Yeon-ju was sitting in a corner by the café window.
Her laptop screen was packed with materials for the group project.
Three potential companies.
Market size.
Key customer demographics.
Competing brands.
Recent performance.
Yeon-ju organized everything one item at a time, deleting what she didn't need and consolidating overlapping information.
Before she knew it, there were only two candidates left.
One franchise café brand.
One delivery platform.
Yeon-ju looked back and forth between the two.
‘The café might be better.’
There was something else she'd thought about the last time she came here.
The reasons people used a space, beyond the coffee itself.
Location.
Seating.
Outlets.
Atmosphere.
How long people stayed.
If she gathered a little more data, she felt like she could come up with a decent direction.
Yeon-ju wrote a message to send to her group members.
[I think the café brand would be good. There should be plenty of data, and we could analyze how people use the space. I'll organize and upload some relevant materials.]
Send.
Then she turned back to the screen.
She read an article.
Made a chart.
Added the sources.
Only after concentrating for quite a while did she glance at the time in the bottom-right corner of the screen.
It was after two in the afternoon.
Yeon-ju's hand stopped.
‘Two?’
She thought for a moment.
Then she remembered one very important fact.
‘I haven't eaten lunch.’
She'd gotten up late that morning and had only drunk a glass of milk.
She'd planned to eat after class, but then she'd thought she would just organize a little of the material first, so she'd come into the café.
That ‘little’ had stretched well past an hour.
The moment she realized it, she suddenly felt hungry.
Yeon-ju closed her laptop.
This was enough for today.
She could look over the rest a little more once she got home.
The problem was, she didn't think her stomach would hold out on the way there.
Yeon-ju pulled out her phone.
She typed into the search bar.
Best restaurants near campus
Restaurants began popping up one after another.
Pork cutlet.
Spicy stir-fried pork.
Pho.
Kimchi stew.
Malatang.
Yeon-ju was scrolling through the photos when her finger stopped.
It was a photo of a small omelet rice.
Brown sauce over yellow eggs.
A small salad on the side.
It looked warm just from the picture.
She opened the reviews.
Great for eating alone near campus. Small place, but the omelet rice is delicious. You have to wait during lunch, but it's quiet around two.
Yeon-ju looked at the last sentence.
It was exactly two now.
“This is it.”
She muttered it to herself and stood up.
The restaurant was tucked into an alley a little way from the back gate of campus.
Even the sign wasn't very large.
A small wood-colored sign displayed the restaurant's name and a single drawing of omelet rice.
Yeon-ju opened the door.
Jingle.
The inside was even smaller than she'd expected.
A few tables that seated two people each.
Along the wall was a counter where people could sit alone.
There weren't many customers since lunch was over.
Yeon-ju looked for an empty seat.
One table by the window.
One table farther inside.
And then.
Her gaze stopped.
There was a familiar face.
Short hair.
A black tracksuit jacket.
A black helmet sat on the chair beside the table.
Cha Do-hee.
Yeon-ju paused near the entrance.
‘Do-hee.’
Do-hee was alone.
She had one arm resting on the table and was looking at her phone.
It seemed her food hadn't come out yet.
Yeon-ju hesitated for a moment.
Should she say hello?
Could she just sit somewhere else?
If it had been Su-yeon or Hyeon-a, she would've greeted them without a second thought.
But Do-hee was different.
They hadn't met that many times.
And they had talked even less.
She said only what was necessary.
When something needed to be done, she moved.
When it was over, she disappeared again.
Even when Yeon-ju first saw her, she had made a distinctly cold impression.
Yeon-ju quietly looked away.
‘Should I pretend I didn't see her and sit over there?’
It wasn't as if she was deliberately avoiding her.
She just didn't think there was any reason to bother her.
Just as Yeon-ju was about to turn toward the empty seat farther inside—
“Yeon-ju.”
Her feet stopped.
Yeon-ju turned her head.
Do-hee was looking at her.
Yeon-ju smiled awkwardly.
“Hi.”
Do-hee gave a short nod.
Then she pointed to the empty chair across from her.
“Here.”
Yeon-ju blinked once.
“Me?”
Do-hee glanced behind Yeon-ju.
“Is there someone else?”
“No.”
In the end, Yeon-ju walked over to Do-hee.
She set down her bag and sat across from her.
“If I'm making you uncomfortable, I can sit somewhere else.”
Do-hee said, “You're not making me uncomfortable.”
“Oh.”
Yeon-ju opened the menu.
Do-hee had ordered the basic omelet rice.
After hesitating briefly, Yeon-ju ordered the same thing.
Once they placed their orders, there was nothing left to do.
Do-hee looked at her phone again.
Yeon-ju took out her own phone too.
There was a message in the group chat for their project.
[I think the café is a good option.]
Yeon-ju sent a short reply.
Then she turned off the screen.
Silence.
The sound of something being stir-fried came from the kitchen.
Do-hee looked completely at ease.
Yeon-ju felt a little awkward.
‘She was the one who called me over.’
Was she not planning to talk?
Yeon-ju picked up her glass of water.
She took a sip.
Then set it back down.
Do-hee was still looking at her phone.
‘Was I even allowed to sit with her?’
Yeon-ju glanced at Do-hee.
Their eyes met.
Yeon-ju immediately lowered her gaze.
Do-hee asked, “What?”
“Nothing.”
“If you have something to look at, look.”
“It’s not like that.”
Silence again.
Yeon-ju let out a small sigh inwardly.
She wasn't used to this kind of atmosphere.
When she was sitting with someone, she felt like she was supposed to say something.
Otherwise, she kept worrying that the other person might be uncomfortable.
But Do-hee's face showed none of that.
The food arrived just then.
Omelet rice topped with yellow eggs.
The sauce smelled warm.
Do-hee picked up her spoon.
“Eat.”
“Okay.”
They began eating.
Do-hee didn't say a word.
Yeon-ju ate quietly for the first few bites too.
The omelet rice was better than she'd expected.
The eggs were soft, and the sauce was slightly sweet.
Yeon-ju tried to focus on the food for no particular reason.
One bite.
Two bites.
Three bites.
Silence again.
In the end, Yeon-ju spoke first.
“Do you come here often?”
Do-hee looked up.
“Yeah.”
That was the end of her answer.
Yeon-ju waited for what came next.
There was nothing.
“...Because it's good?”
“Yeah.”
And that was it again.
Yeon-ju almost put down her spoon.
‘This conversation isn't going anywhere.’
Do-hee looked at Yeon-ju.
“Doesn't taste good?”
“No. It's good.”
“Then that's enough.”
“Right.”
Yeon-ju went back to eating.
A little later, she tried again.
“How did you find this place?”
“It’s close to the gym.”
This time, the sentence was a little longer.
Yeon-ju didn't let it pass.
“Oh, the gym is around here?”
Do-hee pointed out the window.
“Right past that alley.”
“So that's why you come here often.”
“Yeah.”
Yeon-ju thought for a moment.
“And because the food is good?”
“That too.”
“Is there anything else?”
Do-hee ate a spoonful of omelet rice.
“It comes out fast.”
“Oh.”
“And the portions are decent.”
Yeon-ju nodded.
Every reason sounded exactly like Do-hee.
It was good.
It was close.
It came out quickly.
The portions were decent.
There wasn't a single mention of a pretty atmosphere or how good the photos came out.
“Do you come alone often?”
“Yeah.”
“What about with friends?”
“When our schedules line up.”
“Isn't it awkward eating alone?”
Do-hee looked at Yeon-ju.
“Why would it be awkward?”
For a moment, Yeon-ju couldn't answer.
“Just...”
Do-hee asked, “Can't you eat alone?”
“I can.”
“Then it's the same.”
“But when someone eats with you, it feels like you have to talk.”
Yeon-ju stopped mid-sentence.
She realized what she was saying.
Do-hee slowly set down her spoon.
“Was I making you uncomfortable?”
“No!”
Yeon-ju answered much too quickly.
Do-hee's eyebrow moved just slightly.
Yeon-ju said quietly, “I'm just not used to this kind of silence.”
“Oh.”
That was all Do-hee said.
Yeon-ju waited.
Once again, nothing followed.
In the end, Yeon-ju smiled.
“You really don't get uncomfortable, do you?”
“Yeah.”
“Why not?”
Do-hee thought for a moment.
“Do you have to talk while you're eating?”
Yeon-ju fell silent at that.
When she thought about it, Do-hee was right.
She didn't have to talk.
But she'd kept thinking she had to do something.
Do-hee picked up her spoon again.
“You can talk if you want to.”
“Okay.”
“You don't have to.”
Yeon-ju nodded.
“That’s kind of nice.”
“Then that's enough.”
There it was again.
This time, Yeon-ju smiled a little too.
After a few minutes, the silence bothered her less than it had at first.
As she ate, Yeon-ju asked as if she'd just thought of something.
“Do-hee.”
“Yeah.”
“You said you've known Su-yeon for a long time, right?”
Do-hee's spoon stopped briefly.
“Yeah.”
“How long?”
“Since high school.”
“That long?”
“Yeah.”
Yeon-ju was a little surprised.
She knew Su-yeon and Do-hee were comfortable with each other.
Even when they didn't say much, they understood each other.
When Su-yeon asked for something, Do-hee moved without a word.
If that was a relationship built over several years, it made a little more sense.
“How did you two become friends?”
Do-hee looked at Yeon-ju for a moment.
“That’s a long story.”
Yeon-ju immediately nodded.
“Oh. You don't have to tell me.”
“Later.”
Yeon-ju's eyes widened slightly.
It wasn't a refusal.
“Okay.”
They went back to eating.
A moment later, Do-hee spoke first.
“The club.”
Yeon-ju looked up.
“Huh?”
“Is it worth it?”
The unexpected question made Yeon-ju pause.
“ILY?”
“Yeah.”
Yeon-ju thought about it.
Su-yeon, whom she'd first met.
The club Su-yeon had casually said was on the verge of being shut down.
Hyeon-a.
Do-hee.
Seo-jin's counseling session.
The four-on-four mixer.
And even the neat file she'd made yesterday.
“Yeah,” Yeon-ju said.
“More than I expected.”
Do-hee nodded.
“That’s good.”
Yeon-ju couldn't just let that pass.
“Why?”
Do-hee took a sip of water.
“Su-yeon likes it.”
“Because I joined?”
“Yeah.”
Yeon-ju found that a little surprising.
“Su-yeon does?”
“She kept saying a new member had joined.”
Yeon-ju's eyes widened.
“Kept saying it?”
“Yeah.”
“What did she say?”
Do-hee thought for a moment.
“That a good kid had joined.”
Yeon-ju prodded at her rice with the tip of her spoon for no reason.
“She said that much?”
“Yeah.”
Do-hee said it as if it were nothing.
Yeon-ju felt a little embarrassed.
“I heard you weren't that interested in ILY itself.”
“Yeah.”
The answer came immediately again.
Yeon-ju held back a laugh.
“You really admit it right away.”
“It’s true.”
“But you keep helping us.”
Do-hee scooped up the remaining rice and ate it.
“Su-yeon asked me to.”
“That’s the only reason?”
“Yeah.”
Yeon-ju looked at Do-hee.
Her answers were short.
And yet, strangely, Yeon-ju felt like she understood without having to ask more.
She moved because Su-yeon had asked.
Even when she found it bothersome, she answered Su-yeon's calls and messages.
She came right away whenever she was needed.
Even though she wasn't especially interested in the club itself, she kept her name on the roster.
Yeon-ju thought for a moment, then asked, “You must really like Su-yeon.”
Do-hee looked at Yeon-ju.
Wondering if she'd phrased it strangely, Yeon-ju quickly added, “As a friend.”
“I know.”
Do-hee said it without the slightest change in expression.
“We've known each other a long time.”
That was all.
Yeon-ju didn't ask anything else.
They finished eating at almost the same time.
While Yeon-ju was emptying her glass of water, Do-hee stood up first.
“I’ll go pay.”
Yeon-ju stood too.
“Me too.”
Do-hee went to the register.
A moment later, Yeon-ju paid for her share as well.
When they stepped outside, the afternoon sunlight stretched long across the alley.
Do-hee walked toward the motorcycle parked beside the restaurant.
Yeon-ju looked at the black helmet and said, “You really do ride a motorcycle around.”
Do-hee picked up the helmet.
“You've seen it before.”
“I only saw the helmet in the club room.”
“That’s the one.”
Yeon-ju regarded the motorcycle with mild fascination.
“Isn't it scary?”
“At first.”
“What about now?”
“I'm used to it.”
Before putting on her helmet, Do-hee looked at Yeon-ju.
“Heading home?”
“Yeah.”
“Bus?”
“I’m taking the subway.”
Do-hee nodded.
“Get home safe.”
Yeon-ju paused, then smiled.
“You too.”
Do-hee put on her helmet.
Before getting on the motorcycle, she raised one hand briefly.
Yeon-ju waved too.
A moment later, Do-hee rode out of the alley.
Yeon-ju watched her go, then took out her phone.
Just as she was about to walk to the subway station, a notification popped up in the ILY group chat.
Kang Su-yeon Who’s free tomorrow?
A moment later.
Cha Do-hee Can’t.
Yeon-ju saw the name of the person she'd just eaten with and let out a quiet laugh.
Maybe she'd gotten stopped at a light, because Do-hee's reply had come pretty quickly.
Soon, Su-yeon's reply appeared.
Kang Su-yeon Why?
Cha Do-hee Class.
Kang Su-yeon After class?
Cha Do-hee Workout.
Kang Su-yeon After your workout?
There was no answer for a while.
Yeon-ju slowed her steps.
Then, finally, one more message appeared.
Cha Do-hee Why?
Yeon-ju turned off her phone, trying not to laugh.
Then she walked toward the subway station.