“Burp~”
I let out a satisfied belch, the taste of mushroom stewed chicken noodles lingering. Patting my slightly rounded belly, I asked,
“So, where to next? The arcade at the corner?”​

“Not there... Definitely not that arcade. It's a scam—the machines eat your coins. Ugh, it's so hot. Wearing a bra in this heat is unbearable.”

Perhaps from sitting too long under the air conditioner, the stark contrast between the cool interior and the sweltering heat outside had made even Rinka sluggish.

Her thin T-shirt was quickly soaked with sweat, revealing the light pink bra underneath. She tugged at the straps behind her, fanning her shirt to release a wave of warm, sweaty air. Walking beside her, I hesitated to breathe—would inhaling make me seem like a pervert?​

She let go, and the strap snapped back against her skin with a sharp “snap.”​

Fortunately, the street wasn't long. After walking a short distance, Rinka stopped in front of a rather dim shop. The entrance was set back, casting deep shadows that gave off an eerie vibe, almost like a haunted house.​

“We're here. Let's go in.”

“Wait, what is this place? It looks a bit sketchy!”

“Can't you see the sign? It's the Liangyou¹ Video Parlor.”

Due to the darkness, I hadn't noticed the sign at first. Following her finger, I saw a white sign with black ink characters hanging outside the door. The frame was surprisingly clean, though the paper had yellowed with age.​

“A video parlor? This street really is full of relics.”

Choosing a place like this for a 'date' felt outdated, even a bit tacky. But since I was here to accompany her, I had no objections.​

Though I'd never been to a video parlor, I knew they were akin to budget cinemas. For a small fee, patrons could watch movies on videotapes there or rent them to watch at home.​

However, with the rise of cinemas and high-speed internet, such establishments had nearly vanished.​

“Looks like it's closed?”

“Videotapes need to be kept dry and cool, so the lights are off inside.”

Not only was it dark outside, but the interior was pitch black as well. Rinka pushed open the stainless steel door with effort. The deformed door frame caused the metal to scrape against the floor, producing an ear-piercing screech that made me uncomfortable.​

A blast of cold air rushed out from inside, indicating that the place was indeed operational.​

“See? It's open!” She looked toward the counter on the right side of the entrance and asked, “Is the old man in?”

I took in the layout of the shop.​

Inside, dozens of heavy wooden shelves were lined with videotape boxes. A rough estimate suggested there were hundreds. From documentaries to art films, they were categorized by genre on different shelves. The boxes were clean, showing that the owner took good care of them—after all, these were rare items no longer available on the market.​

At the counter lay an elderly man with graying temples, wrapped in an out-of-place thick coat, seemingly asleep. Rinka gently shook him awake. Perhaps from years without sunlight, his complexion was pale, appearing somewhat unhealthy.​

“Oh, sorry, sorry. It's been a while since we've had customers, so I dozed off. Are you two here to rent tapes?”

“Old man, take a good look—do you recognize me?”

“Huh?” Rinka leaned forward, pointing at her face. The old man fumbled under the counter and pulled out a pair of gold-rimmed reading glasses.​

“Well, if it isn’t little Rinka! Haven’t seen you in a while—my, you’ve grown into such a pretty young lady!”

“Young lady?”

Aunt Yu at the noodle shop had referred to Rinka as a boy, so I had assumed everyone on this street knew about her real gender.

Rinka whispered to me, covering her mouth, “The old man has some dementia. He forgets a lot, like my gender.”​

I nodded in understanding. When he spoke, his eyes drifted, occasionally glancing at the empty ceiling, suggesting his mind wasn't entirely present.​

The old man turned to me, “Hey? Little Liuliu, you seem shorter than before.”

Little Liuliu... Has Rinka influenced him?​

“...No, sir, you've mistaken me. I'm not Yan Liuzhuan.”

The old man hesitated, shakily stood up, squinting at me for a moment, then said, “Sorry, young man. I've never seen Rinka bring anyone else here.”​

“No worries. I know them both. You can call me Chang Kai.”

Yan Liuzhuan is over 1.8 meters tall, definitely taller than me. In this world, I don't know why, but even though I'm 1.74 meters, which isn't short, everyone I know seems to have grown like they've been on steroids, making me appear short.​

“Old man, where's Brother Lin? Why isn't he home?”

“He got into a university far away and won't be back for the summer. Since there aren't many customers, I can manage the shop alone.” He plopped back into his chair and jotted down a few notes in a ledger.​

“Did you bring your friend to watch some tapes today?”

“Yeah! Is the screening room still functional?”

“It is. I'll go start the machine. Just bring the tape over once you've chosen.”

The old man reached for his cane, attempting to stand. Rinka quickly went around the counter and gently pushed him back into his seat.​

“Hey! Old man, you stay seated. No need for you to personally start the player.”

The old man sank back into his seat with a sigh, shaking his head.

"You haven’t been by in so long, little Rinka. I thought I might not see you again before the shop closed down."

“What? This place is shutting down?”

Rinka exclaimed with a voice that was nearly shouting.

"It’s not like I want to close it. An old man looking after a bunch of old videotapes—it kind of fits, doesn’t it?"

He gave a heavy sigh, taking off his reading glasses and rubbing his eyes. His voice turned somber.

"But the demolition notice has already been issued. It's not just this shop—the whole street is getting torn down."

“You’re kidding… we were just having lunch at Aunt Yu’s place.”

As an aging street in the heart of the city, its fate was almost inevitable. Rinka knew that. She wasn’t stupid. But that didn’t make it any easier to accept.

She’d treated this street as her paradise. That’s why she chose it as their date spot—because here, she could let her guard down. But those were feelings, memories… and in the end, this street had been left behind by time.

"Aunt Yu just didn’t want to upset you," the old man said, pulling a folded notice from under the counter and setting it on the desk with a soft slap. Rinka picked it up and gave it a glance. Her eyes lost focus.

"It’s all real. They’re starting construction at the beginning of next year."

“I really thought this place would be around forever…” she muttered. Then, slapping her cheeks as if to shake off the gloom, she headed for one of the shelves and began browsing the tapes—picking one up, putting it down, struggling to decide.

"That girl… she feels a bit different now," the old man said, sipping from a vacuum-insulated mug filled with goji tea. It wasn’t clear if he was talking to himself or to me.

"Or maybe it’s better to say she’s gone back to how she used to be. What do you think, young man? Any idea why?"

Gone back, huh?

"I’m not really sure… What was she like before?"

“…Ah, I can’t remember.”

Talking with the old man felt like drifting through a dream. I couldn’t tell if he was reminiscing, or just mumbling at random.

Just then, Rinka poked her head out from behind a shelf and called, “Kai, what are you doing? Come pick a movie too!”

I walked over, only to see the label hanging above her shelf: Horror.

I froze. Then instinctively took a step back.

“Wait, don’t tell me you’re planning to watch something scary?”

Watching a horror movie in this dim, creepy little video rental place was basically adding a built-in jump-scare mechanic. My anxiety spiked just thinking about it.

“Yep!”

“You do know I can’t handle this stuff, right?”

“That’s why I’m letting you pick one too. We’ll watch two—just enough to pass the afternoon till sundown.”

She had already picked one and held the case up for me to see. The lighting was dim, so I squinted to read the title.

“Cursed Videotape.”

Oh my god. Of all the titles—why this one?

Is this even a movie?

Or is it really cursed…?