Between A and B C25

Chapter 25

SGAON came to the shop I work at.
Please don’t repost this anywhere else in case it gets traced back—my boss doesn’t want us posting online, but my fingers are itching too much, so I’ll delete this in ten minutes.ㅠㅠ

So, SGAON came to the place I work. Normally, we don’t take reservations here, right? But apparently someone called, asked what our daily sales were, wired over the full day’s sales plus rental fees in one lump sum, and rented the whole café.ㅋㅋ I thought maybe it was for some kind of party, but no—it was just him and another person. They tucked themselves away in the corner, demolished an entire walnut pie, a choux pastry, and a brownie, and left in under two hoursㅋㅋ.

Comments

Who’s SGAON? Don’t tell me you mean S—?
re: Yeah, please, just keep it hereㅠㅠ
re re: Holy shit holy shit. Who was the other person? A girl?
re re re: Nah, a guy.
What kind of lunatic rents out an entire shop just to gorge on walnut pie with another dude…
re: Not much of a lunatic if the menu choices are that softboy—he ordered a sweet potato latteㅋㅋㅋㅋ
re re: That was Gaon?! Crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy!!
Wait, he drank sweet potato latte? Insane…
So who was the other guy?
re: Another One, I think? But he wore sunglasses when he came in, which kind of killed the mood.ㅠㅠㅋㅋ Even Gaon didn’t wear shades… and it was rainingㅋㅋㅋ
re re: Yikes, tacky;;

Any pics?
re: (photo) Only caught their backsㅠㅠ We do rock-paper-scissors to decide who brings orders to tables, and I won twiceㅋ
re re: Damn, that back is broad.
re re: You could play pool on that back.
re re: Is that a back or a plain field?
re re: Funny thing is he looks slim normally, but his shoulders and back are so wide.
re re: This is nuts.
re re: His face screams delicate, tragic, sexy, deadly, adorable little angel-prince… and then this back?
re re: Not porn? I swear I just saw his back twitch; it looked alive;;
re re re: I’ve been staring for five minutes too, and yeah, saw it twitch; I swear;;;

Not sure if I should say this, but… when I went to their table after the bell rang, Gaon was crying again. Table was kind of a mess, he was coughing hard, tears in his eyes. The other guy asked for tissues in a pretty sour voice…
re: Wait, Gaon was crying? Again?
re: Again? Ugh…
re: No way… ha…
re: Crazy, for real ah—

Why is it that every time they meet, Gaon ends up crying?
re: That’s what I’m saying… once might be coincidence, but twice isn’t.
re re: For real. Once, maybe. Twice? No.
re re re: When else did it happen???
re re re re: The convenience store parasol? He was crying there too—with that guy.

Why was he crying?
re: Who knows. But since the OP mentioned he was coughing, maybe he just choked?
re re: Yeah… probably just choked and teared up.

I’m the OP—since people think maybe it was just choking, let me add: when my coworker went over with tissues, the table was a wreck and there was coffee spilled everywhere, like it got dumped. Their first order was two iced Americanos, but then they ordered a sweet potato latte after.
re: Wait, didn’t you say you went before? Now it’s your coworker?
re re: Dude, they’re just covering their tracks, use your brainㅡㅡ
re re re: What? They already spilled everything, what cover?ㅋㅋㅋ
re re re re: Why are you attacking the OP?

Honestly, I just wish Gaon would stop meeting that guy.
re: 2
re re: 3
re re re: 4

Where is this place? I wanna goㅠㅠ
re: Lol, who’s gonna say.
re: If they ate a whole walnut pie, it must be a private café.
re re: Stop trying to pinpointㅡㅡ I’m deleting this soonㅡㅡ

Didn’t they go to another walnut pie place before too? Forest? There are a few famous spots nearby, maybe one of those.
re: Stop with the guessing.

OP here. Stalker weirdos are too much, I’m deletingㅡㅡ

Later

What was in that deleted post?
I caught a glimpse of “walnut pie” but didn’t read. Was it about Gaon?

Comments

Yeah, OP said it might get traced and deleted.
re: Damn, can you tell us what it said, even just short versionㅠㅠ
re re: Gaon and Another One rented a whole shop, ate a walnut pie, and Gaon drank sweet potato latte. Apparently, he cried again while they were there.
re re re: What, again? Thanks for telling meㅠㅠ

What do you mean Gaon cried?
re: That’s what the deleted post said.
Ugh, I missed it too.
Me too.
Where’s the shop?
re: Nobody knows. Better not speculate since OP asked.

Why does he always end up crying when he’s with that guy?
re: Honestly, the agency needs to step in. That’s power-tripping by a senior.
re: Exactly.
Doesn’t matter how famous, being a “senior” isn’t a throne. Can’t believe it flies just because of hierarchy.ㅋㅋ

re: Gaon’s just too kindㅠㅠ
re: For realㅋㅋ Isn’t fame supposed to trump seniority in entertainment?

But OP never even said Gaon cried because of him, just that it happened. Why’s everyone assuming Another One made him cry?
re: So why was he crying then?
re re: How should I know.
re re re: So you don’t know eitherㅋㅋ then why so sure?

Ugh, here we go again. Didn’t Gaon say he respected his senior? Please stop spinning rumors. You’re only making it harder for him. At this point I don’t even think some of you are real Shadows.ㅠㅠ
re: Exactly. The slander is so wild I’m starting to like Another One out of pityㅋㅋㅋ

Gaon’s so pitiful… our babyㅠㅠㅠㅠ
re: Fuck this industry and its hierarchiesㅠㅠ

Another One? I looked him up since he keeps being mentioned—he’s an idol?! I thought he was just some guy famous for “boyfriend pics.”
re: What’s a boyfriend pic?
re re: Just google “subway boyfriend pic,” you’ll see.

I screenshotted the deleted post earlier… should I upload it?
re: Just one minute, maybe.
re: One-minute post then delete.
re: Pleaseㅠㅠ I’m dying of curiosity.
re: I’m in study hall right nowㅠㅠ
re: Don’t. OP deleted it for a reason.
re re: Yeah, better not.
re: Please, just for a bitㅠㅠ

If they were truly close, wouldn’t we have known earlier? Why are we only seeing photos now—always of Gaon crying? Suspicious.
re: Just got chills…
re re: Same, chills.
re re re: Me too, I’m shivering.
re re re re: Then maybe see a doctor instead of “detective theorizing.”ㅋㅋ

Besides the parasol incident, was Gaon photographed crying again?
re: Isn’t the walnut pie one the same?
re re: OP claimed they had a pic, but since they deleted the post, we’ll never see it.

Gaon drinking sweet potato latte is so adorableㅠㅠ

That night, after returning to the dorm from meeting Jung Woojin, my manager called.

“Hello?”
—“Hey, it’s me. You know that variety show you agreed to? The meeting’s set for three days from now—this Friday.”
“Ah, yes.”
—“They said they’ve got something in the afternoon, so we’re meeting in the morning. It’s casual, so no need for hair and makeup, just dress neat and tidy. I’ll pick you up around eight.”
“Understood.”

I was about to hang up when he stopped me. From the start, his voice hadn’t sounded right. Sure enough, there was something else.

—“You’ve been hanging around with Segaon lately?”
“We’ve just met a few times, why?”
—“What do you mean why, you idiot? I told you to lay low.”
“……”

I was speechless. What, exactly, had I done wrong? It wasn’t like we were out drinking or causing trouble—we had dinner, went to a café, ate walnut pie. Was that some crime? If we’d been drinking, maybe I could understand the scolding.

—“It already blew up last time, with you making him cry. Why are you seeing him again?”
“I told you, I wasn’t the one who made him cry.”
—“Doesn’t matter. People are talking. Lay low. Don’t you check the internet? See what people are saying once in a while.”

His voice grew loud enough that even across the room, Yunoel caught on. He frowned at me, mouthing silently, What’s he bitching about now? I shrugged.

—“If rumors spread and your image turns sour, you’re the one who loses. I’m saying this for your sake, Seojoo. Got it?”
“Yes, understood. Friday, 8 a.m. for the meeting, right?”
—“Yeah. I’ll let you know if anything changes.”
“Yes.”

The call ended.

While he was talking, my phone had buzzed. Checking, I saw a text from Jung Woojin.

[Hello, Sunbae-nim. It’s Woojin. What are you doing tomorrow?]

The moment I read it, I knew he wanted to meet again. But after what my manager had just said, and the fact we’d been meeting nonstop lately—I honestly didn’t have much left to talk about. After a moment’s hesitation, I replied:

[Is it urgent? I heard the meeting’s in three days, so let’s see each other then.]

Normally Woojin’s replies came in under thirty seconds. This time, a whole minute passed with nothing. I frowned, wondering if something had happened. But really—it had only been a minute. Had I gotten too used to how quickly he responded? With a bemused expression, I set the phone down—when it buzzed again.

[Alright, then I’ll see you in three days. Dinner today was delicious—the seaweed soup and grilled fish were amazing, and I really loved sharing walnut pie with you. Next time, I’ll treat you to the movie I mentioned. Tell me what you’d like to eat then; I’ll buy. And if you happen to be free before the meeting, please let me know. Even if you’re just bored, you can call me. If you can’t sleep, or if you wake up too early in the morning with nothing to do, it’s fine to call me then too. Sleep well and have good dreams.]

“……”

I stared at the endless stream of text. Yunoel suddenly leaned over to peek, making me jump and snatch the phone away.

“What?”
“Manager again? Why’s your face like that? Did he text-shout at you now?”
“No, not the manager.”

Normally I wouldn’t care if someone saw my messages. But this… this I couldn’t show anyone. It was just… too strange.

Jung Woojin, truly, was unlike anyone else.