Chapter 95: Cart Crashes and Coincidence Overload

At the mart, most people pushing oversized carts looked like married couples or dating pairs. Two grown men wheeling a cart around? Just us.

Wait—why am I the one glancing around nervously? Two guys can absolutely grocery shop together. And he’s my younger brother.

…Technically.

Doyoon must’ve had the same thought; after one lap, he leaned in and whispered, “Weird—everyone’s a couple.”

“Uh… probably families.”

He shot me a side-eye. What’d I do?

Maybe it was my imagination, but people kept staring at Doyoon. Probably because a ridiculously handsome guy kept wandering around, drawing eyes unconsciously. I yanked off my cap and plopped it onto his head, pressing it down firmly.

“…?”

“Just because.”

“…Embarrassed to be seen with me?”

“No?! Grocery shopping’s fine—we could do it a hundred times. Because we’re brothers!”

I blurted it out like a textbook, panicked. Kill me. Why am I like this, Choi Seunghyun? The guy next to me probably doesn’t care at all. Doyoon didn’t respond, looking slightly put out, but he kept the cap on.

We roamed the sprawling aisles, grabbing cheese, asparagus, tomatoes, pasta, mushrooms, cream sauce, tomato sauce, premium Korean beef sirloin. The plan was obvious.

“Making pasta? I like vongole.”

“Nope.”

Rude tone. Still, he dutifully steered the cart toward the seafood section. I followed, asking, “Why the sulk?”

“Not sulking.”

“Liar.”

“…Link arms with me and I’ll tell you.”

I visibly flinched. Doyoon chuckled low, muttering to himself, “Not sure if this much awareness is good or bad…”

What does that mean…?

I never got the chance to ask. Suddenly, a guy from the nearby fruit section pointed straight at us.

“Whoa!”

He even charged over with his basket. I stepped back in shock; the guy’s eyes widened as he looked at me.

“Hyung-nim… Seunghyun hyung-nim?”

Doyoon and I both stared. My eyes widened in recognition.

“You…?”

It was Hwang Yeonseok. Wearing a blindingly colorful shirt like he’d just flown in from Hawaii, he looked exactly like the guy from Jian’s phone photos. My mouth hung open in shock as he yelled like a fan meeting a celebrity, “Holy crap—real deal! You remember me? Hwang Yeonseok! Doyoon’s friend!”

“Uh? Oh… wow. Hi?”

I stammered like a broken robot. Why is he popping up here?!

“Insane—we meet like this? Been way too long!”

He reached for a handshake. Instantly, Doyoon slid between us and grabbed Yeonseok’s hand instead.

“Yeah. Long time.”

Yeonseok flinched at the sudden giant hand, then recognized the capped face and gasped louder.

“Choi Doyoon…? When did you get so huge? I recognized hyung-nim right away, but you…”

Doyoon cut off Yeonseok’s endless chatter mid-sentence. “What are you doing here? Weren’t you in France?”

Yeonseok, still dazed, blinked rapidly. “Just transferred to a Korean company. Wow—so weird running into you. I’ve barely been back. And you’re still ice-cold as ever. Haha!”

…Is that a roast disguised as laughter? I glanced at Doyoon—yep, not thrilled.

Hwang Yeonseok… I stood awkwardly between one overly excited guy and one suddenly moody one, then cautiously asked, “So glad to see you, Yeonseok… but, uh, is your new job at an entertainment company?”

Unexpected answer: “Nope. IT.”

Relief hit first. “…So, not like, a secretary or something?”

“Haha! You saying I’m too good-looking? I’m a developer.”

Huh? Business major—now coding? Yeonseok nodded like he read my mind. “Doyoon dropped out mid-college to ‘find his dream’ in the States—super inspiring. I finished undergrad here, then switched to IT. France is low-key huge in tech—government backs startups like crazy.”

Didn’t know that. Thought only films… Doyoon muttered darkly beside me, “Talking about dreams you know nothing about…”

I elbowed his side hard. He looked at me, wronged; I ignored it. Yeonseok, still buzzing, said, “So good to see you! You look exactly the same, hyung-nim!”

“Thanks… you too.”

Always warm, overly friendly—slightly overwhelming. I was about to politely wrap this up when things got even wilder.

“Uh… sunbae-nim?”

A familiar voice stopped me. Turning, there was Jian in casual clothes, pulling a cart, looking shocked. Doyoon reacted first, eyebrows twitching, voice sharp: “Bae Jian-ssi?”

“Director…?”

The male and female leads stared wide-eyed at each other. My jaw dropped.

What is this weekend drama nonsense?! Too many coincidences! Now they’re running into each other outside work?

But the most dramatic reaction wasn’t Doyoon—it was Yeonseok. Eyes round, he jumped. “…Wait—are you her? Cannes?!”

“Eh?!”

They froze, pointing at each other like statues. Eyes practically bulging. Jian asked, “How are you… here?”

“Just got back in Korea. Wow—this place is a hotspot! Met all my favorite people today.”

Jian looked between me, Doyoon, and Yeonseok, stunned. “You… all know each other?”

“Yep! Doyoon’s college buddy, known Seunghyun hyung-nim forever.”

Yeonseok answered fast. Jian blinked huge eyes, muttering, “This is… insane…”

I smiled blankly, internally screaming: Haha… what a joke.

Plausibility has limits. The male lead, female lead, and their destined wingman all randomly collide in one morning? Jian doesn’t even live nearby! Is this the only supermarket in the country?

My face burned with anger and embarrassment. The original story marches on without me—while I was overthinking alone last night. I deserve a hundred blanket-kicks when I get home. I scolded myself: Snap out of it. This is a romance novel—male and female leads are fated!

Yeonseok grinned at Jian, joking, “Told you I’m not a creep—believe me now? Haha. Anyway, wild we all met—coffee? My treat.”

He glanced at her. Doyoon slowly opened his mouth—

Panicked, I cut in first: “No, uh, Doyoon and I… have somewhere to be.”

Just his place, but still. I didn’t want these three together. Yeonseok nodded easily. “Got it… can’t force it.”

He must’ve realized he pushed too fast. Crisis #1 averted—my throat bobbed in relief. Just leave now. But then Yeonseok added, “Hyung-nim, still at the old place?”

“Yeah.”

“Wow, came far to shop. I just moved nearby—rented a place. My parents still live there, though. Can I visit sometime?”

“Sure. Of course.”

I’d agree to anything to escape. Yeonseok beamed. “So cool as always. See you! You too, Doyoon—later!”

Doyoon barely nodded, then grabbed my wrist and the cart, speed-walking away. Behind us, Yeonseok called to Jian, “So, Jian-ssi, coffee still…?” But Doyoon dragged me too fast to look back.

We were supposed to get clams at seafood, but Doyoon silently beelined to checkout, paid lightning-fast, and headed straight to the parking lot. Loading groceries into the trunk, he slid into the driver’s seat and looked at me.

“You’re awful.”