“You? What are you paying for?”
“The meal.”
“No, why are *you* paying?”
“Is it strange for a roommate to buy a meal?”
Ray Jun asked with wide eyes. When put that way, there wasn’t anything particularly strange about it, but Kang Siwon still didn’t think he and Ray Jun were close enough for him to mooch a meal off him.
“Don’t feel burdened, Xie Wei. I just want to have a meal with you. I’ve been mooching off you a lot usually, haven’t I?”
“No, that was in return for helping me practice Cantonese. Besides, we’re splitting the grocery costs half and half.”
In fact, Kang Siwon thought even that was Ray Jun being considerate. He was the one obsessed with cooking, not Ray Jun—Ray Jun could easily go to the employee cafeteria or grab something quick to eat. If it weren’t for him, Ray Jun wouldn’t have needed to chip in for groceries.
“Being able to eat all-purpose chef Xie Wei’s cooking, of course I should pay that much.”
“If you think of it that way, I’m grateful, but… anyway, you don’t need to feel burdened.”
“Xie Wei.”
Ray Jun suddenly spoke seriously.
“I have a lot of money.”
“……”
“Probably way more than you think.”
There was no bluster or showing off in his tone. Because of that, even though he was openly bragging about money, it strangely wasn’t annoying. Rather, it made him think, ‘Ah, that must be true,’ and accept it.
The way he’d dressed up in Hong Kong, and the clothes he usually wore and things he used also looked high-class. Is this what they call having class? Ray Jun had a kind of innate ease about him.
“…Then I’ll gratefully accept the meal.”
After refusing several times, it was awkward to accept now. On the other hand, Ray Jun was as happy as a child who’d succeeded in inviting a friend to a birthday party.
“Great. But I’m choosing the restaurant and menu. It’s a secret until we go.”
“Whatever you say.”
“Do you have any allergies? Or things you can’t eat?”
“No.”
“Perfect.”
Ray Jun grinned. Kang Siwon forgot that he’d been on the verge of exploding because of Feng Tao just moments ago and thought, if he’d known Ray Jun would be this happy, he should’ve just cheerfully agreed to go from the start.
* * *
Saturday afternoon at 4 PM, Kang Siwon finished his day shift and left the casino.
Instead of heading to the dorm as usual, he took a bus heading to Coloane. It was because he’d promised to meet Ray Jun at a restaurant there.
In a way, this was a small deviation. It was the first time he’d made plans with someone and gone out without the Baeksa Faction’s permission. Anyway, he’d often stopped by the mart with Ray Jun before too, so the Baeksa Faction probably wouldn’t make a big fuss.
True to a weekend afternoon, the bus to Coloane was crowded with tourists. Everyone had excited expressions, taking photos of the unremarkable scenery outside the window. Being among them, Kang Siwon felt like he’d become a tourist himself.
He leaned his head against the window and watched the passing scenery. Looking back, this was the first time since coming to Macau that he was going somewhere to have fun. He’d always gone between the casino and dorm like a hamster wheel, occasionally stopping by the mart to shop.
Just sitting on the bus, he could feel that he’d escaped that routine, and it felt like his airways were opening up.
“Did you bring your camera?”
“Water bottle?”
When the bus stopped, tourists got up from their seats. Kang Siwon also got off mixed in among them.
Downtown Coloane was bustling with crowds. Every alley was full of people busily coming and going, and everyone’s hands held snacks like egg tarts, jerky, and egg rolls.
“Jerky! Delicious jerky!”
A woman who’d been soliciting customers spotted Kang Siwon and called out happily. It was in Korean.
Kang Siwon smiled briefly and replied in Cantonese.
“I’m fine, thank you.”
“Oh my, you’re not a tourist. I thought you were! But try it anyway, our jerky is delicious.”
The woman pressed jerky into his hand. Kang Siwon bowed in greeting and continued walking while eating the jerky. It was excessively salty and greasy, but still not bad.
When he left downtown, a quiet alley unfolded. Walls decorated with cute tiles, lush potted plants, shade where sunlight broke and fell here and there.
It was the unremarkable Macau scenery he’d seen for half a year. Yet that ordinariness made his mood relax. He’d felt it on the bus earlier too, but it seemed he needed this kind of change of pace sometimes.
The restaurant Ray Jun had told him about was located in such an out-of-the-way place that it would be hard to find unless you looked it up and came specifically. It was a two-story building with white walls and stained glass windows that matched well together, exactly like something you’d find at a coastal resort.
‘Encanto.’ Kang Siwon confirmed the business name written on the small wooden sign and opened the door.
Ding-a-ling.
The bell hanging above the door rang clearly. An employee with a gentle smile immediately appeared.
“Welcome. Are you by any chance with Ray Jun-nim’s party?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“I’ll guide you this way.”
Kang Siwon followed the employee up a narrow spiral staircase. The elegant lighting and the very sophisticated atmosphere suggested they’d put a lot of effort into the interior design.
The second floor was also wonderful. The vintage furniture was stylish, but what first caught the eye was the wall tiles. Blue-toned mosaic tiles formed a picture of Portuguese ships cutting through rough waves.
Ray Jun was sitting right in front of that picture.
“You’re here, Xie Wei?”
He wore a white shirt with the sleeves slightly rolled up. Even though he didn’t seem particularly dressed up, he gave off a fresh feeling. Like a man on a first date.
‘…Date?’
He was startled by the impression that naturally arose. Only then did his surroundings look different. The atmospheric interior, classical melody playing from the speakers, even the vase of roses placed by the window.
This was definitely a date atmosphere no matter who looked at it.
“What are you doing? Aren’t you sitting?”
At Ray Jun’s urging, Kang Siwon forcibly moved his stiffly frozen limbs and sat down. Whether Ray Jun knew or didn’t know about all the thoughts swirling in his head, he held out the menu.
“What should we eat? You said you don’t have any restrictions, right?”
“…Yeah.”
“Then I’ll order seafood. The grilled sea bass here is delicious. Should we try bacalhau croquettes for the appetizer? And for dessert…”
Ray Jun leaned his head down, concentrating on the menu placed between them. Because of that, the distance between them suddenly became much closer. Startled, Kang Siwon pulled his body back.
“……”
Seeing Ray Jun’s purely fresh expression, it seemed like he’d overreacted. Actually, wasn’t thinking the other person wanted to date him excessive self-consciousness in the first place?
“How about pudding? Milk rice pudding, or caramel pudding is also delicious.”
“Just order what you want to eat.”
“Okay, then I’ll order on my own. You can’t complain later.”
Ray Jun called an employee and ordered food. Portuguese menu items flowed smoothly from his mouth. Kang Siwon let this flow in one ear while looking at Ray Jun.
Looking again, Ray Jun just seemed excited about eating delicious food. Well, it’s not like men dating men was such a common thing. Honestly, Ray Jun did seem a bit gay, but anyway, he’d heard somewhere that being gay didn’t mean liking all men. He must have been thinking in that direction because he’d been tormented by a perverted gay lately.
“It’ll be delicious. Right?”
Ray Jun, who’d finished ordering, smiled with curved eyes. At that unnecessarily fresh face, Kang Siwon just silently nodded. The air conditioning was on, so why was it suddenly so hot, he thought.
* * *
The ordered food was placed one by one on the table.
With sea bass grilled to crispy skin as the main dish, it was accompanied by mashed potatoes and grilled vegetables. The meal was perfect down to the plating.
However, there was also something Kang Siwon hadn’t expected. Two glasses of white wine were served along with it.
“…You ordered wine too?”
“Yeah. You said I could order whatever I wanted. Let’s toast.”
Ray Jun said, slightly raising his glass. For Kang Siwon, whose iron rule was ‘don’t get close to alcohol,’ he didn’t want to ruin the atmosphere. He raised his glass and clinked it.
Clink, the sound of glasses meeting rang out cheerfully.
As soon as Ray Jun finished the toast, he wet his throat with wine. Unlike him, Kang Siwon picked up a fork instead of the glass. When he ate a piece of grilled sea bass, the fish flesh, crispy on the outside and moist inside, spread softly in his mouth. It was a clean taste with excellent flavor.
“Delicious.”
“Right? This place is like a hidden gem of Coloane. I don’t know if the owner deliberately hid it, or wanted it to become widely known but failed.”
Following the sea bass, he scooped up mashed potatoes. The mashed potatoes were smooth like cream, and properly infused with butter flavor. It didn’t seem to use many ingredients, which made it even lighter and more delicious.
“This is delicious too.”
When mooching a meal, you should spare no praise to make the person treating you feel proud. Kang Siwon earnestly exclaimed admiration even with his poor eloquence. Not just to please Ray Jun, but because the food was actually excellent. His taste cells felt ecstatic at the masterpiece-like cooking he was tasting after so long.
“…Thank you, Ray Jun.”
At Kang Siwon’s bashful thanks, Ray Jun tilted his head.
“What’s this much?”
“No, I mean… really.”
Today had been nothing but good things all day. When he rode the bus with tourists, when he leisurely strolled through Coloane’s alleys, his heart had been peaceful for once. Kang Siwon only now realized he’d needed such leisure.
“It’s really been a long time since I deliberately went out to eat something delicious. If it weren’t for you, I would’ve been holed up in the dorm today too. For arranging this time, I’m… grateful…”
Kang Siwon trailed off from embarrassment. He looked down at his plate, pretending to concentrate on the meal. It was because he felt awkward facing Ray Jun.
That’s why Kang Siwon didn’t notice. That the temperature of Ray Jun’s gaze watching him had changed.
