Chapter 71: Korean Specialty: Picking Up

“Are you okay?”

Xia Jiuwei practically sprang up from her seat, looking at Lu Nian’an anxiously.

Lu Nian’an took a moment to taste it carefully.

Although the octopus tentacle was still twitching faintly in her mouth, the texture was soft yet springy, and with a touch of sesame oil and salt, it tasted surprisingly refreshing.

“Mm... it's pretty good. Want to try some?”

She picked up a piece of octopus tentacle with her chopsticks and held it out toward Xia Jiuwei.

Looking at the piece of raw octopus that was still squirming, Xia Jiuwei instinctively drew her neck back. Yet when she met Lu Nian’an's encouraging gaze, she closed her eyes and popped it into her mouth in one bite.

“Well?”

Xia Jiuwei took a moment to taste it carefully.

Aside from the occasional twitch of the octopus in her mouth, it was incredibly fresh and pleasantly crisp, every bit as good as sashimi.

“It really is pretty good.”

Before long, the entire plate of raw octopus had been completely cleared between them.

Lu Nian’an glanced at the time, then picked up the tongs and placed a cooked scallop in front of Xia Jiuwei.

“You can eat them now.”

Each scallop shell looked like a tiny dish, filled with melted cheese that completely blanketed the scallop meat underneath.

Xia Jiuwei picked up her spoon and scooped up a generous bite of melted cheese along with the scallop underneath, then placed it into her mouth.

The rich, sweet flavor of the scallop remained completely intact despite being covered in a thick layer of cheese, instead blending with the faint aroma of the baked cheese and the natural sweetness of the onions.

Xia Jiuwei's eyes immediately curved into crescents.

“It's so good.”

“I'm glad you like it. There are plenty more, so take your time.”

Lu Nian’an placed another one in front of her.

After eating three herself, she began continuously transferring the cooked scallops into Xia Jiuwei's bowl.

By the time Xia Jiuwei finally noticed, there were barely any scallops left on the grill.

She lowered her gaze to the pile of empty shells stacked in front of her like a small tower, then looked toward Lu Nian’an, whose side had only three lonely shells.

Xia Jiuwei lowered her head, feeling a little embarrassed.

“Stop giving them all to me. You should eat too.”

“It's okay.”

Lu Nian’an smiled.

“Seeing how satisfied you are makes me happy too.”

With that, she placed the final two scallops in front of Xia Jiuwei.

“That isn't fair. Fine, then I'll feed you.”

Xia Jiuwei scooped up a bite of the baked scallop, gently blew on it to cool it down, and held it toward Lu Nian’an's lips.

“You're eating this. No arguing.”

Under Xia Jiuwei's serious gaze, Lu Nian’an had no choice but to obediently eat the last two bites.

By then, the seafood ramen in the center of the grill had finally finished cooking as well.

Xia Jiuwei brought over two large bowls and served one for each of them.

The seafood ramen had been prepared with a broth made from shrimp, clams, squid, and other seafood, with kimchi added for extra flavor. The soup was tangy and spicy while retaining the natural sweetness of the seafood, and together with the pleasantly chewy texture characteristic of Korean instant noodles, it was intensely fragrant.

Looking at the two steaming bowls of ramen, Xia Jiuwei suddenly hesitated.

“Nia, do you think we can finish all of this?”

“If we take our time, we probably can.”

Unfortunately, they had eaten far too many scallops beforehand.

By the time Xia Jiuwei's bowl was only half finished, she was already so full that she couldn't take another bite.

“I really can't eat anymore.”

She looked at Lu Nian’an pitifully.

Lu Nian’an simply smiled and pulled Xia Jiuwei's remaining half bowl toward herself.

By the time everything had been finished, even Lu Nian’an was beginning to feel uncomfortably full.

After leaving the restaurant, Xia Jiuwei took Lu Nian’an by the hand and slowly followed the route they had originally planned.

They had intended to walk along the Songdo Coastal Walkway, following the steel boardwalk built beside the sea and walking back toward the city before taking a taxi.

However, they had barely been walking for a few minutes when Lu Nian’an gently pulled Xia Jiuwei back.

“Don't you think the sky looks beautiful right now?”

Lu Nian’an smiled as she gazed at the orange and golden sky.

Before Xia Jiuwei could even react, she found herself being led back toward the cable car station by Lu Nian’an.

By the time Xia Jiuwei came to her senses, the two of them were once again sitting inside a Crystal Cruise cabin heading toward Songdo Bay Station.

Xia Jiuwei stared at Lu Nian’an blankly, completely caught off guard.

This definitely hadn't been part of the original plan.

“What is it?”

Lu Nian’an smiled and pointed out the window.

“Didn't you say you wanted to ride the cable car at sunset?”

Xia Jiuwei followed her gaze.

The sun was slowly sinking beneath the horizon, while the evening glow painted half the sky in shades of purple and orange. The scattered clouds were illuminated in soft layers of color, creating a view so beautiful that it was difficult to look away.

Xia Jiuwei's eyes widened slightly as an indescribable warmth slowly spread through her chest.

Perhaps they no longer felt the same heart-fluttering excitement they had during the early days of their relationship, but Lu Nian’an would always quietly remember even the smallest things Xia Jiuwei had casually mentioned, then find a way to make them happen for her without saying a word.

That kind of tenderness was somehow even more comforting than the thrill of falling in love.

The fading sunlight spilled softly into the cabin as Xia Jiuwei gently wrapped her arms around Lu Nian’an.

Lu Nian’an lowered her head and gently kissed her.

Xia Jiuwei didn't pull away. She simply parted her lips slightly, allowing their breaths to mingle.

The kiss was soft and slow, as though all the emotions they hadn't been able to put into words had quietly been hidden between their lips.

Only after they finally pulled apart did Lu Nian’an's lips curve into a smile.

“Why does it still taste a little like seafood ramen?”

The romantic atmosphere vanished in an instant.

Xia Jiuwei didn't know whether to be annoyed or amused, so she simply buried her face against Lu Nian’an's shoulder.

“Pfft... of course you'd be the one to say that.”

“But it really does.”

Lu Nian’an recalled it with complete seriousness.

“I think there's a little baked cheese in there too... Should I check again, just to be sure?”

She said it with a perfectly serious expression, though she looked as though she were still savoring their kiss.

“No.”

Xia Jiuwei immediately refused.

Lu Nian’an merely smiled and gently pulled her into her arms.

The two remained quietly nestled together, watching as the sun slowly disappeared beneath the sea.

Until only a faint shade of lavender remained along the horizon, set against the darkening night sky.

The cable car slowly glided into the platform.

Hand in hand, they stepped out of the cabin, hailed a taxi, and headed toward Busan Station.

After getting out of the taxi in front of the busy high-speed rail station, Lu Nian’an headed inside to buy tickets for the KTX back to Seoul.

At the same time, Xia Jiuwei raised a finger and lightly poked Lu Nian’an in the back.

“I'll go buy some snacks from a convenience store first. We can eat them on the train later.”

“Okay. I'll meet you back at the station after I get the tickets.”

Lu Nian’an looked at the smile on Xia Jiuwei's face and couldn't help the slight curve of her own lips as she casually reached out and rubbed Xia Jiuwei's head.

“Why do I feel like you're laughing at me?”

Xia Jiuwei looked at her suspiciously. But after thinking about it, she couldn't figure out what there was about herself that could possibly be funny, so she didn't give it another thought and turned toward a convenience store a few streets away from the station.

“Excuse me, are you a university student?”

A voice suddenly came from beside her.

Xia Jiuwei turned her head and saw a man and a woman standing at the street corner, smiling at her.

“...I guess you could say that.”

“We saw you walking by just now and felt that you were someone with a lot of good fortune. Has anyone ever told you that recently?”

“No.”

Xia Jiuwei frowned slightly.

After looking at the two of them, she immediately lost any interest in continuing the conversation.

A faint glimmer passed through her purple eyes as she noticed the dense black resentment clinging to their bodies, making her even less inclined to say another word to them.

“So, how old are you this year?”

The moment she heard that question, Xia Jiuwei's dislike of them deepened even further.

She looked at the two of them calmly, let out a soft breath, and her voice turned cold.

“Do you have any manners?”

The pair exchanged a glance. They seemed never to have encountered such a direct response before, but they still patiently continued.

“We just thought you looked very young and very blessed, and we wanted to share something with you. We think it could be helpful to you.”

“Could you sit down and listen to us for a few minutes?”

“I'm in a hurry.”

“Then... could you buy us a cup of tea? A convenience store would be fine too. We could sit down and talk.”

Hearing that, the irritation Xia Jiuwei had been feeling suddenly paused.

She had never encountered such a strange conversation before, much less such a bizarre way of approaching a stranger. For a moment, she almost wanted to laugh.

“If you're just trying to get someone to buy you a drink, you could've said so. I'm not treating you, though. Bye.”

With that, she turned and walked toward the convenience store without looking back.

Before leaving, however, she casually gave the man and woman a small wave and left behind an inconspicuous mark.

Meanwhile.

After buying the train tickets, Lu Nian’an stood at the station entrance, waiting for that little fool to come back.

She probably hadn't realized there was a convenience store inside the station itself.

“Excuse me, miss. Want to go out for a drink together?”

A young man approached Lu Nian’an and struck up a conversation with a smile.

“No, I'm waiting for someone.”

“How many people are you waiting for?”

“One.”

“Is it a friend of yours?”

“No. It's my partner.”

“Oh, that's okay. Want to try someone else?”

“No.”

“Then how about we exchange contact information? You can ask me out whenever you want to have a drink.”

“No.”

The man shrugged and left with a smile.

Less than a minute later, another man approached her.

“Excuse me, are you waiting for someone?”