I stared at the Spicy Noodle Soup placed in front of me. Just looking at the broth made it seem fiery. As if my gaze was being stolen, I slowly observed the soup. My mouth automatically watered. Whether it was a reflex or not, this Spicy Noodle Soup was tempting me. It was the first time something so bold had tempted me like this.
“This place’s Spicy Noodle Soup is the best, as expected!”
“Me too, me too!”
Jiyu and Yumi were already eating the soup with their chopsticks. Perhaps because they had eaten it so much, the two were slurping it down without any issues. I also picked up my chopsticks and put some of the vegetables from the soup into my mouth.
“Whoa!”
It suited my taste much better than I expected. However, perhaps because I had chosen a higher level of spiciness, the heat was rising. I started fanning myself with my hand as if I were sweating. I had chosen spiciness level 2 to maintain my manly pride, but I wondered if I had made a mistake. Jiyu and Yumi were eating happily, but I couldn’t do the same.
“Cola! Give me some cola!”
“The cola is self-service!”
Saying this, Yumi pointed somewhere with her hand.
I wanted to scold myself for choosing spiciness level 2 earlier. But since I had chosen this Spicy Noodle Soup, it was my fault. I frantically searched for the cola. I ran to the refrigerator where the beverages were kept and managed to grab a cola.
*Fizz!*
As I opened the cola can, the carbonation rose. I quickly drank it. The cool carbonation seemed to somewhat neutralize the spiciness. Seeing my state, Jiyu and Yumi laughed and said,
“We told you level 2 is spicy! Level 1 is the most suitable, right?”
When I had chosen spiciness level 2 earlier, Yumi had been the one to warn me the most. Now, I had nothing to say. I should have listened to Yumi. After all, there’s no harm in listening to the experts. I had to repent for my rookie mistake and continue eating the Spicy Noodle Soup.
“Hana, can I try how spicy yours is?”
At that moment, Jiyu eyed my soup and asked. I nodded at her words. The more people to share the pain with, the better, as the world goes. Jiyu then scooped a portion of my soup with a spoon and placed it on her plate. She didn’t take much, so my eyes briefly showed disappointment.
She only took enough for one bite. It didn’t seem like she would feel much spiciness from that amount. Jiyu then put the meat she had taken from my soup into her mouth. After chewing a few times, she immediately ran to the refrigerator filled with beverages. It seemed Jiyu couldn’t handle much spiciness either.
“It’s spicy! Spicy!”
Jiyu quickly searched for the cola. Two cans of cola were now sitting on the table. Yumi awkwardly smiled as she watched Jiyu. I had to finish the rest of my soup, so I picked up my chopsticks again. Not being able to eat because of this level of spiciness would hurt my pride as a man. At least, I had to finish the contents.
Honestly, I gave up on finishing the broth. Drinking all the broth would be torture. The deep orange broth seemed to threaten me. Just a little taste, and it would brutally tear apart my tongue.
“Hana, it’s okay to leave some! We can come back next time!”
Yumi spoke as if she was worried about me. She probably thought I couldn’t eat the soup because it was too spicy.
But that was a foolish thought. There was no reason for me to back down after choosing spiciness level 2 out of 4. If I had chosen level 4, I would have fled immediately, but level 2 was a spiciness I could endure.
“It’s okay! I can handle this level of spiciness!”
I boasted to Jiyu and Yumi as I ate the soup. Maybe because I had drunk the cola, I felt like the spiciness was less intense. But that was just an illusion. Soon, I couldn’t help but cry from the overwhelming spiciness.
“Ugh!”
In the end, I couldn’t finish the Spicy Noodle Soup. It was my defeat. Jiyu and Yumi comforted me by saying we could come back next time, but it didn’t console me at all. The fact that I had lost now tormented me.
——————————————-
“Let’s dress up nicely since we’re going out today!”
Maru picked out my clothes for me. Even though I said I could dress myself, Maru knew about my near-despair fashion sense. Of course, it seemed fine to me, but others probably didn’t think so.
Is a checkered shirt and jeans really that bad? When I was in engineering school, that was the standard outfit. Everyone else dressed like that too.
After receiving Maru’s fashion coordination, I looked at my expressionless reflection in the mirror.
I saw my reflection. Wearing a skirt had become familiar by now. No, wait, it hadn’t. The wind blowing underneath made it awkward again. Skirts were such uncomfortable clothes.
When sitting on a chair, there were too many things to worry about. Crossing my legs wasn’t okay, but spreading them too wide wasn’t either. It was because my underwear might show. I think I finally understood why women wear shorts under their skirts. When wearing a skirt, even a slight slip could expose your underwear. Women who wear such uncomfortable clothes are amazing. If it were me, I’d just wear pants.
“Pass!”
Maru gave my outfit a passing score with a satisfied smile. I sighed in relief internally. At least I didn’t have to keep changing clothes anymore. When Maru gets really into something, there have been times when I had to change clothes for an hour straight. It’s not like I’m walking in a fashion show, but changing that many clothes made me feel like I was losing my mind.
“Ughhh…”
I lost all energy and dove into Maru’s arms. Maru hugged me warmly. Bora and Haru were standing nearby. It felt like it had been a while since the three of us girls were together like this.
“Where are we going today, sunbaenim?”
Maru asked. I didn’t even know where we were going, dressed up like this.
“Boss Kim Sehee said she’d treat us to a meal.”
“So that’s why the office was so lively this morning…”
Maru realized there was a reason for the cheerful atmosphere in the office this morning. And even though our official work hours ended at 6 PM, we were leaving early at 4 PM because of the company dinner.
It felt thrilling to go to a company dinner during work hours instead of after. Earning money while eating—such a precious experience isn’t easy to come by. Only a few chosen companies could do this, right?
“Let’s go! We’re the last ones out!”
Maybe because we changed clothes too many times, we were running late. Our group got into the car and headed to a fancy restaurant. The restaurant was packed and noisy with office employees. Not just our office, but Starlight Food employees seemed to be there too.
I walked toward an empty table, but Maru stopped me.
“Hey, Hana, we need to go to the room.”
“Huh?”
“The boss said to go to the room.”
Maru led me into the room. I awkwardly entered the room, and Maru left me there. She probably went to sit at the empty table I saw earlier and eat with Haru and Bora.
“Hana, come on in~”
When I entered the room, the boss was sitting alone. The table was already set with side dishes and meat. I obediently sat across from the boss.
“What kind of meat is this?”
I looked around and pointed at the beautifully marbled meat. It looked like some high-quality meat.
“This is beef~ It’s from a farm related to our company. It’s very expensive and delicious, you know?”
“Wow!”
I couldn’t help but gasp at the boss’s words. Delicious beef! My mouth was already watering. I licked my lips and stared at the meat the boss was grilling. The boss did everything from start to finish, so all I had to do was pick up the chopsticks and eat.
Every time I tried to do something, the boss would fuss and say she’d do it herself, so I didn’t have much to do.
“It’s done. Hana, you can eat now~”
At the boss’s words, my chopsticks moved swiftly. I picked up the beef and dipped it in sesame oil and salt.
“Wow! It’s so delicious!”
I couldn’t help but marvel at the extraordinary taste of the beef. It was a flavor I couldn’t even describe. It reminded me of the barbecue I had last time.
“Delicious, right? I’m glad you’re enjoying it, Hana!”
I enthusiastically ate the beef the boss grilled. Truly, delicious beef is the best.
