***
If Eden had accepted Somerset’s invitations every time, he probably would’ve ended up settling into that house. After visiting twice, Eden started turning him down again, but unable to withstand Somerset’s disappointed reactions, it naturally shifted into him calling Somerset out instead. In other words, he did still hang out with him.
“Wait! I’ll be out in one second.”
He either climbed out the window or burst through the front door like he was about to break it off its hinges. Today was the latter. His hands were busy buttoning up the shirt he’d hurriedly thrown on. When they’d just seen each other through the window, he’d been wearing a slightly shabby T-shirt, so apparently he’d changed in the meantime.
With only three buttons loosely fastening his shirt, he took the lead enthusiastically.
“There’s somewhere I want to go with you. What do you think? Leave it to me today.”
“Sure.”
“It’s hot out, so should we drive?”
“If it’s not far, let’s walk.”
“About twenty minutes on foot.”
That sounded fine. Somerset readily accepted Eden’s choice, gesturing for him to wait before leaning his upper body through the first-floor window.
“Emily.”
The maid called Emily brought him two pairs of sunglasses at his request. Somerset put on a simple black-framed pair himself and handed the other pair to Eden. After glancing up at the blazing sun overhead, Eden accepted them, but couldn’t bring himself to put them on right away.
“I don’t think I can wear these.”
The weak protest slipped out automatically. And reasonably so—the design looked like something made to restrain a superhero who shot lasers from their eyes. When Eden handed them back, Somerset removed the pair resting on his own nose bridge and passed them over instead.
“Emily likes playing pranks.”
“I can just go home and get mine.”
“You don’t like those either? They’d suit you, though. What about me?”
The over-the-top sunglasses became Somerset’s. He explained that someone had given them to him as a joke. The prank had failed. Somerset didn’t look ridiculous wearing them. If anything, he looked stylish and fashion-conscious.
“They suit you. Weirdly enough.”
It wasn’t just something he said to avoid the bizarre sunglasses. Rarely showing his genuine thoughts so openly, Eden accepted the normal pair and put them on. He almost asked Somerset how he looked in them, the same way Somerset had asked him, but stopped himself. Somerset would obviously say he looked pretty. And if, by some chance, the answer wasn’t what he expected, that would bother him in its own way too.
Eden briefly caught his reflection in the windows of parked cars as they passed. When his gaze landed on a car with unusually dark tinting, his attention shifted not to himself but to Somerset instead. After examining the side profile reflected in the window, he turned his head to look at the real him directly, satisfying the rest of his curiosity that way.
Written plainly, their outfits would sound almost identical—shirts, cotton pants, sunglasses—but in reality they looked nothing alike. The colors of their clothes were different, and unlike Somerset, Eden had buttoned his shirt properly except for one button. His pants also weren’t made of the loose, flowing material Somerset’s were. And the sunglasses went without saying.
“Hm? What’s this? I can feel your burning gaze on me.”
Somerset suddenly turned his head and met Eden’s eyes. Thanks to the sunglasses, Eden could deny it.
“It wasn’t burning.”
The only thing burning was the weather. Even with the semi-transparent black tint cast over it by the sunglasses, the lush green streets radiated summer’s overwhelming presence. It was hot, and the sunlight poured down hard enough to feel like it might pierce straight through the lenses.
About five minutes into the walk, Eden thought it might’ve been better to go back and take a car after all, but he kept walking. Walking side by side before it got even hotter didn’t seem too bad. Especially while chatting idly like this. Mostly, it was Somerset doing the talking.
“I heard you’re a college student. Is that true? Spending summer break at home?”
“Where’d you hear that?”
“Just stuff going around.”
Apparently his detailed personal information hadn’t spread. Out of habit, Eden immediately sharpened his senses and analyzed the situation. Once he concluded that his mother had probably only shared information she deemed acceptable publicly, he relaxed.
“What university do you go to?”
“Ivy League.”
“Which one?”
Unsatisfied with the vague answer, Somerset lowered his sunglasses and looked directly at Eden with his bare eyes. It felt like he really was shooting lasers now, and Eden rubbed at his cheek reflexively.
He attended Yale, majoring in law. He’d chosen it because law seemed suitable as a support structure for living an ordinary life. More importantly, he thought it would be useful if he ever got caught up in unexpected situations.
Since he fell silent while tracing back through his thoughts, Somerset let out an exaggerated deflating sound with his mouth.
“Okay, okay. I’ll find out eventually. I’ll let it slide today with just confirming you’re a college student. Anyway, that means you’re insanely good at studying.”
Eden had intended to answer his curiosity, but the timing had passed. Since Somerset himself had already postponed the subject for later, Eden didn’t feel the need to drag it back up. Instead, he shifted the attention toward Somerset to continue the conversation.
“What about you?”
“I failed entrance exams, and now I’m unemployed.”
“Entrance exams? You took entrance exams?”
“You can’t believe it, can’t believe it, twooo?”
Somerset mimicked Eden’s startled stammer while flicking the frame of his sunglasses. He looked like he was pretending to adjust glasses the way stereotypical honor students did in dramas or movies, but with those bizarre sunglasses it didn’t give off that vibe at all. Honestly, he didn’t look intellectual in the slightest.
“I’m closer to not believing it. My brain just refuses to process it.”
“That phrasing is funny. ‘My brain refuses to process it.’”
Somerset laughed and continued.
“To be exact, it wasn’t me who failed—it was my mom. I didn’t care either way, but she wanted to send me to a good university. I almost got shoved in through the back door with donation money.”
“Do you need comforting? Then I’ll comfort you.”
“No. It’s the kind of thing you just laugh off.”
Eden obediently let the corners of his mouth lift. He’d been swept up in Somerset’s cheerfulness. Laughing and talking like this made him forget the heat. By the time they crossed to the opposite side of the street lined with buildings, sweat was running down his back, but his mood felt closer to refreshed. When they finally reached their destination, he even felt a little disappointed.
The place Somerset brought Eden to was a sandwich shop with a bright blue sign. Calm music drifting faintly from the bar beside the building contrasted oddly with the lively atmosphere of the sandwich shop.
“You haven’t had lunch yet, right?”
It wasn’t even eleven yet. Eden nodded and sat at the long bar table, scanning the sandwich menu. He was looking mostly at the lighter meal options when a long finger suddenly appeared, pointing at the very bottom of the menu.
“We’re ordering the Kitty.”
“The what?”
There was no menu item called Kitty listed there—only a drawing of a gaunt-cheeked cat. The reason became obvious once he saw the owner.
“Hey, Kitish!”
The elderly woman, who resembled the cat drawing, accepted Somerset’s energetic greeting with a grumpy face.
“It’s been so long I almost forgot who you were. And what are those suspicious-looking sunglasses?”
She grumbled in mock offense, but quickly softened at Somerset’s smile.
“You’re supposed to say they look cool. And I stopped by last week after passing by here, but you weren’t around, Kitish.”
“Of all times. I went on summer vacation with my son.”
Somerset asked how her son was doing, chatted briefly about the vacation, then pointed to the bottom of the menu.
“Two Kittys.”
“You shouldn’t go blabbing hidden menu items around carelessly.”
Kitish’s sharp gaze turned toward Eden. Eden removed his sunglasses and tucked them into the front pocket of his shirt before greeting her politely. His courteous, well-behaved eye contact earned him approval.
“Kitish has a weakness for handsome guys.”
Somerset’s explanation wasn’t denied.
“Wait there. I’ll make it before customers start flooding in.”
The hidden-menu Kitty, known only to regulars, was a massive plate filled with two kinds of sandwiches, French toast, roasted potatoes, croissants, cream cheese, syrup, and two cherry tomatoes. Looking down at the plate placed in front of him, Eden struggled to hide his troubled expression.
How was he supposed to eat all this?
Ignoring the increasingly crowded state of the shop, only a coldhearted person could crush the expectations of the old woman sitting across from him. There was even a giant mug of chocolate latte included with the set.
“Once you taste it, you’ll fall completely in love too.”
Confidently, Somerset took a huge bite of his sandwich. Watching him fondly, Kitish opened the floodgates of old stories.
“That brat used to be a baby who was picky even about milk. If it wasn’t exactly to his liking, he’d spit the bottle right out.”
Having worked for the Quinn family for many years, she said she’d opened the sandwich shop with her retirement pay. And the one who had suggested sandwiches as the shop’s specialty was none other than Somerset.
“I just wanted to keep eating Kitish’s sandwiches. That was all.”
Somerset said it like it was nothing, but Kitish seemed to trust his naturally gifted palate.
Thanks to its affordable prices and outstanding taste, the sandwich shop had become famous by word of mouth and turned into a staple breakfast spot for Manhattan office workers. Somerset bragged like he owned the place himself, saying people even had to line up during early hours. Kitish smiled warmly at him like she was watching the antics of a beloved grandchild.
“At this rate, I’m going to become very rich. I might even move in next door soon.”
At her playful joke, Somerset looked at Eden.
“You should be nervous. Kitish is after your house.”
Eden shrugged and took another bite of his sandwich. The ingredients were ordinary, but somehow the taste was incredible, like magic had been worked into it. As he carefully examined the filling, Kitish spoke.
“So you’re trying to figure out the secret behind my special sauce, huh? Not a chance.”
With her wrinkled face grinning mischievously, Somerset burst into giggles along with her.
“She won’t even tell me. That’s why I had no choice but to beg her to open a sandwich shop.”
Once again, his playful charm worked perfectly. Kitish even brought over a complimentary salad made with step mill greens.
“If you want more, it’ll cost you ten thousand dollars.”
“I’ll ask Eden to buy it for me. If he doesn’t have money, I’m sure he’ll work here to buy it for me instead.”
“If I stood that boy in front of the shop, customers would come flooding in. I’d happily hire him.”
Business was already booming to the point where more customers would almost be a problem. Eventually, the understaffed employees called for Kitish.
“Oh dear. The problem is this place can’t function without me.”
Grumbling theatrically, she patted Somerset’s head before leaving. Eden followed her retreating figure with his eyes while continuing to eat.
“Thanks for introducing me to a good place.”
Along with his thanks, he moved one sandwich and several roasted potato wedges onto Somerset’s plate.
“You really mean that?”
“Think of it as a sign of sincerity. There’s way too much food. I can’t exactly leave it behind.”
“You’re taller than me, but you eat like a bird.”
“From my perspective, you’re the one who eats a lot.”
Either way, they were both satisfied with the meal. When Somerset called over an employee to pay, Kitish spotted him and pushed her way through the growing crowd of customers to stop him.
“You little brat, how dare you act up in my shop. Get out already.”
Though she spoke like she was scolding him, she wasn’t scary at all. Somerset giggled and slung an arm around her shoulders.
“You’ll hurt Eden’s feelings too if you don’t let him pay. I thought I was the only one getting special treatment.”
“You shouldn’t tease your friend, you awful puppy.”
“I’m teasing Kitish for being weak to handsome men.”
