Chapter 304
Chapter 304
That afternoon.
Yoo-hyun parked his car at the public parking lot in San Francisco’s Union Square and walked to the meeting place.
He felt nostalgic as he saw the scenery of downtown San Francisco, which he had not visited for a long time.
He remembered the time when he came here on a business trip with Jeong Da-hye.
-If there is one place you have to visit when you come here…
At that time, Jeong Da-hye used her experience of living in San Francisco to guide Yoo-hyun.
Thanks to her, he enjoyed her help whenever he moved or ate.
But that was all.
Work was his priority, and shopping or sightseeing did not interest him.
Why was he so narrow-minded back then?
Buzzing.
He could have made good memories like the couples who were happily taking pictures on the street, but he failed to do that.
Yoo-hyun chuckled and shook off his thoughts.
“I can do it one by one from now on, right?”
His steps were light as a feather.
At that moment, Jeong Da-hye was standing in the center of Union Square.
A large heart-shaped sculpture was behind her.
She sighed among the bustling crowd.
-They say even brushing past someone is fate. It’s not easy to see you by chance in another city, so let’s have a cup of tea.
It was because of the promise she made with Yoo-hyun a while ago.
She wanted to refuse, but she felt uneasy about the roses she received last time.
She had a personality that could not stand being indebted to anyone, so she had to pay him back somehow.
“Well, it’s just a cup of tea, what’s the big deal?”
She muttered to herself and nodded her head.
Soon, Jeong Da-hye caught Yoo-hyun’s eye as he stood in front of the heart sculpture.
She wore jeans, a white T-shirt, and sneakers.
It was a casual outfit that he had never seen her wear before, but her beauty was still the same.
She did not look very happy, maybe because she did not want to come here.
But she was punctual as always.
Yoo-hyun waved his hand first.
“Da-hye.”
She turned her head in surprise at his loud voice.
“What are you doing in this crowd?”
“I’m so happy to see you.”
“Stop it. Don’t act like we’re close.”
Jeong Da-hye stretched out her hand and drew a line.
She gave off a defensive vibe.
Yoo-hyun smiled and pointed at the heart sculpture.
“But we’re at a famous spot, let’s take a picture.”
“Why would I take a picture with you?”
“No, I mean, can you take a picture of me?”
Yoo-hyun cheekily handed her his phone, and Jeong Da-hye blinked in disbelief.
She had no reason to refuse, so she held up his phone and posed for him.
She even looked serious.
“One, two, three.”
Yoo-hyun made a pose according to her signal.
He put his fists together in front of his chest with his thumb and index finger sticking out.
It was a pose that looked like any other tourist, with a smile on his lips.
Snap.
She handed him back his phone and casually asked him.
“What were you doing with your fingers?”
“Oh, this? It’s a heart.”
“A heart?”
“Look.”
Yoo-hyun casually approached her and crossed his index and thumb fingers to make a small heart shape.
Jeong Da-hye snorted in disbelief.
“That’s not a heart.”
“You don’t know the trend. This pose will be very popular later.”
“Whatever. Let’s just have some tea and get it over with.”
Jeong Da-hye lowered her head and walked ahead of him.
Yoo-hyun followed her and said,
“What should I do? I’m so hungry because I didn’t eat lunch.”
“What? I thought you wanted to have tea.”
“Tea is for dessert.”
Jeong Da-hye was about to argue back when Yoo-hyun changed the subject.
“Oh, there’s a place that’s famous for pasta over there.”
Jeong Da-hye answered according to the changed topic as if she was dragged by Yoo-hyun’s pace.
“That place is fully booked.”
“It’s okay. I have a reservation.”
“What?”
“We have to hurry. The time is almost up. You didn’t eat either, right?”
Yoo-hyun pushed Jeong Da-hye quickly.
For a moment, wrinkles formed on her chin like walnuts.
It was proof that she had been patient for quite a while.
She gave a hollow laugh and asked coldly,
“Why are you so pushy?”
“Should I cancel?”
Yoo-hyun obediently said, and Jeong Da-hye frowned.
“You said the time is almost up. If you cancel now, you’ll cause trouble.”
“You’re right. Then let’s go.”
“…”
In the end, Jeong Da-hye had no choice but to follow Yoo-hyun, who had the upper hand.
A little later, Yoo-hyun sat at the corner window seat of the pasta restaurant.
It was a restaurant with a sea atmosphere, and it was crowded with people.
Yoo-hyun said to Jeong Da-hye, who sat across from him,
“They say the shrimp pasta here is good. What do you want to order?”
He asked as if he expected her to order something.
Jeong Da-hye, who was still debating whether to eat or not, answered first.
“I’ll take care of it myself.”
She felt like she was being dragged by the man across from her.
Yoo-hyun smiled and raised his hand.
“Okay. I got it.”
Then, a waiter came by.
“Are you ready to order?”
“Yes, I’ll have the rose shrimp pasta. Add basil and grated cheese. And you, Da-hye?”
Yoo-hyun quickly ordered.
Jeong Da-hye hesitated for a moment.
It was exactly the same order as her style.
She slowly nodded her head.
“Same for me.”
“Okay. How about the side dishes?”
The waiter continued to ask, and Yoo-hyun perfectly reflected Jeong Da-hye’s preferences again.
“One shrimp fry, and raspberry ade with finely crushed ice. What do you want for your drink, Da-hye?”
Jeong Da-hye snorted in disbelief.
She hated the feeling of being dragged along so much that she wanted to answer the opposite.
But in the end, she had no choice but to nod her head.
It would be absurd not to drink raspberry ade here.
“Same for me.”
After the waiter left, Jeong Da-hye asked him suspiciously.
“Is this really your first time here?”
It was ridiculous that Yoo-hyun asked her to meet him, saying he didn’t know San Francisco well and wanted her to introduce him.
Yoo-hyun evaded cheekily.
“Why?”
“Well, you ordered like you’ve been here several times.”
“It’s the internet age. Of course, I did some research.”
“…”
Jeong Da-hye made a dumbfounded expression, and Yoo-hyun showed her a coupon from his wallet.
“I also have a discount coupon here.”
“Where did you get this?”
“Let’s go to the next building and have some dessert after we finish eating. I have a discount coupon there too.”
Yoo-hyun went one step further, and Jeong Da-hye came to her senses.
She drew a line again.
She showed her will not to be dragged along anymore.
“No. Just the meal.”
“Banana cheese cake with extra cheese on top is so delicious, you know?”
Yoo-hyun’s question made Jeong Da-hye’s pupils tremble for a moment.
It was her life dessert that she had said with her own mouth.
But Jeong Da-hye shook her head with a firm patience.
“No. You came a long way, so I’ll pay for the meal and end it.”
The meal was delicious as expected.
Jeong Da-hye was not talkative, but she could not hide the smile that leaked out when she ate.
She still had the habit of swinging her arms whenever she ate something delicious.
She said with an awkward expression after eating for a while.
“Well, it tastes good.”
“Yes. Eat a lot.”
Yoo-hyun pushed the plate with shrimp fry in front of her.
He remembered what she had said here in the past.
-The shrimp pasta here is so good. It’s amazing when you add basil and cheese powder to the pasta. And what about the shrimp fry?
She must be thinking the same thing while eating now.
He felt happy just by looking at her eating so well.
His mother’s words came to his mind.
I’m full just by watching you eat.
Yoo-hyun felt like he understood what that meant now.
He was happy because Jeong Da-hye seemed happy.
It was a small but important feeling that he had never felt before.
Yoo-hyun was enjoying his small happiness when it happened.
A loud laughter came from the next table.
“Hahaha.”
He turned his head and saw a bald white man with some muscles.
Other people also glanced at him, but he didn’t care at all.
He laughed even louder as if he wanted them to leave the restaurant.
“Puhahaha.”
There are trashy people like this everywhere.
Then, Yoo-hyun and the man’s eyes met as he shook his head in disgust.
The man flashed his eyes as if he had found prey.
He pulled his eyelids sideways and said,
“Hey, yellow monkey.”
Everyone at the other tables saw it too.
Yoo-hyun snorted in disbelief, and Jeong Da-hye sitting across from him comforted him.
“Just ignore him.”
Yoo-hyun didn’t want to ruin the mood either.
But then, another word came from the side.
“Ho ho. Sexy monkey girl. Come here.”
The mockery thrown at Jeong Da-hye with a lewd smile broke Yoo-hyun’s patience.
He glared at the guy fiercely.
“If you say one more word, you’re dead.”
“…”
A strong aura spread from Yoo-hyun’s eyes.
The man flinched and looked around nervously.
Then he scowled and got up.
“What? You’re picking a fight with me, you freak?”
Yoo-hyun had seen many guys like this before.
They were scumbags who would stick to him until the end if he let them be.
He needed to cut them off right away from the start.
“Stop making trouble here and follow me out.”
He got up from his seat and gestured him to follow him
Buzzing
It was a tense situation between Yoo-hyun and the man.
Then, the manager who was managing the other side of the restaurant came running at the waiter’s urgent request.
She was a woman with a ponytail and a fierce look in her eyes.
“Excuse me.”
She stretched out her arm and tried to intervene in the situation right away.
At that moment, she saw Yoo-hyun and her eyes widened.
“Steve?”
Yoo-hyun was also surprised to see her.
It was Emma Johnson, whom he had seen at the Airbnb office yesterday.
He thought she would be doing some people-related work, but he didn’t know she was working here.
He was happy to see her for a moment, but he looked at the man across from him and said,
“Emma, I’ll handle this. I can’t stand this.”
Then, the people at the other tables shouted one by one.
They all directed their voices at the man who was confronting Yoo-hyun.
“This guy started it with racist remarks.”
“No matter what, you shouldn’t say such low-level things.”
“Please kick him out.”
They were people with proper conscience.
Of course, not all foreigners were racist.
There was trash everywhere.
Emma Johnson heard more stories from the waiter.
She glared at the man and snapped.
“Get out of here. Racism is not acceptable for any reason.”
“What? Why should I go? Kick those monkeys out.”
The man snapped back as he got angry.
Emma Johnson’s face turned red with anger and she raised her middle finger at him.
“F**k you. Get lost. You bastard.”
The restaurant went silent for a moment at her tremendous force.
Even Yoo-hyun was taken aback.