Chapter 66 - Our Private Afterparty
Rrring! Rrring!
Late afternoon, while I was casually enjoying my game, my phone started ringing insistently.
The moment I glanced at it, a smile tugged at my lips.
It was none other than Na-eun calling, fresh out of her club orientation.
I grabbed the phone and answered right away.
"Hello, Na-eun?"
"Hello~ Oppa~! What're you up to~?"
"What else? Playing games."
"You really love games, huh, Oppa."
I figured it's about average for guys. Probably.
"Orientation over already?"
"Yep! Just finished! I got to school and I'm heading home now!"
It takes about 40-50 minutes from her school to our neighborhood.
"I'll come pick you up."
"Huh? No need! I just wanted to hear your voice, that's why I called!"
"Still, I'll come get you. The station okay?"
"…Yeah, please do."
Na-eun seemed secretly pleased I'd come, even adding a little plea about the station.
I hung up, finished my game, and couldn't escape anyway.
I wrapped up the game, changed clothes, and headed straight to the station where Na-eun would be waiting.
It takes about 20 minutes, so she'd probably arrive around the same time as me.
Thinking that, I quickened my pace a bit.
Of course, I had to take the bus, so no matter how fast I walked, it depended on the bus.
Unfortunately, it didn't speed along, and we ended up arriving almost at the same time.
I sat on the bench at the subway station, waiting for Na-eun…
"Oppa~!"
Na-eun came toddling toward me at full speed.
"Na-eun, you're here."
"Yep! Did I keep you waiting long?"
"Nah, not really."
I'd just arrived myself, so no waiting to speak of.
I took her hand and asked,
"How was orientation?"
Not entirely pleased with my grip, Na-eun slipped her hand free and readjusted it.
Her small fingers slid between mine.
She wanted to interlock fingers, my Na-eun.
I squeezed her hand lightly, looking at her, and she beamed back with a shy smile.
"It was fun. We played drinking games without actually drinking, and no hazing or anything gross like that."
"Good to hear. You better not haze the freshmen either."
"Pfft, do I look like the type?"
No, she's not. Na-eun's too far removed from that stuff.
She might not even care much about underclassmen. If she did, she'd be kind to them anyway.
"Aww, my Na-eun's such a good girl~"
"Hehehehe."
Her little giggle tickled my ear.
Just seeing her made me so happy. I really do love Na-eun.
"Na-eun, I'll walk you home then."
"Nooo, I don't wanna!"
Na-eun shook her head and told me,
"I'd rather spend more time with you than go straight home."
"More time with me?"
"Yeah, so…"
She trailed off teasingly, then dangled something irresistible.
"How about we do our own little afterparty?"
Perfect. Club afterparty. Sounds amazing.
I nodded, and somehow we ended up at a tonkatsu place together.
"I was dying for tonkatsu! Especially this sweet potato cheese one! You know how bad I wanted it~?"
Na-eun casually ordered the sweet potato cheese tonkatsu, and I went for a plain loin cutlet.
"Didn't they feed you well there?"
"First day we grilled meat, but no one was good at it, so like a third got burned."
"Oof… that's a waste."
"Right? Seniors offered to grill, but they kept burning it a little, so sad…"
Yeah, that'd bum anyone out.
"And yesterday during drinking games, tonkatsu came up, and I just craved it."
"I see."
Normally, Na-eun would've picked pasta over tonkatsu.
She genuinely prefers that stuff.
But today, she was dead serious about tonkatsu.
Why? This place has pasta too.
Skipping it for sweet potato cheese means she's truly in the mood for it.
"Oppa, I have a part-time job interview soon."
"Where at?"
"That bakery in the neighborhood."
"The one near the entrance?"
"Yeah, that one."
I know the place.
Old bakery that's been around since I lived here.
They posted for help recently—looks like Na-eun's going for it.
"Pay and conditions?"
"A bit above minimum wage, and they'll adjust hours around my classes."
"What'll you do?"
"Bake bread from set recipes, make coffee for orders, handle the register."
"You make the bread too?"
"Yeah, they say I have to do it myself. Probably a test when I go."
And it's only a tad above minimum? Part-time gigs are tough these days.
"Still, good pocket money."
"Hehe, yeah. What about you, Oppa? No part-time?"
"I need one too."
I'd planned to keep tutoring like I did with her.
Good CSAT scores, solid uni, experience—easy to take on boys now.
"I'll do tutoring."
"Tutoring…?"
Na-eun shot me a glare, her voice turning downright menacing.
"You're not planning to tutor girls, right?"
"Absolutely not. Before you, I only had two boys. Sticking to guys from now on."
She sighed in relief, patting her chest.
"Good, then."
She looked so sincere, rubbing her chest like that.
Cute, lovable—and it made me feel guilty for not earning her full trust yet.
"When I take on students, I'll tell you all about what kind of guys they are."
She shook her head immediately.
"Don't."
"Why?"
"Why do you think."
No hesitation as she confessed,
"I'd get jealous. Of some girl hogging you while I'm not around."
So lovable.
God, Na-eun Jeong is too precious.
* * *
The sweet potato cheese tonkatsu arrived.
Yesterday during games, someone described it so vividly as the prompt that my stomach growled right then.
Now that crispy, chewy, sweet delight was in front of me, making my mouth water.
"Let's eat~"
"Let's eat."
Seonwoo Oppa and I dug into our tonkatsu, and it tasted exactly like I'd imagined—pure bliss.
"Mmmmmm~"
"That good, Na-eun?"
I swallowed everything in my mouth and nodded vigorously.
"Yes, so good."
So good we'd devour it all without noticing if one of us dropped dead.
Oppa chuckled at that.
"Wanna try this?"
He offered a piece of his loin tonkatsu—I couldn't refuse the gesture.
But then I had to give him one back…
…Problem was, sweet potato cheese pieces are huge, so there aren't many to begin with.
Still, for Oppa, it wasn't a big deal. I went to hand one over, but he refused.
"I don't love sweet potato cheese anyway. You eat it."
Honey practically dripped from his eyes.
I knew it instantly: He loves it too, but loves watching me eat it more.
What a guy. Which made me want to give him one even more.
"Oppa, I have too much. Take just one."
He reluctantly nodded a tiny bit.
"Thanks, but that's all you've got left."
He gave me two more pieces of his loin in return.
Couldn't turn that down, so I smiled and nodded.
"Thank you, Oppa."
He nodded back with a pleased smile.
Just eating tonkatsu. That's all it was, yet it made me this happy.
Seonwoo Oppa, my handsome, wonderful, lovable boyfriend.
I don't want to share him with anyone.
Want him all to myself forever, by my side forever.
He sparked that kind of possessiveness.
"Dig in."
"Yeah, you too."
Every word so sweet.
No other guy like him in the world. For real.