Hyewon could tell from Jihoon's expression that the surprise hadn’t amused him at all. She knew he wasn’t a big fan of Park Minho, but she never imagined that simply serving him would disturb him so much. She wanted to talk to him right away, but the restaurant was so busy that it was practically impossible to take a break and discuss things.

Jihoon continued his rounds, though it was now difficult to focus on taking orders or engaging with customers in a friendly manner. His mind kept drifting back to that table, and each time it did, it pulled him further back to years earlier when he had locked himself in a storage room at the agency with one of the new trainees. They had shared a single kiss, unaware that someone was watching and taking photos. Those same photos had ended up in management's hands, ending his contract for good.

That trainee... Had Minho sent him? How had he convinced him? Had they conspired together to take him down? Why had Minho so ruthlessly ruined his life just to gain an advantage for himself?

As Jihoon continued to ponder these questions, Minho, seated at the table, was just as puzzled. He hadn't expected hugs and cheek kisses, but Jihoon's reaction had certainly intrigued him. Being as proud and self-assured as he was, Minho could handle someone behaving this way toward him. He definitely wanted to talk to Jihoon face-to-face to figure out what his issue was. If it was just jealousy over his career, Minho would make sure to put him in his place and humiliate him properly.

"I think your friend is really strange," Seoyoung remarked, lightly tapping the rim of her glass with her fingertip. "He looked like they were forcing him to eat spiders, he was so uncomfortable and tense."

"I don’t know what his problem is, but I’m going to find out."

"Why do you care? Just let it go."

"Why should I? I’m curious about what’s going on in that messed-up head of his."

Seoyoung chuckled.

"Well, his career hasn’t exactly taken off."

"If I remember correctly, he was caught making out with a guy in the agency."

"What?! He’s gay?!"

"I don’t know if he’s gay or bisexual, and honestly, I don’t care. What matters is that when the news broke, the company decided to terminate his contract."

Seoyoung narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. If Jihoon was gay and harbored such animosity toward Minho, the only thing that came to mind was that he might be in love with him and couldn’t accept his own feelings. Seeing Minho with a woman now might have made him particularly tense. It wasn’t the most logical explanation, but she seemed to be convincing herself quite quickly.

"I think I’ve figured out his problem," Seoyoung said.

"Really?" Minho asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, but I’ll explain later. He’s coming over," Seoyoung whispered.

Jihoon approached the table with a cold yet charming smile. "So, have you decided what you’d like to order?"

Minho cast a glance at Seoyoung, almost asking, "Should I stay silent?" She nodded subtly in response.

It was Seoyoung who spoke up. "We’ll have two tasting menus, paired with the best wine you think suits the occasion."

Jihoon nodded slightly, continuing to smile. "I’ll have you try a few bottles."

"Don’t waste time," Minho almost grumbled, not even looking at Jihoon. "Neither of us knows much about wine, so just bring what you think is best." At that moment, he was preoccupied with the thrilling task of fiddling with the corner of the cloth napkin, poking it with his fingertip.

Jihoon had to summon all his patience to avoid losing his temper. Was Park Minho the worst customer he’d ever had? Certainly not. In his long career as a waiter, he had seen it all, and often people had been rude and inappropriate, with some even overstepping boundaries. Minho’s lack of courtesy was just a minor note in a symphony that, all things considered, still played quite harmoniously.

"Perfect, I’ll be right back."

The couple watched Jihoon walk away, and then, like two kids eager to share a secret, they leaned in, their faces close as they whispered.

Seoyoung kept her eyes on Jihoon to ensure he wasn’t coming back or watching them. "I think he’s in love with you."

It was a good thing Minho wasn’t drinking anything at that moment, or he might have ended up spitting it out in surprise. Lee Jihoon in love with him? Had she seen the way Jihoon looked at him? That was certainly not the look of someone in love.

"You’re way off," Minho scoffed, crossing his legs under the table.

"I’m telling you, listen to my theory. When you guys were younger, he had a huge crush on you but didn’t know how to tell you, so he stayed silent. Then this new guy comes along, makes a move on him, and Jihoon thinks it’s the perfect opportunity to forget about you and start something new. But he ends up getting his contract torn up because of his feelings for you. So now he’s left with the fact that not only was he in love with you, but his love for you cost him his chance to become a great actor, while you’ve become successful."

At first, the theory almost seemed to boost Minho's immense ego, but as it solidified, it started to annoy him more and more. The idea that Jihoon was secretly in love with him was far from appealing. Minho wanted to be aware of how people felt about him, if only to enjoy the sensation of being admired and desired. Moreover, the fact that Jihoon blamed his misfortune on Minho was simply too irritating. Minho had nothing to do with Jihoon's bad luck, and if anyone was to be blamed, it should be Jihoon himself for being as clueless as a chicken!

"But looking at it, shouldn’t he be having heart palpitations or something?"

"He saw you with a girl! The day your relationship with her was confirmed! Would you be happy about that?"

"So, he’s acting like he hates us as a defense mechanism?"

Seoyoung’s eyes lit up as she slapped her palm with her fist. "Exactly! Maybe he's fantasizing about how nice it would be if we got into a fight and you needed comforting..." she said. "Then he would come to comfort you, and in his fantasy, you’d end up passionately kissing under the neon lights of Seoul!"

"I think you’re letting your imagination run wild," Minho snapped. But if he was completely honest with himself... that prospect intrigued him. He had never been with a guy, but that was only because it had never happened. Moreover, even though it had been ten years since he last saw Jihoon, he hadn’t changed at all. He was still very cute and delicate, just his type.

Suddenly, an idea wormed its way into his mind. It was one of those thoughts that couldn’t be dismissed unless it came to fruition.

"Seoyoung... I want to see if you’re right."

"Huh? But we can’t just start a fight for the show! We’re already in enough trouble as it is!"

"No, of course not. But after dinner..." Minho brought his finger to his lips and nibbled on a hangnail, his gaze following Jihoon as he served dishes to a pair of wealthy elderly patrons seated nearby. "...I’ll need to ask you to head home on your own."