Ho Munbeom cleared his thoughts and left the kitchen. Then he spotted Yeonwoo standing inside the open doorway, looking outside.
Having left him alone, Yeonwoo was still wearing his clothes while gazing outside. When their eyes met, his shoulders visibly relaxed. Ho Munbeom imagined that a relieved breath must have escaped through his slightly parted plump lips as he looked into Yeonwoo’s eyes.
His eyes were very beautiful. Not just the eyes, but his small, upturned nostrils and soft-looking lips—he was so beautiful that listing each feature seemed pointless.
So after gazing at that face for a moment, Ho Munbeom tightened his grip on the tray.
“Why are you standing instead of sitting?”
“I just got up.”
But he could tell that Yeonwoo had been standing there the entire time.
Placing what he was carrying in the middle of the table, Ho Munbeom immediately helped Yeonwoo take off his outer clothing. Yeonwoo was about to say he could do it himself, but before he could speak, he felt embarrassed as his clothes were removed.
After hanging up both his own and Yeonwoo’s clothes neatly, Ho Munbeom sat down at the table first and looked up at Yeonwoo. As if entranced, Yeonwoo sat across from him, his eyes naturally landing on the tray.
Seeing the large tray containing two native chickens, abalone, and plump octopus, Yeonwoo was taken aback. It was far too much for two people. Surely they wouldn’t eat all of this before leaving? As if reading Yeonwoo’s thoughts, Ho Munbeom said they could leave leftovers if they got full and used tongs and scissors to cut the chicken into manageable pieces.
Looking at the plump chicken leg placed on his plate, Yeonwoo suddenly realized something.
“I should…”
“Don’t worry and eat.”
Ho Munbeom grabbed a chicken leg with his bare hand, tore into it, and immediately brought it to his mouth. In one or two bites, the meat as large as his hand was gone. It might have looked gluttonous if someone else had done it, but even his eating was neat. After putting down the chicken leg with only bones remaining, Ho Munbeom pushed the salt sauce and radish water kimchi toward Yeonwoo.
“Try drinking the radish water kimchi juice while eating meat. It’ll let you eat like it’s your first bite again. It’s a digestive.”
“…”
It sounded like a trick adults use to make children eat more. It was strange coming from him. So Yeonwoo smiled slightly and murmured, “That’s a lie.”
Seeing Yeonwoo’s faint smile when he had been overwhelmed by the excessive amount of food, Ho Munbeom picked up the tongs again.
“It’s not a lie. Try it and see if I’m right.”
He moved abalone, octopus, and chestnuts with yellow flesh onto Yeonwoo’s plate.
The plate, larger than Yeonwoo’s face, was soon filled with delicious items.
Although Yeonwoo had suffered from an upset stomach until the day before, saliva pooled in his mouth at the sight of the steaming food. For some reason, he felt he could eat well. So he picked up his spoon and tasted the radish water kimchi juice that had caught his eye. Then he blinked rapidly. Seeing this reaction, the corners of Ho Munbeom’s mouth smoothly turned upward.
“It’s good, isn’t it?”
“…”
It was more than just good. The sour, refreshing taste seemed to settle his stomach. With his appetite awakened, Yeonwoo picked up his chopsticks and grabbed some chicken leg meat.
The native chicken was chewy and difficult to pull apart. After struggling with his chopsticks, Yeonwoo looked at Ho Munbeom, who was already on his second chicken leg. Seeing him naturally eating with his bare hands, Yeonwoo put down his chopsticks and began eating with his hands as well.
Even without dipping it in anything, it was truly delicious. The more he chewed, the better it tasted, causing Yeonwoo’s jaw to move quickly and naturally.
He had always thought this, but Yeonwoo enjoyed eating delicious food. Though he wouldn’t verbally express how delicious it was, his eyes would sparkle or his cheeks would flush with color. And like now, he would chew continuously.
Ho Munbeom knew Yeonwoo’s mouth was small. As he kept putting food into it, his cheeks soon bulged prominently. Ho Munbeom watched those plump cheeks intently.
By continuously observing him eat, he quickly learned what Yeonwoo ate well and liked. This time it was the tender chicken leg meat and octopus. He also frequently reached for the pickled vegetables. The radish in the water kimchi was already gone.
Seeing this, Ho Munbeom took out more radish from a small jar placed on one side of the table and put it in Yeonwoo’s bowl. Yeonwoo, with the chicken leg at his mouth, looked at the man. As he stared with round eyes, the corners of Ho Munbeom’s mouth turned up. Instead of saying it was delicious or that he was eating well, Ho Munbeom picked up a plump octopus leg with his chopsticks and offered it to Yeonwoo. After alternately looking at the octopus and the man, Yeonwoo removed the chicken leg from his mouth and opened it to accept the food. It was adorable how he glanced over while thoroughly chewing.
Ho Munbeom moved his chopsticks again.
He continued feeding Yeonwoo octopus, chicken leg meat, and abalone dipped in oil sauce. At some point, Yeonwoo, who had been accepting everything Ho Munbeom offered like a bird, smacked his glossy, oil-covered lips and carefully said:
“…You should eat too, Executive Director.”
“I am eating. But.”
“…”
Yeonwoo looked at Ho Munbeom with an expression that seemed to ask ‘what is it?’
“Try calling me Beom.”
“…”
“Calling me Executive Director seems a bit strange.”
But calling him “Beom-nim” wasn’t ideal either. Indeed, “Beom” was better. Was it because of the sudden remark? Yeonwoo’s busy jaw stopped. It had been pleasing to see him continuously smacking his lips like a squirrel.
Though he wondered if it was because of what he had said, Ho Munbeom pretended not to notice as he separated chicken leg meat with his chopsticks and said:
“Or calling me ‘hyung’ wouldn’t be bad either.”
It was certainly an abrupt topic to bring up in the middle of a meal. But Ho Munbeom was strangely bothered by Yeonwoo calling him “Executive Director.” It didn’t seem to have been that way at first.
Thinking about it, they hadn’t properly established how to address each other from the beginning. Upon realizing this, he had been calling him “Yeonwoo-ssi,” and similarly, Yeonwoo had been calling him “Executive Director.”
There was nothing wrong with clarifying what hadn’t been properly established initially. He offered chicken leg meat to Yeonwoo.
“Think about it slowly and choose whichever you prefer between the two.”
Yeonwoo nodded slightly and carefully opened his mouth. His red tongue appeared briefly inside his opened mouth before quickly disappearing. As Ho Munbeom watched Yeonwoo slowly moving his jaw after accepting the meat, he lowered his chopsticks as the door opened and an elderly man entered.
“Have some porridge too.”
And two large bowls of porridge were placed on the table.
Even at a glance, the amount was substantial. Yeonwoo’s eyes, already quite full from eating diligently, wavered, and the old man said with a sidelong glance:
“The porridge is the most delicious. Don’t leave any and clean the bowl. That’s how you’ll gain weight.”
After saying this, the old man looked at Ho Munbeom.
“Young master, don’t leave any either. Finish it all.”
“Of course. Don’t worry.”
Seemingly satisfied with Ho Munbeom’s answer, the old man examined the table before getting up.
Ho Munbeom pushed the porridge bowl toward Yeonwoo and said quietly:
“You can stop eating if you get full.”
“…Is that okay?”
“Or we can share it.”
Yeonwoo looked at him without answering. Guessing what that look meant, Ho Munbeom smiled. It was nothing special, but he couldn’t help smiling at Yeonwoo looking at him as if he had received significant help.
He took back the bowl he had pushed toward Yeonwoo and transferred a couple of spoonfuls to a smaller bowl. It was just enough to taste, but he knew Yeonwoo had already eaten a lot. This amount was just right.
When Ho Munbeom offered the porridge in a bowl smaller than his hand, Yeonwoo accepted it with both hands. Only then did his expression relax. Thinking he could finish this much, he picked up his spoon and put the steaming porridge in his mouth. After barely chewing, Yeonwoo blinked, and Ho Munbeom spooned more porridge into Yeonwoo’s bowl. After watching Ho Munbeom do this, Yeonwoo smacked his lips again.
His lips, moving busily today, were particularly plump. Watching those lips, Ho Munbeom eventually picked up his spoon and began eating the porridge. The familiar taste felt pleasant.
As if he had never been uncomfortable, after eating various things, Yeonwoo’s stomach became so full that even breathing was difficult. Finding it hard to sit, Yeonwoo went outside alone after hearing there was a vegetable garden in the back. Ho Munbeom was helping the old man clean up, and when Yeonwoo offered to help, they both said it was fine and pushed him away.
If it had been just Ho Munbeom, he would have stayed and worked alongside him, but the old man had said it was alright and handed him a cup of cinnamon punch to drink. It seemed strange to just stand there holding a drink, so he ended up coming outside alone.
It was dark, nothing was visible, and it even felt desolate. Still, there were lights nearby and CCTV cameras underneath them, so it wasn’t scary.
He hadn’t noticed earlier, but looking now, there were CCTV cameras all around and large signs. The large inscription stating “Private Property, CCTV, 24-hour surveillance” seemed as if it was there to protect the old man living alone.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
