章 23: ①⑨

To Meet Or Not To Meet____________________________________

"So, Sunbae," Sohee begins, blinking like she's trying to figure me out. "What are you doing here?"

I glance around, half-expecting I might have ended up in the wrong world. "I live here."

Her pink eyes widen with a mix of disbelief and skepticism. "You're serious?"

"Well, yeah," I reply, shrugging. "What is home, though?" I'd go on a mental rant about the concept of home, but I'm curious to hear her take.

She, disappointingly, doesn't bite. Instead, Sohee gasps like the weather forecast just proved accurate. "That's… bizarre."

"Do you live here too?" I raise an eyebrow. The idea of having a virgin neighbor I could casually visit has a certain allure. Sohee, especially—she might be interested in continuing where we left off.

"No," she replies flatly.

Damn. A non-existent virgin neighbor. So much for that.

"I'm just here to see Mei again," she adds.

"Mei lives here?"

Sohee nods. Not Sohee, but Mei? The virgin-neighbor thing still technically holds, but considering Mei's androphobia, it's not exactly going to spice up my life.

"It's weird," Sohee chuckles. "I've been visiting Mei for ages, and I never realized you live here." She seems to read the question on my face and continues, "I don't think Mei knows, either. She lives on the second floor, apartment twenty-one."

So, she's right above me. "Weird I've never run into her. I'd remember a girl like that."

Sohee pouts, her cheeks flushing.

Before she combusts, I add, "You too, obviously."

She sighs dramatically. "Your pick-up line's a bit late, Sunbae." She takes a deep breath, resetting. "Anyway, it makes sense you haven't seen her. Mei rarely leaves her apartment."

"Speaking of Mei," I say, steering the conversation where it's already headed, "how's the progress with convincing her to attend lessons?"

At the question, she instinctively adjusts her necktie, looking flustered. "It's... taking time. Maybe I'm not as persuasive as you."

Convincing. Such an innocent word. I don't 'convince' people, Sohee. I lie to them. I manipulate them. But not all bad things are... well, bad. After all, the electric chair rids us of serial killers.

She hesitates before continuing, "Maybe you could try meeting her. I mentioned it once or twice."

I don't think that's a good idea. "Does she even want to?"

Sohee scratches her arm nervously. "She was scared at first, but last time, she said she'd think about it."

Sounds like a soft no. Like when people say, 'I'm fine,' but they're clearly not.

Sohee, however, doesn't see it as a red flag. Her eyes are earnest, hopeful. She probably thinks Mei's like her—rational, calm. But people aren't the same. It's like when we tell ourselves 'do good, and it'll come back to you.' Yeah, sure, but everyone's got their own fetishes, right?

Leaning toward me, she speaks with quiet intensity. "I think today might be the best time for you to meet her. If we delay, she might lose her confidence."

Spoken like someone who knows Mei inside and out. Except, no one really knows anyone, not even your parents. They just pretend to. The air feels off today, though. Maybe it's the cold wind under the bright sun. But who am I to argue? Stupid problems need stupid solutions, and I'm stuck in this stupid, immortal life.

"Alright," I say. "I'm in the mood to meet another cute girl, anyway."

Sohee, wisely, ignores my remark. "Then let's go." She starts walking, but pauses, looking back at me.

I can tell she's staring.

"Should you be wearing that, Sunbae?"

I glance down at my black T-shirt and shorts. "I like it."

Her face says that's not a good enough reason. "Shouldn't you dress more... formally?"

I shrug. "Maybe." What does she expect, a tuxedo? As if showing up dressed for a dinner date won't terrify an androphobic girl. Plus, I hate bow ties—they're just childish.

Sohee sighs. "Perhaps what you're wearing is fine, after all."

"You don't like T-shirts?"

"It's not about that." Sohee's eyes gleam with thoughtfulness. "The more male skin Mei sees, the worse her adrenaline spikes."

Huh. So if I showed up naked, she might actually die? What if I gave her a piece of my skin as a present—would she even know it's from a man?

"I like your uniform," I blurt out.

Sohee tilts her head. "What does that mean?"

"That your clothes look nice on you."

"But it's just a school uniform."

"Well, it suits you."

She squints. "Are you trying to lighten the mood?"

It's already bright as hell.

"Thanks, Sunbae." Sohee lets out a light laugh, sounding genuinely relieved. Not that I meant to relieve her. Just collecting some brownie points.

Her shoes scrape the floor as she shifts nervously. "Maybe it's not such a great idea for me to suggest this, but I don't think I can help her alone. And she's falling behind in lessons."

I smile and, after checking no one's around, pat her head. "If it goes wrong, just call it a mistake and learn from it. They say the more mistakes you make, the more you learn."

With that little lie, she perks up, her mood visibly lifted. "Let's go, Sunbae."

We walk toward the apartment building.

"Should we take the stairs?" she asks.

I hit the elevator button without a second thought. "What? If we don't use the elevator now after it powered down for us, we'd be wasting electricity."

Sohee lets out a small, wry smile and steps into the elevator with me. She wouldn't want to waste anything. She recycles, after all.