Chapter 54

“Who is it? There shouldn’t be anyone coming…”

Haon raised his head with a puzzled expression and got up. However, he had been sitting for so long that his legs had fallen asleep. With a tingling pain, Haon struggled to lift his foot. He guessed it might be Hyeon Siyun or Kim Jeongwon. There couldn’t be anyone else coming.

Then the doorbell rang again. Haon, in agony due to his legs not cooperating, raised his voice.

“Oh, I’m coming, hold on!”

‘This guy would think there’s a good reason if someone couldn’t open the door quickly, so why rush me like this?!’

With determination, Haon finally reached the intercom. But he froze on the spot. It was supposed to be Hyeon Siyun and Kim Jeongwon standing there, but someone else appeared on the intercom screen.

The person who rang the bell was Cha Yugeon. Haon sincerely debated whether to open the door or not. But regardless of his hesitation, there was only one answer. He had to open the door. He had just shouted a moment ago, so he couldn’t pretend not to be home.

Moreover, Haon was genuinely curious about Cha Yugeon’s well-being. In the midst of that, Cha Yugeon coming to see him on his own was something to be grateful for.

Besides, he couldn’t avoid Cha Yugeon forever. If an emergency arose, he would have to meet Cha Yugeon whether he liked it or not. So, it might be better to see him now rather than having an awkward reunion later.

“Come in.”

With all these thoughts running through his mind, Haon tried to calm his trembling heart and pressed the door open button. As soon as he heard the sound of the front door opening, Cha Yugeon appeared on the doorstep.

“What’s up?”

“Let’s grab a bite to eat. It’s not lunchtime yet, right?”

“Uh? Well, yeah, but…”

Cha Yugeon casually suggested having a meal. Haon honestly replied that he hadn’t eaten yet.

“You said you’d buy me food before. Buy it today.”

“Uh… Uh, sure.”

Haon replied with a flustered voice. He felt a bit unjustified now. Cha Yugeon seemed completely fine, which made Haon’s worries of the past three days seem insignificant. He felt a bit aggrieved. While Cha Yugeon seemed fine, Haon had been struggling alone.

At the same time, he felt a bit sad. Cha Yugeon said he liked him, so he couldn’t believe he could be so unaffected. Instead, it seemed like Haon was the only one suffering.

“What are you doing? Let’s go.”

“Yeah, okay.”

His legs must have recovered by now, and there was no reason to delay. Haon followed Cha Yugeon as he walked ahead.

“Where are we going?”

“Let’s eat outside. Don’t you like it?”

As they walked in the opposite direction of the restaurant, Haon asked where they were going. Then, Cha Yugeon casually mentioned eating out. Haon had expected to have a simple meal at the Center’s cafeteria, but now that Cha Yugeon had come to see him, it might be better to eat out.

“Okay, but…”

“Let’s go then.”

“Yeah, sure.”

Haon couldn’t refuse Cha Yugeon’s calm suggestion. Rather, he was flustered by how indifferent Cha Yugeon seemed. He couldn’t figure out what Cha Yugeon was thinking.

Because it wasn’t a common behavior to suddenly suggest going out for a meal three days after being rejected.

However, it would have been strange for Haon to ask Cha Yugeon about his intentions first. So, feeling awkward, Haon reluctantly followed him.

Eventually, the two of them arrived at a bustling area near the Center after walking for a while.

“Do you have anything you want to eat?”

“No, I’m fine with anything. You choose. Did you come out because you wanted to eat something?”

“Then, is that place okay?”

“Uh? Uh, yeah, sure.”

Cha Yugeon suggested a pasta restaurant. It was a place Haon had been to with Siyun several times and had once had a meal with Baek Chan-kyung.

Haon followed Cha Yugeon to the pasta restaurant.

“Do you have a table by the window?”

“Yes, we’ll seat you inside.”

As soon as they entered, Cha Yugeon requested a table by the window among many available seats. Haon had wanted a different seat because he had felt embarrassed sitting by the wide window the last time he ate with Baek Chan-kyung, but unfortunately, the staff was already guiding the two of them to the window seat.

“Hey, there are plenty of other seats. Why sit here, it’s awkward.”

As soon as the waiter handed them the menu and left, Haon murmured in a low voice, expressing his dissatisfaction. In response, Cha Yugeon shrugged casually and replied

“Do you want to switch seats?”

“No, it’s fine.”

At Cha Yugeon’s question, Haon half-heartedly gave up and lowered his head. Just like last time, he didn’t want to inconvenience anyone by changing seats after already sitting down.

“What do you want to eat?”

“This.”

Haon chose the safe option again, opting for tomato seafood spaghetti. Cha Yugeon opened the page with pizzas.

“How about pizza?”

“I’m fine with anything. You choose what you want to eat.”

“Then, what about salad?”

“Do you want to order salad too?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

Even though it wasn’t their first meal together, Haon was still surprised by Cha Yugeon’s appetite. They didn’t seem to understand each other, and both sighed in resignation.

“Huh… Let’s just order what you want to eat.”

“Tsk, whatever. I have a little appetite anyway.”

Cha Yugeon grumbled in annoyance but then turned to the page with drinks.

“What do you want to drink?”

“Coke.”

Cha Yugeon nodded lightly at his words, then called the waiter to place their order.

“One tomato seafood spaghetti, one cheese oven spaghetti, one Gorgonzola pizza, one Caprese salad, and for drinks, one coke and one mojito, please.”

From Haon’s perspective, it felt like it took forever to place the order, so he clicked his tongue impatiently. Ordering four items for just the two of them seemed excessive to Haon, who had only ordered three items even when eating with Siyun, who ate well.

While Haon clicked his tongue, the waiter double-checked the order before retreating to the kitchen.

“After we eat, let’s go to the arcade.”

“Huh?”

“Don’t want to? Then how about the billiards room?”

“No, it’s not that…”

At this point, Haon was really starting to get confused. It was his first time eating out with Cha Yugeon, and going to the arcade was even more unusual. Unable to understand what they were supposed to do, his forehead naturally furrowed.

“Why are you so surprised? We can play while we digest the food.”

“…Cha Yugeon.”

“Yeah, what is it?”

“Why are you suddenly like this?”

In the end, Haon couldn’t help but ask Cha Yugeon. He had tried to hold back several times, but he couldn’t fathom why Cha Yugeon was acting this way.

“Just… I’ve known you for a long time, but it feels like I haven’t really done anything with you.”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

“I don’t want it to be like that from now on.”

Cha Yugeon replied calmly. His words didn’t seem to contain any lies. Faced with his sincerity, Haon hesitated for a moment before cautiously speaking up.

“Why? What’s the sudden change?”

“Because I like you.”

“Huh, what?”

Haon’s eyes widened in unexpected surprise at the sudden confession. But while Haon was taken aback, Cha Yugeon remained expressionless as if nothing had happened.

“I told you, Park Haon. I like you. So, I don’t want to just go on like before.”

“But…”

“I know you rejected me. But still, I like you, Park Haon. So, I’ll try something.”

Haon thought he had given up. He had thought that since Cha Yugeon seemed so indifferent, he had cleaned up his feelings. It felt silly to admit, but he felt sad when Cha Yugeon acted nonchalant. But that was just Haon’s misconception. Instead, Cha Yugeon was trying a new approach in his own way.

“If we try something together, one thing at a time, who knows? Maybe you’ll start to like me too.”

“…”

Haon’s ears burned with embarrassment. ‘Maybe you’ll start to like me too.’ These words struck Haon deeply, but he couldn’t understand why they affected him so much.

“Why? Did you think I had given up?”

Right on the mark, Haon couldn’t say anything and just pursed his lips. In response, Cha Yugeon seemed to understand Haon’s feelings and smiled as if nothing had happened.

“So, were you upset?”

“I-I wasn’t upset!”

Haon retorted, then glanced around and lowered his voice. With his cheeks heating up in embarrassment, Haon swallowed dryly.

“Really? Or should I not have said that? Maybe I thought you would.”

“…D-Do you think you have a chance?”

“It doesn’t matter. My feelings won’t change.”

His words sounded like a declaration of victory. Haon felt the weight of Cha Yugeon’s gaze piercing through him, and with a flushed face, he swallowed hard.