Chapter 10
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Two Pieces of Pizza
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"Then pizza it is."
Seong Si-woo tapped on his smartphone screen and asked.
I answered while sprawled face-down on the bed.
"Yeah."
"Alright, pizza it is."
There was no need to discuss the menu. If we're getting pizza, there's only one choice.
"Yeah."
The Potato Pizza from Nomido Pizza, our usual go-to.
"One large."
"Yeah."
We chatted about nothing important until the delivery arrived, and then the doorbell rang.
Si-woo immediately started to get up.
"I'll..."
But I couldn't make the guy who bought the food do this too.
"No, I'll get it."
"...Nah. Yeah, go grab it."
When I came back with the pizza, Si-woo had already set out a small table.
Hot steam rose from under the hand holding the bag.
Even on a rainy day like this, we could eat something warm, something hot.
I opened the pizza box.
"The smell is insane...!"
The moment I lifted the lid, golden-brown melted cheese stretched out inside.
Soon, the narrow studio apartment filled with the savory aroma of pizza.
Large wedge-cut potatoes—the star of Potato Pizza—stood proudly on every slice.
Mayonnaise sauce was densely swirled over the fluffy cooked potatoes.
Bacon bits filled the gaps, blending with the cheese to give off a glossy, oily sheen.
It'd probably make my arteries scream if I ate it.
But it's delicious.
I carefully tried to lift a slice.
My fingers, slipping under the pizza dough for the first time, couldn't handle the heat.
"Ow, hot!"
This time, I used just my fingernails to gingerly lift the dough.
I blew on it gently to cool it down.
The mozzarella cheese stretched out long and thin like a thread before snapping under its own weight.
A heavy weight and scorching warmth transmitted to my fingertips.
My mouth watered.
I snapped up the dangling cheese with my mouth and took a big bite of the slice.
The well-baked crust edge crunched crisply.
Then came the rich potato flavor, relentless.
The outside lightly browned, the inside fluffy like steamed—the potato mashed softly in my mouth.
Savory mayonnaise sauce enveloped my entire tongue.
Bacon's aroma and saltiness followed in quick succession, cutting through the potential greasiness of the mayo and potato.
And the corn kernels popping with every chew.
"Mmm..."
A small moan escaped me without thinking.
Yeah. Delicious.
One bite. Another.
But something was off.
It was definitely delicious. No, insanely good.
Yet around the halfway point of my second slice, a signal came from my stomach.
A rejection response saying no more.
If I ignored this warning, this pleasant fullness would turn into unpleasant bloating.
In the end, after finishing the second slice, I stopped.
The box in front of me still had half the pizza left.
Normally, Si-woo and I would've polished off a whole large between us without a second thought.
Out of eight slices, just two was my limit.
"Ah, I'm stuffed..."
As I rubbed my belly and murmured, Si-woo—who'd been devouring his with scary intensity—widened his eyes.
"Huh? Only two slices?"
Si-woo's gaze turned to me.
I blankly stared at my fingertips. They glistened with grease.
"I guess after this whole thing, the amount I can eat has gone down..."
I let out a self-deprecating chuckle and scratched the back of my head with my clean hand.
"Heh, at least food costs are lower now..."
Si-woo fell silent for a moment, staring at me intently, then set down his remaining slice and chugged some cola.
"Sounds like you're feeling a bit better if you're joking like that. Getting used to it? After crying that one time."
"You and that story again? Don't you get sick of it? Back then..."
Bringing it up without getting tired. Thinking back made my face heat up.
Si-woo laughed at my reaction.
We talked for a while.
The usual stuff. Games. Anime. Movies.
And school life stories, all the way back to when we first became friends.
Eventually, the conversation naturally shifted to real-life issues.
"...But seriously. You lent me a million won just like that. You sure you're okay?"
I asked cautiously, and Si-woo puffed out his chest proudly.
Like he'd been waiting for this question.
"Don't worry about the money. See, I..."
He shrugged and declared.
"I just got a job! A pretty good one too. Probably starting right after graduation?"
"Whoa... really? Congrats...!"
I offered my sincere congratulations.
Even while hanging out with me, Si-woo had landed a job.
"I'm jealous. I should get a job soon... though that's gonna be tough."
My voice trailed off smaller and smaller. Si-woo cut in.
"Doesn't mean you don't have to pay me back just 'cause I got a job. Pay it back. No interest, though."
"O-of course. I'm good about that stuff...!"
"I know."
Si-woo shoved the last of the pizza in his mouth and stood up.
Two slices remained in the box.
"Ah, that hit the spot."
"Yeah. Me too."
Si-woo rummaged in a drawer for a clear plastic bag and packed the leftovers.
"I'll heat up the rest later?"
"You bought it, so yeah..."
As he tied the bag, Si-woo asked.
"So, dinner's done... You heading out right now?"
"Can't just eat and bounce. Even I wouldn't do that."
"But there's nothing much to do here, right?"
"True, but..."
That's when my eyes caught some manga on the bookshelf above the computer.
There'd always been a few, but these were ones I hadn't read.
They weren't there last time. New purchases?
I pointed at the shelf.
"Mind if I read those before I go?"
"Go for it. I'll knock out some homework then. Want me to grab 'em?"
"Yeah...? Nah, I'm good."
Si-woo sat down at the computer upon hearing that.
I took a step toward it to grab a book myself.
The shelf was right there now.
That's when I realized what he meant by 'grab 'em?'
Could I even reach?
I slowly stretched out my hand. But no.
Even at full extension, it fell short. By about as much as my shrunken height.
I used to struggle a bit but could manage.
It's high. The shelf is too high.
I gritted my teeth and went up on tiptoes, stretching as far as possible.
"Ngh..."
My calves trembled with effort.
Even then, my fingertips barely grazed the book— the middle, not even the top.
"Ughhh..."
After a few grunting attempts, I suddenly noticed Si-woo next to me.
I glanced sideways, but he was casually firing up a game on the monitor.
I gave up on doing it myself and looked at him.
He was quiet. Didn't he notice my stare?
"Hey. Can you... grab this for me?"
My voice came out muffled without me realizing.
Whether he'd been ignoring me on purpose or not, Si-woo responded nonchalantly.
"Sure. How many?"
It felt embarrassing to ask every time, so I requested a bunch.
"Like five...?"
Si-woo stood, silently handed me the books, and sat back down to face the monitor.
I took them, stacked them on the floor, and settled in.
One volume, two, three.
My hand flipped the pages lightly.
The sound of turning manga pages. The clack of the blue-red keyboard and mouse clicks. Occasional breaths.
We didn't exchange words, but the silence wasn't uncomfortable.
It felt so relaxing— I got so absorbed that when I checked the time, it was almost 4 p.m.
I'd only planned to read a bit, but I'd finished all five.
I stretched silently to loosen my stiff body.
Then I approached Si-woo from behind as he stared at the monitor.
"Hey."
"Waaah! S-scared me!"
Si-woo jolted in his chair like he'd been shocked.
It was a bit comical, and I snorted softly without thinking.
"Hah, why so jumpy...? Anyway, I'm heading out."
Si-woo, still startled, exhaled and checked the time.
"Oh, yeah. Already?"
Embarrassed about being spooked, he scratched his head.
"Why not stay for dinner?"
"Staying through dinner would be too much. I'll eat at home."
"Alright."
"Oh, done with the books. Put 'em back for me? Can't reach."
"Uh..."
"See ya..."
"Yeah. Take care... Oh, right. That thing's coming up soon. You still going?"
My steps halted at the door.
"What thing?"
"You said you wanted to go. Iller Munfes. Not going now that this happened, right?"
I'd completely forgotten.
Iller Munfes. The subculture event.
I'd begged him endlessly because going alone seemed impossible.
When he suggested the earlier 7th edition, I'd insisted on the 9th because I needed time to prepare mentally.
The event I'd finally psyched myself up for after all that prep.
I answered energetically.
"Gotta go! Obviously...!"