Chapter 16
It was a truly beautiful day.
The sun was shining, and the breeze was cool.
On a day like this, a Snow Woman like me….
“Hngh….”
I was sleeping in bed.
For some reason, I felt like I didn't want to get out of bed today, so I ended up sleeping in later than usual.
I think I had something scheduled today, but it doesn't matter…. I'll just keep sleeping like this, hehe….
“Hey, Snow Seolhwa, aren't you getting up?”
I was trying to sleep comfortably while hugging my blanket, but I heard a voice calling my name in an exasperated tone.
This voice belonged to Hyunwoo….
I sat up, my disheveled hair flying, and opened my eyes a little to find that Hyunwoo really was there.
“Uh…. Hyunwoo, why are you here?”
“...What's with your vocabulary?”
I was just woken up. Just woken up.
Those words had loaded into my mind, but
apparently the drowsiness was too strong for them to make it out, because my mouth wouldn't move, and my eyelids slowly began to droop….
In the end, I nodded off again, falling back asleep—
“Get up already…! You were the one who said we'd go for a walk today!”
“Uweee…. I wanna go baaaack to sleeeep….”
(Uweee…. Don't pull my cheek….)
I wanted to go back to sleep, but Hyunwoo's cheek-pulling skill put a stop to that.
I wanna sleep….
======
Today was the day we'd decided to go for another walk.
However, since we'd made a mistake last time, we decided to change our route a little this time.
“Finally awake, Sleeping Snow Woman.”
“Honestly…. It wouldn't be Seolhwa if she didn't oversleep.”
Hyunwoo, who had come to wake me up, was joined by Juhyeok and Haru for today's walk.
“Hahaha…. Sorry…. I'll pay for lunch instead.”
With this many people along, even if I collapsed from lack of stamina, things would somehow work out.
Of course, I'd try my best not to collapse, but this was just an insurance policy.
Those were the stated reasons, though I couldn't deny that I also just wanted to have fun.
“Then, since Seolhwa's paying, shall we eat lunch first and head out?”
The moment I said I'd pay, Hyunwoo suggested lunch with uncanny speed.
“I'm in favor. I was getting hungry.”
“Me too. I'm always happy to eat food someone else is paying for.”
The other two immediately jumped on board with that idea as well.
They only cooperate this well at times like this. These guys….
“Eating sounds good, but what are we having? I still can't eat hot food….”
I felt a little bad for offering to pay, but I still had little tolerance for hot food, so there were limits on what I could eat.
If it weren't for this constitution, we'd be going out for gukbap or jeyuk-bokkeum…. Ugh…. Just thinking about it makes me want some….
“Now that you mention it, you're right…. Where should we go….”
“If hot food's off the table, should we eat something like naengmyeon….? But naengmyeon is too cheap.”
Because of my particular constitution, everyone started having more trouble than usual deciding on a menu.
Seeing Juhyeok threaten my bank account made me think I might have to cut one of my friends loose before long.
“Oh, come to think of it, a new pasta place opened nearby. Want to give it a try?”
While everyone was pondering, Haru spoke first, holding out a phone.
The phone screen showed a pasta place with photos of appetizing-looking dishes.
Tomato spaghetti bathed in delicious-looking red sauce, carbonara topped with flying fish roe, and even rosé cream pasta.
The moment I saw photos of the signature dishes, my mouth began to water.
“Pasta…. Seolhwa, will you be okay?”
“I think so. Pasta tastes good even after it cools.”
The pasta would still be hot when it arrived, but I had a new ability I'd recently learned.
If I controlled it properly, it should be enough to cool the pasta down.
Hehehe…. Until now, even pasta had been difficult for an incompetent Snow Woman like me, but I'm different now….
“Great, then let's go eat pasta. Haru, lead the way.”
“Leave it to me. I think it was this way.”
At Hyunwoo's request, Haru pointed ahead and marched forward, and the rest of us followed to the pasta restaurant.
I hope it's a good restaurant, hehe….
======
When we got to the pasta place Haru had mentioned, quite a crowd of customers was milling around, making it seem like a fairly popular restaurant.
The aroma of the pasta being served to all those customers tickled my nose and, since I was already hungry, made my appetite even keener.
Fortunately, a table for four happened to be vacant just as we arrived, so we were able to sit down right away.
“Whoa…. There are so many people…. With this many customers, it must be really good.”
“It hasn't been open long, so everyone's just coming to try it.”
“Even so, it must be pretty good if it has this many customers.”
As soon as we sat down, Juhyeok and Haru began talking about all the customers.
They were seated across from each other, so they launched into a debate the moment they sat down.
They never change….
“Seolhwa, are you okay? Your cheeks haven't melted, have they?”
Hyunwoo was sitting across from me, apparently worried about me for some reason.
...He did tack on something strange, but I suppose he was worried about me, at least.
“Don't worry, I still have stamina left.”
We'd walked a little farther than I expected, but I hadn't gotten to the point of nearly collapsing like last time.
Phew…. Is this the result of my training….
...Though I hadn't actually trained.
“Here are your menus.”
After a short wait, a woman who appeared to be a server came over to our table with water and menus.
Naturally, the menu contained countless dishes besides the signature items we'd seen on the phone.
There was vongole pasta with clams, oil pasta with beef belly, and spicy pasta for those who liked spicy food.
Guh…. Since I was hungry, everything looked delicious….
“Ugggh…. What should I choose…?”
“Everything looks delicious….”
“The most expensive one…. The most expensive one….”
The countless delicious-looking pastas gave me a serious case of choice paralysis, making my head spin.
Everything looked so delicious that I didn't want to give up any of it, and I desperately wanted to try the side dishes too.
But if I bought that much, the living expenses my parents had sent me would once again….
“If you're having trouble choosing, you look like you're on a double date, so how about a couple set?”
Since the four of us couldn't settle on our menus, the server smiled and said something strange.
A double date...? How in the world did we look like one?
We were a group of three men and one woman….
...Oh, right. I'm a woman now.
Since I still wasn't used to being a woman, I kept forgetting.
...Though I wasn't sure getting used to it would be a good thing.
“...Speaking of which, a couple set.”
Leaving aside the fact that the server had mistaken us for a group on a date, the couple set she recommended certainly looked good.
The menu was already decided, which would reduce my choice paralysis; since it was a set, it would be cheaper, and it came with side dishes too.
But the name couple set made me hesitate a little….
“Juhyeok and I will have Couple B Set.”
While I was pondering, Haru declared that the two of them would order the couple set.
“Huh? Why are you deciding my menu without asking?!”
Naturally, this was done without any discussion whatsoever.
“What's wrong? It's cheap and good. Or does the fact that it's a couple set bother you? Hehehe…. You're not a child.”
“I-it doesn't bother me, okay? But….”
“Right? Then let's order Set B!”
“...Do whatever you want.”
Juhyeok clearly wanted to choose something else, but Haru swept him along, forcing him to settle on the couple set.
I saved money. Nice. Good job, Haru.
“Those two have decided…. Seolhwa, what do you want?”
“Hmm….”
Apparently Hyunwoo couldn't decide easily either, so he handed the choice over to me.
Considering the value for money, obviously ordering a couple set was the right choice, but….
Even so, having a couple set with Hyunwoo felt a little weird….
It wasn't as though couple sets were meant only for actual couples, but eating one with a man still felt….
Hmm…. What should I do….
“Seolhwa? Can't decide?”
“N-no, it's just…. Would Couple A Set be okay? It's cheap too…. That's why I'm asking….”
Since making eye contact while asking felt awkward, I hid my face slightly behind the menu, looked away, and quietly asked Hyunwoo.
“Uh…. Uh…. I don't mind. Then one A Set and one B Set, please.”
“Certainly. One Couple A Set and one Couple B Set, correct? We'll have them ready shortly.”
The server took our order, gathered up the menus, and immediately walked away.
“...We ordered.”
“Yeah, we did.”
Unlike me, who had kept worrying about it, Hyunwoo seemed quite calm, as though he didn't care much.
This made me look like an idiot for worrying over the word couple for no reason….
Then again, we'd originally both been guys, so it was even stranger for me to worry about it….
It was only called a couple set; if I thought of it as an ordinary set for two, it was no big deal.
I should drink some cold water and let these needless thoughts drift away.
Sip, sip.