We decided not to cross the line (Season 2)

Episode 95. First experience

"Hoonji.

You said you didn’t have any plans until tomorrow, right?

Then tomorrow evening,

invite your brother and a friend over and let’s have dinner together."





"Tomorrow evening?

You just got back from camping, aren’t you tired?"





"We can go grocery shopping on the way home...

and cook in two or three hours, can’t we?

I’ve never done it before, so I can’t really tell.

Instead, Hoonji, could you...

Ah!! No."





"Weren’t you about to ask me

to help you cook?"






"Come to think of it, I didn’t think you’d be much help..."





"Ah... why~ I’ll help you!!"






"No. Not cooking...

Hoonji, clean the house."





"I’m the cooking type... what a shame."





"What should we make for the menu?

I saw on TV before that most men

like spicy stir-fried pork,

is that right?"






"Ah!! Spicy stir-fried pork is love!!

Let’s do that."





"And... also...

what should we have as side dishes?"





"Just the spicy pork alone

would be enough to clear a bowl of rice."





"But if we invite people over

and only serve one dish, that’s embarrassing.

How about japchae?

But can I even make that..."





Hoonji looked at me

and asked cautiously.





"Jung-ah.

These are all dishes you’re trying for the first time, aren’t they?

Will you be okay?"





"I’ll watch the videos several times,

and before I go to sleep tonight,

I’ll run a simulation in my head."





After thinking it over and over,

another dish came to mind.




"Yes!! We should make budae jjigae!!

That’s okay, right? Hoonji."






"Oh! Sounds good. Budae jjigae."





"And maybe rolled omelet, zucchini pancakes...

I should round things out with a few more dishes.

Menu selection, done!!"






"Jung-ah."






"Yes?"






"What’s the first thing you did after you met me?"






"I... the first thing I did was eat chicken by the Han River,

dry my boyfriend’s hair.

make breakfast.

brew coffee.

cook for my boyfriend’s friends.

go camping together, go stargazing.

Come to think of it... there are a lot of things I’ve done for the first time with Hoonji."






"Do you know what was my first time doing something with Jung-ah?"





"What was it?"





"Falling in love."





For a moment, I hesitated over how to react.

Was it a joke he wanted me to laugh at,

or a serious confession he wanted me to be moved by...





"Hoonji.

My reactions are broken right now."





"I’m serious.

It’s the first time I’ve felt something like this is love.

I’ve never loved anyone this much,

so sincerely."





I stared at him blankly.

I was so nervous I couldn’t even blink.





"W-why... why?

Why are you looking at me like that?"





"No... it’s just...

my heart’s a little overwhelmed."





After saying that, I lowered my head.

And then my vision gradually blurred.





"Ah... sorry.

I didn’t mean to make you cry."





"Hoonji.

Put out the campfire for me.

I’m going to the bathroom for a bit."





"It’s dark, I’ll go with you."





"No, I’ll go by myself."





I used going to the bathroom as an excuse.

I didn’t know what to say to him,

or what this feeling I had right now even was.

'Is it okay for me to receive this much love...





can I avoid disappointing that person?'

On the other hand, I felt uneasy.




When I pulled myself together and went back to the tent,




he was cleaning up.

We spent the second, and





last, night there.

The next morning.





After a simple breakfast,

we headed to Seoul.

In the car, we ordered the ingredients





we’d need to buy groceries.

As soon as we got home,





Hoonji started cleaning the house,

and I prepared to cook.

Maybe because I’d watched cooking videos




over and over again last night,

my hands seemed much more practiced than last time.

I marinated the spicy stir-fried pork in the sauce,




and prepared the other side dishes one by one.

It was almost time for the guests to arrive.




After finishing the table setting,




I put the main dish, spicy stir-fried pork, on the stove.

When the food was ready,





I called Hoonji over to taste it first, like a royal taster.

Hoonji tried a piece of the spicy pork and





his eyes went wide.

I asked in a voice full of confidence.





"How is it? This time, I succeeded, right?"





Hoonji gave





two thumbs up.

Then the doorbell rang.




Hoonji opened the door for them.




"Wow~ amazing!! Something smells so good!!"





"Hoonji. We’re here."





In Hoonji’s brother’s hands was a bouquet of flowers.





"You invited us, so I figured I shouldn’t come empty-handed.




I don’t know if you like flowers....

Here you go, princess."

"Ah... I still haven’t gotten used to ‘princess.’ Heh.





I love flowers so much. Thank you.

Come on in."

We started dinner in a much more relaxed





atmosphere than last time.

But



I kept watching their reactions,

and cold sweat ran down my back.

They, too,




must have remembered last time’s saltiness, because

before they even put the food in their mouths,

they were clearly tense.

But





once they actually tasted it, they all frowned.

'It’s the real deal!!'





I cheered inwardly.




"Wow~!! It’s seriously delicious!!"






I looked at Hoonji




and raised my eyebrows.

"Come whenever Hoonji has time."





translations