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KAP 17
As the thought occurred to her, Kora promptly turned her steps toward the hockey house.
‘It’s on the way back to the dorms anyway, so I might as well stop by.’
A short while later, Kora arrived at the building and was pacing near the entrance, hesitating over whether to go in.
Just then, a black Porsche sat in the parking lot in front of the building, its headlights cutting through the air. It was definitely Tristan's car.
‘There he is.’
Huffing with annoyance, Kora marched up and planted her hand firmly on the hood of the Porsche.
“Tristan!”
Startled by her sudden appearance, he turned off the engine, rolled down the window, and leaned his head out.
“Kora? What are you doing here?”
“You said you’d be at the pub on time! You didn’t show up, so I came looking for you. Again!”
“You really are impatient. Evening practice ended later than expected, so I was just changing and heading out now.”
“Don’t lie! Then why haven’t you read my texts, and why aren’t you answering your phone?”
“Because I was charging a dead battery.”
Tristan picked up his phone, which had been charging, and waved it.
“.......”
It proved he wasn't lying, but her irritation didn't fade.
In contrast, Tristan seemed to find some amusement in watching Kora fly into a rage.
Narrowing her eyes at his smug attitude, Kora spoke.
“...Maybe try charging it more often.”
“Just get in the passenger seat.”
“Why should I get in your car?”
“If we’re going to talk, we should at least go to a cafe or something. Or are you just going to stand there?”
Seeing Kora hesitate, Tristan let out a deep sigh, opened the driver's side door, and stepped out. He then personally opened the passenger door and jerked his chin toward the seat, signaling her to get in.
“I’m not going to eat you, so just get in.”
“.......”
Feeling that continuing to resist would only make her look ridiculous, Kora glared at him and slid into the passenger seat.
The moment her hips hit the seat, he closed the door. Kora looked around the interior of the car, feeling slightly dazed.
‘By the way, so this is what the inside of an expensive sports car looks like....’
Unlike a regular vehicle, the seats of the sports car she was experiencing for the first time felt as if they were tightly gripping the curves of her body. It felt almost like being forced into someone's embrace.
When Tristan climbed into the driver's seat, the already low interior felt even more cramped.
Feeling as though their elbows would touch with the slightest movement, Kora shrank back slightly and spoke.
“The professor said the reason he intentionally paired different majors together was to clash different interdisciplinary perspectives. So, you and I have to watch three movies or plays together, discuss them, and then incorporate the differences in our interpretations into the report.”
“Sounds like a pretty light assignment.”
“Sure, easy for you to say. But once the hockey season starts, you’ll be busy with away games. My schedule is pretty tight, too. If we want to watch three movies and discuss them, we have to be diligent about coordinating our schedules and get it over with now.”
“Then why don't we go see a movie right now?”
“...Now?”
“Why not? It’s not even eight yet.”
It was dark outside, but as he said, it was still early evening.
She had only intended to coordinate their schedules today. But thinking about it, getting the assignment done quickly while they had the time didn't seem like a bad idea. There was no telling when Tristan might change his mind again.
“But we can’t just watch any movie. It has to be a work that's good for textual analysis, and I don't know if there's anything suitable playing at the nearby multiplex right now.”
Tristan fell silent for a moment, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel as if lost in thought. Then, he spoke suggestively.
“Then do you want to come to my place?”
“.......”
Tristan's expression was neutral as he spoke, but his low voice sounded somewhat dangerous.
As Kora glared at him, trying to discern his intentions, he gave a reassuring smile.
“I have the entire top floor of that building to myself. There's a big TV in the living room, and I'm subscribed to almost every streaming service.”
“...You have a whole floor to yourself?”
“Yeah. Wouldn't that be more convenient than searching for a theater?”
Tristan's blue-grey eyes sparkled in the darkness. It was as if he were asking, ‘What do you say?’
Kora's eyes narrowed.
Is this how he always lures women into his room?
“Does this kind of trick usually work?”
At Kora's sharp interrogation, he let out a short laugh.
“Are you afraid I'll eat you? Don't worry, I won't lay a finger on you.”
Having said that, Tristan added a small “for now” at the end, his eyes gleaming. No matter how she thought about it, stepping foot in his room seemed like madness.
“Stop playing games. Let's just go to the theater near campus.”
“As you wish.”
Speaking with a hint of sarcasm, Tristan picked up his charged phone.
“Then let's check the nearby theaters first.”
“Right.”
Kora also began searching for theaters on her phone.
After scrolling through his phone with an indifferent expression for a while, Tristan leaned toward Kora and spoke.
“How about this one?”
Looking at the screen he held out, she saw the online site for a theater that screened classic films.
A movie was scheduled to start at 8:30, so the timing was roughly right. However, one thing caught her eye.
“The movie choice is good. Wait, but the location... this is a drive-in theater?”
“What about it?”
“...I mean, a drive-in movie is, how should I put it, too much like a date.”
At those words, Tristan chuckled.
“A date? Dream on, Kora.”
“Do you think every woman in the world is dying to go on a date with you?”
“Well. Usually.”
“...Ha. Right. You're something else. Anyway, that place is a bit far, so let's just go to the multiplex near campus. It looks like they're showing an indie film. If we leave now, we can make it in time for the screening.”
“Whatever you say.”
Suddenly, Tristan stopped talking and stared at her intently.
It was that habit of his again—staring at people and making them nervous. Kora swallowed hard.
“...Why are you looking at me like that?”
“You need to put on your seatbelt, miss.”
Only then did Kora snap back to her senses, but he was faster. Leaning his upper body toward her, Tristan reached over and grabbed the seatbelt buckle.
With a click, the seatbelt snapped tight against Kora's body, and as he slowly pulled back, he said meaningfully,
“Otherwise, it might be dangerous.”
The evening in Cheesworth County, a college town, was full of vitality.
Along the roads connected to the campus, quaint shops like used bookstores, bagel shops, pizza parlors, and vintage record stores lined the streets.
Cheesworth County was one of the wealthiest areas in Upstate New York.
In truth, Upstate New York had an image of being a relatively underdeveloped region compared to New York City, where Manhattan is located.
Manhattan was incredibly glamorous, but as manufacturing-centered cities in the Upstate region, such as Buffalo and Rochester, declined, the process of becoming part of the Rust Belt accelerated.
However, this place was different.
A fifteen-minute drive from the university area led to a gated community centered around the lakeshore—a wealthy enclave filled with massive villas and yacht piers, surrounded by beautiful forests and lakes.
In other words, it was a place where the ultra-rich, who spent their weekdays in Manhattan penthouses, kept their second homes for the weekends.
One of the immigrants who had come from England and settled in this town was Tristan's ancestor.
Currently, half of the city was practically owned by his family, and as proof, the name Lockwood was engraved everywhere.
‘Lockwood Library, Lockwood Avenue, Lockwood Plaza. It's all Lockwood.’
Before they knew it, the two had arrived at the largest shopping mall in the county.
As they parked in the underground garage and entered the mall, the scent of floral spray from a body care shop hit Kora's nose.
Kora walked while maintaining a certain distance from Tristan. It was just as they were passing a Bath & Body Works store.
Tristan, who had been walking ahead, stopped and turned around, speaking in an irritated voice.
“Why are you walking so slowly?”
Had her blatant attempt to keep her distance offended him?
Kora flinched for a moment at his cold gaze, but she quickly shot back.
“Has it ever occurred to you that your leg length is slightly outside the specifications of a normal human being?”
“I'm saying this because even when I shorten my stride, the gap between us remains the same.”
“Is there really a need to close the gap between us, Captain?”
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