RE: Player again

379

[Chapter 111]

[Connections Are Somewhere (4)]

Everyone knew by now.

That while there may not be the best seat at a party, there is definitely the worst seat.

Especially if it's a place for eating something.

At least it was an absolute 'truth' that always held true at recent gatherings of the 'Noh Eunha corps' floating around the academy.

This is bad. If I go late, I'll end up sitting in that seat...

I ended up falling asleep.

Eunha who was killing time in the dorm hurriedly prepared to leave.

He could end up sitting in 'that seat' if he wasn't careful.

Absolutely not next to that Meokminji. Want to die while eating meat?

That seat, Kim Minji's table.

Friends had been implicitly calling it that since some point.

It was a truth anyone would realize after eating Kim Minji's cooking just once.

If you accidentally sat at Kim Minji's table, you might end up eating while checking if what you picked up with chopsticks was meat or poison.

"...No. Jumping from here would be faster."

He had to go as quickly as possible.

Eunha put on a light coat and without hesitation immediately jumped from the veranda.

He who landed lightly ran to the planned location for the meat party.

"You're here? What were you doing to come now? You slept again, didn't you!?"

"...I didn't."

"Why don't you at least fix your hair before lying? Anyway, if you had come later, there wouldn't have been any left for you."

BBQ place located near the lake.

Eunha looked at Kim Minji who was nagging with a dazed face.

More precisely, at her table.

What's going on?

Kim Minji's table was full.

Not just across, but even the worst seats on both sides.

"Oh? Hi, Eunha!"

"You're Eunha? Hello."

Galaxy Hospital's direct descendant, Kang Yeseul.

Galaxy Planning's direct descendant, Kim Byeongguk.

Kang Yeseul who took the seat next to her waved happily towards Eunha. Kim Byeongguk sitting across also immediately acted like he knew him.

Unfortunately, they were students Eunha didn't know.

Eunha ignored them and examined the faces of people sitting around Minji.

The only person he knew was Kang Sihyeong.

"Did you come after sleeping? Try eating some meat. The meat is really delicious."

Kang Sihyeong who didn't know anything welcomed Eunha brightly.

His hand movements grilling meat were very unfamiliar.

But he could tell very well that the lives of that table depended entirely on Kang Sihyeong alone.

Eunha inwardly expressed condolences to Kang Sihyeong.

"Sihyeong."

"Yeah, why?"

"As a guardian, you need to be able to endure this much. Hang in there well."

"Huh? Yeah? What?"

Eunha who patted his shoulder as a sign of condolence.

Kang Sihyeong who had no idea what would happen looked bewildered.

Regardless, Eunha wandered looking for remaining seats.

There was exactly one seat left.

Next to Jung Hayang.

"We saved your seat over there, Eunha. You're the best at grilling meat among us. Hayang is treating, so shouldn't we eat the meat deliciously?"

"Ahaha..."

Jin Seona who was grilling meat next to Choi Eunhyeok spoke nonchalantly.

Her triangular ears twitching gave the feeling she was plotting something.

Meanwhile, Jung Hayang smiled awkwardly and gestured for Eunha to come.

He who was looking at Seona with a sullen face finally chuckled then sat next to Hayang.

"Did you come after sleeping?"

"Yeah. I was doing homework after lunch and accidentally..."

"Tsk... How did your hair get like this for someone who accidentally fell asleep?"

"I should have worn a hat."

"Hmm, no. It's fine. Are you hungry? This side is all cooked."

Hayang set up tableware as if she had been waiting.

Eunha who said thanks put the meat she handed him in his mouth.

The taste was amazing, perhaps because it was grilled over charcoal.

"Give me the tongs. I'll grill."

"No. You eat first."

"I can eat while grilling. Give them to me."

Eunha snatched Hayang's tongs and put meat on the grill.

Then he looked around at the faces of students sitting at the table.

They were all unfamiliar people except Lee Cheonsu.

More than that, the part Eunha didn't like was─

"─Were you grilling alone?"

"Cheonsu helped a little. I guess there aren't many people who have grilled meat before, so I just..."

"Then you probably didn't eat either, Hayang. Don't worry about my portion and eat a lot yourself."

"Yeah, thanks."

Eunha glanced at the students once then put meat on Hayang's plate.

He wanted to leave the task of grilling meat to them, but he couldn't give her poorly grilled meat.

"Eunha, you eat now too. I'll grill the rest..."

"Later. After feeding this kid."

Then Lee Cheonsu tried to take the tongs from Eunha tactfully.

Eunha who lightly hit the hand coming over the grill continued grilling meat.

Lee Cheonsu returned his hand to its original position with wide eyes.

"...Am I a baby? I can eat on my own too."

Meanwhile, Jung Hayang was also among those blinking her round eyes repeatedly.

Hayang who came to her senses protested lightly while puffing her cheeks.

"Just eat as I give you."

"...Eunha. But I can't eat this much..."

"Then store it in your cheeks and eat."

"You..."

It reminded me of kindergarten.

Eunha raised the corners of his mouth chuckling.

Then he dumped a mountain of meat on the plate that hadn't even been eaten yet.

Hayang's cheeks have gotten so thin lately...

I need to feed her a lot.

Whether she knew his heart or not.

Jung Hayang pinched Eunha's forearm.

Even so, it didn't hurt Eunha at all.

Her glaring with strength in her eyes looked like a squirrel looking up.

"Kyaaaaaah─!!"

"Kang Yeseul! Yeseul!"

"W-What!? What's going on!?"

Right then.

A scream was heard from Kim Minji's table.

It seemed the first casualty had occurred.

Eunha who was already used to such situations closed his ears to the commotion happening over there.

"It's okay. She'll come to her senses after a while."

"Looks like she choked."

Yoo Dojun said indifferently.

Choi Eunhyeok answered insensitively.

And Cha Eunwoo─

"─Nice."

She pulled her clenched fist down when no one was looking.

☆

There are things visible to others' eyes.

Even if the person themselves doesn't know.

Calculated goodwill towards the opposite s*x is originally visible without filtering from a third party's position.

And the person receiving that goodwill can't not know either.

"Oh? Do you need more kimchi? Wait, I'll go get it right now."

"No. It's okay. What's here is enough... Ah, thanks."

"No, it's nothing!"

Lee Cheonsu who hurriedly got up from his seat and quickly brought kimchi from another table.

Hayang who tried to wave her hand saying it's okay but couldn't stop him awkwardly expressed thanks.

Did you see?

I saw.

Seona and Eunwoo who were watching that series of events exchanged intentions with just their gazes.

The two's hawk-like gazes kept piercing Lee Cheonsu.

"Ah, this seems grilled deliciously. Hayang, try eating this."

"Ah, no. You eat it."

"Wow, Hayang you're first in the school? That's really amazing. If you have time later, could you teach me how to study? It's hard to keep up with classes since I transferred."

"Th-Then why don't we have a study group together later? We sometimes study together too."

"Really? Let me join! I'll do it!"

Calculated goodwill.

But goodwill was goodwill.

There was no way someone would spit on goodwill.

They could be cursed if they did it wrong, or be told they're misunderstanding unnecessarily.

As a result, Hayang was awkwardly circumventing Lee Cheonsu's goodwill.

Even circumvented rejection was rejection.

Lee Cheonsu didn't seem to know.

Or he could be doing it knowingly.

What do you think?

He's doing that on purpose.

Right? I thought so too.

Although their tables were different, Jin Seona and Cha Eunwoo were sitting across from each other.

The two whispered among themselves while pretending to pick up meat.

"Cheonsu. Let Hayang eat some meat too. She can't even eat meat properly because you keep talking to her."

"Yeah, kid. Look at Hayang's plate. The meat hasn't decreased at all."

The two nodded.

The stylish girls' dorm gathering was all bound by tight friendship.

Seona spoke to Lee Cheonsu and liberated Hayang from him.

And Eunwoo agreed and changed the topic so he couldn't speak to Hayang.

"The cider is empty? Say something."

"Ah, thanks. Eunwoo."

Eunwoo smiled warmly and directly poured cider into Cheonsu's empty paper cup.

She was thinking of dealing with Lee Cheonsu for a while then getting up from her seat saying she's going to the bathroom with Hayang at an appropriate timing.

But this time Eunwoo was caught.

"You're empty too? I'll pour for you."

"Yeah, thanks."

"Do you know you're really famous among classmates who entered with me?"

"Huh? Me? Why?"

"Why... The boys say you're really nice."

"Ah... I see. I don't think I'm that nice though..."

"No. I think you're really nice too from what I've seen. Ah, want to eat sweet potato?"

"I'm okay..."

"No. Here, try eating this."

"...Yeah, thanks."

Eunwoo was dumbfounded.

It would be strange to refuse vehemently, so she reluctantly ate the sweet potato Cheonsu held out.

The sweet potato that had been on the greasy grill for a long time tasted bad and was just very oily.

What is this guy?

What is this guy?

Eunwoo sent a gaze asking for help to Jin Seona.

Soon Seona frowned and tried to intervene between the two.

And a similar situation occurred.

Not just Hayang and Eunwoo...

Me too?

Seona was inwardly taken aback.

She blankly looked down at the meat Lee Cheonsu put on top of her rice.

It was out of standard in a sense.

Why did Eunha...

I don't like this kind of kid.

Jin Seona and Cha Eunwoo.

The two's thoughts aligned.

They were thinking of becoming somewhat close with Lee Cheonsu since he was a student Eunha was interested in watching this year.

But that thought completely disappeared.

Before they knew it, Seona narrowed her eyes and answered Lee Cheonsu's words moderately.

"Ah, there was rice cake too. Want to eat rice cake?"

"No."

"Seona what do you like? Pork? Beef?"

"I eat anything well."

"Aren't all the people here really good at studying?"

"Hmm, I guess."

Seona who responded with indifference and short answers. Before they knew it, Eunwoo was also responding perfunctorily.

"Um..."

"Yeah, no."

"...I haven't said anything yet."

"Huh? Did you? Sorry."

"......"

Lee Cheonsu probably noticed gradually.

Sure enough, he turned his body and tried to speak to Hayang again.

Isn't that an attitude of just trying to catch one thing?

Am I... looking easy?

Eunwoo where are you like that. Rather, the shallow person is him.

The two shook their heads.

Anyway, they had to prevent Lee Cheonsu from speaking to Jung Hayang.

Eunwoo, let's go to the bathroom.

Let's go.

The two just moved their lips facing each other.

They decided to take Jung Hayang to the bathroom and not return for a while.

Then the seating arrangement would have changed before they knew it.

"Hayang, here."

"Huh? No, it's okay. You eat it."

"I'm good at wrapping ssam. Try eating it."

"I can make it and eat myself..."

Lee Cheonsu trying to feed ssam to Hayang's mouth unnecessarily.

Seona and Eunwoo now just openly sighed.

They decided to quickly get Hayang up.

Right then─

"─Really? Then I'll eat it."

The ssam in front of Hayang's mouth.

Eunha suddenly snatched it away and put it in his mouth.

""......"

""......"

Silence flowed.

Lee Cheonsu was dumbfounded.

Jung Hayang blinked her eyes.

Seona and Eunwoo held their breaths.

Soon Eunha who was chewing the ssam as if biting through the silence moved his Adam's apple.

"Why are you putting uncooked meat in ssam."

"...Huh? Huh? D-Did I do that?"

"Don't wrap ssam anymore from now on."

"...Huh? O-Okay."

Eunha snapped.

Lee Cheonsu was so flustered he nodded in a daze.

"What's so delicious about this... Try eating one I wrap."

"...If it's one you wrap Eunha, of course I'll eat it deliciously."

Lee Cheonsu flattered.

Eunha who chuckled spread out a lettuce leaf then put a cabbage leaf on top.

He put pork belly with lots of cartilage, sprinkled plenty of salted shrimp on top, piled up rice, and dyed the white rice red with bean sprouts and kimchi.

"...Isn't it too big?"

"It'll all go in if you open your mouth."

"......"

"Ah."

"...Ah, aah... Kuk... Kuhuk...!"

A fist-sized ssam was completed.

Lee Cheonsu couldn't refuse Eunha's ssam and ate it with his mouth tearing.

It seemed he couldn't even chew because it was too big. He could only hold it in his mouth.

"...Aashil."

"What? Bathroom?"

Lee Cheonsu who painfully moved his mouth saying bathroom.

He abruptly got up from his seat and ran towards the bathroom.

Eunha watched him go away and now openly giggled.

"Geez... You're mean."

"Why. Wasn't that fun just now?"

"...Hmm... A little?"

"Want to try eating ssam too?"

"No. I can't eat big ones."

"I'll wrap a small one."

"Really?"

"When have you seen me lie?"

"...Yeah... A lot."

Hayang poked Eunha's side.

When Eunha asked giggling, she smiled gently.

The two played around like that.

Did you see?

Did you see?

Seona and Eunwoo who were watching that series of events looked at the two with meaningful gazes.

Then they suddenly turned their heads to Eunhyeok and Minho eating meat at another table.

The two glared.

"

"Eunhyuk."

"Minho."

"huh?"

"uh?"

Choi Eun-hyeok and Mok Min-ho, who had been busy talking to other people and not paying attention to what had happened in the meantime, tilted their heads.

Seonawa and Eunwoo smiled.

""I want to fight too.""

""… … .""

Eunhyuk and Minho had a gut feeling.

If I can't wrap it up well, I feel like I'm in big trouble.

Meanwhile, there was one person who was watching this scene from afar.

“That’s what I’m telling you to do at that time, you guys. Study….”

The village chief of Solo Village in Korea downed a bottle of cider all by himself.

The popping carbonation was addictive.

I guess this is why people drink alcohol.