“Seo Eui-woo. Fire while cooking.”
“I know.”
Seo Eui-woo moved away from Jae-jin but used his ability instead. The half-cooked piece of meat floated into the air on its own and flipped over. That wasn’t all. The cutting board and his favorite kitchen knife lined up in the sink and started washing themselves. No matter how you looked at it, it was an absurdly convenient ability.
“Skinship. That’s a word I’ve never heard before.”
His lips were still brushing against Jae-jin’s ear as he spoke, making his voice all the more provocative. The low, languid tone sent vibrations through the air.
“Well, I suppose that makes sense for you, Mr. Seo Eui-woo.”
“But now I understand.”
“…What?”
“What it means. I get it, even without asking.”
“…….”
“I’m thinking what you’re thinking, right?”
Eui-woo reached out, his fingers brushing against the nape of Jae-jin’s neck. His palm was damp from cooking, so he pressed the back of his hand against Jae-jin’s skin instead. His hand glided up along the curve of his neck, skimming his cheek.
“This…”
“…….”
“This is it, isn’t it? Hm…?”
Eui-woo bit down on the rim of Jae-jin’s ear. His sharp canine teeth pressed into the soft flesh, leaving behind a crescent-shaped imprint. Jae-jin sucked in a breath, his eyelids fluttering shut. It felt as if the fuse they had cut short in the study was about to reignite.
“You’re not denying it, Jae-jin. So that means I’m right.”
“…You are.”
Jae-jin answered quietly, his breath hushed.
Hearing his response, Eui-woo bit down again, sinking his teeth into the shell of his ear, as if engraving his mark like a tattoo. His deep gray eyes held an unwavering, almost metallic determination.
“Do it with me.”
“…….”
“Don’t end the date. Do it with Eui-woo.”
“Mr. Seo Eui-woo, don’t be so hasty. Dinner comes first.”
“Ah, right. We eat first, and then…”
Seo Eui-woo stared intently at the frying pan. A plate floated over on its own, and the perfectly seared steak lifted from the pan, landing neatly on the dish. The garnishes, grilled alongside it, arranged themselves in a final touch of plating.
“We eat first, then do it. Shall we go?”
“Wait, wait a second.”
“What now? What is it?”
“Not yet.”
Jae-jin exhaled softly as he looked at the neatly prepared plate. His breath carried the faintest tremor. It wasn’t as if this was his first time with Seo Eui-woo, yet for some reason, he felt a sudden wave of nerves.
“Wine… Let’s pair it with a bottle of wine.”
“Wine?”
“Aren’t you well-versed in alcohol, Mr. Seo Eui-woo? Just bring anything. It’s just to set the mood.”
Seo Eui-woo complied without complaint. From the wine cellar below the stairs, a bottle of red wine floated up on its own. Wine glasses slipped out from the cupboard and glided silently through the air.
“Happy now?”
“…No, not yet.”
Jae-jin reached out and grabbed Eui-woo by the waist. He tugged at the black apron strings, untying the knot. The apron, which had been wrapped around Eui-woo’s waist the entire time he was cooking, slid down his muscular frame and fell to the floor with a soft thud.
With a complicated expression, Jae-jin declared, “Alright, now we’re set. Let’s eat.”
“Yes, Jae-jin. Let’s go together.”
***
Seo Eui-woo’s steak was delicious. Even though he’d been distracted while cooking, the meat was perfectly done. The medium-rare tenderloin was so moist and delicate that it parted effortlessly beneath the knife, almost like tofu.
And the wine that Seo Eui-woo had chosen was just as remarkable. Jae-jin had never thought much of expensive liquor—most of it tasted the same to him—but for some reason, tonight, the deep, full-bodied flavor of the dry red wine struck his palate with an almost startling intensity. Just like how the paintings had looked different to him in the exhibition room, now even the taste of the wine felt strangely vivid.
Seo Eui-woo sat beside him, pouring more wine into his glass or taking occasional bites from the pieces of steak Jae-jin pushed toward him. Jae-jin tried his best to ignore it, but Eui-woo was already hard. The sleek fabric of his tailored suit pants, visible beneath the dining table, was straining—swollen and thick, on the verge of bursting.
“Jae-jin, how does it taste?”
His voice, affectionate and dripping with sweetness, clung to Jae-jin’s ears. His gaze was no different—filled with an aching tenderness, as if Jae-jin were the most precious treasure in the world. Yet beneath that devotion, a sharp, glistening hunger simmered, unmistakable and feral.
“…It’s delicious. The texture is very tender.”
“Eat a lot. And drink plenty of wine too.”
“Yes, I’m eating as much as I can.”
“Haha, good.”
At this moment, Seo Eui-woo was experiencing firsthand the realization that affection and desire—two emotions he had always kept separate—could manifest simultaneously, overwhelming him.
He was so happy about the date that he felt like he could die from it. But at the same time, he wanted to touch Kwon Jae-jin just as much.
He loved watching Jae-jin enjoy the meal he had prepared, but that only made him want to run his fingers over those indifferent lips as they moved, to push his fingers inside that mouth and stir it up.
He imagined the piece of meat entering Jae-jin’s body, eventually becoming the soft, supple muscle beneath his skin. That thought alone made him want to let the meal continue uninterrupted. Yet, at the same time, an intense urge burned inside him—to grab those very muscles, squeeze them, knead them in his hands right now.
Seo Eui-woo thought to himself.
‘So this is why people say they want to fuck someone while feeding them.’
In the past, he hadn’t known why he felt this way—he had only experienced an unshaped, overwhelming need. But now, he could clearly analyze the origins of his conflicting desires.
With this newfound understanding, Eui-woo grinned. The graceful curve of his lips was like a bird taking flight—effortless, full of energy.
“I like you.”
The words fell from his lips effortlessly, as if his emotions were overflowing so much that they couldn’t be contained. It was the kind of laughter that escaped when someone was too happy, a confession that slipped out simply because he felt too much.
“I like you, Jae-jin.”
Jae-jin’s expression softened ever so slightly.
That phrase—I like you—he had heard it hundreds, thousands, perhaps even tens of thousands of times before. Yet, tonight, it sounded different.
First, it had been the paintings in the exhibition hall, then the expensive wine—things that had never moved him before were suddenly affecting him. And now, even the words Seo Eui-woo so frequently uttered felt new.
Why?
What had changed?
It was as if the second act of his life had begun, as if something irreversible had shifted inside him. The universe itself seemed determined to show him undeniable proof, forcing him to accept this new reality.
“Mr. Seo Eui-woo, saying things like that during a meal is… unsettling.”
Jae-jin faltered slightly. He was already too aware of the fact that Eui-woo was hard beneath the table. If this had been the Seo Eui-woo he knew, he would have already shoved his cock at him without hesitation. Yet somehow, the fragile illusion of a proper date was still holding—barely. It was making Jae-jin’s nerves stand on edge.
“What’s wrong with saying I like you? I’ve always said it.”
“That’s true, but…”
“Or what? Is it because I’ve got a hard-on while watching you eat?”
“…….”
“I like you. So much that just watching you eat makes my dick hard. And I like you enough to hold back—to wait until you finish your meal, even though I’m this turned on. That’s how much I like you.”
His throat felt dry. Jae-jin lifted his wine glass and swallowed a mouthful of the dark red liquid. The warmth spread through his body, heating him from the inside out.
“If you finish everything on that plate, I’m going to touch you. And when I do, it’s going to feel completely different from before.”
“…Different?”
Even after emptying his glass, Jae-jin still felt parched. He lightly bit the rim of the glass between his front teeth, rolling the thought over in his mind before asking.
“Yeah. When I touch you now, it won’t be the same as before. I know it won’t.”
“…….”
“I’m sure of it. It’ll be different. Completely.”
Kwon Jae-jin finally pulled the empty glass from between his teeth and set it down on the table. There was no waiter in sight, yet the wine bottle floated up on its own and refilled his glass.
He glanced sideways at Seo Eui-woo, and their gazes met at an angle.
Those familiar gray eyes of his burned intensely, just as they always did. But at the same time, there was an eerie stillness within them.
It was a paradoxical kind of arousal—calm yet fervent.
Seo Eui-woo looked like a retriever that had just learned the command wait. He seemed utterly convinced that if he endured this moment, the reward waiting for him afterward would be even greater.
Had he also sensed this Act Two Jae-jin had been feeling? Or had he, with nothing but raw instinct, somehow already realized that Jae-jin’s heart had flung itself wide open to him—even though Jae-jin himself hadn’t admitted it yet?
Jae-jin didn’t know which it was.
But in the end, it didn’t matter.
“Yes… If I touch you now, Mr. Seo Eui-woo, it will definitely be different.”
He stopped thinking.
Lifting his newly filled wine glass, he drained it in one go, then slammed it back down onto the table with a sharp clack.
Then, instead of slicing the remaining steak with a knife, he drove his fork into it and took a large, unrestrained bite. The juicy meat disappeared into his mouth as he chewed forcefully and swallowed. The last few pieces of asparagus and pumpkin followed suit—speared, eaten, gone.
“I’m done eating.”
Jae-jin wiped his mouth briskly with the napkin on the table, then tossed it onto his empty plate. Finally, he looked straight at Seo Eui-woo.
This time, their gazes met properly.
This was it.
The real thing Eui-woo had always been crying out for.
The proper way to guide him.
The proper way to love him.
The proper way to do it all.
“Eui-woo.”
Kwon Jae-jin called his name.
The way Seo Eui-woo liked to hear it.
Then, he said—
“Do you want to do it on the dining table? I’m tired of the bed.”
