Seventeen, and the Accomplice (8)
The next day, I met up with ajusshi at a cafe. Not the little one near my house, but one deliberately farther away, near the station. It was a decent-sized chain spot, even with a drive-thru on the first floor. For a student like me, even the price of a single coffee was honestly a bit steep. Still, when it came to a quiet place to sit and talk, a cafe was the only thing that came to mind.
"Seoyeong's really sharp... That gave me chills..."
Ajusshi seemed pretty rattled by how close we'd come to getting caught by my sister. His voice was shakier than usual.
"What are we gonna do... I probably can't come to your house anymore..."
Realizing we'd hit a serious snag, my mind started spinning. I laced my fingers together, propped my chin on them, and racked my brain for a way to fix this mess.
"If we get caught, we're both in danger, right? Maybe we should just stop meeting so recklessly..."
"Ah, no, I don't like that."
I cut him off quietly. I knew it was risky, but cutting off our meetings entirely felt even worse. Even if he came over when the whole family was home like before, we wouldn't be able to have any private chats. It'd just turn into a show to prove he was keeping up a good relationship with my sister. The whole purpose of his visits would change completely. And for some reason, his words just now sounded like a friend declaring we were breaking up.
"How could I not wanna see a friend like you anymore? Ah, wait—do you not like hanging out with me, ajusshi?"
I was being dead serious here, but he made it sound so casual, like he wouldn't mind not seeing me at all. It hit me like a shock. Had I been the only one enjoying this the whole time? Sure, I'd been the one asking him to hang out, but had he secretly found it annoying?
"I like you, ajusshi..."
My voice came out all deflated and small. I felt a little sulky, but then it hit me belatedly—had I been a total burden to him all this time? Was that why he'd said that earlier? If he didn't like it, there was nothing I could do... but it still hurt.
Why was he being so quiet, though? I looked up, puzzled, and found him staring at me with a blank expression. Then he suddenly whipped his head diagonally away, hiding his face like he was dodging my gaze.
"...C-Coffee. We haven't ordered yet, right? I'll get it. What do you want?"
"For real? Hmm... Vanilla latte iced, with three pumps of syrup!"
"Got it. Be right back."
"Okay, thanks!"
Ajusshi shot up from his seat and strode toward the counter. Even his back looked urgent. Had I said something that weird? Or maybe he'd finally taken my words seriously.
Either way, free drinks from someone else? Total win. I'd brainstorm solutions while he was gone.
A little while later, lost in thought, I barely noticed ajusshi slip back quietly and set down a tray. On it was my iced vanilla latte and what looked like his iced Americano. And next to them, a slice of chocolate cake sat there all by its lonesome.
"Thanks~"
I took my coffee first, tilting my head a bit.
"But what's with the cake? For you, ajusshi?"
He let out a short chuckle and shook his head lightly.
"Silly, I got it for you. You looked like coffee alone wouldn't cut it."
"Oh?"
A bit dazed, I blinked once, then murmured softly.
"Thanks..."
Taking the cake plate, I stared at it blankly for a moment. We hardly ever had this at home unless it was someone's birthday, so it was honestly a nice surprise. My mouth had been a little bored anyway, even if I hadn't been craving dessert specifically.
But just one slice felt off. Every time we'd had a single slice like this, it was always during bad times, so it usually bummed me out. Still, this was a gift from ajusshi, so I'd take it with a happy heart. Strawberries and fresh cream atop chocolate cake—it looked sweet and delicious just sitting there.
I sipped my coffee first, then carefully sliced off the front with my fork and took a bite. The bittersweet chocolate melting in my mouth was exactly my style. Chocolate never fails. And the strawberries and cream paired perfectly. I might be hooked.
My gloomy mood lifted in an instant. Sure, getting cheered up by a slice of cake might seem simple, but good food always does the trick. Personally, I think cake goes better with fruit juice than coffee, but saying that out loud would be kinda rude, so I kept it to myself.
"Tasty?"
"Yeah, totally my flavor."
"Good."
Ajusshi sipped his coffee and watched me quietly.
...What? Why's he staring like that? It's making me self-conscious. Not just once or twice—every time I took a bite, I felt his eyes on me. Was he craving some too? If so, why'd he only buy one slice...
I was grateful and all, but the staring was getting awkward. And now I felt guilty on top of it. Eating alone like this made me feel stingy.
No helping it.
"Ajusshi."
"Yeah?"
I called him softly. Then I cut a decent-sized piece from the front of the cake with my fork—not too small, not so big I'd have to gape my mouth wide. Perfect one-bite size. I held it out a little and said,
"Ahh, say 'ahh.'"
Ajusshi, mid-sip, froze solid. The straw that had been dark with coffee now showed only its original blue. His lips, still around it, parted slightly and stayed that way.
With a dazed look, he stared holes into the cake on my fork and my face. He looked so silly, I couldn't help but laugh.
"Not gonna eat it?"
I nudged the fork forward a tad more. But his face stayed frozen, expression unchanged.
...What's his deal? He stared blankly at the cake for a while, then averted his eyes and mumbled,
"I... bought that for you to eat..."
His voice sounded almost defensive. Trailing off like he was the wronged one—it was kinda weird. Was sharing a bite of cake that big a deal? What a total dork.
"Felt weird eating it all by myself."
I leaned forward a bit, keeping my tone super casual. Even so, he hesitated. So frustrating.
I narrowed my eyes, smiled playfully, and said,
"Hurry up and eat, my arm's gonna fall off~"
I wiggled the fork right in front of his face. After staring at it forever, he suddenly glanced around, then squeezed his eyes shut and leaned forward like he'd made up his mind.
I felt a slight weight on the fork tines as the cake—leaving a smear of cream—disappeared into his mouth.
Watching that, my lips curved into a grin without me realizing. This ajusshi had his cute moments.
No more stingy vibes now. Feeling great, I savored the rest bite by bite, slower this time. It tasted even sweeter and better than before. Ajusshi just watched me blankly. When I asked if he wanted more, he shook his head, so who knows what was up. His face was a little red, too. Then he pulled out his phone and pretended to tap away.
Still, every time I looked up, our eyes met over and over. No clue what was going on in that head of his.
By the time I neared the end of the cake, my vanilla latte was more than half gone. Ajusshi's iced Americano, though? Barely touched.
Not much of a coffee guy, huh.
"Hey, Seojin."
As I speared the last bit, ajusshi called me. I just looked up instead of answering.
"I think... I really can't go to your house anymore."
My mind went blank. Honestly, it shocked me. Was he seriously done seeing me?
Life without ajusshi would be so boring I'd die.
"N-No, that's not what I mean—I don't wanna stop seeing you..."
He waved his hands frantically at my downcast face. Not getting it, I stared blankly, and he let out an awkward laugh.
"If you really wanna see me... we can meet outside, right...?"
"Really!?"
My mood shot straight up from rock bottom. I'd yelled without thinking, startling him, but he smiled soon after.
Honestly, I'd thought of that too. But saying it myself felt too pushy, like I was dragging him around just for me—I'd have felt bad. Him bringing it up first? Priceless.
From there, we naturally chatted about when, where, and what to do. Comic cafe? Amusement park? Anything beat sitting home bored. Wait, no—parks are crowded and hellish in summer heat. Pass.
"We can figure out what to do slowly, yeah?"
He nodded with a laugh.
"Haha, sure. So when? Weekdays are tough for me... Saturday?"
Working man problems. But Saturdays were fine. That's when we'd always met anyway. I could actually enjoy the rest of summer break—my heart fluttered a bit.
Pulling out my phone to check the calendar app, my face fell. That Saturday already had something important scheduled.
"Next week work? Saturday... I've gotta go somewhere kinda far..."
I wanted to hang with ajusshi more than anything, but no helping it. It was too important to me.