# Chapter 46
I think I understood what Maeng Moa meant by asking that. Honestly, since coming here, I’ve barely been able to take care of myself, so in others’ eyes, going out of my way to help someone might look like I’m trying to be some kind of superhero.
But even if it was embarrassing and regrettable, I didn’t want to put myself down. The truth is, I admire people who make an effort for something if they have the ability, so I want to see that day as something I did well. I only regret that it happened because I was arguing with those kids.
“A hero complex…”
I didn’t specifically aim for it, but since I had nothing else to say, when I spoke those words, everyone around me fell silent. As I glanced at them, I met their gazes staring blankly at me.
Was that an expression of disbelief or incomprehension?
After a moment of silence, Kwak Junhee was the first to speak.
“Let’s sit down first. Time to eat.”
I nodded gratefully to Kwak Junhee as he pulled my arm and sat me down on the bench. Moon Seoheon also sat next to me, so I ended up sandwiched between him and Kwak Junhee.
I stared at Kwak Junhee, who was being as friendly as when I first met him. I remembered his expression when he smiled slightly, suggesting that if I wanted to talk, we could do it later, and I found myself fidgeting with my fingers for no reason.
Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to talk about, nor did I know what Kwak Junhee was thinking. I probably wouldn’t have been able to speak even if we were alone.
In truth, there was one vague reason I could guess why he was acting this way. Was he testing whether I was harmful to Moon Seoheon or not? It was just a suspicion.
Then I recalled when we ran into each other at the cafeteria that day, and he asked if I was okay after mentioning my leg, which only made me more confused. The bruise on my shin had disappeared now, but I still frowned when remembering the sensation from that time.
I glanced briefly at Byeon Seungha, and it bothered me that he was just sitting there quietly with no expression. I deliberately turned my head away and silently watched as Kwak Junhee and Maeng Moa untied the bundle placed on the bench.
“…Wow.”
I had been curious when I saw it all wrapped up in cloth, but I never expected it to be packaged food. I felt silly for having imagined white bags with franchise logos when they mentioned delivery food. And what came out as the wrapping cloth was unfolded left me stunned.
There were six layers of bamboo steamers stacked on top of each other. When the top lid was opened, there were neatly arranged dumplings wrapped in skin so thin you could see the ingredients inside. The aroma and steam rising from the food hit my face and evaporated upward.
I instinctively sniffed and rubbed my nose, letting out an exclamation that drew laughter from beside me. Knowing it was Kwak Junhee without even looking, I cleared my throat awkwardly and sat quietly.
“I’m glad you seem to like it. I specifically asked the chef to prepare it just in time for us.”
“Ah, I’ll enjoy it.”
He mentioned knowing a doctor, but it seems he has a personal chef too. Impressed by what must be an incredible household, I expressed my thanks for the luxurious meal.
“Good. Eat plenty. I’ve also brought drinks, so if you’re thirsty, choose whatever you want. Feel free to take any extras home too.”
“Ugh, who’s going to drink all of that?”
Maeng Moa grimaced with disgust at Kwak Junhee’s words. Had he prepared too many drinks in case we got thirsty? I looked at them both in confusion, and soon I was both surprised and excited to see what Kwak Junhee was pulling out from under the bench.
What Kwak Junhee took out was a travel-sized cooler. I hadn’t noticed it earlier, so I just stared blankly as he placed it on the bench. While I was thinking how thoroughly he had prepared, the lid opened, and my jaw dropped at the abundance of drinks inside.
There were three 1-liter bottles without labels, which seemed to be homemade. Among them, familiar cans were stacked high with enough variety for everyone to have one of each kind. It looked like he had swept up all the sale items from a supermarket.
“Where on earth did you get all of those?”
At Maeng Moa’s question, the others stared at the drinks, lost for words. Kwak Junhee, finding something amusing, chuckled as he took out each item.
“I deliberately prepared healthy options. Since you all worked hard today, drink plenty.”
“Don’t you have any soda or cola?”
“No. None.”
Kwak Junhee laid out the drinks in front of us. I examined what was placed before me, wondering what to drink first since there were so many options.
I could exclude the pine needle drink since it was available at the school store, so I thought I should choose between the sweet royal milk tea or the lemon-flavored black tea.
“You can take these home later, but try this first. This is the main event.”
Kwak Junhee stopped my hand as I was examining the drink cans to decide what to drink first, and held up a bottle with an unidentified liquid. He took out all three bottles and even distributed paper cups, so I quickly put down the cans and accepted one. Unable to hide my curiosity, I stared at the three bottles and asked:
“What are these?”
Honestly, I could guess one of them. The clear brownish liquid with yellow pine nuts floating in it looked like Sujeonggwa (cinnamon-persimmon punch). I wasn’t sure about the others, but the black liquid that resembled herbal medicine looked significant. The third one was white in contrast. Unlike the thinner liquids, it seemed to have a higher viscosity as it clung to the bottle and dripped slowly. Looking closely, I could see tiny unidentifiable bits mixed in.
“This is Sujeonggwa, the black one is red ginseng juice, and the white one is ginseng latte.”
“Are you kidding?”
“You don’t usually serve these kinds of drinks. You always gave us tasty ones, whether they burst our blood vessels or not…”
Byeon Seungha, who had been quiet until now, spoke up at Kwak Junhee’s explanation. Maeng Moa also looked at the revealed drinks with a gloomy expression. Judging by his frown, he really didn’t want to drink them.
“These are good too, aren’t they? I was originally going to bring vegetable juice, but I brought these relatively easy-to-drink options instead, so brighten up.”
“Ugh, would Senior Yoon Taeho even like these?”
“Huh, me?”
As my name suddenly came up, I raised my head, and Maeng Moa said in a disinterested tone:
“Yes. He said he prepared drinks you might like. I never imagined it would be these.”
I had already heard about it from Moon Seoheon before coming. But I thought it was just something said to cheer me up; I didn’t realize he had actually prepared it for me to drink. Of course, I don’t dislike them. These are things I can’t normally afford.
He probably prepared them for everyone while also thinking of me, but I was grateful that he’d been considerate, so I bowed my head to Kwak Junhee.
“I’ll enjoy them, Sunbae.”
“Haha, great.”
Kwak Junhee showed a satisfied expression. With all the drinks taken out, he suggested we start eating, and everyone picked up their chopsticks.
After confirming that everyone had taken one, I finally picked up a plump dumpling and put it in my mouth, where it seemed to melt instantly. The dumplings, still warm from being kept in the steamer, were filled with overflowing juices.
As I savored the soft texture lingering in my mouth with my tongue, I felt my body relax.
As afternoon approached, the sunlight grew hotter. It wasn’t unbearable, and the feeling of warmth on my back was pleasant, so I straightened my back to enjoy it. The sound of the artificial waterfall in the distance and the scent of dry grass made me feel comfortable.
They say people usually get quiet while eating, but could that be why I didn’t feel awkward or uncomfortable? Despite being surrounded on both sides by people I found uncomfortable, focusing on the meal seemed to ease my tension a little.
“How’s the taste?”
“Oh, it’s delicious.”
When I smiled and answered Kwak Junhee’s question, the look in his eyes seemed to intensify. His position away from the sunlight made it appear even more so.
“The weather has gotten much hotter. It is summer now…”
“Yes, it’s almost good enough to go to the beach.”
As Maeng Moa spoke while swallowing a dumpling, Kwak Junhee exclaimed as if something had just occurred to him.
“A water activity would be great. Actually, I was going to ask Taeho.”
“About what?”
“When are you planning to use the Ace accommodation voucher you won?”
“Ah… whenever, I guess.”
I had forgotten about it, but I suddenly remembered the day I won the lottery. At the mention of Ace, I momentarily looked at Byeon Seungha, but feeling a cold aura, I quickly averted my gaze. Instead, it was Maeng Moa who showed interest in the word.
“Oh, you won that?”
“Yes.”
“Heh, lucky you. There’s a swimming pool there too, so it would be perfect for swimming in swimsuits.”
“…Swimsuits.”
I glanced briefly at Jung Hyoin as he muttered while about to pick up a dumpling, and then agreed that it would indeed be nice.
I hadn’t really thought about actually using it, but should I really go? It might be nice to enjoy a luxury hotel experience after a long time. As I was contemplating this, Kwak Junhee reminded me of another detail I had forgotten.
“That coupon is valid until next month, so there’s still plenty of time, but you can probably only use it on weekends, so you’ll need to think it through carefully.”
That’s true. Although there’s plenty of time until the deadline, there aren’t many options, and since weekends are crowded, I’d need to choose carefully. So does that mean people other than the winning students can use it too? Seeing outsiders coming in to drink coffee and have meals, there was a high possibility.
“Yes. I’ll have to go check it out depending on the situation.”
As I picked up another dumpling, I felt thirsty and reached for the red ginseng juice. When I gestured that I would drink it, I was told to drink as much as I wanted. I poured a lot into the paper cup, swallowed my food, and gulped it down, but a familiar yet unfamiliar taste made me vaguely cover my mouth.
“Ugh…”
“Taeho, what’s wrong?”
Kwak Junhee called my name, alarmed by my sudden motion of covering my mouth. I frowned at the taste of carrot lingering in my mouth and slowly raised my lowered head.
“What? Does it taste strange?”
“See, red ginseng juice was too much no matter what. If you feel like you’re going to throw up, spit it out quickly.”
Moon Seoheon grabbed my shoulder to turn me around and asked seriously. Next to him, Maeng Moa shook his head and spoke, making Kwak Junhee respond in bewilderment.
“Really? Does it taste that bad?”
Seeing everyone misunderstand, I quickly swallowed and waved my hands. Then I tapped Moon Seoheon’s hand on my shoulder to indicate I was fine.
As silence enveloped us, I awkwardly spoke to the guys staring at me.
“It’s not that—it just tasted like carrots, which made me nauseous for a moment. Ahem, I’m fine now.”
“…Carrots?”
I scratched my cheek in embarrassment as Moon Seoheon muttered with a puzzled expression.
“Yeah. I don’t like carrots.”
“Ah…”
Kwak Junhee’s surprised exclamation made my face feel hot. It was even worse because Maeng Moa and Byeon Seungha had incredulous expressions. Jung Hyoin was staring intently at the cup I had been drinking from.
“You’re right, it has carrot in it.”
“…I thought so.”
With an expression like he was trying to hold something back, Kwak Junhee put away the red ginseng juice and handed me another drink.
“Then would you like to drink this instead? The other two don’t have carrots in them.”
“Yes, I will.”
