A few days had passed since the apron incident, and if anything, the tension between Kwang-su and Jun-seo had only gotten more palpable—at least for Jun-seo. Kwang-su, on the other hand, had somehow mastered the art of acting perfectly normal while Jun-seo was quietly losing his mind every time they exchanged a glance.
It was another quiet morning in the bakery, the usual aroma of cinnamon and fresh bread filling the air. Kwang-su was behind the counter, happily slicing bread, completely unfazed by the lingering awkwardness from the other day. Meanwhile, Jun-seo was, as always, quietly trying to keep himself busy, avoiding Kwang-su's casual teasing.
"Stop looking at me like that," Jun-seo muttered, glaring at Kwang-su out of the corner of his eye.
Kwang-su raised an eyebrow, leaning against the counter with a relaxed grin. "Like what?"
Jun-seo narrowed his eyes. "Like you know exactly what I'm thinking."
Kwang-su shrugged. "I mean, you make it pretty obvious. You're blushing. You're avoiding eye contact. I think it's pretty clear what you're thinking."
"I'm not blushing," Jun-seo shot back, his face reddening even more.
"Sure, sure. Whatever you say," Kwang-su teased, giving him a wink.
Before Jun-seo could argue further, the door jingled, and both of them turned to see Mr. Min and Mr. Jin-woo walking in, carrying bags of groceries.
"Good morning, my boys!" Mr. Min greeted, his voice filled with warmth as he smiled at them.
"Good morning, Grandpa!" Jun-seo called out, rushing to greet him. He kissed Mr. Min on the cheek before taking the bags from him.
Mr. Min beamed, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "I brought some fresh fruit and vegetables. Hope you're both doing well."
"Thank you, Grandpa," Jun-seo said, quickly organizing the groceries.
Meanwhile, Mr. Jin-woo, with his usual no-nonsense demeanor, stood by the door, arms crossed, surveying the scene. "So, what's the situation here? Are you two actually getting work done, or are you just standing around, having a staring contest?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
Kwang-su chuckled under his breath. "Oh, we're getting work done. Just... admiring Jun-seo's fine baking skills."
Jun-seo shot him a look of mock offense. "Admiring my skills? You're literally just eating the pastries when I'm not looking."
Kwang-su grinned. "I'll admit, I have a weakness for cinnamon rolls."
"I knew it," Jun-seo muttered, shaking his head. "You're worse than my little brother."
Mr. Min chuckled, his gaze shifting between the two. "Boys, boys, don't fight. You're both doing great."
Jin-woo, however, was not letting this slide. He leaned in, speaking to both of them in a low voice. "You two should probably focus on the work. If you're going to stand around, at least make it look like you're busy."
Kwang-su straightened up, giving Jin-woo a grin. "Grandfather, you know we work hard. Just because we like to mess around a little doesn't mean we're not doing our best."
Jin-woo raised an eyebrow at Kwang-su, his stern expression softening slightly. "I suppose... but if you two spent more time focusing and less time arguing, you'd finish even faster."
Mr. Min, who had been quietly listening, placed a hand on Mr. Jin-woo's shoulder with a sigh. "Jin-woo, you're embarrassing the kids. Let them have their fun. They work hard, and you know it. You don't have to make everything so serious."
Jin-woo blinked, clearly caught off guard by Mr. Min's words. "I'm not—"
"You are!" Mr. Min cut him off with a raised hand. "You always do this. Trying to turn everything into a lesson. These kids are fine. Let them breathe a little."
Kwang-su's eyes widened in amusement as he watched the two grandfathers. Jun-seo, who was still processing the fact that Mr. Min was getting genuinely annoyed with Mr. Jin-woo, quickly glanced at Kwang-su. He couldn't help but snicker at the situation.
"You're right, Mr. Min," Kwang-su said, crossing his arms with a sly grin. "We do work hard. In fact, we should take a break soon and enjoy some of those apples you brought. I'm sure Jun-seo has a plan for them, right?" He turned to Jun-seo, raising an eyebrow.
Jun-seo, who was trying to hide his amusement, glanced at Kwang-su. "I... yeah. Maybe later. When we're not being interrogated."
Mr. Jin-woo was now looking slightly embarrassed, his face softening as he glanced at Mr. Min. "Alright, alright. I'll... apologize. I may have been a bit too harsh."
"Good," Mr. Min said, his tone light. "And don't forget, the kids are more than capable. Let them enjoy their time."
"Apology accepted, I guess," Jun-seo mumbled, not looking directly at Mr. Jin-woo, still trying to hold back a grin.
Mr. Jin-woo, now looking somewhat sheepish, walked over to Kwang-su and Jun-seo. "Fine, fine. I'll leave you two alone... for now."
Jun-seo sighed in relief. "Thank you. Finally."
Just as things seemed to settle, Kwang-su leaned closer to Jun-seo, his voice dropping to a whisper. "See? You didn't have to worry. The old man's got your back."
Jun-seo rolled his eyes, his face heating up once again. "I swear, you never stop teasing me."
"Oh, I'll stop," Kwang-su said innocently, "but only when you stop being so cute when you get embarrassed."
Jun-seo's jaw dropped. "I'm not cute."
Kwang-su smirked. "Sure, you're not. But you're definitely something." He gave a cheeky wink.
"Alright, that's enough!" Jun-seo snapped, turning away, his face now the brightest shade of red. "I'm going to finish the pastries!"
Kwang-su chuckled, leaning back in his chair, clearly enjoying the moment. "I'll be over here. Don't take too long, Jun-seo. I might just have to snack on those apples myself."
Mr. Min, who had been quietly watching the back-and-forth, gave Mr. Jin-woo a playful look. "See? Just let them be themselves, Jin-woo. It's the only way they'll learn."
Jin-woo sighed, clearly softening under Mr. Min's gentle gaze. "Fine, fine. But if they mess up, don't blame me."
Mr. Min smiled warmly, patting Jin-woo's arm. "I wouldn't dream of it, dear. I wouldn't dream of it."