A9 19

“Bland bastard.”

Suho let out a short snort of laughter, a strange sense of victory washing over him, and sent a text.

[Me: You knew I was having a meal with you?]

[Kang Minhyuk: Yeah.]

[Me: Crazy. How do you know when I don’t?]

[Kang Minhyuk: I heard about it a little while ago.]

“…What? So he didn’t know either?”

At the unexpected reply, Suho tilted his head. Minhyuk was not the type to laze around like him and neglect family matters, so Suho had assumed he would have known early on. If even he did not know, then just how impulsive had this decision been? …Did that mean they did not even intend to hear the opinions of the people directly involved anymore?

“Seriously, this family or that family, they’re all the same.”

Clicking his tongue, Suho set his phone down. At that exact moment, a text came in from Minhyuk with perfect timing.

[Kang Minhyuk: Want me to pick you up?]

“…Does this guy have no tact? Why would he come pick me up? It’s not like we were ever that close.”

Suho glared at his phone with narrowed eyes. He was about to turn off the screen and ignore Minhyuk’s message when the image of Minhyuk’s face from the last time he had come to get him surfaced in his mind. He had not exactly liked it, but it had not been unpleasant either. Back then, Minhyuk had simply looked like someone doing what needed to be done.

He wondered if this time would be any different, but the memory of their lips meeting unnecessarily flashed through his mind, making it hard for him to casually tell Minhyuk to come.

“…So annoying.”

Pouting, Suho started typing a reply. If he did not respond, it really felt as though Minhyuk would come pick him up.

[Me: Get lost. I’m going in my brother’s carㅗㅗ]

Naturally, it was not a very friendly message.

After sending it, Suho flopped down onto his bed and kicked his feet around. The thought of already having to invest his precious rest time into Minhyuk displeased him. It would definitely be more awkward than usual. The events of that day were still vivid in his mind. But running away would wound his pride. It would be like admitting that he was conscious of Minhyuk, and he wanted to avoid showing that at all costs.

As that day flashed through his mind again, Suho sprang up from the bed and roughly messed up his hair. He wanted to run away while ignoring Minhyuk altogether, but remembering the day he had tried to slip away and ended up running into Kang Minhyuk in the living room, Suho quietly began getting ready to go out.  

With an unenthusiastic expression, Suho opened his closet and threw on some clothes that looked decently neat. Since the weather was fairly cold, he made sure to wrap a scarf properly around his neck. He considered styling his hair, too, but gave up before long. Since it was just a one-on-one meeting with Minhyuk anyway, he did not feel like putting extra effort into his appearance. 

After finishing his preparations, he sat on the living room sofa, lightly bouncing his foot as he waited for his brother’s call. Before long, his phone buzzed in his pocket. Figuring it was obviously his brother, he answered without even checking.

“Yeah, hyung. I’m all ready. Should I head out now?”

Suho spoke while heading to the front door and slipping on his shoes. An unexpected reply came back to him.

[Not now. Come out in about three minutes.]

“……”

[Hello?]

The voice was deeper and lower than Suhyeon’s. The blunt tone was familiar as well. Without even looking at the screen, Suho could tell who it was. Frowning, he spat out an annoyed response.

“What.”

[What do you mean?]

“Why are you calling me?”

[I called to tell you I’m almost in front of your place.]

Minhyuk replied indifferently, as if it were nothing. That very attitude only got on Suho’s nerves even more.

“Didn’t you see my text? I said I was going in my brother’s car.”

[Seems like you’re the one who didn’t check your messages. Take another look.]

At that, Suho immediately checked his messages. Two new ones. Both were from Suhyeon.

[Suhyeon hyung: Sry bro. I suddenly got called in by the department head professor, haha.]

[Suhyeon hyung: I told Kang Minhyuk. Go in his car]

…Goddamn it. He could have just called about this. Text messages are easy to miss, even when the phone vibrates. Blaming the innocent Suhyeon, Suho hurled all kinds of curses in his head. Maybe they carried over through the phone, because Minhyuk reacted right away.

[I’m almost there. Wait just a bit.]

Click—

Minhyuk hung up the call the moment he finished speaking. Suho’s mood instantly soured, and he glared at his phone screen with a visibly riled expression.  

It only made his eyes hurt, so he quickly stopped, then let out a scoffing laugh and flopped down onto the sofa.

As if he wasn’t annoyed enough already, now he had to look at that guy’s face on the way there, too. And what was with Minhyuk insisting on picking him up anyway? …Should he just make up an excuse that he was sick and not go out? Pretend he fell asleep and skip it?

…No, let’s not do something that pathetic, Im Suho. What did I do wrong to have to avoid him? If anyone should be avoiding someone, Kang Minhyuk should be avoiding me.

“Yeah. Be confident, Im Suho. Stay strong, Im Suho.”

In less than two minutes, as if steeling his resolve, Suho pressed his lips together tightly. He gave a deliberate nod, then sprang up from his seat and headed for the front door again. With a determined expression, Suho put on his shoes. Even if he ran into Minhyuk, he was the one with nothing to feel guilty about, so he would act confidently, he repeated to himself over and over.  

As he opened the door and stepped outside, a luxury sedan pulled up in front of the house with perfect timing. It was Minhyuk’s car, one he had seen a few times before.

Crossing the threshold, Suho walked confidently toward the car. Right on cue, Secretary Kim, who had been sitting in the passenger seat, got out. He greeted Suho politely and moved to open the rear door for him, but Suho lightly raised a hand to stop him and yanked the door open himself.

As expected, Minhyuk was inside.

Minhyuk was sitting with his arms crossed, only turning his head to look at Suho. Faced with that same indifferent expression he always wore, Suho hesitated for a moment, but quickly composed himself. Lifting his chin high, he looked down at Minhyuk, trying in his own way to show confidence.

All the way through, Suho did not greet Minhyuk even once. Minhyuk also did not open his mouth, merely jerking his chin toward the seat beside him as if telling Suho to hurry up and sit.

What a damn unlucky bastard. Muttering his complaint inwardly, Suho sat down next to Minhyuk. In sync with that, the car door shut with a thud.

“We’ll depart now.”

At those words, Minhyuk nodded, and the car began to move smoothly with the signal. Suho deliberately turned his gaze out the window, rejecting any conversation with Minhyuk with his entire body. Until they arrived at the restaurant, the two of them did not exchange a single meaningful word.

After about twenty minutes of driving, they arrived. Suho obediently waited for the door to be opened, looking over the restaurant visible outside the window. It was a building commonly seen on social media, with white exterior walls and several rectangular pillars. The wide, open glass windows were also fairly pleasing to the eye.

His brief appreciation ended when Secretary Kim, who had been seated in the front, opened the car door for them. Suho got out of the car and stepped aside to wait for Minhyuk, but contrary to his expectations, Minhyuk opened the door on the opposite side himself and got out. For some reason, the distance between them felt uncomfortably close. Growing uneasy, Suho shot Minhyuk a sidelong glance and stepped half a pace away. Minhyuk then looked down at Suho, his eyes narrowing slightly.

What, even if you look at me like that, what are you going to do about it? Suho grumbled inwardly, unable to say it out loud. Even so, without hiding his discomfort, he moved another step farther away.

“I will wait outside.”

Right on cue, Secretary Kim spoke calmly with a slight bow. Suho bowed in return, following his lead, then headed straight into the restaurant. When Minhyuk followed alongside him soon after, Suho hurried his steps, trying not to get caught, and entered the restaurant.

“Welcome.”

From the entrance, a manager much older than Suho greeted him politely. No matter how many times he experienced this, he never got used to it, and as he hesitated, Minhyuk headed toward the reserved room, guided by another staff member.

Seriously, what a cold-hearted guy, just leaving me behind and going on his own. Muttering his complaint inwardly, Suho followed him into the room. A staff member who had been waiting pulled out chairs and guided the two of them to their seats. As Suho sat down, he sharply turned his head away. Minhyuk likewise avoided making eye contact and sat down as well.

As a subtle tension settled between the two, the perceptive manager stepped between Minhyuk and Suho and tried to lighten the mood by recommending the dishes of the day. Suho nodded at his words without saying anything, and when asked, “Do you prefer seafood or meat?”, he simply pointed at a menu item with his finger. Minhyuk, on the other hand, listened to the manager to the very end and then listed the dishes he wanted all at once. He recited even the fairly long names without hesitation, making it seem as though he was quite accustomed to places like this. 

“Then please wait a moment.”

After finishing his greeting, the manager left the room, and the staff who had been waiting behind him followed as well. It was already awkward enough, but once they were left alone in the room, Suho let out an extremely awkward fake cough and turned his gaze toward the window. He even took a sip of water, forcing himself to act calm. It was as if his whole body was saying, ‘I am not conscious of you’. In contrast, Minhyuk looked excessively at ease. With his arms crossed, he looked toward where Suho’s gaze had landed and even tilted his head, as if wondering why Suho was looking over there.

Then, for whatever reason—

“Im Suho.”

Minhyuk suddenly spoke to him. Of course, Suho cleanly ignored him, but Minhyuk paid it no mind and called his name once again.

“Im Suho.”

“…What.”

“Why are you so quiet?”

“Was there something we needed to talk about separately?”

I don’t think so. Still staring out the window, Suho replied as if muttering to himself. Apparently not the answer he wanted, Minhyuk stared straight at Suho, one eyebrow twitching upward.