Today’s finale, a pasta specialty restaurant.
Even though my energy had already been drained by the manga cafe and the arcade, I couldn’t afford to ruin this outing if I wanted it to end perfectly.
I had painstakingly made a reservation at this place as a way to express my gratitude to Seoyoon.
“Mm? Miro, this is the place you reserved…?”
“Yeah. It’s rumored to be the best in this area, so I’m sure you’ll love it too, Seoyoon.”
“I’m… I’m so excited~ Ehehe.”
“…Huh?”
Something about her reaction felt a bit off.
Does she not like pasta?
But I don’t think that’s the case…
I’ve seen her eat it a few times at the school cafeteria.
“Um, Seoyoon… Do you not like pasta? If you don’t, we can switch to another restaurant…”
I’d lose 10% of the deposit, but Seoyoon’s feelings were the most important thing to me.
“No, no! I love pasta! Plus, you worked so hard to make this reservation—there’s no way I’d dislike it~!”
Hug.
“Seoyoon…”
She hugged me tightly, vehemently denying it, but that only made me feel even more like she was just trying to be considerate.
No matter what she said, I could hear it in her voice.
Next time, I’ll make sure to ask in advance before making a reservation.
I’d kept it a secret until the last moment to surprise her, but it ended up like this instead…
Ding.
Though my heart was growing heavier by the second, the elevator arrived indifferently at the 7th floor, where the restaurant was located.
‘Lavita.’
As soon as the doors opened, the sign in front of me felt like it was telling me there was no turning back now.
Should I suggest going somewhere else even now…?
“Miro, let’s go in quickly, okay?”
“Seoyoon… But…”
“It’s really fine! I really love pasta! And I especially love eating it with you. Hehe.”
…Right. Seoyoon is reassuring me so much, and here I am sulking—what’s the point of that?
I’ve already made the mistake, so I’ll just have to do better next time!
“Yeah. I think anything tastes better when I’m eating with you, Seoyoon.”
“Right? It feels like it gets just a little bit tastier!”
Hug.
Without saying a word, we firmly clasped each other’s hands.
After locking eyes for a brief moment, we both burst into joyful laughter.
Sigh.
I feel like an idiot for worrying so much earlier.
Seoyoon had been honest with me from the start.
Now, I feel like I can enjoy this meal in a good mood.
Bzzzzzz—.
“Welcome, guests!”
As soon as we stepped into the restaurant, still holding hands, two staff members greeted us politely.
It was such a fresh experience for me—someone who’d only ever eaten at casual budget restaurants—that my heart started to race.
“Um, I made a reservation for 7 PM today. Would it be okay if we come in now? I know we’re 15 minutes early…”
“You made a reservation for 7 PM? Of course, that’s perfectly… al…low…able…?”
The well-dressed staff member, who had been looking at me with a kind smile, suddenly froze mid-sentence when they glanced at Seoyoon.
Naturally, I also turned to look at her, but my friend was just smiling brightly and innocently.
Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
Ah, her lips are moving a little.
She seems to be saying something… Br…ee…?
I can’t quite make it out.
“Excuse me, ma’am!”
“Yes?”
“Congratulations!”
“…Excuse me?”
What is this sudden, random announcement?
Are they saying we can go in now?
If we don’t have to wait outside, that’s great, but is it really something to celebrate?
“I checked the reservation list, and it turns out the VIP room is available! Since there are no other guests scheduled for it later, we can offer you the VIP room as a special treat.”
“Really…? I thought there was an extra fee for the VIP room. Are you sure it’s okay without paying?”
“Yes, please think of it as winning a special event.”
Am I just lucky today? The VIP room normally costs an extra 100,000 won, but if we’re getting it for free, that’s amazing.
Hehe, I guess coming here was the right choice.
Even if Seoyoon isn’t that excited about pasta, she’ll definitely be happy with a VIP room, right?
I don’t know how different it is from the regular seating yet, but…
“Would you like to be escorted to your table now?”
“Yes, we’ll go right in.”
“Thank you! Please follow the staff member behind you.”
When I turned around, the tall woman who had greeted us earlier was standing there, waiting politely with her hands clasped.
She gave us another polite bow before turning to lead us into the restaurant.
“Seoyoon, I feel like we’re really lucky today.”
“Yeah, yeah! It’s all thanks to you for making this reservation, Miro. You’re amazing, so amazing, my Miro.”
Rustle, pat.
“Hehehe…”
As I enjoyed the pleasant pats on my head, we arrived at the VIP room, which was a private space with its own door.
The room, elegantly furnished with luxurious chairs and a table, had an entire wall made of glass that provided a breathtaking view of the city at night.
“If you need anything, please call for assistance at any time. The call button is located just below the table. I hope you have a wonderful time.”
After finishing her polite explanation, the staff member left the room, leaving just the two of us behind.
We hadn’t received a menu or anything, so I was wondering if I should press the call button.
Meanwhile, Seoyoon, seemingly unfazed, folded a napkin and placed it neatly in front of me.
“Miro, do you like seafood? Here, you can choose between seafood or meat, so can I leave it up to you to pick what you like?”
“Uh, Seoyoon…”
“Mm? What’s up?”
“Have you… been here before?”
“Ah.”
Seoyoon, who had been calmly arranging the tableware in front of me, froze like a statue, as if time itself had stopped.
Her reaction only made me more suspicious, so I decided to push further.
“Um… Earlier at the counter, what were you saying? You were moving your lips like you were saying something.”
“Uh… that was, um… just because my lips were itchy…”
“Your lips were itchy? That’s a lie.”
“It’s not a lie!”
“No, it is a lie. I couldn’t hear it, but you were definitely saying something.”
“Ugh…”
A single bead of sweat trickled down Seoyoon’s pretty forehead.
By this point, it was clear she had been here before, but her flustered state was amusing, so I decided to press her a little more.
It’s rare to see Seoyoon so rattled.
“Seoyoon… I thought we were friends with no secrets between us. Was I wrong…?”
“Miro… it’s not like that…!”
Seoyoon looked at me with teary eyes, and a strange sense of superiority welled up inside me.
Usually, the dynamic between us was in her favor, but now that I had the upper hand, I finally understood how it felt.
It was fun.
Still, I started to feel a bit sorry for her, so maybe it was time to let her off the hook.
“Then just be honest with me. I promise I won’t get mad.”
“…Really?”
“Yeah. Really.”
Seoyoon lowered her head, fiddling nervously with her fingers as she cautiously gauged my reaction.
She looked so adorable that I tried to capture every detail of this rare sight in my memory, unsure of when I’d see her like this again.
“This place… is one of the restaurants owned by my mom.”
…But the words that came out of her mouth were far from adorable.
“…Seriously?”
“Yeah. Seriously.”
…Okay, get it together, Miro.
I felt a little dizzy but could piece it all together now.
It made sense.
I’d been to Seoyoon’s house once and had learned then that her family was incredibly wealthy.
Without that prior knowledge, I probably would’ve been completely dumbfounded.
“So that’s why everything seemed so oddly familiar to you.”
“Yeah. I’ve eaten here a lot… I never imagined you’d make a reservation here, though.”
“Neither did I. I never in my wildest dreams thought this was your family’s restaurant… Oh. Is that why we were moved to the VIP room?”
“Yup! I told the staff to switch us to the VIP room earlier. Did I do good?!”
Seoyoon made a V sign with her fingers, smiling brightly.
She looked absolutely adorable, but the moment I heard her words, I couldn’t help but stand up from my seat.
“Huh? Miro, why…?”
I walked over to Seoyoon, who looked a bit flustered, and then.
“Ouch!”
I grabbed her soft cheek and gave it a good tug.
“Seoyoon.”
“M-Miro, why are you pinching meee…?”
“Please don’t do this again.”
“B-but… Oww!”
Seeing no sign of remorse, I grabbed her other cheek and stretched it as well.
“This way, it’s like you’re treating me instead of us having a normal outing.”
“Miro…”
Her cheeks were surprisingly pleasant to touch, and I was tempted to keep pulling them, but I suppressed the urge and returned to my seat.
“Seoyoon. You know… about today.”
“…?”
“I actually called you out today to repay you for something.”
Why is it so embarrassing to say this out loud? Still, I need to take this chance to tell her.
“Repay me…?”
“Yeah. For being my friend.”
“What’s that supposed to mean…?”
“Before I met you, I didn’t have any friends.”
“You, Miro?”
“Yeah. I thought differently from the others, and as you can see now, I used to wear these huge glasses and didn’t care about my appearance at all.”
“…Plus, I was going through a really rough and depressing time for a while.”
After my mom passed away, I was left alone in a big house with just my grandmother.
I was so consumed by resentment toward the world that I thought I was going to lose my mind.
My mom, who gave birth to me…
She was my only understanding ally.
My only friend.
When someone like that dies so suddenly, I couldn’t help but think, what’s the point of living in this world anymore?
“And then, the first person to approach me was you, Seoyoon.”
“Ah… aha… right?”
“Yeah. At first, I was really cold to you, but you kept reaching out and became my friend.”
Looking back now, I wonder what Seoyoon saw in me.
I ignored her every time she talked to me, and when we ran into each other on the way to school, I’d yell at her to go away.
…If our roles were reversed, I would’ve absolutely hated it.
“So, thank you, Seoyoon. Let’s stay close from now on.”
After finishing my words, I buried my head on the table.
My face was burning with heat, and I couldn’t ignore how embarrassingly obvious it was that I was flustered.
“Miro, can you lift your head?”
“No.”
“Just once~ Please?”
“No.”
“Alright, then!”
“Ah! W-wait…”
I stubbornly stayed in my position, but there was no stopping Seoyoon when she decided to just pick me up with her strength.
She wrapped her arms around my waist and effortlessly lifted me, placing her face atop my head.
Then, she slowly rubbed her cheek against mine.
“Miro, you don’t have to say things like that.”
“…Why?”
“Miro, even if you don’t say anything, I have absolutely no intention of ever leaving your side!”
“Seoyoon…”
I couldn’t see her face, but I could hear the sincerity in her voice.
I realized, once again, how lucky I was to have such a great friend.
“Actually, I’m more afraid of you hating me. Every day, I worry about whether I might do something to make you dislike me.”
“That would never happen.”
“Really? Even if, for example, I wanted to monopolize all your time and attention?”
“…If it’s you, Seoyoon, I guess that would be okay… a little. But you wouldn’t actually do that, would you?”
I trusted Seoyoon to be reasonable.
And besides, I’d learned that a little possessiveness between close friends isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Hug.
“Seriously! Miro, you’re just too cute! I’ve been your friend until now, but from now on, I’ll always, always be your best friend! Hehe.”
“…Thank you, Seoyoon.”
Seoyoon’s embrace lasted until the staff brought out our food.
It was a bit embarrassing to be caught in such a vulnerable moment, but we quickly turned it into laughter.
“Seoyoon, next time, please let me be the one to repay you.”
“Hm? Isn’t this enough? Isn’t the food delicious?”
“I want to treat you entirely on my own.”
“…Really. Miro, sometimes you’re just too much.”
Despite the minor hiccups, I think the outing ended on a good note.
Thanks to Seoyoon, I even got to experience a full course meal.
Next time, I’ll make sure to plan a course that will truly surprise her.