IH Ch 133

Chapter 133

I never knew the smell of the sea could feel this good. Other people said empty beaches and wide-open coasts were eerie, but this was the Jae-i Guild. With a crazy-strong, foul-tempered S-rank guildmaster around, what was there to fear? Humming to herself as she worked, the nutritionist froze when the outside suddenly grew noisy. One of the serving staff gaped wide-eyed, prompting her to ask,

“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

The cook turned, looking as though he couldn’t believe what he’d seen.

“No, it’s just… the guildmaster came down to eat.”

“…Why??”

“No idea.”

The reaction seemed strange, but to them it was perfectly reasonable—because the guildmaster had never once eaten in the dining hall. As someone responsible for everyone’s meals and nutrition, she had once asked the team leader about it. The answer was simple:

‘He has no interest in eating.’

Was it because S-ranks didn’t get hungry even without meals? And despite that, how was he so tall and built like that? She’d been jealous, honestly. And now, the guildmaster was here to eat?

“…!”

The nutritionist hurried toward the serving area.

Since it was the first day after relocating the guild base, they had prepared something like a small feast—Western, Chinese, Japanese dishes, plus noodles and rice cakes. She trusted the flavor; she always did her job well. But as she scanned the dining hall, wondering did everything turn out okay today?, she froze.

The guildmaster wasn’t alone.

He wore a loose shirt, slacks, and slippers—a relaxed outfit—and his hair was naturally down. With his forehead covered, he finally looked his age. Holding plates in both hands, he stood beside someone who was quietly placing various dishes on them.

That person was much smaller and more delicate than the guildmaster. Yet they were dressed in a black suit, sunglasses, and even an earpiece—like…

“Don’t tell me that person is guarding the guildmaster?”

At the cook’s hushed question, the nutritionist shook her head. She had no idea. Then she noticed the smaller figure suddenly stop choosing food, and she quickly stepped forward.

“Hello, good morning!”

Technically it was closer to lunchtime, but whatever—it wasn’t noon yet, so it still counted as morning. With that thought, she put on her warmest smile. Dohwa flinched as if startled by her sudden approach, but bowed politely.

“Hello.”

His voice was young. If you looked only at his outfit, he seemed like a bodyguard, but something about him… really looked like a kid wearing adult clothes.

Even the nutritionist, who had been working here since the earliest days of the guild, was seeing him for the first time. Still, she returned to professional mode.

“This is spicy fried chicken, and this one’s sweet. And this is steamed buns—wrap them together and it’s amazing. Ah, and today’s sashimi is very fresh. Where are you two planning to sit? I can bring it right over for you.”

Dohwa bit his lip, unsure, and Jae-i responded plainly,

“We’re fine without sashimi. The food here is more than enough.”

“…Then please take your time looking around. Feel free to choose whatever suits your taste.”

She wasn’t oblivious. The guildmaster’s tone made it clear she shouldn’t linger. But she noticed the variety of food on their plates—there was no specific preference, just curiosity. And judging by the hand holding the tongs, the one doing the tasting would be the smaller figure, not the guildmaster. Seeing Dohwa pick the sweet fried chicken, the nutritionist stepped back and smiled.

The pair moved on, and she signaled the other cooks to discreetly keep the food flowing. Thanks to that small kindness, Dohwa comfortably filled three plates. Even after that, his eyes still wandered to other dishes, but he decided to start with what he had first. The two of them took seats in the quietest corner of the hall.

As soon as Dohwa sat down, Jae-i placed the plates in front of him. Startled, Dohwa pushed one back toward him.

“We’re supposed to eat together.”

“I’m eating too.”

Jae-i sat on the outside, placing Dohwa inside. The round table had plenty of space—was it really okay to sit this close? Glancing around awkwardly, Dohwa then eyed the steaming plates.

He lifted a round meatball with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth.

“……”

After chewing only a few times, his eyes widened. He looked straight at Jae-i.

“Eat slowly and plenty.”

Jae-i pushed a mound of rice toward him. After exactly ten chews, Dohwa swallowed and grabbed a big spoonful of rice, pairing it with a perfectly grilled piece of meat. This time, his legs swung from side to side. Watching his excitement, Jae-i thought he would have to come here often.

He had thought he had been feeding Dohwa well enough. But sitting here now, he realized—I should’ve brought him here from the start. The food variety and quality were outstanding thanks to all the investment the guild had made following the advice that diet was important. And judging by Dohwa’s reaction, the dishes here suited him far better.

“……”

He should’ve done this sooner. A tight sting prickled in his chest as Jae-i glanced sideways. Quietly approaching, the nutritionist set down chicken porridge and seaweed soup filled with plump oysters. She disappeared as quickly as she arrived. Jae-i slid them toward Dohwa, who immediately brightened.

“…What’s this?”

“It’s for you.”

Jae-i took a generous bite of chicken leg meat, blew on it gently, and held it out—just like his aunt used to do. Dohwa rolled his eyes, feeling the weight of glances from people in the hall. Being fed like this was… embarrassing. But he didn’t want to refuse something Jae-i offered, either. So he opened his mouth quickly and took it—planning to tell Jae-i to eat too. But then the flavor stunned him—the tender chew, the perfect seasoning. After focusing on chewing quickly, he met Jae-i’s eyes and nodded hard. Delicious.

Jae-i reached to debone another piece. Dohwa grabbed his hand mid-chew and murmured,

“You eat too.”

“……”

“We came to eat together.”

He’d been eating alone this whole time. He should’ve offered Jae-i something first.

Jae-i never reached for food unless asked. Unless it was dessert, he wouldn’t touch anything. But not here. Not today. With this much good food, not eating was a waste.

Dohwa picked a rib from his plate and held it out for Jae-i. When Jae-i didn’t move, Dohwa glanced around, then whispered, hurry. When they were alone, he would even say “ah—” but with so many people watching, he was shy. Jae-i held back a laugh and accepted the rib. Dohwa immediately shoved a spoon into his hand.

“Try the other dishes too. I can’t finish all this by myself. We have to eat everything together. Leaving food is bad.”

“……”

“And we need to finish before the kid wakes up.”

The relaxed look on Jae-i’s face tightened faintly.

The “kid” was the beast. It had been bouncing all over the bed earlier before suddenly rolling across the sheets and burrowing under the blanket—falling asleep on the spot. Unsure if it was truly asleep, Jae-i had poked it lightly. It had immediately returned to its original form—a black puffball spread out like melted ink. Jae-i had tossed the blanket over it, and Dohwa had gently pulled out its face, like giving it an air hole.

If it hadn’t fallen asleep, it would’ve been chaos. But thankfully, it had. The problem was how long it would stay that way. If it woke up too soon… Jae-i remembered the cages. Then remembered how every cage—no matter how secure—had failed to contain it. He grimaced.

“This food is delicious. People are kind too.”

“……”

Seeing Jae-i continue eating—slowly but consistently—Dohwa grew more pleased. Encouraging him to try this and that, Dohwa then offered softly,

“Maybe we should eat here from now on.”

“Are you sure you’re okay with that?”

He had suggested it, but he was worried Jae-i might find it uncomfortable.

And honestly, as rumors spread, more and more people were entering the dining hall. Dohwa was starting to feel self-conscious.

“It’s fine. They’re familiar people. And they work at the guild I run.”

Guild staff weren’t hostile toward him. As long as they did their jobs, he didn’t interfere, so to them he was probably just a strict but ordinary boss. Even Ahn Yuna, as long as she received her salary on time, tolerated one catastrophic incident from him without complaint. Everyone else was likely similar.