Once More, Love 2

35. The Loop

Jeongyeon has his eyes pinned to his already empty plate. He gives the girl sitting beside him on the table subtle glances from time to time.

Nayeon is still slurping her half full bowl of chicken soup. Her eyes are just staring at the empty space in front of her while her hand that is holding her spoon moves to her mouth in almost robotic, mindless, repetitive movements.

The two adults stayed like that until the shop owner finished the last drop of her soup.

Nayeon, with her right arm that now seems to only be moving through muscle memory, still tried to scoop some soup on her already empty bowl which made Jeongyeon quickly hold her wrist to stop her from slurping thin air and maybe further embarrassment.

"Wait— Nayeon."

The shop owner scrunches her eyebrows and looks at the man who is wearing a face that is absolutely surprised also with what he did. "Wae?"

"Do you— Umm..." Jeongyeon slowly lets go of the girl's wrist and clears his throat. "Do you still want some soup?"

"Huh? What are you—" Nayeon stops after finally glancing at her bowl and realizing she has already finished her food. "Oh."

The chef pays her a worried look. "Are you okay? Should I get you something? Are you feeling sick again?"

The girl immediately darts her eyes somewhere else the moment her and Jeongyeon's line of sight connected for the first time after they began eating their breakfast. Then, she simply shakes her head in response.

The chef lets out a sigh. "Okay. Let me just tend to the dishes, make you some food for lunch later, and then I will leave."

And Nayeon just nods.

*********

"You're back?" Jennie speaks as soon as she opens the door to Jeongyeon's office at the Yoo Family Restaurant. "I thought you'd be out until Sunday?"

The chef simply glances at her, goes back to an opened cookbook that is in front of him, then casually speaks. "Change of plans."

"Wae?" The sous chef gives him an unbelievable look as she plops herself on the couch. "Isn't your bunny okay now?"

Jeongyeon continued to answer her with a flat tone and with eyes still pinned to the cookbook. "She is not mine but yes, I guess the bunny is okay now. Okay enough that she no longer needs me."

Jennie scoffs. "What in the world are you saying?"

And the tall guy simply shrugs.

The girl lets out a sigh and stands up from her seat to do her usual ceremonies when getting a coffee from her boss' brewer. She silently goes back to her previous place on the couch and waits for another minute before speaking again. "Jeong."

"Hmm?"

"Hello? I'm asking you what happened."

"Nothing. Nothing happened." Jeongyeon quickly answers in a flat tone. "That's what happened."

"Ugh!" Jennie rolls her eyes. "JINJJA."

"Whaaat?"

"ARRRGH!" The sous chef ruffles her hair in frustration. "Last chance, Yoo Jeongyeon. And before you give me another stupid answer, make sure that you think about this question first in your head."

Jeongyeon slowly looked at his friend who continued to talk to him.

"Which do you think will you regret more in the future? Prohibiting yourself from loving her... Or letting yourself love her." Jennie finds the eyes of the boy who is now attentively staring at her. "If you let yourself love her, what's the worst that could happen? You will break yourself and go back to being the useless playboy you have always been since I met you. But, if—"