Then, he openly critiqued the restaurant right in front of the waiter. Although he said positive things, I couldn’t help but sense a certain air of entitlement in his behavior. Of course, that might just have been a stretch on my part.

When I didn't respond, Jeong Haejun didn't say anything more either. We simply walked in silence, following the waiter. After walking deep into the restaurant for a while, the waiter finally stopped.

"This way, please."

The basic side dishes were already set up inside the private room. Jeong Haejun and I sat facing each other. Once the waiter closed the door and left, the noise from outside was cut off. Jeong Haejun picked up the menu in front of him and told me to pick something out as well. At that, I opened the menu in front of me.

"What looks good?"

"Everything looks delicious."

"Everything is delicious here."

"What are you having?"

"I'll have Course A."

"Then I'll have the same."

"Anything else? Do you want to drink?"

"Whatever you want."

When I finished speaking and folded the menu, Jeong Haejun pressed the call button and ordered the food.

"Are you in a bad mood?"

Jeong Haejun asked me after he finished ordering.

"Neither good nor bad."

"Did you find a tutoring job?"

"Not yet."

"Is that why? Because you haven't found work yet?"

"There's that, and I also don't know why you called me here."

"It looks like both will be resolved soon, so your mood should improve now."

"What?"

At my question, the corners of Jeong Haejun's mouth stretched into a smile.

"I have a tutoring position I can introduce you to, Hyung."

"Tutoring?"

"Yes."

"……What kind of tutoring?"

"My aunt has a son. He's the same age as me, and he's retaking his college entrance exams this year. My aunt asked me to help him, but since we're the same age and have been close since we were kids, I turned it down. Then I happened to think of you."

At his unexpected words, I held my breath and focused on what Jeong Haejun was saying.

"So, I wondered if you might be interested. I told her I had a senior in my department looking for a tutoring job, and she asked me to introduce you."

"Is that why you wanted to see me?"

"Yes. Are you interested?"

"Of course… I am!"

I got excited and spoke loudly without realizing it, then quickly lowered my volume.

"What subject is it?"

"What subject were you tutoring before?"

"English."

"Can you do other subjects?"

"Yeah, I can."

"That’s perfect. My aunt said it would be great if the tutor could do both English and Math. The pay will be much higher than what you were getting before. They aren't the type of family to skimp on things like that."

Just as Jeong Haejun finished speaking, the room door opened and the waiters entered. The long table was soon filled with food. The untouched basic side dishes were cleared away. Once the waiters finished setting the table, the chef came in and added a brief explanation of the dishes. Grilled abalone, royal hot pot, lobster, sea bass…. I didn't even recognize a third of the words he used. Only after the chef finished his explanation and left did the room regain its quiet. The aroma of delicious food filled the air.

"Let's eat."

Jeong Haejun, who had slowly wiped his hands with a white wet towel, picked up his chopsticks and spoke. His voice sounded refreshed.

While I felt grateful to Jeong Haejun for providing exactly what I needed at such perfect timing, I couldn't shake an uneasy feeling. It felt strange that the person reaching out to me in my moment of desperation wasn't family or anyone else, but Jeong Haejun. We weren't close enough to exchange favors like this so freely, and there were more things we didn't know about each other than things we did.

"But."

"Yes."

"Why are you suddenly being so nice to me?"

"Do you dislike it?"

"It’s not that I dislike it, I’m just genuinely curious."

"I've wanted to get closer to you, but there hasn't been much of an opportunity. So I decided to be a bit more proactive."

"You wanted to be close to me?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

At my question, Jeong Haejun grinned. It was a satisfied smile, the kind a predator might wear before a feast.

With his delicate features, his smile made the surroundings feel brighter. He looked cold when he had no expression, but when he laughed, he looked like a completely different person.

"Because you're pretty."

"……What?"

I was staring at that smile as if possessed when I heard something strange.

"I'm joking."

When I asked him with a serious face, Jeong Haejun brushed it off as a joke. I wanted to say something back, but since he had already added that it was a joke, I held back so as not to seem petty.

"You know how there are some people you just want to be friends with the moment you see them? You were like that for me, Hyung. I even attended those annoying department events because of you, but I hardly had a chance to run into you after the freshman orientation."

"That's surprising."

"What is?"

"Just that you wanted to be close to me."

"I find it even more surprising that you think that's surprising. Oh, shall we eat first? The food is going to get cold."

Jeong Haejun urged me to eat, saying that food tastes better when it's warm.

"Oh? Oh, right."

I picked up my chopsticks, following his lead. The uneasy feeling about him showing me such groundless kindness hadn't completely vanished. However, the suspicion subsided a bit when I thought about what Jeong Haejun could possibly want from someone like me who had nothing. The reason was probably just a bit of meager sympathy or, as he said, simple goodwill toward someone he wanted to be friends with.

And I couldn't afford to throw away such a great opportunity for a trivial reason like feeling uneasy. I wasn't in a position to be picky. I could tell without even seeing her that Jeong Haejun's aunt was quite wealthy.

Since Jeong Haejun himself said she was someone who didn't skimp on her son's education costs, I could probably receive pay far exceeding what I had earned from tutoring until now. From my perspective, it was a stroke of luck, like money falling from the sky.

"So, when should I start?"

"The sooner the better. Even if you start preparing now, the CSAT will be here before you know it. Do you have time tomorrow?"

"I don't have any other plans after class."

"Then do you want to go together after class tomorrow?"

At my positive response, Jeong Haejun quickly set the appointment and added that he would speak to his aunt within the day.

"How is the food? Is it to your taste?"

"Yeah, it's delicious."

With a finally lightened heart, I cut into the tteok-galbi. Every single dish on the full table was excellent. It might have been because my burden had been lifted, but I didn't care.

________________________________________

Today was the day I was supposed to go to Jeong Haejun's aunt's house with him after school. It wasn't my first time tutoring, but I felt a bit nervous.

[Come to the parking lot when you're finished. Area E.]

The message arrived as soon as class ended. It was so perfectly timed, it was as if he knew exactly when I’d be done.

[Okay, I just finished. I'll head there now.]

I quickly sent a reply and picked up my bag. I had never been like this before, but perhaps because of the impact of being suddenly fired from my last tutoring job, I found myself being extra careful today. That was why I was wearing the cleanest and most expensive clothes I owned.

I had put them on thinking I needed to make a good first impression on the parent, but now that I was about to see Jeong Haejun, I felt a bit embarrassed. I was worried he would notice how desperate I was if I was this meticulous about just one tutoring job, but I couldn't help it. His life was his life, and my life was mine.

I had only used the underground parking lot as a shortcut between buildings a few times, so it took quite a bit of wandering before I finally found Area E where Jeong Haejun was waiting.

A car horn honked twice briefly. When I turned toward the sound, I saw the car I had seen last time. I naturally headed toward it.

"You're a bit late."

"I got a bit lost looking for the area."

"Put on your seatbelt."

"Okay."

Was I late? At Jeong Haejun's somewhat stiff tone, I didn't argue and did as he said. The car started moving while I was buckling up.

"Will we be late?"

"Pardon?"

"Do you think we'll be late for the appointment with your aunt? The traffic is starting to get heavy since it's rush hour."

"No, well, we don't have a lot of time to spare, but I don't think we'll be late."

"Really? That's a relief then."

The car passed through the school's main gate and entered the road. The sidewalks were packed with crowds of people leaving the school.

Sitting in a luxury foreign car amidst the people running for the bus and those moving busily toward the subway station felt strange. How should I put it? It felt like I was out of my rightful place.

"Aren't you hungry?"

I was lost in these useless but somehow saddening thoughts when I heard Jeong Haejun's voice.

"I am a little hungry."

"What do you want to eat?"

"Huh?"

"We should eat something before we go."

"Aren't we supposed to be there by 7?"

My class ended at 6, so even if we went right now, we would just barely make it. When I looked at him wondering what he was talking about, Jeong Haejun turned his head toward me while caught at a red light.

"7 o'clock is the time I promised you, Hyung. My aunt thinks we're coming around 9."

"What?"