I was Thrown into an Unfamiliar Manga

Tojo Karen had failed in her first love.
That was an undeniable fact.
It had only been a brief one-week crush, but Karen had earnestly tried to change herself to match the person she liked.

Although she’d been abruptly rejected because her feelings had raced ahead and made her act too hastily, the heartbreak didn’t last as long as she thought it would.
That was probably because she had the reassuring presence of Kim Yu-seong by her side.
The first time she saw Kim Yu-seong was the day he came to the Kendo Club to “defeat the master.”

He had instantly overwhelmed Fuma-senpai, the only strong person Karen acknowledged at school. To be honest, from the perspective of an ordinary student, he was no different from a natural disaster.
Among the people she knew, the only ones who seemed to possess power on Kim Yu-seong’s level were her father, Naoto, and his right-hand man, Mr. Takeyama.
She began getting seriously entangled with him when she first sought relationship advice from the transfer student, Rika.

He looked blunt and unreadable on the surface, but once you actually talked to him, you could tell.
Kim ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) Yu-seong wasn’t a bad person by nature—he was just bad at talking to people.
Once Karen realized that, she began to slowly open her heart to him.

The decisive moment came after she was rejected by Sakamoto—when he silently stayed by her side and comforted her.
Looking back, Kim Yu-seong had always been beside her.
In both happy and sad times, he stayed near and shared her emotions.

…How could she not fall for such a kind guy?
But Karen couldn’t be honest with her feelings.
Because she didn’t think she had the right.

Kim Yu-seong was Rika’s boyfriend—another one of her friends.
If she confessed her feelings to someone like that, then obviously their current close relationship would fall apart.
So she tried to be satisfied with being “just a friend.”
That is, until a new rival appeared.

A clueless exchange student who, on the very first day of transferring, had the audacity to ask Kim Yu-seong to go out with her—a Russian girl.
Of course, Karen had initially intended to support her friend Rika.
That was what made sense.

But Rika’s response was more than enough to shatter her delusion.
“Huh? Me and Ryu-chan aren’t like that?! What are you even talking about, Karen-chan?!”
The moment she heard that, it felt like she had been struck hard in the back of the head.

Come to think of it, Kim Yu-seong and Rika had never once said they were dating.
It was just Karen who had assumed, on her own, that the two were in a relationship.
Once she realized that, she could no longer lie to the feelings she had been ignoring all this time.

She already liked Kim Yu-seong.
Not as a simple friend, but as a man.
“I had a chance too…”

That was what finally pushed Karen to step into the chaos surrounding Kim Yu-seong—albeit a little late.
***
After eating bingsu, we studied for about two more hours.

“Ugh~ I’m exhausted~”
“I can’t do anymore~”
“So weak. To already be tired from just this much.”

As soon as the clock hit six, our exam prep was officially over.
It was nearly dinnertime, and we all felt that studying any further would be pointless.
With her head down on the desk, Karen asked,

“What are we doing for dinner? You can eat here if you want.”
Rika’s eyes sparkled as she asked,
“What’s on the menu today?”

“Anything’s fine. If I tell the chef, he can make just about anything.”
“I’m eating!”
Rika, who was more serious about food than anyone else present, raised her hand high and shouted.

We had been studying for almost half the day, so it wasn’t surprising that we were hungry.
The only thing we’d eaten in between was the red bean bingsu.
“Sasha, what about you?”

“I’ve always been interested in Japanese home-cooked meals.”
“If you want to eat, just say so, you dummy. Today’s a temporary truce.”
“…I want to eat.”

At that, Karen gave a small chuckle.
“Yeah, at least you’re honest, so that’s better.”
Finally, Karen turned to me and asked,

“What about you, Yu-seong?”
“I’ll stay for dinner too.”
At this point, the group consensus had already shifted toward staying for dinner.

If I suddenly withdrew alone, it would clearly make the atmosphere awkward.
So it was decided that our study session would officially end after dinner, and we began tidying up the scattered pens and notebooks on the floor and table.
Karen had already told the servant, so someone would probably come to call us soon.

Still, seeing that all three had followed along so diligently made me feel like teaching had been worth it.
If they’d slacked off from beginning to end, I might’ve lost interest halfway through.
At the very least, this proved they still had some grit left as students, didn’t it?

I watched with satisfaction as Rika started playfully messing with Karen, now that the studying was over.
Whatever else, I was looking forward to these two’s midterm results.
***

“Fuhahaha! It’s nothing much, but dig in!”
Soon after, we were called to dinner—and what awaited us was a literal feast.
All kinds of gourmet dishes filled the table, each one plated beautifully.

For some reason, Karen’s father and Boris had naturally joined us and were now sitting across from each other, drinking and chatting.
It seemed the two had hit it off while we were studying.
Well, with good food and a drink in hand, it’s hard for a man to resist, after all.

I turned my eyes away from the sake the two were drinking and focused on the meal in front of me.
Karen, seated across from me, asked,
“So? How is it, Kim Yu-seong? Does the food suit your taste?”

I nodded honestly.
“It’s like eating at a fancy ryokan. Not that I’ve ever been to one.”
“Fufu, I’m glad you like it. Eat as much as you want. We’ve prepared plenty.”

“In that case, I won’t hold back.”
To maintain a body and muscle mass like mine, I had to eat quite a bit every day.
Lunch was usually a bento or something from the student cafeteria, but I tried to have a solid breakfast and dinner.

I started eating the dishes and rice in front of me without reservation.
Karen’s father complimented me, saying he liked how manly I was, but to be honest, it barely registered.
After all, how often does a high school student get to fill his stomach with such high-end food?

Only after five refills of rice and soup did I finally finish eating.
What was even more impressive was that, despite eating so much, I didn’t finish much later than everyone else.
We all bowed our heads in thanks to Karen and her father for the delicious meal.

“Thank you for the food.”
It really had been a fantastic meal.
***

Karen saw us off all the way to the front gate.
Her father, Mr. Naoto, insisted that we stay the night since we must be tired, but that felt too presumptuous, so we politely declined.
We hadn’t brought any toiletries or a change of clothes anyway.

…Though for some reason, he smacked his lips while looking at me like he was disappointed. Probably just my imagination.
Just like in the morning, I took Sasha’s black armored car back home. When my mom asked if I’d eaten, I said I had dinner at a friend’s house.
It was already 8 p.m., almost time to close the restaurant.

I cleared away the dishes left by the last customers and finished the rest of the washing in the kitchen.
“Oh, you must be tired after studying all day. Go ahead and rest.”
“Nah, it’s fine. You two had a tougher day, I bet.”

Saying that, I had my father and mother sit down outside on the chairs to rest while I finished cleaning up.
As I came out, wiping my wet hands on my apron, I saw the two of them laughing out loud at a variety show on TV.
Seeing that made me feel oddly guilty for being the only one who had eaten something delicious, so I quietly asked,

“You haven’t eaten yet, right? Is there anything you’d like to eat? I’ll make it for you.”
“Oh my, what’s gotten into you? Saying something so sweet all of a sudden.”
“Well, sometimes I do have my moments.”

When I said that with a smile, my mother thought for a moment and then replied.
“Then make me a rolled omelet.”
“And for you, Dad?”

“Anything’s fine.”
“Then I’ll make the chili shrimp you like.”
I went through the fridge in the kitchen and carefully prepared a meal for the two of them.

When I brought the dishes out, my dad pulled out a chair and gestured for me to sit next to them.
After placing the food on the table, I took a cold beer from the fridge and handed each of them a glass.
“Oh my, our son really has a knack for this.”

Feeling a bit embarrassed at Mrs. Im I-ja’s praise, I scratched the back of my neck and carefully poured the beer into their glasses to avoid making foam.
My dad chugged his beer and let out a satisfied “Khh~!”
“This is why I keep running the restaurant.”

“If you need more snacks, let me know. I’ll make more.”
“Why don’t you have a drink too?”
“I’m good. I’ll wait until I’m an adult.”

I spent some peaceful time chatting warmly with my parents.
And so, Saturday evening slowly deepened into night.