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Capital of South Korea - Seoul
Seoul was not only the capital of South Korea, it was the pulsating center of a world transford. Since the ergence of magic, the city had evolved into sothing that blended the brilliance of a futuristic tropolis with the constant presence of the supernatural.
Korea's capital, Seoul, was more than the political heart of the country, it was the epicenter of global power, where prestigious guilds fiercely competed for supremacy.
And within that city were guilds that were every Cube cadet's dream, 'Essence of the Strait', 'Desolate Moon', 'Freezing Shrine' and 'Sacred Grace of the Creator'.
Dream of many. Obsession of others...
And there we were, walking through it all, as if it were just another Saturday.
"Oh! You an you have no interest in joining any guilds. That's new."
Nayun comnted, giving a curious look.
Being in a guild, especially a famous one, was undeniably advantageous. Not just in terms of prestige, but also security, access to resources, high-level missions, cutting-edge equipnt... Even political contacts.
Your life was practically solved there.
You had structure, support and influence. It was like going straight through the front door of the future and not through the back window, as most people did.
"Not just the guilds, I'd say any organization."
For , that was pointless, with the power I had, joining any organization was like attaching myself to sothing aningless.
What's more... In the future, I'll certainly be able to travel between worlds, between universes, so leaving my life unhindered, no matter how small, was the best thing I could do.
Nayun walked beside , oblivious to why I didn't want to join any organization in the future.
She seed to reconsider sothing for a mont, as if weighing her words more carefully than usual, before finally opening her mouth.
"Sigh! I don't know why."
Her words ca with a slight sigh.
"But know one thing: wherever you go, I'll be there. Whether it's to live a lazy, aimless life... Or to accompany you if you want to beco the world's greatest hero, I'll be by your side. Always."
"That's good to know. But let tell you sothing too..."
I stopped, pulling her slightly by the hand, making her stop walking and look straight into my eyes.
"It never crossed my mind to leave you behind. Whatever my path, you'll always be there, even if I have to kidnap you."
Nayun smiled sweetly.
"Look... That's a new one, my boyfriend has possessive tendencies..."
She said it like soone discovering sothing curious, but with that little smile that belied any intention of reproach.
I rolled my eyes after hearing her.
I knew she was just making fun of , and that she understood that it was just a joke.
Since, even though I loved her very much, that didn't an I was going to force her into sothing she didn't want, even if she didn't want to accompany to other worlds.
"Theo. Did you only co to Seoul to buy clothes?"
Nayun suddenly asked after we'd started walking again.
I shook my head, a small smile escaping.
"No. I just thought it would be nice to go out at the weekend, and my lack of clothes was in line with that."
She arched an eyebrow as she thought of sothing again.
If it was just about the clothes, I could very well hire a stylist and have him send them to once they were ready, or I could go to Cube City itself and buy them.
"Heh! Really?"
Her green eyes seed to sparkle with excitent as she asked .
"Yes. If you want to make sothing, just let know."
"Hehe! So. Let's enjoy the day on a date."
"Date, huh?"
I repeated, thoughtful. After all, even in my past life, I'd never been on a real date.
"Sounds good... But I'll tell you right now, what I know of that word cos entirely from the fictional world, okay?"
"Like ani, dramas or books?"
"Exactly."
"My God... it's going to be a heavy bar."
"But at least you know what you're dealing with."
"Good. I'll start the eting with moderate expectations."
We laughed together, walking side by side towards an ice cream parlor that appeared just ahead.
As the temperature was a little high, we both decided to stop there before going anywhere else.
As soon as we opened the door and stepped inside, we were greeted by a cool, refreshing breeze, the air conditioning bringing imdiate relief from the heat that enveloped us outside.
The sweet scent of vanilla, fruit and chocolate invaded our senses, making it impossible for anyone not to salivate just by being there.
The interior was warmly decorated, with pastel colors, glass tables and light wooden chairs. A counter with dozens of ice cream flavors shone in the light, as if it were beckoning us.
"Wow... this place is cute..."
Nayun comnted, looking around with her eyes shining.
I also looked around and noticed that the ice cream parlor worked in the "self-service" style, where custors could serve themselves, without the need for help from staff. There were several stations with colorful levers and containers full of toppings, from sprinkles to syrups, from fresh fruit to crunchy cookies.
We made our way to the main counter, where a long row of stainless steel containers kept the ice cream cold and displayed under a glass cover.
I looked at the nas of the flavors written on little plates, in a writing style that looked like it had been done by a child.
Orange, lemon, chocolate, grape, passion fruit, peach, pear, persimmon... and many others, with creative combinations like "apple pie with cinnamon" and "Caribbean vanilla."
"Wow... there's a lot more than I expected"
I murmured, impressed that there were more flavors here than in the ice cream parlor back at Cube.
"Have you seen this? It's mint flavored."
Nayun spoke enthusiastically, pointing to a soft green shade.
'Here we go again...'
"It tastes like toothpaste."
I said with a frown forming on my face.
"Shhh! You don't have a refined palate."
She replied, laughing and picking up a small rectangle-shaped plate.
She carefully began to serve her ice cream, choosing two very different options, a vibrant pink strawberry with marshmallow and a mint one. She then added a shower of sprinkles and a heart-shaped cookie on top.
"That looks like the plate of a hyperactive child."
I comnted, finding her choice amusing.
"And yours is going to be monochro boredom, I bet."
She retorted, teasing.
I smiled and began to assemble mine: vanilla, with pieces of fruit, and a sprinkling of flakes on top. I added white chocolate syrup just so it didn't look so basic.
Once ready, we went back and sat down at a table near the glass wall, which gave a view of the busy street outside.
"Okay."
She said, poking at the ice cream.
"Now the official part of the eting begins."
"There's an official part?"
She took a spoonful into her mouth, and her eyes lit up for a mont with the taste.
"Mn! Yes, we need to decide what to do after this."
She laughed and continued.
"And it has to be sothing fun. After all, it's our first official date."
I nodded with a slight smile, but inside I couldn't help thinking how strange, or perhaps unique, our case was.
Normally, before entering into a relationship, the couple usually uses the date as a mont to get closer, to have fun. A chance to get to know each other better, to understand each other's quirks, values, dreams... But in our case, it all happened too quickly.
One day we were kissing. The next, we were already sleeping together and even living together.
It was like a leap in the dark, without a parachute, relying only on the good feeling that overwheld us.
Even so, that didn't cancel out the importance of that mont. Perhaps, for the first ti, we were really taking the ti to do everything calmly, as if this "first official eting" was our way of aligning our hearts, whereas our bodies had already co closer.
As we continued to stand there, enjoying our ice cream and talking about what we were going to do next on our "date", a figure I didn't think I'd et any ti soon, walked through the door of the ice cream parlor.
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