[TS] The Return of The Gamer - Chapter 14

Actually, for me, the outside was a mysterious subject, and at the same time, a place that was always peaceful.

A playground where children play outside the window.

A walking path in a quiet park.

The night view of the city that I sometimes looked at in the early morning.

Soon, this noisy and chaotic ‘outside’ had to become a landscape that was utterly unfamiliar to me.

This isn’t the outside I know.

This place is so noisy, so tumultuous, and above all, there are too many people.

“Ugh….”

I feel dizzy.

I haven't even started shopping yet, I've only just gotten out of the car, but the moment I saw the people starting to appear from the parking lot, I was overwhelmed.

I didn't know I had a panic disorder…

Well, I guess it's right to say I didn't have a chance to know.

“What's wrong?”

“…Nothing.”

I didn’t want to worry my mother for nothing, so I pretended to be okay.

No, I said I was pretending to be okay, but I wasn't really okay either.

It's just shopping, after all.

“Let’s go.”

Led by my mother’s hand, I slowly moved my feet into the department store.

Fortunately, the inside of the department store was not cold at all, as the heating was working well.

No, it was actually closer to being hot, so I took off the scarf and hat that were covering my whole body.

“Taking them off?”

“It's hot.”

“Really? Hmm.”

“Why?”

Instead of answering, my mother gave a strange smile and held out her hand to me.

“Give them to me.”

“No, I'll carry them.”

I felt a strange feeling at my mother's actions, which somehow reminded me of the old days in this regard.

As I entered the department store in earnest, a massive crowd of people, which couldn't even be compared to the parking lot, confused my vision.

And…

It didn't take long for me to realize what my mother's strange smile meant.

“Welcome… oh?”

“Oppa, look over there.”

“Why? Oh, um…”

“Oh my.”

Why is that?

The employee who greeted at the entrance,

The couple who seemed to be on a date,

The young mother pushing a stroller.

As if time had momentarily stopped, they all froze.

Feeling something strange, I instinctively followed the direction of their gaze with my eyes.

‘Oh.’

I realized again that my appearance was very noticeable.

It happened because I didn't go out of the house at all, so I didn't have a chance to feel it.

“Foreign…er?”

“But the person with her seems to be Korean, though?”

“She looks like a doll…”

It’s not just because I’m pretty.

Whether it was in a good way or a bad way, my appearance was very noticeable.

Silver hair, and eyebrows of the same color as my hair.

In addition to that, the eyes of red and brown tones and the features that gave a mixed-race feel.

In Korea, or anywhere in the world, the combination of hair and eye color that are hard to find created a unique and mysterious atmosphere.

“Ugh.”

I had no choice but to put my woolen hat back on, tuck my hair in, and wrap my face with the scarf as I did at first.

As soon as I covered my hair and face, I felt a wave of disappointment from all over.

“Ah…”

“We must have stared too much. Let’s go now.”

“Oh, yeah.”

And, the source of the disappointment was not only from the onlookers.

“What are you doing?”

“…It’s noticeable.”

“So what? It’s just pretty.”

Of course, I don't dislike being pretty.

I just don't like attracting too much attention.

“It’s overwhelming.”

“If you feel that way, I can’t help it… I’m a little disappointed, though. I was going to show off for once.”

“Am I a zoo monkey?”

“Are there even monkeys this pretty?”

“Don’t talk about it.”

My mother, who used to unconditionally accept my opinions and fulfill my requests without thinking, was now joking with me, laughing.

So, if I were to be asked if I like or dislike this… everything has pros and cons.

‘Hmm.’

Despite covering up in my own way, I felt the occasional gaze of people with every step I took.

It seemed to be due to the eyes and unique atmosphere that I couldn't completely cover.

The fact that the frequency was much less than when I first stepped into the department store was a small comfort.

“Let’s go. You said you’re going to buy clothes.”

Now that things have come to this, I only wanted to finish my errands a little sooner and go home.

“Wait a moment.”

“Why?”

“Someone is coming.”

“…Who?”

Could it be that I would be stuck among my mother's neighborhood friends from my first outing?

‘No way.’

I'm already suffocating enough just being outside, and now shopping with a bunch of ajummas?

I’d rather die.

‘…I just hope that’s not the case.’

As I was desperately praying in my heart, my mother, looking at her smartphone, said.

“Just a moment… Oh, there she is.”

A familiar figure waving her arms vigorously from afar.

Wearing a long light gray straight coat that reached her thighs, an ivory turtleneck, and a black string wrap skirt, it was clear that she was a beauty, even from a distance where her features could not be seen properly.

In addition, that open-minded appearance was that of a college freshman or a newly-employed person who had just stepped into society.

‘Phew.’

Having confirmed the identity of the uninvited guest, I let out a sigh of relief.

Because there was only one newly-employed person I knew who would be invited to a shopping event where my mother dragged me.

“Mom!”

Sure enough, it was my younger sister.

“Did you eat?”

“Yeah. With friends.”

As soon as my mother's question about her children's meals was over, my sister's gaze slowly moved to the side.

“That, oh… you’re here too?”

A considerable amount of time had passed since I became a woman, and the problem of the sibling's title was somewhat familiar.

But, seeing that she had deliberately held back the rest of her words, it seemed that she was worried that someone nearby might hear.

“…Since we’re outside, just call me unnie.”

“Yeah, oh? Uh-huh. Un… nie.”

Of course, this was also awkward, so my sister probably wouldn’t call me separately during this shopping trip.

“Where should we go first?”

It was my mother who broke the awkward atmosphere.

“Clothes! I don’t have anything to wear these days.”

“…Go anywhere.”

I don't have anything I want to buy, anyway.

I just wanted to accommodate my mother and sister's tastes appropriately and go home and rest as quickly as possible.

“Then let’s go see clothes first. I was planning to buy some clothes for Yujin anyway.”

Since there was no benefit to holding out here, I followed the two women obediently.

As we entered the clothing store in earnest, my mother and sister examined various items, giggling.

“Both you and your sister are very pretty. Um… but, have I ever seen you before, unnie?”

“Ho ho, I often hear that. And, I’m not your unnie. She’s my daughter.”

“Oh, really? You look so young, mother. Would you like to see this, too?”

Sales pitch followed by appropriate flattery.

She was indeed a professional.

“Haaam…”

For a moment, the store employee's gaze turned towards me, but because of my alien appearance and the fact that I was standing a step away from the group, she seemed to be unsure whether I was part of the group or not.

Then, my mother called me.

“Yujin! Come here!”

At that call, the store clerk gave a surprised expression, but then, she suppressed her expression professionally.

“Try this on.”

My mother and sister handed me a fluttering tennis skirt.

“…No.”

“Why? It would be pretty.”

“I don't like skirts because my legs feel exposed.”

It was the conclusion I came to after trying on a skirt I was forced to order online before.

I don’t particularly dislike women's clothes.

Anyway, there’s a style that suits each person.

But skirts are an exception.

“Still, try it on. Aren’t you sorry to waste such pretty legs?”

“I said no.”

I admit it's pretty, but I don't like it no matter what.

My sister, who couldn't stand it, chimed in.

“If you don’t like your legs being exposed, you can wear stockings underneath. Since it’s winter, you can wear thick ones.”

“I hate that even more.”

A skirt and stockings… What does this girl think of me?

“Anyway, I don't like skirts. Buy something else. I'll wear it if it's not weird.”

“No second thoughts, got it?”

“You don't know this, but I'm actually very good at changing my mind. Just try to make me wear something a little weird. I’ll run away.”

“Can you even find your way home alone from here?”

I was speechless at my mother's words.

Of course, it was obvious that I would lose control if I stayed like this, so I started to take charge.

“Yo, what era is it that I can't find my way home alone?”

I tried to act calm, but I couldn't hide my trembling voice.

I have never ridden a bus, let alone a subway. Of course, I couldn't possibly find my way home alone.

“Really?

“…Mean.”

Even so, is it okay to pry into a person's weaknesses like this?

These heartless devils.

“So, just follow along quietly.”

“…Okay.”

As I finally showed a sign of resignation, a strange energy began to swirl in my mother and sister's eyes.