“Hey, when someone says hi, you should at least respond.”
Jo Seong-il, who had walked up close, immediately started nagging at Hoon.
“But we already met earlier. What’s the point?”
“Still, don’t be rude and make it awkward. This bastard seriously has no social skills.”
Even though Seong-il cursed openly, Hoon just picked at his ear, not even pretending to listen. Then his eyes met with Bae Jung-yoon, who was quietly standing nearby. The look in Hoon’s eyes clearly said, What are you doing here? As if answering that silent question, Seong-il spoke up.
“This guy said he’s eating at the cafeteria today, so we should eat together.”
It did make sense that they’d be walking over together like that. Hoon gave a nod and motioned with his head to go inside.
Come to think of it, he’d never run into Bae Jung-yoon at the school cafeteria before. Maybe that’s why it felt off seeing him standing here. As if to validate that discomfort, Seong-il added more commentary.
“This bastard used to say the food here sucks and wouldn’t touch it. Guess his taste buds changed all of a sudden.”
“I tried it again after a while and it’s not bad.”
“Oh wow, are we doing some kind of peasant life experience, Your Highness?”
Hoon silently watched the two bicker, his eyes resting specifically on Bae Jung-yoon, who smiled faintly at Seong-il’s teasing.
Since that conversation during the team meeting, the two of them had gone back to acting normal—no particular exchange, no drama. Even in their text messages, there was no mention of Kkongddeok-i. It was like they had made an unspoken pact to pretend that day never happened.
Still, something about it continued to gnaw at him. Everything Jung-yoon had said left a vague unease. The way he acted—as if Kkongddeok-i wasn’t just a regular cat—those moments stayed vividly lodged in Hoon’s mind.
At this point, he was half-tempted to just come out and ask directly. But he knew better than to be rash. Acting on impulse might just drag him into a bigger mess. So once again today, Hoon kept quiet and continued observing Bae Jung-yoon.
“What’s that?”
They had bought meal tickets and were waiting for their turn in line when Jung-yoon’s pitch-black eyes landed on Hoon’s laptop bag.
“My laptop.”
The short reply was practically saying, Isn’t it obvious? Right on cue, Seong-il jumped in to speak for Hoon.
“It broke, so he’s going to get it repaired today. But hey, isn’t this your first time seeing him bring a bag like that to school? What’s inside is even more of a trip.”
Looking fed up, Hoon shook his head and grabbed a tray and utensils. Ignoring Seong-il’s constant chatter, he focused on getting his food.
Today’s menu included bulgogi rice bowl, fresh kimchi, iceberg lettuce salad, takoyaki, and spicy beef soup. Hoon piled rice high on his tray and generously scooped bulgogi on top. Only after stacking every item until it was almost overflowing did he leave the serving line, satisfied.
He headed for an empty spot in the corner. Seong-il sat down across from him. Jung-yoon started to sit to his left but paused when he noticed the laptop bag already occupying the seat. Without fuss, he redirected himself and sat next to Seong-il instead.
“Hey, where’s the service center again?”
Already eating, Seong-il suddenly fired off a question at Hoon.
“By the XXX Rotary.”
“Oh, that place. Isn’t it kinda far from here?”
“I’ll just take the bus.”
“If you go that way, it’s gonna be a roundabout trip.”
“Can’t be helped.”
Taking a taxi would be too much of a waste. Hoon swallowed the disappointment with a mouthful of spicy soup, then shoveled some bulgogi-topped rice into his mouth. But Seong-il wasn’t done asking questions.
“Don’t you have class at 2? You’re cutting it close, aren’t you?”
Mouth full, Hoon chewed and mumbled his answer.
“That’s why I’m eating fast and going right after. So stop talking to me and just eat already.”
As he busily shoveled food into his mouth, shutting down the conversation, Seong-il let out a sarcastic “Yessir” and mimed zipping his lips. That’s when Bae Jung-yoon, who had been silently listening, finally opened his mouth.
“Want me to give you a ride?”
Hoon’s hand froze mid-motion with his spoon. He looked up, puzzled, and found Jung-yoon looking at him with his usual calm expression. Their eyes met. Hoon asked silently with a look—Why? Why would you?
“I’ve got a meeting with someone near there this afternoon.”
Jung-yoon, perfectly reading the question in his eyes, gave a straightforward answer. A meeting. Right. People can have meetings. Sure. But the fact that it just happened to be near that exact location?
Maybe it wasn’t such a big deal. But when it came to Bae Jung-yoon, nothing ever felt that simple.
“Nice, that works out great. Yeah, Jung-yoon, give him a lift. I tried lifting that bag once and it’s no joke.”
Even though the offer had been made to him, it was Seong-il who got all excited. Meanwhile, Hoon, feeling something was off, responded flatly.
“I’m good. I can go alone.”
He wanted to cut it off clean. The offer was appreciated, but being alone with Bae Jung-yoon was something he preferred to avoid.
“Come on, just take the ride. Why go through the trouble for no reason?”
But oblivious Jo Seong-il kept pushing from the side. And on top of that, Bae Jung-yoon added his own comment.
“Exactly. I’m offering to give you a ride—why go out of your way to say no?”
Smiling gently, he looked at Hoon with eyes full of warmth.
“Do I make you uncomfortable, Hoon?”
Yes. Very.
Even if he’d just been called socially inept by Seong-il, Hoon still knew that saying something like that to someone’s face was rude. So he swallowed the answer that had shot all the way up to his throat.
“Even if it’s nearby, you’d still have to drop me off halfway—it’s a hassle. I’ll just go on my own. No need to trouble yourself over it.”
He tried to phrase it as gently as possible so Jung-yoon wouldn’t take it the wrong way, but it was useless. Resting his chin on one hand, Jung-yoon lowered his eyes and looked at Hoon like a sad puppy abandoned by the owner he trusted.
“That stings, Hoon. I was only thinking of you.”
“Yeah, come on. Don’t be so cold, Hoon. Just take the ride.”
Seong-il rolled his eyes at him, clearly telling him to quit being stubborn and take the hint. If it were just one person, he could’ve held out. But with the odds at two to one, this argument wasn’t in his favor.
Goddamn it. Nothing ever goes smoothly. Hoon cursed under his breath.
***
Hoon stared at the car in front of him with an openly reluctant expression.
All through lunch, he’d tried to fend off the offer with excuse after excuse, but Jung-yoon hadn’t budged. In the end, with Jung-yoon’s relentless persistence, Hoon gave in and followed him all the way to the outdoor parking lot where his car was parked.
It was the first time he’d seen the car’s exterior up close. Back when he was Kkongddeok-i, he’d always been locked in a carrier during transport.
Hoon opened the passenger-side door and climbed into the spotless white car. The interior welcomed him with none of the stale cigarette stench typical of a man’s vehicle—just clean and fresh.
Fidgeting a bit, he buckled his seatbelt, glancing around for no reason. Being alone together in such a small, enclosed space made him feel distinctly out of place.
Apparently, he was the only one feeling awkward. While he squirmed in discomfort, Bae Jung-yoon remained perfectly at ease. Calmly, he programmed the destination into the car’s navigation system, then picked up his phone.
His deep black eyes, which had been elsewhere the whole time, finally landed on Hoon.
“Do you have a music genre you like?”
He must’ve been planning to play something. It was obvious the drive would be filled with silence, so Hoon figured anything would be better than that and answered quickly.
“Just… nothing too loud.”
Truthfully, he didn’t listen to music all that often. If anything, it was more to block out external noise. So he didn’t really have any strong preferences.
Something about that answer made Jung-yoon chuckle under his breath. He tapped a few times on his phone screen. Soon, a soft song began to play inside the car.
It was a pop song Hoon hadn’t heard before. A deep female voice layered with a slow, heavy bass beat created a sound that was both smooth and sensual.
After getting everything set up, Jung-yoon fastened his seatbelt and shifted gears. The car rolled out smoothly.
His driving, as always, was calm and confident. Moving his fingers lightly in rhythm with the music, Jung-yoon kept his focus on the road. The relaxed atmosphere he created meshed perfectly with the music in the car—Hoon noticed that much.
Naturally, a silence settled between them. Jung-yoon didn’t seem the least bit bothered by it. Normally, Hoon wouldn’t care either; he was used to silence, would’ve just gone about his own business. But for some reason, today was different. It was… uncomfortable.
Honestly, this was the first time he’d been this conscious of someone else sitting beside him. It was driving him crazy.
Should he say something? Even something trivial, just to break the ice? He couldn’t help but wonder. After all, it was true he owed Jung-yoon a favor. It wouldn’t feel right to keep acting like an ice wall the whole way.
He glanced sideways at Jung-yoon, who was turning the wheel with ease. Sitting in the passenger seat, stealing glances at his profile, Hoon felt a strange stir in his chest.
“What?”
And just then, without taking his eyes off the road, Jung-yoon spoke.
