Paper Friendship Chapter 31

I unpacked simply and left the accommodation. As we headed toward the bustling downtown area, it became crowded with people. Since we hadn’t planned or reserved a dinner spot, we decided to keep walking and go into the first place that looked crowded or had tasty-looking food (though the menu had to be Jeju black pork!).

It was exactly dinnertime, and there were so many people everywhere we went. The smell of delicious food wafted through the air. It seems most people have similar tastes, as all the places that looked good were either full or had extremely long waiting lines.

After wandering around for quite a while, we arrived at a three-story building specializing in black pork BBQ. LED signs flashed messages like “Families welcome,” “Groups welcome,” and so on. The parking lot at the entrance was completely full.

“How many?”

“Two.”

“You can sit in the empty seats.”

“Just anywhere….”

“Table 17? Table 17 coming now!”

I stared at the staff member who rushed away from the spot. It was packed. Most of them were families or groups. Almost every table was ordering alcohol and talking loudly. There was a play area, too, so children were running around freely.

We sat down roughly in an empty spot. I looked around, and Choi Juoon wiped his hands with a wet towel and looked at the menu (since no one brought a menu even after we waited, I apologized to the neighboring table and grabbed it to look).

We ordered 7 servings of black pork. My stomach was beyond hungry, it was practically aching from continuously smelling the meat.

“I’m hungry, I’m so hungr-y.”

I jokingly bit Choi Juoon’s arm. I thought I would get hit, but Choi Juoon, surprisingly, asked if I was that hungry and checked the menu to see if there were any items that could come out faster. I slumped onto the table and said.

“I should’ve ordered 10 servings.”

“Let’s eat and order more.”

“If I order 10 serv….”

I stopped mid-sentence, opened the memo app on my phone, and typed quickly.

If we ordered 10 servings, it would probably be faster to hunt it ourselves;;

Then I handed the phone to Choi Juoon and said.

“Read it quietly.”

It had been 30 minutes since we sat down, and I looked at a table that hadn’t received a single side dish yet. I genuinely wanted to go to the neighboring table and beg for some meat. Choi Juoon just raised the corners of his mouth to smile, handed the phone back to me, and said.

“Should I go and tell them?”

“Uh… um…. No, let’s wait a little longer.”

I lifted my body, smiling, and held my finger close to the bell, repeating “to press or not to press, to press or not to press.” This was because I had pressed the bell too many times, so I didn’t feel like pressing it again. Watching that, Choi Juoon held out his hand. I jokingly pressed my finger against Choi Juoon’s palm.

“Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong.”

While playing by myself, I lifted my head to look at Choi Juoon. Choi Juoon was also smiling faintly, watching me while propping his chin on his other hand. Looks like he finds my fooling around amusing. I got excited and messed around even more.

At that moment, a staff member from afar apologized for being late and quickly set up the side dishes. The meat came out as well. Just as I was looking at the meat and about to take my finger off Choi Juoon’s hand, Choi Juoon suddenly grabbed my hand firmly. It didn’t hurt, but I looked at Choi Juoon because of the sudden sensation. Choi Juoon slowly loosened the pressure on his hand and mouthed the words, ‘Hyung, it’s because of hyung.’

‘Talk about acting like he did a huge favor….’ I just nodded vaguely.

“Yes, yes. Thank you.”

My attention and gaze were solely directed toward the black pork. Even though we ordered 7 servings, I felt like I could eat it all by myself, so I ordered 5 more.

We had to grill the meat ourselves, so we grilled it together. Choi Juoon grilled it with tongs, and I grilled it with chopsticks.

“I’m eating now.”

“Lee Juun, put it down. Pork has to be cooked thoroughly.”

I had no choice but to put the meat down. And looking at the meat that was already charred black, I said.

“Choi Juoooon…. Let’s eat now. It’s all cooked.”

Please. Please stop grilling now…. It’s all going to burn!!!! But Choi Juoon kept grilling like he was possessed by something. Is those tongs the problem? Are the tongs stealing Choi Juoon’s reason?

Choi Juoon frowned, turned the meat around, and said.

“Is this actually cooked….”

“I’ll try it and judge.”

“Hey…. Hey, hey! Don’t eat it yet. Pork has to be cooked thoroughly.”

“How long are you going to grill it…. It’s definitely fully cooked. It’s turned pitch black. Ah, I don’t know. I’m going to eat it.”

“I told you you can’t. Do you want to try getting food poisoning once?”

Food poisoning versus carcinogens. The battle of the century is unfolding in my body. While we were fighting like this, the staff member finally came to our table. They took the tongs from Choi Juoon and told me not to pick up raw meat with the chopsticks I was using to eat. I quietly took out a new pair of chopsticks.

“This is all burnt, so don’t eat this.”

“Right? This is all burnt, isn’t it?”

“Yes, just in case, don’t eat it.”

“Exactly, but he keeps….”

Bothered by Choi Juoon’s piercing gaze, I stopped talking and quietly bowed my head. We both stared at the meat grilling in silence. Then, I made eye contact with Choi Juoon.

“….”

I don’t know why, but I felt like I was going to laugh, so I averted my gaze first. The staff member left, saying it was all grilled and we could eat now.

The meat was truly delicious. At first, it was so good that I swallowed it without chewing properly. Then Choi Juoon said he would really beat me if I threw up again, so I chewed it thoroughly. Sheesh, stop pressuring me…. I was trying to chew now.

While we were in the middle of eating, the person who came earlier brought the additional meat we ordered and grilled it all for us. While giving me the grilled meat on my small plate, they asked if it was that good. I smiled and answered.

“Yes, it’s reaaally good.”

We ate all 12 servings. We should have had fried rice too, but we were full, so we sadly headed out. We left the restaurant while eating ice cream for dessert.

To help with digestion, we walked around the market area. Since we were full and nothing really stood out, we just looked around before moving on. On the way, there was a souvenir shop. They sold a lot of things, and among them were Jeju Island rocks. Five thousand won for one. It was a bit expensive, but since I was in Jeju Island anyway, I made up my mind and picked two.

Ah, besides rocks, they were also selling Jeju Island air. I decided to buy that when I leave later. Because if I buy it now, it might get tainted. When I paid, I thankfully received a pair of black sunglasses as a complimentary gift. After coming out of the store, I swung the heavy bag back and forth and said.

“Let’s come here again when we leave. I’ll buy one more rock then.”

“….”

Choi Juoon just watched all of this quietly, then suddenly picked up any random rock from the side of the road. And he told me he would sell it to me for 3 thousand won.

“Do I look like a fool to you?”

When I said that a bit seriously, Choi Juoon stroked my hair without a word. As we walked toward the accommodation, one of my favorite songs started playing on the street. I put on the black sunglasses I got earlier and performed a special free concert in front of Choi Juoon. Choi Juoon laughed loudly and held up his phone to take a video.

We bought snacks and water at a convenience store in front of the accommodation. We didn’t go straight inside, but sat on a nearby bench instead. And we sat quietly, looking up at the sky. There were many white stars in the black sky. I pointed at the stars with my mouth and said.

“That’s Orion, that’s Gemini.”

Actually, I don’t know a single constellation, but I just blathered on. They’d be similar, right? Choi Juoon took pictures without a word. Shooting the sky, shooting me. Shooting the sky, shooting me. I specially gave him a V-sign with my fingers. And….

“Smile.”

I even included a smile.

∞ ∞ ∞

“Ugh, cold, cold, cold, cold.”

As soon as I entered the room, I jumped onto the bed.

“Hey, don’t lie on the bed wearing your outerwear.”

Choi Juoon said from behind while tidying up his shoes. So I lay on the floor. Then he kicked me with his foot and told me not to lie on the floor. When I stood up and leaned against the wall, this time he told me not to lean against the wall either. So I sat in a chair. Choi Juoon had an expression like he wanted to say something. I found this situation funny, so I just laughed.

“Ah, it’s like being at a school retreat. Are you the drill instructor?”

“There’s a lot of dust here.”

Before the drill instructor turned into a devil, I stood up, took off my outerwear, and said.

“You wash up first.”