After roughly calculating the time, I immediately set an alarm and closed my eyes. Falling asleep was instantaneous.
***
Beep beep beep beep—
“…Ah.”
I woke up with a groan and roughly turned off my phone alarm. Checking the time, it was 6:30. If I washed military-style, I could probably even shower, but my body was too heavy to shower.
I’m just returning the laptop and leaving anyway, so I don’t really need to shower, right?
With my eyes closed and buried in my blanket, I spent 10 minutes thoroughly completing my self-rationalization, then just roughly combed my hair with my hand to fix the bedhead. I washed my face once and left the house in 5 minutes.
Walking quickly, I arrived at the cafe a little before 7. I ordered an iced tea at the counter and sat at a window seat on the first floor waiting for Jung Yoonseo.
Have you arrived?
A little past 7, a text came from Jung Yoonseo.
Yes. I’m sitting at a window seat on the first floor.
Don’t order. I’ll buy.
Ah, such kindness…. I stared at my already half-finished iced tea for a moment before sending a text.
I already ordered.
But instead of replying, Jung Yoonseo immediately opened the cafe door and came in.
“Ah…. Hello?”
I awkwardly stood up and did the stupid action of simultaneously waving my hand and bowing toward Jung Yoonseo, who was looking around. Jung Yoonseo spotted me and grinned.
…I hope he sees it open-mindedly as combining Western and Korean greetings.
“Did you wait long?”
“…About 10 minutes?”
Checking the time, it was exactly 7:10. Jung Yoonseo looked at my completely empty iced tea glass and raised an eyebrow. No, it’s not that I’m trying not to burden him, I really did finish it in 10 minutes.
“Did you eat dinner?”
“No.”
I was going to vaguely say I ate, but the answer popped out before going through my brain. Though today all I’d eaten was one bowl of bean sprout soup, two sandwiches from the cafe earlier, three triangle kimbap I bought from the convenience store during a brief break, one hangover milk shake, one green grape ade, and the iced tea I just drank.
“Should we eat dinner together?”
“Yes.”
This time too, the answer came out before I could think. Hearing my answer, Jung Yoonseo let out a short laugh and said.
“I’ll treat you once.”
Jung Yoonseo lowered his voice playfully. As I cleared the tray, I briefly thought about the correlation between my outfit and the restaurant Jung Yoonseo would take me to in my head.
I could only desperately pray that the restaurant Jung Yoonseo would take me to wasn’t a place where this appearance would be embarrassing. However, God was definitely not on my side these days.
The Answer Is Already Decided
Jung Yoonseo really meant to “treat” me as he said, taking me to his car. I sat in the passenger seat and watched Jung Yoonseo skillfully set the navigation.
“Mm, any foods you can’t eat?”
“I’ll probably eat everything well.”
“Probably?”
“I don’t know about things I haven’t tried yet….”
I answered casually and fastened my seatbelt. Maybe because it’s an expensive car, the ride is good.
“Then that’s fine. No allergies?”
“Probably….”
“You don’t know about things you haven’t tried yet?”
“That’s right.”
Jung Yoonseo seemed to find the answer amusing and laughed out loud.
“You’ll need to not have a caviar allergy?”
I couldn’t tell if Jung Yoonseo’s words were a joke or serious, so I pondered and asked.
“Just checking, but the place we’re going isn’t where one plate has more than four zeros, right?”
Jung Yoonseo answered readily.
“Of course. About three zeros?”
I was slightly impressed by the unexpectedly affordable price. Unexpectedly common taste? In the novel, he took Eun Haejin to a restaurant with shocking prices. Of course, I’m not Eun Haejin, and naturally, the only data I have is cases with Eun Haejin, so there aren’t many references.
Come to think of it, in dramas too, chaebols eat ramen and are impressed. Of course, if you gave such a synopsis to our great author, she would kindly recommend a different job in her gentle voice.
Jung Yoonseo drove the car and skillfully finished parking. And around that time, I had a gut feeling that something was wrong. The restaurant was a massive 4-story building using an entire structure, and from the exterior, if they sold food with three zeros, bankruptcy would be possible in two days given the scale.
“You said it was a place with three zeros.”
Looking at Jung Yoonseo locking the car door, I felt betrayed. Jung Yoonseo widened his eyes, made an innocent expression, and tilted his head.
“Ah, I got confused since I haven’t been in Korea long. I meant three zeros in euro standards.”
“Lord….”
“Are you religious?”
“No.”
I had no idea how much three zeros in euros was. Actually, I didn’t really want to know.
“Look at me today. I’m going to a restaurant like this looking like this?”
“Why? As long as it’s clean.”
Actually, it’s not that clean, but I don’t want to mention that.
“…I feel scammed.”
“I told you I got confused since I haven’t been in Korea long?”
“You came when you were in middle school.”
At my words, Jung Yoonseo shrugged once.
“You’re quite interested? Did you stalk me?”
“There’s this newfangled thing called the internet that exists in the 21st century….”
“Either way, it’s interest.”
“Lord.”
“You said you don’t have a religion.”
“…I’m trying to believe with the feeling of diversifying investments a bit. Life is on hard mode to just believe in reality alone.”
“Diversification is important. You have a talent for business.”
I exchanged idle chatter with Jung Yoonseo as we entered the restaurant. The staff inside smiled kindly despite my beggar-like appearance and skillfully led us to a private room.
“Do you want to choose the menu, or should I order?”
“I want to ask for the cheapest thing, but I’ll hold back.”
“Good idea. I’ll order for us.”
Jung Yoonseo called the staff and skillfully finished ordering.
Looking around the room, I could tell that each element composing the interior was no ordinary luxury item. The ceramics placed in the room suited being displayed in a museum rather than a restaurant.
“Did you bring the laptop?”
“Yes.”
I took out the dead laptop from my bag and handed it to Jung Yoonseo. Jung Yoonseo pressed the laptop’s power button, confirmed it wouldn’t turn on, then took it for himself.
“I’ll ask them to recover as much as possible. It’s a graduation thesis….”
“The graduation thesis is mostly backed up, so it’s okay. And if it gets recovered, just give that back. You don’t need to buy me a new one.”
“Then you won’t have a laptop to use while this is being recovered.”
“…I wasn’t that passionately devoted to my thesis.”
I answered honestly. I thought about trying to manipulate Jung Yoonseo in a different way using the laptop as an excuse, but soon gave up. Somehow, continuing a relationship that way didn’t sit comfortably with me.
“And Yoonseo…ssi? Yoonseo…nim? Team Leader Jung… didn’t even spill it.”
Not knowing what to call him, I tried every variation, and Jung Yoonseo’s expression became subtle.
“Call me comfortably.”
“We’re not comfortable with each other, are we?”
“Cold.”
“…I meant let’s become comfortable from now on.”
I said random things while thinking about how to address him, but there really wasn’t anything appropriate. Just because he said to call him comfortably doesn’t mean I can keep calling his name casually, right? Or is that actually more fitting with his cultural sensibility?
“How old are you?”
At Jung Yoonseo’s question, I almost unconsciously answered twenty-nine, but barely managed to correct my age.
“Twenty-six.”
“Young.”
“I was born yesterday.”
Jung Yoonseo, who said that, wasn’t that old either. He was only thirty-one and already held a team leader position.
“In Korea, there’s a convenient term called hyung.”
“You want me to call you hyung?”
“Then what were you going to call me?”
“Hyung sounds good.”
When I quickly added my words before another term could come up, Jung Yoonseo just shrugged. Jung Yoonseo was older than my actual age anyway, so strictly speaking, it wasn’t a wrong term. However, just calling Jung Yoonseo by a comfortable title itself felt strange.
“Anyway, hyung didn’t spill it. I’m not that concerned about it.”
“It’s your graduation thesis, you should be very concerned….”
It was true, so I had nothing to say. Plus, Jung Yoonseo was also good at studying.
Just then, the food came out. What appeared to be an appetizer came out on an expensive, small plate and was placed in front of Jung Yoonseo.
“Try it.”
“I didn’t know it was a course meal.”
“It’s three zeros though?”
“Sorry, but if you’ve come to Korea, could you please speak Korean-style?”
I ate the appetizer in one bite. It’s delicious.
After a moment, food began coming out in succession. The menu was Western-based with a subtle fusion of Korean elements, and the degree wasn’t excessive but appropriate, making it delicious.
From Jung Yoonseo’s eating speed to his posture, his gestures in between, and even his conversational skills that appropriately broke the silence—everything was refined yet natural, making it feel like watching a movie. Of course, his unrealistic appearance played a part.
