“ Wow, you’re seriously so good at cooking ”
Steam was rising hot and heavy from the kimchi stew placed in front of me
On the wide dining table were endless dishes like rolled omelet, dongchimi, and more
The many kinds of Korean dishes looked deliciously glossy
The taste was top-notch, too
Hwang Hyunjin watched me with my mouth full,
looking pleased as he bit into the rolled omelet
“ You eat well~ “
“ It’s really delicious. Who did you learn to cook from? ”
“ I learned it from the chef when I used to go hang out in the kitchen as a kid ”
After finishing the meal, Hwang Hyunjin
took a cigarette from his coat pocket, put it to his lips, and said
“ Want one too? ”
“ I don’t smoke ”
“ I know, I’m joking ”
Hwang Hyunjin grabbed his lighter and headed to the terrace
Hwang Hyunjin, visible beyond the floor-to-ceiling glass window,
fiddled with his phone and blew out smoke
Below his head, bent low,
the billowing smokescattered in every direction
Watching my friend smoke felt strangely off
I knew better than anyone that, in effect, minors shouldn’t smoke
but with Hwang Hyunjin’s parents not pointing it out either,
I had no right to nag him about it
Maybe Hwang Hyunjin sensed that,
or maybe the cigarette had gotten short enough
in no time, he stubbed it out in the ashtray and came back
Maybe because he had just finished smoking,
I could smell the stale scent of tobacco when he passed by me
Hwang Hyunjin came out of the master bathroom
and, looking refreshed, ran a hand over the back of his head
then sat down next to me
As he came close, the sudden burst of mouthwash scent made me
suddenly wonder if he had rinsed his mouth just because he was thinking of me
The thoughtflashed through my mind all of a sudden
Hwang Hyunjin kept his phone in his hand and stared at it
Curiously, when I stole a glance over his shoulder at the phone,
I saw an insanely long text message
“ What is it? An ex-girlfriend? ”
“ No~ I got a text telling me to come in for training ”
“ Then shouldn’t you go? ”
“ Want to come too? If you go, I’ll go too “
“ Can I even go there..? ”
“ What’s the big deal “
After I gave a slight nod
Hwang Hyunjin stood up without hesitation
When I followed him into the room as he walked that way,
he quickly changed into a suit and put wax in his hair
busily getting ready to go out
At the training site, along with Hwang Hyunjin’s father,
several staff members and the children of chaebol families our age
were said to be attending
After putting on a gleaming Rolex on his wrist,
he pointed toward the front door with a tilt of his chin
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