Chapter 55
Chapter 55
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: Seuli Who Likes Tteokbokki
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We sat down together at the snack bar corner and ordered some tteokbokki, sundae, and fried goodies.
Seuli was grinning from ear to ear, staring eagerly at the snacks—clearly excited for them to arrive.
"Looks like you're looking forward to this, huh?"
"Of course! Snacks are always the right choice."
Seuli nodded along, her face beaming with pure innocence.
Come to think of it, I wanted to get some for Dasom too. I had no idea how much she'd love it.
Decision made. I'd pack some up in a bit and bring it home. Then share it with Dasom and Mom.
I was nodding to myself, mentally organizing my plans for later, when Seuli asked,
"Why are you suddenly smiling all warmly and nodding like that?"
"Oh... I was thinking of getting some of that tteokbokki for Dasom and Mom too."
"As expected~ The caring eldest son, Haneul~"
"Caring eldest son? Isn't this just normal?"
Seuli shook her head vigorously at my question, denying it right away.
"There aren't many eldest sons as sweet and responsible as you in this world. Especially not in our age group."
Her words were filled with such conviction that question marks popped up in my head, but I quickly brushed them aside.
No point dwelling on it—I didn't care what other kids were like anyway, so there was no way I'd figure it out.
Instead, I steered the conversation elsewhere. Though that "elsewhere" was still worth talking about.
"...I wonder if Dasom would like spicy tteokbokki? Not sure if she could even handle it in the first place."
"Let's try it first and decide."
Sounded like a good plan.
Seuli and I would taste-test it. If it seemed okay for Dasom, we'd get some to go. If not, we'd skip it.
Honestly, I just wanted to see Dasom's happy face while eating tteokbokki.
But if she teared up from the spice, it'd break my heart.
Better to play it safe.
-Bzzzzt
Right then, the pager in my hand started vibrating like crazy.
"Oh, looks like it's ready."
"Let's go quick...!"
Seuli jumped up from her seat, but I gently held her back.
"Nah, I'll go grab it. Won't take long anyway."
"Still..."
"Be right back."
I sat her back down and headed to the counter, pager buzzing wildly in hand.
Sure enough, our tteokbokki, sundae, and fried snacks were all laid out.
I handed back the pager, and the staff member bowed lightly.
"Enjoy your meal~"
"Thanks."
I grabbed the tray and headed back to Seuli.
The moment she saw the food, her smile lit up even brighter.
It was so purely joyful that I almost burst out laughing myself.
"I'm back."
"Welcome back!"
I handed her a fork while she beamed at me.
"Give it a try."
"Okay~ Dig in~"
Seuli skewered a piece of tteok and popped it into her tiny mouth, still grinning.
-Nom
-Munch munch
She took a small bite, and a smile spread across her lips.
"Tasty?"
-Nod nod nod nod
She nodded over and over, the picture-perfect image of a girl her age.
Seuli seemed more mature than her peers at times, but also more innocent.
Those two opposites coexisted perfectly in her—that was Seuli.
And right now, her innocent side was shining through.
"Guess I should try some too."
"Yeah...! Try it quick...!"
I speared a piece of tteokbokki and took a bite.
-Munch munch
Spicy. Sneakily spicy. But delicious. The kind of addictive spiciness that hooks you.
"So? Tasty, right?"
I nodded again at Seuli's question, still holding half-eaten tteok.
"Yeah, this is seriously good."
It really was. But...
"It's a bit spicy, though."
"Yeah, the spice... Might be too much for Dasom."
Too bad. Sorry, Dasom.
What can you do? This place's style is just spicy.
I'll get you some next time when you can handle heat.
After silently apologizing to Dasom in my head, I tossed a new topic to Seuli.
"How does it compare to Seung-a's place?"
"Seung-a's?"
"Yeah, you love their tteokbokki."
Seuli gave a wise answer.
"They both have their own charms."
"Their own charms?"
"Yeah, Seung-a's is... sweeter, I guess? Easier to eat without worry. This one's spicy and hits the spot."
"Like releasing pent-up stress?"
-Nod nod
I nodded back in agreement.
She nailed the description.
Both were top-notch in flavor too.
"...Wait, Haneul. Why not just get Dasom some from Seung-a's?"
"Oh, right."
The simple solution made Seuli giggle and tease me.
"You can be a bit... umm... innocent sometimes."
"Innocent? How so?"
"Just... you know... Sometimes you miss the obvious stuff...? That's kinda innocent!"
...No, that's just calling me dumb.
She's probably teasing me gently out of consideration. If she'd straight-up called me an idiot, it might've hurt less.
It stung a little, but I couldn't help agreeing with her.
Seuli thought I was smart because I did well in school.
But my good grades came from having lived this student life once before. Not because I'm actually clever.
I figured our scores would flip in high school.
She'd keep steadily improving, while I'd steadily decline.
Or maybe crash all at once. The jump from middle to high school exams was like night and day.
"...Anyway, want a drink?"
"Drink? Yeah...! Let's get some now!"
Seuli dashed off to buy drinks, and I followed.
We each grabbed a can—a cola for me, cider for her—and returned to our seats.
I immediately took her cider can.
-Psssh... Click!
To open it for her.
She'd struggled with cans before, putting in extra effort.
I could've let her do it herself, but why not help if I could?
"Here."
"Thanks...."
Seuli held the cider with both hands and gulped it down. I stared, wondering if high school cuteness like this was even real.
"Good?"
-Nod nod
I cracked open my cola while she nodded.
-Psssh... Click!
The fizzy cola filled that lingering gap the snacks alone couldn't satisfy.
*
After finishing the snacks with Seuli, we headed out of the department store.
We did a quick browse on the way out, but...
"Everything's so expensive...."
Seuli was overwhelmed by the prices, so no real shopping.
She seemed oddly intimidated by fancy, upscale stuff. Shrank back, you could say.
It was cute, but a bit worrying. She'd have to get used to places like this eventually.
I walked with her to the bus stop.
She slipped her hand into mine again, and I didn't pull away.
Holding hands was normal for us—everyday stuff.
She gripped it gently and called my name softly.
"Haneul."
"Yeah? What's up?"
"Even in high school... we'll keep going together, right?"
Her voice trembled with unease.
Not getting it at first, I asked back.
"Isn't that obvious?"
Of course it was.
No reason to even ask while shaking like that.
I'd stick with Seuli. I couldn't imagine being apart from her now.
She was part of my life, and I was part of hers.
We'd become essential to each other.
"Obvious... Yeah... Of course... You're... my friend...."
...Yeah, friends.
My one and only, most precious friend in life.
But why did she sound so hesitant and pained saying it?
Before I could figure it out, she pointed at the bus with her finger.
"Haneul, my bus is here."
We lived in opposite directions from the store, so it was time to part.
"Haneul, see you later... Okay...?"
"Yeah, got it."
I gave her a small wave, and she waved back while looking at me.
She boarded the bus home, and I watched it go before heading to the crosswalk. Time for me to go too.
Oh, and on the way home, I meant to swing by Seung-a's for takeout tteokbokki but totally forgot.
I was too distracted by Seuli's expression earlier.