I was clearly watching the ocean with a blonde girl I didn’t know, but when I came to, I was surrounded by men.
Jingi barely managed to pull himself out of his imagination to look around.
The car was comfortable, filled with the scent of cool perfume.
Beyond the window, Baek Jaehui was jumping up and down in confusion, and Joo Unyoung’s face, tapping against the driver’s side, was cast in a dark, murky shadow.
“Hello, Jingi.”
Passersby glanced at us.
The car’s soundproofing was impeccable.
Baek Jaehui’s voice was barely audible, and I couldn’t hear a word of what Joo Unyoung was saying.
“I thought as much. Good thing I brought the car.”
The man who had taken off his sunglasses—no, Joo Hyeonje—stepped on the gas and sped down the road.
When I looked back in a daze, Baek Jaehui and Joo Unyoung were still standing there.
By the time those two tall guys looked as small as cotton swabs, Joo Hyeonje tapped my thigh.
“Put your belt on, baby.”
“…Baby?”
“Why, don’t you like it?”
“We’re only a year apart…”
I grumbled, but I buckled up.
I thought it was fortunate to be left alone as I had wanted, but I also felt a bit guilty toward Joo Unyoung and Baek Jaehui.
It was true that we had made plans to meet, but I hadn’t expected him to drag me off like a kidnapping.
“…If I hadn’t come out, would you have tracked my GPS?”
I joked, smiling awkwardly.
However, Joo Hyeonje straightened his back and took a moment to deliberate.
“I thought about going to your house, but that’s also a good idea.”
It was supposed to be a joke…
“Y-you know where I live?”
“My pretty Unyoung has been hanging out with you lately, so I got curious and put someone on you.”
“…….”
He didn’t need a GPS; he had plenty of other ways.
Hearing things that sounded like they came straight out of a movie or drama made it feel surreal.
I lowered my eyes and turned on my phone.
Then, I sent a message to Go Yeol: [Help me ㅠㅇㅠ]
We arrived at a Korean restaurant made of a large hanok (traditional house).
An unusual atmosphere flowed from the entrance.
Soon, an employee dressed in hanbok came out to take Joo Hyeonje’s car keys.
Jingi blinked, looking at the man they called the valet with curious eyes.
‘They have places like this?’
“Korean food is okay, right?”
“Ah, yes…”
‘If you were going to ask, you could have asked sooner.’
In truth, Jingi preferred chicken, pizza, or snacks over Korean food, so I let my voice trail off.
I remembered when I was trying to get a Korean cuisine chef certificate back in my past life while taking various tests.
The written exam wasn’t that hard and I passed right away, but I failed the practical exam many times despite paying all that expensive money.
“Two servings of the set menu, please.”
As I followed them, we ended up inside a room.
It was quite large for just two people, and the table was huge.
Thinking about other restaurants, this would have been an 8-seater.
Furthermore, there was the sound of a trickling stream on one side.
Clear water flowed to the right, and orange goldfish flicked their tails in the water.
‘Do people normally keep goldfish in a palace? This is Korea, shouldn’t they be keeping something like croakers? No, croakers are too delicious, so it would be a waste to just keep them. Right, I should eat them.’
“What are you looking at so intently?”
“Croakers—no, the goldfish.”
“Is it interesting?”
“No, just because.”
Actually, I was just letting my eyes wander because it was awkward.
It was an awkward thought that had come out of nowhere—thinking about croakers while looking at goldfish.
If I’d known it would turn out like this, I would have held onto Joo Unyoung even if it meant breaking my wrist.
Eating a meal with a 19-year-old kid I barely knew made me feel nauseous.
I felt like a salesman—the kind who has to sit in front of a stranger, grin, and pitch a company product.
Joo Hyeonje’s clothing and behavior only made me feel that way more.
He was big, looked like he was in his mid-20s, and had an imported car, sunglasses, and what looked like a very expensive watch and shirt.
I didn’t know the first thing about luxury goods, but I knew he wasn’t your average high school senior.
I scanned him briefly and then looked away.
“You have something to say?”
“No, I don’t…”
“Your face says otherwise. Are you unhappy about being dragged here?”
‘Yes, I am, you jerk.’
“No, I’m not…”
I’d wanted to be alone with him, as I’d hoped, but now I wondered why.
How was I supposed to eat and digest food in this situation?
I glared at the barley tea in the white porcelain cup, on the verge of tears.
Just then, the sound of knocking on the door to my left gave me a breather.
The employee said softly, “I’m opening the door,” and opened it.
Dark shadows fell as the elegant hanok-style sliding door pulled apart.
“Oh?”
Expecting the employee to walk in, I looked up in surprise at a much larger shadow than I’d anticipated.
It was Go Yeol.
I’d thought Baek Jaehui or Joo Unyoung might have followed, but I hadn’t imagined Go Yeol would come, so my round eyes widened even further.
“Yeol?”
Then I remembered the message I’d sent.
‘Did he see it and come running?’
Just as I was about to smile brightly in relief, Baek Jaehui and Joo Unyoung poked their heads in behind him.
The three of them bustled past the employee and sat down.
“Huh? What? How did you guys get here?”
“Are you more surprised by us than Go Yeol?
We grabbed a taxi and followed you immediately.
We went back for Go Yeol and then came back here—we didn’t even miss much.”
Joo Unyoung sat to my left, near the door, and Go Yeol sat to my right.
Baek Jaehui sat next to Joo Hyeonje—right across from me.
Despite the sharp glares from the three additional guests, Joo Hyeonje smiled broadly, unfazed.
“I knew you’d come.”
“…….”
“I knew you weren’t the type to give up that easily.”
My face lit up, glad to have people here to break the awkward atmosphere.
‘Thank goodness. If I’d eaten with just him, I definitely would have gotten indigestion!’
The guys sat huddled together like a family, and while their expressions weren’t exactly pleasant, I didn’t care.
Joo Hyeonje was a crazy lunatic who was in love with his own brother, so there was no way I could stop him.
I had hoped not to get too involved, but since it had come to this, what could I do?
Expecting it to be delicious since it was an expensive place, I couldn’t hide my excitement and watched the goldfish over Go Yeol’s shoulder.
“The food isn’t out yet.”
“Ah, right! I should order for you guys too.”
“I already ordered. I asked for three extra servings.”
“You did? Good job.”
“Yeah. I did a good job, didn’t I?”
Joo Unyoung smiled until his eyes crinkled.
For some reason, I felt a sense of murderous intent in that smile, so I sipped my barley tea.
I must have read a meaning into that smile, like, ‘You did a great job running off alone, didn’t you?’ and I felt self-conscious.
Honestly, what had I done wrong?
I’d been held by the wrist and kept still because of their words about going together.
It wasn’t my fault they couldn’t catch up; it was because Joo Hyeonje had pulled me away like a kidnapping.
I placed my hands on my knees, fidgeted, pulled my cushion closer, and clung to Go Yeol’s side.
“I thought about reporting this to the police.”
“You should have. Why didn’t you?”
“Because I was worried about Jingi.”
“You’re close. Were you always such an affectionate person, Unyoung?”
Joo Hyeonje spat out the sarcasm with a calm face.
Joo Unyoung countered just as naturally.
The air between them was cold.
It wasn’t hot enough for them to start grabbing each other by the collars just yet.
It was as if this happened often.
“Even if I weren’t that type of person, anyone would worry if someone like you dragged him off like that. And since Jingi is someone I cherish, I’d be even more worried, wouldn’t I?”
In the dry silence, the employee quietly entered and poured barley tea for the three latecomers.
Then, they placed yogurt topped with cinnamon powder, blueberries, and raspberries in front of us.
Even then, the Ju brothers continued their back-and-forth without skipping a beat.
“I’m kidding, I’m kidding. Besides, it was originally an appointment for the two of us; shouldn’t you be grateful that I let you join?”
“Are you sure it was an appointment? Choi Jingi looked like he didn’t want to go.”
“Really? But Jingi was the one who picked the date, wasn’t he? Right, Jingi?”
“It was basically forced, though. I saw you whining like a puppy that needed to use the bathroom from this morning.”
As I was about to scoop up some yogurt with my spoon, the two blonde-haired men turned their heads and stared at me intensely.
I gasped in surprise, holding my breath, then quickly drank the barley tea Go Yeol handed me.
It was perfectly warm as it flowed down my throat.
I cleared my throat and looked down, hoping that if I pretended not to hear, they’d stop talking to each other.
A blueberry spun around, then fell back into the bowl.
“Choi Jingi, tell us. He met you because you insisted on meeting him one-sidedly, didn’t he?”
“Wow… if you put it that way, what does that make me? We’re just senior and junior, close ones.”
“Close, my foot. If you were just close, he wouldn’t act like a puppy that’s just found its master the moment the door opens.”
“Am I the master? Pfft… you didn’t even ask the kid for his opinion before grabbing the leash, Unyoung?”
‘A puppy that’s found its master.’
What did he say earlier?
Did he call me a puppy that needed to use the bathroom?
I tried to picture my face, but it wasn’t the kind of face that would be compared to a puppy.
Choi Jingi was described in the story as having a slightly sharp image with bold, masculine features.
If they were going to describe me that way, I think I understood a little bit about how excitedly I had welcomed the three of them.
I gulped, watching the two of them, and scooped up some yogurt.
They continued their conversation, ignoring my opinion entirely.
The sweet and sour yogurt, berries, and the slightly bitter cinnamon powder went strangely well together.
“Hey, is that good?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you want to eat mine? I hate cinnamon.”
I was scraping my bowl clean when Baek Jaehui shoved his bowl toward me.
My eyes widened in surprise, then I beamed and accepted it.
If someone gives you food, you can’t refuse.
“Thank you.”
“Yeah.”
