relaxation.
While I’m not complaining, dealing with multiple people at once always requires attention, making me feel uneasy.
“For now, I’ll take care of the end, so Yubin, don’t worry too much. Let’s go on a date after this?”
“Yeah.”
Yubin’s expression brightened when I mentioned a date, and seeing her smile made me naturally smile too.
“But I can’t completely ignore it. My mind is already busy with team issues, and now there’s another person involved.”
“There won’t be any issues related to the team involving Siera. Everything will be fine.”
“…Got it.”
It feels like my response was a bit late. First, I should tell Yubin about Siera and my situation when she’s not worrying.
After drinking coffee, we stepped outside and noticed Christmas decorations everywhere.
“It’s still a month away, yet they’re already preparing.”
“Christmas is a big event.”
Before dating, I didn’t go out much or pay attention to such things, so I never really noticed Christmas preparations.
Though I’ve lived in Korea for ten years, Christmas preparations were always outside my interest.
“This time, I want to spend more time together. We haven’t celebrated anniversaries before.”
“That’s true. We didn’t even celebrate the 100th day.”
Neither Yubin nor I were the type to celebrate anniversaries. While celebrating anniversaries is good for a first relationship, it feels awkward to do so.
I considered celebrating anniversaries to make Yubin happy, but she preferred spending time normally rather than making a big deal out of it.
Still, Christmas is a significant holiday at the end of the year, and given the recent incidents, it’s best to celebrate it.
“Who will you be with on Christmas?”
Looking at Yubin holding my hand, I hesitated and couldn’t bring myself to lie. Yubin didn’t seem to expect much, but she looked at me intently, waiting for an answer.
“Can I think about it a little more?”
“No one else would say they need to think about it when talking to a girlfriend about other girlfriends.”
“Sorry.”
All I could say was “sorry.” Thankfully, Yubin, who opposes harems but understands my current situation, prevented the situation from spiraling out of control.
I am truly grateful for her understanding. This situation might not be understandable to my current girlfriends, but she understood it as a cultural difference.
Maybe I should understand Earth’s culture better and show consideration for her.
“If you have fun today, I’ll forgive you.”
“I’ll do my best to escort you.”
Thus, when my girlfriends understand me, I must value each one and do my best.
As we walked holding hands, our eyes met, and both of us laughed. It felt like forgetting the mess at home just an hour ago.
“But is it okay to walk around outside?”
Although I was injured in the terrorist attack, the hyper-human’s face became nationally known.
“It’s fine. I’m not a celebrity. People don’t recognize me when I’m out. They only gossip at school.”
“That’s good.”
“At convenience stores, employees notice customers, so I have to be careful. I don’t want to be overly cautious every time I go out.”
“Have you ever been recognized outside before?”
“No. At first, I was cautious, but after a month, people’s interest faded, so now I can move freely.”
People were more interested in the Guerrilla Team, the main instigators of the terrorist attack, and the HunterKiller Team was just present at the scene, receiving less attention.
I knew this, but I thought some might misunderstand the HunterKiller Team as part of the terrorist plot. It seems people aren’t as interested as I thought.
Perhaps they’re not paying much attention, or maybe Yubin’s casual attitude shows she’s not concerned.
“Are you only recognized at school now?”
“Yeah. People look, but they don’t care much. Since I wasn’t constantly watching others at school, it doesn’t matter to me whether they notice me or not.”
There are people at school who recognize me, but it’s not as bad as I feared.
It made me realize how little people care about others’ lives. And it seems the public knows the HunterKiller Team wasn’t involved with the Guerrilla Team in the terrorist attack.
“How’s school these days?”
Since I hadn’t been clear about Yubin’s recent life, I asked about school during my absence, and Yubin frowned.
“There’s too much homework.”
“Oh…”
“I don’t understand why they assign so many reports.”
“If it’s related to your major, let me know. I’ll help.”
“Thanks, but even helping with homework makes our dates short.”
“You can find time.”
Thanks to my girlfriends, I can manage my time more flexibly.
While I can’t help with Yubin’s homework right now, moving soon to a new place will give us more time together.
“Are you sure?”
“If I wasn’t sure, I wouldn’t have brought it up.”
“That’s true.”
Smiling lightly at Yubin’s worried expression, she quickly understood. If it wasn’t a serious issue, I wouldn’t have mentioned it, and there was no reason for it to be a problem.
My relationship with Yubin began with her college book in a corner of the convenience store. While it seemed insignificant, teaching her helped us become closer, and I had no resistance to sharing knowledge.
“I’ll try to move as soon as possible. Once moved, I’ll share everything.”
“Okay.”
In the cold winter wind, Yubin and I held hands tightly.
Walking and thinking about where to go, we noticed a cosmetics store.
“Are you still using the sunscreen I bought last summer?”
“It’s winter now.”
“Winter sunscreen is good too. Use it properly.”
“I’ll apply it every time I go out.”
Chatting about trivial matters, I stared at Yubin’s face. Noticing my gaze, she turned her head and looked at me, tilting her head.
“Why?”
“No, you seem to prefer light makeup.”
“I just do the basics. It’s tedious, and I don’t know how to do much.”
“I thought you were into makeup since you were concerned about me.”
“Sunscreen isn’t makeup.”
“Right.”
Since I only use lotion, I thought applying sunscreen was part of makeup. To Yubin, it’s similar to putting on lotion, and I should do it daily.
“Want to take a quick look?”
Yubin didn’t want to leave the cosmetics store. Since we didn’t have a specific plan, I suggested we look inside, and she nodded.
So, Yubin and I entered the cosmetics store. Last time, we only picked sunscreen, so I had no idea about other products. Seeing women’s cosmetics confused me.
“What’s this?”
“It’s eyeliner.”
“And this?”
“It’s eyeshadow.”
“Anything else?”
Since we were there, I might as well learn. With many girlfriends, it’s good to know at least basic information. Asking about cosmetics, I felt the mystery of women and admired Yura, who does full makeup every day.
“Which one do you think suits me better?”
Showing me two lipsticks, Yubin asked. One was red, and the other was also red.
“Huh?”
I couldn’t understand her intention.
“Which one do you think suits me better?”
“Hmm…”
I couldn’t distinguish the colors of the two lipsticks. Yubin seemed to think I couldn’t tell because I hadn’t tried them, so she applied both on her hand.
But even in their original state or applied, I couldn’t tell the difference.
“Um… I mean…”
To give a clear answer, I examined her hand closely, but I couldn’t detect any difference.
“You can say you don’t know if you’re unsure.”
Seeing my confusion, Yubin smiled.
“Yeah, I don’t know.”
Realizing it wouldn’t lead to a proper answer, I responded decisively, and Yubin burst into laughter.
“Aha! You should have said you didn’t know from the start.”
I thought carefully to choose the better option, but I couldn’t tell at all, so staring blankly must have been funny.
“I thought I should give a proper answer when asked.”
“It wasn’t that important.”
Wiping tears from her eyes after laughing, Yubin put down the lipstick and removed the one on her hand.
“Someone who can answer questions about multiple girlfriends struggles to pick between two lipsticks. I didn’t expect that.”
“It’s just that I think too much.”
“Okay. Pucker up.”
After removing the lipstick, Yubin suddenly asked me to pucker up. Like a programmed machine, I slightly puckered my lips, and she applied something on them.
“Rub your lips like this.”
She showed me how to rub her upper and lower lips, and I mimicked her.
“Good. It looks nice.”
Wondering what she put on, I looked in the mirror, and my lips were slightly reddened.
“Is it too red?”
“It’s not noticeable unless you look closely.”
Feeling strange with my first tint, I trusted Yubin’s judgment.
“We’ve seen enough. Shall we go elsewhere?”
Not having seen much, Yubin grabbed my hand and led me out of the cosmetics store.
