We are [ENG]

Chapter 14: We are

Today is Friday, and my gang and I are lounging around the engineering cafeteria at around 5 PM. The evening atmosphere at the cafeteria is calm, with only a few student groups left. Even though we're all done with our classes, we haven't left yet because Tan has to wait for Fang, who isn't finished with his class. And since Fang isn't done, Tan forced us to hang out with him.

And honestly, everyone knew I had to stay behind too—because of the guy who's been pursuing me. Yes, I'm waiting for Phum because he ordered me to. I'm starting to wonder whether Phum is courting me or if I'm courting him. But one thing is for sure—Phum's aiming for academic glory, trying to compete with his brother.

"Phum and Mick are still in class, so why aren't you? Are you really studying engineering, Tan? Or are you just skipping classes?"

The whole group—Pun, Chain, Tan, and Q—looked at me like I was some kind of used condom. Especially Tan, who stared at me as if I had committed a crime at birth.

"Listen up, asshole! I'm a full-fledged engineering student, but I'm studying computer engineering. Mick and your future husband are in civil engineering. We don't take the same classes. Get it now? You don't even know what your own friends are studying, dumbass." Q gave Tan a thumbs-up, stuck his tongue out at me while chomping on meatballs. This guy seems to have four stomachs—morning, noon, night—he always needs something to munch on. The next thing to hit his mouth might just be my foot.

"Yeah, I knew that, but I just forgot." I mumbled, which earned me another scolding from Tan.

He kept teasing me, while Q, satisfied after taunting me, went back to slurping his beef soup. Chain was busy playing games on his phone.

As for Pun, he was typing away on his laptop. But judging by the screen, it wasn't Word 2007 he was using. Looked like he was downloading something, and judging by the way it looked, we were all going to end up foaming at the mouth soon.

"I've always wondered..." Q suddenly lifted his face from his soup to look at us.

"Wondered what?" we asked.

"Why do we eat savory food and then dessert separately?" He looked back down at his soup and his bowl of shaved ice, deep in thought.

"Huh???" I had no idea where Q was going with this.

"Aren't you curious, Chain? You're studying medicine."

"I'm studying dentistry." Chain responded, completely uninterested and glued to his game.

"Whatever. Medicine is medicine. What about you, Pun? Curious?"

"Hmm, yeah, I guess so."

Great, now Pun's indulging him too. But it's actually a valid question. It all goes to the same stomach, so why do we eat savory first and dessert later? It's worth pondering.

"Food all goes to the stomach in the end anyway." Q echoed my thoughts.

Anyone who thinks like Q is 99% guaranteed to be a little crazy. Which probably means I'm almost there too.

He slid his bowl of soup and his shaved ice closer together. "They're both food, after all," he said, tilting his head in contemplation.

"You could eat them together." he nodded in agreement with himself.

And then—plop!

"Hey!!!"

Holy shit. He poured the shaved ice into the soup and stirred them together until they were almost one. He looked up, grinning proudly, and gazed at each of us.

"Here you go! Eat up!"

Pun, Chain, Tan, and I shook our heads in unison, instinctively leaning closer together to inspect the horror in the chicken-embellished bowl. Now I get it. This is why we eat savory food first and dessert after—it's to avoid this abomination.