Kang-woo was pulled out of his thoughts by the soybean paste stew that had begun to boil over.
He quickly lowered the heat and lifted a ladle to taste the bubbling soybean paste stew. It wasn’t bad at all. Of course, it couldn’t compare to the housekeeper’s cooking, but it was good enough that he wouldn’t feel embarrassed serving it to anyone.
Nodding in satisfaction, Kang-woo transferred the nicely browned slices of fried ham onto a plate as well. He had found them shoved into the corner of a shelf earlier while searching around the kitchen for anything else edible.
The rice also seemed nearly done. With a soft release of steam, a warm, savory aroma began drifting out. After waiting a little longer, the rice cooker chimed to announce that cooking was complete, and he lifted the lid. When he gently stirred the rice with the paddle, the glossy grains clung together perfectly.
The reason Kang-woo had taken the initiative to prepare a meal today was his own small way of expressing gratitude for being allowed to stay the night.
And also because he had something he wanted to ask.
After turning off the induction stove completely, Kang-woo turned around—then froze.
“Ah…”
The man was quietly watching him from the open doorway.
It looked like he had just woken up; his hair was slightly messy and sticking up.
Even with that disheveled appearance, the man’s sharp, intimidating aura hadn’t faded at all. Because of that, Kang-woo found it difficult to smile or speak casually.
“Sorry… for using the kitchen without asking.”
After a long moment of silent standoff, Kang-woo managed to apologize first.
“I figured you should eat lunch, so I tried making something with what was in the house.”
He added that explanation afterward.
The man didn’t respond. Instead, he shifted his gaze. His eyes landed on the pot containing the light soybean paste stew. Kang-woo blinked a few times before carefully making a suggestion.
“Would you like to eat lunch together?”
***
After finishing his shower, the man came out and sat across from him with a towel draped around his neck.
His jet-black hair was still damp, making it appear almost perfectly ink-dark. The sleeveless shirt he wore had wide armholes, revealing firm, well-built arms.
At first, Kang-woo hadn’t noticed because the tattoo covering the man’s entire arm was so striking. But now he realized there were several tattoos etched across the back of his hands and along each knuckle as well.
Kang-woo forced his gaze away from the body that looked as though it had been soaked in black ink.
Wearing oven mitts, he carried the pot of soybean paste stew over and placed it on one side of the table. The man’s sharp eyes slowly scanned the small dishes of side dishes gathered neatly on a single plate.
“I made something simple using the ingredients in the fridge. There weren’t many dishes, so I put the side dishes together on one plate. Is that okay?”
Removing the gloves from his hands, Kang-woo sat down.
The man silently nodded.
Feeling relieved inside, Kang-woo scooped an appropriate portion of stew with a ladle and passed it to him first. Only after serving his own portion into a bowl did he finish preparing the meal.
Placing both hands on his knees, Kang-woo waited for the man to pick up his utensils first.
But the man made no move to start eating. He simply stared blankly at the soybean paste stew.
Was the food not very good?
Watching him carefully, Kang-woo cautiously asked,
“Do you not like soybean paste stew?”
“No. I eat pretty much anything.”
“Then please eat before it gets cold.”
At Kang-woo’s urging, the man finally picked up his spoon.
He took a bite of the soybean paste stew first. Kang-woo watched his expression carefully, but it was impossible to tell what he was thinking. Still, when he immediately took several more spoonfuls, Kang-woo could only assume the taste wasn’t bad.
Grrr…
With food right in front of him, Kang-woo’s stomach cried out again.
The man must have heard that loud noise, yet he didn’t react at all. He simply focused on eating. Thanks to that, Kang-woo’s embarrassment lasted only a moment, and feeling his own hunger, he hurriedly began eating as well.
Neither of them spoke. They quietly focused on the meal.
Although he had been extremely hungry before starting, Kang-woo’s appetite was naturally small, and he quickly felt full. As soon as he finished his bowl of rice and set down his spoon, the man’s gaze landed on him.
“Why do you eat so little?”
“…Ah, I’m full.”
That seemed to satisfy the man’s curiosity. Without pressing further, he returned to eating.
Watching the man’s chopsticks busily move between the dishes filled Kang-woo with a sense of satisfaction and pride.
Seeing him eat so heartily seemed to double the joy of cooking. After all, the true completion of cooking lay in having someone enjoy the food you made.
“Um…”
Kang-woo cautiously began to speak.
The man’s gaze flicked toward him.
“Would it be okay if I stayed here for a few more days?”
The words came out in a strained voice, and embarrassment washed over him.
He had thought about it the entire time he was preparing the meal, and this was the only solution he could come up with: shamelessly asking the man if he could rely on him for a few more days.
Of course, he knew how brazen and absurd the request sounded.
But right now, ironically, the only person Kang-woo could trust was the man sitting in front of him.
Watching the man’s reaction carefully, Kang-woo quickly added,
“I don’t have anywhere to go. Just until I find a place to stay… I’d like to rely on you for a bit longer. I know it’s a shameless request, but… I won’t just sit around doing nothing. I’ll cook meals like this every time.”
Without leaving room for interruption, Kang-woo finished speaking in a rapid burst.
Then he carefully observed the man’s reaction.
“Do whatever’s comfortable for you.”
That was the man’s entire reply after a moment.
He didn’t ask how many days “a few days” meant, nor did he set any deadline for how long Kang-woo could stay.
Kang-woo blinked in surprise at the unexpected response.
In truth, he had spoken with the expectation that he might be thrown out.
After all, wasn’t it obvious? Letting a stranger stay in his home for one night had already been more kindness than most people would offer.
Was it the effect of the meal he had cooked?
Maybe the soybean paste stew he made pleased the man more than expected.
He had simply cooked to fill his empty stomach and proposed the arrangement on impulse, but unexpectedly, things seemed to be working out in his favor.
While Kang-woo was quietly celebrating inside, the man finished his meal at a leisurely pace.
The moment the man set down his spoon, Kang-woo sprang up from his chair and began clearing the table.
“I’ll do the dishes.”
He moved quickly, afraid the man might offer first.
He stacked the dishes one by one in the sink and turned on the faucet. Looking around for rubber gloves, he realized none seemed to exist. Perhaps the man rarely washed dishes at home in the first place.
Well, if there weren’t any gloves, he could just wash them with his bare hands.
Thinking positively, Kang-woo rolled up his sleeves and began scrubbing the dishes. With a sponge full of foam, he washed them until they squeaked clean.
Ah… come to think of it, they hadn’t even exchanged names yet.
Only then did he realize that, in his excitement about finding a temporary place to stay, he hadn’t even asked the man’s name.
“Um, by the way, your na—”
When he turned around, the man had already gone back into his room.
***
After returning to his room, Kang-woo immediately began organizing his belongings.
He took out the wet clothes and held them close to his nose. They didn’t seem to smell unpleasant. Thinking they would be fine if dried properly, he spread them across the floor of the room.
“Ah…”
The moment he opened the front pocket of his bag, a groan escaped him.
It seemed that in his haste, the lid of his pill container hadn’t been closed properly. There had only been a few suppressant pills left to begin with, but now they had absorbed rainwater and clumped together into a single soggy mass.
What should he do? Should he keep them anyway?
But his heat cycle was still far away. Maybe it would be better to just get new ones later when he actually needed them.
After thinking for a moment, Kang-woo carefully went to the bathroom. He dumped the suppressants into the toilet and flushed them away.
The empty pill bottle was shoved back deep inside his bag.
After spending some time organizing his clothes and personal items, he heard movement outside.
When he stepped into the living room, he ran into the man, now dressed in a gray tracksuit.
“Are you going to work?”
The man slipped on a pair of running shoes and answered briefly.
“No. Exercise.”
Ah.
Kang-woo let out a quiet sound of realization.
So that body was built through exercise after all. Did he work out like this every day?
Curiosity arose, but Kang-woo didn’t have the social ease to keep the conversation going, so he didn’t ask further.
“Have a good workout.”
When he greeted the man as he stood up, the man briefly glanced at him. Taking that glance as his response, the man turned his back.
Bang.
The front door shut with a heavy sound.
Staring at the closed door, Kang-woo realized something a moment later.
He had missed his chance to exchange names again.
