* * *
Of course, some things had changed.
Sejin was taller, broader, and no longer had the purely youthful look of a kid.
Though still young, he now looked unmistakably like an adult in his early twenties.
On the other hand, the impression that he was difficult to approach remained unchanged.
There was also the aura of not caring at all about how others perceived or evaluated him.
When Taehyun first met Sejin, other athletes found it hard to approach him too.
Partly because of the trouble Sejin had caused on the fencing team, but also because of his aloof attitude, other athletes in different sports subtly avoided or, at the very least, acted as if he didn’t exist.
‘Back then, it felt like he’d explode if you so much as touched him…’
In a way, he could be described as arrogant in a bad sense, or a skilled person who maintained his pace without being swayed by others in a good sense.
Once you realized that he only kept his guard up because he didn’t know how to interact comfortably with others, he was quite endearing.
Now, that explosive tension had faded, leaving only a quiet yet unyielding strength.
Everyone grows a little as they age.
Though the sharp cuteness had faded, the traces of his boyishness remained, and Taehyun couldn’t help but chuckle to himself.
“When you first joined the training in Korea, no one could casually talk to you. You had this vibe like they’d get in trouble if they did.”
Taehyun scooped the well-simmered broth into Sejin’s bowl with a ladle as he added, and Sejin quickly took the ladle from him, saying,
“What about you?”
As if to insist that he wasn’t a child, Sejin diligently tried to scoop the contents of the pot into Taehyun’s bowl, but the escaping glass noodles made Taehyun stifle his laughter as he replied.
“Me? Well, I thought, ‘What a rude brat, picking fights here and there, basically asking for attention.'”
“It was hard to just ignore you when you were protesting.”
When Taehyun shared his impression, which he believed to be entirely objective, Sejin’s face flushed, and he turned his head away.
It seemed he was aware that he had been quite rude to others, even by his own standards.
“It wasn’t that bad.”
“It wasn’t? You kept saying you were fine on your own and not to worry, only to end up caught sulking alone at home.”
As Taehyun pointed out the specific incident, Sejin, embarrassed, covered his face with the back of his hand and protested.
“That was just once.”
“And that one time left a strong impression.”
“…”
Unable to deny it, Sejin mumbled something under his breath and picked up his chopsticks.
The meat was tender, and as Taehyun had promised it was a great restaurant, so with just a few movements of his chopsticks, a thick slice of meat fell apart.
As soon as Sejin picked up the meat, Taehyun pointed to the sauce dish in front of them, as if urging him to dip it and try.
“…I’ve had Gamjatang (pork bone soup) before.”
“When? With your team?”
Taehyun’s ears perked up at Sejin’s grumbling reply.
That antisocial guy would never voluntarily go along with something like that.
Was it a team dinner?
A reward for winning a medal? Gamjatang for a top fencer like him?
As Taehyun’s curiosity spiraled, Sejin turned his head and mumbled again.
“Just eat already.”
With that, Sejin also dipped his meat into the sauce and began chewing.
Taehyun found himself staring at Sejin’s unrealistically handsome face, which didn’t seem to match the rustic dish of Gamjatang.
His soft cheeks, still slightly flushed, his elegantly shaped nose, and his full lips—Taehyun couldn’t help but think that Sejin had a noble, almost aristocratic appearance, something Sejin probably wouldn’t appreciate hearing.
In contrast, Taehyun had a more down-to-earth and approachable look.
He never thought he lacked in looks, but he didn’t have that delicate, striking appearance.
Not that he cared much; he wasn’t planning on becoming a celebrity.
But looking at someone like Sejin, it was hard not to think that some people really were born to live off their looks.
Not that it mattered much, since Sejin wasn’t a celebrity either, but an athlete.
Anyway, with the earlier awkwardness between them gone, Taehyun relaxed and focused on conquering the pot of Gamjatang in front of them.
°❀•°❀°•❀°
“Thank you, sir! The meal was delicious!”
After finishing the meal, including the fried rice at the end, the two headed to the counter. Sejin quickly pulled out his card, but it was no use.
“Don’t worry about it. I’m not so broke that I need you to pay. I’ve done plenty of commercials and TV shows myself.”
And that was true.
With a bank balance that was several times higher than the average for someone in their late twenties, he wasn’t about to let a kid, whom he last saw as a minor, pay for his meal.
Naturally, the restaurant owner, who had known Taehyun for a long time, sided with him, chuckling as he waited for Taehyun to take out his wallet instead of accepting Sejin’s card.
“I’ll pay with this.”
“Alright, that’ll be 46,000 won.”
“Got it.”
Despite ignoring Sejin’s card earlier, the owner readily took Taehyun’s as soon as he offered it, leaving Sejin with a bewildered expression.
It was too late, though. Taehyun casually took his card and receipt and headed over to get some ice cream for dessert.
Sejin, after glancing between the counter and Taehyun, followed him to the ice cream freezer.
Before he knew it, he found himself holding a triple-scoop ice cream cone that Taehyun had handed to him, while Taehyun himself had only a single small scoop on his cone.
“Hurry up, or it’ll melt.”
Taehyun added nonchalantly as he walked out of the restaurant, leaving Sejin to follow with his triple-scoop cone in hand.
Once they were outside, Sejin quickly asked, not wanting to miss his chance.
“Did you drive here today?”
Taehyun responded with a curious tone.
“Yeah, why?”
Taehyun tilted his head, wondering why Sejin, of all people, would need to ask for a ride.
Sejin promptly explained.
“You didn’t order any alcohol.”
“Oh, I have to drive back.”
He could’ve called for a designated driver if needed, but since it wasn’t a big group gathering, there was no need to drink.
Besides, Sejin didn’t seem like the type who enjoyed drinking much, so it didn’t really matter. Taehyun shrugged and added,
“What about you? Did you drive?”
Given Sejin’s status as a sports star, Taehyun assumed he must have a car, even if he was only twenty-two.
But Sejin’s answer surprised him.
“I took a taxi.”
“Huh?”
A sports star who shot twenty commercials in a year was taking a taxi?
Taehyun raised an eyebrow, surprised that someone who seemed so concerned about privacy would use public transportation.
“You didn’t get a car? I’m sure plenty of sponsors would’ve offered you one. You even did a commercial for H Motors.”
Sejin had appeared in a popular commercial, sword in hand, facing off against a beast in a dark setting.
It was a hit, largely because Sejin looked so handsome in it, though many people wondered why he was fighting a beast with just a sword in the first place.
Despite its popularity, the SUV featured in the commercial ended up being almost forgotten, leading to it being considered a failure.
⤷ All I remember is Sejin’s face.
⤷ I didn’t even realize there was a car in the background until I watched it ten times.
⤷ Aren’t they supposed to be selling the car? I didn’t even notice it, lol.
Anyway, despite starring in such a talked-about commercial, Sejin still didn’t have a car?
Maybe it was in the shop?
Taehyun looked at Sejin, who answered with a calm expression.
“I’m not really interested in cars.”
“But it would be convenient.”
Taehyun almost added, “It’d be nice for taking a girlfriend out on dates,” but caught himself before the words slipped out.
After all, wasn’t the reason they were here together in the first place that Sejin didn’t have a girlfriend or wasn’t interested in dating?
Finally, Taehyun asked the question that had been on his mind all evening.
“But why do you need a mating partner?”
To Sejin, the question probably seemed out of the blue, with many steps in Taehyun’s thought process skipped, but that didn’t matter much.
* * *
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