Chapter 9: Unexpected Interruption

“You called me a doll?”

Do-ha, lost in thought, set down the mug he was holding, startled by Jia’s slightly sharp tone.

‘To Jia, I’m like a small doll. That’s a direct hit to her height complex, considering she’s under 160cm…’

Despite her rough speech, Jia was a petite, delicate female Omega who instinctively evoked a protective response.

“Yes, you’re so pretty and cute. Your small face, your eyes, nose, and mouth—everything is adorable.”

“Ah, I’m hungry. We’ll get going first.”

At Hye-jin’s words, which seemed to casually press all of Jia’s buttons, Do-ha abruptly stood up. He had no desire to reveal Jia’s foul mouth in front of the team leader, nor did he wish to see her with Hye-jin any longer.

“Haven’t you eaten yet?”

The sudden focus of attention made Do-ha uncomfortable, and he awkwardly nodded in response to Tae-jun’s question.

After returning home, he had showered, slept soundly, and just as he was wondering what to eat, Hyun-woo had burst in.

Moreover, while not a severe hangover, his stomach felt unsettled, so he had been keeping it empty.

“Get up. Let’s go eat something.”

Seeing Tae-jun rise to follow him, Do-ha hastily reached out both hands and waved them, but his silent gestures were quickly lost among the others who were also getting up.

“No, thank you. I’ll go with my friends. Team Leader, you have your date…”

“There’s a delicious dakbaeksuk place nearby.”

Do-ha glared fiercely at Jia, who had inexplicably brought up dakbaeksuk, but there was no stopping those who had already risen from their seats.

Watching Jia lead the way, followed by Hye-jin, who, in her high heels, stood taller than the 185cm Hyun-woo, Do-ha sighed deeply. He wanted to understand what went on in Jia’s mind, how she could suggest this and usher everyone along, knowing full well the awkward situation between him and the team leader.

“Han Jia, are you insane? Why are we suddenly going for dakbaeksuk? No, if we’re going to eat, why don’t we just go by ourselves? Why are you suddenly dragging the team leader and his companion along?”

As soon as they got into the car, Do-ha snapped at Jia, roughly sweeping back his falling hair.

Had it been earlier that morning, he might have been delighted to eat with Tae-jun, but having just seen him with his lover, maintaining composure was clearly impossible.

“Oh, come on. We were going to go to a cafe with you guys anyway, then eat dakbaeksuk and go home. What’s the difference if we eat by ourselves or all together?”

“Ha—. I really don’t know.”

The audacity was boundless; Jia was even raising her voice. Do-ha closed his eyes in exasperation.

Perhaps, for the sake of this tiresome unrequited love, it would be better to accept and understand Tae-jun and Hye-jin’s relationship.

To do so, watching them together, however painful, seemed like the most definitive path.

“Honestly, you should’ve dressed better.”

They arrived at a restaurant that exuded an old-fashioned charm and were led into a private room.

Do-ha subtly averted his gaze as he watched Tae-jun, who had arrived first, chide Hye-jin about her attire even as he took off his own jacket and offered it to her.

“Everyone’s okay with dakbaeksuk, right? Should we just order three whole ones? Oh, and the ottdak here is famous, so let’s get ottdak. Anyone can’t eat it?”

‘What’s different about ottdak?’

Listening to Jia, who seemed more excited than usual, Do-ha picked up a wet wipe from the table and rubbed it over his palms.

“Do-ha, have you ever had ottdak?”

“Well, I guess it should be fine? I don’t have any particular allergies.”

Do-ha answered vaguely, taken aback by Tae-jun’s sudden, pointed question.

“Then, let’s get two ottdak and one dakbokkeumtang.”

“Jun, am I allowed to eat that?”

“Eat whatever you want.”

A slight smile played on Hye-jin’s lips after hearing Tae-jun’s response. She had felt something was off from the beginning, and it seemed her suspicions were confirmed.

His behavior had subtly changed since they had come to the famous Gapyeong cafe, after she had pestered the “annoyed” Tae-jun, and even more so after the intern appeared.

Setting aside their long-standing, informal relationship since childhood, Tae-jun had never before called Hye-jin “Jin.”

‘Kang Tae-jun, who never once properly escorted me, is suddenly taking care of me like this?’

Hye-jin’s gaze, fixed on the subtly altered Tae-jun, seemed rather amused.

“Um, Hye-jin… no, Unnie? Can I call you Unnie?”

Hye-jin, whose attention had been drawn to Tae-jun and Do-ha, beamed a bright smile at Jia, who was sitting beside her and cautiously speaking.

Not only was she an Alpha, but as a biracial woman born to a Korean father and an American mother, she was also quite tall and well-built. Naturally, she had a fondness for things that were relatively small and cute, and Jia perfectly embodied all those qualities.

“Yes, Jia, call me whatever you’re comfortable with.”

Do-ha’s eyes narrowed slightly as he watched Jia, who was sitting across from him, shyly smiling, flanked by Hyun-woo and Tae-jun—a seating arrangement that hadn’t been intentional.

“Unnie, what do you do for work?”

“Oh! I haven’t officially mentioned it yet, have I? I’ll be starting in Jun’s company’s design team next week. I only arrived from the States three days ago, and I came on a one-year contract after they asked for my help with some work. It might be extended depending on the situation, or maybe not? Do-ha, it looks like we’ll be seeing each other every day now.”

Do-ha’s hand, chopsticks poised to pick up a buchimgae, froze pitifully in mid-air. He wondered why on earth it had to be so perfectly round. Do-ha glared resentfully at the innocent buchimgae, then offered a bitter smile.

“Unnie, did you major in design?”

“Oh, I just enjoyed doodling, and it somehow turned into a profession. Jia, you said you’re in your fourth year now, right? What’s your major?”

Do-ha, who had been listening to Hye-jin and Jia’s conversation, stared blankly as the buchimgae plate suddenly moved away.

When the buchimgae, torn into bite-sized pieces by Hyun-woo’s hands, returned, he picked up a piece and put it into his mouth.

‘So she’s a design major, someone useful to the team leader.’

He glanced over at Tae-jun, whose expression was as stern as ever, with faint wrinkles visible between his brows.

Feeling as though he had needlessly interrupted their date, Do-ha chewed the buchimgae, barely tasting it.

“Since we’ve known each other since childhood, Hyun-woo and Do-ha are practically family. Right now, I’m living with Do-ha.”

Listening to their conversation, Do-ha shifted restlessly as the ordered food arrived. To escape this stifling and suffocating place, he simply needed to finish his meal quickly.

Do-ha reached out for the plate holding a plump chicken leg from the ottdakbaeksuk that Hyun-woo was offering, only to see Tae-jun snatch the dish and set it down in front of him instead.

“Don’t eat that, eat this.”

In Tae-jun’s neat hands was a bowl filled with shredded chicken breast, heavily coated in red sauce, along with various vegetables.

With no other choice, Do-ha accepted the plate Tae-jun offered, set it before him, and let out a small sigh.

“Do-ha doesn’t like chicken breast.”

Do-ha, who had been looking down at the bowl, gazed at Hyun-woo, surprised by his unexpected comment.

‘This guy, he knew I don’t like chicken breast? Is that why he always gave me the drumsticks?’

“With sauce, chicken breast is easier to eat.”

‘Oh, that’s true, but… how does the team leader know that?’

“Hot soup is good for a hangover. And ottdak is sometimes eaten as medicine.”

The dakbokkeumtang bowl, which had been in the center, was pushed aside, and the ottdakbaeksuk bowl was placed in front of him again. Do-ha, in turn, pushed both bowls away from him.

Then he pressed the call bell on the table and exclaimed, “Excuse me, one bowl of rice, please.”

“What are you three doing? Just eat what you want. Do-ha, don’t worry about others and eat what you feel like. Ottdakbaeksuk? This is delicious too.”

Hye-jin, having observed the absurd situation, finally spoke up. While Tae-jun’s demeanor had been strange from the start, his friend beside him seemed equally odd.

‘What if that friend is an Alpha, and Do-ha is an Omega?’ Thinking that only an Omega caught between two Alphas would be in such an awkward predicament, Hye-jin moved the bowls Do-ha had pushed aside back to their original spots. It would still be a problem even if he were a Beta male, not an Omega.

‘Why is everyone doing this to me?!’

As much as he wanted to storm out, Do-ha received the warm bowl of rice and silently pulled the dakbokkeumtang dish slightly closer to him.

While the refreshing broth of the baeksuk would have been nice for a hangover, he desperately wanted to alleviate this strange mood with something intensely spicy.

Do-ha, mixing his rice with the moderately spicy sauce, lifted his head to scan the table. True to Jia’s recommendation as a connoisseur of good food, with each bite, it felt as though the tightness in his chest was easing.

‘Did I order a cider just now? Or at least some water.’

Searching for something to drink, Do-ha picked up the ottdak broth that Hyun-woo had poured earlier.

The broth, poured earlier by Hyun-woo, was pleasantly lukewarm and had a bitter, medicinal taste from the herbs. Do-ha drank it all down refreshingly, then resumed eating the dakbokkeumtang.

“What’s wrong?”

“What do you mean, ‘what’s wrong’?”

Finding it difficult to come up with a suitable answer to Hyun-woo’s sudden question, Do-ha merely offered an awkward laugh.

“Why are you rustling so much?”

“Me? Doing what?”

Do-ha, annoyed that Hyun-woo was picking a fight while he was just eating, raised a hand and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Why are you scratching so much while eating? Just stay still.”

“Ah, what can I do if it’s itchy!”

Hyun-woo brushed away Do-ha’s complaining hand and continued to prod the area around his neck that he had been scratching.

“What did you eat?”

Do-ha, feeling ticklish from Hyun-woo’s fingers gently pulling at his clothes to check and touch his neck, instinctively flinched, then froze at Tae-jun’s cold voice.

“Huh? We’re eating right now.”

“Ha—. Get up.”

Do-ha sharply pushed away Hyun-woo’s hand, which had been checking his neck, and was then pulled to his feet by Tae-jun, who gripped his forearm.

“Why are we leaving in the middle of a meal?”

“Can’t a person distinguish between what they can and cannot eat? Get up right now. We need to go to the hospital.”

Tae-jun, having already picked up Do-ha’s wool coat, pulled him by the arm, leading him out of the restaurant. Do-ha was so bewildered that no words came out. How was he supposed to understand this situation, being dragged out while enjoying a perfectly good meal?

“Team Leader! Are you messing with me right now? Why are we suddenly going to the hospital, leaving everyone inside?”

He shook off Tae-jun’s arm, then watched his retreating back as he walked towards the car, leaving him in the middle of the parking lot. Do-ha burst out screaming.

His mind had been a chaotic mess all morning, and Tae-jun, who seemed even stranger today, was impossible to comprehend, no matter how much he tried.

“There’s no time to argue, just get in quickly.”

Watching Tae-jun drive the car forward and open the passenger door, speaking to him, Do-ha unconsciously pulled up his sleeve and scratched his wrist.