Chapter 6. Cursed Night (6)

Translator: Lili

Chayoung pulled out his phone and made a call,

“Hi, Auntie. It’s me. Do you have a table? We’ll be there in about 30 minutes. Thank you.”

Watching him, Seo Gyuha frowned,

“Why the call? We could just go anywhere.”

“That place is really good. If you’re going to eat, you might as well eat well.”

Typical of someone born with a silver spoon—he didn’t do anything halfway, even for a single meal. Still, Seo Gyuha couldn’t argue against eating something delicious. He followed Chayoung’s car as they drove to the restaurant.

An employee dressed in a refined traditional Korean hanbok led the two men to a private room. As soon as they were seated, Seo Gyuha ordered five servings of the most expensive cut of meat. Already feeling the hunger pangs, he intended to eat as much as he could without holding back.

Shortly after, premium cuts of ruby-red meat were brought to the table and placed on the grill. As soon as the surface of the meat cooked slightly, Seo Gyuha pounced like a hawk snatching prey, leaving Lee Chayoung to miss his chance repeatedly. Watching this, Chayoung let out a dry chuckle and asked,

“Don’t you eat meat regularly?”

“I do.”

“Then why are you…?”

He stopped short of saying eating so ravenously, knowing it would prompt Gyuha to throw his chopsticks and cause a scene.

“… Eat as much as you like.”

“Of course I will.”

Oblivious to the comment’s tone, Seo Gyuha continued to devour the meal like a man who hadn’t eaten in days. The meat on the grill disappeared quickly. Just as he was about to press the call button for more, his phone buzzed noisily on the table. Glancing at the screen, he picked it up,

“Hey.”

It was Kim Moran, one of his few female friends. Without preamble, she got straight to the point.

— Where are you right now?

“Eating.”

Her next words were completely unexpected,

— You lost your wallet, and you’re sitting over there eating?

His chopsticks froze mid-air. He adjusted his phone’s grip and asked,

“How do you know?”

— How do you think, you idiot? I found it. You dropped it and skipped along, happily spinning your keyring.

Kim Moran was undeniably beautiful and charismatic, but her foul mouth was her one glaring flaw. While Seo Gyuha often cursed, he made a point to watch his language in front of women.

“Where are you now?”

— I just left the store. Where do you want to meet?

“You decide. Just give me an hour.”

— An hour? Come right now!

“I told you I’m eating. You know the saying—don’t disturb even a dog when it’s eating.”

— Eat less, pig. Fine. Meet me at the café on the 8th floor of the department store. But if you’re even a minute late, you’re dead.

“Such sweet words.”

— What did you just say?

“I said you’re gorgeous. Hanging up now.”

As he ended the call, Chayoung asked,

“Who was that?”

“Kim Moran.”

“She found your wallet?”

“Yeah.”

“What a coincidence.”

Ignoring Chayoung’s amused expression, Seo Gyuha pressed the table bell. It would take about 30 minutes to get there, so he needed to eat his fill before leaving.

“Oh, by the way, are you feeling okay?”

“Huh? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Your… you know, your bottom.”

The chopsticks paused mid-air. Shooting an annoyed glance at Chayoung, Seo Gyuha resumed eating.

“It’s fine.”

“Didn’t you say you were worried it wouldn’t close up?”

“Shut it.”

The ability to annoy someone with a smile on his face was a skill Chayoung had perfected. What made it worse was that he chose his targets carefully, behaving as a polite and capable elite in front of his family, while his true nature was far more twisted and dark.

“Still, admit it. You enjoyed it that night, didn’t you?”

“I didn’t enjoy shit.”

Swallowing a mouthful, Seo Gyuha quickly assembled another lettuce wrap and snapped,

“Ever heard of drunken mistakes? I blacked out that night. Don’t think for a second that I remember or care about any of it.”

“Really? You seemed naturally gifted.”

“What?”

“I was surprised how well you took it, considering it was your first time. And that hip movement…”

At that, all appetite vanished. Slamming his chopsticks onto the table, he stood abruptly. Chayoung rose as well.

“Why are you getting up?”

“I finished a while ago. I was waiting for you.”

“… How thoughtful.”

Grinding his teeth, Gyuha stormed out of the room. At the counter, Chayoung pulled out his card and told him to wait a moment. Ignoring him, Gyuha put on his shoes and headed for the door. As he reached for the handle, he felt a hand grab his arm.

“What now?”

“Take this.”

Looking down, he saw a receipt in Chayoung’s other hand.

“And what am I supposed to do with it?”

“Pay me back along with the belt.”

Gyuha blinked a few times, dumbfounded, before replying,

“Wouldn’t you pay for this?”

Chayoung smirked and responded,

“Why would I? Consider it the interest on the card loan.”

‘What a bastard.’

***