When a person repeats the same routine over and over like a hamster on a wheel, they inevitably find themselves looking for something different.
That said, there were limits to things like taking a trip abroad or hunting down famous restaurants.
Once or twice might be doable — but traveling every day or eating out at trendy spots was simply impossible for anyone except a small handful of people.
What’s lacking gets filled with vicarious experience. Consuming films, dramas, webtoons, novels — that was probably why people did those things too.
I was one of those people myself — coming home after work and settling in to watch Witube.
“Yun-su, have you seen that movie?”
Kim Seo-young, who had been rearranging the shelving with me, stopped mid-task to ask.
“The one everyone’s been raving about lately. Apparently it’s already hit three million viewers.”
I nodded at Kim Seo-young’s words, her eyes bright with enthusiasm. I wasn’t particularly into movies — but I at least knew the works famous enough to show up on Witube.
The film she was talking about had been cast entirely with serious dramatic actors, and with a story solid enough to back it up, it had been performing well to critical acclaim.
“Everyone says it’s great — I haven’t gotten around to it yet.”
“Really? Then I won’t spoil it. The final scene is genuinely incredible. The less you know going in, the better.”
That was something I agreed with. Personally, I preferred experiencing any kind of content without spoilers, getting the full effect as intended.
Because of that, I’d occasionally been blindsided by endings I hadn’t seen coming at all — but I’d always figured that was part of the fun too.
“I do want to see it — but I’m not a huge fan of cinemas, so I’m on the fence.”
“Fair enough, cinemas can feel a bit suffocating. And tickets have gotten so expensive lately.”
Kim Seo-young nodded in agreement, but then her eyes lit up again as she added:
“Still — you really should see that one in theaters. It’s a completely different experience from watching at home.”
“Ha, fair enough.”
I gave a vague nod. I was genuinely interested — but not enough to go by myself, so in all likelihood I’d end up watching it once it hit a streaming service.
But I couldn’t say that outright, so I gave an appropriate response before steering the conversation elsewhere.
“You’re heading out for the training today, aren’t you?”
“Yeah. The thought of coming back and writing the report is already making my head spin. I wish someone would write it for me.”
“I know the feeling.”
The conversation ended there. Kim Seo-young said she should get going and stood up from her seat.
I saw Kim Seo-young off, then went back to the task we’d been doing together. Once I finished, I’d need to draft a program proposal for an author meet-and-greet event the library was holding in the second half of the year.
Another busy day ahead, I thought, and continued mechanically with the work — when I sensed someone nearby.
Thinking it might be a patron, I stopped what I was doing and looked up — and there stood Cha Jae-woo.
“……Ha Yun-su, are you free today?”
Even accounting for the fact that we were in a library, his voice was unusually small. It seemed like he’d slipped into casual speech without thinking and was now self-conscious about it — which I found quietly amusing.
“Free? What’s going on?”
“I was thinking we could catch a movie. Been a while.”
I tilted my head at that. Didn’t we watch a movie together just yesterday and fall asleep? Or maybe he meant something different from what we’d been watching at home?
I was staring at him blankly with a puzzled look, so Cha Jae-woo added an explanation.
“Not at home. I meant going to the cinema.”
“The cinema? Out of nowhere?”
“……You don’t want to?”
“No, it’s not that……”
It wasn’t that I didn’t want to — but neither of us had fond memories of cinema seats, they’d always been uncomfortably cramped for both of us.
That was from back in high school, so the current Cha Jae-woo would know that too — which made the sudden suggestion all the more puzzling.
“You don’t even like going to the cinema because of the seats. And the crowds.”
“That’s true, but Park Woo-hyuk kept recommending this movie, saying it’s really good right now.”
“Oh — that film that just came out recently?”
What day is it today? I thought. Just earlier, Kim Seo-young had told me she’d loved it and insisted I had to see it in theaters.
“It does sound like it’d be good.”
As I said that, I finally understood why Cha Jae-woo had made this suggestion. A film with reviews that good — one everyone was watching — would probably be a great source of inspiration.
Park Woo-hyuk had likely recommended it to Cha Jae-woo with exactly that in mind.
At the same time, it made me glad. The current Cha Jae-woo, just like the old Cha Jae-woo had, seemed to be slowly opening up to Park Woo-hyuk and the other members of the composition team, little by little.
Still, I hesitated for a moment. Today I was finishing at six instead of eight — but the timing still felt a bit tricky.
If I went home first to have dinner, then headed to the cinema to watch a two-hour film, it would be very late by the time we got back.
Both of us had work the next day — seeing the movie another time seemed like the better call.
“I think it’d be a bit of a stretch to go home after work, have dinner, and then head back out to the cinema, so maybe next——”
“We can eat out.”
Mid-sentence, Cha Jae-woo’s completely unwavering reply made me open my eyes wide. Before I knew it, I had grabbed both his shoulders and was making a fuss.
“Hey — you are Cha Jae-woo, right? Not someone wearing a Cha Jae-woo mask?”
“……What are you talking about.”
“No, I mean — I’d love it if we eat out, but——”
“Then it’s settled.”
Cha Jae-woo cut me off the moment I showed even a hint of agreement, then turned away with the book cart.
“Meet me at the cinema after work. We’ll watch the movie, grab food nearby, and head home.”
And with that, he hurried off, presumably to finish what he’d been working on.
Well — if we were watching the movie and eating nearby after, the timing would probably work out.
“But what’s gotten into him all of a sudden?”
I was genuinely puzzled. Ever since a school group outing to the movies in high school, Cha Jae-woo had refused to set foot in a cinema. In the eight years we were together, we never once went to the movies — that said it all.
I wasn’t particularly fond of films or cinemas either, so I’d never pushed it.
The only thing I’d ever missed was the popcorn — I’d mentioned it to Cha Jae-woo once, and he’d immediately said he’d just get a popcorn machine for the apartment, which I had to talk him out of.
Come to think of it, Cha Jae-woo had never liked eating popcorn at the cinema either. He thought it was unhygienic — multiple people reaching into one container with their hands.
Given his fastidious tendencies, that wasn’t surprising. Though I did seem to remember him happily sharing popcorn with me — but that was a long time ago, and I wasn’t sure anymore.
Then again, Cha Jae-woo wasn’t a fan of snacking in general, so regardless of who he was with, the odds were high he simply wouldn’t eat it.
Even so, suggesting we actually go to the cinema — he must have really wanted to see this film.
Just in case, I looked up a brief synopsis of the movie and the cast.
It was filled with nothing but acclaimed dramatic actors — famous enough for even me, someone with little interest in celebrities, to recognize. Famous enough that anyone in Korea would know them.
With a lineup that impressive and a story to match, it would have been stranger if it hadn’t been a hit.
I finished checking, turned off my phone, and went back to focusing on my work. I didn’t look up a detailed plot summary or any spoilers — but this much was clear: it would be worth putting up with some uncomfortable seats.
Cha Jae-woo was the one who suggested it in the first place — he wouldn’t complain about the seats.
“Not that I’d listen even if he did.”
I snickered to myself and, feeling unexpectedly giddy about going to the cinema for the first time in a while, finished up my work in good time.
***
After work, at the cinema where we’d agreed to meet, I had to stand there alone feeling like I’d time-slipped from the past into the present.
“Actually — maybe it hasn’t changed as much as I thought.”
I looked around with an uncertain expression. Back in the day, tickets were already bought through kiosks — but I was pretty sure you used to order popcorn from a person. Now popcorn was ordered from a kiosk too.
Not that kiosks were unusual — most restaurants and cafés used them now, so it wasn’t strange in itself, and it was actually more convenient. It was just that coming to a cinema after such a long time made everything feel oddly unfamiliar.
I picked the nearest showtime and seats, bought tickets, then grabbed popcorn and drinks and waited for Cha Jae-woo — when I heard a murmuring ripple through the crowd nearby.
What is that? I turned my head, and Cha Jae-woo was making his way toward me. I stared at him, slightly caught off guard.
Usually, Cha Jae-woo seemed aware that his appearance drew attention — so he always walked around with a hood pulled low over his face, or a cap covering most of it.
It had been the same at the library. He wore a comfortable hoodie, jeans, and a cap, so unless you were a regular patron, it wasn’t easy to get a clear look at Cha Jae-woo’s face.
But today, that same Cha Jae-woo was walking straight toward me with his face in full view.
His outfit was different too — instead of the usual hoodie and jeans, he was wearing a jacket and neat black trousers. And his hair, which he usually kept down casually, was styled back so that about half his forehead was showing.
He looked more deliberately put-together than I did in my work shirt and tie.
When I’d seen him at the library earlier today, he’d still been in his usual hoodie and jeans — so he must have changed somewhere in between.
Was there perhaps an important meeting with his agency today?
