Sweet Confirmation
"Do you know the way?" "This bastard sure talks a lot."
The call with Park Kangtae had taken five whole minutes. I hadn't said much, yet somehow the time had flown by. Either way, keeping someone waiting wasn't exactly good manners. I quickened my pace and stepped back into the café.
I scanned the tables one by one, but there was no sign of Kang Ajin. Maybe she went to the restroom. After several sweeps of the room, I finally spotted her. Right under my nose, as they say—she'd been by the entrance the whole time. But the way she stood there made me uneasy. She looked like a kitten that had lost its mother.
"Did you order already?"
"Huh…?"
She startled at my approach and mumbled something incoherent. "Oh, no. I'm fine."
"What? Fine? You mean you're not getting anything?"
"Yeah… I don't have an appetite."
"Hmm. Well, can't be helped. Wait here a bit. I'll go order mine."
I headed to the counter. Honestly, I wasn't hungry either, but ordering something was the price of admission to the café. "What can I get you?"
"One milk tea shake, please. Oh, and is it one drink per person here?"
"No, you're welcome to stay even without ordering."
"Got it."
Good thing it wasn't a one-drink rule. I'd been ready to tack on a pastry if it was. Money saved is money earned. Just as I was about to finish the order, I felt a strange tug on my sleeve. Turning, I found Kang Ajin lightly pulling at the fabric.
"?"
"Um, well… I also…" She mumbled, gently drawing my arm toward her. Her voice was too soft to catch the meaning, but her expression and gesture made it obvious. She changed her mind after all. Or maybe she just hadn't been able to order in the first place. Either way, I leaned in and whispered so only she could hear.
"Want something too?"
"Is that okay…?"
"Yeah. I'll get you one. Hold on."
I smiled and started to say "Americano," but the color drained from her face. Pfft. She's so easy to read. Fighting back a laugh, I corrected the order. "Not an Americano. Make it a chocolate latte. And one slice of chocolate mousse cake, please."
"A slice of cake?"
"Yes."
After finishing the order, I glanced sideways at her. She was biting her lip to hide a smile, but the crinkles around her eyes gave her away. She's so straightforward and honest. Watching her eyes light up, I said, "Shall we sit down?"
"Ah, yeah!"
The timid Kang Ajin from earlier had vanished. The chocolate latte and cake had clearly lifted her mood. If you ignored everything else, she really did seem like the author. The author was also completely obsessed with chocolate, after all. I couldn't help but grin at the sight of her beaming face. Still, why did I even stop her in the first place?
I didn't have anything particular to say. Or rather, now that I thought about it, I had plenty—but blurting it out would require some buildup. Natural conversation flow, that was the key. So I started with some harmless small talk about university life—assignments, professors, that sort of thing—to ease the awkwardness. Before long, our order arrived.
"Is it good?"
"Yeah! Hehe. Want a bite?"
"I'm good. It looks like just enough for you anyway."
Time to test the waters. To lower her guard, I nudged the cake toward her. "If you're hungry, have some of this too."
"Oh, no! It's fine! You bought it for yourself. It'd be rude if I ate that too…"
"Nah. I hate chocolate. I only ordered it because I thought you might like it."
"Still…"
"Just one bite. Girls who like sweets go crazy for this stuff."
"Ugh. Okay, just one bite then."
Unable to resist any longer, she picked up the fork, broke off a tiny piece from the edge, and popped it into her mouth. Her eyes widened instantly. "I-It’s delicious…!"
"Glad you like it. I can't handle how sweet it is. Want the rest?"
"All of it?"
"Yeah. It's just one slice."
At my answer, she immediately went for another bite—this time a bigger one—and her expression grew even brighter. I watched her eat in silence, a small smile tugging at my lips. She really enjoys her food. Then it hit me—I was smiling too. So this was why people watched mukbangs. Just seeing someone eat made me feel oddly happy. But that wasn't the point right now. I'd almost forgotten why I was here, distracted by her eating show. Clearing my throat, I gave her a heads-up.
"Ahem. So, about what I wanted to say…"
"…?"
She froze mid-bite, fork hovering near her mouth. The timing made the scene look ridiculous. I coughed again to hide my laugh and waved a hand. "Don't mind me. Keep eating. Go ahead."
"Ah, okay!"
The author had decided to take breaks multiple times because real life was tough. I wanted to know why—and more than that, I wanted to help. That way, the next chapter would come out sooner. Phew. How do I phrase this without giving myself away? I couldn't just say it outright. After a short pause, I organized my thoughts.
"Well, you see… I have a friend who's close with you. She mentioned you've seemed down lately and was worried."
"Huh? A friend who's close with me?"
"Nothing bad happened, right?"
Asking "What's wrong lately?" right off the bat would only make her uncomfortable. So I borrowed someone else's concern to make the conversation feel natural. But her answer was nothing like what I'd expected.
"I don't have any friends…"
"What?"
"I don't really know anyone at school… Ah, maybe that friend wasn't talking about me after all."
The mood turned pitiful in an instant. I needed to change the subject before it got any more depressing. "Anyway, you've been having a rough time lately, right? Your expression looked off, just like she said."
"Oh, um… It's nothing. Same as usual."
Same as usual, my ass. Her upload schedule had been completely different. I swallowed the words that had risen to my throat and tried something else. "You know, like… suddenly feeling really down, or losing motivation for things you usually do. Nothing like that?"
She shook her head. After pulling her lips away from the straw she'd been sucking on, she spoke in a small voice. "N-No. Nothing like that."
"Then… is the thing you're working on going well? You're not suddenly hating it for some reason, are you?"
"Y-Yeah."
"…Really?"
I glanced at her face. Her expression was awkward—clearly the face of someone who had just lied. Why was she hiding the truth on purpose? "Um, sorry, but I don't really believe in religion…"
"Religion?"
"And I don't have money for ancestral rites either…"
I stared at her in confusion as she suddenly started talking about religion. "Where did that come from?"
"It felt like you were trying to recruit me into a religion… Wasn't that why you called me out…?"
I replayed what I'd said earlier. Hmm. It did sound a bit cult-like. More than a bit, actually. I forced an awkward laugh. "Ah, haha. That's not it. I just thought you looked upset, like I said."
"Oh, right…!"
The awkwardness refused to fade. Embarrassed, I took a long sip of my milk tea. Whoa. It was insanely sweet. My teeth were going to rot at this rate. If I died today, it'd probably be from diabetes. While I was having that idle thought, I suddenly worried about her teeth. The author loved sweets too—if she kept eating sugar bombs like this, there was no way she wouldn't get cavities. Shit. Why did I even order this?
Milk tea was the author's second-favorite drink. I'd ordered it just in case, but there was no way I could drink it myself. Ugh. If I drink that chocolate latte, I'm seriously going to die of diabetes. I looked at Kang Ajin with a hint of respect. Her chocolate latte was already empty. What? She'd finished that extremely sweet drink already? Haha. I should probably recommend she visit a dentist.
She licked her lips like she wasn't satisfied yet. Then her eyes flicked toward my milk tea. She didn't say anything—probably because of some moral code about not coveting other people's things—but she kept stealing glances. "Want this too? You seem to handle sweet stuff pretty well."
I casually offered her the drink. She shook her head firmly, refusing to take it. Seriously, I wasn't going to drink it anyway. There was no need to be polite. "N-No! I'm fine!"
"I'm full too, so it's okay. If you don't drink it, it'll just go to waste."
"Eh? This expensive thing?"
"So you should drink it."
She hesitated, fidgeting. "I-If that's the case… then I guess I have to… Are you really sure?"
"Yeah. I ordered this for you to drink anyway. By the way, this thing's pretty expensive, you know? So don't forget this favor—next time, you're buying."
"O-Okay!"
"Heh heh. Eat up."
Between the chocolate latte and cake, my expenses had added up. Still, no regrets. I'd basically bought her time. And getting the time of a girl like Kang Ajin for this price was a bargain, right? I decided to rationalize it that way and let go of any lingering disappointment. "Here." I pushed the milk tea toward her as I spoke. Since there was no extra straw, she'd have to drink from the same one, so I turned the cup around before handing it over. Only then did she reach out with fidgeting hands and accept it—both hands, politely. Heh. Pretty girls really do have good manners. She was impossible to dislike.
"Thank you… I feel bad…"
"Nah, it's fine. I was going to throw it out anyway. And you'll buy next time, right?"
"Yeah!"
She bowed her head again in thanks. Then she spun the cup around and brought her lips to the straw. Huh? An indirect kiss? "That's where I drank from."
"Pfft!"
"That's why I turned it around. But I guess you were thinking the same thing?"
"W-Was that real? What do I do? Ahh…!"
"Whoa. Was it that bad? I'm hurt."
I slumped my shoulders and put on a sulky act. Whether my performance worked or not, she frantically waved her hands and started explaining. "I-It's not that! I was just surprised, that's all!"
"Right… My lips are pretty dirty. I didn't even brush after eating, so I get it…"
"That's not true! And what's wrong with not brushing? I didn't brush either!"
"Huh? Actually, I did brush."
"…!"
"Miss Kang Ajin? Next time you talk, could you turn your head to the side?"
"I-I did brush too. I just lied to make you feel better…"
"Pfft. Sorry. Your reaction was just too funny."
She had a bit of an airhead streak, which made teasing her fun. Heh heh. After the commotion died down, we chatted quietly for a while. Then she glanced at me nervously and said, "…I really did brush."
"Pfft!"
"I-It's not a lie…! I brush three times a day. I shower every day too. Sometimes even twice a day…"
"I-I'll believe you. Heh."
Come to think of it, the author had also been described as extremely clean. That little statement bumped up the probability that they were the same person. No, I'm pretty sure it's her. But what really convinced me wasn't any of that—it was her personality. I hadn't noticed at first, but the more we talked, the clearer it became. Her reactions. The way her words landed. Her unique vibe. That same distinct quality I'd only ever felt from the author was coming from Kang Ajin too. That was why I could be so certain.
"Didn't you eat way too many sweet things today? You should definitely brush tonight."
"D-Don't tease me…!"
"Pfft. Sorry. I was just worried."
"Ugh… Then why do you keep laughing…"
Yeah. She was definitely the author.