Chapter 35: The Miser

"Ugh, phew..."

"Don't cook so much next time. How am I supposed to finish all this by myself?"

After having her fill, Karina rubbed her visibly rounded belly and hiccuped, covering her face without a shred of her usual idol image.

In an instant, the girl who had just been lively and dancing with joy froze completely.

It’s over, it’s all over. That delicate, romantic atmosphere had only just begun to form—was she really going to pop it with a single, unrefined hiccup?

She squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself for whatever uncouth remarks Lin Shouxia might have about her lack of decorum.

But after waiting for a long while, there was nothing but the sound of soft breathing and a faint, gentle chuckle.

Slowly, she lifted her face, her beautiful eyes darting around sneakily, edging closer, then a little closer still.

"Jimin-ah." The man coughed lightly, cutting off her furtive movements and making the guilty-conscious Karina jump.

"What?"

"You ate all the dishes I made."

"Yeah, so?"

"And then you let out a hiccup?"

"Yes, it was me. So what?"

Watching the man’s serious expression, the girl felt a surge of complex emotions. She wrinkled her nose, putting on a fierce, "don't-mess-with-me" front.

What was his deal? Was he going to look down on her just because she ate a little extra?

"I actually don't usually eat this much."

Annoyed as she was, Karina still felt the need to defend herself. There was no helping it; if word got out that she had wiped the table clean at Lin Shouxia’s place, it would be quite embarrassing.

Besides, this was partly Lin Shouxia’s fault. She had only come over for a bowl of ramen; it was this guy who had dragged her around to buy ingredients to cook such a feast. She wasn't some kind of "big eater"—she just happened to be hungry.

"I know. You usually have an appetite for two bowls of ramen, right?" Lin Shouxia still remembered that night at the convenience store. Her appetite was indeed quite impressive.

"Hey!" The girl felt a flicker of irritation. First, he says she ate everything, then he brings up the two bowls of ramen—he was clearly just making fun of how much she ate.

"Stingy..." she muttered under her breath, hanging her head. "Fine, I'll come over tomorrow and make you ramen instead..."

She’d just have to accept that she’d misjudged him and fallen for a miserly man, hmph.

"How am I being stingy?" Lin Shouxia still wore that smiling expression; he was actually in quite a good mood.

"You're looking down on me... for eating so much." Karina glared at him, annoyed. He just kept smiling—did he find her that embarrassing?

"You are just so cute." The man reached out and gently pinched her cheek, pulling his hand away as quickly as if he were handling a hot quail egg.

"Who told you I was looking down on you?" Unable to express his true feelings directly, he smiled, trying to clear up her misunderstanding.

She just had a slightly larger appetite than other girls; it wasn't as if he couldn't afford to feed her. Besides... as an artist, she had to endure grueling periods of physique management. It was perfectly normal to indulge in good food during a hiatus.

And she was eating the food he had cooked, too. That just meant... her appetite was a perfect match for his.

Karina’s expression shifted like the unpredictable weather of late summer. The resentment faded from her eyes, and she blinked, thinking back. It seemed she had been the only one overthinking things.

She wanted to explain further, but felt too shy. Biting her lip, she gave him a pitiful, aggrieved look.

"I... I'm really happy you liked it."

"Hm?"

"I'm really happy that you liked the food I made."

And I really hope you’ll like the person who made it, too...

"I lived abroad alone before my debut, so I naturally picked up the skill of cooking."

"But I’m not actually that good at it. When Young-ro came to visit, she even said my stew looked so unappetizing it made her lose her appetite."

"So, I'm quite surprised that you liked it."

Karina smoothed her expression, and Lin Shouxia cleared his throat, dropping the teasing tone.

Their gazes locked. In a world where they could only see each other, they both noticed the soft, genuine smiles on each other's faces.

As expected...

Karina’s conflicted heart instantly felt much lighter. Her judgment wasn't so bad after all; at least... this guy wasn't actually that stingy.

"Jimin-ah, do you still remember what you just said?"

"What?"

"About me being stingy?" Her beautiful eyes blinked, her brow smoothed, and Karina’s inner "variety show personality" began to surface.

...

"You said you were going to make ramen for me."

"Tch..."

He really had caught her in a trap with that offhand remark...

Karina regretted it now. She wanted to take it back. Why on earth did she bring up cooking ramen? That phrase carried a special, suggestive connotation when said to the opposite sex, and it had just slipped out!

Did Lin Shouxia think she was that kind of easy person?

"I don't remember." She decided to play dumb. She had eaten so much that her stomach felt like it was going to burst—surely it was reasonable to "forget" a casual comment?

"I remember it clearly."

The man grinned, and the look on his face made Karina’s skin crawl. *Tch, I knew it—people with smiling eyes are all monsters.*

"I have an event tomorrow afternoon. I wonder if I’ll be able to see a steaming bowl of ramen when I get home in the evening."

"..."

Wait, how was it already decided? Shouldn't he at least listen to her opinion? Cooking ramen wasn't a problem, but...

She hadn't meant anything by it when she said it. Lin Shouxia couldn't have misunderstood, right?

"What time?" Karina gritted her teeth, deciding to confirm his schedule.

Social death was social death. If she timed it right, perhaps she could fix the damage caused by her slip of the tongue without even having to see the homeowner.

"Around nine in the evening, I suppose?"

"Anyway, I'll be waiting for you. No matter how late it is, I'll be waiting for my ramen."

Karina checked her schedule on her phone. In reality, she didn't have much going on. Internal conflicts at the company had affected the group's positioning, and they were all living in a state of uncertainty. Forget outside appearances; if not for the invitation to the music festival, they wouldn't have seen their fans for months.

She was just... looking for an excuse to back out.

However... it seemed there really was a loophole she could exploit.

Karina rolled her eyes, bit her lip in thought, and then nodded, a mysterious, unreadable smile playing on her lips.