Even though I looked at him with a curious expression, Seongheon hyung didn’t explain further and just gave a calm smile. Hyung’s gaze looking at me was more serious than usual, so normally I would have pestered him asking what he was trying to say, but I couldn’t.
Hyung saw Dongmi returning to her seat, sighed briefly, and sat up straight.
“Your ribeye steak order is here.”
The steak we’d been waiting for came out, and I pushed it toward Dongmi.
“Dongmi-ya, yours is here.”
“Cut it for me, Daeyoung-ah.”
“Should I?”
As I pulled the steak plate back toward me, Seongheon hyung’s hand reached over.
“Daeyoung-ah, I’ll cut it for you.”
“No, hyung. I’ll do it.”
“You like it cut at 2-centimeter intervals.”
“That’s true, but. This is my girlfriend’s, so I want to do it for her.”
Hyung’s hand pulling the steak plate stopped.
I said I’d do it out of consideration for hyung who had been peeling shrimp, but I don’t know what displeased him—Seongheon hyung said he’d make a phone call for a moment and stood up from his seat.
“Phew…”
As Seongheon hyung moved away, a sigh leaked out as the mental thread I’d been tightly holding went slack. I didn’t know lying was this difficult.
“Daeyoung-ah, you’re really not cut out for lying. Are you that nervous?”
Seeing me repeatedly gasping for breath with my hand on my chest, Dongmi said something.
“Yeah. In case I get caught. Seongheon hyung is really quick to notice things.”
“Every time you picked up something to eat, you were trembling like you had hand tremors. I couldn’t eat comfortably because I was nervous because of you.”
“Sorry. I’ll try to be as natural as possible.”
“Forget it, just don’t talk much. If oppa asks anything, I’ll answer on my own. You just keep something in your mouth.”
“Still, saying we kissed earlier was a bit… Are you okay with that?”
“It’s not like it’s the old days, can’t I get married if I kiss?”
“Still, Dongwoo is my friend…”
“That’s exactly why I need to say it more strongly. If we’re wishy-washy, we’ll get caught by the tail, you know?”
“I’ll try.”
“Stay sharp. Seongheon oppa is not ordinary.”
“I know.”
“No, don’t try, just staying still is helping me.”
“Mm, okay. I’ll just eat today.”
“Right… Hey hey hey!! He’s coming! He’s coming!! Put something on my plate. Affectionately.”
Following Dongmi’s signal, I took some food and placed it on her plate. Seongheon hyung glanced at it and sat back down.
Seeing hyung’s expression darken, it seemed to be because of the Goldmess egg. Because right now, hyung’s expression was very similar to Daesu hyung’s this morning.
“Your order… Should I clear the plates you’ve finished?”
I realized we’d ordered quite a lot when I saw the server’s troubled expression because there wasn’t enough space to place the newly arrived dishes. Since we don’t come to places like this often, I couldn’t gauge how much we’d ordered, but seeing the plates placed without gaps, I realized it even more.
What was fortunate was that Dongmi and I ate quickly, so empty plates piled up in layers as they were quickly consumed.
♪♬♩♪─.
Around the time I was getting full, my phone on the table rang. When I slightly turned over the flipped phone, it was Dongwoo.
“Just a moment, I need to take this call.”
To talk comfortably with Dongwoo, I had to get away from this spot. Whether about the game or about Dongmi, there was nothing I could discuss in front of Seongheon hyung.
To answer the call, I deliberately came out to a hallway where no one was passing.
“Yeah, Dongwoo-ya.”
─Are you eating well? I haven’t eaten yet.
“I want to pack up the leftovers for you, but Dongmi ate almost everything…”
─Forget the rest, they give you brown bread there. Pack that up for me.
“Got it. I’ll bring what I tore up. See you at the PC room later. By the way, what’s the atmosphere like on the official homepage? Are the Black guys making a fuss?”
─No, it was quiet. Don’t they still not know I stole the egg?
“No, when I saw our hyung’s face this morning, he 100 percent knew.”
─What about Seongheon hyung? Does he have that expression too?
“Hmm… It seems like it, but also doesn’t.”
I thought quietly about Dongwoo’s question.
Even when Seongheon hyung came to pick me up, he was smiling brightly, but now his expression looked dark. That boundary started from when he came back from the phone call, so I thought he might know now.
“I’m not certain, but I think he knows.”
─Hey, it’s not even my business but it’s really fun. But are you confident you won’t get caught? If you do get caught, the hyungs won’t even let you collect your bones.
“If I get caught, I’ll run away to my uncle living on an island. I’ve already packed.”
─Really? Then how’s Dongmi doing now? Is she doing well?
“Yeah, perfect. It’s like my future girlfriend possessed her.”
─She’s originally good at lying without changing her expression.
“Oh right, if you hear any rumors, absolutely don’t believe them. Nothing happened between me and Dongmi.”
─Kekeke. I believe and filter out anything related to Dongmi, so you can rest assured.
In middle school when I first met Dongwoo, I was puzzled by the fact that Dongmi was a twin sibling.
Since the kids around were the same, they asked if twins shouldn’t look alike, and in response, Dongmi went around telling classmates that Dongwoo was actually her father’s friend’s son brought from an orphanage, a half-brother.
Dongwoo, who heard this, was shocked thinking it was true, then later cleared up the misunderstanding by looking at their mother’s maternity handbook. She made up stories so well without changing her expression. How great would it have been if Dongmi had been born as the hyungs’ younger sister? It was a shame.
─I’m not worried about other things, I’m worried about you. That you’ll get caught.
“No. I may not have a head for studying, but I have some cunning.”
─Right, I was also impressed when you stole the egg this time. I didn’t know you were such a smart kid.
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
─Anyway, call me later.
“Yeah.”
I hung up and looked around. Wondering if Seongheon hyung had eavesdropped.
But hyung was sitting facing Dongmi, exchanging conversation. Seen from afar, the two looked good together like friendly siblings.
When I regained my composure and arrived at that table, the two seemed to have finished talking as I saw Seongheon hyung putting down his knife on the table.
‘Why isn’t hyung eating what he ordered?’
Most of the food on the table was empty, and only Seongheon hyung hadn’t touched his food.
“Seongheon oppa, you’re not eating that, right?”
“……”
Finally, Dongmi was even eyeing Seongheon hyung’s steak. Without even answering to eat it, hyung just pushed the steak plate toward Dongmi.
I didn’t mind that Dongmi ate a lot, but I was bothered that Seongheon hyung particularly couldn’t eat.
‘Does he have no appetite because of the Goldmess egg?’
Since the person buying couldn’t eat well, I felt self-conscious for no reason.
“Daeyoung-ah, do you want to eat too?”
“Huh? …Yeah, yeah.”
Dongmi felt sorry for monopolizing the steak alone and placed pieces of cut meat on my plate. And she also placed the sauce bowl with A1 sauce next to it to dip and eat, but Seongheon hyung slightly pushed it away with the tip of his knife.
“Daeyoung doesn’t eat that sauce. He even hates the smell.”
While saying that, he placed my favorite sauce next to me. Hyung seemed to remember all my preferences.
“Here, whole grain sauce.”
“Thanks, hyung.”
“Dating without even knowing things like this…”
“No. We can learn gradually. It’s okay, Dongmi-ya.”
Seongheon hyung was particularly cold only to Dongmi.
I gauged whether Dongmi’s feelings were hurt. Maybe because she came here just to eat from the start, regardless of what Seongheon hyung said, she was dipping meat deeply in the A1 sauce she’d taken back and eating.
Seongheon hyung said nothing even as Dongmi cleaned up every last piece of steak, then whispered to me.
“Daeyoung-ah, your allowance is small too, how did you date?”
“That’s why I usually carry packed rice around. To give to Dongmi when she’s hungry.”
Although it was a sudden question, I skillfully pretended to be a caring boyfriend, making a motion of overlapping both hands in a circle as if making a rice ball.
Actually, I didn’t know Dongmi ate this much either. Well, I should have noticed from the fishing spot last time when she boiled and ate 5 packs of ramen by herself.
“I ate well.”
“Hyung, it was delicious.”
After finishing the meal, when I asked the staff to pack up the brown bread that had become rags, they felt sorry and packed 2 new breads. I held it dangling and headed to the register where hyung was standing.
Even though the food bill must have been quite high, Seongheon hyung’s expression was relaxed. While Dongmi went to the bathroom, I approached hyung and showed my apologetic feelings.
“Hyung, wasn’t the food bill too much?”
“No. But, Daeyoung-ah. Are you really going to meet a friend? I don’t have to take you home?”
“Yeah.”
“Then pull your padding zipper all the way up. You’ll catch a cold.”
Seongheon hyung pulled up the zipper of the padding I was wearing all the way up to below my chin.
Because he pulled it all the way up, I was holding my chin up, when hyung who was facing me suddenly lowered his head to right in front of my nose, startling me.
‘I thought we’d touch!’
Whether hyung’s action was to tease me, seeing my surprised expression, he smiled mischievously and stepped back. Unlike flustered me, hyung reached out again as if nothing happened.
“It’s cold, so wear your hood too.”
“Ah, hyung. I can’t see ahead when I wear it like this.”
He made me wear the hood pressed down so half my face was covered, and I whined while taking it off again. Hyung seemed reluctant to part like this, and stared for a long time while combing my disheveled hair with his hand.
“Don’t come home too late. Got it?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ll call to check?”
“I’m not a kid.”
Just then Dongmi came out of the bathroom, and we all headed down to the 1st floor.
