I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun

Chapter 162 – First Cosmetic Experience

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“Ah, come on, who comes to a buffet and eats pizza?”

“You’re not eating this.”

“…Just one slice, please.”

Or,

“Wow, someone is taking two servings of pasta at once here. Can you even eat all that?”

“They made something special for me, saying it’s not usually on the menu. Want a bite?”

“…Then I’ll just have one bite.”

Slurp.

Noodles were sucked into the slightly pink lips, which had been lightly touched up with makeup. As the thick cream, mixed with diced bacon and softly cooked onions, entered the mouth, a burst of compressed flavors exploded like a bomb.

After a few chews, Dice swallowed the pasta with a gulp and spoke with a reluctant expression.

“…Well, it is delicious. I mean, how could it not be delicious—Hey, where did the plate I had just disappear to?”

“I finished it. It wasn’t much, you know?”

“Please chew your food properly, seriously.”

After finishing a whole serving of pasta in just a few bites, Yoo Jin used a baguette to scoop up the creamy sauce that had settled at the bottom. The crispy sound of the baguette crumbling filled the air.

Repeating this process a few times left the plate so clean it seemed there was no need for washing. The fork moved to a second plate covered with rich ragu sauce. This, too, disappeared quickly. Although the pace seemed to slow down compared to the beginning, still.

“I’ll clear the dishes for you.”

“Oh, thank you.”

As soon as two plates of pasta disappeared in just a few minutes, a waiter approached and took the clean plates away. The person in front of me, swaying their snake-like tail, stood up and walked down the hall to get more food.

Not long after, Yoo Jin came back with one plate holding a lobster tail, and another with sirloin steak, tomahawk pork chops, roast ribs, and lamb chops with sauce, and began to slice the meat with a knife.

I had to say it, just in case.

“I’ll get what I want to eat, so you don’t have to give me any.”

“Don’t worry. I’m going to eat all of this myself.”

“Well, of course you are.”

And to be honest, I was starting to feel full. Maybe I got caught up in her pace, so I ate a bit more than usual from the appetizers….

Yoo Jin began to eat the best parts and then started sampling a little bit of every dish at the buffet, including meat, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, and Indian food.

While realizing how many different dishes this hotel buffet had, I saw her bringing a plate full of golden-brown fried foods and couldn’t help but shake my head unconsciously.

That one plate alone seemed to be over 1500kcal.

“…Wow.”

“They just refilled the freshly fried shrimp tempura, so I grabbed some.”

“I envy you, Yoo Jin. Being able to eat everything you want… If I ate like that, I’d gain a kilo a day.”

“But we still have dinner left.”

“Ugh….”

Life isn’t easy.

After pondering what to eat, I decided on meat. I had a feeling the cost would be enough to earn airline miles from a barbecue restaurant, but what could I do? Being second place in KSM was not insignificant, and this person in front of me made it happen.

Over an hour passed like that. Yoo Jin had long since emptied more than seven plates as she promised, while I was barely holding on, clutching my swollen belly and gasping for breath. It had been a while since I ate this much.

Meanwhile, the person who conquered all the buffet dishes was leisurely sipping a drink, legs crossed. It was amazing that she had no belly fat despite all that.

Our eyes met. But it felt like her gaze was drifting downward….

“…My belly isn’t sticking out that much, you know?”

“Hey, I didn’t say anything.”

…Was this a leading question?

In any case, my belly was indeed quite protruding. I usually manage my body with diet and cardio exercise, but as a pro gamer, it’s a job with naturally limited physical activity.

Moreover, without strict diet control, fat tends to cling to the body. This bulging belly was partly a reflection of my inability to overcome those gaps in my lifestyle.

Though that was just an excuse.

“Anyway, I’m almost done too. I’m getting pretty full.”

“Finally!”

“Now it’s time to taste all the desserts. Is there anything you want to eat? I’ll get two of each, so it doesn’t really matter.”

“…Oh, there really is…something….”

What should I do?

But the blood flowing in me was screaming, ‘You can’t resist desserts, lol’. There’s always room for dessert, they say. Even if this time, thanks to Yoo Jin, that separate dessert stomach was also filled to the brim.

Still, it felt a bit unfair to send her off alone. Besides, moving a bit would help with digestion.

“I’ll come with you.”

“You finally decided to move, huh.”

“I need to digest a bit. I don’t want to ruin my condition later by getting indigestion.”

“Good idea.”

And so I stood up.

Naturally, this place was a paradise of all kinds of desserts. There were all sorts of chocolates, unfamiliar macarons, jelly, cakes, tarts, various puddings, fruits, six types of gelato, donuts, and rice cakes.

There were also four or five kinds of beverages and teas, and coffee as well. And of course, she had the opportunity to taste everything. Pure eating time was a whopping 1 hour and 40 minutes, as if we had come for fine dining.

The familiar faces who left early threw a comment or two before going home.

“Wow. You’re still eating?”

“Hey, someone take this person away! She’s going to conquer the buffet!”

“The conquest is already over.”

While cutting pieces from the four or five cakes on her plate and repeatedly saying how delicious they were, only the two of us remained. It seemed the others had already returned to their lodgings or homes.

Considering that others had finished their meals and chatted before leaving, the pure eating time was indeed enormous. The time limit was 2 hours and 30 minutes, and there were only 40 minutes left, which proved it.

One by one, they left, and it was just the two of us again.

A bit of conversation followed.

“What did you do with Harmony that time? You didn’t just have a meal and part ways, right? You didn’t take her to a shooting range or something, did you?”

“………”

“…Hey, why aren’t you saying anything?”

“…”

Geez.

I was staring with a strange expression, but Yoo Jin calmly continued with an unflinching demeanor.

“We wouldn’t have gone if we didn’t both agree. I brought it up, but Harmony suggested it. It was pretty fun.”

“…Well, Yoo Jin, you are delicate in such matters. But it wasn’t just the shooting range, right? That would be too boring.”

“So we went somewhere else. Have you heard of animal cafes?”

“Oh, you mean those places with raccoons, cats, dogs, that sort of thing?”

“Yes. But they also had snakes and fennec foxes… We stumbled upon it by chance while wandering around. And we saved money too.”

“Saved money?”

“There was a promotion where the first visit was free for awakeners and their companions.”

“Ah….”

So there were places like that in the world.

Before I could recover from the shock, Yoo Jin pulled out her phone and sent me a few photos and videos.

And as soon as I saw them, I spewed out everything in my mouth.

“Pffft—!”

“Oh, I didn’t expect such a strong reaction.”

“Hehe, what is this? The raccoon’s tail, like a slide, haha, hehe, hahaha…!”

Of course, it wasn’t just that.

There were many adorable photos, including one where Yoo Jin, looking cute, hugged a raccoon that had gotten chubby from all the food people gave it. There was also a picture of her… bonding? Anyway, interacting with a snake.

The species was a ball python. It was quite cute for a snake. Its eyes were bright and big. I wasn’t particularly fond of reptiles, but… wait, is this Yoo Jin’s influence too? It felt like my preferences were being altered.

…It’s all because of that alluring tail.

“Anyway, we’ve almost finished. We should start wrapping up soon. Where should we go next? I’m fine with the shooting range or the animal cafe. Or would you like to watch a movie? Escape room, board games… anything is fine with me.”

“You’ve been to quite a few places. Given how you list them so easily.”

“I’ve explored all around Seoul while staying at the lodge. If there’s nothing else, we can just take a walk around Gyeongbokgung Palace. I’m okay with that.”

Rustle.

It was time to freshen up the makeup as we were about to leave.

I opened my shoulder bag, took out a mirror, and checked my face. The air conditioning was blasting, so the makeup hadn’t smudged, but my lips needed a little touch-up—though I still wasn’t quite used to makeup.

While wondering which lip color would look natural, I noticed Yoo Jin’s face in the mirror. Initially, I didn’t pay much attention, but after touching up my lips, something seemed off….

Was she wearing makeup?

“…Is something wrong?”

“Yoo Jin, how do you do your makeup? Your skin looks incredibly dewy and your lips are so pretty. But you don’t seem

to wear much eye makeup. Do you use good cosmetics?”

“Well, today, I only did basic skincare and applied sunscreen.”

“…What?”

Scrape!

At that moment, I stood up and approached her.

Is this her natural state? This? How? Her skin was so firm it looked like it could be scooped out with a spoon, and it was flawless like marble….

But that wasn’t the point. Sitting back down, I asked.

“…Have you never tried color makeup? Shading or highlighter? I always thought you had carefully done your makeup!”

At the same time, our eyes met.

Rarely, Yoo Jin, looking a bit sheepish, averted her gaze and added.

“…I don’t know anything about that….”

“Oh.”

But at that moment, I couldn’t suppress the smile creeping up my lips.

All the destinations I mentioned earlier were immediately discarded, and the thought-responsive UI automatically popped up a navigation. The destination was, of course, the nearby department store.

Since we had lunch at a high-end hotel buffet, it was only natural that there was a department store of matching scale and quality nearby—and sure enough, it was just about 350 meters away.

Yoo Jin’s uneasy voice reached my ears as we walked.

“…Why?”

“Yoo Jin.”

And I cheerfully added.

“Are you ready to try some makeup?”

“No. Not at all.”

“Starting is half the battle. Let’s go!”

“I don’t even want to start, ahhh…!”

But there was no way out.

The counterattack began.

As expected, the clientele of high-end department stores were extremely diverse.

Sometimes non-customers were stopped right at the entrance, but department stores, being a kind of complex facility, had to attract customers of all ages.

Celebrities, public figures, influencers, entertainers, people just coming in for a meal, simple wealthy individuals, office workers… innumerable visitors roamed the department stores, numbering in the hundreds of thousands each day.

Thus, the staff who served these customers also had to deal with a vast array of people. Service industries were all like this. Even in front of celebrities and billionaires, they managed their expressions professionally.

However.

“Hello. We came to look at color makeup products. Is there a makeup room where we can try the products after purchasing? I’m not the one buying, but I’d appreciate recommendations for this person.”

“Ah, yes. I… I understand. Please have a seat over here.”

Sharp ears protruded.

Sapphire-blue eyes with pupils split like a snake’s.

And finally, the large snake tail proudly displayed from her backside.

The staff working in the makeup section on the first floor were about to experience something they’d never encountered in their lives—certainly, it was a topic to avoid gossiping about at any drinking party or elsewhere.

Even as the voice tinged with rare nervousness, Yoo Jin glanced at the chair and made a displeased face.

“…Is there something uncomfortable, ma’am?”

“Do you have a chair without a backrest?”

“A chair without a backrest… Oh! I apologize! I’ll bring one right away!”

The second difference they overlooked. Yoo Jin couldn’t sit in a chair with a backrest. It was practically a given that many chairs would be an inconvenience for her.

The staff quickly disappeared to fetch the appropriate chair, and Yoo Jin let out a small sigh and flicked her finger at Dice’s side. Of course, the finger flick’s power was not ordinary.

Screeech. My waist twisted momentarily, and Seo Ye-rin desperately suppressed a scream trying to escape.

“Wowaaah…! It hurts, it hurts so much…!”

“You should have just gone somewhere else quietly. I did hit you very lightly. There won’t be a bruise.”

“…How strong is your finger flick?!”

“Well….”

If I hit with full force, your bones would break.

Of course, those words never left Yoo Jin’s mouth.

It was just another ordinary Saturday.

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