The Couple Set Challenge
Jinwoo groaned as he stared at the food laid out on the table. “This is… quite something.”
He had assumed a couple’s set wouldn’t be anything special—just two portions of whatever the restaurant normally served. The spread before him, however, far exceeded his expectations. First came the heart-shaped kimchi fried rice. That much he could accept; plenty of barbecue places served fried rice like this. Next was a massive glass of soda with an oddly designed straw twisted into a heart shape. That one was impressive. He had only ever seen something like it in manga. The pièce de résistance was the cube steak, served with an absurdly long fork that stretched nearly the length of an arm.
How on earth are you supposed to eat with that? A quick glance to the side answered the question. Another couple was happily spearing pieces of steak with the oversized fork and feeding each other. Jinwoo’s mind reeled. He understood the concept, but did they really have to go this far? He got that the restaurant was pushing the couple’s set experience, yet this seemed excessive.
“Ahem, ahem. Shall we dig in?”
Unlike the flustered Jinwoo, Eunbyul looked positively eager. She leaned forward and took a long sip from the shared soda. Then she glanced at him, her eyes silently asking what he was waiting for. Jinwoo’s gaze darted around as he searched for an escape route, but Eunbyul’s determined stare made it clear there would be none. If he tried to run now, he had a sinking feeling something even more terrifying awaited him later.
No helping it, I guess.
Resigned, Jinwoo steeled himself and focused on the meal. He brought his lips to the straw. Technically they were using separate straws, so it wasn’t an indirect kiss, yet the simple act of drinking from the same glass still carried a strange sense of guilt. Their faces were inevitably close, and the entire time Eunbyul watched him without blinking while he tried his best to avoid her eyes.
“Phew!”
After only a few sips, Jinwoo exhaled loudly. The moment had felt far longer than it actually was. Eunbyul pouted at his reaction.
“Do you really have to be that sensitive about it?”
“I think this situation warrants it, don’t you?”
Drinking from the same glass while staring at each other required a surprising amount of courage on Jinwoo’s part.
“Hmmm~”
Eunbyul narrowed her eyes, clearly displeased, then stabbed a piece of steak with the long fork and held it out to him.
“Ah~”
…This was still pretty embarrassing. At least he had some practice being fed by her, though his burning cheeks suggested he wasn’t as used to it as he’d like. The fact that every other couple in the restaurant was doing the same thing made it marginally less mortifying. Jinwoo accepted the bite.
“Good boy, our Jinwoo eats so well~”
Eunbyul beamed, clearly enjoying the sight. A mix of mild irritation and quiet happiness spread through his chest.
“How is it? Tasty?”
“Yeah, it’s pretty good.”
He hadn’t expected much, but the steak was surprisingly tender and well-cooked.
“Ahem, ahem. I want some too. Will you feed me?”
“Ugh.”
Being fed had taken courage, but feeding her was no less embarrassing. Still, he couldn’t just eat by himself, and the ridiculous fork made it impossible to do otherwise. With a sigh, he speared another piece.
“Here.”
“Aah~”
Eunbyul opened her small mouth and accepted the meat. She chewed happily, then smiled brightly.
“Wow, this is delicious.”
She looked at him again, and Jinwoo, catching on a beat late, fed her another piece.
…Were they going to keep doing this for the entire meal? Thank goodness there were other couples around. Without them, he never would have agreed to this. Even now his face felt like it was about to burst into flames.
“Hmm, do you think they caught the cow from the zoo for this?”
The casual remark made every nearby couple freeze. Jinwoo hurried to smooth things over.
“…This isn’t a ranch. They probably bought it from somewhere else.”
“Hmm, I suppose so.”
Every life was precious, and every meal should be eaten with gratitude, but the thought of eating an animal you had just been looking at fondly still felt off. At least this zoo didn’t have any cows.
“Come to think of it, how do beastpeople handle their diets? Can they eat meat?”
“Even cat beastpeople don’t go around eating cats.”
“Then what about Korean beef… I mean, cow beastpeople?”
She had just said “cow beastpeople,” hadn’t she?
“Can cow beastpeople eat beef?”
“Uh… I guess most of them would be vegetarians?”
He had never thought that deeply about it. Since they were called “beastpeople,” the base was still human. It was more like humans gaining animal traits rather than animals becoming human. Monks among humans were often vegetarian too. Though a rabbit beastperson eating meat would feel a bit strange.
Huh? Wait. That might actually be interesting.
“Hmm, I should keep that in mind. Eating rabbit in front of a rabbit beastperson would be too much.”
“Yeah, that would be a bit much.”
It wasn’t as if eating meat caused any real problem—animals ate each other all the time—but it was a matter of feeling. At the very least, Jinwoo didn’t want to see characters drooling over each other. Or… maybe that could be entertaining in its own way?
“Hmm, when dealing with so many different species, these details really matter. I’ll have to be careful from now on.”
“Would dog beastpeople be able to eat chocolate? That one worries me a little.”
“Right! That kind of thing! Aah, now I’m getting worried too! Does that mean I have to skip the Valentine’s event?”
Of course, a novel’s setting was ultimately up to the author, and most readers wouldn’t notice such details. Still, Eunbyul was clearly the type of writer who cared about them. Her expression had turned deadly serious. The sight made Jinwoo smile despite himself. Watching her think so hard about her work was strangely attractive.
“…Let’s eat before the food gets cold.”
“Oh, right! I’ve been eating alone. I need to feed our Jinwoo too.”
“Please don’t treat me like a pet.”
The two continued their conversation while feeding each other steak, sharing the soda, and eating the heart-shaped fried rice. The food itself was ordinary, but eating it together somehow made everything taste special.
****
“Whew! I’m stuffed!”
Jinwoo and Eunbyul stepped out of the restaurant wearing satisfied expressions. Eunbyul’s face in particular was glowing.
Jinwoo’s reactions were the best part.
The food had been delicious and the portions generous, more than making up for the slightly awkward eating style. Actually, thinking back, the feeding part hadn’t been so bad either. Moments like this didn’t come around often in life.
In that sense, it was pretty nice.
Seeing all the other couples openly displaying affection while feeding each other made her smile. It was funny to realize that, from an outsider’s perspective, she and Jinwoo were just another one of those couples. Watching Jinwoo carefully try not to mess up while feeding her had been genuinely entertaining. It was almost a shame the event only happened once.
She shook her head. There was still plenty left to enjoy, so there was no point feeling wistful yet.
“Now that we’re full, how about dessert?”
“You’re still hungry after all that?”
Eunbyul wagged her finger at the surprised Jinwoo.
“Tsk tsk, our Jinwoo still doesn’t understand. Women have a separate stomach just for dessert.”
It sounded like some kind of biological miracle. He suspected it was simply an excuse to eat more, but even Jinwoo knew better than to say that out loud.
“Besides, the cat café here is famous. I’ve been wanting to go.”
“Ah, so that was the real goal.”
Eunbyul liked all kinds of animals, but cats were probably her favorite. In her case, it might have more to do with how convenient they were as writing material.
“Huh? Wait a second.”
While checking the café’s location, Eunbyul suddenly pointed somewhere. A balloon was caught on a low tree branch, and a little girl stood beneath it with a tearful face.
Oh, right. They were selling balloons here.
The girl had probably let go by accident. At least the balloon had gotten stuck on the tree instead of floating away, but from her perspective it was still out of reach. Eunbyul turned to Jinwoo.
“Watson, it seems we have a situation that requires your assistance.”
“Uh, well, I appreciate the faith, but even I can’t reach that high.”
Jinwoo didn’t consider himself short, but he wasn’t tall enough to casually pluck a balloon from a tree. Even jumping as high as he could wouldn’t get him there.
“It’s fine! When we combine our powers, nothing is impossible!”
“…Combine?”
…Why did his gloomy predictions never turn out wrong? Jinwoo offered his shoulders for Eunbyul to step on, doing his best not to look up. His face still turned bright red anyway.
“I’m wearing shorts underneath today, so it’s really okay.”
“I’m not okay with it.”
Whether Eunbyul minded or not, the knowledge that she was wearing shorts under her skirt was already plenty stimulating for Jinwoo. More importantly—today she was? Then last time…?
“Got it!”
While Jinwoo was still lost in thought, Eunbyul landed lightly on the ground. The little girl beamed as if she had received a treasure.
“Don’t lose it again, okay?”
“Yeah! Thank you! Handsome big brother, pretty big sister!”
The girl waved several times before running off happily. Eunbyul smiled at the sight.
“She called you a handsome big brother?”
“And you a pretty big sister.”
Eunbyul linked arms with him again, pleased by his answer.
“Shall we head to the café for real this time? The cats are waiting for us!”
Jinwoo matched her steps as she walked ahead with a bright smile. Walking arm in arm had already become second nature to them.