By Zephyria It was two days before the outing he had promised Ahn Seo-myeong.
Ki Jae-eon was spending his time as usual with his small hobbies, or rather, running errands.
Today was no different.
However, one thing was unique.
Kim Ju-won had become a fixed member of his errand-running party.
He would appear when Ki Jae-eon was about to run errands, making excuses like, ‘Oh, I have to do cardio,’ and volunteering to be the porter. It seemed to be an extension of the ‘reading the room’ he had mentioned back then.
The two of them went sightseeing everywhere, from the market to the large supermarket.
“Hey, I’m craving a burger. Want some?”
Then, when they got hungry, they would go on a snack tour.
One day it was ramen and kimbap, another day it was raiding the convenience store.
Of course, they often goofed off too.
For example, they went to a PC cafe once, and Ki Jae-eon just sat there and played Minesweeper for an hour.
Anyway, today’s route was to go to the grocery store and then eat burgers.
“Are you really going to eat all that?”
Weren’t they just grocery shopping for dinner? Ki Jae-eon stared at Kim Ju-won, who had ordered three burger sets, as if he couldn’t believe it. After all, there were two large shopping baskets at his feet.
“Is that enough for you?”
But Kim Ju-won, with a puzzled expression, gestured at the cup of warm Americano in front of Ki Jae-eon.
“Hey, you’re going to have a nutritional… nutritional imbalance? You’ll get that?”
“Malnutrition…”
“What?”
“Ah, no. Yeah, I thought I’d just… leave it if I ordered more…”
“If that’s the case, just order it.”
Kim Ju-won picked up a burger the size of his face and continued nonchalantly.
“I’ll eat it all if you leave any.”
Then, he took a big bite.
Watching him devour it non-stop made him feel full. He really eats well. Ki Jae-eon sipped his warm coffee and stared at Kim Ju-won. Watching him eat so heartily without picking at his food was quite entertaining. He vaguely understood what Lee Gyeong-hak had meant by ‘mukbang’ the other day. He also understood why people watched it.
“Hmm?”
Kim Ju-won gestured with the burger as if telling him to eat. Ki Jae-eon politely shook his head. Kim Ju-won didn’t push him any further at his firm refusal. Instead, he called out to Ki Jae-eon as if he had something else to say. “Hey.”
“Why are you wearing glasses? Are your eyes bad?”
“Ah…”
Ki Jae-eon made an ambiguous expression. The large horn-rimmed glasses could be seen beneath his wavy black hair. It made his already gloomy face look several times more sinister, and it was one of the items Ki Jae-eon had been using frequently lately.
The reason for wearing them was simple. It was a disguise of sorts.
“Oh? Ooh—! Oh! Are you perhaps Exorcist Ki Jae-eon?”
Because there were occasionally people with such sharp eyes.
‘Wow, this is crazy.’
Kim Ju-won munched on his burger as he watched Ki Jae-eon surrounded by people. Mumble, mumble. His cheeks moved busily.
‘Is he a celebrity?’
Ki Jae-eon’s popularity was beyond imagination.
Before he knew it, it was almost a fan signing.
Of course, to people who had nothing to do with this industry, it would just look like a bunch of people making a fuss.
“What’s going on? Did a celebrity come?”
“I don’t see anyone who looks like one.”
“Why are they gathered like that? Do you know them, honey?”
“They’re probably just friends. Maybe they’re having a birthday party or something.”
In fact, some people glanced at them and passed by. Kim Ju-won now understood why Ki Jae-eon was wearing such thick horn-rimmed glasses. He probably wanted to avoid this kind of situation.
‘But they ruined it.’
“I really wanted to meet you.”
“Wow, Exorcist-nim…”
The burdensome gazes fixed on Ki Jae-eon.
Ki Jae-eon’s popularity, which he hadn’t felt in Seoul, shone brightly in Incheon.
Ah, right. I forgot because I see him every day, but that guy was Ki Jae-eon, wasn’t he?
Numerous nicknames for Ki Jae-eon flashed through his mind.
“Please sign my clothes!”
“Exorcist-nim, please sign the back of my phone—.”
‘But I get all that…’
Aren’t they being too forward? Kim Ju-won furrowed his brow slightly. The speed at which he chewed his food also slowed down significantly.
Maybe it was because he wasn’t a very sociable person, but sometimes he found one-sided affection unpleasant.
Like right now.
Maybe it was because actions for personal gratification that didn’t consider the other person’s position at all, fitting the title of ‘one-sided,’ looked repulsive.
‘Hmm…’
Why do they think their affection will be unconditionally accepted?
‘Are their egos inflated, or are their heads full of flowers?’
They basically don’t think that the other person might dislike it at all. What’s especially annoying is that this usually happens in groups.
Like this, for example.
“Exorcist-nim, can you take a picture with me?”
“I guess it’s hard to exchange numbers? Or even SNS…”
They would have left if they had done it moderately. Inevitably, they gradually made unreasonable demands and crossed the line.
“Exorcist-nim, I have something to ask you—.”
“What about in this case—.”
The table shook greatly from their bustling movements. He almost spilled his drink. Kim Ju-won quickly grabbed the cola.
‘Damn it, this is so annoying.’
He pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek and swallowed his anger.
“I’m really a fan!”
As if that one phrase was some kind of weapon. People wouldn’t let Ki Jae-eon go easily.
Interest, expectation, attention, and so on.
All the emotions were excessive.
And excess always causes problems.
“…Ah.”
It was no use even when Ki Jae-eon twisted his upper body and gave the sign to ‘not come closer.’
Kim Ju-won, who was watching the scene, raised his eyebrows. He looked like he was debating whether to interfere or not.
‘It’s ambiguous.’
That was true.
If he saw clear malice, he would have jumped in without hesitation… but those guys were nothing more or less than ‘die-hard fans of Ki Jae-eon.’ He could tell just by looking at their faces, which showed how much they liked Ki Jae-eon.
‘But…’
Even so.
Kim Ju-won put down the burger he was eating.
‘Don’t they have to do it in moderation?’
Seeing his gloomy face, which looked troubled, made him lose his appetite.
‘How many minutes has it been? It’s boring, so boring.’
Kim Ju-won shook his head with a bored expression.
Even from a third-party perspective, the so-called fans were terribly rude. Or maybe they were doing it on purpose.
‘Well, it must be like winning the lottery for those guys.’
The probability of encountering the object of their admiration, even by chance, was very low.
So, at that
‘Chasing after desire is a natural phenomenon.’
So, the moment they recognized it as an opportunity, it was more important to put on a thick face and focus on fulfilling their admiration than on their conscience or consideration.
He could understand it to some extent, but that didn’t mean he could sympathize with it.
In any case, unpleasant was unpleasant.
‘If you came to eat a burger, then just eat your burger.’
It was the moment he clicked his tongue.
“Please, I beg you! Just one picture!”
Ki Jae-eon flinched at the guy who was asking for understanding but was actually holding out his phone without permission.
Bang—!
Splash!
The table shook violently, and two cups of cola spilled onto the floor.
“Oops~ my bad.”
It was Kim Ju-won.
He shook off his wet hands and smiled.
“The table, wow— it’s so inconsiderate. Why is it so weak?”
Kim Ju-won grabbed the innocent table and shook it from side to side. The loud noise of the table shaking broke through the famous idol song playing in the background of the store. Were the screws loose? Kim Ju-won muttered slyly. But he had clearly stared at the people clinging to Ki Jae-eon when he said ‘inconsiderate.’
“Aish— my pants are wet too? Hey, Jae-eon. Can you get me some tissues? There’s a wet wipe dispenser next to the cashier.”
“…Ah, w-wait a minute.”
Ki Jae-eon got up from his seat as if he had been waiting for it when Kim Ju-won pointed to the counter. How, how many should I get? Yeah, get a lot. After a short conversation, Ki Jae-eon headed to the counter. His expression looked much more relaxed. Well, it was understandable. From Ki Jae-eon’s point of view, it was a chance to escape this burdensome situation. But to outsiders who didn’t know his feelings, it just looked like he was doing someone else’s chores.
Incredibly, that Ki Jae-eon was!
“Excuse me, who are you…”
“Ah, damn it. It’s really all wet.”
Kim Ju-won, who had cut off his words, kicked back his chair and stood up. Clatter. His tall height and huge build were like a tiger living in some remote mountain valley. In particular, his long and thick-looking hands were so huge, like a tiger’s paws, that it seemed like something terrible would happen if you got hit by one.
Why was this dangerous-looking person next to Exorcist Ki Jae-eon?!
It was around this time that everyone harbored similar questions. Kim Ju-won swept back his bangs with an angry hand and scowled, “Huh?
“Who the hell are you people? Some kind of cult? Why are you digging into my personal information?”