Han Si-eul suddenly stood up, as if she remembered something important.
She adjusted her skirt slightly, then smiled lightly and said:
"I'm sorry, I want to go to the bathroom. I'll be right back."
Si-eun answered her calmly, leaning back in his seat:
"Okay."
Han Si-eul disappeared among the tables, and with the fading of her footsteps... the atmosphere changed.
The change wasn't obvious, but it was noticeable.
As if the air became heavier.
As if the sounds suddenly softened, even though the cafe was still full.
I felt it immediately.
I slowly raised my gaze...
And collided with Si-eun's eyes.
The smile that had been on his face completely disappeared.
His expression changed, flipped like a mask suddenly falling, revealing what was behind it.
He leaned closer, lowered his voice, but his sharpness was clear:
"You... stop clinging to my sister."
Yuna didn't move.
"Did you understand? Or should I repeat my words?"
His lips curved slightly, but it wasn't a smile... it was a threat.
"I'm not joking."
Yuna looked at him with strange calm, without fear, without confusion.
"What?"
She said it calmly.
"And why should I listen to you?"
His eyebrow rose slightly, and annoyance quickly passed over his face.
"Do you want me to kill you, you trash?"
The words fell heavy, harsh, words he was used to saying to those he thought weaker than him.
But this time...
Yuna didn't back down.
She rose from her seat.
Si-eun stopped moving.
She approached him one step... then another step.
She was very close.
So close that he could feel her.
For the first time, surprise clearly appeared on his face.
Yuna raised her hand and placed it on his shoulder firmly.
It wasn't a gentle touch.
Her fingers pressed with a harshness that made him grit his teeth unconsciously.
She looked directly into his eyes.
"I am not the Yuna you know."
She said it in a low voice... steady... frightening in its calmness.
For a full second, Si-eun found nothing to say.
Then—
"I'm sorry! Am I late?"
Han Si-eul's voice suddenly came, as if saving the moment from explosion.
She stood looking at them with feigned innocence.
"Did something happen between you?"
Yuna didn't remove her hand.
"Nothing."
She said calmly.
"We were just talking... me and Si-eun."
She squeezed his shoulder harder.
"About personal matters."
Then she tilted her head slightly and smiled lightly.
"Right, Mr. Si-eun?"
Si-eun swallowed his saliva.
His jaw twitched.
Then... that familiar smile appeared on his face.
A fake, skillful smile.
"Yes... yes, that's right."
Han Si-eul laughed lightly.
"Ah, thank goodness. I thought something strange happened."
Yuna finally raised her hand.
"Okay, we're leaving now. We should go shopping."
She said it in a quick tone.
Yuna nodded her head.
"Let's go."
Yuna and Han Si-eul left the cafe, leaving Si-eun alone with his troubled thoughts and his shoulder that still felt the weight of Yuna's strange touch. The air outside was different; pure and free from the sharpness of that mysterious exchange.
Han Si-eul, who seemed to carry a small sun inside her, turned to Yuna rubbing her hands enthusiastically.
"Okay! Where shall we start? The world is in our hands, Yuna!"
She didn't wait for an answer, but grabbed Yuna's hand and pulled her firmly towards the main shopping street full of lights and colors. It seemed as if the incident in the cafe had evaporated with her light steps. Yuna, who moments ago had been a completely different person, found herself swept away in the current of Han Si-eul's joy. The surprise in her eyes gave way to slight confusion, then a spark of curiosity.
"First, we need to completely change the atmosphere!" Han Si-eul shouted as she entered a clothing store full of wide clothes and flashy accessories. Shelves of strangely shaped hats, colorful sunglasses, and long scarves flying in the air. "This! This is for you!"
Han Si-eul placed a light blue bucket hat on Yuna's head, and heart-shaped pink sunglasses. Yuna looked at herself in the mirror and couldn't help but laugh. A genuine laugh, free from the heaviness that had been weighing her down.
"And you, don't run away from me!" Yuna laughed, and chose for Han Si-eul a small yellow hat decorated with a flower, and a long necklace of colorful beads. Within minutes, the two girls had transformed into playful versions of themselves, jostling between the shelves and trying on crazier things: long gloves up to the elbow, striped scarves, and faux fur coats in colors not found in nature.
We left the store carrying bags and wearing some of our "spoils." Passersby turned to look at them with smiles; they couldn't help but notice their beauty.
"Next destination: the indoor arcade!" Han Si-eul announced, pointing to a large building from which electronic games and colorful explosions emitted sounds.
Inside, we drowned in a world of lights and sounds. Yuna challenged Han Si-eul to a car race, and they screamed as they tried to steer a virtual car between turns. "Look! Look! I'm going to beat you!" Han Si-eul shouted, but Yuna, with sudden focus, overtook her in the final moments.
"Congratulations! You're a great driver!" Han Si-eul said laughing, then pulled her towards the dance game. They stood on the platform and followed the steps on the screen. Han Si-eul was perfectly in sync with the rhythm, while Yuna's movements were a bit awkward at first, but with Han Si-eul's laughter and encouragement, she began to loosen up, improvising steps and laughing at her utter failure to keep up with the fast rhythm. Shyness and seriousness faded with every wrong step.
After sweating and laughing, they sat on a long bench, each holding a juice full of fruit and ice.
"You know," Han Si-eul suddenly said, her voice a little quiet amidst the noise of the games. "You were... a bit different earlier at school. I thought something had happened to you. I was worried." She didn't look directly at Yuna, but played with her juice straw.
Yuna, who was looking at the nearby game lights, stopped moving for a moment. The playful atmosphere softened slightly, but didn't disappear.
"Sometimes... our feelings come out in strange ways, don't they?" Yuna said quietly, then turned to Han Si-eul with a light smile. "Thank you. I feel better with you, really. So I hope you don't think about what happened at school. I was just tired, that's all."
Han Si-eul didn't press further. She smiled broadly and sighed. "Absolutely right! And tiredness doesn't include hunger! Come on, I know a place that has the best waffles in the city!"
The next cafe was warm and wonderfully scented. We ordered waffles covered in chocolate, strawberries, cream, and vanilla ice cream. While Han Si-eul was eating, some cream stuck to her nose without her knowing.
"Wait, don't move!" Yuna said, grabbing her phone. "This moment needs to be documented!" And she took a picture of Han Si-eul looking innocent with cream on her nose.
"Oh, no!" Han Si-eul screamed, wiping her nose and laughing. "That's a scandalous picture! You have to delete it!"
"No way! This is my blackmail material now." Yuna laughed, examining the picture happily.
After finishing, we decided to wander through a nearby popular market. The smell of diverse foods filled the air: crispy tacos, hot cakes, sweet sugarcane juice. We grabbed a bit from here and a bit from there, sharing every piece. At one stall, they found an old woman selling hand-embroidered bracelets.
"This is beautiful!" Yuna said, admiring a bracelet with blue and silver threads.
"And this one suits you!" Han Si-eul replied, pointing to a red and gold one.
We bought the bracelets and exchanged them as gifts. Han Si-eul tied the blue bracelet around Yuna's wrist, and Yuna tied the red one around Han Si-eul's wrist. Their eyes gleamed with silent understanding; a tangible bond had formed between them, a symbol of this day.
"Let's take a picture together!" Yuna suggested. They stood in front of a wall covered in colorful graffiti, raised their hands to show the bracelets to the camera. They smiled broadly and genuinely, all shadows fading away.
The sun began to lean towards sunset, coloring the sky with shades of orange and pink. We decided to end the day in a park overlooking the river. They sat on a large swing, moving gently while watching the lights reflect on the water.
"I wish you would laugh like this every day, Yuna. Just like today," Han Si-eul said in a dreamy voice.
"I'll never forget this day," Yuna replied with sincere tone. Her gaze at the river was calm, different from her sharp morning look. "Thank you, Si-eul. Thank you for... saving the situation, and making everything seem... normal and fun."
Han Si-eul swung the swing a little harder. "Sometimes, the best way to face strange things is to surround them with many beautiful things, so they get lost among them." Then she added in a playful tone, "And also, waffles always help!"
They laughed together, their laughter blending with the sound of running water and the quiet of the evening.
When it was time to go back, their steps were heavy, but still light. At the train station, they exchanged a quick, strong hug.
---