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Chapter 25. Her Flirting!
Sssizzle.
Thick slices of pork belly cooked over high-quality charcoal.
The clean fat slowly rendered out with a satisfying hiss as the meat browned to perfection.
A grilled masterpiece—crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside.
The aroma was incredible.
Snip, snip.
I cut the long strips of pork belly into bite-sized pieces with a pair of kitchen scissors.
“Taewoong, did you work part-time at a barbecue restaurant?”
“Huh? Why?”
“Your grilling is perfect. You even cut the meat into the perfect size. I can tell you’ve got experience.”
I had come to a samgyeopsal restaurant with Ahn Hyunju—no, with noona.
She insisted on treating me to dinner because I’d helped her out of an awkward situation.
A noona who buys you food is always right.
I had money too.
But I couldn’t buy the kind of natural atmosphere and opportunity that she had created.
Besides, after what had happened, I didn’t want us to just part ways with a simple goodbye.
Noona sat neatly across from me, watching me grill the meat.
The moment she had fallen into my arms earlier…
It had completely caught me off guard.
It felt like waking up from a nap and suddenly being handed a sweet strawberry cake.
Until her scandal broke out, noona had been considered one of the three most beautiful female golfers.
And it wasn’t just her face.
Her figure was equally breathtaking.
I didn’t think I’d ever forget the feeling she had left me with.
It was difficult to put into words…
That unexpected outing had led us here.
A small samgyeopsal restaurant tucked away in an alley in Cheongdam-dong.
It was one of those places only the regulars knew about.
The sign outside was modest, and the inside, with its oil-drum charcoal grills, had a nice atmosphere.
Noona said she came here often.
The place was famous for its charcoal-grilled pork belly.
My grilling skills had quite a long history.
Whether I was an ordinary soldier, serving in the special forces, or the youngest employee at work…
Grilling meat had always been my job.
Whenever we went out for barbecue, regardless of the occasion, I was the one holding the tongs and scissors.
I’d never worked at a barbecue restaurant, but I’d been good at grilling from the start.
More than eating the meat myself, I enjoyed watching other people enjoy the meat I cooked.
The pork belly was now perfectly golden.
A glossy slice glistened with juices.
I picked it up with my chopsticks.
“Noona, say ah~”
The very first bite of pork belly should be eaten without ssamjang, salt, or soybean powder.
You need to appreciate the meat’s original flavor.
Since it was Jirisan black pork, there wasn’t even the slightest smell.
This was why the place of origin mattered.
Pigs and cattle raised where the water and air were clean always tasted better.
The prices were steep because it was Cheongdam-dong, but that didn’t matter.
“…”
Blushing shyly, noona accepted the meat.
For some reason, it reminded me of dating my ex-girlfriend.
Gu Hyejin.
She had loved the meat I grilled too.
She used to say I had a special touch.
“…!!”
As she chewed, Ahn Hyunju noona’s eyes suddenly widened.
“Tastes good, right?”
“…What? Why does this taste different?”
After swallowing, her eyes grew even rounder.
She genuinely looked shocked.
“I added a pinch of love and sincerity. That’s my secret recipe.”
“I-I see?”
She looked slightly flustered at the word love.
Her reaction was adorable.
“Noona, how old are you this year?”
“Why? Twenty-four.”
“That’s a wonderful age.”
“Hey… You’re not exactly in a position to say that.”
I was a man who had already lived through his thirties once before returning.
Twenty-four.
An age when everything feels possible.
An incomplete stage of life, perhaps—but truly one of the best times.
“People don’t live by numbers. They live by the depth of their lives. A famous philosopher said that.”
“…I can agree with that.”
She really did have a wonderful personality.
She didn’t deny it or argue.
She simply nodded with a smile.
That alone revealed what kind of person she was.
It was a refreshingly cheerful response that was rare to see from such an attractive woman with an S-line figure.
This was why living in a world full of stereotypes was so exhausting.
People saw a young woman with a voluptuous body and immediately assumed she knew everything about life.
That was the misconception of older people.
From the perspective of someone who had already lived through his thirties, Pro Ahn Hyunju was still closer to an innocent girl.
Her aura proved it.
She was even more transparent than my classmates.
Compared to certain people…
Her pure, clear aura couldn’t even be compared.
“So… how about I mix you a refreshing somaek?”
“Somaek? You know the right ratio?”
“Just wait. My mixing technique is patented.”
“What?”
I’d mixed enough drinks during my working life.
I knew the golden ratio that everyone loved.
Back when I was in the special forces, even the regimental commander had been blown away by it.
Believe it or not, I’d even gotten leave because of my famous somaek.
My signature specialty.
Whoosh.
Using a flick of my wrist, I spun the soju bottle, creating a tiny whirlpool.
The liquor blended perfectly.
I poured the soju into a shot glass first.
Then I filled a beer glass halfway before adding the soju.
Swish, swish.
After giving the glass a gentle swirl, I placed it in front of noona.
“Try it.”
“What about you?”
“I’m still wearing my school uniform. The owner has been staring at this table the whole time.”
The owner and one of the employees couldn’t take their eyes off us, worried I might try to drink alcohol.
Even though I was legally an adult, I refrained because I was dressed in a school uniform.
Instead, I filled my glass with cola.
I really wanted to down a cold glass of somaek too.
But I couldn’t.
“Thank you for today. I really mean it.”
“Me too. I really mean it!”
“Hm?”
Ahn Hyunju noona tilted her head, clearly not understanding what I meant.
“Drink up. Cheers!”
Our glasses clinked together.
I emptied my cola in one gulp.
“Ah!”
Noona let out a short exclamation.
“Good, right?”
“W-What? The somaek is sweet!”
“The secret behind the perfect ratio is a trade secret.”
“You’re lying. It really tastes amazing!”
“That’s experience.”
“But… shouldn’t you be studying for your exams? Your school is supposed to be incredibly difficult.”
It was currently the midterm exam period for second-year students.
Of course she knew that.
Yet she had found me at a driving academy.
And instead of going home afterward, I was here having dinner with her.
No sane student would do something like this during exam season.
Cheonghwa High’s exams were known to be even harder than those of science high schools or foreign language high schools.
Their exam difficulty ranked at the very top among Korean high schools.
“I already told you. Exams are about your everyday ability. Don’t worry.”
“You didn’t… give up, did you?”
“I’m planning to take first place in the entire school on this round of written exams.”
“First place? Pfft.”
She couldn’t hold back her laughter.
“You don’t believe me?”
Of course she didn’t.
Being first at Cheonghwa High essentially meant being first in the nation.
“If you really take first place, I’ll grant you one wish.”
“A wish?”
“Yeah. One thing you want.”
She’d just made a huge mistake.
“It’s a promise.”
I quickly held out my pinky finger.
“A promise~”
Smiling, she hooked her pinky around mine.
Got you.
In that warm atmosphere, we enjoyed the grilled pork belly and finished with fried rice.
“Ugh…”
Noona had already finished several glasses of somaek.
She let out a satisfied sigh.
Her cheeks had turned red like ripe persimmons.
“They’re beautiful.”
“What is?”
“I ended up eating way too much. I have to manage my weight.”
She had a perfect hourglass figure and toned muscles, yet she was worried about gaining weight.
It was something I’d never experienced with my ex-girlfriend.
Even this side of her was adorable.
“Do you know when a person is at their heaviest?”
I wanted to make a joke suitable for a teenager.
Instead…
“When they eat too much? Like me?”
“No.”
“Then…?”
“When they become mature.”
“When they become mature? What? Puhahaha!”
It ended up sounding like an old man’s joke.
Thankfully, noona burst into hearty laughter.
It was enough to wash away all the stress she’d built up throughout the day.
Watching her smile made me smile too.
Happiness is contagious.
“Taewoong.”
“Yes?”
“What are you?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“Why do you keep feeling like you’re the older one?”
Experience really couldn’t be hidden.
Even if my body belonged to a high school student…
My mind was still that of a thirty-something office worker who had weathered plenty of hardships.
To me, a woman in her early twenties was like a brand-new employee fresh out of college.
Someone who needed kind guidance and support while adapting to society.
Our eyes met.
Slowly…
Ahn Hyunju noona blushed as though she wasn’t joking.
She was beautiful, like a flower just beginning to bloom.
The alcohol had lightly flushed her fair cheeks, making them look irresistibly soft.
“Taewoong… I have a favor to ask.”
“A favor?”
“What are you doing this Sunday?”
She was asking about my weekend schedule.
Could this be…
Was she asking me out on a real date?
Even as she spoke, I could see the hesitation in her eyes.
“I’m free.”
“Really?”
Her face instantly lit up.
Her round eyes sparkled brightly.
Then she said,
“Then… would you like to come get your hair done?”
“Huh??”
