IH Ch 77

Chapter 77

“Take this.”

“…Wow.”

The moment Dohwa took the bag and peeked inside, his eyes widened. He lifted the shopping bag up to his face and lowered his head into it, looking for all the world as if he might actually crawl inside. Instead of nitpicking or making a snide remark, Jae-i passed by with feigned indifference, setting the box down near the sofa and glancing around the room.

“……”

What was that comfort he had felt when he entered the house earlier? It was a feeling he’d never once experienced before.

When Jae-i glanced back to see where Dohwa had gone, his expression twisted. Dohwa was still pressing his face close to the shopping bag and now entering the kitchen with it.

“What are you doing?”

“Huh? I’m going to put this in the fridge.”

Why would he put it in the fridge? I bought it specifically for you to eat…

“……”

Jae-i’s expression darkened. Staring at his furrowed face, Dohwa asked,

“Can I eat it?”

Jae-i’s expression flinched ever so slightly. Dohwa, noticing the added tension in his clenched jaw, peeked again into the shopping bag. There were six neatly stacked slices of cake inside. On top of the cake at the very top sat a large, beautifully placed strawberry. Seeing that two of the same cakes were lined up next to each other, Dohwa murmured again.

“Looks delicious.”

Then, walking over to Jae-i, Dohwa crouched in front of the living room table and carefully took out the two cakes at the top, setting them down gently. After removing those, he peeked back into the bag and found another pair of the same cakes inside. For some reason, he couldn’t take his eyes off them. After staring a moment longer, he looked up slowly and met Jae-i’s still displeased gaze, which had softened slightly.

“Did you eat?”

“Not hungry.”

Even with that curt reply, Dohwa pointed to the cakes.

“You’re going to eat this, right?”

“……”

He fell silent. Which meant yes.

“Then I’ll get these ready while you go change.”

Jae-i’s brows creased deeply.

Why does he keep bossing me around? he thought irritably, but only for a second—he remembered he’d just come back from a gate. Though he had cleaned up quickly at the guild, changing clothes and all, it wouldn’t hurt to at least wash his hands…

Jae-i passed by Dohwa quietly. On his way past, he nudged Dohwa lightly with his foot, as if telling him to move. Dohwa, however, balanced himself well and didn’t topple over. Seeing him continue crouching in that exact spot, Jae-i scrunched his nose and headed to his room.

Entering with a composed expression, he quickly undressed and tossed the clothes into the laundry bin. After washing his face and hands, he wrapped a towel around his waist and headed straight for the dressing room. At home, he preferred wearing comfortable sweatpants and a t-shirt. Normally, he would have reached for them without hesitation, but today his hand drifted toward the clothes hanging on the rack.

All of them were from high-end brands. Though he could’ve just thrown on whatever came to hand, this time he carefully checked each piece for color and design. They felt strangely unfamiliar, even though they were his. Had he always owned these? While pondering this, Jae-i turned his head and paused. In the full-length mirror at the back of the dressing room stood a man with nothing but a towel around his waist, looking utterly unsightly.

“……”

He ran a hand roughly through his hair and exited the room. From a drawer in the back of the room, he pulled out a plain white t-shirt and shorts from a bulk pack he had once bought—around a hundred identical sets. Throwing them on without much thought, he ambled out of the room—only to stop abruptly.

There was Dohwa, coming out of the kitchen carefully carrying a dish like it was a treasure.

“What’s that?”

Walking over to take a look, Jae-i saw the plate was piled high with thick, meaty ribs. Still warm—probably just microwaved. Confirming this, Jae-i reached underneath the plate and took it from him.

“Didn’t you say you weren’t hungry?”

“This is for you.”

Jae-i froze. He could feel the heat of the dish against his palm as he slowly raised his head. Dohwa, rubbing his hands together from the heat of holding it, spoke up.

“This one’s really good. I thought you should try it too, so I set some aside.”

“……”

“Eat some food before the cake. You must be tired after coming back from the gate.”

He tugged gently on the fabric near Jae-i’s waist, urging him to come. The touch barely had any strength behind it, yet Jae-i followed obediently.

In that short time, Dohwa had heated up some instant rice, plated it, and laid out chopsticks and spoons. The cakes with strawberries on top had also been uncovered, and forks were set beside them.

Jae-i stood still, ribs in hand. Dohwa, crouched in front of the table, looked up at him, puzzled.

“Sit and eat.”

Again, Jae-i obeyed without protest.

He sat beside Dohwa and set the rib dish down next to the rice. At Dohwa’s reminder to eat before it got cold, he picked up the chopsticks. He didn’t hold them like a fist the way some people did. His grip was perfect—textbook. He placed a piece of meat in his mouth, chewed a few times, and followed it with a large spoonful of rice. Dohwa, sitting next to him, was staring intently.

Even knowing he was being watched, Jae-i pretended not to notice and kept eating. The taste was familiar, nothing new. But he didn’t stop. He kept eating. In the blink of an eye, the instant rice was gone. Considering another bowl, he glanced at the still-plentiful meat, picked out a piece that looked especially tender, and held it out to Dohwa.

“This one—”

The moment he realized what he was doing, Jae-i paused.

What am I doing? He was about to retract his hand when Dohwa leaned forward with a wide-open mouth and eagerly accepted the bite. Though he had chosen a small piece, one cheek instantly puffed up like a squirrel’s. Watching him chew diligently, Jae-i felt his guard drop completely. Why was he always so defensive around someone like this? Feeling oddly soft, he pushed the cake box closer to Dohwa. Without a word, Dohwa reached for the fork—gripping it with both hands.

He didn’t immediately stab the cake, instead staring at it in intense concentration. Even then, his lips never stopped chewing. He’d probably chewed the meat at least ten times already.

“Is it good?”

“Yeah.”

Dohwa answered without a moment’s hesitation. Finally, he brought the fork toward the strawberry. As if it were something sacred, he slowly leaned in and popped the strawberry into his mouth. Just like with the meat, his cheek puffed up in no time.

Watching that pale, clean cheek move as he chewed, Jae-i flinched. Because his fingertip was pressing against that very cheek.

“……”

He hadn’t even thought about touching him, so why was his hand there? Flustered, Jae-i quickly pulled it back. Meanwhile, Dohwa, unfazed, swallowed the strawberry and turned to him.

“This is really sweet—”

“They did say today’s strawberries are extra fresh.”

They said the ones delivered today were even better than usual. The shop staff had been confident, saying the customers today would be lucky to try them. Remembering this, Jae-i quietly lowered the hand that had just poked Dohwa’s cheek.

“I see. That explains it. It really is delicious.”

Dohwa, now sitting properly, began carefully eating from the front of the cake. As if it were too precious to dig into all at once, he nibbled at it cautiously. Jae-i looked away.

“……”

I poked his cheek out of nowhere, and he didn’t even flinch?

Dohwa didn’t seem to mind being touched at all. Most people would dislike being suddenly touched. Jae-i certainly did. That’s why he often bristled or even emitted killing intent when someone tried to approach him. Technically, it was a violation of S-rank regulations to do that—but so what? He hated it.

…Maybe that’s not a good thing.

While he mulled over the thought with a frown, a slice of cake with a strawberry on top slid in front of him. Dohwa quietly pushed over a fork as well, then returned to eating his own cake as if nothing had happened.

Seeing that Dohwa had eaten about half already, Jae-i picked up the strawberry from his own cake with a fork and gently placed it on top of Dohwa’s slice. Dohwa’s shoulders jerked up, and he looked at Jae-i with eyes full of genuine surprise.

“Eat it.”

“……”

At the same time, Jae-i sliced his cake cleanly down the middle and stuffed one half into his mouth. It was soft, fluffy, and sweet. The pleasant sweetness that bloomed in his mouth made him feel good. As he leaned forward to devour the remaining half, a strawberry dropped lightly onto his neatly halved cake.

“You have some too, it’s really good.”

“……”

That’s why I gave it to you—so why are you giving it back?

He could eat this any time he wanted. Skipping it once wouldn’t be a big deal. In his entire life, this was probably one of the first times he had ever yielded something like this to someone else. Did Dohwa even realize that? Jae-i gave him a sideways glance. Dohwa, still holding the fork with both hands, met his eyes.

“Try it.”

Go on, it’s really the best, so you have to try it too. His eyes said exactly that.

Jae-i suddenly felt his palm itch where he held the fork. After a moment’s hesitation, he stabbed the center of the strawberry and slowly brought it to his mouth. The moment it touched his tongue, a burst of sweet and tangy flavor spread through his mouth. It was completely different from the cake’s sweetness. Not bad. His expression softened, and Dohwa asked,

“Tastes good, right?”

“……”

Jae-i didn’t say anything, but Dohwa didn’t mind. He scooped up a bit of cream from his own cake and lightly tapped it with his tongue, murmuring softly, his face loosening in contentment.

“This is so good.”