Episode 12

 

Tae-seo glanced over  the menu, imagining what dish to order. The course he had enjoyed last time didn’t seem appealing today, so he passed on several options. Tae-seo, who tended to focus on individual items, lingered over each dish name with his eyes.

 

“Seafood seems fishy.”

 

Although it wouldn’t actually taste fishy, it just didn’t appeal to Tae-seo.

 

“The meat seems tough.”

 

Again, it would probably be tender when eaten, but Tae-seo thought otherwise.

 

“Ah, what should I eat?”

 

Unable to easily decide, Tae-seo let out a groan of frustration. Eventually, after agonizing over his decision, Tae-seo chose one dish. Before covering  the menu, he called the server over and placed his order.

 

“A cheeseburger, please.”

 

He casually omitted any mention of premium or high-quality ingredients. Even the thought that the meat might be tough was suddenly forgotten.

 

Though he ordered it thinking it would be somewhat satisfying, compared to his hunger, the burger didn’t seem very appealing.

 

“Will there be anything else you need?”

 

“No, just bring that.”

 

“Understood.”

 

As the server left with  the menu, Tae-seo immediately reached for his glass, his hand trembling. He had considered ordering a cola with his burger, but strangely, he didn’t feel like having soda. So, he sipped on cold water while waiting for his meal, when suddenly, a long shadow fell across the table. Had the server returned to say something? Tae-seo looked up, his eyes widening in surprise.

 

“What are you doing here, looking so lost?”

 

“Me? Lost?”

 

“If you were duped, you should’ve just gone home quietly instead of coming all the way up here.”

 

“I was hungry.”

 

What’s so suspicious about coming here to eat?

 

Tae-seo hesitated, unsure whether to greet Kang Se-heon, whom he hadn’t seen in a while, or tell him to go away. He lifted his head, catching a familiar scent from Se-heon. Then, still standing, Tae-seo spoke decisively to Se-heon.

 

“Did you follow me here by any chance?”

 

“Why would I follow you?”

 

“Then, please go  if you’re not.”

 

Se-heon wasn’t someone who treated the hotel like his own home, and from head to toe, he seemed perfectly composed, indicating he had come for a reason. Feeling reassured by the appropriate question, Tae-seo thought he could just leave him alone.

 

At Tae-seo’s brief clarification, one of Se-heon’s eyebrows raised slightly. Already looking down at him with a mismatch in their eye levels, with the added elevation of his eyebrow, Se-heon’s gaze seemed even more arrogant. It felt like he was saying, “Who are you to tell me to go?”

 

“Shall I see you off?”

 

Though he didn’t know where Se-heon was headed, Tae-seo was glad to see a familiar face and hoped to greet him warmly, wagging his tail like a puppy. Seeing Se-heon sitting there motionless, Tae-seo asked after a while, puzzled. Then, Se-heon, with a mixture of absurdity and amazement in his eyes, sat down across from Tae-seo.

 

“Why are you sitting down?”

 

“To eat with you.”

 

“Are you saying you’ll eat with me, or you want me to feed you?”

 

“Sure.”

 

There wasn’t really a need to do so, but it didn’t seem like refusing would make him leave. From the moment he mentioned feeding him, Tae-seo’s opinion seemed to be disregarded. Instead of pushing Kang Se-heon away, Tae-seo brought up something else.

 

“But I wasn’t fooled.”

 

“The atmosphere seemed nice.”

 

Tae-seo narrowed his eyes at Se-heon’s words. It seemed like he had definitely seen something…

 

“Did you see me with Han Mi-rae?”

 

“I was eating alone, thinking the outcome wouldn’t be good…”

 

“Where’s the problem? Han Mi-rae said she didn’t have time now, so we agreed to meet later. No, why am I even explaining this?”

 

“Even though college students probably don’t have time to study, they have time for blind dates.”

 

“How did you know it was a blind date?”

 

Though Tae-seo was meeting Se-heon for the first time, he knew that he had met Han Mi-rae earlier and even knew it was a blind date.

 

“Then could that atmosphere be a business meeting?”

 

“What was the atmosphere like?”

 

“It was very pleasant, almost youthful.”

 

“Wow…”

 

It would’ve sufficed to say it looked nice, but each word seemed unnecessarily sarcastic. Tae-seo was about to ask why he was speaking like that, but then he changed his mind.

 

“Is this much interest necessary?”

 

Tae-seo leaned on his hand, tilting his upper body. Despite saying it wasn’t much, as he leaned forward, Se-heon recoiled, showing his bitterness.

 

“What?”

 

“You drew a line not to come near me.”

 

Tae-seo pointed with his finger to an imaginary line drawn in front of Se-heon. It seemed like he was trying to express that Se-heon had drawn such a line before.

 

“Why are you so interested in me?”

 

Se-heon’s expression gradually hardened at Tae-seo’s playful gaze and subdued laughter. Despite knowing Tae-seo’s peculiar personality, he couldn’t help but express his true feelings of disapproval. But Tae-seo didn’t back down. Something was really off.

 

Se-heon suppressed the urge to get up and leave right now.  If only he hadn’t coincidentally entered the lounge alone, he would’ve left the hotel immediately.

 

Fortunately, the waiter arrived at the right moment with  the menu, interrupting their conversation. Se-heon lightly scanned  the menu Tae-seo had ordered from and then shrugged.

 

“Let’s eat.”

 

“You’re not going to eat and just watch me?”

 

“If I’m hungry, I’ll eat.”

 

So, he’s going to order, or he’s going to talk. Tae-seo grabbed the burger with both hands, ignoring the utensils that were laid out from the start.

 

“Why cling to the stereotype that burgers must be eaten with your hands?”

 

“I’ll manage.”

 

Tae-seo had no intention of putting down the burger he had already picked up. So, with even more determination, he opened his mouth wide in front of Se-heon and took a big bite of the burger. Cheese flowed out between the bread as it dripped down his hand. As Tae-seo smiled satisfactorily, his lips gleamed with sauce.

 

When he ordered, he didn’t feel much inclined, but now that he was actually eating the burger, his appetite suddenly returned, and it couldn’t be that delicious. Every expression Tae-seo made, from his slight shoulder shake to his furrowed brow, revealed everything to Se-heon. It’s just ground meat sandwiched between bread, so why make such a fuss about how tasty it is?

 

“You really…”

 

“You’re enjoying it thoroughly, aren’t you? It’s my first meal of the day, so it’s delicious.”

 

“…Sure.”

 

Every time they had a meeting, Kang Se-heon, who always managed to make others feel intimidated and tongue-tied, seemed to have become their spokesperson instead. Tae-seo couldn’t help but think he was handsome and charming, but also shameless.

 

“Are you not difficult for me?”

 

“Me? Why would I be?”

 

Tae-seo’s eyes widened in disbelief at the absurd question, and he even cocked his head.

 

“Do you not know who I am?”

 

“You’re Kang Se-heon. A company employee.”

 

“But you don’t seem like just an employee.”

 

“I’m not even your superior, and I don’t see you as someone to treat differently based on rank.”

 

“You speak well.”

 

“I can do more. With that big build of yours, you seem like someone who might hurt a lot of people, but you wouldn’t hit me.”

 

There was no reason for me to find Kang Se-heon difficult to deal with. Of course, there was one thing that bothered me.

 

“Kang In-hyuk’s cousin.”

 

So, it wasn’t good to be sitting face to face with Kang Se-heon when I was considering cutting ties with Kang In-hyuk in the future. It would’ve been best  if we had just parted ways as I initially suggested…

 

Tae-seo tapped his finger holding the burger. Since he had sat down to eat alone, he thought it would be nice to finish eating and leave. Objectively, the burger was delicious, but meeting Kang Se-heon made it even more enjoyable…

 

“But do you like this hotel?”

 

As Tae-seo sucked the cheese dripping from his finger, he turned his gaze to Kang Se-heon. Then he pondered over the question he had asked. Since they had met in the hotel so many times, maybe that was why he asked…

 

I liked the hotel because my parents run it, so naturally, I liked it. But it’s not like I come here often just because I like it.

 

“I like it.”

 

Tae-seo brushed it off with a simple answer. There was no need to explain in detail, and I didn’t want to reveal too much information since Kang Se-heon knew Kang In-hyuk’s cousin.

 

“You… would be quite entertaining to confess to someone else.”

 

Tae-seo’s brow furrowed. What confession is he talking about? But Kang Se-heon, looking at Tae-seo’s messy mouth and finger, continued.

 

“When you confess, you seem like you wouldn’t feel much tension. Just don’t impulsively confess while eating.”

 

“Whether someone confesses or not is their own business.”

 

“Mi-rae doesn’t like it.”

 

“This old man keeps crossing the line.”

 

Tae-seo raised his eyes with the burger in hand.

 

“Whether I confess while eating a burger or while eating kimchi stew, that’s my business. I’ll handle talking with Mi-rae in the future, so please don’t say anything more.”

 

Tae-seo grumbled and took another big bite of the burger. Despite having cooled down considerably during the conversation with Kang Se-heon, it still tasted delicious. All I did today was sleep, wake up, chat a bit with Mi-rae, and eat a high-calorie burger. And now, I have to deal with this nosy old man…

 

“So, are you going to confess to Mi-rae?”

 

Tae-seo’s actions abruptly stopped at the answer that seemed to miss the mark.