"It's okay," Chaeyoung playfully reassured, a teasing grin tugging at her lips. "I've had a full day of work, so a little extra walk won't hurt."
"Yah! That's not making me feel any better." I pouted, crossing arms.
"It's okay, Minari," Chaeyoung reassured, gently nudging me forward. "Come on."
With Chaeyoung confidently leading the way, we finally arrived at the Ramen Place. Relief washed over us as we realized the line wasn't too long, sparing us from a lengthy wait. As we stepped inside, the savory aroma of ramen filled the air, whetting our appetites even more.
"Ah, finally," Chaeyoung exclaimed with a relieved smile as we settled into our seats. "What are you getting, Minari?"
Trusting her taste, I replied, "Whatever you're getting sounds good to me."
"Great choice," Chaeyoung grinned, her eyes sparkling with excitement as she glanced over the menu. "I promise you won't be disappointed."
"I can't trust you when you're grinning like that," I teased, rolling my eyes at her unwavering confidence.
"So, who came up with those interview questions?" Chaeyoung inquired, leaning in with interest as we waited for our food.
"Sana did," I replied, nodding. "She did a great job with them. They really helped guide the conversation smoothly."
"Oh, so Sana prepared the interview questions?" Chaeyoung asked, her curiosity evident in her voice. "You made it sound like you wrote the questions yourself."
"Only because you answered them so truthfully," I remarked casually, noticing the slight change in her expression. "What's with the face?"
"Nothing," she replied with a grin. "It just seems like you're not entirely convinced I answered them all truthfully. Come on, shoot it."
How does she read me so easily? Despite my hesitation, I knew I needed to ask for the sake of my sanity. "Well.. Are you really single?"
Chaeyoung laughed so hard for a moment, I thought she might fall from her seat, but then her tone turned serious as she answered me. "I am very much single. How about you?"
"Really?" I asked, my skepticism growing as memories of Nayeon's presence in Chaeyoung's apartment flooded my mind. "But... I saw Nayeon at your place the other night..."
"Nayeon-ssi?" Chaeyoung's eyes widened in confusion, her expression mirroring her surprise. Did I misread the situation? Did I make a mistake in bringing this up? "The only time I remember her being at my place was... Oh! No way!"
Her confusion quickly turned into laughter. "Yah! You thought me and Nayeon?.." She chuckled. "Ah, Minari! My stomach hurts from laughing! That's hilarious!"
I am now even more puzzled.
"Okay..." she paused, trying to stifle her laughter. "Hey, I can't blame you, she did seem a bit out of it that night. But I promise you, I didn't do anything to her!" She burst into laughter once more. "She's like an older sister to me, and she's with Jeongyeon, you know."
"Ah, I see." I chuckled nervously, feeling relieved yet slightly embarrassed by my misunderstanding. "Sorry about that. It was just a passing thought."
I can't help but feel a bit silly now. I want to slam my head to the table for jumping into conclusion. So that hickey was from Jeongyeon, not Chaeyoung? All those tears I shed that night were for nothing, it seems.
"Do you believe me now that I'm very much single?" Chaeyoung met my gaze squarely. "You didn't answer me the first time I asked. How about you? Are you single, Minari?"
"I believe you," I replied with a playful smirk. "And to answer your question, yes, I'm single."
Chaeyoung raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Are you sure about that?" she teased, her tone implying she wasn't entirely convinced.
"Oh, I see what you're up to," I retorted, a playful grin tugging at the corners of my lips. "Turning the tables on me, huh?"
"What? I just can't believe you're single," Chaeyoung remarked, a skeptical expression on her face. "You're too pretty to be single."
Here she goes again, oblivious to how her words might make me feel. "I don't think relationships are for me. I've never been one for commitment."
"Ah, that's a shame," Chaeyoung remarked with a hint of disappointment. "You're such a caring person, Minari. You'd make a great girlfriend, you know?"
I held back the impulse to ask, "Would you date me then?" Though it danced on the edge of my thoughts, I refrained from letting the words slip out, and bit my tongue, recognizing it wasn't the opportune time to express my sentiments. "Yeah, what a shame," I replied with a tinge of resignation in my voice. "Anyways, you said you want to go back to Jeju?"
"Yeah, I've been going there alone whenever I need to de-stress," Chaeyoung replied with a smile, thankfully shifting away from the previous topic. "Why do you ask?"
"I've been stashing away funds for a trip to Jeju," I admitted, a tinge of enthusiasm coloring my tone. "Originally, I had my sights set on going for my birthday, but plans fell through at the last minute so I wasn't able to."
Tears streamed down my face that day. I had painstakingly saved up for that Jeju trip, only to have to use that money for our sudden move when Dad's loan shark discovered where we were staying that time.
And just like that, my dream of traveling to Jeju slipped away, reality really hits us hard sometimes, I guess.
"Should we go there then?" Chaeyoung's sudden question snapped me out of my self-pity. "Once the magazine is out, let's go there. Just us. That'll be fun."
A smile tugged at the corners of my lips as Chaeyoung's suggestion sparked a glimmer of hope within me. "Yeah, I'd like that," I replied, my voice filled with anticipation.
"Sounds good," she replied with a hint of enthusiasm, her attention shifting as the waiter arrived with our food. "Ah, finally! Let's eat."
Watching her, I paused, a flicker of doubt creeping into my mind. As much as I wanted to believe Chaeyoung's words, I couldn't help but wonder if she was merely caught up in the moment, offering a fleeting suggestion that she might soon forget. "Yeah, let's do that."
"Wow, this is amazing," Chaeyoung mumbled with a mouthful of ramen.
I quietly observed her, noticing how she wiggled with delight as she ate. It was cute, but it also made my heart ache. Was I crazy for feeling this way? Perhaps I was, for I knew I was already terminal – terminal for falling in love with her,
one ramen bite at a time.
***
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