Afterlife Dating Side Story – An Unrecorded Spring

One week had passed since Lady Mija disappeared into the white radiance.

The shrine had returned to its usual quiet.

But in the hearts of the four of us who remained, faint traces of that aurora still lingered.

“Where are you going?”

Hyunwoo asked as he watched me pack a picnic mat instead of my gimbal.

He tried to sound indifferent, but he had already tied his sneakers tight.

I adjusted my sunglasses and answered curtly.

“…Flower viewing.”

At those words, Minsu traded the lighting bag for a basket of snacks, while Jieun picked up the picnic mat.

Together, we set off on the spring outing we had promised Lady Mija—

the outing she never got to join.

Beneath a hill where cherry blossoms fell like rain, Minsu sniffled as he chewed on a sandwich.

“Lady Mija…”

He stared blankly at the blooming trees.

“The flowers are really beautiful.”

His voice grew quiet.

“When I wandered this world alone, it didn’t matter whether flowers bloomed or withered.”

He smiled faintly.

“It was always cold.”

His gaze drifted toward us.

“But now that we’re here together…”

He looked up at the sky.

“It finally feels like spring.”

Beside him, Jieun carefully unfolded Lady Mija’s parasol.

She nodded softly.

“You’re right.”

She smiled.

“When I used to look at flowers, they only reminded me of my own life.”

Her fingers brushed the parasol.

“So they just made me sad.”

She lifted her eyes to the blossoms overhead.

“But today…”

Her voice softened.

“They really are beautiful.”

She smiled gently.

“I hope Lady Mija can see this view too.”

Moved by her words, Minsu cleared his throat.

“Jieun, about back then…”

Before he could continue, Jieun stuffed a piece of kimbap into his mouth.

“Oppa, stop trying to set the mood and eat.”

She pointed at him.

“And stop showing off your muscles. You’re splashing tteokbokki sauce everywhere.”

“I wasn’t even—”

He sighed.

“…Fine. It’s good.”

He looked like he wanted to apologize.

But he kept the words to himself.

Oddly enough, his face looked far more peaceful than it had during their one-on-one conversation.

I quietly watched the scene unfold.

The camera that had always felt like an extension of my body lay buried deep inside my bag today.

On the wind, I could almost hear Lady Mija’s gentle voice.

Young shaman… don’t chase money so much.

Go see all the flowers your heart desires.

After staring at the falling petals for a long while, Hyunwoo quietly sat beside me.

His eyes moved between my empty hands and the camera hidden in my bag.

Then he asked in confusion,

“Hey, Ham Seonyeong.”

He tilted his head.

“Why aren’t you filming this?”

He glanced around.

“If you uploaded this, your apartment maintenance fees for the month would practically pay themselves.”

Normally, I would have made some excuse about the battery being dead.

Instead, I silently pulled the zipper of my bag shut.

All the way.

Then I hugged my knees and looked toward the distant mountains.

“Just because.”

At my short reply, Hyunwoo paused.

Then he let out a small laugh.

His eyes seemed warmer than usual.

Without warning, he placed his large, warm hand on top of my head.

Gently.

Very gently.

He patted my hair.

“You’ve done well.”

Startled, I slapped his hand away and hurriedly fixed my messy hair.

“H-Hey! What was that?! Do you know how long it took me to style this?!”

My cheeks burned.

Trying to hide the trembling in my fingertips, I fussed even more with my hair.

But Hyunwoo reached out again.

This time, stopping my frantic movements.

“That’s enough.”

His voice was calm.

“You look pretty.”

He said it so casually.

As if it were the most natural thing in the world.

I stared at him blankly.

Speechless.

Then I quickly turned my head away.

I didn’t want him to see cheeks redder than the cherry blossoms themselves.

So instead, I kicked at fallen petals for no reason.

Seriously…

What’s gotten into this exorcist all of a sudden?

It doesn’t suit him at all.

Nearby, Minsu had just been caught stealing the last piece of Jieun’s kimbap and received a smack on the back.

The wind still carried the lingering scent of Lady Mija.

And on that day—

the most perfect spring was engraved not through a camera lens,

but only within the eyes of the four of us.

– End of Afterlife Dating –

Thank you for reading Afterlife Dating.

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