The restaurant we arrived at looked more like a traditional Korean set meal place than a barbecue joint.
A staff member dressed in hanbok led us to a private room. Not long after we sat down, a full-course meal of beef and side dishes was laid out on the table.
'Well, yeah, beef is definitely an expensive dining option, but still...'
The neat interior that looked straight out of a drama and the overwhelming spread of food made me let out a sigh without realizing it. I didn't expect it to be like this. I thought it would be just an ordinary barbecue place.
"Hyung, eat a lot! I've been here a few times, and it's not bad,"
Chaeyujeong said with a bright smile from across the table, receiving the service naturally. Everything about him radiated class.
Could this guy… be a rich family's young master? He sure looks the part.
"Aren't you overdoing it? This place looks pretty pricey."
Whether he had made a reservation or not, the food started coming out right after we sat down without even ordering. Because of that, I had no idea what the price was.
Chaeyujeong, smiling foolishly, placed a fully grilled piece of beef on my plate and said,
"Come on, it's with you, not just anyone. Of course it's fine."
"Really?"
"Yeah. I just signed a new contract and got paid a lot!"
…Is it okay to talk so casually about getting a signing bonus?
'Next time, I'll just take him somewhere and treat him myself.'
Judging by those eyes full of excitement, it was obvious that if I let him pick again, we'd end up in another place like this. With that thought, I took a bite of the meat he had given me.
"How is it? Tastes okay?"
"It's good."
Maybe because the beef was high quality, it practically melted in my mouth.
As I gave my honest impression, Chaeyujeong—who had been watching me nervously—finally relaxed.
"I messed around a lot during Jungle Chai, and with that interview too… I know I've done a lot of things wrong to you. Please consider this a gesture of apology."
Strangely enough, the moment I heard that apology, the beef in my mouth suddenly felt like rubber, and all the flavor vanished.
My chest instantly grew heavy with complicated emotions. I forced myself to swallow the food as naturally as I could and asked,
"That interview, by the way."
"Yes?"
"When did you do it?"
My question must've caught him off guard, as he tilted his head slightly in confusion before replying right away.
"Last Wednesday. It was a team interview, so the other members were there too. But my article was the first to get published. Probably because it was my first comeback in a year."
"Oh… so the article went up a week later?"
"Right."
Yuchae had left the raid party on Sunday, saying she had something to do.
So it really had nothing to do with Chaeyujeong. Well, if she was intentionally hiding her identity, she could've easily covered something like that. But looking at Chaeyujeong in front of me, there wasn't the slightest trace of deception.
'If all of this is a lie… he should become an actor.'
At this point, all I could do was laugh in disbelief. Honestly, I don't even know what to think anymore.
It's not like I have any solid proof for my suspicions, and if I keep going like this, I feel like I might actually lose my mind.
"…Why? Are you still bothered about the interview?"
Seeing me fall silent and deep in thought, Chaeyujeong carefully gauged my mood. The gentle look in his eyes as he tried to read my expression made me let out a bitter smile.
"It's nothing."
I shoved my doubts to the back of my mind and picked up my chopsticks again.
Chaeyujeong, who had been watching me with concern, also began eating again with relief once he saw I hadn't stopped moving my chopsticks.
After finishing my meal and getting back into the car, I belatedly noticed a missed call on my phone.
'What does Taeyoung want this time?'
He's been calling a lot lately. As I was about to check the piled-up messages and call him back, I saw an unexpected name.
[Kim Eui-chan: How have you been?]
"..."
My face twisted miserably as I read the sentence on the screen.
I'd just filled my stomach with beef and was in a good mood for the first time in a while, but the timing really sucked.
'What kind of nerve does this bastard have to reach out?'
Last I heard, he had transferred to a team in China. Don't tell me he's already back in Korea?
Now I understood why Seo Taeyoung had called. It was probably to warn me that Kim Eui-chan might try to contact me.
"Hey, are you okay?"
Chaeyoo-jeong, who was driving, immediately picked up on my stiff expression and narrowed her eyes in concern.
I hesitated for a moment, then asked for her understanding.
"Something came up. Sorry, but do you mind if I take a quick call?"
"Of course not. Go ahead."
She gave me permission, though she kept glancing at me, clearly curious about what was going on.
First, I needed to assess the situation. I could explain things to her later. When I made the call, Seo Taeyoung picked up immediately, as if he'd been waiting.
—Hello?
"Hey, hyung. I was outside and just saw your call."
—Oh, yeah? It wasn't anything too serious.
"Did you call because of Kim Eui-chan?"
The moment his name left my mouth, Chaeyoo-jeong's hand on the steering wheel trembled slightly.
—Yeah. How did you know?
"He sent me a message."
—That bastard… What did he say?
"He asked how I've been. I definitely blocked him before, so he either changed his number or made a new account."
—Unbelievable… He's still as shameless as ever.
Taeyoung let out a deep sigh and continued with an unpleasant tone.
—I think it was a couple of days ago, but he came back to Korea. Sounds like his contract in China didn't work out. I only just heard from someone else today. I wanted to warn you, but I guess I was a bit late.
"No, it's my fault for missing the call. Didn't he transfer to China for a new team? It hasn't even been a year—why's he already back?"
—The team he joined was at the bottom of the rankings all year. You know how strong the competition's gotten in China too, right? They're offering big signing bonuses, so a lot of Korean players are moving over… but someone like Kim Eui-chan is bound to get tossed aside.
The only reason Kim Eui-chan moved to China in the first place was because of his skills.
Korea had been winning world championships every year, and the pro players' skill levels were top-tier. Those who couldn't keep up either transferred to teams abroad or retired. Kim Eui-chan had chosen the former.
"Still, since it was overseas, I thought he'd stay at least two years."
—Sounds like he signed a one-year contract from the start, but he probably got booted because his skills weren't up to par.
Taeyoung clicked his tongue, clearly displeased.
—Must be annoying to deal with this out of nowhere.
"There's nothing for me to deal with. I'm going to block him right away. Thanks for the heads-up, hyung."
—Don't mention it. I didn't do much. What matters is how you're feeling. You two used to be close, after all.
"..."
—Like you said, blocking him right away is the best choice. Don't give it any more attention, okay?
"I know. Don't worry."
—Yeah, yeah. I'll hang up now.
As soon as I lowered my phone after ending the call with Seo Taeyoung, Chaeyoo-jeong, who had been pressing her lips together like she was holding something back, immediately turned to me.
"Kim Eui-chan… wasn't he the guy who went to that tournament with you? I think he was the ADC."
"Yeah."
I nodded, inwardly surprised that she even remembered a teammate from a tournament five years ago.
"He and I were the same age on the team, so we got close. But about a year ago, some stuff happened, and we stopped talking."
The reason we fought wasn't anything major.
Kim Eui-chan had a habit of lying, and I wasn't the kind of guy who'd just keep letting it slide every time.
It wasn't like he missed appointments or borrowed money and didn't pay it back. But thinking back now, maybe that kind of lie would've been easier. At least then, I would've cut him off without hesitation.
"…I knew you were close with him."
Chaeyoo-jeong blinked a few times hesitantly, then spoke again.
"I used to watch Taeyoung's streams all the time, even before he started his channel. Sometimes he'd invite you on Discord to hang out. You guys would meet as teammates or opponents in Heore, too. I didn't miss a single one of those."
"What? You saw all that?"
"Yeah. Kim Eui-chan used to play with you guys too, right? So I knew you two were close."
"..."
All we really did was chat meaninglessly on Discord or tease each other in all chat when we ran into each other in Heore, but she saw all of it?
She remembered a tournament from five years ago and watched the streams. This kid really might admire me…
While I was still flustered, the car, steadily making its way, had already arrived near my place.
"I'll get off here."
Not wanting her to drive all the way to my house, I pointed to a convenience store nearby, and she pulled over without protest.
As I stepped out, Chaeyoo-jeong followed, looking tense as she approached me.
"Um… hyung, are you upset?"
"What are you talking about now?"
"…Because I watched all your streams."
I had just been planning to thank her for the ride, but that caught me off guard.
She really is the type to let her thoughts spiral into the cosmos if you leave her alone.
"I-I'm not some kind of stalker or anything. When Taeyoung streamed with you, he always put your username in the title, and he'd upload it later on YouTube too. It made it easy to find."
"I see. I don't mind if you watched them."
"Really?"
"Really. So go ahead and watch as much as you want."
Despite my flat tone, she smiled brightly. Then, after hesitating for a while, she blushed slightly and cautiously spoke.
"Hyung… if you're okay with it… would you like to come over to my place next week?"
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