By Zephyria Unlike before, the restaurant was teeming with customers who had come to dine. Lee Do-hyeon, who had been briefly talking to the manager, offered his hand with a smile while Ryu Jeong was inwardly fretting about the possibility of having to wait a long time.
Awkwardly taking his hand, they were led to a room of similar size to the one from a few days ago, though not the same room. Once again, Lee Do-hyeon ordered as he pleased. If before he had created a scene straight out of a movie, asking them to take care of it without even looking at the menu, this time he honestly looked at the menu and ordered this and that.
“Eat slowly.”
“Yes… I will enjoy the meal.”
Ryu Jeong bowed his head and carefully picked up his spoon. Strangely, there were many dishes today, and the amount on the plates was quite satisfying. Is there something different when you order from the menu? He tilted his head in doubt, but the moment the food entered his mouth, the question completely disappeared. Once he tasted the food, his already hungry stomach clamored for more.
“Try this too. I noticed before that you seem to prefer meat over seafood.”
Trying to control himself as much as possible, worried about appearing gluttonous, Ryu Jeong was using his chopsticks when a plate was pushed towards him. It was braised short ribs with a glossy sheen. Ryu Jeong bowed his head repeatedly, feeling apologetic for the kindness of personally pushing it towards him and the attentiveness of having grasped his taste after only one meal.
As soon as he swallowed what was in his mouth, he put the braised short ribs that Lee Do-hyeon had pushed towards him into his mouth. Meat to him had only been the side dishes in convenience store lunch boxes, but the braised short ribs melted in his mouth as if they weren’t the same meat. The meat, which separated easily from the bone without much force, quickly fell apart and slid down his throat without him having to move his jaw much.
“This is duck. It’s Chinese-style, but the spices aren’t strong, so it’ll probably suit your taste.”
If it weren’t for the suppressant, it would have been a heat that would have lasted at least three days of constant sex. Considering the time they spent together, it was actually a short time of less than a day, but still, Ryu Jeong must have consumed a tremendous amount of energy. Even though he said he was fine, Ryu Jeong was strangely half out of his mind, having skipped meals and not slept.
Lee Do-hyeon had brought him here, thinking that feeding him delicious food might make him feel better, and he was repeatedly thinking that he had done well. When Ryu Jeong ate food that suited his taste, he would shine his light brown eyes and get very excited. Knowing or not knowing that his butt was wiggling from time to time, Lee Do-hyeon had to hold back the laughter that was trying to escape his lips, as if he was about to hum a tune.
“How is it?”
“This is delicious too.”
Whenever Ryu Jeong emptied a plate, Lee Do-hyeon would push another dish towards him as if he had been waiting for it. It was nice to see him eating everything well without being picky. This must be what a parent feels like…
“……”
Parents are a bit much, aren’t they? They even had sex this morning. It was his own thought, but Lee Do-hyeon suddenly felt uncomfortable and narrowed his brows slightly.
At that moment, a plate slid into his view, which was briefly lowered. When he looked up, Ryu Jeong was awkwardly pulling his hand back. Lee Do-hyeon glanced at the plate that Ryu Jeong had clearly pushed towards him and asked Ryu Jeong why, looking concerned.
“Huh? Why? Don’t you like this?”
“No, that’s not it…”
Ryu Jeong quickly shook his head, worried about being misunderstood. Lee Do-hyeon looked even more puzzled. He seemed to think so because the dish he had given him was full of nothing but green vegetables. He should have picked up some meat dishes even if he had only touched them once. He regretted it belatedly, but it was already water under the bridge.
“I thought President should eat quickly too…”
Ryu Jeong hesitated and finally managed to say a word. Neither he nor Lee Do-hyeon had eaten, but as he was eating, he noticed that Lee Do-hyeon was only taking care of him instead of eating. He had pushed all the delicious-looking side dishes in front of him, and even the food that had come out for Lee Do-hyeon’s share was pushed over, leaving only white rice and meat soup in front of Lee Do-hyeon.
At this rate, even that rice and soup would become his share. Ryu Jeong, who was so focused on eating that he hadn’t paid attention to Lee Do-hyeon, hesitated for a long time, feeling uneasy, and decided to take the same approach.
“Ah.”
Lee Do-hyeon, who finally understood Ryu Jeong’s intention, sighed briefly.
“Do you… not like it?”
Ryu Jeong, sensing the lukewarm reaction, glanced at Lee Do-hyeon, wondering if he shouldn’t have done it. He should have just stayed still and not done anything. His regret was gradually escalating to the extreme.
“No, no. I like it, but it was just a little sudden.”
Ryu Jeong, who had suddenly become sullen, forgot that he had been moving his chopsticks diligently and drooped his shoulders. At that, Lee Do-hyeon quickly reached out with his chopsticks, saying no. He put the vegetable side dish that Ryu Jeong had pushed towards him into his mouth and chewed and swallowed it as if to show him. The act did not end there. Lee Do-hyeon scraped the plate clean until the bottom was visible.
Although there was a slightly suspicious look on his face, Ryu Jeong finally looked relieved. Lee Do-hyeon covered his mouth with his hand, pretending to touch his chin, as if he was afraid that laughter would burst out. Ah, he’s so cute. He desperately suppressed his laughter, and when he was able to control his expression, he lowered his hand as if nothing had happened and began his belated meal.
What did it matter if it was an ingredient he didn’t like? In his current mood, he would gladly put it in his mouth and chew and swallow it, even if it had come out of Ryu Jeong’s mouth. Whenever he smiled without realizing it, Ryu Jeong would look at Lee Do-hyeon with wide eyes. It was a little mean to Ryu Jeong, but he deliberately smiled because he liked the way he was looking at him. By the time he finished his meal, he was smiling from the bottom of his heart.
He had already finished his second filling meal at a fancy restaurant that he would never have dreamed of going to, a place he didn’t even know existed. Ryu Jeong seemed quite touched that he had visited the same place twice, when he would have cherished it for the rest of his life even if he had only gone once. But Lee Do-hyeon didn’t stop there. He took Ryu Jeong, who was nodding off from the drowsiness of being full, and drove to a cafe.
It was a cafe that Lee Do-hee had once dragged him to when she was off from the hospital. He had remembered that it was nearby and had brought Ryu Jeong straight there. He had been disgusted by Lee Do-hee, who happily drank chocolate drinks that made his mouth feel dry just by looking at them, but that memory had evaporated the moment he decided to take Ryu Jeong there.
He subtly recommended hot chocolate to Ryu Jeong, who was wondering what to drink. He didn’t know much about his drink preferences, but he thought that the unknown cuteness felt in the name ‘hot chocolate’ suited Ryu Jeong. Fortunately, Ryu Jeong seemed to like it. He nodded with a bright expression when the employee asked if he wanted whipped cream on top.
“They say there are marshmallows under the cream, and you can either scoop them up with a spoon or melt them and drink them.”
Ryu Jeong jumped up from his seat as soon as the buzzer rang. Lee Do-hyeon had paid for everything from the meal to the dessert, so he felt like he had to do even the small things to feel comfortable. But Lee Do-hyeon told him to stay still and snatched the buzzer faster than Ryu Jeong. In the end, he had to leave everything, even bringing the finished drinks back to the table, to Lee Do-hyeon. Ryu Jeong smiled bitterly, saying thank you with a sense of guilt and discomfort for some reason.
“How is it?”
Unaware of Ryu Jeong’s uncomfortable feelings, Lee Do-hyeon was simply curious about Ryu Jeong’s reaction. He always showed on his face that he was so happy when he ate something delicious, so he wanted to feed him something because he looked so cute. He wondered if he had ever been so nervous recently, and he stared intently at Ryu Jeong, who was bringing the mug to his mouth, pretending not to.
“…Wow.”
“Wow?”
“It’s delicious……”
Ryu Jeong took a sip with the cream and exclaimed softly. He smacked his lips, savoring the rich chocolate flavor that remained in his mouth even after swallowing, and looked down.
The cafe where Ryu Jeong worked also had hot chocolate. They used commercial cocoa powder to make it, but here, they melted handmade chocolate, which they made every day, in milk to make hot chocolate. It was amazing that they made chocolate directly in a place that wasn’t a factory, and it was made with that chocolate. Ryu Jeong, who had been secretly looking forward to it, blinked his widened eyes repeatedly, forgetting that he had been uncomfortable until just now, because the taste far exceeded his expectations.
“I’m glad. I came here because I suddenly thought of it, but I was worried that it might not suit your taste.”
As if relieved, Lee Do-hyeon took a sip of his drink. For some reason, he was holding an Americano instead of his usual milk tea. He thought that all the drinks would be related to chocolate because they made the chocolate themselves. But it didn’t seem to be the case. Ryu Jeong inadvertently followed Lee Do-hyeon with his eyes as he rattled the ice and drank his coffee, and then rolled his eyes, wondering if he had said it in a way that made it sound like he had been here before.
“Have you… been here before?”
“Yes. With my sister.”
Ryu Jeong let out a small sigh of relief. Before he could even realize why he should be relieved by that answer, his curiosity took over.
“Do you have a sister?”
“Yes, a younger sister. Her hobby is to visit every cafe on her days off. She doesn’t have any friends, so she calls me out whenever she has a chance, and she knows a lot about cafes that are run by individuals, not just franchises.”
“Ah, maybe the cafe……”
“You’ve seen her before. You know, the one with the bobbed hair.”
As he listened to Lee Do-hyeon’s words, a face came to mind. That female customer who had unknowingly caught his eye just by standing there. He now remembered that he had vaguely thought that they were dating just because she was with Lee Do-hyeon.
After hearing that she was his sister and thinking about it again, he realized that they had many similarities. Unlike the expressionless Lee Do-hyeon, she had a consistently cool smile, which was why he hadn’t recognized her.
“Why? Is Jeong interested in my sister?”
Lee Do-hyeon, who had been quietly watching Ryu Jeong, who was lost in thought, smiled and put down his cup. It was a mischievous question that he asked even though he knew the answer. As expected, Ryu Jeong was horrified. He quickly tried to wave his hands to deny it, but then realized that he was holding a mug, so he put the cup down as he had done. With nothing in his hands, Ryu Jeong shook his hands and head, saying no.
“That’s not it, now that I think about it, you two… look a lot alike.”
“Hmm… I guess Jeong doesn’t know what the most annoying thing to hear is, since he’s an only child.”
“Yes……?”
Leaving out the words before and after, only ‘annoying thing to hear’ was stuck in Ryu Jeong’s ears. Ryu Jeong, surprised that he had upset Lee Do-hyeon, looked at Lee Do-hyeon with an anxious and helpless expression. His already pale face turned even paler, which was pitiful, but instead of immediately dispelling the misunderstanding, Lee Do-hyeon frowned as if he was serious.
This was a very big deal. Ryu Jeong, who reacted immediately to his teasing, looked pitiful, but his desire to tease him even more was only growing.
“It’s very rude to tell siblings that they look alike.”
“Wh-why is that……?”
“I would hate to look like such a dimwit. I know we look alike, but um, I don’t necessarily want other people to see it that way?”
Just as his palms were about to sweat from nervousness, Ryu Jeong, who understood what Lee Do-hyeon meant, looked deflated. Only then did Lee Do-hyeon burst into a refreshing laugh.
There are some people whose laughter is so loud that it makes the people around them frown, but Lee Do-hyeon’s laughter was so hearty that it made you feel good just by listening to it. In the end, Ryu Jeong laughed along.