# Chapter 79
“Deorwon Food?”
“Yes. Seulbi and Yuna said they’re participating, and I was wondering if you’d like to join them too. We haven’t completed the application form yet.”
“Ah, I see.”
Deorwon Food… It sounds familiar, like I’ve heard it somewhere before. Whatever it is, it seems like there’s a food-related competition being held, and they’re selecting people from the club to participate.
“Ah, wait! Don’t write it there… Taeho! Since you said you’re on your way, let’s just meet and talk about it.”
“What? Um…”
Suddenly, Lee Jinyoung’s voice became faint. It seemed like she was pulling the phone away from her ear to point something out to someone. Soon after, she must have put the phone back close to her ear as her voice became clear again, but she spoke so quickly that the call ended before I could even respond.
Seeing me sighing softly, Moon Seoheon asked what was wrong.
“Well… it looks like I need to stop by the club room.”
I had absolutely no intention of participating in any competition. It didn’t seem mandatory either, so I was planning to just decline, but I was cut off before I could say that. After the call ended so abruptly, I hesitated to call back just to say I wasn’t interested.
Having decided to go to the club room, I drooped my eyebrows with a vaguely apologetic feeling. Moon Seoheon, who had been looking at me for a moment, nodded and said:
“Okay. Let’s go together.”
“What? You too?”
“Yes.”
Moon Seoheon didn’t seem to have understood exactly what I meant. Since I had been acting like I was heading home originally, he might have taken my comment about stopping by the club room as just a quick visit. I moved my lips briefly, then clarified:
“I don’t mean just dropping by for a little while—I might be there until it’s over.”
I wasn’t sick anymore, so it was awkward to leave early. What I meant was that he should go back to the Social Club room or skip the rest of the day as he pleased.
Maybe I could just relay the information about the competition from the club and leave quickly, but I couldn’t make Moon Seoheon wait indefinitely for something uncertain.
“I know. Let’s go.”
Yet Moon Seoheon just slightly nodded as if he understood exactly what I meant. He naturally turned his body and grabbed the handle to open the door.
I hastily followed him with a surprised expression.
“You know? I’m saying I’m going to the Food and Cooking Club room.”
“I said I understand.”
“No, so what do you mean by coming along? Are you going to wait outside the club room the whole time?”
When I asked with furrowed brows, Moon Seoheon glanced at me. The gaze that fell on me was still peaceful.
As I stared back at his steady eyes that blinked slowly, I lowered my gaze to his lips when he spoke.
“That works too.”
“…”
What does he mean, ‘that works too’? I was slightly agape at his expression as he casually said he’d wait, even though I might be there for over an hour.
I was both bewildered and felt a strange feeling that left me speechless. As I stared blankly at him, he curved his eyes into a smile, and I quickly turned my head away.
Just like before, why does he smile so often? Well, it wasn’t really smiling—it was closer to showing a smile. It was as dry as a forced smile meant to deliberately make me flustered. Yet it was actually effective, which is why I couldn’t gather my wits.
The fever had subsided and the headache was gone, but the tingling tightness in my chest suggested I wasn’t completely back to normal yet.
“If I don’t come out for a long time, just go.”
Finally, I muttered weakly, and Moon Seoheon chuckled as he answered.
“Okay.”
I didn’t know what was so funny, but seeing his somehow seemingly pleased expression, I decided to just take it easy. It’s not like I could understand what’s going on inside his head even if I thought deeply about it, and I had a feeling that I shouldn’t dig too deeply into those emotions. So I just concluded that he must be in a good mood, and left it at that.
* * *
“Here, look at this. This year seems to have a somewhat unique approach.”
Lee Jinyoung gently pulled my arm and stood in front of a board. Then she pointed to a large paper roughly taped up and stepped aside so I could see it better. It was a cleanly designed competition poster on a green background.
I scanned the slogan “Taste Your Preference” with my eyes and read all the content below.
[12th Republic of Korea Food and Cooking Competition
Application Period & Announcement
202×. 06. 14 ~ 202×. 07. 01 / 202×. 07. 16
Eligibility
Anyone interested in unique foods (including foreign residents in Korea)
Individual and team submissions accepted (maximum of four people per team)
Competition Themes
- Cooking for people suffering from improper eating habits
- Innovative cooking made for good taste rather than good looks
- Cooking for unusual people who eat in extraordinary ways
How to Participate
Online registration & Email submission]
From the word “preference” prominently displayed at the top, I felt it wasn’t ordinary, but looking at the themes made me even more confused. I narrowed my brows because I didn’t understand it well. I read it once more with slightly squinted eyes, but it was still the same.
Nevertheless, based on the content I had carefully read again, I roughly interpreted it and asked in an awkward tone:
“So… are we supposed to create food that can be prepared and eaten healthily and comfortably?”
“That’s right! And look at this.”
Lee Jinyoung pointed directly at theme number 3 from the competition themes. Why that one? I raised my eyebrows and looked at Lee Jinyoung. Suddenly, all the people nearby turned their gazes toward me. It was uncomfortable.
For a moment, I rolled my eyes around in confusion at the sudden attention focused on me. Seeing my awkward expression with just the corners of my mouth lifted, Teacher Jaewon, who approached with a handout from another club member, answered my question:
“When you’re researching various things to make delicious food, you often find that ingredients that don’t seem to go together at all can create fantastic combinations. This competition can be seen as an opportunity to showcase such unique foods.”
“So the key is to create unusual food, I see.”
“That’s right. Even mint chocolate started in the British royal family. It originated from a contest held to choose a dessert for a princess’s wedding, where it won.”
“As expected of British food…”
I heard Oh Seulbi, who was standing behind, muttering in a low voice.
“So if I participate, do I have to cook?”
I had no intention of participating, but out of shallow curiosity, I asked without thinking. With only “online” and “email” listed under participation methods, I had no idea whether I needed to apply and show up, or send a recipe from the beginning.
Oh Seulbi, who approached from the side at my question, shook her head as if to say, “What are you talking about?”
“No. You just have to film a video and upload it.”
“Ah, online registration is convenient since you just need to upload to the website, but the chances of being selected are lower, right? This time, we decided to submit via email because if we post it on SNS, it will also promote it and more people will see it. You just need to include the link in the application form and send it, so it’s not that complicated.”
Lee Jinyoung added a few words as if she had realized something. Oh Seulbi, who was listening, nodded slightly as if in agreement.
Seeing that this wasn’t their first competition, it seems they’re trying different application methods. I blinked my eyes with an understanding expression.
“Is that so?”
“Yes. So Seulbi, Yuna, and Junwoo decided to be on the same team. Are you going to join them, Taeho?”
Lee Jinyoung waved her hand at Kim Junwoo, who was sitting in the corner, as if telling him to come over. Kim Junwoo, who had been staring at us blankly while just wiggling his feet in the chair, got up and approached with the paper in front of him. Looking closer, it was an application form.
Before I could thank Kim Junwoo for what happened during lunch, I realized something surprising and my mouth closed for a moment.
Kim Junwoo, who quickly came closer, held out the application form to me. On the top of the paper I took reflexively, three names were written. Beside Oh Seulbi and Kim Yuna’s names, the three characters for Kim Junwoo were written in a row.
I raised my slightly lowered head and looked around at the three people. Kim Yuna had been focused on something on her phone from earlier. Oh Seulbi stood next to Kim Junwoo with her arms crossed, staring at me.
Their attitude assuming I would join was one thing, but seeing them so comfortable with Kim Junwoo made me feel unsettled. Until last week, weren’t they not even casual acquaintances but rather disliked each other?
Of course, after the near-fall incident on the rooftop, Kim Junwoo seemed intimidated and didn’t show any nasty reactions unlike when I first met him, but still.
I didn’t immediately write my name on the paper and first tried to understand the changed atmosphere in the club room.
I noticed a group sitting and chatting in one corner. They were the culprits who smashed my phone before and committed arson on the rooftop. These guys, who didn’t give me even a glance, were giggling about something, looking at their phones, or snacking—doing their own things.
I unconsciously looked Kim Junwoo up and down. There was a change in him that I hadn’t noticed before.
“…Why do you have stars…”
The words “two now” didn’t come out. The guy who had been a Middle Class with four stars had become a class lower than me. I had heard he was being demoted, but I thought there was no need to bring up the fact that he had lost not just one but two stars and ruin the atmosphere.
Although I quickly closed my mouth, Kim Junwoo, who understood the intent of my unfinished sentence, just raised his eyebrows and let out a light sigh, not particularly angry.
“I failed the test.”
Ah, I sighed inwardly. It was a regrettable situation, but he was reaping what he had sown, so I didn’t feel sorry for him. However, it felt uncomfortable that only he seemed to be punished.
So is he now on bad terms with those guys he used to hang out with? Do they cut ties so simply just because his class was demoted?
It’s understandable, considering they abandoned him when he was in mortal danger on the rooftop.
Kim Junwoo didn’t seem particularly angry or gloomy. Seeing that not only Lee Jinyoung but also Oh Seulbi and Kim Yuna had no special reaction, it seemed I didn’t need to do the childish act of retracing our relationships here.
As I looked at him calmly, he smiled blandly and said:
“If you get it now, hurry up and write your name.”
“Ah… right.”
Although I had been thinking until just now that I wouldn’t participate, learning that I didn’t have to cook made it seem okay, so I wrote my name. Since we would be filming a video, there would be flexibility, and with other kids involved, it shouldn’t be a big problem.
After writing “Yoon Taeho” next to Kim Junwoo’s name, I handed it to the teacher. The teacher took it and smiled brightly.
Once the business was done, I finally remembered what I wanted to say and turned around.
“Hey, Kim Junwoo. Thanks for taking me to the infirmary during lunch.”
“Huh? …That’s not right. It wasn’t me—Moon Seoheon carried you.”
