Supplementary Story 24
âWait a minute!â
A high pitched voice pierced through the door of the elevator just before it closed.
âReina?â
The man in the elevator, Hyeonu, cocked his head and opened the closed doors.
âGood morning.â
Reina appeared in the elevator and waved her hand.
âAre you going to exercise?â Reina asked when she saw Hyeonuâs clothes.
âYes, it is morning exercise as usual.â
Hyeonu shook the duffel bag in his hand.
âReina, you did it in winter too.â
âThatâs right. I still remember how difficult it was.â
Reina unknowingly shook her head. Exercising at that time was really difficult. She wouldnât have done it if it wasnât for Hyeonu.
âEven so, it is better to do it than to not do it. You will gain physical fitness.â
âThat is true.â
âSo what Iâm saying...â
Hyeonu stopped talking and made eye contact with Reina. Reina turned her head in an embarrassed manner at Hyeonuâs sudden action.
âDo you want to go exercise today?â
âExercise?â Reina asked back.
âYes, exercise. If you donât have time, then it canât be helped.â
Hyeonu shrugged.
âEven if it isnât today... we can do it together next time...â
He just said it to try. It didnât matter if Reina refused.
âThat is originally what I followed to do, but...â
In fact, there was a separate reason why Reina was embarrassed. She knew that Hyeonuâs schedule was still the same, so she came out early in the morning. Now Hyeonu made the suggestion before Reina could say anything.
âOf course I can. I was on my way to jog anyway.â
Reina looked at Hyeonu and nodded.
***
âHey, are you really not in a relationship?â
Hyeonuâs trainer asked while pointing to Reina, who was working out to one side with his girlfriend.
âHyung, I told you before. We are just friends.â
Hyeonu stared at the trainer while breathing heavily.
âStill? What is the problem?â
The trainer cocked his head. It was too slow.
âAre they really friends?â
The trainer erased this thought straight away. There was no possibility of that. There were many parts to Reinaâs behavior that couldnât be understood as simply friends.
âIt is hard to leave your hometown for South Korea...â
Reina had crossed a distance that took more than 12 hours by plane.
âGood job, you jerk.â
The trainer patted the chest of Hyeonu, lying on the bench, hard enough for a sound to be heard.
âWhat are you doing all of a sudden?â
Hyeonu gasped at the unexpected shock.
âDo it well.â
Hyeonu understood what the trainer was saying.
âHe is telling me to do a good job.â
âUnderstood.â
Nevertheless, he didnât bother making a fuss about it. He just nodded and agreed.
âThen go. I am going to work out here today.â
The trainer raised Hyeonu up. Hyeonu frowned at the pressure he felt from his shoulder.
âAre you really a man and not a gorilla?â
âThe other side is over as well. Just go.â
Hyeonu received the enthusiastic encouragement of his trainer and approached Reina after his workout.
âIt is hard to do it after a long time, right?â
Hyeonu smiled when he saw Reinaâs expression. Her expression of losing her mind was cute.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
âWhat are you going to do now?â
Hyeonu continued to speak regardless of Reinaâs silent attitude.
âDo you want to go eat?â
Now Reina nodded.
âThen letâs go.â
Hyeonu took the lead and Reina followed after him. The two of them looked unfamiliar with each other, but at the same time, they got along very well.
***
Hyeonu took Reina to the parking lot of the officetel. Hyeonu got in the car with Reina and left the city center. They arrived at a small cafe outside the city.
âWhere is this place?â Reina got out of the car and asked while looking around. It was amazing. This was her first time seeing it in South Korea. To her, Korea was a city full of buildings.
âYet at a place less than an hour away...â
Now she was in nature, which was the complete opposite. It was like the accommodations in New York that she had been staying in for the past few years.
âThis is a place where I occasionally come to on my own after exercising. The coffee is very tasty and the desserts are delicious.â
âAlone? A place like this? Donât lie,â Reina retorted with wide eyes.
To be honest, it wasnât a place for a man to come to alone.
âI came with a friend.â
Hyeonuâs words were vague.
âPerhaps that friend is...â
Based on Hyeonuâs attitude, Reina seemed to know who this friend was. He was the only one who could meet Hyeonu after exercising.
âYeongchan?â
Hyeonu just gave a bitter smile and didnât answer. This was enough. Reina was convinced that her guess was right.
âHurry up and go in.â
Reina made a contrasting expression to Hyeonu and dragged him into the cafe.
âWelcome.â
The cafe owner gave a reflexive greeting when he heard the door open only for his eyes to widen.
âIt has been a long time since youâve come. You should come often.â
The cafe owner left the counter and ran to Hyeonu. He looked very excited.
âYou know that Iâm lazy.â Hyeonu shook hands with the cafe owner and smiled.
âYou know her pretty well, right?â Then he introduced Reina to the cafe owner.
âHow could I not know Reina?â
The cafe owner looked at Reina and his eyes shone. The gamer he liked as much as Hyeonu was Reina.
âBased on the fact that you brought her here... arenât you really close?â
The owner spoke the exact words that Hyeonu had heard a lot elsewhere.
âYes, weâre friends.â
The answer came from Reina, not Hyeonu.
âI see. Okay. Should I give you what you always eat today?â
The cafe owner smiled and asked as he went back to the counter.
âGive me the same. What would you like, Reina?â
âGive me the same one. Instead, Iâll add one more cheesecake over there.â
âAdd a cheesecake. I understand. If you go up, then Iâll bring it to you.â
The owner of the cafe received the order and was busy. Hyeonu and Reina saw it and went up to the second floor of the cafe.
âWow...â Reina marveled at the panoramic view through the glass.
White clouds in a clear sky. The harmony with the green forest here was really beautiful. The more she looked, the more questions Reina had. It has been less than a year after meeting Hyeonu, but Reina was confident that she knew him pretty well.
âHe isnât the type to leave the house...â
âHow did you find out about this place?â Reina asked Hyeonu a question to solve her curiosity.
âI didnât look for it. The boss contacted me first through SNS. He asked me to stop by the cafe when I had time... I looked at the address and saw it wasnât that far, so I came here...â
Hyeonu resolved all of Reinaâs questions like flowing water. However, this wasnât precisely the case. It was true that the cafe owner sent a message to Hyeonu, but Hyeonu didnât go to the cafe when he saw it.
âIt was a coincidence.â
He found this cafe while wandering around in search of a secluded cafe that didnât seem to have many people. He learned the story of the cafe boss from the boss when he first visited the cafe with Yeongchan.
âReally?â
Reina nodded in good faith.
âIt doesnât really matter...â
It didnât matter if Hyeonu intended to find this cafe or not. The important thing was that Hyeonu had brought her to this cafe.
âIs it because he feels different from last winter...?â
The man in front of her was different. It was just a little bit but there was an activeness that wasnât found last winter. This made Reina feel better.
âThe dishes you ordered have arrived.â
Meanwhile, the cafe owner showed up with the food that Hyeonu and Reina had ordered.
âDo you mind eating this?â
Hyeonu was worried as he looked at the food that filled the table. There was a good chance that the food he enjoyed wouldnât suit Reinaâs taste buds.
âThis is fine. It all looks delicious.â
Contrary to Hyeonuâs concerns, Reina smiled contentedly at the food. A salad topped with grilled steak. Mushroom risotto topped with large chicken thighs. There was even a hamburg steak that made her hungry just looking at it. Rather than being divided into likes and dislikes, there were only foods that were easy to eat.
âBy the way... do you eat all of this?â
The amount of food was too much to eat alone. It was the same even considering Hyeonuâs size.
âOf course. The first meal should be a proper meal.â
Hyeonu held the cutlery in both hands with a slightly excited expression.
âCute.â
Reina smiled at Hyeonuâs appearance. He was a man exploding with charm in many ways.
***
âSo you only ate?â
âYes, we only ate.â
âIt is frustrating, frustrating.â
Tang-E raised his right paw and pounded it against his chest so hard that it made a thumping sound.
âIf a man draws a knife, then he should cut with it. Then cut the meat with the knife and eat it.â
Gom-E, who was sitting next to Tang-E, helped him.
âWhat do you know? Youâve been solo for all your life.â
Hyeonu opened his eyes and glared at Gom-E.
âIâm not scared at all, stupid Master dude.â
Gom-E didnât avoid Hyeonuâs gaze. On the contrary, his eyes grew bigger and he started a staring fight with Hyeonu.
âWhen are you going to get older, Master? Additionally, Gom-E, stop teasing him now.â
Tang-E was busy clicking his tongue at their childish behavior. He couldnât understand now matter how he thought about it.
âWhy? I donât know why she likes Master dude...â
In Tang-Eâs eyes, Hyeonu was full of flaws. Except for fighting, there was nothing that could be called a great advantage.
âWhat about me? This is enough.â
Hyeonu turned his head.
âI think so as well...â
Tang-E couldnât help nodding at Hyeonuâs words.
âYou should know that only the appearance is good...â
He was fine on the outside, but that was all.
âWell, she wonât listen even if I say it now.â
Tang-E remembered Reinaâs face and shook his head. His relationship with her wasnât short. She must know as much about Hyeonu as he did.
âYet she likes him... she really likes him.â
âMaster dude, you should trust me and follow me from now on. I am the only one in a relationship here.â
Tang-E shrugged and raised his chest slightly.
âI still canât believe it. Tang-E, are you in a relationship?â
Hyeonu had an expression like he didnât really trust Tang-E.
âThis stupid bear has a girlfriend?â
In Hyeonuâs eyes, Tang-E was just a meat loving bear.
âCome to Bung Bung Island soon and youâll see if I have a girlfriend or not.â
He could never believe it until he checked it with his own eyes. How could such a bear have a girlfriend?
âJust go to Bung Bung Island and Iâll show you right away, stupid Master dude.â
Tang-Eâs face was filled with confidence.