Now, it seemed that it was the most important thing to him.
But I was a little different. Of course, it wasn’t that I wanted to use guiding as an excuse to have more skinship. If anything, it would be the other way around. Like… progressing our relationship through dating first, and then applying that to guiding…
Of course, I had already cleared that hurdle a long time ago. The vivid memories of our intense skinship lingered strong in my mind—strong enough that even now, it would make my face flush bright red from time to time.
“W-Would you like to eat?”
Afraid that he might catch a glimpse of the images flashing through my mind, I hurriedly changed the subject and picked up my chopsticks. Luckily, Cha Jae-woo silently picked up his own chopsticks as well.
“……”
“……”
After barely pushing aside the awkward thoughts, I stole a glance at Cha Jae-woo. For some reason, I found myself wanting to watch him eat ramen—something so mundane, yet now oddly fascinating.
It’s not like it’s normal to stare at someone just because they’re eating.
Still, it couldn’t be helped since it had been so long since we last shared a meal together. Besides, of all things, the menu today was ramen. Wasn’t it only natural to be curious how Cha Jae-woo, who had likely grown up eating only the finest foods, would react?
“Aren’t you eating?”
Cha Jae-woo, without any hesitation, took a mouthful of noodles. Then, noticing how I was simply sitting there staring at him, he said a few words.
Unfortunately, neither his expression nor his emotions changed in the slightest. How was it? Was it not good? It probably wasn’t, right? Wasn’t it tasty? Why was I even so curious about something so trivial?
In the end, instead of eating my ramen, I asked him a question.
“How is it? Is it really bad? Should we eat something else instead?”
Maybe I sounded too frantic, because Cha Jae-woo frowned slightly.
“Why are you being so self-conscious?”
But Cha Jae-woo’s question was different from what I had expected. Had I really been acting self-conscious? Realizing it only after he pointed it out, I felt a bit flustered.
“Me?”
But then again… maybe he wasn’t entirely wrong. I had been watching his every move, trying to figure out how to keep him with me, so to him, it probably looked that way.
“Um… I wasn’t.”
Of course, trust between people was the most important thing, but there were still things you just couldn’t admit so easily. Consoling myself with that excuse, I quickly shook my head.
“You already ate, didn’t you?”
However, when he followed up with another question, I couldn’t bring myself to tell the same lie again.
How did he know? Was it obvious because I wasn’t eating? It wasn’t that I didn’t want to eat—it’s just that I wanted to look at Cha Jae-woo more…
“W-What about you, Cha Jae-woo-ssi?”
Unable to withstand the embarrassment, I turned the question back on him and hurriedly shoved a mouthful of ramen into my mouth. Ramen always tasted the same anyway, but maybe because it was Cha Jae-woo who cooked it, it somehow felt more delicious. Ridiculous.
“I ate.”
Cha Jae-woo answered casually. I had suspected it was a lie, but hearing him admit it so plainly left me feeling a little dumbfounded.
“What the heck…”
Cha Jae-woo raised his eyebrows slightly. It felt like he was apologizing for lying, but at the same time, also asking, Aren’t you the same?
“……Me too.”
Unable to dodge that gaze, I confessed too, even as I kept eating ramen.
It was unbearably embarrassing.
What if he asked why? What would I even say? Because I wanted to stay with him a little longer? Because I wanted to tease the awkward, frozen Cha Jae-woo just a bit? Because I wished something would change between us, something more than just this ambiguous relationship?
“You did good.”
While I was half-panicking, mortified by all the things I couldn’t possibly say out loud, Cha Jae-woo nodded and spoke. He didn’t ask why. Instead, just like me, he focused solely on eating.
The small pot of ramen disappeared in no time. During that span, we exchanged no words.
Well, there wasn’t really anything appropriate to say. I wasn’t curious about how the ramen tasted anymore. It felt like my pounding heart was telling me there were more important things to focus on than that.
“Thank you for the meal.”
Despite saying we had eaten, there was no lingering attachment to the ramen, which disappeared after just a few bites. What I regretted was losing a reason to keep Cha Jae-woo here.
“Then, I’ll clean up and start guiding right away.”
Still, it wouldn’t do to be too greedy from the start, so I decided to play it cool.
“Ah—!”
As I tried to quickly stand up, the pot and bowls on the table floated into the air and began moving themselves into the sink. Even the kimchi was neatly put away in the fridge. A few wet wipes popped out and wiped down the table, and the foldable table folded itself back and returned to its place. Throughout it all, neither Cha Jae-woo nor I lifted a finger.
“A little…”
While I sat there, dumbfounded with my mouth half-open, Cha Jae-woo spoke.
“Sit and rest.”
It was a petty reason to use his ability for such a trivial task, but there was no need to ask why.
I pouted for a moment, then quickly smiled and leaned back against the bed. Though Cha Jae-woo’s long legs, stretched out on the floor, looked a little pitiful, suggesting that he come up onto the bed felt like overstepping, so I decided against it.
“Shall we? Should we rest a little more before guiding?”
“Yeah.”
It was a green light.
Even though I hadn’t made up any excuses, Cha Jae-woo himself had expressed a desire to stay longer.
The first step had been more effective than expected.
Smiling, I didn’t bother to hide my toes fidgeting in excitement. Even when Cha Jae-woo’s gaze brushed over them, I made no move to stop.
***
After that, the number of times Cha Jae-woo ate at my house increased.
Although it had started with me inviting him a few times, Cha Jae-woo had been surprisingly compliant. Before long, our guiding sessions moved earlier, and eventually, he started coming over around dinnertime—a significant leap forward.
“Mmm. Maybe because it’s been a while, it tastes even better.”
Today, Cha Jae-woo even brought food with him. Hearing that he would be having dinner at my place, the lady had insisted on sending him off with something homemade.
I could guarantee it—Cha Jae-woo must have resisted bringing it. And there’s no way the lady didn’t know that too. The fact that she made sure he brought it and even called to tell me to enjoy it definitely wasn’t a coincidence.
“Really?”
Though Cha Jae-woo probably wasn’t thrilled about it, I was thrilled to taste some homemade food again.
Homemade meals really were the best. Whether it was the lady’s cooking or Kim Geon-ung’s mother’s cooking, nothing I made or bought could compare.
“Is it not good? It’s way better than takeout, though.”
But Cha Jae-woo didn’t seem particularly moved. Well, I guess if you grew up only eating homemade meals, you might start craving the rich taste of MSG.
Since Cha Jae-woo had started eating at my place more often lately, I had devised a plan. Because I wasn’t good at cooking, I would order delivery before he arrived so we could eat as soon as he got here.
Maybe that’s why he had liked the food. It wasn’t something you could eat every day without getting sick of it, but for someone like Cha Jae-woo, who grew up without being familiar with artificial flavors, it might have been a refreshing change.
“Still, homemade food is better for your body.”
Especially the lady’s cooking, which started with carefully selected ingredients—it was simply the best.
Praising her skills to the heavens, I moved my chopsticks diligently. There were so many side dishes that I hesitated, not knowing which one to pick first.
“Should I send you some?”
At that moment, Cha Jae-woo asked out of nowhere. Blinking at him, not understanding what he meant, he clarified.
“You need to eat breakfast and lunch too. You can just keep it in the fridge and eat it when you want.”
“A-Ah…! No, it’s fine!”
In other words, he was suggesting the lady prepare and send meals over to my place too.
I immediately shook my head.
“It would be such a hassle for her. You really don’t have to. There’s no need.”
Once or twice, sure, but it was obviously a hassle. There was no reason to trouble her unnecessarily.
Besides, it was only because Cha Jae-woo was here that I even bothered laying out all these side dishes. Otherwise, I wouldn’t go to such trouble. Taking food out, eating, and cleaning up afterward was a tiresome process.
Thinking about it, living at Cha Jae-woo’s house had been much better. I practically lived detached from housework there. Despite how big it was, you could hardly find a speck of dust anywhere, whereas my small place now was constantly dusty.
Even though I said I cleaned every day since Cha Jae-woo started coming over, once he arrived, all the flaws that seemed invisible before were glaringly obvious. Plus, Cha Jae-woo’s eyesight was way better than mine—he would definitely notice the dirt and mess.
Honestly, wouldn’t it just be better to do guiding at Cha Jae-woo’s place instead? It seemed much more reasonable to go back and forth than to exhaust myself cleaning every day…
