The Best of Tomorrow

Chapter 12 – Part 1

Ryu’s restaurant.

I sat face to face with Seon-jae and Baek In-hyuk in front of me in the corner of the restaurant. Seon-jae’s mother, who recognized me, was surprised to see that I knew her son, held 2,000 won in her hand, and said I didn’t take the change.

I was going to say that I had never been here, but I thought I would mess it up even more.

“Thank you very much.” I bowed my head and crumpled those notes in my pocket.

Baek In-hyuk was going to help Seon-jae’s mother. He went into the kitchen. I almost grabbed him not to let him go without realizing it.

Seon-jae and I were the only ones left at the table, so Seon-jae placed the spoons and chopsticks side by side on the seat of the three of us. I looked down and saw the spoon in front of me.

How could he put it so neatly that the ends fit perfectly? I forgot that I was dragged into the restaurant and admired Seon-jae’s sophistication.

“Yes, you.”

I looked up to find Seon-jae looking at me with his elbow on the table and his chin on his hand. I swallowed my saliva and waited for the next word to come out from Seon-jae’s mouth.

“What’s your name?”

“Huh?”

He asked back the unexpected question with his eyes wide open.

“You’re not Kim Chun-baek, you’re not 70 years old. I thought the name on the name tag you’re wearing right now might not be yours.”

“Oh, the name tag is mine.”

“Im-sol?”

I looked into Seon-jae’s eyes and nodded. Seon-jae kept staring at my face without saying a word. It was difficult to look into his eyes anymore, so I turned to look around.

I don’t think I can go to his fan signing event. My heart is pounding like this. How can I stand right in front of Seon-jae and get his autograph?!

Because the inside of the restaurant was quiet, I could hear Baek In-hyuk and Seon-jae’s mother talking in the kitchen.

“Is she your girlfriend?”

“No, she is Seon-jae’s fan.”

“Fan? He got one already?”

“Yes, he has a nickname; ‘Seon-jae, carry me’.”

“She’s going to run with our Seon-jae on his back? He is going to carry her on his back. Is that what it is?”

When I became the topic of conversation, I became embarrassed and scratched my forehead as if I were a sinner. I hated myself for not recognizing this fact in advance, that Baek In-hyuk was like a bamboo forest.

[T/N: The name “bamboo forest” came from an old fairy tale in South Korea about a vassal who happened to learn the king’s secret. The vassal could not resist the urge to share the secret with others, so he decided to visit a bamboo forest and shout it out there, thus releasing his frustration and assuming no one could hear him.]

After a while, Baek In-hyuk, who appeared with a large pot, put the pot on the crater grid and pushed around the ignition handle. “I’m starving to death. I was waiting for you as I didn’t have time to eat anything.”

“Didn’t you eat lunch? Why did you skip lunch and come to my school…?”

“Ryu Seon-jae dragged me along with him to catch you.” Baek In-hyuk said, while stirring the Gamjatang with a ladle.

I glanced at Seon-jae’s face. He was still staring at me with his chin resting on his palm.

I’m embarrassed to death!

Baek In-hyuk took the first plate and poured the Gamjatang.

It’s better to get lashed first, but ever since he asked my name, Seon-jae hasn’t asked anything.

When I came alone, I was excited to rip the meat off the bone and put rice on it, but now I couldn’t figure out whether the rice grains went through my nose or my mouth.

***

I ate the last grain of the rice on the rice bowl with chopsticks. I ate so much for a person who didn’t know whether the rice grains went inside his nose or his mouth.

I made an excuse to myself that Seon-jae’s mother’s cooking skills were good.

“Oh, my stomach is going to explode.”Baek In-hyuk, who put down his spoon, rubbed his stomach and looked at the table, and then looked at me with a curious face.

“I thought you loved ghost peppers, but you didn’t eat a single one today?”

“Huh?”

“I cleaned up the table the last time you ate.”He said, “You know how to eat hangover soup because there’s only five peppers left on your plate last time.”

“Oh… that’s…”

“How did you know?”

With a perplexed face, I was trying to answer Baek In-hyuk’s question, but Seon-jae’s voice suddenly popped out.

When I used to see him on TV, I used to laugh, but that face could look so cold, I could have never imagined. I felt sad and wanted to cry.

I couldn’t answer easily because my lips were pursed tight and didn’t open easily. Seon-jae got up from his seat and brought an apron, which was hanging on the wall. When I looked up at him, he put the apron on my head and wrapped it around my face.

I was so embarrassed and terrified to make eye contact with him. But on the other side, Seon-jae’s expressionless face stared at me.

“It looks the same.”

“…uh?”

Seon-jae, who was holding both sides of the apron around my face, tied under my chin, raised my face with strength in his hand. With my head slightly raised, I looked up at Seon-jae’s face.

“It’s the same as the person who rushed out with an apron at that time.”

“Oh, that time…”

“Who are you?”

“Uh?”

“What is your identity?”

“I, I… I’m a fan of yours…”

Seon-jae held out his cell phone in front of me. “Go on.”

“Huh? What…”

“The cafe that I signed up for, you never mentioned. Go on.”

I am in trouble! The cafe is supposed to open 4 years from now, so how do I get in there?

“If there is one, I will trust you.”

“…No. You don’t have to believe it.”

Seon-jae’s eyes were getting narrower.

Oh, damn it. How to get over this situation?!