Chapter 142
Maybe it was because there weren't many people around, keeping prep time short, but our number soon popped up on the screen. Yoo Seol-ah shot to her feet like she'd been waiting for it, saying,
"Ah, ours is ready. I'll grab it."
"Let's go together."
We'd ordered together, so everything would probably come out on one big tray anyway, and it wasn't far to the pickup counter. Yoo Seol-ah shot me a peculiar glance for a second, then flashed a bright smile and started walking. ...That innocent grin really gets my heart pounding every time. Honestly, it's a relief she doesn't pull it out often. If she went full-on pure and sweet like that, my heart wouldn't hold up.
"Enjoy your meal~"
"Thanks!"
"Thank you."
Sure enough, one massive tray held both the chicken curry and tonkatsu sets. In the end, Yoo Seol-ah snatched it up first with an excited thank-you. It was close enough that offering to carry it felt a bit odd, too. Catching my gaze, she smirked faintly and said,
"What? Want me to hand it over?"
"If it's heavy."
Of course, she was handling it just fine right now. Even if it were heavy, Yoo Seol-ah could lighten it with magic anyway. She grumbled without even trying to hide her smile.
"...Weird. Why are you being so nice today?"
"I've always been nice."
Half-joking, but honestly, I thought I treated her pretty well on the regular. At my bold reply, Yoo Seol-ah suddenly averted her eyes like something had just hit her, murmuring softly,
"...You haven't."
"Huh?"
"Nothing. Forget it."
Her pace quickened all of a sudden, and any curiosity about what she'd meant vanished as I worried she'd trip. But no matter how fast she walked, the tray didn't budge an inch. ...Anyone watching would think she was the goddess of balance. With that perfect steadiness, she must've cast some kind of stabilization spell on it herself.
Back at the table, Lee Seo-yeon—who'd already grabbed her food and was waiting—remarked,
"Not bad for campus grub, huh?"
Lee Seo-yeon had gotten the chicken mayo rice bowl, right? It still sat untouched on her plate, looking pretty appetizing with a fried egg on top.
"You could've started without us."
"Harin's on her way over, so it's fine."
Park Harin arrived last, sandwich in hand. She glanced around the table, and Yoo Seol-ah let out a slightly disappointed tone.
"...But no trays means it doesn't really feel like school lunch."
"Some places use trays. Buffets and stuff..."
"Speaking of, why'd we come here anyway?"
"The research hall cafeteria and student union don't do breakfast. Student union only has porridge in the morning anyway. And this spot in Building 220 is super close to the tennis courts."
"Oh, right. I think unnie mentioned that."
Yoo Seol-ah sounded like it had just clicked. Park Harin, who'd been listening quietly, piped up curiously.
"But do you wanna go back to those school lunch days?"
"...Not exactly, but I kinda miss the vibe sometimes?"
"Even as adults, getting served on trays would just feel childish."
"Hold up, stop. Don't shatter my innocence."
Park Harin had a subtly ruthless streak. Subtle? Nah, she was probably the most no-nonsense person I'd met. She'd snapped back to normal fastest after learning Lee Seo-yeon's secret, too.
"...Park Harin, you hit too hard with the facts sometimes..."
"Just calling it like I see it."
Yoo Seol-ah even pretended to cry. Compared to Park Harin—even factoring in Astasia years—Seol-ah came off pretty childish to me. I chimed in by way of comfort.
"You look young anyway, so it's fine."
"...That better not mean anything weird."
Her face really was baby-faced. I couldn't spot much difference from her high school pics. Probably wouldn't change much till mid-20s. But since her body had other influences at play, I just picked up my chopsticks instead of answering.
"Hey!"
I hadn't expected much, but the tonkatsu was surprisingly good. Yoo Seol-ah's reaction to my casual comment was over-the-top, though.
"Oh, it's tasty."
"...Ah, wait a sec..."
At my take on the loin tonkatsu, she clutched her forehead and bowed her head like her blood pressure had spiked. Lee Seo-yeon stretched out an arm to check her pulse—needless to say, she was fine, but her tone was worried.
"...You okay?"
"...No, just sudden PTSD."
"That came out of nowhere. What triggered it?"
Park Harin asked while focusing on her sandwich, but Yoo Seol-ah couldn't respond.
"...Well, there was that thing, anyway..."
Only after she glared daggers at me did it click why. I'd thought it was about height at first, but nope. It was PTSD from yesterday's candy incident. She'd seemed fine and energetic today, but she'd tucked it away deep down after all. Worried she'd skip eating if I let it slide, I picked up a piece of tonkatsu. But even holding it right to her mouth, she just stared me down coldly.
"...What."
"You're hungry, right?"
"...Hah, do I look like an easy girl?"
I'd planned to say she wasn't this time, but before I could, she leaned in and chomped it down. ...Makes it weird to argue now. Guess she was hungry. Noticing the other three's odd looks, she chewed furiously, then mumbled slowly,
"...No, uh, gotta eat it before it cools... But yeah, it's good."
Not mind-blowing, but for the price? Solid value. Loin tonkatsu for 6,500 won? Unthinkable outside school food.
"So, spill more details."
To shift the focused stares, Yoo Seol-ah clearly wanted more of the wholesome duo's story.
"...Not much to tell...?"
"That's the part I wanna hear."
Timid Lee Seo-yeon was a rare sight. Yoo Seol-ah seemed to be enjoying it, munching curry while keeping eyes locked. Finally, Lee Seo-yeon started spilling.
"...I thought about going to his place, but he insisted on coming to me, so I booked the party room in my complex."
"Ooh, gentleman."
Doyun hyung was like that by default. Consideration baked in? Always the one to move if someone had to.
"Your complex—the one with the community center we saw before?"
"Yeah, pay extra and you get a private room."
I'd heard they tossed in a free bottle of wine each visit. Money really did open doors.
"...Party room in the complex?"
"Yep. Pool, outdoor bath, gym—all that."
Lee Seo-yeon nodded as Yoo Seol-ah answered for her, then added an invite to drop by sometime before continuing.
"So he shows up, and it's our first time alone. No clue what to talk about..."
Her grin was back, firing up Yoo Seol-ah's romance brain again. Leaning in with excited energy, Yoo Seol-ah prodded,
"And? And?"
"...So I prepped some strong stuff. Vodka and whatever."
"Kinda wanna see you drunk sometime."
"Yeah, we drank a ton."
How nervous was she to down that much? They'd known each other years, but realizing feelings changed everything.
"But even boozed up, topics weren't flowing..."
Lee Seo-yeon paused, glancing at Park Harin before admitting,
"...Ended up on anime somehow."
Park Harin's expression didn't shift. Me and Yoo Seol-ah had half-expected it. The night she'd jumped me, we'd been at her place drinking and chatting anime among other things. Start in comfy territory, loosen up, and convos flow naturally.
"...That Q2 one... Harin, you know it?"
"Yeah, heard nonstop from Yoo Seol-ah."
"Not nonstop..."
Q2 meant spring anime, basically April onward. Yoo Seol-ah looked a tad indignant, but nah, it fit.
"Anyway, that Tadakimi dropping soon?"
"Yep. Gonna watch ASAP if I get time..."
Yoo Seol-ah trailed off with a sharp inhale. I could guess why—the original anime's heroine was a chaebol heir. Hero was poor-ish, personalities didn't match perfectly, but overlaps were there.
"...So that came up..."
Her hesitation meant she'd let something slip. Yoo Seol-ah's eager eyes had Lee Seo-yeon dodging glances.
"...I was already tipsy by then..."
"It's fine, just say it."
"...Somehow it turned into 'family backgrounds don't matter much if we like each other, right?'..."
"Hng?"
"Not out of nowhere—natural flow!..."
Booze power? Lee Seo-yeon was pushing hard for her. Yoo Seol-ah's grin intensified—confirmation.
"Go on?"
"...But he was like, 'If we both like each other, who cares?'..."
"Heok..."
Yoo Seol-ah made a weird noise and clamped my thigh hard. Then she set down her spoon, declaring,
"...Ah, I'm full already."
Overdosed on wholesomeness, huh? Hyung was straight-up greenlighting it. Lee Seo-yeon quietly ate, then eyed the overreacting Yoo Seol-ah.
"...He probably just meant the anime, right?"
As if. And Yoo Seol-ah couldn't let that slide.
"Hey, Lee Seo-yeon... Play it too vague and he might not wait around. Doyun oppa's popular, y'know."
She knew the truth, so it was just teasing impatience, but it landed differently on Lee Seo-yeon.
"......"
Lee Seo-yeon's eyes went dead a bit. Spotting her set down her spoon, Yoo Seol-ah panicked into damage control.
"Uwah, no... Joking, total joke... Won't happen, ever. Trust me!..."
Probably overlapped with Park Harin's story earlier—made it hit like a critical strike.