“Come in, hyung.”
“…It feels really awkward when you’re the one opening the door and waiting for me.”
“I’m all grown up now. My arms are probably even longer than yours.”
That was Tae Woon—calling him hyung with easy familiarity, using polite speech with calm composure, and even going so far as to open the door and hold it for him. The man who stepped inside, looking a bit awkward under all this consideration, didn’t exactly fit the image of the so-called lover Boss Choi had gossiped about. He was a tall, clean-cut young man who looked even younger than Tae Woon.
And that wasn’t the only surprise. When the staff guided them to their seats, Tae Woon personally pulled out a chair for the young man. Flustered by the gesture, Ms. Kang quickly stepped in to help—taking the menus and water glasses from the frozen staffer and offering a polite greeting.
“Tae Woon oppa. Long time no see.”
“Yeah.”
The indifferent nod, the half-hearted greeting—that was the usual Tae Woon. But when he looked across the table at the young man, it was like he became a different person. His eyes were practically glowing with sweetness.
She poured water into the glass, neatly set out the utensils in front of the young man, and in a friendly voice, began recommending menu items.
“Everything’s good, but the jjajangmyeon tastes just like it used to. The previous owner passed the recipe down perfectly to his successor.”
“Yes, yes. That would be my father’s handiwork. I guess you were a regular back in the day?”
Ms. Kang answered automatically, still flustered, while her thoughts spun. Her father had retired four years ago. If Tae Woon had ever brought someone like this in before, she definitely would not have forgotten… would she?
Even as she took their order—two jjajangmyeons and a tangsuyuk—and headed to the kitchen, she kept tilting her head, puzzled.
“You remember that Chinese restaurant near the orphanage, right?”
“Ah, yeah. The one with the kind-hearted owner.”
He used to volunteer at the orphanage and gave generous portions to the kids. When Tae Woon started middle school and came in for a meal, they even got complimentary yangjangpi.
“Gaeun was friends with the owner’s daughter. When their families evacuated from Seoul, they came down to Daejeon together.”
The memory surfaced again with Tae Woon’s words. She’d thought she’d forgotten it, but the details had been quietly stowed away in her mind, and now they were rising back up one by one.
“The family had the owner couple, two daughters, and a son, right? Glad to hear they all made it out safely.”
“…Well, yeah, I guess.”
Tae Woon’s lips briefly twisted into something unreadable, but the expression vanished before Kim Sibaek could fully register it. They’d come here because Tae Woon had suggested eating out to take a break from constant delivery meals and revisit old flavors.
When Ms. Kang served the dishes, Tae Woon placed everything in front of Kim Sibaek first—once again making her blink in disbelief. She was so stunned she didn’t even notice the bird-shaped plush doll perched on Sibaek’s head.
Then Tae Woon reached to mix the jjajangmyeon for him, and that was the last straw. It felt like watching a child with tiny hands insisting, “I’ll do it!”
“I can mix my own jjajangmyeon.”
“They probably didn’t have jjajangmyeon wherever you were. It must feel really unfamiliar, so just let me.”
“I did have food that you had to mix…”
[Death and Beauty says this guy has a face that won’t listen to a damn word of reason.]
He’d always been a stubborn one.
Tae Woon finished mixing the noodles and lit up with eager eyes, telling him to try it. Feeling a strange mix of pressure and pride—watching this kid who’d grown so much—Kim Sibaek picked up a glossy bite with his chopsticks.
His taste buds didn’t quite match his memory, so the exact old flavor didn’t come rushing back—but it was still undeniably delicious jjajangmyeon. Tae Woon only started mixing his own bowl, visibly relieved, after Sibaek confirmed that it tasted good.
“You know, the standard spelling used to be jajangmyeon, but about ten years ago, jjajangmyeon was officially accepted too.”
“Oh yeah? They even revised the standard language? I guess society really has stabilized. It couldn’t have been easy to rebuild the system in just twenty years. You must’ve gone through a lot too, as a Hunter, Woon.”
It was practically a wartime situation, with the nation’s survival on the line. No way they’d let an Awakened sit idle—not even at age fourteen. And being an orphan with no support, the fact that Tae Woon had started his own company so young said everything about how hard his path had been.
The thought of how much he must’ve struggled as a kid made his chest ache. Maybe it showed on his face, because Tae Woon suddenly mumbled in a deflated voice.
“Everyone else had it worse. I’m really weak, hyung. You think I got these scars for nothing? I’m so weak that if someone doesn’t protect me, I’m done for. One little flick from a monster and I’d be gone…”
Kim Sibaek almost reflexively blurted out, Of course I’ll protect you.
“Tae Woon oppa?”
Seo Gaeun’s voice cut in as she stepped closer, interrupting their conversation. Tae Woon’s brow twitched just slightly.
“I know it’s rude to ask something like this while you’re eating, but before any rumors start, I’d like to be clear about one thing.”
“What is it?”
“Are you and the person dining with you in a romantic relationship?”
Cough.
Sibaek, who’d been sneaking longing glances her way, startled and choked on nothing. But Tae Woon, who had just nudged his own water glass toward Sibaek, stayed completely calm.
“He’s someone I deeply admire and love.”
“……Excuse me? What did you say? I think I misheard you.”
“You should treat him like a benefactor. You’ll be seeing him often in the future, so make sure to take good care of him. Tell the others as well, especially Minhyung. If anyone is disrespectful to him, they’ll have to answer to me.”
Seo Gaeun grew more confused as she listened, but she clearly understood where he stood. She bowed deeply at a 90-degree angle.
“I was rude when we met before. I am Seo Gaeun.”
“Ah, ah, hello. I am, uh, Kim, Kim Sibaek.”
Kim Sibaek also hurriedly bowed deeply in response.
After Seo Gaeun left the shop, tilting her head in confusion, Sibaek was finally able to express his shock.
“A benefactor? What are you talking about?!”
“According to your ID, you’re 49, right? What do you call someone who will be fifty the day after tomorrow? Should we just call you Mr. Kim?”
“……Well, that…”
He had no response. It wasn’t incorrect, but being treated as an elder felt strange.
[Death and Beauty corrects that their Apostle will be 100 years old the day after tomorrow.]
“……”
Kim Sibaek, who was already sensitive about his age as he approached 100, pressed his forehead.
“I opened the door for you, which is the same as taking care of an elder, so don’t worry about it. Besides, you mentioned the bond between parent and child, right?”
“That’s just a figure of speech. It’s not like I actually feel like you’re my son…”
“If you got a head start, you could have had a son my age. Just think of it as being filial to a son you had early.”
“……”
This seems problematic…
“When I was 14, I didn’t have any, uh, you know, such experiences…”
“I was at the age when I started having wet dreams. I even remember what kind of dream I had the first time.”
Tae Woon, who had clearly spoken the word Kim Sibaek had glossed over in front of him, gazed intently at him, especially around his lips. Tae Woon’s eyes narrowed softly.
“What do you think I dreamed about?”
Despite the softly narrowed eyes, his gaze persistently traced Kim Sibaek’s lips. Even when he briefly turned his head, thinking it might be an illusion, Tae Woon’s eyes followed. The skin around his lips felt taut.
Unconsciously licking his lower lip, Tae Woon’s thumb lightly brushed Sibaek’s lips as if grazing his tongue. Tae Woon brought the thumb that had pressed against Sibaek’s skin to his own lips and opened them slightly. Inside, a red tongue peeked out and deliberately licked the finger. Perhaps because his face was pale and his lips lacked color, his tongue appeared unusually red.
“You had sauce on you.”
“……”
Kim Sibaek moved his lips as if to say something, then silently wiped his lips with a tissue.
“……Let’s just eat.”
If there was sauce on his lips, he could have just said so. Why did he have to do this…? Especially since they were talking about wet dreams, it gave him an odd feeling. He felt like hitting his own head.
Come to think of it, he had never had such a conversation with Tae Woon when he was 14. Would it have been less embarrassing if he had given him sex education…? Kim Sibaek reflected on his past indifference to adolescent puberty.
Fortunately, the subsequent conversations were ordinary. They mainly discussed the changed world and the preparations needed for the future. However, there was one major problem with living in Korea.
