VSP 25

Seo Sejun had always been someone whose thoughts you could never figure out, but lately he was even harder to grasp. What was in that small head of his?

[Seo Sejjun: Um… like socializing, that kind of thing]

“Are you seriously insane? Why would I eat with a guy, and you of all people? Do you want shitty news articles written?”

If he really ate with Seo Sejun, there was a high chance an article would come out. And it would be a very shitty one.

[Seo Sejjun: Just eat already!]

“No”

At that point even replying felt troublesome, so Dogyeong was about to block him and close his eyes again.

If only Seo Sejun hadn’t sent that next message.

[Seo Sejjun: I’ll make something you like!]

Dogyeong, who had been about to press the block button, paused.

Make something he liked?

…Directly?

He had taken the invitation to eat to mean going out somewhere, so this was completely unexpected.

“You can cook?”

Seo Sejun, of all people, saying he cooked? He did live alone, but Dogyeong couldn’t remember him ever making anything at home, so the thought was surprising.

[Seo Sejjun: I’m good at cooking!]

How likely was it that this wasn’t just boasting?

“Hmm.” Dogyeong rested his chin on his hand and thought.

Normally, he would never have agreed to get tangled up with Seo Sejun. But the strange urgency and nervousness coming through in his messages, and now even offering to cook, made him wonder what he was trying to do, why he was doing this.

After weeks of no contact, he suddenly offered to cook.

He knew it was right to refuse. He had no good memories of dealing with Seo Sejun. But Dogyeong hesitated.

Then, remembering the sight of Sejun walking away with Ryu Sehyun the other day, laughing together, he impulsively sent Sejun his home address.

[Come, then.]

At the time it was just a light decision, not knowing what kind of event it might lead to.

Dogyeong didn’t even check for a reply. He simply turned off the phone screen and closed his eyes.

•••

Sejun drove straight to a nearby supermarket.

Since both he and Dogyeong lived in Seoul, it wasn’t far. And Seoul’s infrastructure needed no words. The big supermarket near Cha Dogyeong’s place had plenty of groceries.

[What are you planning to do?]

“Who knows.”

Sejun pulled his hood low, wore a mask tightly, and pushed a cart. These days, with so many people talking to themselves on hands-free and wireless earphones, him mumbling alone didn’t look too strange.

His tall build made him stand out no matter what, though.

A man with undeniable presence roaming around the supermarket in broad daylight naturally drew glances. People looked at him sideways, though none seemed to believe he was actually Seo Sejun, so it didn’t go further than that.

“Should I just make pasta, keep it simple?”

[You don’t know what Hunter Cha Dogyeong likes?]

“How would I know? We’ve never eaten together.”

[Then why did you make it a meal invitation, of all things.]

“It was the only easy option.”

He kept talking with the system while tossing ingredients into the cart without hesitation: dropwort, pasta noodles, duck meat, chicken stock.

Cooking was a hobby, but that didn’t mean he prepared fancy meals every day. Most of the time he was too lazy. As he loaded more and more groceries, he felt a wave of emptiness, but whenever the mission timer caught his eye, he thought, so what.

No baldness. Baldness is not an option.

Before he knew it, the cart was full. Sejun headed to the checkout. He had hoped to use self-checkout, but this store didn’t have one.

“Do you have a membership card?”

The clerk asked mechanically, and Sejun shook his head. He had bought more than he thought, and the items piled up over the counter.

“A bag, please.”

“Only regulation trash bags~”

The clerk handed him one, and Sejun stuffed his items in. Fortunately the shopping seemed to end without trouble.

“Um…”

But just as he was shoving the last item into the bag, a cautious voice called out. Sejun turned his head around to see someone looking at him.

It was the woman from the young couple behind him in line. Her soft round eyes were hesitant at first, but when Sejun turned his head and their eyes met, her face brightened with certainty.

“Excuse me, are you Hunter Seo Sejun?”

“Ah.”

At this distance, denying it was impossible. Sejun hesitated a moment, then nodded. Jackpot! The woman’s face lit up.

“I’m a fan!”

It was true he was famous, but his reputation was such that there was more of an anti-club than a fan club. It wasn’t common for someone to openly say they liked him. How long had it been since he had met someone who called themselves his fan?

He was feeling nervous but Sejun gradually felt his mood lift. He laughed out loud, “Haha.”

Sejun’s shriveled self-esteem swelled up like a balloon filled with helium, puffed full and starting to float. Riding the wave, he offered,

“Do you want me to sign something?”

“No?”

But the answer came not from the girl, but from the guy who seemed to be her boyfriend. He had been glaring disapprovingly at his girlfriend the whole time, and now he openly scowled.

“What for?”

The girl’s eyes widened in another way. ‘Oppa, what’s wrong with you!’ She mouthed the words in shock and smacked his arm. Of course, Sejun saw her mouth clearly, along with the guy’s grumpy face and his muttered words.

“What’s so good about getting Seo Sejun’s autograph…”

“Oppa!”

This time the girl couldn’t hold back and smacked his arm again, leaving a red mark on his tattoo-covered forearm.

The people gathered at other registers turned their attention. Their stares had already gathered when the girl first said ‘Isn’t that Hunter Seo Sejun,’ and now, with this ridiculous commotion, they stared openly like spectators at a show.

Sejun stayed silent, watching for a moment. Then, without saying anything, he picked up his regulation trash bag and left.

“Sorry!”

The girl apologized toward Sejun’s back as he walked quietly away. Sejun waved his hand. The fan hadn’t done anything wrong.

Good thing he was wearing a mask to hide his expression.

Maybe I shouldn’t have offered to sign? He regretted it briefly, but he figured the girl would have been genuinely happy to get a signature if it weren’t for her boyfriend. It was unfortunate, but he decided to let it go.

But once he put the groceries on the passenger seat and sat in the driver’s seat, his mood inevitably dipped.

The system, silent until now, spoke about five minutes later.

[Sejun-nim, should I set the navigation to Hunter Cha Dogyeong’s house?]

“Yeah, please.”

So Sejun headed to Cha Dogyeong’s house.

•••

Cha Dogyeong’s house was a detached home right in the middle of a wealthy neighborhood. The sound of cars passing by was so faint the place felt silent.

“Wow.”

After fumbling at the gate, calling and making a fuss just to get in, Sejun finally entered. Inside was a sight.

Sejun’s own home was a new luxury apartment, quite nice, but Dogyeong’s house was so big it felt like a waste of space for one person. On top of that, with how minimalistic he lived, the inside was so bare it felt bleak.

“You came?”

Cha Dogyeong greeted him in a plain short-sleeve T-shirt and jeans. It was the first time Sejun had seen him dressed so casually.

Perhaps he represents the hunters in a different way from Ryu Sehyun, Dogyeong never came out dressed sloppily.

Sejun scratched his cheek, suddenly aware that he was peeking into Cha Dogyeong’s private side, and it felt awkward.

But Dogyeong seemed more interested in the regulation trash bag Sejun was holding.

“What did you buy so much for?”

“I figured your house would have nothing. Right?”

“Right.”

He admitted it easily. Honestly, it would have been stranger otherwise. How often would a young man living alone cook? Sejun himself rarely cooked at home out of laziness.

But why am I here in this guy’s house…?

Sejun carried the groceries to the kitchen to put them on the dining table. As expected, the kitchen looked like it had hardly ever been used, spotless with not a drop of water out of place. Not a single cooking utensil was out, which made Sejun click his tongue.

“Did you not cook, or did you just keep it this clean?”

“Didn’t cook.”

Dogyeong answered nonchalantly, while already digging into the groceries Sejun brought. He looked like a clueless kid checking out what his mom brought back from shopping.