18
“When did you get back? I must have fallen asleep.”
“Were you waiting? I’m too late.”
“Oh, no. I didn’t wait long.”
After speaking, Junghyun laughed awkwardly, as if finding his own words a bit amusing. Just as Seunghyeok was about to suggest that Junghyun go sleep in his room, given his sleepy eyes:
Grumble rumble.
Junghyun’s stomach growled vigorously.
With his face instantly turning red, Junghyun covered his stomach and laughed awkwardly.
“Ah, haha. Why is it doing this? I’ll just go to bed then.”
“Are you hungry?”
“What? No. I’m not.”
Another growl, louder than before. It seemed to be vehemently objecting to Junghyun’s denial of being hungry.
“Didn’t you eat dinner?”
At Seunghyeok’s question, Junghyun seemed to have given up on denying it.
“…Yes. I was going to eat with you. But really, it’s fine. It’s late. I can just go to sleep.”
“You waited?”
At this casual question, Junghyun opened his lips but quickly closed them again. As he nodded, his cheeks reddened. His pale skin certainly made it more noticeable.
“No, I, I didn’t mean to burden you. I just, food tastes better when eaten together. And you might have come back without eating. So I just…”
Eventually, Junghyun even apologized in a shrinking voice.
This was becoming somewhat absurd. Shouldn’t he be the one apologizing?
Junghyun, who didn’t complain and instead apologized for causing burden, was a type of person Seunghyeok had never encountered around him before.
Seunghyeok lightly rubbed Junghyun’s cheek with his thumb. The touch of his cheek felt as soft as silk. It was tender, warm, and plush. Looking at Junghyun, who froze momentarily, Seunghyeok regretfully withdrew his hand and moved toward the gas stove.
When he opened the lid, water that had condensed inside dripped down.
“What did you make? Oh, braised short ribs. You made this?”
Seunghyeok, who had opened the pot lid, exclaimed in admiration.
The braised ribs with potatoes and carrots glistened with a glossy sheen. The sweet and savory aroma stimulated his sense of smell.
It didn’t seem likely that there would be many twenty-year-olds who knew how to make braised short ribs. Seunghyeok himself didn’t even know how to prepare the potatoes that went into it, let alone the entire dish.
Belatedly responding to Seunghyeok’s words, Junghyun said bashfully:
“I just bought the meat and added store-bought seasoning. It wasn’t that difficult. I’m sure you could do it well too.”
Though he made it sound easy, the issue was that even if many people knew how to do it, few actually put it into practice. And Junghyun was one of those few people. Seunghyeok was well aware of how much effort went into cooking.
“It looks delicious. It’s a bit late to call it a late-night meal, but shall we eat a little? Since it’s so late, just a spoonful or two. It looks so appetizing that I’ve become a bit hungry too.”
It wasn’t a lie. In fact, he had skipped dinner today.
Normally, Seunghyeok would have been too lazy to bother with food and would have just washed up and gone straight to bed, but seeing the braised ribs Junghyun had made, he felt hungry. Hearing Seunghyeok’s words, Junghyun nodded briefly. He stepped toward the gas stove to reheat the food, but Seunghyeok stopped him.
“You made this. Let me do the reheating. Sit down.”
“No, it’s fine.”
“I just need to heat it, right?”
“…Yes. Um, it’ll burn if you use high heat. Use low heat.”
Following Junghyun’s instructions, Seunghyeok adjusted the heat. He stirred the pot with a wooden spatula, wondering, with renewed interest, if they had such a utensil. His forceful stirring caused some meat pieces to separate and potatoes to break, but he pretended not to notice and mixed it all together. It didn’t take long to heat the food appropriately.
With the steaming hot braised ribs and a few side dishes he had brought, the dining table looked quite presentable.
The two sat facing each other and began their very late dinner.
The meat in the braised dish was tender and well-seasoned. The slightly spicy aftertaste suited Seunghyeok’s palate perfectly.
“It’s delicious. I like that it’s a bit spicy.”
“Oh, really? That’s a relief. Actually, I didn’t just use store-bought seasoning; I added minced garlic and ginger too. Ah, I added some green chili pepper—is that okay?”
“I see. You’re quite skilled.”
Recalling that Junghyun had previously mentioned disliking ginger, Seunghyeok smiled slightly. It seems he doesn’t mind it in this context.
Junghyun, who had been chattering excitedly, smiled shyly when their eyes met. That smile was very pleasing to see. It was a shame he couldn’t eat more due to the late hour.
Putting down his spoon, Seunghyeok spoke.
“Is there something you want?”
“What?”
Junghyun asked back, surprised by the sudden question.
“I want to repay you for making such a delicious meal.”
Realizing that he hadn’t misheard, Junghyun’s expression gradually changed. Seunghyeok quietly observed him.
At first, Junghyun said, “No, it’s fine,” and then mumbled quietly, “I don’t have anything…” It seemed he had realized that Seunghyeok wouldn’t back down easily.
With difficulty, Junghyun began, “Well, then.”
“I’d like it if you would eat meals with me again in the future.”
Seunghyeok looked at Junghyun for a moment. When their eyes met, Junghyun quickly averted his gaze.
Junghyun’s face bloomed with a pinkish hue, as if spring had arrived.
“Are you aiming for something?”
“What? What would I be aiming for? What?”
His considerably flustered face was amusing.
Seunghyeok laughed once more. If the employees at his office saw this, they would surely think he was possessed.
With his smiling face unchanged, Seunghyeok slowly shook his head.
“Junghyun has no greed.”
It wasn’t as if this kind of thing had never happened before. Most reactions when Seunghyeok asked if he could buy something were either to mention expensive items they had always wanted, or, very rarely, to harden their expressions and claim they weren’t looking for material things.
Of course, reactions like Junghyun’s weren’t completely nonexistent, but usually, they were followed by a bigger play. At least, that had been true of the people Seunghyeok had met. He wasn’t blaming them. If Seunghyeok were in the same situation, he would have done the same. Just as people eat when they’re hungry, it was just the natural flow of things. Only a fool would deliberately miss an opportunity given.
However, he couldn’t sense such calculation from Junghyun. It might be due to Junghyun’s unique atmosphere. It didn’t feel unnatural at all. It felt like Junghyun was wearing clothes that fit him perfectly.
“Oh, that’s not true. I am greedy. I’m very greedy. Completely.”
“Is that so?”
At the smiling response, Junghyun didn’t know what to do and mumbled.
“D-don’t tease me.”
Though his voice had a hint of resentment, it was far from being intimidating.
“But if you’re doing this because you feel sorry, it’s okay. You’re coming home at this hour because you’re busy. And we didn’t even make a promise. So really, it’s fine. I waited because I wanted to.”
His gentle, articulate voice created the illusion of whispering directly into one’s ear.
“Now that I think about it, I haven’t properly apologized.”
“Pardon?”
Seunghyeok rested his chin on his hand, continuing to gaze at Junghyun.
“I’m sorry for being late.”
Junghyun, who had momentarily looked surprised, smiled. Is this what it means for an expression to melt? Seunghyeok felt strange. Under his steady gaze, Junghyun eventually said, “Ah, no, it’s fine,” and turned his face away. It was a bit disappointing. Seunghyeok wanted to see his smiling face a bit longer.
When Junghyun blinked, his long eyelashes seemed to flutter.
As if trying to escape the situation, Junghyun picked up the empty bowl and was about to stand up. And Seunghyeok stopped him.
Large eyes filled with puzzlement were directed at Seunghyeok. Those light-colored eyes were looking at him.
“I can’t do nothing after eating a meal. You worked hard making it. Go inside and rest.”
Junghyun didn’t know how to react to these words.
“Tonight’s dinner was really delicious.”
Round hills rose on his cheeks as he smiled shyly. It was an easy-to-read reaction. Junghyun, who was softly laughing and rubbing his cheeks, even waved his hands.
Though it wasn’t the first time he had been told his food was delicious, his reaction was as if he was hearing it for the first time.
“I’m glad you enjoyed it.”
Junghyun said, slightly swaying his shoulders. The oversized clothes swayed along with his thin body’s movements. The collarbone visible through the deeply cut neckline looked as delicate as Junghyun himself.
“If there’s anything else you’d like to eat, just let me know.”
“What if it’s something difficult to make?”
“These days, you can find how to make anything on YouTube.”
Seunghyeok, who had been staring at the smiling Junghyun, nodded.
Junghyun stood behind Seunghyeok and chatted about various things until he finished washing the dishes. At any other time, it might have been annoying, but perhaps because Junghyun’s voice was so soft? Seunghyeok moved his hands more slowly while washing the dishes, wanting to hear that chattering voice a bit longer.
* * *
Junghyun was watching TV.
Celebrities he was familiar with appeared, chatting and laughing loudly. Although Junghyun’s gaze was blankly directed at the TV, he wasn’t really watching it.
Fiddling with one cheek, he recalled what had happened in the morning for the umpteenth time.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
