⟢ local pub.

@⊱ cho sangjoon Oh, she realised inwardly as she noticed the two bowls of kimchi jjigae. She should've known the vice mayor would have ordered his usuals. The coincidence of them being seated together and ordering the same orders seem only palpable to the architect, however, as the other did not comment. Segye mirrored Sangjoon, moving her own bowl of jjigae closer.

She reached out for the rice in the round metal container. Given the awkwardnes that hung heavy in the air, she hoped she won't get indigestion afterwards. The thought somehow lowered her appetite but Segye continued to spoon a little rice, just at the tip of the spoon, to began eating. At Sangjoon's sudden question, she paused before swallowing the rice in . Segye drowned her own spoon into the jjigae broth, before lifting it and giving the broth a taste.

Warily, she glanced at Sangjoon. "Um, it tastes fine to me," she replied, though in doubt. Checking once more to confirm, she nodded. "The taste is on spot. . ." She felt somehow bad, despite it not being her fault, that her jjigae was fine. As she resumed eating, the gears in her brain turned. Should she suggest him to ask for another? Or they could share? She knows that by the end of a few more spoon, she'd ask the employee to wrap the leftover as take-out.

Segye sighed, taking yet another tea-spoonful of rice before slurping a spoonful of jjigae broth. Her being unfocused plus the sudden loud cheer from the university students around them, cause her to jump and she swallowed her rice. . .albeit, it went down to a different route. Segye coughed, turning sideways as she did, closing . She continued to cough, and nose burning. Oh, god, she silently complained. This is the worst.

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@✧ shin segye [h] despite his outward facade, sangjoon was painfully aware of the shift in his table companion’s demeanor when she finally noticed his presence. her alert expression was unsurprising. most tended to react that way whenever he stepped into the room. he was self-aware enough to know that he gave off an “intimidating” impression, especially to strangers.

still, she had greeted him and he owed her the courtesy to say it back. “good evening,” he greeted back, his voice curt. he was trying to figure out the best way to explain their unusual seating arrangement but thankfully, the employee had come just in time to save him the effort. he rolled his eyes as they scampered away after placing down their beers.

just like the woman sitting across from him, sangjoon grabbed his beer and drank some of it though he was aggressively chugging it compared to her delicate sips. seemed like neither of them was keen on starting a conversation which was completely fine with him. awkward silences—while annoying as hell—were common with him given his not-so-sunny disposition. the lack of talking would hopefully mean dinner would go by quicker thus he could get out of here as soon as possible.

his resolve to remain silent changed as the employee came back with piping hot bowls of kimchi jjigae. after mumbling a thank you to the employee, sangjoon moved his bowl closer. putting a good amount of broth into his spoon, he slurped it with vigor, initially savoring the taste. yet a frown settled across his face.

“it’s saltier than usual,” he complained. he looked over at his table companion, curious to see if she was having the same issue. “how’s yours? did they drown yours in salt as well?”

@⊱ cho sangjoon Even as her playlist took turn to mellow tracks, Segye was anchored too deep in concentration to notice the presence of the vice mayor taking a seat across her. Lines of various pressure, the rhythmic flicks of her pen on paper and holding fast to the image she has inside her head put her in a huge bubble of her own. Only when she decided to let her hand rest, putting down the pen and slowly turning her right wrist clockwise, did she realise her table companion. Segye froze like an alert rabbit, wondering if she was seeing things, before taking off her airpods.

"Good... evening," Segye greeted, nodding at Cho Sangjoon. She glanced at the vicinity now teeming with university students, not an empty table in sight. Ah, a full house, she thought quietly to herself, concluding it was the reason Vice Mayor Cho was directed to the table. Her assumption was proven true when the employee returned with beers on tow, apologising to Segye of the incovenience. "I hope you don't mind sharing tables, miss," they smiled regretfully. "The rest of your orders will be coming pronto!"

Segye shook her head telling them it was fine, setting aside her sketchbook and pen as they were both served beer. She thanked the employee, gingerly pulling her beer closer and taking a sip. During normal circumstances, she did not mind being in a presence of another in complete silence. But tonight, after glancing at the man infront of her and taking in the annoyed lines that contoured his features, the awkwardness was slowly getting to her. The architect took another sip of her beer.

If Seohae was here, what would he have done?

Strike a conversation and warm up the atmosphere (even if his advances would be ignored by the other), that is what her late husband would do. Regretfully, while Segye's extreme unhealthy habits had gotten better during the time she spent with him, she never could pick up the sunny disposition he exuded. Segye decided not to say anything. She hoped the food would come soon as she absentmindedly catch the droplets of dew that slid down the beer glass with the fingertips of her index finger. And thankfully, the employee had came back in a few minutes, carrying two piping hot kimchi jjigae.

@✧ shin segye cho sangjoon was a man of routine. every wednesday at 5:30 pm sharp, he went straight from town hall to the local pub. he would get his preferred table at the southwest corner and order kimchi jjigae with a side of pajeon and a cold glass of cass beer. yet something felt off today when he stepped inside. it was /unusually/ busy on a weekday. he frowned at the sight of a large group of college students gathered around most of the tables—one of them being /his/ usual spot.

somehow sensing his growing annoyance, an employee approached him with an apologetic smile. “what’s with all this?” sangjoon asked with furrowed eyebrows. the employee shrugged sheepishly. “the veterinarian club at the college reserved last minute for their annual mt. we’re pretty much at capacity. if you’re open to it…” they paused, unsure about what they were about to propose. “we do have another spot left.” his scowl deepened at the news. “fine,” he replied with annoyance dripping in his voice. “lead the way.”

he followed the employee as they walked to the opposite side of the pub. they stop in front of a table near the corner. it wasn't a bad spot except for the fact someone—a young woman around his age—was already sitting there. “you can’t be serious,” he gritted out, sending the employee a death glare. they all but yelped, gesturing him to sit down. “sorry, sir, this is the only table left. um, let me get your usual started! the beer will be on the house,” they said before scampering off.

“it better be,” he grumbled as he took a seat. his new tablemate seemed lost in her own world as she drew in some sketchbook. unsure of what to say or do, he tried to keep himself busy by looking at his phone, pretending to read emails that were already opened and answered. this was going to be a long night…

@⊱ cho sangjoon The warm glow from the local pub beckoned Segye from across the street. She buried her chin into the scarf that kept her neck from the bite of cold. However, no matter how thickly she dressed, the area on her left chest felt the chill of winter, only able to temporarily warm up in the solace of a few chugs of beer and the small conversations over a shot of soju that she and Ms. Jang shared. Perhaps it was that very reason she had become a loyal customer of the local pub.

The architect crossed the street with small, hasty steps before hurriedly sliding open the pub's door. She shivered, welcoming the warmth of the interior and the soft rooftop music layering over murmurs of people. Segye nodded towards a passing employee who greeted her before approaching the bar, only to halt when she noticed the seat she would usually occupy was taken by another.

She turned to look around, noticing a table for two just by the window, near the corner. She approached the table, gathering beer bottles in one place before the employee rushed to clean the table. He ushered her to sit down and leave the cleaning to him. Segye waited as he cleaned, taking a seat when he left the table with the dirty plates.

The employee returned with a menu, and for once in a while, Segye studied it. With an array of menus, she thought it was a shame not to taste other foods available. The kimchi jjigae seemed to entice her more so tonight after hearing it from time to time, ordered by a certain vice-mayor. Hence, leaving her regular order of steamed egg, she requested the kimchi jjigae and opened her sketchbook, stuffing her airpods to block out the incoming buzz of a college gathering.