After bickering for a bit, in the end Evan, who wouldn’t yield on driving, grabbed the steering wheel.
“It’s my car but now it seems like your car.”
Watching Evan skillfully adjust the seat and sit down, Siwoo tore open the snack bag he had brought. Who knew there would be nostalgic snacks? This time, Siwoo was the one who had swept up snacks indiscriminately. Whether the car started or whatever, Siwoo’s cheekbones rose high with happiness as he tore the jjondeugi into easy-to-eat pieces.
When Siwoo, who had one strand in his mouth, brought one to Evan’s mouth, Evan ate it as if he had been waiting.
“Ah. This is really delicious when you grill it lightly over a fire. Since we don’t have a fire right now, let’s eat it like this for now and grill it when we get home.”
“Is this tasty?”
“This is about the taste, but also eating it for the nostalgia. This jjondeugi sold at the stationery store in front of elementary school. I couldn’t find it for a while, but recently it came back out with this whole nostalgic snacks thing.”
Siwoo, who had been chattering and eating, felt something was off about the conversation and looked at him.
“Where did you go to school?”
“England.”
“Ah, I see.”
What can I say to someone who studied abroad? He handed over one more jjondeugi, but Evan asked what taste this even had, and Siwoo ate all the remaining jjondeugi on the way home.
“Cat. I see you again.”
Entering the house with Evan, Siwoo briefly watched Ongi clinging to Evan’s pant leg instead of his own, and him naturally accepting it. Come to think of it, this was the first time he had officially let him into his home. But when he had passed out drunk, he had come and gone from this house twice.
Did he become close with Ongi during that time?
“Ongi. Say hello to oppa. He’s a really famous and successful oppa, so if you make a good impression, he might give you an armful of churu.”
Evan, who had put the groceries on the dining table and gone into the bathroom to wash his hands without being told, came out holding Ongi with one hand and playing with the other.
“His name was Ongi?”
“Last name Ya, first name Ongi.”
While Siwoo busily moved around organizing the ingredients, Evan was in front of the camera with Ongi, continuously saying something.
He had made a bet with Evan, and since he had agreed to show himself making food, he had already prepared all the necessary equipment at home.
He set up two portable gas burners on the wide six-person dining table, along with plates full of food ingredients, a cutting board, and so on. Is this why they gave me two from the start? Siwoo had said something when Jinwook-hyung first gave him two gas burners. What hyung said then was that since he had received them, just keep them at home. Perhaps the suggestion to make a bet while grocery shopping at the mart was also a slightly scripted scenario.
“It’s hot from moving around. I’ll go change clothes.”
The early autumn weather was unpredictable. Thinking about having to cook in front of fire while it was hot, Siwoo left him still playing with Ongi and entered the dressing room.
Taking off his cardigan and shirt and putting on a loose short-sleeved T-shirt and loose shorts, Siwoo looked around his closet. Evan in his knit would probably be hot too, but there weren’t any clothes that would properly fit him.
“Evan. I want to tell you to change clothes too, but I don’t have anything that would fit you.”
He had turned on the air conditioner, but feeling awkward that only he was dressed coolly, Siwoo spoke first.
As an answer to Siwoo’s words, Evan chose action over words.
At the same time as putting down Ongi he was holding.
“Hey!”
At the sight of him suddenly pulling up his knit and taking it off, a word like a shriek burst from the startled Siwoo’s mouth.
“Why?”
Ah…
If you were wearing a T-shirt under the knit, you should have told me. If you suddenly take it off like that, it’s a misunderstanding.
“Should I bring some of my clothes over?”
Watching Evan touching his disheveled hair, Siwoo couldn’t cry or laugh. He seriously thought his heart was going to fall out. He had inadvertently seen the abs revealed below the T-shirt that got pulled up along with it, and the arm muscles working hard just to take off clothes.
“Why would you bring your clothes to my house?”
“So I can change when I come over to hang out.”
At the conversation flowing too naturally, Siwoo’s lips slowly parted as he even thought, should I? Why would you specifically come hang out at my house?
“What? Then should I keep my clothes at your house too?”
“No. You can just wear mine.”
“Do you dress like that at home?”
At Evan’s words, Siwoo looked down at himself. Is there a problem? Isn’t everyone wearing comfortable clothes? He pulled once on the T-shirt that came down to mid-thigh and let it go. Are the shorts a bit short? They don’t seem that short though.
Siwoo’s ears turned red as he watched Evan, who seemed unbothered by this conversation, playing with Ongi again.
“Stop playing with Ongi, and if you’re ready, should we try making it now?”
There was nothing better than this to change the subject. He took Ongi from his hands playing with him with his fingertips and put him down on the animal bed.
“Ongi played a lot today so let’s sleep a bit. Baby children have to sleep to grow big. But can you really make fishcake soup? Or should I just do everything, and you just play with Ongi?”
Siwoo, who moved the camera to a place where both of them would show up well, looked at Evan with anxious eyes.
“Don’t worry. I searched while playing with Ongi.”
“When the broth boils, season it with soy sauce, and I’ll blanch the fishcakes anyway since I’m using them too.”
Siwoo, who put the pot on to blanch the fishcakes, wondered if he had made a pointless bet.
“You just need to prepare green onions, radish, onions, minced garlic, and cheongyang chili peppers, right?”
Seeing him accurately take what he needed from the ingredient plate Siwoo had gathered on one side, as if he had looked at the recipe, Siwoo shrugged his shoulders.
“How about a 20-minute cut?”
At the fairly skilled-looking appearance, a mischievous expression appeared on Siwoo’s face.
“I think I’m fine, but are you really okay?”
When Evan seriously grabbed his shoulder at Siwoo’s provocation, Siwoo burst out laughing. He felt so good. It was nice to be next to him as a friend like this without great greed. Rather than awkwardly mixing feelings and becoming worse than strangers, it was better to be friends like this.
“You seem to be underestimating me because my hands are small, but my hands are quite spicy. Evan-ssi, please press the timer.”
“I think the bet category might be a bit wrong. But who’s going to judge this? Isn’t it unfair for us to do it?”
Evan, who operated the timer, made sure the timer was clearly visible on camera and pressed the start button.
“Let’s not deceive our consciences.”
Siwoo put a pot with kelp and dried shrimp on the fire to make broth for tteokbokki. And immediately added shredded radish.
“Do you eat spicy food well?”
“Mm. No.”
He scooped a big spoonful of gochujang to make the seasoning, but reduced the amount a bit at Evan’s answer.
When the water boiled, after lightly blanching the fishcakes they would both use, he took out what he would use and placed the rest in front of Evan.
“Since when have you been good at cooking, Siwoo-ssi?”
Having just spoken comfortably, at some point the two mixed honorifics and casual speech.
“I’ve been good at it since I was born.”
Answering shamelessly, he tore the soft and chewy tteokbokki rice cakes that seemed freshly made that morning into strips.
“Give me that.”
“What? This?”
When Siwoo held up the rice cake he was tearing at the sudden request for something, Evan, who nodded his head, stealthily approached. And quickly took the small piece he had torn off into his mouth.
“It’s only delicious if you dip it in honey, it’s not tasty eating it plain.”
“Anything you give me is delicious.”
“Everyone, Evan is this cheeky.”
At the request for one more, Siwoo, who fed rice cake to Evan’s mouth, looked at the intercom that suddenly rang. There’s no one who should be coming, but at the sound of the bell that kept ringing as if the person was impatient, he approached it.
“It’s Yechan!”
“Don’t open it!”
After confirming it was Yechan and pressing the door open button in delight, Evan’s voice rang out telling him not to open it. What should he do about the door that’s already been opened!
“Siwoo-hyung! Evan-hyung!”
Along with the sound of the door opening, Yechan’s booming voice echoed through the house.
“I really thought I was doing today’s vlog by myself, you know? My agency tricked me. I didn’t know Evan was coming, and I didn’t know Yechan was coming either.”
Siwoo, who hastily wiped his hands, ran to the entrance.
“I came to play because I thought hyungs might be bored.”
But what’s with the bouquet? Receiving the bouquet Yechan held out, Siwoo lowered his head and smelled the fragrance. The only time he had received flowers as a gift was at graduation. In a round bouquet shape, colorful roses flaunted their splendor. He had wondered why people give and receive such things, but now that he actually received it, the corners of his mouth slowly rose.
“What is it?”
“Yechan gave me flowers. Pretty, right?”
“Oh! There was a cat?”
Siwoo, who showed off the bouquet to Evan, moved busily to find something to put it in. In contrast, Yechan, who entered the house, followed Ongi around as he busily ran about.
“Ongi, Ongi. You have to become close with that oppa too.”
Since there was no vase, Siwoo, who rummaged through the house for a while, came out holding an empty plastic bottle. He cut the plastic bottle with scissors and regrettably filled it with a little water.
A pleasant humming flowed from Siwoo’s mouth as he hastily made a vase and stuck the bouquet in it.
“You like it?”
“I like it. It’s pretty.”
Siwoo, who placed the vase on a table where sunlight came in well, washed his hands and grabbed a knife. He answered without paying much attention to the voice heard from the side.
Because time was wasted when Yechan suddenly barged in, he moved his hands quickly.
“Hey. Why did you come?”
“Me? I came to fill up the running time since Siwoo-hyung is doing a vlog. But I didn’t know hyung would be here too.”
At Evan’s blunt words, Yechan answered indifferently while playing with Ongi with his fingertips.
“Ah. Right. Then let’s have Yechan judge. Whose is more delicious.”
For a fair judgment, Siwoo deliberately didn’t mention the bet.
“I feel like there’s already going to be a biased ruling.”
Evan threw the fishcakes into the boiling broth and put in all the chopped vegetables at once. And when he picked up the soy sauce and spoon, Siwoo tried hard not to look at it. Because if he ruined it, it seemed like his own heart would hurt more.
