* * *
Eungyeol, whose words had been cut off when Yeongdeok jumped in earlier, voiced his opinion once more.
“I’m fine with it, too.”
With both Yeongdeok and Eungyeol in agreement, Seonwoo clapped his hands together and looked over at Jihoon.
“And what about you, Jihoon?”
At Seonwoo’s question, Yeongdeok also turned his gaze towards Jihoon.
Now that both Yeongdeok and Eungyeol had agreed, Jihoon felt cornered.
It was extremely difficult to be the only one to refuse.
Even if he did, there was no guarantee that Yeongdeok would back him up.
After all, Cha Yeongdeok lived life strictly his own way.
“Do whatever you want.”
With no real choice, Jihoon responded indifferently.
Seonwoo took that as a yes and smiled gratefully.
“Well then, since chances like this don’t come often, let’s eat together. Eungyeol, come over here.”
Seonwoo gestured for Eungyeol to sit beside him.
As Eungyeol moved over, Yeongdeok took the seat where Eungyeol had been sitting.
“Hey, what are you thinking?”
Jihoon, who had quickly scooted next to Yeongdeok, whispered in a voice the others couldn’t hear.
“What do you mean?”
“This is an awkward situation. Why are you going along with that guy?”
Jihoon pointed his chin towards Seonwoo.
The Cha Yeongdeok he knew would have flatly rejected Seonwoo’s absurd suggestion from the start, calling it nonsense.
“Are you really Cha Yeongdeok?”
“What kind of nonsense are you spouting? Did you not sleep enough?”
“You talk like Yeongdeok, so I guess it’s you.”
Jihoon squinted as if trying to read Yeongdeok’s mind, though he knew it wouldn’t help.
“This is really unexpected. I thought I was seeing things at first.”
“What are you talking about?”
Seonwoo blinked rapidly, still in disbelief.
“You two seem pretty close to come to a place like this together. How did that happen?”
By ‘you two,’ Seonwoo clearly meant Jihoon and Yeongdeok.
Normally, Yeongdeok would have laughed and said something like, “Friends with an idiot like him? Don’t be ridiculous.”
But right now, the truth of whether or not he was close to Jihoon didn’t matter.
What mattered was not ruining the story in front of Eungyeol.
That was the most important thing.
So, what’s the best answer…?
Just as Yeongdeok reached his conclusion and opened his mouth to speak, Jihoon spoke at the same time.
“We’re not really close.”
“We’re very close. Extremely close.”
Jihoon’s jaw dropped as he stared at Yeongdeok, who, to his shock, wrapped an arm affectionately around his shoulders.
“We became friends after becoming neighbors. There’s been a lot that’s happened since, right?”
Yeongdeok smiled warmly, his face soft and kind—a stark contrast to his usual demeanor.
His voice was also unusually gentle. Jihoon’s face paled instantly.
“What the hell. Why are you acting like this…?”
Yeongdeok pulled Jihoon even closer.
Jihoon felt a shiver run down his spine, as if he had walked into a haunted house.
“Hey. What are you doing?”
“What do you mean?”
Yeongdeok smiled innocently again.
The contrast between his friendly smile and the growing discomfort Jihoon felt was enough to make Jihoon swallow hard.
His ears felt strangely hot, so Jihoon turned his gaze to the empty partition in a futile attempt to cool down.
“Really? It’s strange to see Yeongdeok act like that toward anyone….”
Seonwoo rested his chin on his hands, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.
Though he smiled, his gaze toward Yeongdeok was cold, like frost.
Listening to the conversation, Eungyeol, who had been silent until now, fidgeted with his fingers before balling them into a fist.
Unable to hold back his frustration, he looked at Jihoon with a bit of resentment.
“Why didn’t you tell me? That you two were close.”
“Huh?”
“I didn’t even know you were neighbors with Dowon.”
Jihoon scratched the back of his neck, awkwardly looking at what seemed to be a slightly upset Eungyeol.
He had always avoided talking about Yeongdeok in front of Eungyeol.
After all, who in their right mind would bring up someone the other person didn’t like?
“Are you mad?”
“I’m not mad, but…”
Eungyeol glanced at Yeongdeok.
His drastically changed hairstyle, his more casual clothes, and his sudden warmth towards Jihoon—it all made Yeongdeok seem like a completely different person from the cold, sharp figure he once was.
Though Yeongdeok knew that Eungyeol was watching him, he pretended not to notice, pulling a glass from the stack in front of him.
Just as he was about to pour some water, Eungyeol’s nervous voice broke through.
“Um, Dowon.”
Yeongdeok turned his eyes towards Eungyeol, locking eyes with him across the table.
For Eungyeol, it had only been a few months since he last saw this person who made him so uncomfortable.
But for Yeongdeok, it had been so long that he couldn’t even remember the last time they had faced each other like this.
However, something crucial was different now.
“Yeongdeok.”
“Huh?”
“My name is now Cha Yeongdeok. I changed it.”
Yeongdeok’s curt correction left Eungyeol stunned, his expression blank.
Then, with an awkward smile, Eungyeol apologized.
“Oh. Sorry about that. I did wonder why everyone was calling you Yeongdeok. But why did you change your name?”
The more Eungyeol talked, the more it felt to Yeongdeok like he was playing along with a charade.
In a sudden outburst, Yeongdeok shoved all the glasses off the table, smashing them to the floor.
The loud crash echoed painfully in the ears of everyone at the table.
An awkward silence fell over them.
Everyone stared at Yeongdeok in shock, but his next words were even more startling.
“Oh dear, that was a mistake.”
Despite his apologetic tone, his face showed no sign of remorse.
With no one saying a word, Jihoon finally spoke up on behalf of everyone.
“That was clearly on purpose. What are you doing?”
Jihoon grabbed Yeongdeok’s shoulder, trying to make sense of his behavior.
But instead of snapping like usual, Yeongdeok just smiled.
What’s going on?
What’s wrong with him?
Jihoon pulled his hand away, horrified.
At that moment, a staff member rushed over, drawn by the noise.
Yeongdeok addressed them politely.
“I… I’m sorry. I dropped them by accident.”
“No worries, it’s fine.”
As the staff began sweeping up the broken glass, Yeongdeok, watching silently, decided to share a bit of random knowledge.
“When cleaning up broken glass, it’s safer to use rubber gloves. And for the smaller shards, you can use tape.”
Where in the world could you find someone else as obsessively detail-oriented as Cha Yeongdeok?
Yeongdeok felt strangely proud of himself, but Seonwoo looked at him like he had lost his mind.
“Cha Yeongdeok, did you eat something weird today?”
“I’m perfectly fine.”
Despite Seonwoo’s sharp comment, Yeongdeok just smiled.
Even Eungyeol, who had been uncomfortable with Yeongdeok, couldn’t help but express concern.
“Yeongdeok, if something’s wrong, you should see a doctor….”
“I’m fine. Now, let’s decide what to eat.”
As Yeongdeok opened the menu, his eyes gleamed with a strange intensity.
Only one thought filled his head: ‘What dish would a controlling, obsessive person absolutely refuse to eat?’
“Hey, the food here is all great, but I heard the pasta is especially good.”
Jihoon, recalling a recommendation from a friend, suggested the pasta to Yeongdeok, but it fell on deaf ears. Instead, Seonwoo answered.
“Really? Then let’s try the pasta. What about you, Eungyeol?”
Seonwoo casually brushed back Eungyeol’s stray hair as they joked around.
Jihoon thought even Cha Yeongdeok would react, but Yeongdeok remained glued to the menu.
“What are you staring at so intently, Mr. Cha Yeongdeok?”
“I’ve decided.”
Yeongdeok found something on the menu that the obsessive, overbearing character would never eat and closed it with a snap.
“What are you getting?” Jihoon asked.
Yeongdeok’s answer came out confidently. “The kids’ meal.”
A strange silence fell over the table again.
* * *
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15 chapters more 🥰👌🏻
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kids meal so too much TTT
Gosh, The second-hand embarrassment 🫣
I can’t ✋🏻😭💀
throwing cups = Cat Cha
Thank you for the chapter !
Wait that’s so funny…I’m rolling on the ground laughing
Thanks for the chapter 😁🤣🤣🤣
“the kid’s meal”
yeongdeok might actually get a taste for kidsmeal if this keeps up
I’d do the same shit ngl like you bitches intruded on my outing so I’ll make you uncomfortable ‼️‼️‼️‼️
Go Youngdeok. Oppose the hell out of the story narrative😆
Yeongdeok really met god basically and decided to live his life to spite him and I’ve gotta respect that tbh
Wow I like thsi
My cute chicken 😭💕🐾
🤣😂
Pllss, i can imagine yeongdeok saying ‘the kid’s meal’ with a deadpan face😭
LMAOOO
As always, thank you for the chapter.
Sw stop that annoying act….ruined the cute little date of jh and yd😤
Siendo sincera si la comida de niños fuera más apetitosa que la normal también la pediría 🤣
Estou amando cada vez mais essa história❤️❤️❤️
Obrigada pelo capítulo ❤️❤️