the view | minsung

13

the trio stepped into an extravagant-looking restaurant. although jisung was initially hesitant about entering such a lavish place, the other options were all full, leaving them no choice but to have their dinner there.

"how many people, sir?" the waiter asked in japanese.

jisung looked at minho, expecting him to answer. "three people, please," minho responded in japanese.

with a nod, the waiter guided them to a table initially set for four people. once seated, the waiter handed them the menu.

their arrangement at the table was as follows: hyunjin occupied the seat beside the window, with minho seated next to him. jisung sat across from minho, his shopping bags placed beside him.

hyunjin eagerly scanned the menu, excited about the prospect of jisung covering his dinner expenses. meanwhile, jisung and minho also began to look over the menu to make their selections.

"oh, they have fugu!" hyunjin exclaimed, pointing at the menu.

"considering this is quite an upscale restaurant, it's not surprising for them to have it," minho commented, his attention still focused on the menu.

"i've heard a lot about fugu, so i want to give it a try," hyunjin stated, decisively putting down the menu as he finalized his choice for the order.

"i'll go with the beef wellington and chocolate pudding," jisung declared, his gaze shifting to minho, a silent indication of his choices.

"then i'll have the same," minho added.

"hey, let's get some champagne!" hyunjin suggested enthusiastically, a wide grin spreading across his face. "you know, to celebrate our safe landing and jisung's first flight," he continued.

"that's a great idea! champagne isn't as strong as other types of alcohol either," jisung agreed, his eyes shining with enthusiasm for hyunjin's proposal.

seeing the two already on board with the plan, minho had little choice but to agree as well. "alright, i'll call the waiter. is that all you want?" he inquired, glancing between the two.

both hyunjin and jisung shook their heads in affirmation. taking their confirmation, minho signaled for a waiter to approach their table.

[ italic means japanese ]

"good evening, sir. what would you like?" the waiter inquired, taking out her notepad.

minho proceeded to recite the order, "two beef wellington, one fugu, chocolate pudding, and a bottle of champagne."

the waiter jotted down each item as minho spoke. looking back up from her notepad, she inquired, "is that all, sir?"

"that's all," minho confirmed.

with that, the waiter left their table to process the order.

"i'm excited to have some drinks!" hyunjin exclaimed, stretching his arms upward.

jisung chuckled at hyunjin's enthusiasm before his attention shifted to minho, who was once again engrossed in his phone. annoyance gnawed at him. 'why is he always on his phone?' jisung couldn't help but think, his irritation mounting.

in that moment, a ringing tone resonated through the room. hyunjin retrieved his phone from his pocket, noting the caller id before he stood up and excused himself. "it's jihyo noona. she probably wants to know where we are. i'll be right back."

now, it was just minho and jisung at the table, awkward silence enveloping them.

jisung remained seated, an uneasiness still clinging to him. there was an odd awkwardness that lingered when he was alone with minho, fueled by his lingering impression that they had slept together.