Not A Regressor-Chapter 259: Date (1)

The next day, Kwon Oh-Jin waited for Isabella near Jamsil Station.

It would’ve been simpler to just leave together since they lived in the same house, but Isabella wanted it to feel more like a date and insisted on meeting up separately at the station.

Kwon Oh-Jin held a can of coffee he bought from a convenience store and deeply sighed. “Haaa.”

Going on a date when the Heavenly Demon could be making a move was problematic enough. More than that, he felt guilty standing in front of a station and going on a date with another woman when he already had a girlfriend.

Even if Ha-Eun said she’s okay with it...

Complicated thoughts tangled up his mind.

“Oh, Mr. Oh-Jin. Were you waiting long?”

However, all those tangled thoughts vanished like smoke when he saw Isabella step out of a luxurious limousine.

She wore a dark brown knitted turtleneck and a tulip skirt. Black stockings gracefully covered her long, slender legs. She carried a Hernies bag on her left arm. Though her jewelry wasn’t flashy, her earrings and necklace gave off a subtle, elegant aura.

More than anything, her alluring curves would catch anyone’s eye despite her loose sweater. Calling them two hills didn’t do them justice. They were mountains.

“Mr. Oh-Jin?”

“Oh, yeah. Sorry.” He snapped out of it and awkwardly smiled.

“Sorry for being late. It took a bit of time to get ready. Have you been waiting long?”

“No, I just got here myself.”

Kwon Oh-Jin didn’t just say that to be polite. He had just arrived less than ten minutes ago. Living in the same house meant that even if they left separately, they’d arrive around the same time anyway.

“Hehe. That’s a relief.” Isabella giggled and naturally hooked her arm around his.

As she approached, a gentle lilac scent tickled his nose.

“Is that a new perfume?” he asked.

“Haha. It’s spring, after all.”

Just like she said, it was the perfect scent for spring as cherry blossoms began to bloom.

“It smells really nice.”

He didn’t know the brand, but the fragrance perfectly suited Isabella and her radiant platinum-blonde hair.

“R-Really?” Isabella quickly pulled out her phone from her Hernies bag and messaged someone.

From what little he could see, it looked like she had ordered more of that perfume through Roberto.

Sorry, Mr. Roberto...

He felt strangely guilty as if he had added to the old man’s workload in real time.

“Shall we go?”

“Yes, Mr. Oh-Jin!” Isabella nodded cheerfully after sending her text.

***

Kwon Oh-Jin and Isabella chose to go to a classic date spot everyone in Seoul had probably been to at least once, Latte World.

“You’re sure you’re okay with coming here? I’d imagine overseas amusement parks have better facilities.”

While Latte World was among the better amusement parks in Korea, it still couldn’t compare to the world-famous ones abroad. Then again, someone who owned a private jet like Isabella wouldn’t find anything abroad impressive either.

“It’s fine. If I’m going to live in Korea from now on, I should get used to the culture here.”

From now on, huh.

She said it so obviously that it made him even more conflicted. He tried to push away his thoughts as they stepped into Latte World.

“Whoa.” Isabella gasped as they entered.

The charming interior looked like something straight out of a fantasy fairy tale, and excited screams echoed all around them.

“This is your first time at an amusement park?” Kwon Oh-Jin asked.

“Yes, it is.” Her eyes sparkled as she looked around.

Seeing her excited like a child on a school field trip made him smile unconsciously.

“Have you been here before, Mr. Oh-Jin?”

“Yeah, once, a long time ago.”

He had come during his time in the orphanage as part of a government support program. The program had been more for show than anything else, and it felt tiring since the orphanage director forced them to smile through it all. Still, it was one of his few happy memories from those otherwise hellish days.

“What do you want to try first?” he asked.

“Hmm. Just a second.” Isabella took out her phone again and tapped away like a squirrel cracking open an acorn.

Maybe she’d done her research beforehand. Her screen showed detailed information about the different rides at Latte World.

“Atlantis! That one is supposed to be the most popular!”

“Shall we head there?” He chuckled and began walking toward Atlantis at the outdoor area.

Warm sunlight and a refreshing spring breeze brushed against his cheeks.

“There it is, Mr. Oh-Jin!” She pointed excitedly at the line of people queued up to ride Atlantis.

In the past, the wait would have been at least one to two hours. Sometimes even more than three to ride this attraction, but visitors had decreased significantly ever since gates opened and most people’s lives became more barren. Korea was still considered one of the more livable countries, which was probably why amusement parks could still operate.

“They say we only have to wait around thirty minutes,” she said.

“Stay here for a bit. I’ll go grab us something to eat.”

“Something to eat?”

“There’s something you always have to eat when you come to an amusement park.” With a smile, Kwon Oh-Jin went over to a nearby shop and came back with two churros.

The churros, dusted with a generous amount of sugar, smelled like cinnamon.

“Is this what you’re supposed to eat at an amusement park?”

“Yup. Try it.”

Isabella took a cautious bite of the churro. “Oh, it’s delicious.”

“Right?”

“Yes, it seems like a dessert that would go well with coffee.” Isabella smiled brightly. “But why is this a must-eat at amusement parks?”

“Uh. I’m not really sure.”

Was there ever a specific reason?

“Hmm. Then I guess this is just another part of Korean culture!” With twinkling eyes, Isabella happily munched on her churro.

As they waited while snacking, the line quickly shortened.

Rumble!

With a thunderous roar, the roller coaster raced by at high speed. Screams and cheers from the riders echoed all around.

“Is this the one we’re getting on?” Isabella asked.

“Yeah.”

Kwon Oh-Jin and Isabella sat together in the front row.

“Alrighty~ We’ll be departing soon! Please hold on to your safety bars tightly!” the attendant announced.

In just one and a half seconds, the ride shot forward and reached a speed of seventy-two kilometers an hour as it raced along the track.

The other riders screamed excitedly.

“Hmph.” Isabella let go of the safety bar with a disinterested look.

Of course, she was a superhuman who could break even the sound barrier if she wanted to. This speed certainly wouldn’t thrill her.

“Not fun, is it?”

“N-No, it’s super fun!” Isabella shouted back and frantically shook her head.

Did she think he meant the date itself?

“Let’s go try something else,” Kwon Oh-Jin said.

The most popular ride didn’t feel thrilling enough for the two of them since they had superhuman physiques.

“All the rides I looked up were like that one...”

“How about the haunted house? Or is that too childish?”

“The haunted house?” Isabella lightly chuckled.

Was that where they made it all spooky and people dressed as ghosts jumped out at you? She had never been to one before, but could pretty much guess how it would go.

“Sure.” She agreed.

Even so, she seemed thankful that he thought of something and followed him to the haunted house.

A piercing scream ripped through the air.

“Kyaaaaa!” Isabella clung to Kwon Oh-Jin’s arm, her eyes glistening with tears. “M-Mr. Oh-Jin! A g-ghost, there’s a ghost!”

She pointed with her pale, trembling hand at the female ghost in a white dress stumbling toward them.

“Isabella?”

“H-Hurry up, let’s go!”

Kwon Oh-Jin chuckled in surprise at her desperate pleading that couldn’t possibly be faked.

“W-Why are you laughing?!” Isabella pressed herself tightly against him.

Even through her brown knit sweater, he could feel her two ample peaks pressing firmly against him.

“Ahem.” Kwon Oh-Jin cleared his throat and slowly continued forward.

“Kyaaaa! M-Mr. Oh-Jin! A vampire! It’s a vampire!”

You’re a vampire too, though...

“Mr. Oh-Jiiiiiin!”

“Ow!”

Her arms crushed him hard enough to break his bones. Kwon Oh-Jin scrambled to get out of the haunted house.

“Haa, haa.” Once they finally made it out, he panted heavily and looked at Isabella.

Perhaps from the relief of being outside again, Isabella wiped away her tears and casually pulled out a brush to tidy her disheveled hair.

“T-That wasn’t scary at all,” she said.

“Excuse me...?”

Is that what not being scared looks like?

“I-I only pretended to be scared so I could stay close to you, b-but you totally fell for it, didn’t you?” Isabella avoided his gaze and stared off into the distance.

Kwon Oh-Jin mischievously smiled and gently tugged her hand.

“Then how about we go in one more time?”

“N-No way!” Isabella shouted, her face turning pale.

He couldn’t help but burst into laughter at the sight of Isabella being terrified.

“Pfft! Hahahaha!”

Who would’ve thought that the proud, elegant queen had this kind of side to her?

“Don’t laugh at me, M-Mr. Oh-Jin!”

“Okay, okay. Sorry.” He barely managed to stifle his laughter as he looked at her puffed-up cheeks and sulky expression. “Wanna grab something to eat?”

“Oh wow, it’s already that late.”

Caught up in all the fun, they hadn’t noticed how quickly time had passed.

“What do you feel like eating?” he asked.

“Hmm. What do you call that... bunsik[1]? I want to try that!”

“Bunsik?”

“Yes!”

There probably wasn’t anything better than bunsik for someone eager to experience Korean culture.

“Wasn’t there a tteokbokki[2] place around here somewhere?”

Kwon Oh-Jin headed toward the food court and looked around for a bunsik place. Even though the park had a fantasy aesthetic, it was still Korean at its core. Sure enough, it didn’t take long to find a tteokbokki chain.

“Yupgi Tteokbokki[3]? That’s an interesting name.”

“It’s actually a pretty popular place.”

They stepped inside. One could choose from mild, regular, or spicy on the menu.

“I’ll go with spicy!” Isabella said without hesitation as she looked at the options.

“You sure? Even the regular one is quite spicy.”

“Hehe. Eating spicy food is part of Korean culture, isn’t it? Don’t worry about me.” She puffed up her chest proudly. “I can handle spicy stuff like kimchi stew and stir-fried pork just fine!”

“Uh... yeah.”

Since when were those foods considered spicy?

Kwon Oh-Jin cocked his head skeptically, but ordered the spicy one anyway.

Before long, a steaming hot plate of tteokbokki was brought to their table.

“Whoa! So this is tteokbokki!”

With sparkling eyes, Isabella jabbed at a piece with her fork and took a big bite.

“Hmm? It’s not as spicy as I thought—”

She almost finished her sentence when her face flushed bright red, and she began kicking her legs under the table in a panic.

“Mmmffff! Mmmmff!” She reached desperately for the water glass.

“Wait, if you drink water...”

Water would only soothe the problem for a second before making the heat worse.

“Aaaahh!” Isabella chugged the water, only to start writhing as tears welled up in her eyes.

He quickly handed her a yogurt soda for relief. After gulping it down, Isabella finally calmed down a bit.

“Haa, haa...” Still trembling, she glared at him and shouted with righteous fury, “D-Do Koreans not understand the concept of moderation?!”

Her criticism left no room for argument.

1. Generic term used to refer to inexpensive Korean dishes or street food. The term literally means “food made from flour.” ☜

2. Spicy rice cakes, which are a popular Korean street food snack. ☜

3. A popular tteokbokki chain in South Korea. ☜