As everyone finished tidying up, it wasn't Haewoon or Sihyun who glanced toward the entrance while everyone returned, but Haru. He stood there, looking at Hamin's bag left alone by the entrance. As he pondered, he placed the bag Haru had left alone in the corner of the room. Sihyun, who was observing this, glanced at the clock, noticing it was already 12:30. It seemed like he was a bit hungry too.
"Wanna grab some food?"
"Oh, me too!"
Although the question was directed at Haru, the answer came from an unexpected source. Haewoon casually remarked that eating was a personal choice. Well, it was a statement hard to argue against.
Sihyun, who was a bit behind with a victorious smile, walked towards the door, turning the knob with a click as it opened.
"Ugh!"
Sihyun blinked at the short groan. The voice sounded familiar, and as he opened the door further, a dull thud echoed. Another low groan followed.
As he peered through the crack in the door, Hamin, rubbing his forehead as if he had bumped into something, came into view. His forehead appeared red between his long fingers, as if he had hit it against something hard.
Surely not...
Feeling a sense of unease, Sihyun looked at Hamin. Hamin, who had rubbed his forehead a couple of times, stared at Sihyun with narrowed eyes. His grip on the doorknob tightened, expressing frustration. Sihyun hadn't imagined Hamin would be standing at the door, seething with anger.
"Sorry."
"Why are you here anyway?" Suppressing words that might make things more troublesome, Sihyun apologized as Hamin twisted his hair, frowning.
People sometimes stand behind doors without knowing someone's there. Sighing inwardly, Sihyun grabbed Haru and headed down the hallway, followed closely by Haewoon. Then, abruptly, Hamin caught Sihyun's wrist.
"Let's go with Min too!"
It felt more like a command than an invitation, as Haewoon forcefully dragged Hamin in their direction. The group going for food became four instead of two.
Sihyun, feeling uncomfortable with the increased number, quickened his pace. However, those with superior strides moved effortlessly ahead. Sihyun pursed his lips in frustration.
Unfortunately, the addition of members didn't stop at four.
The Four Heavenly Kings always stuck together wherever they went.
While regular folks abided by common courtesy, the colorful heads here followed these rules to an extreme. Look, even now, they were sticking together like a single entity.
By the time they reached the lobby, the group had expanded to six. An uncomfortable Sihyun, outnumbered by those with extraordinary abilities, hastened his steps. The slow pace had now reached an alarming level.
Glancing around after exiting the lobby, Sihyun noticed that despite his attempts to shake them off and even when trying to get Haru to lead, the diverse group of individuals remained steadfastly behind him. Irritated by their persistent following, Sihyun wiggled his fingers under the collective gazes focused on him. Being an extraordinary Quadruple-Class, he already felt the mix of admiration and jealousy in those looks.
Feeling embarrassed to the max, Sihyun increased his pace, eager to eat something, anything. His once sluggish steps picked up speed, reaching an alarmingly high level.
As they reached the restaurant, there was only one open door, yet six boys entered together. The students eating there all turned their attention to Sihyun's group, each possessing an equally impressive appearance.
Feeling the weight of their gazes, Sihyun tried to ignore them and scanned the restaurant. The buffet spread before him was breathtaking. There must have been over 120 different dishes.
It was like a luxurious buffet straight out of a movie or drama. Having never set foot in a buffet before, Sihyun hesitated. Sensing this, Seowoo moved behind him, taking her place beside Sihyun. With Seowoo on his left and Haru on his right, Sihyun, feeling annoyed, looked at Seowoo, who was watching him quietly.
"Why?"
"Just... seemed like your first time at a buffet."
"...."
"Was I right?"
Sihyun didn't reply.
"Are we bothering you?"
Seeing Seowoo's pointed gaze, Haewoon corrected himself. As Haewoon pointed to Sihyun's chest, surprised, Sihyun nodded, and Seowoo's eyebrows furrowed downward.
"You're too much..."
The muttering seemed like a resignation. Sighing in relief, Sihyun led Haru into the restaurant, opening the door. Though only one door opened, six boys entered together. Everyone in the restaurant's gaze fixated on Sihyun's group, each possessing a striking appearance.
Feeling the weight of their stares, Sihyun tried to ignore them and glanced around the restaurant. The spread of dishes was dazzling, easily surpassing 120 items.
"Holy..."
The honest sentiment slipped out. Sihyun turned to see Haru glancing back. Among the six students, he was the only one impressed by the spread.
Feeling awkward, Sihyun cleared his throat and began to survey the wide buffet.
Instead of answering the questions he heard, Sihyun narrowed his gaze. Seowoo's eyes crinkled slightly. Whether it was in lieu of questioning or choosing a meal, Seowoo's steps took the lead ahead of Sihyun.
Sihyun, who hesitated seeing Seowoo looking so adept in this place, changed his stride. Swiftly, Haru followed behind Sihyun.
Observing Seowoo, who started picking food freely after Sihyun discreetly took out a round plate near the end of the restaurant and began selecting dishes, Sihyun filled his plate as well.
He didn't think he usually had much of an appetite, but upon seeing the lavishly arranged food, an odd urge to collect them emerged, quickly filling his round plate. It seemed his appetite corresponded directly to the quality of the food.
Carefully, Sihyun chose the tastiest looking dishes from Seowoo's selections and placed them on Haru's plate. As he delicately placed sushi one by one, Haru made eager sounds, as if silently pleading for Sihyun to feed him. Sensing it might not be the right moment yet, Sihyun withdrew the tongs he had been holding, just as he was about to pick another dish.
Snap.
A couple of well-cooked pieces of meat appeared on his plate. Looking up, Sihyun saw Seowoo smiling with the tongs in her hand, shrugging her shoulders.
"I thought you might gain some weight if you eat a bit of lamb."
Her casual tone made me unintentionally glance at my arm. It seemed sturdy enough that it wouldn't be strange if it broke, leaving Sihyun momentarily speechless, looking at lamb meat, which he had never eaten before.
The thick, greased meat seemed appetizing, but three pieces were too much. After a brief hesitation, Sihyun snatched the tongs from Seowoo, who had them, causing Seowoo to look at him. Not startled, but observing his reaction, Sihyun hastily picked up one of the pieces of meat on his plate and roughly dropped it onto Seowoo's plate.
"Too much."
Uttering the words softly, as if feeling sorry, he placed the meat on her plate. Seeing her look at him with a smile that seemed to say, "I hoped you'd eat too," Sihyun put down the tongs he had been holding. It was a moment when he had intended to pick up another dish.
Placing Haru's plate almost full, Sihyun checked the status of his and Haru's plates and searched for a place to sit. Luckily, a table by the window was vacant, so he walked over and called Haru.
"I'll go get something to drink."
"Oh... I, I can..."
"Just stay here. I'll be right back, don't worry."
Insisting that Haru stay put, Sihyun found what was most familiar to him among the beverages and poured two cups. He hesitated about giving Haru water too, thinking it might be too much, and ended up discarding the water and pouring mango juice again. Carbonation wasn't great for the body, so he preferred not to give it unless necessary.
With a cup of water filled with ice and a glass of mango juice in hand, Sihyun returned to his seat but stopped in his tracks at the sight before him. His face twisted in displeasure at the scene in his view. Clearly, there were three unfriendly faces where Haru should have been alone.
"...They're eating separately."
Sihyun, speaking while placing the juice in front of Haru, squinted his eyes and looked at Haewoon. Haewoon, feigning tears, pointed with his finger to the adjacent table.
"So, our poor Geonwoo is eating by himself."
"What?"
Turning his gaze at Haewoon's sniffles, Sihyun noticed Geonwoo sitting alone, detached from a table. It looked pitiful, eating alone without a companion. It was an awkward sight.
Confused, Sihyun looked at Haewoon. Smiling cheerfully, Haewoon clapped. It seemed that Kang Haewoon wasn't a cute guy but more of a crazy one.
Who said to eat separately? Did someone tell them to eat separately amongst themselves?
Feeling ridiculous, Sihyun let out a forced laugh as he saw Seowoo returning with plates in both hands. She placed a salad and soup in front of me, and my gaze, which had been on Haewoon, turned back. It was an odd maneuver. The boy who was nonchalantly laughing placed a fork beside the plate.
"If you eat right away, it might upset your stomach."
First, eat the soup, then have the salad.
The owner of the gentle tone took care of me meticulously. His kindness felt paradoxical in this absurd situation.
Right now, shouldn't you be taking care of Geonwoo, not me?
Swallowing words that would have been futile to spit out, I rolled my eyes. Glancing sideways, I saw Hamin with an annoyed expression, looking at Haewoon and Seowoo. It was a mess.
Annoyed, Sihyun's eyes turned towards Geonwoo. Although he wanted to tell him to go over there, Geonwoo wasn't someone who would obediently do so. Suddenly, Sihyun's hand touched his forehead. Since they were supposed to eat together anyway, reluctantly, Sihyun muttered words calling him over.
"Yeay! I'll eat now, Sihyun."
Amidst this, seeing Seowoo taking care of her meal, Sihyun let out a tired laugh.
They couldn't be anything other than the rulers of chaos.
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