HWAMB — Chapter 34

Once, the crowd had been so intense I was pushed and knocked down—and on top of that unlucky day, I lost my hat.

Today wouldn’t be that crowded, but bringing a spare seemed like a good idea.

When I reached the station, a familiar figure caught my eye. Hyun-woo had dressed casually too, without putting in much effort, but the stares coming from all directions made it clear he still drew everyone’s attention.

Well, with that face, it would be stranger if people didn’t stare.

I’d long since accepted that as obvious, but lately, those stares didn’t feel so pleasant anymore.

I quietly praised myself for bringing the spare cap, and without a word, I slipped it onto Hyun-woo’s head. He just fiddled with the brim happily without complaint.

I liked it. It felt like marking him as mine.

“Lots of people today.”

“Yeah. I guess other schools are finishing exams too.”

After about ten minutes, the subway arrived, and when the doors opened, a flood of people poured inside.

I was being pushed and squeezed when Hyun-woo grabbed my hand and pulled me closer, turning his body to shield me from the crowd.

Thanks to him, no one bumped into me, but the way he boxed me in left us completely pressed together, face to face.

My face flushed instantly. To avoid his hot breath brushing against mine, I quickly lowered my head.

“Excuse us! Make some room!”

A group of four people shoved their way into the already packed car.

With the crowd’s complaints rising, Hyun-woo was pushed against me, and his solid chest pressed into my cheek.

‘Ack.’

I screamed silently inside.

Like perfectly fitted Tetris pieces, my body was locked in place, unable to move as the train started.

Until we arrived, Hyun-woo couldn’t look me in the eyes. He bit his lip tightly, staring at the ceiling.

I tried to shift whenever I thought there’d be space at a stop.

My cheek, pressed into his chest, felt like it was being flattened into a permanent mark.

“Kang Eun-jae.”

“Huh?”

Hearing his quiet whisper, I froze and turned my gaze carefully toward him.

Hyun-woo let out a low sigh and murmured.

“…I’m holding back like crazy right now, so stay still.”

I immediately understood and went still as if nothing had happened.

I didn’t bother asking what exactly he was holding back.

If I dared to tease him about it, messing around thoughtlessly, I might really end up in trouble.

Worse, I could be the one to suffer for it. That was something I knew from experience.

So until we reached our stop, we stayed silent, stiff as wooden statues, without exchanging another word.

* * *

A red mark was left on my left cheek, pressed hard from earlier. After we got off the subway, Hyun-woo gently rubbed it clockwise, trying to smooth it back into shape.

He bent down awkwardly to match my height, and the sight of it was kind of funny.

When we reached the building, following the map app, of course there was already a line.

Because of exams we’d arrived late and missed the first entry, so I was worried the limited stock might already be gone. Still, it looked like there was barely enough left.

There were three types of entry passes: general tickets you bought at the door, reserved tickets, and the special pre-pass tickets for raffle winners.

I handed my special pre-pass ticket to the staff, and after checking it, they opened the gate for us.

“Pre-pass is nice.”

“Right?”

Hyun-woo and I admired it as we went in, only to find the inside packed with people.

As expected of a collaboration café, there was a section where you could order themed drinks and simple brunch items, and another corner selling limited-edition merchandise.

Securing the merch was my top priority.

I skimmed through a community site for about a minute, quickly reading reviews from people who had already visited the café, and then grabbed Hyun-woo’s arm and dragged him over to sit at a table.

Hyun-woo, who had only widened his eyes without saying a word, held onto my arm and spoke up.

“I’m coming with you.”

Somehow, he had figured out I was about to leave him behind, and he looked up at me with pitiful eyes.

Anyone would think I was abandoning him there.

I almost gave in to that look, but steeled myself again.

With limited stock, things sold out in the blink of an eye, so I had to move efficiently. I grabbed his shoulder and spoke in a serious voice.

“Hyun-woo. I’m giving you an important mission.”

“What is it.”

“When you order food here, they give you random limited photocards you can only get at this café. The food isn’t usually very good at these places, but since you’re getting something anyway, it’s best to order the least bad option. The decent ones are the corn soup and the potato sandwich.”

“…”

“For drinks… since you can order one each for the two of us, get ‘Serri’s Fluffy Cloud Juice’ and ‘Ravvy’s Pink Soda Pop.’”

“Pink… what?”

“Pink Soda Pop! Don’t forget to grab the limited photocards with it!”

Fighting!

I waved at the bewildered-looking Hyun-woo and quickly ran off toward the merchandise corner.

The café photocards had a more generous supply compared to the merch ones, so it would be fine.

‘The problem is… it’s still random gacha…’

Each brunch menu item came with two random photocards out of the seven members, and each drink came with one random photocard.

Each member had two variations: one regular coated and one holographic coated.

Naturally, the odds of getting the holographic were insanely low.

They also limited drinks to one per person.

Since each drink was themed after a member, it was best to order one of your bias’s drinks. That way, you got a free coaster of that member, and the odds of pulling their photocard went up slightly.

That’s why I told Hyun-woo to order one drink of my bias, and another of the most popular member.

It was like insurance for possible trades later. Still, it only raised the odds a little; it didn’t guarantee anything, so it might not help at all.

‘But Hyun-woo’s luck is probably better than mine.’

I knew better than anyone how awful my luck was with random stuff. That’s how I convinced myself.

Running that clumsy hope cycle through my head, I entered the merchandise corner.

The first thing I looked for was the gift box that contained my bias’s goods.

Sure enough, only two sets were left.

Lucky.

I quickly put them into the plastic basket.

There were lots of other things I wanted—pins, pens, mugs—but just affording this limited edition was already a stretch.

Satisfied with securing the hardest-to-get prize, I finished paying and carried the packaged shopping bag.

The paper bag’s luxurious design made it look like I’d just gone shopping at a department store.

‘Thank god…’

Relieved, I lifted my head—only to spot a familiar face on the other side.

It was Do Jin-gyeong. Smiling brightly as usual, he was on the phone with someone.

I gasped sharply and lowered my head. He didn’t notice me and walked past into the merchandise section.

The sight caught me off guard.

Thinking maybe I was mistaken, I looked up again, but no, it was definitely him.

‘Why is he here?’

You needed an entry ticket just to get inside, so it wasn’t like he came in by accident.

No matter how I thought about it, the possibilities were either that Jin-gyeong was also a Love Pink fan, or he was here on someone else’s request.

Either way, my heart was racing for a whole different reason.

‘This is confusing…’

Until now, I’d never told anyone besides Hyun-woo, so I didn’t have a single friend to share this hobby with.

I’d always wondered what it would feel like to have one. Honestly, I used to wish for it.

But even so, striking up a conversation with Jin-gyeong without any certainty was far too risky.

After some hesitation, I quietly turned back to where Hyun-woo was waiting for me.

* * *

‘Not surprising.’

Shim Hyun-woo prided himself on being unshaken by Kang Eun-jae’s obsessive fangirl tendencies. He had gone along with them so many times that nothing should faze him by now—yet once again, he found himself flustered.

He vaguely remembered what Eun-jae had said earlier, though the names were so long he hadn’t retained them all.

‘Something about a cloud… and Pink Soda Pop or whatever…’

While waiting in line, he reread the menu.

“Serri’s Fluffy Cloud Juice” and “Ravvy’s Pink Soda Pop.” The naming sense was unbelievably ridiculous.

When it was his turn, Hyun-woo simply pointed at the illustrations and ordered the cloud juice and the pink soda. He shortened the names however he pleased, but the staff seemed to understand.

Back at the table, vibration buzzer in hand, he could hear people whispering nearby.

Some of them were glancing at him over their drinks, hiding their mouths with their hands as they murmured. Hyun-woo ignored it and kept his eyes on his phone.

He was waiting in case Eun-jae called. But Eun-jae still hadn’t returned from the merchandise corner with the drinks and photocards.

Switching his ringtone to vibrate, Hyun-woo unwrapped the straws and placed them into the drinks.

He tried a sip of the one that looked most normal—the pink soda.

“…Wow.”

It tasted absolutely disgusting.

He smacked his lips twice and slid the drink toward Eun-jae’s empty seat. Then, carefully following Eun-jae’s instructions, he began opening the photocard packs.

Hyun-woo knew even the packaging was precious to Eun-jae if it had his bias printed on it.

Out of the six cards, not a single familiar face appeared—meaning Eun-jae’s bias wasn’t among them.

‘This one looks familiar though…’

It was coated differently from the others. Tilting it side to side, he realized it was holographic.

‘Is that good?’ he wondered, before sighing deeply.

He could already picture Eun-jae’s crestfallen face, full of disappointment.

‘Can’t this kind of thing just be bought with money?’

Rubbing his chin in thought, Hyun-woo sat there frowning.

From a nearby table, the sound of someone sighing in frustration caught his attention.

“Damn it, not again… It’s Serri again.”

“Too bad, and it was even holographic.”

“The last one was Serri too… People will think she’s my bias.”

The name Serri was Eun-jae’s bias. The moment he heard it, Hyun-woo focused sharply on their conversation.

“Forget it. Everyone knows Ravvy’s the popular one. No doubt the odds are rigged.”

“Shit… Maybe there’s some angel out there willing to trade.”

“Doubt it. That card’s expensive. People will just sell it. Plenty of buyers, too.”

“Ugh, then maybe I should sell mine… But Serri doesn’t even resell that well…”

Listening, Hyun-woo glanced down at the holographic photocard in his hand.

It bore the name Ravvy, with a border of pink frills and dozens of little hearts.

He slipped it out of sight, then looked at the two people at the other table.