Both Hae-Jung and Seok-Woo arrived at the parking space, and as they stopped, Seok-Woo looked at Hae-Jung beside him and asked, "Where will both of us be dining tonight, Professor?" He wondered where they would go.
"I'll tell you the direction on the go; it isn't that far from here," Hae-Jung replied, smiling lightly at him.
Seok-Woo nodded at her and didn't react much to her smile, which Hae-Jung noticed. "That's strange; normally students like him shy away from that moment," she thought to herself. "I'll find where he'll be shy. It's my first time with someone younger than me, after all. So this will be a new experience for me," she said to herself as she glanced at Seok-Woo.
But then she realized something that must be said to him. "Seok-Woo, do you mind driving me home later after dinner? I didn't bring my car today. If you do, I'll be grateful," she said, tucking her hair behind her ear.
Seok-Woo heard what she said and replied, "Sure, I'll do it as payment for the treat tonight," adjusting his glasses.
Hae-Jung was happy that he accepted, though she didn't show it much to him. After that, they both proceeded to the car.
Entering the car, they settled in, and within a few seconds, they were ready to embark.
Seok-Woo started the car and drove off. Going through the road, Hae-Jung finally said where they were going. Seok-Woo listened to her and made a mental map of where to go.
Both of them were quiet during the journey. Seok-Woo felt it was the same as with Gyeong-Eun that time. For Hae-Jung, she was trying in her head to start up a conversation.
"What topic do I need to bring up for both of us to start conversing naturally..." she sighed in her head, then continued, "I feel like I don't have something to relate to him as we're both born in different generations." She thought to herself, reminding herself of the gap between them.
So she brought up some topics that she had overheard from her students. Hae-Jung turned her head towards him and started a conversation.
Seok-Woo and Hae-Jung chatted with each other while keeping an eye on the road. Seok-Woo didn't expect her to initiate a conversation with him, but he was glad she did, preferring some sound to silence with someone.
While they talked, Seok-Woo was somewhat surprised that Hae-Jung brought up some conversation topics that people his age would definitely talk about. But he remembered that she was a professor, so he thought she would make a little effort to stay up to date with current trends.
Though Seok-Woo did correct her on some misinformation, which Hae-Jung thanked him for clarifying.
Hae-Jung's teaching style was almost the same as Gyeong-Eun's. The only difference was that she wasn't as oppressive in presence as Gyeong-Eun, as she had overheard from her students comparing her with Gyeong-Eun.
After a few minutes of conversation, they arrived at their destination.
The two of them walked inside the building, and as they entered, Seok-Woo smelled the aroma of food, immediately recognizing the type of place they had come to.
"It's a barbecue place again..." Seok-Woo thought to himself as he looked around.
Hae-Jung looked at him and asked, "What? Disappointed that I didn't take you somewhere better than this?" She tilted her head playfully as she spoke to him.
Seok-Woo quickly assured her that wasn't the case. "It's not like that, Professor. I'm just looking around," he replied, clarifying his behavior. Hae-Jung accepted his explanation.
A few seconds later, they found a table and sat down.
As they settled in, Hae-Jung began to order for both her and Seok-Woo. Since it was somewhat special today, she treated Seok-Woo to get what he wants.
Seok-Woo was glad, and his favorability towards her increased in that moment. When the meat arrived, Seok-Woo didn't hold back and ate a lot, much to Hae-Jung's astonishment.
As they ate, they continued their conversation from where they left off before entering the place.
Noticing how many times Seok-Woo refilled his plate, Hae-Jung regretted not taking him to a buffet instead. "This will hurt my wallet... I didn't expect him to be such a glutton after all," she thought to herself as she glanced at him.
Seok-Woo noticed her glance but felt it was different than before. "Is it the amount of meat I ate? I kinda feel bad for taking advantage..." he thought to himself as he carefully observed Hae-Jung's face.
He decided to contribute to the cost to alleviate Hae-Jung's burden. After almost an hour of eating, Seok-Woo patted his stomach, feeling satisfied. However, for Hae-Jung, it was the opposite.
As they were about to pay the bill, Seok-Woo spoke up. "Professor, let me also pay. That way, I can save you some money," he said as he took out his wallet.
But Hae-Jung refused. "No need. I said before that I'll treat you. Don't worry about me; I have plenty of money," she said confidently, though internally she was reeling at the expense and almost cursed at him for making her spend so much.
Seok-Woo heard her words and observed her determined expression. He then allowed her to pay for the bill. Hae-Jung looked at the receipt in her hand, her grip tightening as she read through it. However, she calmed herself, mindful that Seok-Woo might notice. And indeed, he did.
Seok-Woo remained silent as he witnessed the moment. He speculated that she might explode at him once she saw the total cost. "I should be more mindful when people treat me to a meal," he wryly thought to himself, making a mental note.
Hae-Jung paid for the meal without saying anything, though Seok-Woo could sense a shift in the atmosphere. They both returned to the car in silence. As they entered, no one spoke a word to each other. Seok-Woo glanced at Hae-Jung and noticed she wasn't wearing her seatbelt.
He reminded her, only to receive a brief glare before she concealed it. Seok-Woo definitely saw it but pretended it didn't happen. He knew he had definitely made her angry. "I got ahead of myself..." he thought to himself.
The drive to Hae-Jung's place was eerily quiet. Seok-Woo didn't need directions; he drove to where he had previously seen her, near where he had saved her from the thugs, which was also close to where Sunhwi lived.
Upon arriving, Hae-Jung seemed to have calmed down a little. They both got out of the car and walked without exchanging a word. After a few seconds, Hae-Jung faced Seok-Woo as she stood at the entrance of the building.
"Thank you for driv-" Hae-Jung stopped abruptly mid-sentence, her face shocked as she moved her eyes to somewhere. Seok-Woo obviously noticed her reaction and turned back to see where she was looking.
As he looked back, he was surprised to see Soo-Yeon's cheerful face as she walked toward them with a plastic bag in her hand.
Hae-Jung's previous feeling flushed down in an instant as she saw Soo-Yeon in front of her. Never in many times would she have thought that Soo-Yeon would be here.
Now she was preparing for what Soo-Yeon was planning. As Soo-Yeon got closer, Hae-Jung spoke to her. "Soo-Yeon, didn't expect to see you here... What are you doing here anyways?" She asked while pretending to be fine with her presence.
"I wanted to have a drink with you, so I brought some drinks with me today," Soo-Yeon raised the plastic bag, letting them know that it was full.
Soo-Yeon then looked at Seok-Woo. "And you... Why are you with Hae-Jung, of all people...?" She asked as she smiled a little. Before Seok-Woo could answer her question, Hae-Jung intervened.
"That's for later. Let's go inside my home, then we'll talk," Hae-Jung pushed Soo-Yeon as she said it. But Soo-Yeon addressed Seok-Woo, asking, "Would you like to join us, Seok-Woo?"
Hae-Jung and Seok-Woo were taken aback by her, but Hae-Jung recovered fast. "Don't make him stay late at night. Let him go home," she said to him.
But Soo-Yeon looked behind her and said, "I'm not talking to you. And don't treat him like a kid. He's already an adult." After that, she turned back to Seok-Woo. "So, what will you choose?"
Seok-Woo didn't think too much about this, as he felt this kind of invitation is rare after all. With a decisive reply that he would join them, Soo-Yeon smiled, while Hae-Jung had conflicting feelings about it. Nevertheless, she invited both of them into her home.
Going up to her home didn't take long. As they entered, Soo-Yeon made herself at home, while Hae-Jung complained about her behavior.
Seok-Woo observed proper etiquette in her home, as this was the first time he entered the place. Looking at the interior, it was cozy, to say the least, not special nor noteworthy. It was a normal, clean place.
As he walked inside, he saw Soo-Yeon pulling out a few bottles of alcohol from the plastic bag, with Hae-Jung putting her hand on her forehead as she saw this sight.
"Why did you bring this much, Soo-Yeon? Planning to get drunk here?" Hae-Jung carefully raised her voice at her, mindful that Seok-Woo was here. Soo-Yeon replied, "Well, I planned to stay the night here, so maybe it will happen," which prompted Hae-Jung to sigh loudly as she put her hand on her hips.
"Soo-Yeon, you..." Hae-Jung didn't finish what she planned to say, instead saying something different to the two of them.
"I'll change my clothes in my room. Just wait for me for a while," Hae-Jung said to them, with Soo-Yeon replying, "Sure, I'll have a chat with Seok-Woo while we wait," waving her hand as she said it. Hae-Jung briefly looked at her before going to her room.
Leaving the two of them, Soo-Yeon stood up and went to the kitchen, as if she lived there instead of Hae-Jung. This wasn't the first time that this had happened to Hae-Jung.
It was unexpected because Soo-Yeon would usually tell her beforehand, not just pop out randomly. As Seok-Woo waited, he passed the time by taking a good look around the surroundings.
After looking around for a bit, he noticed something - a picture, a class photo to be precise. He immediately recognized Hae-Jung due to her distinct red hair color.
He just looked at it, but Soo-Yeon picked it up and commented, "Didn't expect her to save this image," to herself, and continued, "This brings back memories from high school."
She looked at Seok-Woo and asked, "Do you want to know something about Hae-Jung?" Seok-Woo didn't respond verbally, instead, he looked at her, curious about what she would say.
"From what I heard from her, she likes to be pampered like a little girl," Soo-Yeon said to him, which Seok-Woo didn't expect. But before Soo-Yeon could continue, the door of Hae-Jung's bedroom slammed open. Hae-Jung was dressed in her usual home outfit, wearing a loose shirt and shorts.
"Soo-Yeon, that's enough," Hae-Jung glared at her as she said it, making Soo-Yeon stop, but she just smiled at her reaction.
After that, the trio started to sit in the living room and commenced their drinking session.