WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Chen

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◈ My Girlfriend Returned as a Dragon ◈

Chapter 84: Oppa, Don’t You Think We’re Having Good Luck Today?

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“Oppa. Is there anything different about me today?”

Sia’s sudden question made my mind go completely blank.

“Is there anything different about me?”

Wasn’t this one of the hardest questions a girlfriend could ask her boyfriend?

If she had cut her long hair short or dyed it, that would be one thing. But unless the change was that obvious, it was not easy for a guy to notice every little difference in his girlfriend.

But wait.

‘...What changed?’

I had seen Sia’s face during our video call yesterday, but I had been exhausted at the time.

I had spent all day running around from place to place, then barely made it back to my lodging and called her just before falling asleep. My eyes had been half closed.

Maybe that was why I could barely remember not only what Sia had looked like yesterday, but even what we had talked about.

‘Still, I have to figure it out.’

If I hesitated and failed to get the answer right, there was no telling what would happen.

One thing was certain. Something I could not handle would probably happen.

“Hmmm. What could be different about our Sia?”

To buy time, I stepped closer and slowly began examining Sia’s face.

Let’s start with her hair.

I thought she had worn her bangs down yesterday too, and today... they did not seem different.

Or maybe...

“You put a slight wave in your hair?”

“Yeah! That’s right.”

I had not been entirely sure when I said it, but that was actually the answer.

‘Thank goodness.’

If she had curled it a lot, I would have noticed right away. But since the waves were so subtle, it had been hard to spot at a glance.

Still, even though I had gotten the answer right by luck, it was too soon to relax.

“I just tried it for a little change of pace. What do you think? Does it suit me?”

There was still a follow-up question like that.

Simply saying it was pretty and suited her would not be bad, but it would be a problem if she thought my compliment was just an insincere line.

The answer Sia wanted was probably one that let her feel my genuine affection, whatever the wording.

“Your hair goes really well with your outfit. It has this subtly chic vibe, but it still keeps that bright, lively feeling you’ve always had. You really did your hair well.”

As soon as I answered, I watched Sia’s reaction.

Sure enough, the corners of her mouth rose as she spun around in place and asked, “How about from this angle?”

“You’re really pretty.”

“Hehe.”

Even I had to admit that I handled that answer perfectly.

“Come to think of it, your hair and your outfit today both look a lot like the style you used to wear when you were around twenty-two.”

“That’s right! You still remember that, even though it was years ago?”

“I suddenly remembered it on the bus yesterday, so I looked through the photos we took back then. I saw it there. It suited you then, and it still suits you now.”

A bright smile spread across Sia’s face at my answer.

“Now that you’ve said that, I think I’ll wear my hair like this for a while. Hehe. Getting my hair done was worth it.”

Sia took out her phone, opened the camera, and turned it around to inspect herself from every angle, clearly pleased with her hair.

‘Good. I got through that.’

Seeing how satisfied Sia was, I thought I had handled it well enough.

Just as I was about to naturally change the subject.

“And, Oppa. What else is different?”

...Huh?

There was something else besides her hair?

‘I have no idea.’

I began scanning Sia from head to toe again.

It did not seem like her makeup had changed. I wondered whether she had bought new clothes or accessories, but honestly, I could not tell.

Or maybe...

“Did you change your perfume?”

“That’s right! I tried using the perfume you wear! It’s strange but nice to smell the scent that usually comes from you on me.”

Sia lifted her hand and smelled her sleeve. Then she naturally brought her nose to my clothes to compare the scents.

Even if it was a fragrance women could use too, it was still one that men wore more often...

Personally, I thought Sia smelled better with the perfume she used before.

But she seemed very satisfied with the new one, so I should keep that thought to myself.

“Do you like the scent?”

“Of course! Every time I smell it, I feel a little calmer. Come to think of it, you used that perfume today too.”

Whether or not I had those thoughts, Sia seemed to like the fragrance. She rested her head against my chest and sniffed at my scent.

Then.

“Even our perfume is a matching couple item today.”

Sia looked at me and gave me an affectionate smile with her eyes.

From the look of things, it seemed I had gotten all the answers right.

Just as I was thinking we could finally start our date properly, a funny idea suddenly came to mind.

“Sia. What about me? Is there anything different about me?”

You could call it a cute little revenge.

Guys often got asked questions like, “Is there anything different about me?” by their girlfriends, but it was rare for a woman to get the same question from her boyfriend.

So I suddenly wondered what kind of reaction Sia would have if I asked her the same thing.

Since it was a question she had not expected at all, she might panic. Or she might give a strange answer.

But as soon as she heard my question, Sia answered without hesitation.

“That belt looks unfamiliar. Did you buy a new one?”

“That’s right. But how did you... notice?”

It was partly hidden under my T-shirt, and it was similar in color to the belt I usually wore, so it should have been difficult to notice.

Even so, Sia got the answer right immediately.

“And also...”

Wait.

But there was nothing else that had changed besides the belt.

I had not bought any new clothes or accessories, and my hairstyle was the same as yesterday.

“You used about 1.3 times more perfume than usual. No wonder I felt even better than usual.”

I had not realized it at all, but now that Sia mentioned it, I might have used a little more than usual.

...How did she know that?

But that was not the end.

“You trimmed your nails too. When I saw them during our call yesterday, I thought it was almost time for you to cut them. If you hadn’t done it yesterday, I was going to trim them for you when we met today. But you did it first.”

...She noticed even that?

Sometimes I could not even notice when women got new nail art. How did Sia catch the fact that I had trimmed my nails?

“Oh, and you have a small new mole on your neck. It definitely wasn’t there yesterday. Besides that, there’s also...”

After that, Sia pointed out every tiny change that I had not even noticed myself.

“How is it? I got them all right, didn’t I?”

“...Yeah.”

What was the person asking the question supposed to do when the other person got answers even they did not know?

When I first asked the question, I had secretly hoped to see Sia panic or get adorably anxious because she could not find what had changed.

But after Sia answered in such detail that it felt like she had sucked my soul right out of me, I finally remembered that she was a dragon who forgot nothing.

On top of that, her senses were far sharper than an ordinary person’s. From Sia’s perspective, maybe it would have been stranger not to notice.

‘I won’t survive if I ask questions like that again.’

I should not ask questions like that from now on.

There was no way I could come out ahead.

Anyway, after that shocking game of spot the difference(?), we finally began our Jeju Island date in earnest.

The first part of our date was lunch.

Visiting beautiful tourist spots was nice too, but food came first.

When we had planned our date route a few days ago, I had suggested that we try Jeju black pork since we were already on Jeju Island. But Sia recommended another local Jeju dish instead.

So what were we having today?

It was something with an unfamiliar name: bomal kalguksu.

“Here it is, Oppa.”

Once we reached our destination, Sia pointed at a restaurant.

The place was surrounded by Jeju’s characteristic stone walls, and tangerines hung in clusters from the tangerine trees planted in its yard.

Everything about the scene felt like Jeju Island.

There was even a box full of tangerines at the restaurant entrance.

I wondered why there was a box of tangerines sitting there, but beside it was a sign that read, “Please help yourself.”

“Is this the Jeju Island vibe?”

“Yeah! I thought it was strange the first time I saw it too, but after walking around, I found there are a lot of places like that on Jeju Island. Didn’t you see one while you were traveling?”

“That’s strange. Why didn’t I see one even once? Anyway, it’s really interesting.”

We chatted about the tangerines as we entered the restaurant.

The restaurant showed traces of age, but it did not feel old-fashioned at all.

Maybe because it had been maintained so well, it felt antique and photogenic.

Perhaps that was why young couples like us were taking pictures inside.

“Oppa, let’s take pictures too!”

Sia took out her camera and photographed us together. Then, apparently not satisfied with that alone, she started taking several pictures of me too.

“How do you look so handsome even when I just take pictures randomly? Oppa, take some of me too.”

With that, Sia handed me her phone.

After I took a few pictures of Sia and returned the phone to her, I accidentally pressed the home button.

The photo of me she had just taken was already set as her wallpaper.

When had she taken it, and when had she changed her wallpaper so quickly?

Anyway.

As we took pictures and talked about this and that, the bomal kalguksu we had been waiting for finally arrived.

Its appearance was just as unfamiliar as its name.

Unlike ordinary kalguksu, it was a pale green color, with something like seaweed mixed in.

After taking a picture of the food, I scooped up a spoonful and tasted it.

“Oh.”

The appearance was not really my taste, so I had not expected much. But the moment I took a bite, a savory, fragrant flavor filled my mouth.

The bomal, which I was trying for the first time today, was chewier and tastier than I had expected too.

It was far better than I had expected.

“How is it, Oppa? It’s good, right?”

Sia watched me eat the bomal kalguksu with a satisfied look.

Before I could answer because I had not swallowed all the noodles yet.

“I can tell even if you don’t answer. You’re surprised because it tastes better than you expected, right? I was too.”

“How did you know?”

“Oppa. I can just tell.”

I suppose you could not ignore all the years we had spent together.

She was practically a mind reader.

“Eat a lot, Oppa. You don’t get to see food like this easily in Seoul.”

Sia smiled at me warmly.

“I know. When you first suggested coming here, I honestly had my doubts. But now that I’ve tried it, I get it. It feels like waves are crashing in my mouth.”

“Pfft. Waves are crashing in your mouth? That’s a funny way to put it.”

After that, we continued eating and chatting at a leisurely pace.

I told her about the places I had visited during my trip, and Sia recommended other places for me to visit.

We talked about all sorts of things in a comfortable atmosphere.

In the middle of our conversation.

“Oppa. Come to think of it, doesn’t something happen almost every time we go on a date?”

Sia suddenly brought that up.

“I was thinking the same thing on my way here today. I don’t think we’ve had many dates that went smoothly.”

It was not that I merely thought so. It really had been that way.

When I agreed, Sia gave a slightly bitter smile.

“At this point, I sometimes wonder if the world has decided to keep us apart. But I have a good feeling about today.”

Not only had the time we could spend together increased, but we had even dressed like we were wearing matching outfits without planning it. Sia probably saw it as a sign of good luck.

It actually gave me a slightly ominous feeling, but I did not bother saying it aloud.

“Let’s make the most of today and leave no regrets.”

“Yeah!”

After we finished eating, we followed our planned route and enjoyed our date without any trouble.

We walked through a vast botanical garden and took pictures of each other.

We stopped by a market, bought tasty food, and picked out souvenirs together.

We sat in a café overlooking the sea and talked softly.

As we spent our short but fulfilling time together, I gradually began to think that today might pass without anything going wrong.

But.

“Just when I thought my luck was good today.”

That was not the case.

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