A Simple Meal

“Ugh…….”

Yoon Dae-eon rubbed his eyes vigorously, trying to clear away the crust that made his eyelids feel glued shut.

Soon, his blurred vision focused, and he could see his surroundings.

His body felt oddly stiff, and his lower back throbbed.

The first thing he saw upon opening his eyes was Seon Ji-ha, sitting right beside him.

Because of that, Yoon Dae-eon thought the lecture hadn’t ended yet.

‘I feel like I slept for ages, but I guess a two-hour lecture really is long,’ he thought.

However, he froze when he noticed the deep orange glow of the sunset streaming in from behind Seon Ji-ha’s head.

“Senior, what time is it now?!”

“Ah…… it’s 6 PM.”

Even as he asked Seon Ji-ha, Yoon Dae-eon checked the exact time on his own phone.

6:47 PM.

It was closer to 7 PM than 6 PM.

Yoon Dae-eon’s face twisted into a look of misery.

“Whoa, how did I sleep this long? Why didn’t you wake me up?”

“……Because you were sleeping so well…….”

This was the first time Yoon Dae-eon had ever slept this long in a lecture hall, and he let out a heavy sigh.

He shouldn’t blame Seon Ji-ha for not waking him; he had to blame himself for being such a heavy sleeper once he drifted off.

Yoon Dae-eon spoke with a guilty expression.

“You didn’t have to wait for me.”

By the looks of it, Seon Ji-ha had been waiting beside him for a long time until he woke up.

The lecture hall was empty, with no one else in sight.

Suddenly, a draft of chilly air brushed past Yoon Dae-eon’s cheek.

“You really could have just gone ahead…….”

“I wanted to wait.”

There was a faint trace of loneliness embedded in Yoon Dae-eon’s apologetic words.

If Seon Ji-ha hadn’t been there, he probably would have woken up alone by now and headed home in the dark.

But Seon Ji-ha simply said he waited because he wanted to.

Those words made Yoon Dae-eon feel embarrassed yet happy.

He realized it had been a very long time since someone had waited for him like this.

If it had been Oh Dong-cheol or Kim Ye-jun, they probably would have chosen to wake him up instead of waiting.

“Then please just wake me up next time. Don’t wait.”

“……Yes.”

Seon Ji-ha nodded obediently.

Yoon Dae-eon smiled at that gentle movement and stood up from his seat.

Because he had slept facedown for so long, several crumpled sheets of A4 paper were stuck to his arm.

“Senior, do you want to go grab dinner? I’ll buy.”

“I’d like that…….”

Seon Ji-ha quietly reached out, peeled the papers off Yoon Dae-eon’s arm, and carefully set them down.

Surprised, Yoon Dae-eon hurriedly gathered the papers.

He still seemed half-asleep.

“Are you really okay with this?”

Yoon Dae-eon looked down with a somewhat worried gaze.

There, in front of them, was a supermarket shopping cart.

After leaving the campus, Seon Ji-ha and Yoon Dae-eon had initially debated what to have for dinner.

However, like most university districts, the options as the sun went down were mostly places to drink with food, or just straight-up bars.

And almost all of them were packed with crowds.

Knowing from lunch earlier that Seon Ji-ha wasn’t particularly fond of crowded places, Yoon Dae-eon didn’t want to gift him a noisy dinner experience.

So, they decided to eat at home, with Yoon Dae-eon suggesting that they try cooking something themselves.

At those words, Seon Ji-ha’s eyes widened, and he showed clear signs of being thrilled.

That was how they ended up at the mart.

“Don’t expect too much, really.”

“……Yes…….”

“But why are your eyes sparkling so much?”

Despite Yoon Dae-eon telling him not to expect much, Seon Ji-ha had been acting quite lively for a while now.

Not only had his usually dark face brightened up, but every time Yoon Dae-eon picked up an ingredient, he would watch with sparkling eyes as if something magnificent was happening.

His anticipation was so obvious it was practically glowing.

“I’m just going to use store-bought sauce for the spaghetti…….”

What Yoon Dae-eon decided to make today was spaghetti.

Specifically, a tomato spaghetti he often made at home, using store-bought sauce with nothing particularly special about it.

Under Seon Ji-ha’s overwhelming gaze, Yoon Dae-eon worked hard to push the cart.

They had just arrived at the section to buy sausages to put into the pasta.

While Yoon Dae-eon was momentarily distracted by the bacon, Seon Ji-ha stood beside him with the cart.

The lady grilling sample sausages called out to him.

“Hubby, try a bite of this. It’s buy-one-get-one-free right now!”

“……!”

Seon Ji-ha’s eyes, hidden beneath his bangs, sparkled once again.

As if captivated, he accepted the sausage the lady offered as if he were in a trance.

The lady, watching him with a fond look, offered another sausage and said to him:

“And here, give one to your wife over there.”

“……!!”

Seon Ji-ha accepted the green toothpick from the lady, again looking as if he were in a trance.

Leaving the empty cart behind, he approached Yoon Dae-eon—who was currently glaring at the bacon—with a green toothpick in each hand.

“Dae-eon…….”

“Huh? Oh, sausages? Are they for me?”

Seon Ji-ha nodded vigorously.

The toothpick he held out was so small compared to his hand that it looked like it might snap at any second.

Yoon Dae-eon let out a soft laugh and, instead of taking the toothpick, opened his mouth and went nom, taking the bite directly.

He chose this method because Seon Ji-ha’s hand was so large that it seemed like it would be difficult to hand over such a tiny toothpick.

Naturally, Yoon Dae-eon’s lips brushed slightly against Seon Ji-ha’s finger.

Seon Ji-ha was startled again, his eyes growing wide.

“Oh, this is good. Where did you get it?”

Feeling his heart thumping pleasantly, Seon Ji-ha, thinking ‘just maybe,’ held out his other hand.

Sure enough, Yoon Dae-eon went nom and took the second sausage as if he had been waiting for it.

Seon Ji-ha’s face visibly brightened with life.

“……Over there…….”

“It’s buy-one-get-one-free? Should we put these in our pasta?”

Yoon Dae-eon returned to the cart.

The lady, seeing that he was interested in the sausages, spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“You’re newlyweds, right? These are great for two people. Buy one and get another free!”

“Yes, we’re going to eat them together. Please give us one. One with a long expiration date.”

“Ayy, the expiration dates are all the same.”

Seon Ji-ha stood there blankly, taking in the scene.

Then, snapping back to his senses, he approached the cart and gripped the handle firmly.

“Senior, do you want to push the cart?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, let’s go buy the sauce next. Over there.”

Yoon Dae-eon pointed to a spot a bit away from the sausages.

From then on, Seon Ji-ha pushed the cart around to various tasting corners.

Everywhere he went, there were sample stalls.

“Are you newlyweds? If you’re drinking it together, this coffee is…….”

“Kids love dinosaur chicken so much, why don’t you take one, ma’am?”

“Since you’re a couple, you must use a lot of detergent for laundry. If you buy this now…….”

Everywhere they went, they were called a married couple.

That was because Seon Ji-ha was naturally engaging in skinship, like subtly placing his hand over Yoon Dae-eon’s on the cart handle.

Thanks to that, the two of them ended up touring every corner, even the laundry detergent section they didn’t even need.

“Senior, we really need all of this, right?”

Eventually, Yoon Dae-eon realized a bit late that their cart was full.

It was only natural, considering how many places they had visited.

Seon Ji-ha’s home was a place where a manager came three times a week to take care of things.

Naturally, detergents and other daily necessities were refilled on their own.

Since he usually ate meals prepared by the manager rather than cooking himself, he didn’t really need ingredients either.

However, Seon Ji-ha ignored all of that and nodded vigorously while looking at Yoon Dae-eon.

His eyes weren’t just sparkling; they were glowing.

“But do we really look like newlyweds? It’s strange, right?”

Yoon Dae-eon scratched his head awkwardly.

While they might be seen as a newlywed Alpha-Omega couple since there were so many of them, he felt he and Seon Ji-ha were a far cry from that…….

Still, since they were getting so many freebies for being “newlyweds,” it felt awkward to deny it every single time.

And so, the mart excursion ended—one person puzzled, the other unable to contain his joy.

As they left the mart, Seon Ji-ha’s hands were full of bags, totaling four in all.

“Senior, let me carry some too.”

“It’s okay.”

“I’m okay too, though?”

Yoon Dae-eon, who had finished putting the cart away, asked for two of the four bags, but Seon Ji-ha acted as if he didn’t hear.

Still, when Yoon Dae-eon insisted, he finally gave in and held out one bag as if he couldn’t help it.

It was the bag containing the lightest ingredients.

By the time Yoon Dae-eon realized that, Seon Ji-ha was already far ahead.

Since his house wasn’t far, it felt weird to argue any further.

Seon Ji-ha and Yoon Dae-eon headed home carrying three bags and one bag, respectively.

However, as soon as they arrived at the building, security guards approached and took the luggage.

They whisked away the three bags Seon Ji-ha had been carrying.

Apparently, they would bring them up themselves.

“Whoa…… they even carry your groceries. Senior, you’re not like a third-generation chaebol or something, are you?”

“……No, I’m not…….”

Of course, he wasn’t a third-generation chaebol.

Seon Ji-ha’s family had been wealthy for generations.

His wealth wasn’t something achieved in a mere three generations.

Instead of explaining all that, Seon Ji-ha opened the door to his home and let Yoon Dae-eon in.

Yoon Dae-eon slipped into the luxurious apartment, looking quite used to it by now.

He immediately headed to the kitchen and set down the ingredients he was carrying.

Inside the bag, which happened to be the lightest, were the materials for the pasta they would eat today.

He immediately began taking them out one by one to prepare for cooking.

Seon Ji-ha, who entered the house a moment later, just watched Yoon Dae-eon quietly.

Unless Yoon Dae-eon occasionally asked him to prep ingredients or clean up, he really just stood there staring.

Soon, a massive tomato spaghetti was laid out on the table.

The word ‘massive’ was perfectly appropriate, as it filled a large frying pan.

“Why is it that pasta always turns out to be so much once it’s done?”

He was sure he had only grabbed a portion about the size of a 100-won coin…….

Yoon Dae-eon scratched his head as he sat down.

Seon Ji-ha, who had been watching him as if entranced, also took a seat.

Having served the pasta onto the prepared plates, Yoon Dae-eon first held one out to Seon Ji-ha.

Without even thinking of serving his own plate, he stared intently at Seon Ji-ha as he began to eat.

Seon Ji-ha quietly picked up his fork and took a bite of the pasta.

It was before he could even finish chewing.

“How is it? Is it good? Even my dad said my pasta was better than my mom’s.”

Yoon Dae-eon couldn’t help but chatter away.

This was the first time he had cooked for someone else since his parents passed away.

Seon Ji-ha chewed the food in his mouth diligently and nodded.

At that sight, Yoon Dae-eon excitedly served pasta onto his own plate.

As soon as he took a bite, Yoon Dae-eon spoke.

“Ah, as I thought, this brand’s sauce is the best.”

“……It’s delicious…….”

Seon Ji-ha emptied his plate in an instant and refilled it.

Yoon Dae-eon was the same.

They didn’t stop using their forks even when the noodles were all gone and only onions and sausages remained.

‘When I made this for myself last time, it strangely didn’t taste good.’

Yoon Dae-eon suddenly realized it had been a long time since he had made this pasta.

Come to think of it, he had only made it once after his parents died.

At that time, for some reason, it didn’t taste good, so he hadn’t even thought about making it again since.

Seon Ji-ha, sitting across from him, was still working hard to scrape the frying pan clean.

Watching him quietly, Yoon Dae-eon soon gave a wide grin and resumed his own aggressive forking.

Even though it was the same ingredients and food, the taste was different.

It was a strange feeling.