Eat The World Tree

The entrance to the café was gently enveloped by a floral aroma. An eye-catching flower bed lined up in front of the store.

Hehe-

A clear humming.

Byeol, wearing a fresh yellow dress, glanced down at the hem just above her thighs and shuffled her feet.

‘Won’t they think I’m being too provocative?’

She might be at an age suitable for marriage, but she was also definitely mature.

But wasn’t it okay if you looked pretty?

Pushing a foreign car’s key fob deep into her handbag, Byeol admired her fully decked-out reflection in the glass wall.

‘Perfect.’

A natural blonde that can’t be achieved with dyes.

No dark circles from gaming till dawn, and she’s shed all signs of being a gaming addict.

‘With this look, maybe dinner on our first meeting?’

“Hehehe”

Her date was a younger man from El Academy. A promising future, learned. Wasn’t he the best husband material? She didn’t mind having to touch up her makeup in a nearby restroom after an early morning flight.

-Vroom!

A car from the road stopped in front of the café.

The door opened with a thud. A man stepped out of the black sedan, removed his mask, and placed it on the driver’s seat.

“…Huh?”

The man slicked back his hair, cast a quick glance at Byeol, and greeted her with a bright smile.

“Hello.”

A refreshingly sincere smile.

Byeol, eyes wide, pointed at the man and asked,

“…Are you Seyeong’s boyfriend?”

Then, the passenger door opened, and Seyeong stepped out, flicking her slightly damp hair to the side.

-Clink.

Her necklace swayed.

The sight of sweat trickling down her collarbone seemed strangely sensual.

“Wait a moment.”

Byeol, grinning at Shiheon, immediately grabbed Seyeong by the collar and dragged her into a nearby alley.

“Did you bring your boyfriend to mock me? I was so touched…”

She felt a huge sense of betrayal.

“Seyeong, you bring your boyfriend… You wanted to make fun of me! Hmph.”

“He’s not my boyfriend. He wanted me to introduce him to a girl, so I introduced you. What’s your issue?”

Seyeong, annoyed, slapped Byeol’s hand off her collar. She then bit her wrist and pulled out a single hair.

“He’s not your boyfriend?”

Byeol asked Seyeong with hopeful eyes.

“Have you two…you know?”

“Why would I? With him?”

They had just done it.

“Did you sleep with him?”

“Why would I do that?”

“So, can I take his virginity?”

Seyeong had already taken it.

Truthfully, even if Seyeong hadn’t, the World Tree of Healing would have.

“Whatever.”

Seyeong, who lived a life filled with deception and politics, wore a poker face, continuously biting her wrist. Overwhelmed by the distinct male scent emanating from inside her throat, she rubbed her thighs.

Ah, she wanted to get back in the car quickly.

“Se, Seyeong!”

Unsure of Seyeong’s feelings, an elated Byeol hugged her tight. Seyeong responded with a weak smile,

“You like him that much?”

“I love it! Woohoo!”

Seyeong’s smile remained. It was a devilish grin.

The Byeol I knew was… someone with a distinct personality, going her own way no matter what others said.

Because of her unpredictable nature, I faced some issues, but she wasn’t a bad person.

If I had to evaluate, she was efficient and lively.

-Whoosh.

The scent of peppermint tea filled my nostrils.

But.

‘Is she really the person I knew?’

I couldn’t help but doubt it. As I cautiously lifted my head from the teacup, I saw Byeol sitting politely with her hands and feet folded, her eyes gleaming.

“Do you like peppermint tea~”

-Bashfully.

Her head tilted 45 degrees, clearly conscious of how she appeared to others. Byeol looked straight at me with an innocent smile, the frills of her chick-like dress swaying with her body.

‘This is…’

It felt overwhelming and awkward.

I intended to approach this as if we were friends, but it ended up having a completely blind date vibe. Without Seyeong, I had to handle this on my own. To be honest, I had minimal experience in dating.

Just a few group blind dates. Even then, I was carried by my talkative peers.

“Why the sudden formal speech?”

I tried to guide the conversation back to a more casual atmosphere, hinting for her to use informal language. Byeol poked her cheek playfully and mumbled bashfully,

“We’re close in age… or was I being too forward?”

Byeol, subtly mindful of my feelings, asked cautiously while twisting her light yellow hair with her fingers.

“Is it weird?”

She asked, smiling bitterly. It was clear our approaches to this date were different.

She eagerly tried to make a good impression, showing her bubbly side. How could I not notice? She was wholeheartedly invested in this blind date. Whatever life she lived before, she must have faced struggles.

I looked right through her. Her eyes shook under my intense gaze. I could see her hesitation hidden beneath her active approach.

Considering all that, my conclusion was,

‘Maybe she doesn’t have much experience either?’

A pair of inexperienced individuals on a blind date. Thinking that way, I felt more at ease.

I smiled bitterly and gazed at Byeol.

“Do you remember when we first met? When I was assaulted-”

“That, that, that, that happened, right?”

The word “assaulted” visibly startled Byeol, a touch of guilt in her eyes.

“… I’m sorry.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry about. Let’s forget about that.”

I shrugged it off.

“Should we talk about our ideal types?”

“…Ideal types?”

For a moment, Byeol looked sullen, but her eyes sparkled with interest again. Her face was full of smiles.

Byeol pointed at me.

“Mine’s you!”

A very confident proclamation.

“Why suddenly talk about ideal types like that…?”

There should be a give-and-take in the conversation, but how could I continue after that? Yet, Byeol remained steadfast, still pointing at me.

“You’re my ideal type.”

“What do you like about me?”

“Everything.”

It left me speechless.

……

“Um… Noona.”

“Huh, Noona? Hehe.”

“Tell me honestly. This is your first time meeting a man, isn’t it?”

Byeol, with a flushed face, looked at the sky and murmured, rubbing her two index fingers together.

“No, no? Back in my academy days, I dated a lot of guys…”

“It’s very obvious.”

“……You think I’m ugly, huh.”

Still, her honesty was kind of cute.

Now, I didn’t think about what to do next but rather wanted to look out for her a bit. So she could find a good man in the future…

Sigh.

Seeing Byeol shrink at my sigh, I softly started the conversation.

“When you talk about ‘ideal types,’ there are many responses like ‘I like someone with a good personality,’ right?”

“……Yes.”

“When you discuss personalities, you naturally ask ‘what kind of personality do you prefer?’, and the conversation flows from there.”

“Right.”

“But if you suddenly point at someone and say you like them, what do you think the man on the blind date would think?”

Byeol seemed to be deep in thought and then murmured as if she had an epiphany.

“Would they see me as a desperate middle-aged woman…?”

“Move away from the word ‘desperate’. You are pretty enough. You’re not that old, are you?”

“I’m pretty?!”

That was the only thing she caught.

Seeing Byeol’s wide smile, I gently tapped her forehead, and she gleefully leaned back.

“And treat me a bit more normally, like a friend.”

“Do I really need to do that?”

“You seem really awkward now. When we first met, you were so talkative. Why are you like this now?”

“Is that so… Okay. I’ll do as Shiheon says.”

Byeol responded in a slightly less awkward tone than before but still with a hint of discomfort.

“So, what’s your hobby?”

“My hobbies… I used to have many. Played lots of games, watched broadcasts.”

“Games!?”

Suddenly.

In the café, Byeol abruptly stood up from her seat.

“Why the sudden reaction?”

“I have a dream.”

Byeol’s eyes were sparkling.

“To go to a PC room with a guy!”

Going to a PC room on a first blind date…

Feeling that the atmosphere might be ruined if we went that far, I decided to rent a multi-room with a computer for a bit.

“Is this the food we’re going with?”

“Of course!”

Byeol cheerfully turned on the computer in response to my question. The sight of her settling into her seat and logging into the game looked the most natural and excited I’ve seen her all day.

‘She really was a true gamer.’

Well, I myself am somewhat of a game addict and was quite fond of it. There was a time when I played games all day long. I placed the chicken, beer, and soju on the table and started the game moderately.

“But, won’t the chicken get cold? When will we eat it?”

“While playing!”

“Oh…”

As I set out the food, I playfully teased her.

“How about warming up with a one-on-one match? The loser has a penalty.”

Even though it was Byeol’s request that brought us here, my intention was to make her drink. Despite being broad daylight, I thought it necessary to get her to drink something.

“One-on-one? Nah… let’s just play together.”

Byeol subtly showed her disinterest. Smiling, I whispered the magic word.

“Coward?”

“…What?”

A spark flashed in Byeol’s bright yellow eyes.

“Shiheon really knows how to push a gamer’s buttons, huh?”

She put her hand on the keyboard.

“What’s the penalty?”

“A talent show. If you can’t do it, you drink.”

“Deal.”

From a plastic bag, Byeol took out a large beer glass and filled it with soju. Added to that, a drop of beer. It was a killer penalty drink.

“Isn’t that a bit too strong for the first round?”

“Coward?”

Startled, I asked, and Byeol, laughing under her breath, put on a headset from nowhere.

Just look at this.

Even though I was once ranked as a Diamond, how could I lose a mere game?

Taking a deep breath, I placed my hands on the keyboard and mouse.

[Game start]

The game that followed was an FPS set in the future where you used superpowers, so various effects burst onto the screen.

-Bang.

I tested out the bullet. The shooting experience was quite similar to a game called Overwatch that I used to play in the previous world. Even though I knew nothing about graphics or character performance here, my skills were still top-notch.

-Chhhrhhrhhr.

Byeol’s character, dressed as a soldier, flew by, firing a machine gun. Her character’s movements perfectly captured its essence. I took a few hits, observing the map and opponents.

I saw an opening.

-Bang.

“Wha?!”

With the character’s demise, Byeol, who had immersed herself in the game, trembled.

‘I guess that’s the power of innate talent.’

I had always felt this. Not just in games, but in every action, it felt like I was getting a bonus. Perhaps if the word ‘versatile’ were personified, it would be me. With that arrogant thought, I looked at Byeol.

“…What?”

Byeol looked terrified.

“I…I was a tournament champion, you know…”

“So, am I the gold medalist now?”

She seemed to be quite confident in her skills. Byeol’s fingers trembled as she looked at the soju next to her.

“Uh… Shiheon?”

“Yes?”

“I’m really bad with alcohol… Can you pour less?”

Did she never consider that she might lose? I felt no pity.

“No way. Either drink or perform.”

“What do I have to do for the talent show?”

I pointed to the center of the multi-room.

“How about dancing over there?”

“…Wait, let’s play one more round.”

Thinking she wouldn’t be able to play well after drinking, Byeol resolved herself and stood up.

Soon, from the center of the multi-room, the voice of a flushed Byeol echoed.

“Byeol is dancing…”

I was not sure how our blind date ended up like this…

Her voice, filled with utmost embarrassment, rose.

Surprisingly, the song was quite catchy.

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