The globalization of Korean cuisine was not an easy task. Upon reflection, it’s clear that cuisines from any country undergo localization when entering Korea. Similarly, Korean food had to be localized when introduced to the world.
‘People in Korea really love cheese.’
Cheese Dakgalbi, cheese hot dogs, and cheese tteokbokki—any dish with cheese sold like hotcakes.
‘Maybe people just love eating in general…’
Even dishes without cheese sold incredibly well.
Anyway, the collaboration with Oliver (the cheese merchant) was a huge success. Perhaps it was not because of the cheese, but because of Cain’s grumpy dance.
Cain had been waving his hands like a car windshield wiper, unable to resist Oliver’s pressure. It looked more like a greeting than a dance, but since a handsome man was doing it, it caught people’s attention.
Passersby, curious about the handsome wind-up doll, approached and were swiftly captured by Oliver.
“Oh, don’t just look, try some! This is called pajeon, a dish from a southern country. You can’t find this anywhere else around here. If you don’t try it now, you’ll miss out!”
It was quite a scam. Satin had no idea where this southern country was or if its people even ate anything like pajeon.
“It tastes even better with cheese. Cheese comes from cows, right? It’s practically meat. Meat and vegetables together—delicious! Here, let me pile it on for you.”
Suddenly, cheese had become meat. While both are proteins, claiming cheese is meat is quite a stretch.
Satin kept his mouth shut and diligently cooked pajeon. Oliver’s bluffing continued.
“This handsome guy here has been eating pajeon since he was a kid. That’s why he’s so good-looking. Look at that skin, like a newborn baby!”
Cain’s eyes flickered wildly, but he didn’t contradict Oliver. He seemed unsure of how to react to this unfamiliar type of person.
Thanks to the unexpected helper, the prepared ingredients were sold out in no time. Oliver, hearing this, asked in disbelief,
“You only brought this much to sell?”
Satin was exhausted after just thirty minutes of peak time, but Oliver seemed unfazed. Despite running his own business, he didn’t even break a sweat.
Feeling a bit embarrassed, Satin rubbed his nose and replied,
“I didn’t expect it to sell so well…”
Satin hadn’t planned to make a fortune, but now he felt a twinge of regret. If he had sold more, he might have been able to buy a goat instead of a chicken.
Of course, there was no place to keep a goat, so it was a pointless thought.
“Next time, come better prepared. Got it?”
Oliver patted Satin’s back with his massive hand while collecting the cheese money. Satin nearly coughed up his internal organs.
“And you, practice your dance more!”
Oliver laughed heartily and slapped Cain on the back. He was lucky Cain didn’t set his butt on fire in response.
After Oliver left with his cart, Satin and Cain cleaned up. Cain took care of the stall, while Satin packed up the items from home.
“That was kind of fun,” Satin said, wiping a spatula. Cain rolled his eyes instead of responding. He seemed reluctant to admit he enjoyed it, but if he truly hated it, he would have complained earlier.
‘How cute.’
Satin found Cain’s sulky demeanor adorable and chuckled.
Anyway, the successful sale put Satin in a good mood. He became curious about the other foods he hadn’t tried yet. There might be items not usually sold.
“Let’s grab something to eat before we go home.”
“Are you hungry?” Cain asked, narrowing his eyes. He probably thought they were heading straight home. Satin rubbed his stomach and nodded.
“A little.”
While cooking pajeon, the smell of oil had made him lose his appetite, but now that the work was done, he felt hungry. It was late, so a light snack would be perfect.
The two wandered around the Night Market, trying various street foods. They even tried some skewers they hadn’t seen earlier.
As Satin and Cain were about to head home, they spotted Oliver again. He was dancing and attracting customers at another stall. His energy and enthusiasm seemed boundless.
‘Is he some kind of cheese fairy?’ Satin thought. Only someone with a mission to add cheese to every dish in the world could explain such enthusiasm.
“Want to try that?” Satin asked Cain, pointing at Oliver. Cain’s expression said it all—he clearly wanted nothing to do with it.
“Never mind, then.”
The crowd around the “cheese fairy” was thick, and it looked like his stall would sell out quickly even without Satin’s help.
By the time the two made it back home, it was nearly midnight. They washed the utensils they had taken to the Night Market and put them away. Satin was exhausted and wanted to go straight to bed, but he felt grimy from cooking over the fire all evening.
“I’m going to shower first, okay?” Satin asked Cain as they left the kitchen. It wasn’t unusual for Satin to shower late, and Cain had never stopped him before.
But this time, Cain surprised him.
“No.”
“What?” Satin was taken aback. He had never been refused like this before. Before he could react, Cain stepped in front of him, blocking his path.
Cain smiled softly and asked, “What if I said I wanted to shower first?”
His demeanor was completely different from the reluctant dancer at the Night Market. Satin could tell Cain had something up his sleeve.
“Well, then you go first,” Satin replied, trying to read the situation. “I can wait.”
“Aren’t you tired? Don’t you want to lie down soon?”
“Yeah, I am. It would be nice if you let me go first.”
“I’m tired too.”
“So, you should shower quickly.”
“But you want to rest.”
Satin was getting frustrated. What was Cain getting at?
Just then, a voice rang out from Satin’s pocket. It was the Sacred Relic.
―Your friend seems to have indecent intentions toward you, in the bathroom no less! Quite scandalous! But I support your passionate friendship, so I’ll turn a blind eye. Oh my!
Satin quickly grabbed the Sacred Relic and tossed it into the sink with a splash.
***
The bathroom in this world was surprisingly modern and convenient. Satin had a theory about why: either his sister had been very concerned about hygiene in a fantasy world, or this country valued bathing like ancient Rome. Maybe it was both.
Either way, Satin appreciated the clean and convenient bathroom. Cain, however, seemed to appreciate it for a different reason.
“The acoustics are great in here,” Cain said, a mischievous smile playing on his lips. Satin didn’t ask why that mattered; he was too busy trying to catch his breath.
They had ended up showering together, and while it hadn’t gone as far as the Sacred Relic had implied, it was still more intimate than Satin had expected.
‘This is practically nothing,’ Satin told himself, but he wasn’t entirely convinced. They hadn’t done anything that would lead to procreation, but the soap suds between them had made the experience far from innocent.
The soap from the royal guesthouse was soft and foamy, but it was still just soap. Their bodies had touched all over, and Satin couldn’t quite convince himself it meant nothing.
“Don’t hold your breath,” Cain said, running a slippery hand over Satin’s side. “Why do you keep doing that?”
Satin gasped, more from surprise than from Cain’s words.
“I told you not to touch me like that… ah!”
“How is this weird?”
“You know what I mean—no, don’t move your hand down. Wait, stop—ah!”
“Is it weird here?”
“Mmph…!”
“It’s just your thigh. It’s not even your butt.”
“Hey, you, ah…!”
Satin gave up protesting.
In the apartment where he lived with his sister, singing could often be heard from the bathroom. Someone living on the same floor had a habit of singing in the shower. Even if they had been a great singer, it would have been annoying, but this person was tone-deaf.
Taking that person as a cautionary tale, Satin and his sister never sang in the bathroom. They always used it for its intended purpose.
He never thought he’d use a bathroom so indecently here. Not in terms of hygiene, but morally.
‘At least no one will be bothered if I make some noise here,’ Satin thought, but he still tried to keep his breathing quiet. The moans he couldn’t suppress didn’t sound like his own voice. It was too embarrassing and shameful.
‘Does he really like this?’ Satin wondered, looking up at Cain’s face. They weren’t that different in height, but somehow, he ended up like this—barely holding onto Cain’s shoulders, unable to stand straight.
He hadn’t planned to move this fast. In fact, he hadn’t planned anything at all. Satin didn’t have strong sexual desires, and he never imagined himself in a situation like this.
‘I should have done some research,’ he thought, though he had no idea where he could have learned about this.
“Ah, hey, not there, ngh…”
“But you seem to like it.”
“Mmph…”
“…Don’t hold back. It’s nice to hear. Just let it out.”
“Hngh.”
“So stubborn.”
