# Chapter 11
Fortunately, the club room was on the ground floor of the same building. This time, I went straight down the stairs. On the way, I casually asked.
“We can’t use the elevator, right?”
“Yeah. I mean… carrying just drinks is fine. I guess we could use it for really heavy things or when pulling a serving cart, but our class definitely can’t use it freely.”
I see. So earlier, we were able to ride it thanks to Moon Seoheon, which makes me wonder why the main characters stayed quiet about it. Those guys who only care about the protagonist don’t usually pay attention to what others do, but they show no mercy when something bothers them.
I thought they would immediately punish me for hanging around Moon Seoheon, but they let it slide too quietly. I’m worried they might come later to threaten or hurt me in secret.
“But if we have to carry a lot of drinks, couldn’t we use the elevator? If we ask the teacher, they might allow it.”
“That’s true. We don’t know how much we’ll need to carry yet anyway.”
Oh Seulbi flung the club room door open. As soon as we entered, I saw a man from behind.
“Oh, you’re here?”
“Hello, teacher.”
The man who turned to face us was wearing a comfortable, casual suit. His hair was neatly styled, highlighting his handsome features. He was a young man.
“Wow, what’s the occasion, teacher? You look especially handsome today.”
“Haha, really? I just styled my hair up. Jinyoung told me to try looking nice for once.”
“You should dress like this all the time. The suit fits you well. So this is what they call a ‘suit fit’?”
“I can’t dress up when I’m cooking. Today… something unexpected came up.”
He must be the teacher in charge of the Food and Cooking Club. His expression darkened as he said the last part. His concerned look about what might happen made me feel an immediate connection.
“Could you help me carry these? I’ve packed them separately in boxes for easy transport.”
“Yes.”
The teacher pointed somewhere. Thinking about the good drinks Lee Jinyoung had mentioned, I took a few steps forward but stopped. The plastic boxes stacked neatly were filled with energy drinks.
Perhaps they prepared them for tired students? Though I’d never seen this brand before, the packaging looked premium, so they did seem like good quality drinks.
“Are these the drinks you mentioned?”
“Yes, that’s right. They’re a new product that apparently has a really strong energizing effect. Since too much isn’t good for you, everyone should be extra careful about how much they drink.”
“Ah, I understand.”
I stretched my hands to pick up a box. Though the box itself wasn’t large, judging by the dozens of drinks inside, it wouldn’t be light.
As I lifted the heavy box, I asked:
“Should we take one box each? I think carrying two would be too much.”
“Wow, this is seriously heavier than I expected.”
Hearing my comment, Oh Seulbi picked up a box to gauge its weight. The teacher looked over the boxes thoughtfully before nodding, having made a decision.
“If it’s too heavy, you can take some out. Carry one box per person. I think I might have put too many in since there were so many delivered that we couldn’t handle them all ourselves.”
“Yes. These are all for The Four anyway.”
“This seems like enough to share with others too, don’t you think?”
“You think so? Well, even then, it would only be for the Social Club members.”
“We have plenty for ourselves too, so don’t worry. Let me know if you want to take some.”
Oh Seulbi and Kim Yuna excitedly agreed to the teacher’s offer with a gentle smile. I also thought about taking a few for myself to drink when I felt too tired, and turned to leave.
The kids let out sounds of admiration as they watched the teacher effortlessly carrying two boxes. Just then, the club room door opened again. It was Lee Jinyoung who entered.
“I’m sorry for being late.”
“Oh? You didn’t need to come.”
“No, I should help too. I’ll take one.”
Lee Jinyoung took one of the boxes the teacher was holding. So the five of us each carried a box as we climbed the stairs. Just then, the bell rang, signaling the end of break time.
“Since they probably won’t be drinking these today anyway… let’s just put them in the storage room and let Junhee know.”
“Then we’ll need a key, right?”
“Junhee said to bring them directly to them. He said he wanted to try them right away.”
“Oh, really?”
As Lee Jinyoung replied that we should go straight to the club room and put her box down to open the closed door, suddenly, a few students appeared out of nowhere and blocked our way.
Their faces looked familiar. They were the ones who had been cowering in front of the High Class students earlier. In other words, our club members.
“Teacher, thank you for your hard work. We’ll take these.”
“No, since we’ve already brought them this far, we’ll take them in. You should go inside too.”
“It’s fine. There’s a variety of food displayed inside. You should go try some. It looks delicious.”
“Just give them to us.”
“Ah…”
Soon, they naturally took not only the box that Lee Jinyoung had put down but also the ones we were holding.
As I stared in disbelief at the energy drinks that had been taken right before my eyes, they confidently walked through the door. Then they muttered, not too loudly but certainly not quietly:
“I heard these are new products.”
“Let’s bring them to the student council president quickly.”
Watching them head toward where The Four and Moon Seoheon were sitting—including Maeng Moa, who hadn’t been there before we went downstairs—Oh Seulbi muttered under her breath:
“Those sons of bitches.”
“…Let’s get the rest ourselves.”
The teacher added his two cents. While it was definitely annoying, I could only chuckle at their childish behavior. Besides, I was secretly relieved to avoid any awkward situations that might arise from going to where The Four were seated, so I returned to where I had been sitting earlier.
For a moment, I felt Moon Seoheon looking this way from among The Four, who were checking the drinks, but I pretended not to notice and looked at the food instead.
The food was certainly displayed in an appetizing array. I wasn’t sure when they had prepared and brought it all, but the main table in the center was set with various foods ready to be taken and eaten. It was better than a hotel buffet.
Though most were simple snacks, the colorful and beautifully prepared food was a feast for the eyes. There were also drinks. Not just juice but quite a variety of teas as well, making it seem more elaborate than a simple refreshment service.
This is basically a full-blown party. Around me, people were chatting casually and taking food as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Though I felt a bit intimidated, I decided to think positively, grabbed a plate, and picked up some appealing foods.
“Ohh, there are several types of rice cakes? The yellow one looks like sweet pumpkin, and the orange one is… persimmon?”
“Really? Wow, even eating just one of each would make me full.”
Oh Seulbi and Kim Yuna exclaimed with sparkling eyes at the dessert section. I decided to eat dessert later and went to the meat section. Though there weren’t many varieties, I filled my plate with thinly sliced beef, sausages, and even added some soup. That seemed sufficient, but something was missing…
I looked around to see if there were separate sauces, but couldn’t find any such section. Then, while passing by the bread display, I found what I wanted. Thinking “perfect,” I took two and returned to my seat.
“Where’s the teacher?”
“The principal called him, so he left.”
The principal? Why would the principal be mentioned here? While wondering about this as I chewed my meat, Kim Yuna offered some insight.
“I think the principal kind of likes Teacher Jaewon. Our club doesn’t have much connection with the Social Club, but he sometimes comes by unexpectedly or asks us to share food. Maybe that’s why they’re working together today?”
“I don’t know about that, but from what I’ve seen, it’s not ‘kind of’—it’s completely. They might even start dating soon.”
The meat I was chewing got stuck in my throat, and I coughed lightly at Oh Seulbi’s words. I was fine after drinking some water. Ignoring me, the two continued their conversation.
“No way, even though there’s a difference in position and age?”
“What does position matter? Besides, the age gap isn’t that big. The principal is in his mid-40s, and Teacher Jaewon is 37.”
“Hmm, that’s true, but if they really dated… they would make a great couple!”
“Right?”
Is this a conversation normal high school students—no, normal people—would have? The principal is definitely a man, and this Teacher Jaewon must be our club’s teacher.
Reminding myself that I was inside a BL animation, I decided to focus on eating. I picked up a fork and stabbed a sausage. Then I squeezed what I’d brought onto the sausage.
After taking a bite of the sausage beautifully coated with my topping, I felt happy as the salty and sweet flavors combined. This is definitely the best way to eat it.
“Um, Taeho?”
“Yeah?”
Oh Seulbi and Kim Yuna, who had suddenly gone quiet, were staring at me eating my sausage. When I looked at them questioningly, Oh Seulbi said with a disgruntled expression:
“That’s… strawberry jam.”
I looked at the sausage I was holding, covered in strawberry jam.
“And?”
“No, it’s strawberry jam, not ketchup!”
Oh Seulbi exclaimed, pointing at what I was holding. I wondered how to respond, then simply nodded.
“I know. Most people would think ketchup or mustard goes with sausages, but strawberry jam pairs well too.”
“Eh?”
“The salty sausage combined with sweet strawberry jam is the perfect sweet and salty combination.”
With that answer, I took another big bite of my sausage. Oh Seulbi and Kim Yuna, whose pupils had been trembling, soon seemed to calm down after watching me eat with enjoyment.
“Well… it’s true that we sometimes spread strawberry jam when making sandwiches. It might be surprisingly good.”
“Y-yeah. But is it really delicious? This is the first time I’ve seen Yoon Taeho eating so heartily.”
“That’s true. He especially avoided spicy foods.”
Another piece of information about the real Yoon Taeho. He doesn’t eat much and doesn’t like spicy food. What kind of person is he really?
“Should we try eating it like that too?”
“Eh? Really, sunbae?!”
“Yeah. We’re the Food and Cooking Club after all, so it’s worth trying.”
Oh Seulbi took the remaining strawberry jam I had used and put it on the small sausage she had brought. Kim Yuna also got up to get some strawberry jam, intending to follow suit.
“How is it, sunbae?”
“Yuna…”
“Yes? Is it good?”
“Put that down right now.”
Kim Yuna quietly put down the strawberry jam she was holding in her right hand. Oh Seulbi gulped down the juice in front of her and slightly wrinkled her brow.
“Hmm, it’s not completely terrible, but the flavors don’t blend well. Let’s just make sandwiches instead.”
“Okay.”
Because of the two looking at me like I was a strange person, I decided to use the strawberry jam properly this time. I picked up my empty plate and selected a few sweet breads from the area filled with them. I chose castella with lots of whipped cream and chocolate cake.
I was thinking about taking them back to eat, but someone called me from behind.
