Chapter 116
"We'd be eternal even without stuff like this."
"Why get mad just because I asked?"
"It wasn't just asking!... Things have been frustrating lately anyway...!"
"Busted."
He chuckled and bolted straight for the counter. The owner was quick on the uptake, and the way he openly teased Lee Seo-yeon made them seem like perfect natural enemies.
Lee Seo-yeon, fuming even more at his deliberately flashy footsteps, started punching at the back of his head.
They looked pretty close. I hadn't thought all relatives got along that well.
Yoo Seol-ah poked at Lee Seo-yeon with a slightly amused tone.
"You two seem tight?"
"I'm just playing with him... He acts like this all the time."
Lee Seo-yeon did have incredible charisma, but she wouldn't tease or belittle someone unless they were really close. She never badmouthed people and always tried to see the good in them. Plus, she loved tending plants and animals, so it made sense why she'd been chosen as a saintess.
"Ah, he's probably dying from running away, so why order honey bread to piss me off again!... "
Of course, right now she wasn't Saintess Alice—she was just plain Lee Seo-yeon.
She huffed as she picked up her fork and shoved a moist piece of honey bread into her mouth. It was like flipping on a fire extinguisher; her boiling anger subsided in an instant.
"...Ha, it is tasty..."
"Yeah? Tasty even for your picky palate?"
"I say tasty to normal stuff too..."
Maybe because Lee Seo-yeon had turned into a temporary punching bag, Yoo Seol-ah kept giggling and prodding her.
I'd clearly seen him flee to the counter, but suddenly his voice came from right beside us.
"Seo-yeon won't touch anything less than Michelin three stars. I'm pretty good at cooking."
"Go do your job!... And what three stars? I devour franchise burgers like they're the best thing ever..."
"Wait... You were eating pleb food just to match our tastes?"
"We had no idea..."
"Ah, ah... I'm seriously getting high blood pressure..."
Once we all piled on, Lee Seo-yeon finally collapsed onto the table and started petting the cat nearby.
"...You're all I have. Tori... Everyone's just bullying me..."
Meow.
Thanks to the cat's magic, Lee Seo-yeon's expression gradually softened.
Yoo Seol-ah, who couldn't resist food, grabbed her fork and took a bite of the honey bread.
"Mmm...!"
"Tasty?"
Only after swallowing did she beam and reply.
"Super tasty. Like, insanely good."
"Thank you. It's our bestseller here."
I'd thought, What's so special about honey bread? But when I tried it, it was way better than expected. Such a nutty depth...
Yoo Seol-ah turned to him with sparkling eyes.
"Are you really a Michelin three-star chef?"
"Nah, just part-time vibes... I worked at a place like that briefly."
"Pardon...?"
She'd probably said it to hype him up, but his casual affirmation left Yoo Seol-ah with a bizarre expression. It reminded me of the face she'd made when she learned Lee Seo-yeon's real identity.
"The Michelin Guide isn't a perfect standard anyway. Didn't jive with me, so I left quick."
"...Bro's an elite. Food or animals."
"......"
Lee Seo-yeon jumped in naturally. For a guy in his late twenties to get called an elite straight-up by the great Lee Seo-yeon meant he was seriously talented. Just wowing us with one dessert proved it.
"Elite's an overstatement... I just love desserts."
"Don't fall for it, guys. Total facade..."
"Why...?"
"If he hadn't opened this cat cafe, he'd be at some fine-dining hotel. He's obsessed with cats, that's why he's here."
Yoo Seol-ah glanced at me briefly before whispering,
"What's fine dining?"
"Fancy restaurants. Like, meals over 100,000 won a pop."
The owner shrugged with an awkward smile.
"Hey, Seo-yeon, keep spilling like that and they'll think I'm some big shot. This your revenge from earlier?"
"What? It's true."
"...Ah, gotta take an order. Drinks coming right up."
We'd all been chatting happily, but he turned right back to work when a customer arrived, no hesitation.
Lee Seo-yeon claimed her tastes were normal, but given how much high-end dining she'd done, her palate was surely refined. If she approved, the owner was probably just being humble.
"He's actually a big deal, right?"
"Yeah. Wait till you try the drinks. For a cat cafe, this price-to-quality on desserts is unreal."
I checked the menu, and yeah—excluding entry, prices were standard cafe level. If honey bread this good was at the cafe near home, I'd be there daily.
Yoo Seol-ah suddenly leaned toward Lee Seo-yeon like something clicked.
"But, like, no drama stuff from TV?"
"Like what?"
"Y'know... Dramas with chaebols always have those huge tables for massive family meetings..."
Lee Seo-yeon sighed deeply, pinching her forehead. I couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"...Sure, some conglomerates do that. But that's old-money stuff. Our family's super normal. We meet for holidays, visit occasionally, that kinda thing."
"Gotcha..."
"My aunt's family runs this building, true, but it's separate. They just donate a ton here."
Asking a chaebol straight-up about their world? We'd pulled off a one-in-a-million shot.
"So, what's the deal with Doyun oppa? What's frustrating?"
"Ah, that..."
She'd said things felt off with Doyun hyung. We knew the truth, but he was dead serious about making the game succeed, so he'd be swamped.
"Nah... He just seems busy. We talk, but inviting him out feels weird..."
"Yeah? Then just go to his place."
"...Don't know his address."
"Ask. What's hard about that?"
"......It's embarrassing. How do I even...?"
Lee Seo-yeon being the shy one here? Live long enough, you see everything.
"...Fine. If it's embarrassing, just wait it out."
Yoo Seol-ah, knowing the facts, wasn't frustrated like before. Lee Seo-yeon looked anxious instead.
"Drinks are here. Coffee too."
"Thanks..."
Yoo Seol-ah had ordered a couple's drink, so I'd been dying to see what it'd be. Giant glass, heart-shaped everything inside and out.
"...No joke...?"
"Right?"
Two straws, twisted into hearts in the middle. Even the strawberries inside were heart-shaped. The whipped cream looked spoon-only, topped with heart decos.
Maybe because she'd been taking hits all day, Lee Seo-yeon's eyes lit up. She whipped out her phone, filming video, and beckoned us.
"Quick, before it melts. Couple drink means you two share."
"...We could just take turns..."
"It's melting...!"
"......"
The cafe was chilly, so it wouldn't melt soon, but Lee Seo-yeon wasn't backing down. We had to lean in until our faces nearly touched.
Biting the straws meant eye contact, so I watched Yoo Seol-ah's face flush live.
"I-it's good...!"
After barely a sip, she yanked away and sat up straight. I hadn't tasted much either, so I took another pull while she recovered.
"Oh."
The bottom liquid was fresh mixed fruit juice. Hard to find elsewhere. I wanted the top cream base too, so I grabbed a small spoon.
"...That good?"
"You said it was tasty earlier."
"Th-that was, like..."
She'd barely eaten before. I loaded the spoon with a tiny strawberry, ice cream, and mystery toppings, holding it to her face.
"Eek...?"
She rolled her eyes in panic, then slowly closed them and parted her lips.
Seeing that, I rerouted the spoon to my mouth.
...Now I got why Lee Seo-yeon said that. Even I, who hates super sweet, found it refreshingly delicious.
As I savored it, I spotted Yoo Seol-ah gritting her teeth and fuming. Her face was beet red from the prank.
"You jerk!..."
"Sorry. Here, one more."
Two tricks might earn a Yoo Seol-ah punch at home, so I reloaded the spoon.
Somehow he kept popping up, but the owner's voice rang out again.
"Feeding each other like this seals eternal love. Pretty popular on SNS."
Yoo Seol-ah looked flustered at first, but soon chomped my spoon without hesitation.
She chewed diligently, then murmured softly,
"...We'd be eternal even without stuff like this..."
My head suddenly buzzed. Was it the cold dessert hitting me...?
Even the owner seemed thrown, but the arrows turned to Lee Seo-yeon naturally.
"...Your friends are all lovey-dovey..."
"Why always me!?... I'm telling my aunt for real!"
Only after Lee Seo-yeon raised her phone and the owner groveled in apology did things calm down.