episode_0036

[I agreed to have dinner with Jin.]

[Soyoon, you hung out with Jin alone last time too!]

[Cheer up]

[What! Me too, me too, me too]

[I’m going with Jin alone~]

[Woah. Next time it’s my turn!]

[Why you? I’m not ready yet………]

Without looking at the following messages, Soyoon closed the chat room with a determined look in her eyes.

Even if it was cheating, she couldn’t help it. She was in a hurry right now.

“Seo Jin… Make me look like a girl!”

Recently, Soyoon had been feeling a deep sense of anxiety.

Among so many competitive rivals, she felt too ordinary compared to them.

Since long ago, Soyoon had always felt inadequate compared to Yisea in terms of personality or appearance.

Moreover, after entering high school and encountering strong rivals like Seong Yurin and Hong Yeonseo, Soyoon’s inferiority complex grew even more.

Before Seo Jin could even see her as a girl, it seemed like someone else among the three would connect with him. Or maybe someone she didn’t know.

So, impulsively, she made a date appointment. Even though Seo Jin would surely not consider it a date in the short dinner time.

Soyoon clenched her fist, trying to erase her anxiety and silently cheered herself on.

The previous outing was a good atmosphere, but it was hard to consider it a success. So, today should be better than last time.

After undoing the hairband Seo Jin had given her and tying her hair back with care, Soyoon looked at herself in the mirror.

* * *

After exchanging rumors and phone numbers, I left the club room earlier than the usual time when the club activities ended.

I had planned to leave a little early, but I left even earlier than I thought because Soyoon called me.

“I’m heading to the main gate.”

[Okay! I’ll be waiting.]

I could feel Soyoon’s excited emotions even through the phone. Was she that eager to eat tonkatsu?

I quickened my pace towards the school gate and saw Soyoon standing there, waving her hand with a surprised expression.

She almost tripped.

“You came out early?”

“Ah… yeah! Um, it’s a popular place, so I thought we might have to wait if we’re late.”

I agreed with Soyoon’s words. It’s much better to go a little early than waste time waiting in line.

“Let’s go.”

On the slightly early evening road, amidst the few students, the two of us walked side by side.

The scent of spring flowers in the air felt nice.

As we walked, a sudden thought crossed my mind, and I spoke to Soyoon.

“After dinner, do you want to hang out a bit before going back?”

“……Huh!?”

Soyoon looked surprised at my words. It seemed like she didn’t expect me to say something like that.

Well, I haven’t done this before, even when I think about it.

However, without realizing it, the words came out of my mouth as I thought it wouldn’t be bad to get a little closer to the guys recently.

“Sure, actually, I was going to suggest it first.”

Soyoon, who was initially taken aback, quickly regained her composure and leaned closer, looking pleased.

“The weather is nice, let’s take a walk before going back.”

“Yeah.”

* * *

Following Soyoon’s guidance, we arrived at a Japanese tonkatsu restaurant. It’s usually called donkatsu.

Personally, I prefer the Japanese style, but I was surprised that Soyoon chose a Western-style tonkatsu with plenty of sauce.

When I asked her about it,

“I, I also like Japanese tonkatsu. And… Jin, it’s what you like. So, I wanted to come eat together.”

What a noble gesture.

Perhaps it was the power of early weekday evening, we could enter the restaurant without waiting.

Settling down inside the cozy restaurant, I looked at the menu, only to find that there was only one item available.

“They only have assorted cutlets.”

Apart from the main dish, there were only alcoholic beverages and drinks available. It was a sign of confidence in the main dish chosen by the restaurant.

“Would you like a drink?”

“I’m fine with water.”

“Alright then.”

Since I didn’t have any particular drink in mind, I ordered two assorted cutlets from the server who brought me water.

If I had been an adult, I would have started with a draft beer when coming to a place like this. But oh well.

Utilizing the time before our food arrived, I asked Isayoon a question.

“What should we do after dinner?”

With my limited experience, I couldn’t think of a place suitable for a man and a woman to go together. The only thing that came to mind was a movie theater, but we had been there before, so I decided to ask Isayoon just in case.

After a moment of thought, Isayoon answered my question.

“How about a game center?”

“Have you been to a place like that before?”

“No, never. I’ve never been.”

“Me neither. Well, it’s fine.”

A game center.

Game centers usually have a lot of activities that two people can enjoy together. It’s basically a larger version of an arcade.

Not only are there games, but there are also facilities like claw machines and karaoke rooms, so it was a good idea.

However, Isayoon’s suggestion of a game center seemed a bit out of character for her, as she didn’t seem interested in games. Maybe it was a suggestion made for my sake.

I was satisfied with the plan I had come up with on my own and nodded in agreement.

“Oh, did you contact home?”

“Yeah. I called before I called you.”

I see.

After some small talk, our ordered food arrived.

Neatly plated and appetizing in appearance, the cutlets looked crispy and made me long for a cold beer.

While Isayoon was taking pictures, the server who served us explained the food.

“This part with a slight pink hue is the tenderloin. It’s not undercooked, so you can eat it with confidence. I recommend starting with the tenderloin as the taste decreases when it cools down. Enjoy your meal.”

Listening to the server’s somewhat ambiguous introduction of the food, I picked up my chopsticks and dipped the tenderloin cutlet in the salt that came with it.

I took a bite.

Mmm…

Chewing and swallowing the cutlet, I looked up at Isayoon.

Whether by chance or because we were on the same wavelength, Isayoon also looked at me.

“It’s really delicious.”

“Yeah. There’s a reason why this place is famous.”

Smiling at Isayoon, who brought me to this satisfying restaurant, I could see the happiness in her eyes as she enjoyed the food.

We then leisurely continued our meal.

Matching Isayoon’s slow eating pace, I deliberately chewed each bite carefully.

The tenderloin I tried for the first time had an impressive flavor, and the sirloin and neck cuts each had their own unique meaty aroma that was quite appealing.

The accompanying cabbage salad and pickled chili peppers complemented the slightly greasy taste of the crispy cutlets.

The three sauces – salt, mustard, and tonkatsu sauce – provided variety so that we wouldn’t get tired of the flavors, and the rice and katsu soba served together made for a satisfying and filling meal.

I’ll have to add this place to my list of favorite restaurants.

I expressed my sincere thanks to Isayoon for introducing me to such a wonderful restaurant.

“The soba is delicious. I’ll have to try it with extra noodles next time.”

The clean and refreshing cold noodles were right up my alley. I could understand why there was a separate menu for adding noodles.

“I’m glad you liked it,” said Lee So-yoon, who had introduced me to the restaurant.

As we finished our meal and stepped outside, the sun was setting, casting a warm glow over the time.

We had to walk a bit to get to the city center, so it seemed like the sun would set by the time we arrived.

Lee So-yoon, who followed me out, stretched and said, “Ah, that was delicious.”

“Would you like me to buy you something to drink? Want to take one with you?”

Pointing to a café in front of us, I asked Lee So-yoon, who hesitated for a moment before nodding.

We walked to the café, and I ordered a café mocha for myself and a caramel mocha for Lee So-yoon at the outdoor counter.

I also liked sweet things, but Lee So-yoon was more of a sugar maniac than I was. It was amazing how she maintained that figure without exercising much.

“Do you happen to work out at home or something?”

“W-why do you suddenly ask that…?”

“I was just curious, that’s all.”

Lee So-yoon, who had a contemplative expression for a moment, looked shocked.

“Do I… look like I gained weight…?”

I quickly reassured the flustered Lee So-yoon, “I asked because you seem to love sweet things so much but don’t seem to gain any weight. Don’t worry, you haven’t gained any weight.”

My quick response seemed to ease Lee So-yoon’s expression a bit.

“Uh, maybe it’s because I eat a little bit of food.”

Perhaps Lee So-yoon was filling up on calories with sugar.

After chatting for a while, I paid for the drinks and handed one to Lee So-yoon.

“Thanks. I’ll enjoy it.”

“It’s nothing much. Shall we start heading back now?”

We each held a coffee in our hands as we walked towards the bustling streets.