chapter 9
chapter 9
By Chance
The next day came.
But today, there was no sitting together with her.
That was only natural.
From the beginning, that day had been a special situation.
There were no seats left in the café, and she had simply let me sit beside her out of consideration for me.
There was no reason to sit closely together in a wide space when that kind of situation didn’t exist.
Above all, I had arrived at the café earlier than Serin.
Unless she was late like last time, it would be impossible for me to join her seat.
Before that, I would have already taken a seat of my own.
"…"
That was how it should be.
But still, I felt a bit disappointed and kept glancing over at Serin’s seat.
Sitting farther away from her compared to yesterday gave me a strange sense of emptiness.
Was this what Serin meant by a sense of camaraderie?
It did seem true that being closer to her gave me more energy.
Or maybe that was just an excuse, and I simply wanted to be closer to Serin like yesterday.
…Oh. Our eyes met.
As I kept sneaking glances, whenever my eyes met Serin’s, she would look at me with a bright smile as if she were happy to see me.
Whether she knew my mischievous thoughts or not.
Seeing her pure, cheerful smile, I felt a bit embarrassed and would lower my head as if I were greeting her.
"…It’s about time for interviews, I guess. I should start preparing for interviews too. Ugh. My head hurts."
Since I had been applying to jobs like crazy, it was only natural that I would start getting calls for interviews after passing document screenings.
They weren’t exactly major companies, but given how things were these days, I was grateful just to be considered anywhere.
So I made sure to prepare carefully even for smaller companies.
Of course, I didn’t have high expectations.
Especially in the early stages of job hunting, it was common to reach interviews and still get rejected.
I wasn’t some exceptionally special person, so I didn’t expect to pass right away.
While thinking like that and working on my portfolio, lunchtime arrived before I knew it.
"I should go grab lunch."
I usually ate breakfast and dinner at home.
Being a job seeker, I didn’t have much money.
I was living off a small allowance from my parents and the savings I had earned from part-time jobs during university.
Still, for lunch, it was too much trouble to go all the way home and back, so I usually ate at a nearby restaurant to avoid breaking my workflow.
Since I had been sitting in the same position all morning, I stretched my stiff body and stood up.
And that was when it happened.
"Lee Jun."
Suddenly, a familiar female voice came from beside me.
I was so startled by the sudden approach that I almost fell backward.
"Whoa! You startled me. Se, Serin?"
She was standing strangely close.
If she had been just a little closer, her lips might have brushed my ear.
Seeing my reaction, Serin let out a chuckle as if she found it amusing.
"What is it? When did you get here? You’re like a ninja, I didn’t even hear you."
"It’s a traditional martial art from my family. Walking in silence."
"A traditional martial art? Does your family run a dojo or something?"
"Yeah. When I was young, if I made noise while walking, I’d get hit on the soles of my feet with a bamboo stick as training."
She said it so seriously that I couldn’t tell whether she was joking or not.
Was talking nonsense a talent?
I even thought she might have done well if she had been a streamer.
"More importantly, you’re about to go eat lunch, right?"
"Ah, yes. That’s right."
Is she… reading minds?
No, given the time, anyone could tell it was lunchtime.
"Um… you know?"
"Yes? What is it?"
Was it hard for her to bring it up?
Serin hesitated, unable to speak easily.
After a short pause, she carefully opened her mouth.
"I was just about to go eat too. Our timing just happened to match, didn’t it?"
"Is that so?"
"Yes. By chance. Mm. Just by chance."
She really emphasized the word “by chance.”
Seeing her cheeks slightly redden, I realized this was her way of hiding her embarrassment.
"I wasn’t waiting around watching for when you’d go eat or anything. Don’t misunderstand. So—"
What is this extremely cute creature?
Her tone made me want to pull her into a hug and ruffle her hair.
A smile slipped out of me.
I wasn’t foolish enough not to notice what she meant at this point.
"What do you say we go eat together? By chance?"
"…Yes."
After I cut her off and suggested it first, Serin cleared her throat and nodded carefully.
What is this? Serin is seriously way too cute. Almost at Laviell level.
"Is Korean food okay?"
"I love Korean food. I love it the most in the world. I love kimchi."
She spoke like a foreign reporter being interviewed at a market on a variety show.
In truth, this area was along a main road, but it wasn’t a place with a lot of food options.
Since it was a nightlife district, there were plenty of bars, but not many proper restaurants.
…Should I have taken her to a pasta place or something?
Given that I didn’t know Serin’s tastes well and she was a woman, I briefly overthought nearby options before stopping myself.
It wasn’t like we were on a date.
Two broke job seekers going to a pasta restaurant while studying felt a bit strange, so I decided to guide her to a place I knew well.
"Eunju’s Korean Food? This place?"
"It has a friendly name, right? But it’s actually a really good spot."
Surprised by the familiar sign, I led her inside.
After hearing a casual greeting from the kitchen auntie saying “Welcome,” I took a seat.
We sat together in a restaurant with a nostalgic interior.
Seeing Serin looking around curiously, I asked,
"Is this your first time at a place like this?"
"No. It’s just been a while. There was a snack shop near my university that looked just like this."
"Ah, I see. But the menu here will surprise you even more."
"Why? Let me see… Huh? Soybean stew for 5,000 won?"
"And that’s not all. Spicy pork rice bowl is 5,500 won. Kimchi stew is 5,000 won. The lunch special set of Korean stew is only 7,000 won."
That was exactly why I brought her here.
It wasn’t a place I visited extremely often, but for job seekers, it might be exactly what they needed.
I wanted to introduce her to a place like this.
And as I expected, her eyes widened as she looked at the menu, clearly excited.
"This pricing is strange. Isn’t this from ten years ago?"
"Right? It’s really cheap, isn’t it? You usually buy lunch outside, don’t you, Serin?"
"Yes. It’s too much trouble to go all the way home."
"That’s why I wanted to show you this place. There aren’t many good lunch spots around here. If you’re in the mood for Korean food, this is perfect."
"And there are so many menu options. Amazing."
"And nothing here exceeds 10,000 won."
Considering she lived alone in Seoul and was a job seeker, I thought this place might actually be more useful for her than for me.
That prediction seemed to be correct.
"I think I’ll come here often from now on. Thank you for sharing such a good place."
"Don’t mention it. Job seekers helping each other out. It’s not just cheap, it’s also tasty. It’s great for eating alone too."
"Really? But there don’t seem to be many people here."
"Ah—that? There’s actually a reason."
As she looked around and noticed the empty seats, she spoke.
It was lunchtime, the peak hour for restaurants, yet there weren’t many customers.
Of course, it was also just a slow day.
"Actually, everything here is great, but there’s one drawback. That’s why not many people come."
"A drawback?"
"Yes. The restroom situation isn’t great… women tend to find it inconvenient."
At that, Serin stared straight at me.
Seeing her gaze, I quickly tried to clarify in case she misunderstood.
"But you’d just go back to the café anyway and use the restroom there. It’s close, so that’s why I recommended it."
The people who came here with me usually couldn’t conveniently use the restroom nearby.
That’s why, even though the food was good and cheap, I didn’t visit often.
As a man, it wasn’t too inconvenient for me.
But despite my hurried explanation, Serin’s peculiar gaze didn’t disappear.
What is it? Was that not the reason she felt uncomfortable?
Or maybe she found it troublesome to go all the way back to the café herself?
She looked into my eyes as if trying to read my thoughts, then carefully spoke.
"Have you… come here with a woman before? With who?"
She asked in a tone that seemed unsure whether it was okay to ask such a question.
Seeing her pass that question to me, I panicked for a moment.
"Oh, it’s not a girlfriend! Just with my younger sister or my older sister."
"Your younger sister or older sister?"
"Yes. My family home is nearby here. So I used to come eat here with my family sometimes."
"Ah. You seem to be quite close with your family."
Close enough, I suppose.
We used to bicker when we were young, but as adults we grew up and weren’t awkward with each other.
Seeing my rushed explanation, Serin suddenly burst into a chuckle.
"Pfft. Why are you so flustered explaining yourself?"
"Uh… I thought you might misunderstand."
"Why? What’s wrong with coming here with a girlfriend?"
"Well, you know. It just feels… like you might think I brought you to a place I’ve been to with another woman."
Not that I had ever had a girlfriend to bring here in the first place.
At the very least, I didn’t want to cause unnecessary misunderstandings with her.
After I said that, Serin looked at me with a smile.
"If I thought that, what’s the problem? Would that be wrong?"
"Eh? Well…"
Then, with a mischievous expression, she asked a question that put me in a difficult spot.
She was definitely doing this on purpose.
Knowing exactly what kind of answer would come out of my mouth.
"I think I wouldn’t like it. If Serin came to a place you had been with another man and brought me there."
At those words, Serin’s eyes curved into a soft, graceful smile.