The Good Guy with a….

The three of us began walking down the street. I couldn’t help but think of the red and purple marks on Song’s neck. As we walked, both Myung and Song happily talked to each other about what type of games they liked. I was slowly walking behind them, looking at my feet, recalling the marks.

(There’s no way she’s getting abused, right?)

Abused was my first thought, but still one more conclusion about the marking on her neck. I just didn’t want to think about it.

We began to approach the train station. Myung used the trains to get to school and go back home.

"Alright, this is my stop."

"Song, even though we started on the wrong foot, it was still a great time hanging out with you." Myung said.

"Yes, same here."

"Make sure you protect this girl, Park."

"Y-Yes."

After that, Myung waved us off as she ran inside the station.

It was just Song and me; the silence was loud. I had no idea what to say to break the silence. Should I mention the marks on her neck? No, that would be stupid and insensitive.

"So, Park."

"Y-Yes?"

"Do you want to get some food real quick?"

Unexpectedly, Song broke the silence and offered to get some food.

"S-Sure, what place do you have in mind?"

"There is this katsudon spot that some friends and I went to, and it’s not too far--"

"Katsu!!"

I abruptly cut her off as I sprang to her, holding her hands together excitedly.

"Did you say Katsu!?!"

You are probably wondering why I am so happy to hear about Katsu; that’s because the defining feature is the panko coating. Instead of becoming a thin, dense crust, panko creates larger, airy flakes that fry into a loud, satisfying crunch. You get that contrast between crispy outside and tender inside with almost every bite.

Secondly, the meat, katsu, is usually mild and juicy, which gives the crunchy coating plenty of room to shine. Tonkatsu, made with pork, has a richer flavor and can be especially satisfying because of the meat’s natural fattiness.

And thirdly, the sauce. Katsu sauce is typically thick, sweet, savory, and slightly tangy. It balances the fried coating instead of overpowering it. A little sauce soaking into the crust while some remains on top creates different textures in the same bite.

And the rice too: the Plain Japanese rice works surprisingly well because it isn’t strongly seasoned. The rice acts almost like a blank canvas for the crispy, salty, savory katsu.

And last but not least, the curry. This takes everything one step further: crispy katsu + Japanese curry + rice. The curry is warm, savory, and mildly sweet, while the katsu adds crunch. The contrast between crispy, creamy/saucy, and fluffy textures is what makes the combination so satisfying.

"Then, why are we still here? We need to get going."

"Y-Yes, it’s like a five-minute walk from here so--"

I dragged Song by the arm and ran down the street as she tried to tell me I was going the wrong way.

***

We entered the Katsu place and sat down at the available tables.

One of the employees gave us menus, and I excitedly took one. As I was looking through the choices, I was humming a little song to myself.

"Umm, what song are you humming?"

"Oh, sorry, it’s just a little song that my mom and I made every time she used to make katsu."

"Really? Does she not cook it anymore?"

"Well...I guess so, because my mom got a new job; she didn’t have enough time to cook, so we just ate pre-cooked meals."

"Is that so? Your parents must be nice."

After she said that, I paused from looking through the menu and looked at Song’s expression. She had a depressed look on her face; her eyes seemed on the verge of tearing up.

"S-Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you feel bad."

"Ah, no, it’s not your fault. It just...You know some people’s households are all that great."

What the hell is wrong? There goes I went blabbing about how great my mom and dad were, but not realizing other people’s situations.

Song seems to be still upset. I don’t know what to do; I made a poor girl feel bad about herself. Maybe I should comfort her.

"Song."

"Huh?"

I lend out my hand and gently place it on top of hers.

"Everybody has hard times, and we all have moments where we think it will be impossible to escape from, but no matter what happens to you, no matter what life is going to throw at you. You must always and always stay on your two legs and say, ’I did it.’ That’s the meaning of hard times. "

Song didn’t say a word; she just stared at me with a shocked expression until tears began to fall from your eyes.

"A-Ahh, sorry, I didn’t mean to make you cry."

"No, no, no, I’m not crying because I’m sad; I’m crying because that was the first time that someone ever said those kind words to me before." She wiped her eyes with her hand.

"Alright, enough with feeling bad. It’s time to eat."

She picked up her menu and called the waitress. Me and her order what we were going to get as the lady wrote it down.

I ordered the same as usual.

And Song ordered the Tonkatsu.

After that, our food finally arrived. We ate and chatted about our dislikes, likes, what our hobbies are, and what our favourite movies and games are. Seeing her laugh and smile brings warmth to my heart.

***

We finished eating our Katsu.

One of the ladies brought the bill over and placed it on the table.

(Maybe I should pay...)

As I was about to pull out my wallet, Song placed her really expensive-looking card on top of the bill.

"U-Uh, Song, I was going to pay; you don’t have to."

"No, It’s okay. I asked you to hang out with me, so I have to pay." She said.

The lady took her card and swiped it on the card reader.

"Thank you very much."

We got up and walked to the katsu place.

(It looks like it’s getting dark. Maybe I should go back home.)

I turned toward Song.

"Today was a really good time. I’m glad that we spent so much time together."

Song didn’t say a word.

"I should get going--"

As I was about to leave, Song suddenly grabbed my shirt. I turned around to see what was wrong, but she was quiet, and her face was all red.

"I....I want to spend more time with you, Park."

"Huh?"

An unexpected turn of events had unfolded as she stared at me with a flushed face.

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