Ordinary Person A

#25

“One of the reasons I’m interested in you, Ho-woo. You’re seeing it directly right now.”

At his words, Ho-woo looked around. The first thing he noticed was the empty space around them, as if an invisible barrier had been set up. It was a sight that could be seen whenever Espers appeared. Like foreigners unable to blend into the everyday lives of ordinary people, they lived maintaining a distance from others.

“Do you know what ordinary people think of first when they see an Esper?”

“Cool? Or savior?”

Ho-woo transparently revealed the impression he had felt when Oh-yul saved him two months ago, then belatedly noticed Oh-yul staring at him slightly dazedly as if surprised, and slightly blushed. It seemed that wasn’t the answer Oh-yul had expected.

“So that’s how you felt about me. I like that.”

“I thought that’s what most people would think.”

Despite Ho-woo’s excuse, Oh-yul laughed pleasantly, rumbling his throat. Ho-woo realized his excuse hadn’t worked on him.

“Unlike you, Ho-woo, other people first feel ‘scared.’ I know they use various negative words like ‘monster’ to describe us.”

Espers are scary.

Since Ho-woo had never had that sentiment, he honestly wanted to believe Oh-yul was making a bad joke. However, he read that emotion in the eyes of people who glanced at them and passed by, maintaining a certain distance.

‘Fear.’

I see, they really are afraid.

Ho-woo stared up at the lighthouse standing calmly in the middle of the sea, unable to be swept away by the waves of people. He was still looking at Ho-woo, but he seemed lonely.

“I’m not blaming people. It’s their instinct. Being afraid of the pressure Espers exude isn’t much different from fearing a predator baring its teeth.”

“Uh…”

Then what about himself?

Ho-woo blinked. He now seemed to understand why Oh-yul was interested in him.

He wasn’t afraid of Espers. Oh-yul, sensing that Ho-woo had realized this, held a faint smile.

“Espers sometimes date ordinary people.”

“I heard Choi Seon-woo dated too.”

“Yes, I remember he had quite a long relationship. In most such cases, it happens under pressure from Espers. They approach scared people first, and often break up for reasons that they can’t mix. Even in the rare cases where they fall in love with each other, it’s hard for them to fully understand us.”

Ho-woo walked down the bustling street holding Oh-yul’s hand. The area around them was empty, but every person passing by glanced at them. A small doubt arose about whether it was okay to be out like this while supposedly in hiding due to the news article, but Oh-yul didn’t seem to mind the glances directed at him.

Is this okay?

Ho-woo looked around briefly and was about to quietly withdraw his hand when his eyes met Oh-yul’s, who was looking down at him intently. Feeling a bit flustered, Ho-woo chewed on his lower lip as Oh-yul politely asked:

“Do you like movies?”

Their loosely intertwined fingers tightened more firmly. There was no way to let go of his hand now. Ho-woo finally answered with a small nod. Hearing Ho-woo’s response, Oh-yul headed towards a nearby shopping mall while continuing to speak.

“I’m not asking you to accept me right away.”

“……”

“Since you’re not afraid of me, wrapped in the shell of an Esper, I want to show you slowly. Not Esper Oh-yul, but just Oh-yul.”

Ho-woo stared at Oh-yul, who was speaking seriously while also considering which movie to watch together as they arrived at the cinema. The space around him was still empty, with only Ho-woo standing beside him. The gazes felt on the back of his head weren’t entirely friendly. Even though he wondered if it was okay when people were scared, it felt a bit wrong to discourage Oh-yul when he seemed to be enjoying himself so much.

Anyway, Espers also pay taxes and have the right to use facilities legitimately, so there shouldn’t be any problem.

“It’s an action movie with good reviews. They say it has appropriate action and good realism.”

Displaying the booking screen for the current number one movie at the kiosk, he quietly gazed at Ho-woo as if asking for his opinion.

“The movie is fine.”

When Ho-woo agreed, Oh-yul quickly secured empty seats in the center. Pleased with getting seats with a good view of the screen, Oh-yul proudly showed the tickets.

“I got good seats.”

Ho-woo wasn’t sure what expression to make in response to Oh-yul’s innocently bright smile. In the end, with an ambiguous expression that was neither smiling nor frowning, he bought popcorn and sat waiting in front of the theater where the screening was about to start. Oh-yul, preciously holding the popcorn bucket to his chest, even looked excited.

“Have you been to places like this often, Ho-woo?”

“It’s a typical date course, so I’ve been before.”

Eating together, watching a movie, spending time at a cafe. It was a typical date course. Even if his actual dating periods were short, he had experienced it several times. Even if not with a lover, he had come alone and with Do-hyun too. The cinema was quite a popular place after all. However, Ho-woo paused as he was about to grab some popcorn at Oh-yul’s words.

“This is my first time.”

“…Your first time?”

“It’s not easy for me to come to places with many people.”

Oh-yul smiled, his eyes crinkling. It was clearly a pretty eye-smile, but Ho-woo wasn’t imagining that it didn’t look entirely bright. His eyes, tinged with bitterness, furrowed slightly before quickly regaining their smile.

“Since it’s not easy, I saved it.”

“You saved it?”

“Yes. I saved it to come here for the first time with you, Ho-woo.”

Oh-yul joked that he would give all his firsts to Ho-woo. Now that Ho-woo knew of his interest, he seemed to be acting more aggressively, blatantly revealing his intentions. It was awkward but not unpleasant.

Of course, not being unpleasant and accepting it were two different things.

It was difficult to know how to respond here. Oh-yul’s feelings were genuine, so he couldn’t brush it off as a joke. But he also couldn’t say such words were uncomfortable to hear. It would surely hurt him.

Ho-woo desperately rolled his eyes trying to change the subject when he noticed the pager on Oh-yul’s wrist flashing green, and felt relieved.

“You have a message.”

Even though Oh-yul knew Ho-woo was changing the subject, he pretended not to notice. He handed the popcorn bucket to Ho-woo and stood up, brushing off his clothes.

“I’ll be right back. There’s still about 15 minutes until the screening starts, so I’ll be back before then.”

“Take care.”

Ho-woo watched Oh-yul’s retreating back for a moment as he checked his still flashing green pager, then popped some popcorn into his mouth. Plain popcorn without any flavoring was something he hadn’t had in a while, but it wasn’t bad.

Next time, I should suggest caramel flavor.

Thinking somewhat leisurely, Ho-woo sat in a chair in front of the theater where the next screening was about to begin, eating popcorn one by one. He looked up quizzically at the cinema staff member who approached him.

“Excuse me, customer…”

The name tag on the chest of the man wearing a neat suit-style uniform had the title of branch manager printed on it.

“Is there a problem?”

Ho-woo responded gently to the staff member who seemed to have approached as if waiting for Oh-yul to leave his seat. He had a pretty good idea of why they had approached, but didn’t show it.

“I’m sorry, but would it be alright if we moved to a quieter place for a moment?”

“My companion has stepped away for a moment, so it’s a bit difficult for me to leave here.”

At the mention of a companion, the staff member’s eyes wavered even more. As expected. Ho-woo dropped the polite smile he had been wearing.

“Is my companion the problem?”

“…I’m sorry. We’ve received complaints from other customers…”

The staff member was clearly at a loss. While apologizing, he was visibly wary and afraid, wondering when Oh-yul would return.

“Is that so? Who?”

Ho-woo slowly looked around. He caught sight of people who were particularly startled by his gaze. Glaring intently at them, Ho-woo gritted his teeth. Even though he had expected it, experiencing it firsthand felt absolutely shitty.

You act like this because you can’t directly confront Oh-yul?

So they didn’t want to sit in an enclosed theater with Oh-yul, an Esper. Even if they babbled about instinctive fear or whatever, this was unfair treatment. They might not be able to politely ask, but trying to drive them out?

Moreover, Espers were risking their lives to deal with monsters around the city and taking on dangerous tasks.

He wanted to resolve this commotion before Oh-yul, who had briefly stepped away to take a call, returned. Since Oh-yul had said this was his first time watching a movie like this, Ho-woo didn’t want to ruin his first experience so miserably. So he put down the popcorn bucket and stood up.

“Tell them to come and talk directly if they have complaints. Is there a rule that Espers can’t enter here?”

Ho-woo asked the still flustered staff member again. It wasn’t his fault, but Ho-woo couldn’t control the sharp words that flew out like honed knives. His mood had plummeted into the trash.

“N-no, there isn’t… But, regarding customers who cause discomfort to many other customers…”