Became an American Retro Novelist - Chapter 128



Only Noblemtl

128.

It was a very strange experience.

“Hmph······. Yum, hiiing······. Ppuaeng······. Sigh.”

Late at night, Alexa Flair, sitting next to me, was sniffling and eating a whole can of mint chocolate ice cream with a plastic spoon. She was eating so well that she had already finished more than half of it.

‘She’s totally a mint chocolate fairy.’

I looked at the sight and smiled faintly.

A quiet night in May.

The night sky in 1984 was starless.

Instead, the light from the ice cream truck in front of the school gate illuminated the surroundings.

Alexa has been sobbing and whimpering ever since I proposed to her.

Luckily, the cheerleader girls who had come out of school with Alexa had left the room to tell me to have a good time, so I was able to wait leisurely for the other person to mentally prepare themselves and respond.

Since we didn’t have a proper place to sit, we rented a bench at the bus stop for a while.

If other people saw this scene of a high school girl crying while eating mint chocolate ice cream and a boy next to her laughing lightly, they would probably wonder what the heck that was.

But I didn’t care. The time we had together felt incredibly precious.

‘I didn’t know you would suddenly cry.’

Still, my heart raced at Alexa’s innocent reaction.

What could possibly be causing such a big and violent reaction on the street? As someone who never really expressed his emotions, even if he shed a single tear in his previous life, I found it very strange and kept looking at the sight.

“Keuheup! Kkueu! Yum yum yum.”

“······.”

“Eek······! Omnyumnyum.”

······No, no matter what, I cry too much and eat too much.

“Hey, Alexa?”

“Why, why?”

“Do you want to take it home?”

“It’s melting! I’m going to eat it all!”

“I’m going to have a stomachache tomorrow.”

“I’d rather you just say that.”

Alexa scooped up another large spoonful and put it in her mouth.

There was mint chocolate on the corner of my lips. I couldn’t just leave that poisonous substance(?) alone, so I reached out and wiped the ice cream away.

It was that very moment.

Alexa jumped up from the bench like a startled cat and moved to the edge of the bus stop chair.

······This is truly amazing in its own right.

“Alexa?”

“······.”

“Should I go first?”

“Oh, no!”

Alexa looked up and looked at me.

“Here it is.”

“Is the distance about this much?”

“············Yeah, right now.”

Alexa keeps eating her ice cream with her head down.

Why do even these awkward times feel so precious?

Finally, Alexa finished the large mint chocolate ice cream that fit in her arms.

“Phuhu.”

Then he took a deep breath and came closer.

He lifted his butt off the bus stop bench, slowly moved to the side, and sat down. He slowly moved forward, keeping an eye on the situation, like a cautious puppy opening up to a person. I sat quietly and waited.

She barely opened her mouth.

“There, that.”

“huh.”

“Um······ Wasn’t it expensive?”

“What, ice cream?”

“You didn’t rent the truck itself?”

“······That’s what I originally intended to do.”

As soon as school got out, I went to an ice cream truck that was operating downtown and tried to negotiate with the owner, who was holding an ice cream scoop, if I could borrow his truck just for today.

It must have been the first time a high school boy came to me out of the blue and said he wanted to buy the truck for a day instead of ice cream. The owner asked me why with a face that seemed completely bewildered, and I answered honestly. ‘Oh, yes. I’m preparing for a proposal, so I need the truck today. Please come with me.’

“After hearing that, the boss said he would only charge me the price of the mint chocolate ice cream I needed and moved the business location just for today.”

“Why, was it mint chocolate?”

“Because it’s your favorite flavor.”

“You remembered······.”

“There’s no way I can’t do it.”

How could anyone not remember that someone likes mint chocolate?

As I turned around while saying that thoughtlessly, I saw Alexa with her head down. Her ears were bright red, and the moment I saw that, I realized.

Oh, I let my choice of words get misunderstood.

“Oh, anyway.”

“······yes.”

“What do you want to do?”

“I have something to ask you.”

“What is it?”

“Why me?”

That was a difficult question to answer in its own right.

But as I looked over here and saw Alexa’s eyes sparkling, I couldn’t help but think that I couldn’t beat around the bush.

After a moment of mental preparation, I slowly opened my mouth.

“Because I don’t want to see you going to prom with some other guy.”

“That’s it?”

“Is this not enough?”

“Oh, no.”

Alexa quickly backs down when asked honestly.

“To that extent······ Yeah, that’s enough.”

He nodded and then suddenly opened his eyes as if something had changed his emotions.

“Oh, no! That’s not enough! I need one more to answer your proposal!”

“Oh, should I buy one more?”

“That’s not it! Then it’s confirmed that you’ll get a stomachache! T-what I mean is… We have that, right?”

“that?”

“That! That thing you used to tell me as a joke!”

“It’s twenty questions. I’ll accept the challenge.”

“Ah, no! That’s not it! Ah! It’s frustrating!”

“I know, I know. You mean a date?”

“············.”

Alexa moved away again.

I said it definitely.

“Let’s go on a date.”

“Wha, how can you say something like that so easily!”

This time, Alexa went all the way beyond the bus stop and just poked her head out.

I answered calmly, even though I thought she was really cute.

“Because I just want to do it.”

“I am like that too······. No, no, that’s not it!”

“no?”

“I don’t hate it! Then what are you going to do?”

“Anything you like?”

“I, I want to do what you like together.”

“TRPG?”

“NO.”

If that’s what happens.

When I saw Alexa’s face turn cold for a moment, I couldn’t help but burst out laughing. It wasn’t exactly a mockery, it was a laugh that came out because I was enjoying this conversation.

Then, just like a rabbit that had been twitching its ears and comes closer when it realizes that it is not a bad person, Alexa slowly came closer to me again. Then she said shyly.

“Let’s go to Hollywood.”

“Hollywood?”

“Yeah, I want to go to Hollywood. It’s really fun there!”

Alexa leaned forward with her eyes sparkling, as if it was the place she had been waiting for.

The large blue eyes and the smiling mouth had a very destructive power(?).

‘This guy has little fangs.’

I thought it was cute again, so I moved a little further away. Now, it was too close.

And then he said, trying hard to appear calm.

“Okay, let’s go. How about this weekend?”

“God, aren’t you busy these days?”

“Now that the series has ended, there won’t be any problems for a while.”

“No, it’s not that. It’s like the entrance exam.”

“I sent the documents, so it’s okay at least until this week.”

“Which college did you apply to?”

“For now, your place.”

Harvard, Iowa, Rice, and Stanford.

Alexa, who had listened to each and every one of them, frowned momentarily and stepped back, looking embarrassed.

You have such a rich expression. You’re cute.

“You······How well did you study?”

“Just moderately?”

“Then where are you going?”

“I guess we’ll have to wait and see where they pass.”

“Assuming they all stick together!”

“Well, that······. It’s a concern.”

Since I still hadn’t come to a clear answer, I rested my chin on my hand and pondered for a moment.

Harvard, Iowa, Rice, Stanford.

Since each school has its own unique strengths, it is true that I had a hard time deciding which one to choose if I got into them all.

As I was thinking about what to say, I suddenly felt a breath and turned around to find Alexa also observing me from very close by with her chin resting on her hand.

“Why, why?”

“Hahaha! You really, once you get lost in thought, you become defenseless like this.”

“······.”

“Don’t think too deeply. Just think about what’s happening now.”

“Dating in Hollywood?”

“Ah, um······. Yeah, right. That would be so much fun. Or else I’ll make it so that it is!”

At one point, I felt embarrassed, then I said, “Okay,” and then I made up my mind, and then I smiled brightly.

As I stood right in front of Alexa, her expression changing in various ways, my heart couldn’t help but pound.

‘It’s a date.’

It definitely seemed like it would be really fun with her.

***

Time flies and the weekend is here before we know it.

I did a final check of my hair in the mirror next to the entrance from the living room.

‘Will this work?’

It’s been a while since I showed off my style.

Lately, I’ve been wearing plain, plain-colored T-shirts and jeans to match the cool weather in California, and if it gets a little chilly, I’ve been wearing a light jumper or cardigan over it. In the future, it’s a simple, modern casual style that will become common. But today, I’ve found a compromise that feels like a collaboration between 1984 and the era I lived in, and I’m trying to look cool in my own way.

Hair that was swept over one side of the head and left down the other side with pomade applied. I think this was called a gail cut in the future. And for the outfit, I chose a bordered T-shirt, a leather jacket (the leather part was important), black jeans, and boots. Anyway, it was retro by my standards, but for this era, it felt like workwear or a rider.

······The 80s in America was a colorful era, but that style felt too burdensome for me.

‘I wonder if Alexa would wear something like that.’

As I was fiddling with my hair, which I didn’t like the shape of, someone next to me spoke to me.

“Oh my god, I’m going to be late for our date.”

“······You look like a ghost.”

“Huh, Alexa? Jiwoo?”

“It’s a secret.”

“Our son is all grown up!”

A mother speaking with a bright smile.

In front of him, I thought that I would never be able to keep a secret no matter how many lives I lived again.

After exchanging pleasantries and greetings, I got into my car in the parking lot and headed to Alexa’s house.

‘Because it’s our first date.’

I decided to pick her up on purpose.

······But I didn’t know that would become a problem.

Alexa’s house is about a 20-minute drive away.

I drove leisurely, parked the car in front of it, and rang the doorbell. Soon, the door opened and Alexa’s father, Mr. Flair, came out to greet me.

“Oh! Our writer!”

“Hello. How have you been?”

“Well, well. Did you come to pick up Alexa?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Come in.”

As usual. Ordinarily.

Since I had this experience of going to the woman’s house and bringing her to her on a date during my college days, I had already decided in advance how I would act and was prepared to follow Mr. Flair’s instructions thoroughly.

But then, lo and behold, Mr. Flair kicked the door with his foot, and I realized there was a flat box sitting next to the door.

“Oh, a package arrived.”

And Mr. Flair pulled out a double-barreled shotgun from inside.

“······?”

In 1984, you could buy guns in parcel post in America.

“It’s become a trend among friends these days to have a pet shotgun. Hahaha!”

“ha ha ha······?”

“Our writer, do you drink alcohol?”

“Uh, no.”

“Marijuana? Cigarettes? Guns?”

“I won’t, I won’t, there isn’t any.”

“Finally, are you a bachelor?”

“······For now.”

“You’d better keep it up. I guarantee it.”

“······.”

“Until ten o’clock in the afternoon.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

I could feel the sincerity that could not be resisted in Mr. Flair’s expression.

‘Is this the heart of a father with a daughter?’

I don’t know how it was in my past life, but the woman I was with said that my father had already been kicked out.

But, somehow, when I thought about the feelings of the person who said that, I felt sorry, but also somehow affectionate.

A father worrying about his daughter’s first date was a common sight.

I’ve heard about it a lot, but it’s still new and exciting to experience it for the first time.

‘Well, this isn’t that bad.’

If you listen to the stories of friends you met often in your past life until you were in your 30s, there were cases where you were turned away and told that you could never even go on a date.

As I was trying so hard to defend Mr. Flair’s actions and enjoying this extremely uncomfortable situation, I saw someone coming down the stairs from beyond the front door.

“Mr. New Writer!”

It was Alexa’s mother, Mrs. Flair.

The moment I heard the voice welcoming me, the tightness in my throat was relieved, but my heart stopped for a moment when I saw Alexa following behind her, half-hidden.

She wore a floral short one-piece dress with sandals and a denim jacket over it. The small bag she was carrying also had a lovely feel to it, and her blonde hair was lightly wavy and hanging down.

It was the first time I saw Alexa in such an outfit, as she usually dresses sportily.

“Oh my! You did a great job!”

“Oh, thank you. How have you been?”

“Please take good care of our daughter today. ······And you, clean up that ugly thing and go up quickly!”

“Hey, wait a minute! Don’t push!”

The sight of a helpless middle-aged man being dragged up with a loud clanking noise disappeared beyond the creaking door.

“Uh, Alexa?”

“Oh, oh, hello.”

“You look pretty today.”

“············.”

Alexa lowered her gaze without saying anything.

That’s how our date began.

***

At about the same time, the Los Angeles Times.

Julia Chandler was in the middle of receiving a call and finalizing a discussion about it.

“Yes, thank you. Then I will talk to the author and get back to you.”

I’ve been approached with a proposal to create a media franchise for a certain work.

From the writer’s perspective, it was right to proceed as long as it did not harm the image of the work, but the order of things was also important, so Julia said it that way.

After finishing her polite greeting and hanging up the receiver, she tapped the table with her fingers and smiled.

‘This is totally awesome?’

A junior reporter sitting next to her saw her and spoke to her.

“Is there anything good?”

A new reporter who had just joined the company. She was passionate about her work and friendly, so she and Julia were quite close. To be precise about their relationship, whenever something happened, Julia would ask her questions and she would also comfortably teach her tips on social life.

So Julia answered without hiding anything.

“A media franchise offer. It came through to me through a friend, so it was connected directly to me.”

“Wow, as expected, he’s capable.”

“What does my ability have to do with it? This happened because I liked the work.”

“But Julia has a lot of connections here and there. I don’t know what the offer is, but wouldn’t it be good to report it to your superiors? Was it a great offer that would be a good card to use in the next salary negotiation?”

“Well. Should I tell you or keep it a secret?”

“Tell me!”

“Why should I do that?”

“If you do that, I can work hard and become a great reporter like Julia! That’s so cool!”

“Haha, okay. Okay.”

Julia nodded, saying that she must have been in a good mood anyway, and told him about the phone call she had just received.

It was a suggestion for the new writer’s novel, ‘About T’ series.

“There was a place that wanted to make a television drama.”

It was perhaps an issue important enough to move the entire Los Angeles Times.

End

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