Tell Me That You Like It

“It may be stressful because you have to be evaluated by people, but it still sounds like a cool job.”

 

“Thank you for seeing it that way. Ah, now we have arrived in Segovia.”

 

The two people who parked their cars in a nearby parking lot entered the restaurant.

 

The reserved restaurant was right in front of a huge capital bridge built by the Romans a long time ago.

 

The restaurant, which looked like an old wooden house, was a three-story building that looked small on the outside but was quite large on the inside. Wooden maroon rafters supported the ceiling, and the walls were decorated here and there with plates with photos and drawings.

 

A cheerful Spanish song was playing inside the store.

The employee who confirmed the name showed them to the window table on the second floor. The great arch of the aqueduct was visible through the window just by sitting at the table.

 

It was a good location to enjoy the aqueduct right in front of the restaurant filled with customers.

 

When they sat down, Anna felt like she was in scene from a painting.

 

“The Aqueduct Bridge is really huge. How did they make something like this so long ago?”

 

“The Romans have been smart since ancient times.”

 

“Are you proud that it was your ancestor?”

 

“Did I get caught? Anna is lucky, by the way.”

 

Lucino suddenly said something out of the blue.

 

“Me?”

 

When she asked again what he meant when she lost all of her luggage yesterday, Lucino smiled brightly and pointed to a view directly overlooking the aqueduct.

 

“Even though there were so many customers, we were given a table by the window.”

 

He made a joke with his eyebrows arched.

 

“It sounds like it.”

 

Anna smiled and nodded.

 

“And we met too.”

 

He spoke meaningfully, his sapphire eyes shining.

Anna seemed to have stopped breathing. Because the nuance was somehow strange. The subtle way of speaking is like…

 

Ah, she must be mistaken.

 

She took it literally, and nodded. The strange thoughts that came to her mind were quickly erased.

 

There was no way a man like Lucino would be interested in her, who was just an ordinary Asian. What he said yesterday about her smiling being prettier than when she was crying was probably just a comforting statement.

 

There was no need to attach meaning to it. If she gave it meaning, she would be the only one who became a strange person.

 

“I see.”

 

She was very lucky to meet him. If Lucino hadn’t offered to help her, she would have been squeezing her tears and runny nose on the plane back to Korea by now.

 

While talking to Lucino, the staff in a black suit brought the menu. All the staff seemed to be neatly dressed and treated.

 

“What would you like to drink?”

 

“Carbonated water.”

 

“I’d like a lemon Fanta, please.”

 

Asked by the staff, the two ordered drinks. Soon the staff brought carbonated water in a green bottle and lemon Fanta in a can and poured it into each of their cups.

 

“Does Anna not like alcohol?”

 

“I don’t think I will start drinking at lunch, unless I drink at night.”

 

It doesn’t matter because she was traveling, but Lucino also drinks water, but it took a little while to drink alone. And lemon Fanta was something she couldn’t drink in Korea, so she wanted to taste it once.

 

“Can you only drink at night in Korea?”

 

“It’s not necessarily true, but since I work most of the time, I drink it after work. It is also not a culture to drink alcohol with lunch. Is it okay to drink alcohol for lunch in Italy?”

 

“A glass or two of wine doesn’t matter. I also drink as an appetizer.”

 

“Did you order water because it’s not Italian wine now?”

 

Only after the employee left, Anna whispered to Lucino in a small voice. It was a low voice that could not be heard by the Spanish employee, but could be heard well by Lucino, who sat in front of her.

 

Moving his eyebrows up and down, he looked at Anna, who looked at Lucino’s glass of water, as if she were cute.

 

“Not necessarily, because I have to drive today.”

 

“Ah… right. That’s right.”

 

“I’m not drunk with just one drink, but alcohol is alcohol.”

 

It was her first trip, and Anna, who was not used to renting a car, forgot for a moment that he had to drive.

 

While sympathizing with Lucino’s idea of not driving after drinking, Anna felt that he was a delicate person.

 

“Anna.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“If we go to Toledo in the evening, let’s drink together then. Wouldn’t you have to drink Spanish wine to know the true taste of Italian wine later?”

 

“I see. I should try Spanish wine, too.”

 

Anna replied with a smile to his playful expression and voice.

 

She didn’t have to wait long before the food came out. While she was eating a salad drizzled with olive oil, the staff showed off a performance of cutting a whole roasted pig on a plate on one side of the second floor as if to show off to the guests.

 

“You know what?”

 

“No, I have no idea.”

 

Lucino reacted by shaking his head to her habit of asking pointed questions without getting to the point. Anna laughed out loud at the exaggerated and funny expression.

 

“It is said that in the past, they cut the piglets into plates and then threw the plates on the floor. This is to prove that plates used for cutting meat should not be reused. This means emphasizing that it is hygienic. They say that these days, people don’t necessarily break dishes like that employee does.”

 

Lucino’s eyes shone with admiration as he listened to Anna’s explanation, which could have sounded boring, as if it were interesting.

 

“That’s interesting. Anna is really smart to know that.”

 

“I’ve only read it on the Internet.”

 

“I think you have a very good memory.”

 

“Everyone does this much.”

 

“No, it’s not. I think Anna is amazing. I didn’t even think to look.”

 

It’s not a particularly special story, but Lucino kept praising her, so she was embarrassed and her chest tickled.

 

Anna had not yet been 100 per cent relieved of the shock she received from the theft. But she was able to forget the incident for a moment, thanks to Lucino, who constantly made her smile and praised her.

 

While they were talking, the waiter who was serving another table finally brought Cochinillo Asado to Anna’s table as well.

 

Anna cut the meat into small pieces with her knife and put it in her mouth. The skin of Cochinillo Asado, a whole roasted suckling pig, was thin but very crispy, and the meat was soft.

 

“It is delicious! I think it tastes better because the skin is crispy! This is my first time eating something like this.”

 

Anna ate it, admiring the thin, well-browned skin over and over again.

 

Although it was pork, it tasted similar to chicken leg meat, but the meat was softer and more savory than chicken, so it melts in the mouth.

 

“Is it that good?”

 

“Yes. Lucino, thank you so much. Because you asked me to come with you yesterday.”

 

The corners of Lucino’s mouth turned up as he watched Anna happily eating cochinillo asado, her black, plum-like pupils sparkling. He also felt happy as he looked at her smiling face with her big double-lidded eyes folded in half.

 

He moved the cochinillo asado skin from his plate to Anna’s plate using a new fork.

 

“I didn’t touch this. Anna should eat more.”

 

“Huh? This is enough for me. Lucino eat it.”

 

“It’s alright. I can eat anytime even if it’s not here. There is a similar food in Italy.”

 

“But…”

 

“So Anna eats.”

 

Anna was moved by Lucino handing over more pork rinds to her to eat the delicious part. When she ate with her family, Min-seok always ate all the most delicious things alone, so she often couldn’t taste them.

 

He’s so considerate of others…

 

‘You fix your appetite first. Who do you take after?’

 

Even when Anna’s chopsticks touched a plate containing delicious food, it seemed that she could hear her mother’s sharp voice that embarrassed her. When the sad memory suddenly came to mind, Anna was in tears for nothing.

 

Her heart was pounding and her throat was tight, even for Lucino, who continued to take kindly care of her.

 

“Thank… you.”

 

“Anna, what’s wrong with you all of a sudden? Are you okay?”

 

Lucino was embarrassed when he saw Anna suddenly about to cry.

 

But Anna couldn’t say anything. She couldn’t explain that she was impressed that he was taking care of things that her family didn’t do for her.

 

It was so miserable that she couldn’t say it. So she only talked about what she could.

 

“Because the pork rinds are so delicious. I think it was a good thing… I didn’t go back.”

 

“Oh, my…”

 

There was silence between the two. Lucino, who was watching Anna’s eyes begin to tear up, began to click his tongue.

 

“It won’t do. Maybe I should cancel what I gave Anna and eat it all.”

 

“…What?”

 

Anna, who was immersed in the complex emotions of sadness and emotion, belatedly understood Lucino’s words and asked back.

 

“No. Not only did I give it to you, but I’ll have to eat all of Anna’s crispy pork rinds.”

 

“Eh?”

 

Anna’s eyes, which were filled with tears at the greedy words, dried up in an instant like the Sahara Desert. Lucino was staring at her face, which was colored with bewilderment.

 

“This is bad food that brings tears to Anna’s eyes, so wouldn’t it be natural for me to dispose of it instead? Please give me the plate quickly. I will eat it and destroy it all before your eyes.”

 

Even though he said so, Lucino did not touch her plate or put out his hand.

 

The two people looked at each other silently, making eye contact. There was silence on the table, but Lucino’s eyes were sparkling mischievously and his lips were twitching, trying to suppress a smile.

 

After a while, Anna and Lucino started laughing at the same time.

 

“Anna, I will have to ban delicious food from now on. From now on, if the food is too delicious, let me know in advance. You can’t cry, so I’ll take care of it for you.”

 

“What the hell does that mean? Lucino… It’s absurd.”

 

“Can’t you see my eyes? I’m very serious. Promise me, come on.”

 

But the blue eyes were shining with ridiculous playfulness.

 

“What do you promise?”

 

“I won’t eat anything delicious from now on.”

 

“What?”

 

“If you eat something too delicious, you promise to stop chewing and give it to me unconditionally.”

 

Anna couldn’t stop laughing. She was both thankful and entertained by Lucino, who threw in ridiculous jokes to change the mood.

 

“Uh huh, I promise. I’m serious, but you just keep laughing?”

 

“I see. I promise.”

 

It was a joke.

 

But contrary to his promise, Lucino did not look over her plate. He stopped eating and looked at Anna with deep eyes. The blue eyes were shining softly.

 

“As expected… Anna is prettier when she smiles.”

 

Her heart dropped with a thud.

 

It was something she had already heard once, but even if she heard it again, her heart was pounding.

 

Her face heated up.

 

Because of those eyes that looked seductive.