Munbeom pulled Yeonwoo’s shirt down to his lower back and covered his lower body with the sheet. Then he sat beside Yeonwoo and portioned out porridge in a bowl, placing dongchimi (radish water kimchi) and water within reach.
“Take your time, eat a lot.”
“……”
“If there’s anything that suits your taste, just tell me.”
Looking at the food that seemed impossible to finish alone, Yeonwoo carefully asked, “…I’m not supposed to eat all this by myself, am I?”
“No, we’ll eat together.”
Whether alone or with two people, it still seemed excessive. It looked like enough for at least ten people.
“If there’s leftover, we can save it for later. Don’t worry about it and just eat.”
After such persistent urging, Yeonwoo couldn’t just sit there. He took a spoonful of porridge. The taste was familiar. It reminded him of native chicken soup that an elder had served on a large tray at a mountain house. Though he wanted to keep eating with that pleasant memory in mind, something seemed to catch in his throat with each swallow.
Munbeom’s eyes narrowed seeing how Yeonwoo still struggled to swallow.
His throat must have been sore. After all that screaming and crying. Though Munbeom had given him plenty of water, and while Yeonwoo was unconscious, had coaxed him to eat thin porridge and liquid nutritional supplements, he still had difficulty swallowing.
Raised by his grandfather since childhood, Munbeom had some old-fashioned ways of thinking. He had thoroughly learned the principle that nutrients should come from food, which was why he had sent Hwayoung away. But perhaps he should have given him IV fluids after all.
Yeonwoo pretended not to notice Munbeom’s intense gaze fixed on his face. But starting to feel uncomfortable, he opened his mouth with a hesitant, “Um.”
“Aren’t you going to eat?”
“I will.”
Munbeom began eating porridge from a large bowl as if he had been waiting for this. The way he took large spoonfuls without seeming to mind the heat was refreshing. Just watching made Yeonwoo’s appetite return, and he took a few more bites himself.
The taste was undeniably excellent. The octopus and abalone in the porridge were finely chopped, making them easy to swallow. Yet it wasn’t just thin liquid—there was still something to chew. The porridge Yeonwoo knew was white rice soaked in water with a little salt and sesame oil.
It would be wasteful to leave something so delicious. Though he wanted to eat heartily like Munbeom, it wasn’t easy. After moving his jaw a couple of times and stopping, Yeonwoo looked at the bowl—still more than half full—and gripped his spoon tightly.
Then he changed direction and took a sip of dongchimi broth. The slightly sour, moderately sweet, and refreshing taste was superb. It seemed to settle his stomach, so Yeonwoo took a few more sips before trying a bite of the white kimchi. As he sampled one piece each of radish, carrot, and other ingredients, he eventually saw the bottom of the bowl.
“Should I make some noodles?”
“……”
“There’s some thin noodles too. They’ll be ready to eat right after rinsing.”
“No, that’s okay.”
He had to answer quickly to such questions. Otherwise, Munbeom might actually rinse those noodles for him. Dongchimi with thin noodles didn’t sound bad, but he didn’t particularly want it either. With more than half the porridge still remaining, he couldn’t start a new dish.
Munbeom checked Yeonwoo’s porridge bowl and asked, “Are you done?”
He wished he could empty the porridge bowl, but it seemed too difficult. He felt uncomfortable leaving so much. While wondering what to do, Munbeom placed a cup in Yeonwoo’s hand.
“Drink some water.”
After obediently drinking, Yeonwoo raised his head, and Munbeom wiped the moisture from his lips. When the startled Yeonwoo wiped his lips with the back of his hand, Munbeom’s fingers touched his cheek. He held his cheek as if cradling it with his large hand, touched his ear, moved higher, and checked his forehead once more. At that gentle touch, Yeonwoo felt his chest tingle.
Trying not to show these emotions, Yeonwoo averted his gaze.
“Is your lip okay?”
“……”
He couldn’t respond naturally even if he wanted to. His lips were quite swollen from all the biting and sucking.
They pulled and stung whenever he spoke. Even while eating porridge, he had to be extremely careful opening his mouth.
Nevertheless, Yeonwoo just nodded to indicate that he was fine.
Despite his obvious pain and discomfort, he insisted he was okay, which made Munbeom simply reply, “Alright.”
“If you’re done eating, we should help you digest.”
Seeing Munbeom getting up, Yeonwoo also hurriedly tried to stand.
“I can get up by myse—”
The sentence couldn’t be completed. His legs gave out, and he almost collapsed, but Munbeom caught him with one arm.
Surprised by what happened in an instant, Munbeom and Yeonwoo silently looked at each other. Yeonwoo lowered his head, noticing Munbeom’s hand, which had crossed his chest and firmly wrapped around his waist. He also saw his own arms tightly embracing Munbeom’s arm like a lifeline.
I should have just stayed seated quietly. Why did I have to insist I could stand on my own, making such an embarrassing scene?
Munbeom pulled Yeonwoo into his arms. Though Yeonwoo initially resisted, he was soon drawn into Munbeom’s embrace. Having naturally brought Yeonwoo into his arms, Munbeom stroked his slender back and nape.
“You were in heat, and I was in rut. Your body is bound to be strained. You need to eat well and rest for at least a few days. If you force yourself to move, you’ll get sick.”
“……”
Yeonwoo’s small head nodded up and down as he listened. Since he couldn’t stand straight by himself anyway, he decided to stay like this just for a moment. As Yeonwoo’s body relaxed, Munbeom bent his head.
Yeonwoo, quietly nestled in his arms, was too thin. Though his frame was naturally slender, he had grown even thinner since they first met. When holding Yeonwoo this time, Munbeom could almost feel his bones as soon as their skin touched.
What would it take to put some weight on him?
Munbeom’s hands continued to touch Yeonwoo’s body. Though Yeonwoo wanted to pretend not to notice, he couldn’t. He fidgeted and raised his head. At that, Munbeom lifted him up. Earlier, Yeonwoo had been startled and asked to be put down, but this time he remained quiet as he was carried to the living room.
Placed on the wide sofa, Yeonwoo realized he was wearing only a shirt and embarrassedly closed his legs. Then he remembered being forced into heat, with fluid flowing abundantly from behind like water. It was something he didn’t want to recall, but if his body was still in that state, it might stain this expensive, pristine sofa. Yeonwoo tried to stand up again, but his shoulder was immediately grasped.
“Stay seated.”
“…No, it’s just…”
Though he wanted to do as Munbeom said, once he started worrying, he couldn’t stop.
After hesitating, Yeonwoo painfully moved his lips while looking up at him with a tense expression.
“I’m worried something strange might… stain…”
“……”
His face flushed the moment he spoke. It was embarrassing and mortifying. Unable to look directly at Munbeom, Yeonwoo lowered his head, but before that, Munbeom bent at the waist. As Yeonwoo flinched and moved back at the approaching face, Munbeom naturally knelt on one knee in front of the sofa. Startled by Munbeom looking up at him, Yeonwoo reached out his hand. But before it could touch him, it was caught by a large hand.
Munbeom held Yeonwoo’s hand as if covering it with both of his and pressed his lips to the exposed fingertips. Though it was a light, brushing kiss, Yeonwoo couldn’t move further.
Yeonwoo’s pupils, which had been staring blankly at Munbeom, gradually moved sideways. At this seemingly evasive behavior, Munbeom gripped his hand firmly and said, “Mr. Yeonwoo.”
“You don’t need to worry about anything else right now. Just rest well, eat, and be comfortable. That’s all that matters.”
“……”
“This incident won’t be easy to forget, but there’s nothing for you to worry about. I’ll take care of everything properly.”
His low voice was pleasant to hear.
So pleasant that Yeonwoo wished he could listen to it forever.
But since that was truly impossible, after hesitation, Yeonwoo opened his mouth.
“But it was my affair. So…”
Even if he hadn’t borrowed it himself, the loan shark debt had been taken out in his name by that man Lee Jonghoon. It had all happened because of that, so how could he not worry?
“In this matter, you’re the victim, Mr. Yeonwoo.”
“……”
“Since it all happened without your knowledge. What criminals did can’t become your responsibility.”
Dazed, Yeonwoo finally looked at Munbeom, who was looking up at him with his head bowed. Those upward-gazing eyes were unwavering and steadfast.
How beautiful the eyes of someone with strong conviction in their words could be. Perhaps that was why, for some reason, Yeonwoo felt inferior. Because he now realized that Munbeom even knew about the loan shark debt.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
