"You smell like an onsen," Jisoo said.
The table went still.
Doyun continued eating with great focus.
"Doyun," Haejin said.
"I went for a walk," Doyun said.
"You smell like sulfur."
"The air quality in this area of Tokyo is varied."
"Doyun hyung," Minjae said, gently.
Doyun set his chopsticks down.
"I was retrieved," he said, with full dignity. "Before anything interesting happened. I want that on record."
The table erupted.
Jisoo's hands went flat on the table. Minjae covered his mouth. Taekyung set his chopsticks down, which for him was the equivalent of standing up. Haejin closed his eyes.
Soorin pressed her lips together and looked at her soba.
Doyun waited for the reaction to finish. Then he explained his reasoning in full, starting from the moment he saw the sign and working through every decision point with the patience of someone who genuinely believed this would help.
It did not help.
