Chapter 245 – Episode 245 – Happy Mother-Daughter-Sister Rice Bowl (23)
“……”
Inside a room at the Royal Hans Hotel.
Lying on the bed, Ju Harin stared at her phone, rolling around on the covers as she pondered.
“Ugh…”
[What are you doing right now?]
Should she send this or not?
Ten seconds, then twenty.
Her finger hovered over the send button, but she eventually let out a small sigh and deleted the message by pressing the screen.
‘What are you doing?’, ‘Did you have lunch?’, ‘Is the cafe doing well?’ and so on.
Various words swirled in her head.
However, she wasn’t sure what to choose.
After thinking for a while, she simply typed ‘Whatcha doin’?’ and pressed the send button.
[Me: Whatcha doin’?] (1)
“……”
A message to Jinhyun.
Since exchanging contact information, Ju Harin had been texting Jinhyun every day.
The joy of meeting her childhood friend after a long time, the hope that they wouldn’t lose contact again, and… a slight longing for the old days.
It was a bit disappointing that Jinhyun hardly ever texted first, but he always replied quickly.
As she stared at the number 1, as expected, she soon received a reply.
*Ding-*
[Jinhyun: About to have lunch now]
“He hasn’t eaten yet?”
It was already past 2 PM.
Harin quickly typed a reply.
[Me: Now? That’s a late lunch?]
[Jinhyun: It just happened lol]
[Me: lol What are you going to eat?]
[Jinhyun: Hmm, haven’t decided yet…? Probably something Western]
“Western…”
Did Jinhyun like Western food?
Harin tried to recall her memories from the past.
But she couldn’t quite remember. It was so long ago that she couldn’t say anything about his food preferences.
They had eaten together a lot, but most of the time it was at snack bars or street stalls, eating things like tteokbokki or sundae.
There wasn’t much to say about preferences.
[Me: Western? Pizza or pasta?]
[Jinhyun: Yup]
[Me: Who are you eating with?]
Ah.
Harin regretted sending the text even as she sent it.
“Did I send that for no reason…?”
There was no need to ask that question.
If he was eating, he was just eating; there was no reason to tell her who he was eating with.
Unintentionally, she remembered when she went to the samgyeopsal restaurant with Minjia.
At that time, she was a bit unsure, but now it was clear that the person sitting at the next table was Jinhyun.
Jinhyun had definitely come to eat samgyeopsal with another woman.
A woman with pretty short hair. She remembered it clearly.
She had seen her at the cafe too, so it seemed certain that she was an employee at the cafe Jinhyun ran.
However, they seemed too close to be just a normal employee and boss.
She had been suspicious when she first saw them, so maybe she was Jinhyun’s girlfriend, and maybe they were having lunch together today…
“……”
Thinking that made her feel a little bad for some reason. Harin quietly waited for Jinhyun’s text.
[Jinhyun: Eating with a friend lol]
“Ah.”
With a friend.
Seeing Jinhyun’s reply, Harin’s lips curled up slightly without her realizing it.
[Me: Ah, okay.]
[Jinhyun: Why?]
[Me: Nothing. Enjoy your lunch!]
Ju Harin quickly sent a reply. It was a bit of an awkward reply, but it was better than not sending anything, right?
Just in case, she waited for a reply, but there was no reply even after a minute.
‘He must have gone to eat.’
Thinking that, Harin closed the chat and started browsing the internet on her phone.
*Ding-*
“Huh?”
However, after about 20 minutes of using her phone, she received another text from Jinhyun. Harin quickly tapped the notification to check Jinhyun’s message.
[Jinhyun: (Photo)]
[Jinhyun: (Photo)]
[Jinhyun: (Photo)]
Three photos had been sent.
Clicking on them, they were photos of food.
Pasta, pizza, salad…
‘Did he take these at the restaurant?’
Looking at the delicious-looking photos, her mouth watered even though she had eaten lunch not too long ago.
Ju Harin tapped on the screen.
[Me: What is this lol, showing off your food?]
[Jinhyun: No, I thought you seemed curious about what I was eating lol]
[Jinhyun: (Photo)]
[Jinhyun: (Photo)]
[Jinhyun: (Photo)……]
Jinhyun sent a few more photos.
Photos of the food, as well as photos of the inside of the restaurant. And there was also a photo of Jinhyun sitting at the table, as if someone had taken it from the opposite side.
Harin was impressed when she saw the last photo of Jinhyun.
‘Ah.’
It was a good photo. Anyone could see that.
The picture of him smiling at a slight angle seemed to highlight Jinhyun’s already handsome face even more.
Harin stared at the photo for a while. Then, something flashed through her mind.
‘Wait, didn’t he say he was eating with a friend?’
Harin looked at the photo again. It was a good photo, but usually, guys don’t take photos like this when they go out together…
Looking at the photo, she thought that a woman must have taken it.
This time, Harin zoomed in on the other food photos.
“Ugh, I can’t see…”
It was barely visible.
When she zoomed in on the food photos, she could vaguely see the person sitting across from him.
Harin stared intently at the photos. But it was just barely visible, and she couldn’t tell who it was.
“Hoo.”
She sighed and sent a normal reply.
[Me: Which restaurant is it?]
[Jinhyun: It’s a restaurant called Good Pasta, it’s a popular place around here]
[Me: Good Pasta?]
[Jinhyun: Yeah, it’s really good. Should I treat you when you move here?]
Huh?
He said he’d treat her?
Harin’s eyes widened at the unexpected words.
[Me: Really?]
[Jinhyun: Yup]
[Me: I’m screenshotting this?]
Harin texted that and actually took a screenshot of the chat.
[Me: (Photo)]
As soon as she sent the screenshot, Jinhyun replied.
[Jinhyun: Lol, Harin, you’re coming, how could I not treat you to this much?]
Harin, you’re coming.
“……”
For some reason, Harin felt a slight flutter in her heart at Jinhyun’s words.
[Me: Even if I eat a lot?]
[Jinhyun: Yup]
[Me: Even if I order everything on the menu?]
[Jinhyun: Yup]
[Jinhyun: But why don’t you just order the whole restaurant?]
[Me: lololol]
[Jinhyun: Even if it’s not here, I’ll buy you whatever you want]
Jinhyun continued texting.
[Jinhyun: If we live near each other, we can hang out like we used to.]
Like we used to.
“Ah…”
At Jinhyun’s words, Harin recalled the times when they used to hang out together.
Back in elementary school when she didn’t have any friends.
Come to think of it, she was quite weak back then.
Back then, there were many kids who tried to bully her because she was a rich kid, but she was passive and didn’t know how to deal with it.
She was hurt by the name-calling and the petty bullying of not being included.
So she spent her time alone, sometimes crying.
Then, the only boy who approached her was Jinhyun.
After Jinhyun came to her side, she didn’t cry as much. He blocked all the other bullies.
She couldn’t join the group, but it was still good.
Jinhyun also left his group to always play with her, and she became friends with his cousin, Eunju, and the three of them hung out a lot.
When she thought about it, that was probably the happiest time.
[Jinhyun: Okay?]
[Me: Yeah, okay.]
Harin replied in a deliberately calm tone.
She had gradually drifted apart from Jinhyun after they lost contact, but somehow, it felt like time was going backward as they met again like fate and texted each other every day.
Harin happily chatted with Jinhyun.
Then, about five minutes later, she came to her senses at his words.
[Jinhyun: Hey, but let’s text again later. I have to eat.]
[Me: Oh right; sorry… ㅠ]
She replied awkwardly.
