“Well, you’d know just by looking at it. Ugh, just by looking at her first expression…”
It wasn’t because of the awkward hair and clothes. It was because he was worried about how Shin Nara would look at him.
Apart from being confident and dignified, how will the other person react?
Even if it can be fixed, how much will she believe?
Although he hadn’t met a few people after the accident, Leeha knew very well the pitiful expression mixed with sympathy, and the discriminatory and ignoring looks that he had experienced several times.
‘I don’t think Nara is that kind of person, but…’
Even though he had an appointment from Middle Earth and set the time and place, Leeha had not been able to say anything about his condition to the end.
In a way, it was an act that can be called bad manners. However, such words did not come out easily from the perspective of the person concerned.
“Eong-ah, eong-a!h”
“Huh?”
“There-I-It’s them, right?”
Kijung made a fuss by tapping Leeha, who was lost in thought. Since it was winter, the meeting place was indoors, but there was no way it wouldn’t be cold.
“T-That’s right…… I think.”
It felt like the cold had gone away in an instant. It couldn’t be because of the two women who opened the door and came in. Nevertheless, Leeha felt that the temperature inside the room increased after the two people came in.
She was attractive even wearing plate mail in Middle Earth, but she had a beauty that was incomparable to when she wore iron armor.
A nice beige leather mustang lined with pinkish hair, dark blue skinny jeans and black ankle boots that stretched down, and her trademark long straight black hair.
Her body, hardened by exercise, had a different kind of charm than just skinny and thin women.
“Then, that’s Bobae-ssi……?”
A heart was drawn in Kijung’s eyes. Bobae next to Shin Nara also had a cute face that would stand out anywhere. Compared to the lavishly decorated Shin Nara, Bobae wore a long white padded jacket. At first glance, she was dressed like a white penguin, but it rather seemed to blend in with Bobae’s fierce face, giving off more cuteness. It was so charming and beautiful that the other people inside turned their heads toward the two people walking together…. It would have been more strange if Leeha and Kijung had not been taken aback.
“How- How should we say hello?”
“Hey, why are you panicking? You told me to leave it to you!”
“No, should we pretend to know them first? H hyung, quick, call Nara-nim. I’m not that close to them.”
“Me? B-but it’s a little bit for you to call them. Wouldn’t it be better if you pretended to know them?”
“Ah, stupid hyung. Those two may not recognize my face, so how can I call them first?”
The two men were attracting attention for a different reason than the two women.
Step, step, step.
As they were making a fuss, two women approached them. Bobae, wearing a long padding, smiled and pointed at the two.
“Right, right. Ha Leeha-ssi and Master Kay, right? Haha, I could recognize you from a distance.”
The men stopped moving.
“Ah- yes, hello, Bobae-nim. Long time no see. Is this the first time we met after the palace?”
While Kijung awkwardly bowed, Leeha’s head slowly rose. A woman’s voice echoed through his head in slow motion.
“Leeha-ssi?”
“Hel…… lo, Nara-ssi.”
Nara made eye contact with Leeha, who was sitting in a wheelchair. Leeha looked into her eyes, and he could see that Shin Nara’s eyes did not have a single disturbance.
“We finally met, we.”
Looking into her eyes, Leeha was sure that she is a ‘more’ outstanding woman than he initially thought.
“I know, right? Haha.”
When Leeha laughed awkwardly, Shin Nara smiled along with Leeha. Her cheeks were stained red with a bright smile. Leehea couldn’t tell if it was because of the chill in the winter or if it was because of some other reason. The tallest tower in Seoul was always crowded. Among the many people, their combination stood out. A man in a wheelchair, a fairly tall man, and two Olympic medalists.
“Oh, isn’t that person Shin Nara?”
“Isn’t that Bobae next to her?”
And as much as eyes were drawn, the number of people who recognized them also increased. The names of Shin Nara and Bobae began to be mentioned in the onlooker’s cries.
“The person sitting in front of them is a paralympic? Is he a paralympic athlete? It’s my first time seeing them…”
“Kek, they must have come out to play because they are tired from exercising.”
“Looks like they are close with disabled athletes.”
It was a natural reaction.
It was difficult to regard a person in a wheelchair as ‘normal’.
People who consider it normal to violate their mental dignity, even if just a part of their body is uncomfortable.
Leeha suddenly felt his face burning, and it was the same with Kijung. Suddenly, they wondered if they were eating away at the honor of the two women. However, this thought was the vulgar conceit of the two men alone.
“No, aren’t we here on a date today?! Hehe, you guys should have fun too! Let’s go, Bobae.”
“Pum, anyway, her personality really.”
In fact, the two women were more determined and confident than Leeha and Kijung. Shin Nara spoke loudly as if asking the onlookers to listen, and Bobae laughed at the sight.
“Master Kay- no, Kijung-ssi, right? Let’s go first.”
“Ah…… yes.”
Bobae went beside the dumbfounded Kijung. Kijung was not short by any means, but Bobae was also formidable. As Bobae led Kijung and went ahead, Shin Nara slowly approached Leeha.
“What is it, really? It’s our first time meeting each other, are you going to stay still? You talk so well in Middle Earth.”
She grumbled at Leeha with a cute smile. Only then was Leeha able to come to his senses a little.
“You are so pretty that I lost my mind for a moment. Let’s go, Nara-ssi.”
“Okay, let’s go quickly. Can you push yourself? I want to walk with you side by side, would that be okay?”
What did it matter what other people’s eyes were like? At least the woman in front of him saw him as a complete human being!
“I’m not that weak. What do you want to eat? I’ve been here for so long but I never roamed around, so I don’t know where to go.”
“Then, I will guide you. In fact, I had already planned it because I thought Leeha-ssi would not recognize me. Let’s go!”
Shin Nara winked at Leeha and started walking.
The distinction between male and female didn’t seem to matter too much to her. Walking cooly with a straight body, and by her side, Leeha began to push the wheels of the wheelchair by himself.
“So?”
“That’s when I suggested it. Leeha hyung, make use of your strengths! How meaningful and useful it must be for an army sniper to play musketeer.”
“Then, if it wasn’t for Kijung, Leeha-ssi would have had a different job?”
“It almost seems like that.”
Kijung talked to Bobae as if he was excited. Much of the content was modified to make himself look good, but Leeha did not point it out.
“Then how was the guild war? At the time, you fought him by yourself, right?”
“Ugh, there are a lot of things to tell…… where should I start? First, you saw the video where I blew Igor away with a shield, right? It’s just too much to tackle that Russian bear! But I was able to-”
Of course, Bobae, who listened happily next to him, was only talking to humor Kijung. Of course, Kijung was excited to answer each question. As they walked the short road to the restaurant, the two were already getting close.
“Leeha-ssi, were you really a sniper? Why does it seem like everything that Kijung told were lies?”
“As expected, Nara-ssi is sharp. The only true part is that I was a sniper.”
Listening to the conversation of Kijung and Bobae, who were walking ahead, Shin Nara quietly asked Leeha. Leeha answered with a chuckle.
“Wow, really? I see. So, that’s why you shoot well. Have you ever fired an air gun?”
“Sure. I learned air rifle after air pistols.”
“Are you good?”
“Yes. I am good.”
Before Shin Nara’s question was over, Leeha answered. Shin Nara giggled at Leeha’s quick response with a pffft sound.
“Oh, well. I couldn’t believe it because you said it so confidently.”
“Really. Hmm…… Nara-ssi when you joined the Olympics, Jungho was the best in shooting.”
“Jungho? Shin Jungho-ssi? Oh, 4 gold medals in men’s shooting at the Olympics?”
“Yes. My friend and I went to the same center. 15 and 16, for two years.”
“Really? Really?!”
Shin Nara’s eyes became round like a rabbit’s.
Leeha was somewhat surprised that he was able to tell such a story without hesitation. It felt as if Shin Nara was getting the story out of Leeha.
“This is a secret……. At that time, the youth division’s 10m air rifle, 50m 3 positions, and 50m prone shooting were always fixed for first and second place in the three events. Well, Jungho was better at shooting pistols than I was.”
“……No way, the number 1-”
“Of course it is me. Jungho, that friend of my is prideful, so don’t ask him about it.”
“Haha, how can I believe you if I don’t ask him about it! I’ll ask later.”
“No! You know how tired that bastard is.”
“Well, I’m not that close to Jungho-ssi.”
“Is that so? Aren’t you close to a lot of players in the athlete’s village?”
Leeha was only bragging to test his luck and check if he had competitors(?) close to Shin Nara. Leeha didn’t have much experience talking to women. However, his sniper’s instinct kicked in.
Where to attack! The 『Accuracy』 attribute was still the same.
“I have Bobae at least. If you go there, everyone is so focused on training that they don’t even talk much.”
“I see. But you will need a lot of time to train, and Middle Earth-”
“That’s training. Hehe, it’s good because the time efficiency is much higher. Outside, I only do weight training and physical training, and technical training is in Middle Earth!”
Shin Nara swung her arms around like she was excited.
Even though it seemed to be swung randomly, Leeha looked as if she had an epee in her hand.
It was a very light movement, but it was enough to feel that it was full of liveliness. Her nickname as a swordswoman in Middle Earth wasn’t for nothing.
“Hey Nara, come quickly!”
“Come quickly, you two! What are you talking about? Do it while eating!”
Looking at Leeha and Nara, who were quietly smiling, Bobae and Kijung turned around and shouted.
Up until now, they were walking ahead talking……. Leeha and Nara found them both ridiculous.
“Bobae doesn’t shy away from strangers, but she tends to keep a little distance from people she meets for the first time……. Kijung-ssi is amazing.”
“Hmm… It’s even more amazing that she’s still listening to Kijung talk until now. If it was someone else, they would have escaped already.”
The four of them entered the restaurant Nara and Bobae had found in advance.
It was practically the first time that a meeting of this kind was held, but one thing is for sure.
It was going very well.
(To be continued…)