Chapter 60
Seo-jung stammered as he pointed out the core issue, but Cha Yoon pretended not to hear.
“That’s enough, stop complaining and let’s go quickly.”
“Wait a minute. Cha Yoon, what are you doing right now?”
“Can’t you see? You’re not going to go on your own, so I’m helping. Don’t trip right in front of the table, just look ahead.”
Cha Yoon, seeming to realize that prolonging this conversation wouldn’t help him, grabbed Seo-jung’s shoulders as if they were playing a train game. Then he started walking towards the table together. It was a completely different sight from the day before when he had been swinging his arms recklessly to drive Soo-ho away.
They managed to walk the distance of less than twenty steps from the stove to the table. Cha Yoon pulled out a chair and sat Seo-jung down.
“Stay here. I’ll bring you some soup right away.”
After these words of caution, Cha Yoon quickly returned to the stove. Seo-jung, seated, followed Cha Yoon with his eyes. The one who had driven him out seemed to be in quite a good mood. Seo-jung let out a hollow laugh as if dumbfounded.
Meanwhile, Cha Yoon came back with bowls of soup in both hands and placed one in front of Seo-jung. Then he went around and sat down on the opposite side.
Seo-jung stared down at the instant rice and soup placed in front of him. Steam was still rising from the soup and instant rice Cha Yoon had brought.
“Does looking at it fill your stomach?”
It was Cha Yoon’s voice that pulled Seo-jung out of his thoughts, which he was about to get lost in habitually. His focus, which had momentarily blurred, soon returned.
“Hurry up and eat.”
“…Thank you. I’ll eat well.”
Thinking this was the most useful thing Cha Yoon had said today, Seo-jung offered a light greeting.
The first thing Seo-jung touched with his spoon was the bowl of soup. Following his words of thanks, Cha Yoon quite liked the sight of Ki Seo-jung tasting the soup he had served first.
“Is it delicious?”
“Yes, it’s tasty.”
Delicious. At that one word, Cha Yoon’s shoulders rose as if he had cooked a whole chicken soup himself. He twitched the corners of his mouth and then unnecessarily cleared his throat.
“Well, eat a lot then.”
Cha Yoon picked up his chopsticks, barely managing to turn away his gaze that kept going towards Ki Seo-jung.
It was around then that he noticed the side dishes he hadn’t paid attention to. The end of Cha Yoon’s eyebrow slightly rose, and then his expression suddenly hardened completely.
Cha Yoon stood up abruptly from his seat. He had picked up one of the side dish plates that was on the table. At this sudden movement, Seo-jung stopped eating and looked up at Cha Yoon.
“What’s wrong? Is there a problem?”
“Of course there is! Why did you take this out?”
What Cha Yoon pointed to was the plate he was holding, which contained stir-fried anchovies with almonds. For Seo-jung, it was a bewildering question. Is there any other reason to take out side dishes when eating?
“Obviously, I took it out to eat.”
“…This is driving me crazy. You took this out to eat? And of all things, anchovies?”
Cha Yoon acted as if he had placed poison on the table. Seo-jung couldn’t understand why he was so excited about anchovies, so he had no choice but to remain silent.
Cha Yoon’s expression, looking down at him, became even more distorted. He didn’t like that Seo-jung still couldn’t grasp the situation.
“Did you forget where anchovies live? These guys live in the sea. Do you know what that means?”
“…”
“These guys live in the water with those things you can’t eat – shrimp, crabs, king crabs, snow crabs, huh? They eat together, sleep together, swim together, brush against each other, share joys and sorrows! And you’re going to eat this? You were hospitalized for allergies just a few days ago, and you want to do this? Why are you so careless and insensitive? It’s the same as earlier. Trying to do difficult tasks, poking around the stove. How can you not know how to take care of your body better than me, just a roommate? This is why I can’t stop worrying even if I want to!”
And then you tell me not to worry. Come to think of it, do you realize you’re the one making it impossible for me to stop worrying? Worry, worry, worry…. Cha Yoon kept repeating the same word steadily as if fixated on something.
The flood of words quickly hit Seo-jung’s ears and passed by. He didn’t understand most of what was said. It was natural. Most of it was nonsense, and it would be stranger for someone to understand and accept it.
Looking back, all the conversations he had with Cha Yoon in the kitchen had been like this. Cha Yoon making unreasonable demands, and him ignoring it appropriately while adding a word or two. Seo-jung felt a mild headache at this realization.
He took in the sight of Cha Yoon fuming. Ignoring him while drawing appropriate boundaries was not a method that worked with Cha Yoon. So what should he do? Seo-jung slowly tapped the table with his finger. Tap tap, the noise made by his fingertips repeated a few times and then stopped.
Only then did he think of a good way to shut Cha Yoon up.
“I’ll put this away right now, and from now on, don’t even touch the ancho–”
“Cha Yoon.”
Ki Seo-jung called Cha Yoon in the kindest voice he could muster. At the soft voice that was almost ticklish, Cha Yoon’s lips, which had been moving incessantly, stopped abruptly.
What’s this, suddenly. Shit… why is he calling in that voice? Cha Yoon’s lips quivered as if nervous.
“…What is it, suddenly?”
“Are you that worried about me?”
This was the method Seo-jung chose. To touch Cha Yoon’s pride. And as he thought, Cha Yoon fell for it beautifully.
“W-what did you say?”
Cha Yoon stuttered without realizing it. Worry? Did he say worry? It was not even funny. Why would he be worried about Ki Seo-jung?
“Did something happen to your head after being sick? Why, why would I worry about you? That’s absolutely not true!”
Cha Yoon protested, flapping like someone who had been hit right on the mark. His voice was louder than before, and his face was flushed red. In an instant, the initiative of the situation passed from Cha Yoon to Seo-jung.
“Not letting me handle hot things, telling me not to touch other seafood because of my shellfish allergy… It just sounds like you’re saying these things because you’re too worried. Am I the only one who hears it that way?”
“Shit, that’s not it! Why would I worry about you…!”
“They say strong denial is strong affirmation.”
Cha Yoon vehemently denied it, even popping a vein in his neck. It might have seemed quite threatening to others, but not to Seo-jung’s eyes. To him, it was nothing more than an elementary school student not knowing what to do because they couldn’t control their anger.
“I didn’t know you liked me so much, Cha Yoon.”
Seo-jung, watching Cha Yoon who looked like he was about to roll on the floor, raised the corners of his mouth nicely and said playfully.
How much would he fume at his words this time? The reality of anticipating Cha Yoon’s reaction, disgusted at the idea of liking him, was a bit bitter, but he quickly shook it off.
As he silently waited for Cha Yoon’s reaction, contrary to expectations, even as time passed, Cha Yoon didn’t show any particular reaction. He just stood still with a face that had turned bright red as if it might burst at any moment.
Is he perhaps revving up? If so, it would be better to wrap up the situation quickly. Looking at Cha Yoon, who was tightly closing his mouth, Seo-jung spoke again.
“If I was supposed to pretend not to know, I’m sorry. But it’s too obvious.”
“…”
“I’ll pretend not to know from now on, so you try not to show it too much either.”
“…”
“Ah, and also.”
Seo-jung reached out and took the plate from Cha Yoon’s hand, putting it back where it was originally.
“I appreciate your concern, but as long as it’s not shellfish, other seafood is fine.”
“…”
“I’ll just appreciate the thought. Sit down and eat now.”
Seo-jung picked up his spoon and resumed eating. After standing still for quite a long time, Cha Yoon slowly sat down in his place and started eating breakfast.
There was no significant conversation between the two. In the silent table, only the occasional sound of dishes and chopsticks clashing could be heard. It was a natural result since Cha Yoon, who usually spoke first when they were together, was quiet.
And so, the noisy start to their breakfast ended in silence. As he cleared the empty dishes, Seo-jung said to Cha Yoon:
“I’ll clean up the finished dishes. You can go up to your room first.”
This was Seo-jung’s way of being considerate to Cha Yoon, who was still as silent as if he had eaten honey. It meant that he could clean up here by himself, so don’t stay and endure the discomfort. As if understanding this, Cha Yoon left the kitchen without declining.
Left alone in the kitchen, Seo-jung briefly took in the spot where Cha Yoon had been standing, then turned on the faucet.
