Eun-woo's intimate gesture was so startling that the few classmates who had been peeking around the door frame froze in place.
Han Seo-jin's desk partner, Park Min-young, was so stunned her spoon slipped from her fingers and clattered to the floor.
Song Eun-woo eating Han Seo-jin's food was shocking enough. But this? Wiping a crumb from her mouth? That was the kind of casual intimacy reserved for… couples.
Yet Eun-woo, the perpetrator, seemed utterly unfazed. After brushing the crumb away, he nonchalantly popped it into his own mouth.
"Alright, you fed me, so now it's my turn. Come on, I'll treat you to a proper lunch."
He stood up and began walking toward Kim Do-hyun, who was still gaping at the back door.
The eavesdropping classmates practically facepalmed. He stole her food, and now it counts as her treating him? The sheer audacity!
Eun-woo stopped halfway, turning back with a look of mild impatience at Seo-jin, who remained rooted to her seat.
"Yah, Han Seo-jin. I'm talking to you. Let's go. What are you waiting for?"
His tone was firm, leaving no room for argument.
Hearing his commanding voice, Seo-jin flinched slightly. She finally dared to glance up, her voice a timid whisper. "N-no, it's okay. I'm… I'm full with this."
With that, she quickly lowered her head again and took another small, deliberate bite of her remaining ssal-ppang.
Eun-woo hadn't expected this seemingly fragile girl to refuse him. The corner of his mouth twitched upward. This girl has some spine.
With that thought, he turned on his heel and marched back to her desk. Before Seo-jin could react, he plucked the half-eaten rice cake from her fingers and took a decisive bite.
"So," he said, chewing pointedly as he looked down at her. "What are you going to eat now?"
Seo-jin looked up, her lips pressed into a thin,委屈 (wronged) line. Her small fists clenched on the desk. But she said nothing, instead picking up her chopsticks and carefully selecting a piece of kimchi to eat.
It was a silent, stubborn protest against his霸道 (overbearing) behavior.
Eun-woo was taken aback. He hadn't expected this quiet girl to be so wilful. But he wasn't one to back down easily.
The Suneung is in a few days. I have to make sure she gets proper nutrition. He remembered clearly—about two weeks ago, this very girl had fainted during P.E. class, the teacher citing chronic undernourishment. The class had tried to quietly pool money to help, but she had stubbornly refused every won.
As for whether rich food might upset her stomach now, he wasn't worried. If it did, the system could surely handle it. A stomach-nourishing or digestive aid would be simple to create.
You think you can just eat kimchi? Fine. I'll eat that too.
In one swift motion, Eun-woo picked up her entire dosirak, took her chopsticks, and shoveled the remaining kimchi into his mouth.
He wiped his lips, chewing the substantial mouthful of rice cake and kimchi, and leveled his gaze at the utterly stunned girl.
"Well? Can we go now?"
Looking at the boy whose mouth was now full of her lunch, Seo-jin could only stare with wide, helpless eyes. "I… I'm really not hungry anymore. I'm full…"
Through her old-fashioned, thick-lensed glasses, Eun-woo saw the genuine distress in her eyes and sighed inwardly. But for the sake of her health, he hardened his resolve.
"Enough. Stop wasting time. If you don't come eat with me, I'll go to the cafeteria and buy one of every single side dish they have."
Though he hadn't interacted with her much, Eun-woo intuitively knew how to get through to someone of her stubborn, frugal nature. A girl accustomed to hardship would never allow such wanton waste on her account.
Sure enough, his words hit their mark. Seo-jin bit her lower lip, a conflict of emotions flickering across her face, before she finally gave a tiny, almost imperceptible nod.
Huek~
Watching her finally stand up, Eun-woo let out a satisfied, if slightly stifled, burp. "See? Was that so hard? Aish, I almost choked…"
---
In the school cafeteria, under the bewildered and curious stares of what felt like the entire student body, Eun-woo guided Seo-jin through a 'sumptuous' lunch.
The Suneung was approaching, and while food outside might taste better, the school cafeteria was guaranteed to be clean and safe—especially important for her stomach.
Throughout the meal, Eun-woo barely touched his own food. Why? The answer was obvious—he was stuffed from two rice cakes and a helping of kimchi. Instead, he spent the time using his chopsticks to transfer all the meat and choice bits from his own tray to hers.
"The bulgogi today is way too greasy. Here, you have it."
"This fish cake is cold. You eat it."
As he piled food onto her plate, Seo-jin's face burned a persistent crimson. But the girl, who never knew how to refuse outright and absolutely hated waste, could only bow her head and diligently eat everything in front of her. Under his watchful eye, her gaze never once strayed from her own tray.
As for Kim Do-hyun? He was, of course, eating jjajangmyeon alone. Did you expect him to tag along on what was clearly his hyung's… whatever this was? He wasn't that clueless.
---
The awkward, charged lunch finally ended.
"Alright. You 'treated' me, I treated you. We're square for now," Eun-woo said as they walked out of the cafeteria. "I have something to do this afternoon. You can go back to class by yourself."
Without waiting for a response, he turned and strode toward the bicycle parking area.
Seo-jin, left standing a few steps behind, watched his retreating back. Her heart beat a strange, fluttering rhythm against her ribs. She gathered her courage and called out, her voice still soft but slightly stronger.
"Then… you're not coming to class? I… I can take notes for you…"
But her words were carried away by the afternoon breeze. Eun-woo, already ten meters away and mentally mapping his route to Insadong, didn't hear a thing.
---
Leaving Seo-jin behind, Eun-woo felt an unusual lightness. Seeing her eat a decent, protein-rich meal had put him in exceptionally high spirits.
So much so that the entire bicycle ride to the Insadong antique district, he hummed a cheerful, off-key tune under his breath.
"Sae~ sae~ sae~ the blue sky~ Today is such a good day~"