Netkama Punch!!!

In the end, we came to an agreement: I wouldn't wear that infuriating T-shirt. But the trade-off was that during our “date,” I had to hold Shin Heejae’s hand for exactly ten minutes inside the theater—only ten, and only if no one was looking. Compared to wearing that goddamn shirt, it seemed like the lesser evil, so I reluctantly nodded.
But then, the moment he said, “Don’t worry, I’ll rent out the whole theater,” I ended up punching him in the head.
“For fuck’s sake, think for once! What kind of two guys rent out an entire theater just to watch a movie?!”

We’d seriously look like a gay couple!
Even as he rubbed the spot where I’d smacked him, Shin Heejae stuck to his guns.
“You said you didn’t want people staring, didn’t you?”

“We could just sit quietly in the corner or something!”
“Yeah, but I’m way too handsome for that. People sneak glances at me all the time.”
“Who the hell goes to a movie theater and notices you?”

Heejae let out a smug little laugh.
“Noona… When I’m out by myself, I get hit on at least a dozen times.”
“Bullshit.”

“You were pissed about Yuna a while ago, and now you’re in denial?”
“…….”
It was annoying as hell to hear him say that so confidently, but when I thought about how he looked when he kept his mouth shut… yeah, I could see why some women might flock to him.

Seriously though, with that face, why is he like this? I stared at him with undisguised disdain.
“If you’re that worried about being seen, wear a mask or something.”
“Even with one on, people still recognize ‘the real deal,’ you know?”

“God, I hate you…”
Even when I fake-gagged, Shin Heejae just kept smiling like an idiot.
The only saving grace was that our “date” was on a Saturday, so there weren’t any theaters nearby available for full rental. Too many pre-bookings meant we could only snag the last seats in the very back row.
I checked the confirmation screen in the ticketing app and double-checked with him.

“You said you’d let go immediately if someone looks at us, right?”
“Yup.”
“…And we’re just holding hands? Nothing weird?”

“Oh my god, how many times do I have to say it? Even if you begged me to do more, I wouldn’t.”
Heejae pretended to be annoyed but had that stupid smirk again.
“Honestly, I think you’re the one who’s more excited.”

“Excited for what? Wipe that shitty look off your face.”
“Heh.”
That smile made me uneasy, but at that point, what could I do? I gave him another flick on the forehead and forced myself to get some sleep. It was Friday, after all—I still had work the next day.

* * *
And so, Saturday finally came.
Heejae said he had video editing to finish and left to go back to his place. Of course, he called again before bed and kept me on the phone until 1 a.m. Like hell I had a choice.

“Goddamn it, did you fish that thing out of the trash again?”
After waking up and brushing my teeth, I glanced over at the hanger and nearly screamed. There was Heejae’s face—on that T-shirt I’d secretly thrown away the day before.
That crazy bastard. He must’ve pretended to leave and then dug it out again. I was about to toss it right back, but then I saw a post-it note stuck to the hanger that gave me chills.

Don’t throw it away lolol
It was written casually in banmal, and yet I could tell—if I tossed it again, he’d pull some unholy stunt just to get revenge.
I sighed, shoved the shirt into the deepest corner of the closet, and went back to washing up. After shampooing and drying my hair, I looked over the clothes I could wear.

‘Why do these pants look so… shiny?’
Guess it had been too long since I last bought clothes—last year, maybe? Not that I was trying to impress anyone, but the worn-out look made me hesitate.
I finally settled on a pair of beige pants I didn’t wear often and threw on a plain white tee. Then I pulled a ball cap low over my head, just in case Heejae tried something at the theater—I didn’t want my face getting exposed.

Beep beep beep beep beep―.
Speak of the devil—Shin Heejae showed up right on cue. I turned around a little nervously and immediately froze when I saw him.
‘What the hell…’

He really did wear the pastel outfit I picked out for him before. And the worst part? It didn’t look bad on him.
No, it wasn’t just “not bad”—he had gone full effort-mode and looked downright flashy. Not in a tacky way either. It was the kind of look that made you not want to stand next to him. Even from a distance, I could catch a whiff of cologne.
‘How much did he spray on himself?’

As I approached, the scent got even stronger—fitting, of course, but the fact that he was my “date” made me want to throw up.
He saw the way my face twisted and still had the nerve to grin.
“Good-looking, right?”

“No? You look like shit.”
Undeterred by my harsh critique, he kept going.
“I even did my hair. Be honest—it’s cute, isn’t it?”

“…Haa.”
I didn’t have the energy to argue, so I gave him a faint nod. That was enough for Heejae to beam and grab my arm. I tried to shake him off, but his fingers wrapped tighter, and I gave up resisting.
And just like that, we left for the theater.

“You’re seriously taking the car for a ten-minute walk?”
“Obviously. Do you know nothing about ‘arrival impact’?”
“……”

Heejae, being the car-obsessed show-off he is, insisted on driving.
The interior of his fancy car looked unusual and expensive, but I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of seeing me impressed. What did catch me off guard was how clean it was inside.
‘Wait… did he clean it just to give me a ride?’

The thought crossed my mind, and I immediately chose to forget it. Even with my grumpy face, Heejae started the car with a cheery grin.
And even though it was a ten-minute walk, it still took us ten minutes by car. That’s when I got to experience firsthand what he meant by “arrival impact.” From the moment he pulled into the parking lot, other cars started spacing themselves way out from his.
Even when he parked smoothly and stepped out, I noticed a ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) guy who had just gotten out of his own car stop and stare at us, eyes wide with jealousy and curiosity.

I pretended not to notice and walked ahead of Heejae, but he caught up to me in front of the ticket booth.
“Noona, aren’t you getting popcorn?”
“Call me that again and I’ll kill you.”

“Oh, right. Forgot.”
Even though I said no, he insisted and shoved the bucket into my arms. Feeling self-conscious, I tugged my cap down tighter.
Meanwhile, he was all sunshine and rainbows, dragging me into the arcade. We played two games—one zombie shooting and one racing chair game. I beat him at both, which improved my mood considerably.

“Damn, Kim Seyoung’s good.”
“And you suck.”
“Wow, rude.”

“Then get better.”
“I was going easy on you!”
We bickered all the way until it was almost showtime. Up until then, it was actually better than I’d expected. I’d nearly forgotten about the whole “holding hands” agreement.

The problem was the three guys sitting in front of us.
They seemed like friends, probably younger than me—maybe Heejae’s age. Even as they sat down, they were loud and obnoxious. Heejae, who had been smiling earlier, immediately frowned as they started shouting.
“Jongwoo! Where’s the popcorn?”

“You fat fuck, you ate it all yourself!”
“Bitch, I paid for it!”
They weren’t just cussing—they were practically shouting in vulgarity. Even the two girls sitting next to them moved over a seat. But the guys didn’t give a damn and kept yelling through the ads.

One of them, the chubby one near the aisle, even had his phone out and kept flicking through Facebook. I started to worry—what if he kept that up once the movie started?
[In case of emergency, exits are located here.]
“I fucking hate that tire mascot in the white suit.”

“Why?”
“Asshole’s got a girlfriend, too.”
“Idiot.”

They kept laughing at their own unfunny jokes. Even as the lights dimmed and the movie started, they were still talking. The guy at the end even had his phone out.
‘Ugh… got stuck with the worst crowd.’
I was silently cursing them when it happened—

Thud—!
Shin Heejae suddenly kicked the back of their seats.