Senghyun was genuinely eating the pasta despite being over his crush to keep the peace because you can't just up and tell a person "I don't like it" when they already ordered it for you and Jongchan misunderstood, thinking Senghyun likes pasta so that is why he ordered pasta for both of them during their first date despite not liking it because Jongchan thought Senghyun would be more comfortable that way and Senghyun thinks Jongchan likes pasta and western cuisine because Jongchan's his ex-crush's friend, both of them misunderstood in a way that made the whole think hilarious for the reader, also, Koreans are known to be hyper polite and there are literal heriachies based on age, so saying things upfront to someone older is kind of taboo.
It's a funny narrative tool, peo6can misunderstand, it makes it relatable and funny.
See that's the thing. Of course the author wanted to let the reader know that senghyeun was over his crush, but in order to do that, the best way was to simply order something else, I mean he was there when the order was made. That would have naturally communicated his decision of having moved on. And sure, korean culture is being polite but he could have still managed being polite while ordering something else. what I am trying to say is that it looked forced. The manhwa itself is a decent read, writing wise. Thats why this scene felt out of place.
It's not out of place, it's just how thier culture is, as someone who is also asian, respecting someone who is older is something that's been ingrained into us and saying no to older people is a little difficult here, it's not about Senghyung moving on per se, it's about trying to not come across as insolent, it's very difficult to be in social circles and maintain a good work culture if you give your seniors a bad impression, most of the story relies on this, Senghyung had to rely on Jongchan, his superior, to get out of doing scut work from other department employees who just want to get an easy way out and make him the scape goat, there, Senghyun clearly can't say no without concequences, he still got in trouble despite Jongchan backing him, getting harrassed in a party like so. Even if Senghuyn's first love/crush won't exactly harass him like that, still, it's generally frowned upon, like refusing to drink Soju offered by your superiors as it was once mentioned in one of the earliest chapters, Korea depends a lot on confucian hierarchical structure based on listeners age, social status or intimacy, there is a reason they need permission to use each other's first names, there is also a reason why Senghyun is mildly irritated that there are still touches of vertical hierarchy despite the office claiming to have a horizontal hierarchy, it ain't easy there, in simple words, honorofics are used heavily and disrespecting someone your senior might ruin your life.
Also, Senghyun's prior crush did not know Senghuyn had a crush on him, there is no "oh, I've moved on, lemme just order whatever I like", he just wants to keep the peace, he's sitting with two very established men who are both his seniors and command respect without demanding it, it is a very intimidating spot to be at and it's a fun little gag on top of that, it's a harmless little thing and Jogchan sends a strictly worded reply to his ex/Senghyun's first love/crush after they both finally break the miscommunication barrier and actually talk and resolve their issues, infact, the whole pasta fiasco was a nice little soft launch into their initial fallout and later made the discovery all the more sweeter, in a true "Idiots in love" kinda fashion.
It's fun, it might not be fun for you but it is for most people.
I disagree about it being placed right/naturally in the story, so let's agree to disagree. Thanks for participating.
Sure, to each thier own i guess
Oh and if it feels forced to you, that's your lens and taste, not a universal flaw, cling to it, very cute if you to assume it's a competition to con
To thank me for participating, have good one or not, it's upto yoy
Okay but you can like more than one kind of food/cuisine right? most people don't eat the same thing everytime they go out even if they like it. And even in Italian or western cuisines, there are other options that won't clash with your lactose intolerance...like maybe pick up a salad, or pasta with tomato based sauce, or curry. It doesn't have to be something with dairy. Also it's funny that the MC has gotten over his ex crush but still eating pasta ordered by the latter, despite his intolerance. Like maybe now, you can pick something different, no?