"Oh. Really? Are you, um. Okay with that??"

"I... think so? Um. If... I mean, if any of them were working with him then it wouldn't matter very much if we met up here or anywhere else, right? They could just get him whenever waiting for us and then we'd be in his clutches. So I gotta act like they're not. And it's... a show of faith, I guess? Um. And it's not like they're going to really know where here is, anyway, it'd just be, like, knowing what it is. Right?"

"That makes sense, yeah. And they'd just know about what it is, not where." Smile! "Sounds good to me." Pause. "And they can help me with my sweets!!"

He grins. "Yeah."

Then he pauses. "Maybe we should make food. I'm not ready to make food for everyone, though... Maybe we could get takeout? Or I could make something simple, enough tteokbokki for everyone wouldn't be hard—oh, but you don't like spicy, maybe some gimbap? Or just fried chicken, can't go wrong with fried chicken..."

"Food sounds good! Though fried chicken sounds hard to do at home; anything involving frying in oil is both temperamental and high-risk. Hm. ... Takeout seems straightforward, and we could get orders from everyone in advance? Or just more food than necessary?"

"Wouldn't it be really impersonal, though, it's the first time they're coming over, I feel like I should be making something... Except I'm not a good cook, except people always say that it's the thought that counts? Am I overthinking this? Okay obviously I am, I always overthink things, but..."

Giggle.

"Would making something for them to eat bring you joy?"

He stops to consider that.

"I think so."

"Okay! Then it sounds like a fantastic idea." She beams at him. "What do you want to make, and do you want assistance?"

"...I think we could make a bibimbap with bulgogi and I have frozen kimchi we could serve as sides and maybe have tteokbokki as an entrée—do we have anything to drink? I think I have soju..." And off he does into the kitchen to figure out what to make.

"Oh and yes I would appreciate assistance," he calls from the kitchen belatedly. "If it's okay."

Help, he's cute!

"Mhm!" She will happily assist, then.

Tae-gun texts his friends to inform them that they'll be meeting at his place while he's grabbing the ingredients.

And Si-yeon video calls him two minutes later.

"...why is he calling me."

"I... don't know??" says a confused Hye-jin.

He picks up.

Si-yeon's face appears on the commscreen. "...man, I thought you'd been hacked or something for a minute. For real? You want us to come over? Say something only the real Tae-gun would say so I know you're not a deepfake."

"...fuck you, hyung."

"Dang it really is you!"

Snort.

(And back to food prep.)

"Anyway, yeah, sounds good. And hi, Kim Hye-jin! Glad you're alive! Can't wait to see you!"

"Hi. Glad I'm alive too. Don't show up at Tae-gun-ah's house and wake me up after midnight or I'm setting your hair on fire."

"Is that a threat or a promise, Kim Hye-jin-shi?"