"This ramen is good but not as good as we have back home," Taek says after slurping his ramen.
"I've told you," reply Yeri. "Nothing is as good as back home."
"Then why are you still here?"
Yeri smiles bitterly. "Because I need the money that a big city provides. I can't burden my parents, Taek. You know that. After my brother ...," Yeri discontinues while Taek gives her a sympathy gaze, patting her head that makes Yeri's sad expression changes into an annoyed one. Taek just laughs while pinching her cheek. "So cute," he says.
"Taek-i!" she slaps his hand, but it doesn't change his smile. "So what are you doing here?"
"Besides seeing you because I miss you?"
Yeri rolls her eyes.
"Remember the thing that I wanted to tell you back then but I can't because I was afraid we'll jinx it?" Yeri nods. "Well, it's settled."
Yeri has to wait for a few seconds before Taek continues with a highly satisfied face. "They changed the place for my intern to Seoul!"
They scream and shout simultaneously after that, don't care that they turned almost every head while they're hugging each other.
"Congratulations, Taek-i!"
"Yes, yes! Congratulations to me!"
Polite coughs intervene the moment and when they turn their head, they see a half-assed smiling Yoongi is sitting in front of them on the same table. "Hello," he greets.
Yeri is fuming with anger while Taek looks at Yoongi with a confused look. "Mr. Min? What are you doing here?"
"Eating ramen. What else," Yoongi replies nonchalantly. His eyes change for a second when he sees that Taek's hand is still surrounding Yeri's shoulder.
"Really? That's odd. This certainly not a place for people like you," Yeri says, mocking him under the carpet. She is unable to hide the hard and bitter tone in her voice that makes Taek slightly frowns.
It's so not like Yeri to do that. Yes, she isn't the most friendly person he knows but Yeri is never brazen towards anyone.
"For food, it's the taste that counts, not the place. Don't you know that?" he replies.
If look could kill, Yoongi will be bleeding on the floor right now by the way Yeri looks at him.
But it's Yoongi. He hardly cares about anything. Not even the awkward atmosphere that follows can bother him.
The food arrives. Yeri decides to not minding Yoongi and proceeds to do like usual with Taek. They are adding ingredients to each other bowls just like they always did. They both know each other's tastes very well and for some reason that makes Yoongi's blood boils. Yeri never even looks at his bowl let alone putting onion to it.
He tries to remain impassive outside, trying to look expressionless at this moment turns out to be very hard.
He puts down his chopsticks with a force that makes both Yeri and Taekwoon's attention turn to him. "So, what the celebration is all about?" he asks with a fake-merry sound.
Yeri is praying that Taek wouldn't answer that question, but Taek, being oblivious to the situation, happily replies. "Oh, I'm being reassigned to Seoul for my intern. I'm so happy because now we can see each other more often," he looks at her with a slight blush on his cheeks.
Yeri smiles warmly at him, which makes Yoongi want to put Taek's face to the seething Ramen bowl. "It's 'we're'," she says, knows very well the effect of her words for Yoongi. "We're so happy that we can see each other more often."
The blush on Taek's cheeks deepening.
Yeri's eyes find Yoongi's hard one and she smiles at him annoyingly.
Yoongi smiles back with the same tone.
"Oh, that. I know about that," he says easily but it makes Yeri feels the complete opposite.
The answer to her bad premonition is soon revealed when Taek asks, "Oh, really? How do you know that?"
"Your father asks for my help so I arranged that Namjoon's hospital takes you in. You must study hard now, Mr. Jung. Namjoon's is one of the most elite hospital in the country. It caters to the rich and famous and only a few lucky ones that can intern there."
"Of course, Mr. Min. I will not disappoint you and thank you for your help."
"Sure. That's no problem. Opposite to what people said about me, I actually like to help out people in need." His eyes fall intentionally to Yeri while he says this. Yeri grits her teeth to hold back her anger.
That actually makes Yoongi quite happy. He likes the way anger makes Yeri's face slightly redden and sharpening. That look makes Yoongi lips widening until his teeth visible.
They talk and eat like normal people after that but Yeri's heart is still burden and worry. She knows that Yoongi will take this to his advantage.
Yoongi pays the bill despite Taek's opposition and Yeri's annoyance.
"Can I talk to Miss Im alone, Mr. Jung? Don't worry it won't take long. I have a proposition for her regarding work," he says outside the restaurant.
Yeri's brows arche by the double implementation with the way he said the word work
but knows too well to not give any reply, let alone a hostile one towards the man. There is Taek here and she doesn't want him to know what is going on between her and that guy.
No. What was going on between them? Yeri is thorough with him. She will not be anybody's chew you. One stupidity is enough.
Taek looks at Yeri, now beginning to sense the hostile environment between the two. "Do you want to, Yeri?" he asks with caution.
"Sure, why not," she turns to face Taek. "Don't worry about me. Do you want to go home now or do you want to wait for me? Like he said, it won't be long."
"Don't worry, I can drop her home safely," Yoongi says while Yeri's face is screaming the sentence 'over my dead body'.
Taek looks at Yoongi and Yeri before replying firmly, "That's ok. I'll wait."
Yoongi gives him a thin smile before dragging Yeri away, certainly doesn't give a damn with the look that Taek and other people around give with the way he treats her.
Yeri tries to pry her hand from his hold. After a couple of tries, she tiredly asks, "What is it now?" But there is still a hard edge in her voice.
S
he really really dislikes this guy and his persistent mood.
"Are you that cheap that you let any guy put his hands on you like that?" he says through gritted teeth.
That gets Yeri's anger sparks. "He is not just anybody to me," she says with a matching tone like his. "Besides, I am that cheap. I let you put your hands on me, remember?"
What she says makes Yoongi's white face red with anger. "Don't fucking put us like that!"
"Like what? Huh?" Yeri is pestering him. "And us? Give me a break, Min Yoongi! There is no us. One night between a client and a hooker doesn't make it to be us!"
Yoongi wants to bite back but he decides to hold himself back. "Come to my office tomorrow, I'll be there waiting for you."
"What if I don't want to?"
"You might be annoying but I know you're not a dumb one, Yeri. You know what I can do to that boyfriend of yours," there's venom in his words when he mentions the word boyfriend. Yoongi wants to vomit at the mention. "What I can give, I can easily take. So make sure you come, Im Yeri. Enjoy the rest of your night, while you still can."
Yoongi leaves her alone after that, leaving Yeri groaning in anger at his back.
