Gender Reversed Geum Taeyang - Chapter 70

Chapter 70 – Realization

Hmm. As I expected.

Gyro Drop, Gyro Swing, Viking, roller coaster, and so on. After coming out of the Flume Ride, we chose all sorts of rides known for their thrills.

After riding a few, I could see Ari’s expression getting worse and worse.

‘Ari, if it’s too much, just say so. We can ride something easier.’

‘No…, I’m fine. It’s not that hard…’

‘I can tell just by looking at your face that you’re struggling.’

‘No! Let’s go ride the rest….’

Of course, I asked for Ari’s opinion. It wouldn’t make sense for me to enjoy myself alone when we came together.

But, perhaps because Ari is also a woman from the reverse world, she wouldn’t admit that it was difficult until the end.

Even when I subtly suggested riding other, more comfortable attractions, this perceptive woman wouldn’t give up on the intense rides.

As a result.

“Ughh…”

Why is she being like this today? I don’t think she’s ever been this stubborn about her pride before.

Am I lacking in reverse world sensitivity? Did I underestimate the pride of reverse world women too much?

… What can I do? I’m not from the reverse world.

I haven’t had enough time to perfectly adapt to the reverse world.

While I’m not sure how to react to Ari, showing unnecessary sympathy over something like this isn’t good either. I should just act normal like usual.

“Heheh…. You’re not ready for me yet. Here, drink this and come back when you’re stronger.”

I handed her the drink I bought earlier while saying that.

Even this was quite expensive compared to drinks outside the amusement park.

Well, even though it’s life-saving water obtained at the cost of my wallet’s thickness, I’m not the type to skimp on something like this for a friend.

I turned the straw toward Ari.

It’s the straw I was using, but… looking at Ari’s face, this doesn’t seem like the time to worry about such minor hygiene issues.

“Ah… thanks….”

Then I took a sip too.

Damn. This expensive drink is unnecessarily delicious.

While thinking that and chewing on the straw, I noticed a strange look from beside me.

“Huh? What’s wrong, Ari? Did something happen?”

“Th-that….”

“Hmm?”

Ari’s tired-looking face was regaining its vigor.

I’m not sure if ‘vigor’ is the right expression, but anyway.

“What? Want another sip?”

That slightly reddened face is clearly evidence of being hot.

But when I let go of the straw I was biting.

“Ah… *slurp* How dirty.”

The saliva on the straw stretched like a thread between my lips before breaking.

This is a bit embarrassing. No, rather than embarrassing, it feels kind of gross?

Earlier there was really just a tiny bit of saliva, but this seems too much.

It’s a bit much to give this to a friend to drink…

“Ugh…, want to just drink directly? There’s some saliva on it.”

“N-no! It’s fine, I’ll drink it like this!”

“Oh, if you’re okay with it then go ahead.”

Hmm. Ari seems to have a stronger stomach than I expected.

…

Or not? She keeps fidgeting for some reason.

Ari stared blankly at the straw for a while before finally putting it in her mouth and drinking the beverage with an incredibly happy expression.

Well, seeing her so happy makes me happy too.

###

Today is truly a strange day.

No, to be more precise, I think I’m the one being strange today.

No, that’s not it either. Yuhan is making me strange.

The man sitting right in front of me, drinking through a straw, is making me strange.

We’re now in a restaurant at Everworld.

After ordering two jjajangmyeon, we took our seats at a table.

Normally, I would have paid close attention to what Yuhan was saying, but right now, that’s completely impossible.

My gaze is fixed on his lips rather than his eyes, and my hands are on my skirt where that strange feeling was rising.

Today, every single one of Yuhan’s actions feels too intense.

I don’t want to think strange thoughts, but I just can’t help it.

The plan to maintain my pride, to show a cool image, has long since vanished from my mind.

My thoughts are completely filled with Yuhan.

The memory of him excitedly talking to me after riding the Gyro Drop.

The memory of him leaning on me saying he was dizzy after the Gyro Swing.

The memory of him holding my hand when I was trying to hold back my screams at the end seat of the Viking.

The memory of us looking at each other and talking while the roller coaster climbed up high.

Every single memory makes my heart race just thinking about it.

Is this just excitement from coming to play with a ‘friend’?

Is it just because of physical contact with a man?

My instincts seem to roughly know the answer, but my reason is preventing that answer from being drawn.

My head hurts just thinking about it.

Pushing aside deeper thoughts, I mixed my jjajangmyeon while trying my best to respond to Yuhan’s words.

To summarize, he was complaining about how expensive everything was, how it annoyingly tasted good despite the price – complaints that seemed cute when you listened to them.

Thinking about it, I feel really grateful.

While he usually tries to save money wherever possible, showing his frugal side, he always tries to buy things for me.

Actually, in this day and age, it’s not particularly special for a man to suggest going Dutch or buy things, but.

I think it’s rare to find someone like Yuhan who actively takes the initiative to do such things.

The money isn’t really important. What matters is the fact that he thinks of me and considers me so much.

He’s really a man you can’t help but like.

I mean… as a person.

… Probably.

“Ari, you’ve got sauce on your mouth.”

“Huh?”

Maybe I was too lost in thought.

I wiped around my mouth with my hand after hearing Yuhan’s words, but nothing came off on my hand.

“Where is it?”

“Hold on.”

Look at that sight.

The way he wiped near my lips with his finger and then brought that sauce straight to his own mouth.

I really want to stop thinking other thoughts now, want to focus on Yuhan, but.

My mind feels like it’s going blank again.

That wicked smile looked so beautiful.

###

Although it’s summer, today the sun seems to have set unusually quickly.

After having a late lunch and riding a few more attractions, we looked for other things to enjoy.

The mini-games left the strongest impression.

We actually went into the haunted house too, but Yuhan didn’t seem particularly moved by it. He’s an unusual man no matter when you look at him.

Anyway, even though I’m someone who’s been through military service and was known for my shooting skills, I couldn’t beat Yuhan.

He shot with a somewhat awkward yet convincing posture, and hit everything.

The other game involved throwing balls into a basket placed at some distance, and Yuhan immediately got first place in that game too.

While he’s completely helpless in games that rely heavily on luck, once physical ability comes into play, there’s no way to beat him.

I heard there’s a streamer game competition hosted by TwitchyTV in a few weeks – wouldn’t we do well if we entered together?

Entering a competition as a team and winning… just thinking about it makes me happy. It makes me joyful.

Well, let’s think about future matters later.

Yuhan and I are sitting side by side on a nearby bench, looking at the carousel in front of us.

In the plaza that has darkened due to the early sunset, the carousel spins while emitting brilliant lights, and various people are taking photos nearby.

When I look to the side, I see Yuhan looking ahead with an incredibly poetic expression.

The carousel’s brilliant lights illuminate his face.

In this moment at least, he looks like a handsome man with an ordinary atmosphere rather than a blonde tanned delinquent.

My heart is pounding.

I turn my head forward again and quietly sink into thought in the bustling plaza.

I think it’s time to accept my feelings.

I think it’s time to reveal my uncomfortable inner thoughts.

I had been feeling it for a long time already.

While it’s true that I lost affection for Lee Junhyuk during our argument, my feelings for him had already disappeared before that.

I don’t know since when, but I already had these feelings.

At first, I disliked this man, and after a while, curiosity and fondness grew.

After that, I probably transitioned to these emotions.

A male friend? Who gets excited looking at just a male friend? If he were just a male friend, why would my heart always pound?

I always felt happiness and joy that I had never experienced before when meeting Yuhan.

My heart was always full, and I held feelings more intimate than with anyone else.

“Ari, do you want this? Two is too many.”

The first-place prize from the mini-games was similar-looking teddy bears. The only difference was the gender of each bear.

I received the teddy bear that was on Yuhan’s knee.

Looking at how it’s made, it seems to be female, but somehow its spirited expression resembles Yuhan.

The male bear over there is the same. Somehow my image is reflected in that bear.

“They have different genders, but think of it as me and take good care of it.”

He throws out a line that could be misunderstood if someone else heard it, smiling playfully.

The surprise, heart-pounding, and excitement I felt all day long.

But those emotions approached my heart differently from before.

“Ari, let’s take a picture too. With your phone.”

“… Shall we?”

We asked a passing person to take our picture and took our positions in an empty spot near the carousel.

I grabbed Yuhan’s left arm that was trying to go around my shoulder and interlocked our fingers instead.

It’s embarrassing. It’s embarrassing, but I wanted to do this.

After waiting a moment, the sound of a shutter from in front.

On the phone returned to me, I can see two people captured in good quality.

I see a happy-faced woman with dyed hair, piercings, and a modified school uniform, hugging a teddy bear.

Looking at it this way, I really have changed a lot without realizing it.

Still, that visual matches so well with the man beside me. That’s fortunate.

As we returned to our bench, I set that photo as my phone’s background.

Hmm…

It took such a long time to say these words.

It took so much resolve to accept these feelings.

I suppose.

I think I like Yuhan.

(End of Chapter)

T.N. About damn time!!