Gaeul’s eyes sparkled as she looked at the side dishes. She looked like she was focusing on the food in front of her, not caring about anything else around her.

Dahae looked at her classmates who gave her mocking smiles and then at Gaeul before moving to stand next to Gaeul.

“Uhm, can I sit next to you?”

“I didn’t reserve this place.”

“Huh?”

“It’s up to you to decide if you want to sit or not.”

Saying that, Gaeul pulled out a chair for her.

“Th-thanks.”

“If you’re thankful, can you buy me strawberry milk?”

“Strawberry… milk?”

“I like it a lot.”

Gaeul frowned slightly. She seemed to be looking at her name tag.

“Choi Dahae. I remember your name now.”

She seemed rather eccentric. Dahae ate her food before looking to the side. Gaeul had a happy expression on her face whenever she ate. This was the first time Dahae saw someone eating like they were on a TV show.

“Is it good?” she blurted out.

“It’s pretty okay. It’s not as good as the food I have at home, though. Especially this spicy salad. It lacks savoriness compared to what my mom makes at home. The fries are worse than what my dad makes.”

“Really? Sounds like your parents are good at cooking.”

“They say it’s a hobby, but in my eyes, they’re better at it than their real jobs.”

She nodded before continuing to eat. She put aside the spicy eggplant salad, which she didn’t eat, and ate all the rice. Maybe it was because there was someone eating so appetizingly next to her, but she ate more than usual.

“Are you not eating that?” Gaeul asked as she pointed at the eggplants.

“I’m not. I don’t like eggplants because of the texture.”

“That’s a pity. Eggplants are really good though. If you aren’t eating it, can I eat it?”

“Okay.”

She pushed the food tray to the side a little. Gaeul thanked her and grabbed the eggplants.

There’s no need for thanks when I gave you a side dish I don’t even eat — she inwardly smiled and watched as Gaeul ate. The way she chewed with that small mouth reminded her of a hamster she used to raise when she was young. Maybe they looked a little similar too.

She waited for Gaeul to empty the tray. After finishing her food, Gaeul looked at her and spoke,

“You waited for me?”

“Huh? Yeah. I was thinking we should go together.”

“Thanks for waiting then.”

“No, well…...