Pitbabe S2, Chapter 12 pg5

 Pitbabe S2, Chapter 12 pg5

   “Corn,” Kim replied, giving me a side-eye for asking such an obvious question. I don’t know why I even asked when it’s clearly corn. “Pick the parts that aren’t burnt.”

   “Who made this?” I grabbed the skewer and flipped it over, noticing that the Korean guy had deliberately hidden the burnt side underneath for a prettier look, then sat there nibbling on the normal-looking part instead of grilling a new one that actually looked edible.

   “Me.”

   “Go back to driving.”

   “Oh, sure, Chef Supreme,” the Korean guy smirked, his face dripping with sarcasm while his mouth methodically stripped corn kernels row by row. Even his eating style was so fitting, perfectly matching his personality. “How many dishes have you made, huh?”

   “Plenty. You’re just not lucky enough to try them.”

   “Plating stuff Charlie made doesn’t count.”

   “I’ve cooked and served in bowls too, buddy,” I shot back, puffing out my chest with a smug look. But Kim just stared at me with even more disdain. Looks like I need to take cooking seriously for real. Everyone’s got the wrong idea that I’m useless at everything, and it’s all because of that Charlie who never lets me do anything myself.

   “Without Charlie, what can you even do?”

   Before I could respond, Kim shook his head, throwing shade without a care. Pitbabe’s authority is fading by the day. I blame Charlie for wrapping me in this soft, cushy bubble all the time. He asked me to quit smoking, cut back on alcohol, begged me to avoid fights. This year, I’ve become a peace-loving Pitbabe because every time my temper flares, Charlie chimes in with, “Babe, no. Please, I’m begging you.” And in the end, I soften and do what he asks.

   “I’ll beat you in a race.”

   “You did before, but now? Doubt it,” Kim said smugly, his confidence sky-high. It’d be way scarier if he put down that charred corn first. “I got a new car, and I’ve been practicing every day. A guy like you, babysitting kids all day, is getting too careless.”

   “Oh, heard Phii Alan mention you begged for a new car,” I nodded casually, not bothering to argue about the babysitting jab. Truth is, I barely have time for that despite the rumors. “Which one did you get?”

   “Wanna know? Come see.”

   “Where?”

   “My place.”

   “Let’s go.”

   Kim froze when I accepted his invitation so easily. His mouth, which had been steadily munching, faltered, as if my response was completely unexpected. I’ve been to his place plenty of times, but now he’s giving me this “No way, you can’t come” look.

   “Nah,” he suddenly backtracked, acting like he just remembered he didn’t want me at his place. “See it at the track. No need to come to my house.”

   I stared at Kim, a bit confused. Honestly, I wasn’t that eager to hang out at his place, and he’s the one who invited me. But now, with him acting all shady, I’m starting to get curious about what’s really going on at this Korean guy’s house. I’d bet it’s not just the new car he’s bragging about.

   “What?” Being stared at relentlessly, Kim looked increasingly flustered, seeming like the same type as me—the type who gets caught the moment they even think about lying. “What’re you looking at?”

   “You got a girlfriend?”

   “Huh?” I wasn’t sure if I’d guessed right, but the way his eyes widened like goose eggs was pretty funny. “Where’d that come from?”

   “Just a guess.”

   “Total nonsense.”

   “Well, a guess is nonsense, isn’t it?” I shrugged casually, knowing full well that between me and him right now, the one feeling like they’re sitting on a hot pan was him, not me. “But seeing someone act all shady makes me think the guess might be spot-on.”

   “I’m not acting shady,” Kim said in a low voice, clearly trying his hardest to deflect the accusation. Unbeknownst to him, the more he denied it, the more obvious it was that there was something he didn’t want me to know.

   “No need to hide it. You’ve been here forever; what’s so weird about having a girlfriend?”

   “Nothing weird, but I don’t have one.”

   “Is she pretty?”

   “Well…” The suspect seemed to drift off for a moment but quickly snapped back. Kim pointed at me knowingly. “Oh, no, you’re not tricking me.”

   “Or maybe he’s handsome?”

   “I don’t have a girlfriend.”

   “Bad style, ugly face, for sure.”

   “You think you’re the only one with a hot girlfriend or what?”

   “Ha! Knew it was a guy!”

   “What!” Kim yelped, his voice cracking. I figured if I pushed him a bit more, his brain would explode all over the floor. Like I said, he’s like me—both of us are so straightforward it’s hard to spin a convincing lie. That’s why he freaks out like he’s been scalded every time he’s caught lying. “I said I don’t have one, damn it!”

   “You’ve been whining about being single all year, and now you just happen to have someone?”

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