Great Chaos at the Family Restaurant (2): After the Unintended Debut
After my unintended debut, Kang Sung-hoon became a celebrity at school.
"Hey! You're an actor, right?"
"I mean, look at his face..."
"They say you were amazing back then—show us sometime."
I was bombarded with all sorts of comments. A whole week passed like that, sneaking around. Normally, if the person involved stays silent, the fuss dies down. I'd endured it gracefully with that in mind, but...
"Do-kyung sunbae said to pass this to you?"
Han So-ra showed up in our class herself, and that was the end of my low profile. In an instant, all eyes were on me again, and I let out a deep sigh. At the same time, I tore open the envelope she handed me right away.
The contents were, as expected, a theater club acceptance notice. And naturally, the text read—
Accepted. Scriptwriter & Acting (Provisional)
What the hell is this 'provisional' bit? I tilted my head, puzzling over it. Provisional—did it just mean they'd decide later? While I was racking my brain over it...
"Oh, you got in?"
Ha-yoon was suddenly right there. She casually peeked at my acceptance and congratulated me.
"......"
Then she looked at me with an expression like she was expecting something. I knew exactly what it was and pointed at the paper she was holding.
"You got in too?"
"Of course! Who else would they accept?"
She declared it proudly, as if failing had never crossed her mind. We chatted like always, but then Ha-yoon fell quiet for a moment. Like she'd made up her mind about something.
"So, um..."
She trailed off, looking at me. I could guess what was coming next, so I beat her to it.
"You're dying to ask what that acting in the play was about, right?"
"Huh, how'd you know? You got superpowers or something?"
"Nah, just figured you'd ask eventually."
And sure enough, everyone had. Kim Do-kyung sunbae, the club president; energetic So-ra sunbae; pretty much every student who'd asked me how I pulled off that acting, if there was some special trick.
My answer was always the same.
"I'm a huge fan of that book."
"...Huh. Weird."
"What's weird?"
"You don't seem like the bookish type."
Ha-yoon giggled as she said it. To her, I just didn't look like someone who'd be into books.
"But doesn't that apply to you too?"
"Me? Why me?"
"You don't seem like the bookish type either."
I grinned at her. She glanced off into the distance for a second.
"...It's the information age."
"So no need to read books?"
"Kinda... YouTube summarizes everything these days, right?"
We killed time with that pointless banter. A tiny doubt flickered in the corner of my mind, though.
Seol-ah usually jumps in around now...?
Seol-ah was slumped over her desk. She'd been like that all week.
Eh, I'll ask later.
I put it off. We were meeting at the family restaurant for dinner tonight anyway.
I wonder sometimes. Why do we always meet at a family restaurant? Most students prefer cafes. But Seol-ah and Ha-yoon insisted on family restaurants. Then it hit me.
Is this one of those questions with no answer?
That thought put my mind at ease. How was I, a guy, supposed to understand what popular girls think?
So—
"Failed again...!"
"You too, Ha-yoon? Me too..."
I averted my eyes from the scene. That parfait looked wrong—no way raw carrots belonged on a mountain of ice cream.
Yeah. I didn't see that. I shifted my seat to block the horrific parfait from view. At the same time, I pulled out the tablet I'd prepped at home.
Ha-yoon and Seol-ah shoved their parfaits aside like they'd been waiting and zeroed in on the tablet. Ha-yoon's voice trembled.
"This... is it?"
"Yeah. But—"
"We're in here, right?"
"So—"
I sighed midway. I'd used up my daily tackle quota; recharging took a full day. I unlocked the tablet, opened the folder I'd prepared, and played the finished 'Career Interview' video.
This was why we'd come to the family restaurant—to watch the final edit of the career interview I'd slaved over. (Still no clue why here, but I'd decided it didn't matter.)
While I was thinking that, they were glued to the screen.
"Whoa..."
"Looks clean."
"Hey, this part's cut."
"Had to. Who asks a doctor about their salary?"
"Everyone's curious, though?"
"That's different..."
Memories seemed to flood back for them. They chattered about the edits, admired the effects, marveled at the subtitles. Watching them, I felt a swell of satisfaction. All those hours editing paid off.
They kept rewinding, poking at spots, bickering over the progress bar.
Plop—
"Ack...!"
Ha-yoon's uniform got splattered with sauce. Déjà vu hit hard; she jumped up.
"Sorry! Be right back after cleaning up!"
She dashed to the bathroom. And I wasn't the only one feeling the déjà vu.
"Didn't this happen last time too?"
"Yep. Even her mistake is identical."
It had been her own fault back then too. And next came Seol-ah's question, right?
'Are you dating Ha-yoon, Sung-hoon?'
I'd denied it. She'd pouted that it was no fun, and we'd chatted about this and that. But today felt different. Unlike last time when she asked first, it was my turn now.
I looked at Seol-ah digging into her carrot parfait.
"Seol-ah."
"Yeah? What's up?"
"Anything... bad going on?"
Her spoon froze. But just for a second. She scooped up another bite.
"Huh? Why?"
She shoved it in. Her face twisted—probably tasted awful. I watched her.
"Dunno how to put it. You just seem a bit off from usual."
"You've been watching me that closely? ...Creepy."
Seol-ah laughed it off like a joke. Then she glanced around like she was checking for something, scooted closer, and whispered,
"Can't fool you, huh."
Her sudden breath caught me off guard, but I kept my cool.
"So, what's up?"
"Don't tell Ha-yoon, okay?"
She put a finger to her lips. Then hooked her pinky with mine. I matched it with mine. After that little ritual, she spoke gravely.
"Do you know what club I joined?"
"Heard it was board games or counseling."
"...Where'd you hear that? Ha-yoon?"
I nodded slightly. Seol-ah muttered, "Figures, coming from her," then said,
"Both are right. I'm in two clubs right now."
She flashed a tiny V-sign, a bit shy. Brushing that aside,
"And I got confessed to."
"...What?"
"Out of nowhere, right? Even for me."
Seol-ah sighed deeply. I was stunned speechless, and she laughed at my face.
"Surprised?"
"Way too sudden."
"Imagine how I felt. I was freaking out."
The rest was straightforward. Too flustered to respond properly. The guy immediately asked for her number.
"You give it?"
"Of course not! I'm not that out of it!"
No number swap. A polite rejection, but the guy had no clue.
"He's been approaching me every day. So annoying."
Seol-ah grumbled, taking another bite of parfait. I stayed quiet for a bit.
"So."
I spoke softly.
"What're you gonna do?"
Seol-ah stirred the melted mess of a parfait aimlessly.
"...Dunno."
A brief silence. Eyes down, she gathered her thoughts.
"Can't just reject him outright."
"Why?"
"He's not just some average guy."
She took a short breath.
"He's central in the club. Controls the vibe a lot."
Ah, I got the picture.
"Reject too harshly, and club life's a pain."
"Yeah."
Seol-ah nodded.
"So... waiting for the right moment."
"Make it natural?"
"Yeah. Least awkward for both sides."
She forced down another bite and grimaced.
"...Ugh, this is so gross."
"Why keep eating it?"
"Already paid."
Plain as that. I didn't pry further. I'd heard enough. Dinner wrapped up.
Exactly three days later. Home from school, I dropped my bag and flopped onto the bed.
"Haa..."
A short sigh. Nothing special about the day. Staring at the ceiling, thinking that—
Ding.
My smartphone buzzed. Group chat. Me, Park Ha-yoon, Lee Seol-ah. The usual three-person room.
I unlocked the screen absentmindedly.
And my hand froze.
One message floating in the chat. Short. Simple.