Cain sat on the sofa with his legs crossed, staring intently at the back of Satin’s head. Although Satin must have felt this persistent gaze, he remained glued to the window, looking outside.
‘There’s nothing to see out there.’
The green onions he had lovingly cultivated had all been harvested, and now the only thing left in the garden was a ridiculous-looking scarecrow. The scarecrow, which Satin had made himself, was hardly a masterpiece worth admiring for long.
In truth, Cain could guess why Satin was acting so distant.
‘Is it really something to be that embarrassed about?’
He could guess, but he couldn’t understand.
Until now, it had often been the opposite.
Whenever Satin revealed even a glimpse of parts of his body other than his hands, Cain would become flustered. His face would flush uncontrollably, his eyes would dart around nervously, and he would scratch his neck even when it didn’t itch.
And that wasn’t all. When he imagined doing something he had never done before (something that couldn’t be done with just fervent friendship), he would stay awake all night. Even if he managed to fall asleep, he would have the strangest dreams.
Unlike Cain, Satin seemed indifferent to such things. He would stare blankly at Cain while he changed clothes and didn’t seem particularly embarrassed even when the atmosphere became intimate.
‘Was he not indifferent but just thoughtless?’
Satin always talked about being an adult, yet he seemed more naive than a child when it came to sexual matters. While it wasn’t good to be too worldly, there was no need to be that pure.
‘Was it because he was chosen by God?’
Maybe, maybe not. It was just a superstition that God favored the pure. Logically, there was no reason for God to favor someone who had no interest in the prosperity of their species.
‘That didn’t seem like God’s character either.’
In the Chamber of Whispers, Cain had conversed with an entity. Whether this entity was God or something similar, it clearly possessed transcendent powers.
This entity was quite different from the descriptions of God in the temple and in common lore. Rather than being distant and holy, it was…
‘Blunt, yet generous.’
The entity had granted Cain’s wish, knowing full well that he had no faith. It had chided him for his doubts but hadn’t scolded or lectured him.
Satin’s selection probably wasn’t just because of his purity. There must be reasons beyond ordinary understanding.
Thinking about it, Satin’s peculiarities were likely due to his innate nature or his upbringing.
‘But people change.’
Cain smiled slightly. Although Satin was facing away and couldn’t have seen his expression, he chose that moment to speak.
“Why do you keep staring at me…”
“What are you looking at? Is there something interesting outside?”
“Because you keep staring at me.”
Satin glanced briefly at Cain before quickly turning back to the window.
“Does it bother you when I look at you?”
As Cain rose from the sofa, Satin flinched. He must have sensed Cain’s movement from the sound. As Cain approached the window, Satin’s neck and shoulders tensed.
“Hmm?”
Cain pressed for an answer, and Satin hesitated before shaking his head.
“It’s not that it bothers me, but it’s distracting.”
“So, did you not like that?”
“What do you mean?”
“What we did yesterday.”
Satin’s neck instantly flushed red. As Cain reached out to touch it, Satin shrank back like a turtle.
Cain could have slipped his hand inside Satin’s collar, but he restrained himself. Instead, he stood close behind Satin, blocking his path.
Now, the only way for Satin to escape this situation would be through the window, which was unlikely. He wasn’t particularly agile, and based on yesterday’s observations, he wasn’t very flexible either.
Cain leaned in close to Satin’s ear and asked, “Did you not like it?”
“Ugh.”
Satin let out a small groan as Cain’s breath tickled his ear. He squirmed, trying to escape.
Last night, the sounds that had filled the bathroom started like this. At first, it was just heavy breathing, but it grew more intense until it almost sounded like crying. Cain had enjoyed listening to it very much.
Satin, unaware of Cain’s thoughts, was looking for a chance to slip away. But he soon gave up with a sigh, realizing it was futile.
He straightened his neck and muttered, “It wasn’t that I didn’t like it…”
“So, you liked it?”
“…If I had to choose, then yes.”
Even while blushing, Satin didn’t lie.
Cain smiled, and Satin glanced back at him, as if asking if he could leave now.
But Cain pretended not to notice and moved even closer. He rested his chin on Satin’s shoulder, making it impossible for Satin to turn his head without their cheeks touching.
“Then, how about today—”
“What were you talking about yesterday?” Satin quickly interrupted, trying to change the subject. Before Cain could react, he rushed on, “You know, at the Night Market. You said you had a plan to sell pajeon. But I didn’t hear it.”
“Is that really important right now?”
“Aren’t you curious? If that man hadn’t helped us yesterday, we would have been in big trouble.”
“What big trouble?” Cain clicked his tongue.
Just then, a voice called out from the distant staircase. It was the Sacred Relic.
—Ah, now you’re curious!
Despite being stuck in the sink all night and hung up to dry on the stair railing, the Sacred Relic didn’t seem to mind.
—I was going to reveal my true form and command the humans to buy pajeon! They would have been so scared, they would have bought every last one. You would have been the richest man in Cloverland!
“You’re driving me crazy,” Cain muttered, exhaling in frustration. The mood was ruined, and Satin saw his chance to escape.
“I think I’ll go out for a bit…”
“Where are you going?”
“T-to buy some spinach seeds.”
Satin edged along the wall, trying to avoid any contact with Cain.
But Cain easily turned him around with one hand, forcing Satin to face him. Satin looked everywhere but at Cain’s eyes.
—And then you would donate all your money to the temple, and they would use it in your name, and the people would praise you and my master!
Cain ignored the Sacred Relic’s excited chatter.
“You didn’t mind the kiss.”
“Y-yes, the kiss was fine.”
—The streets would ring with songs of praise for my master!
“And you liked being touched.”
“Well, yes, but not enough to want to do it every day.”
—Future generations would call it the Pajeon Revolution!
“Maybe you’ll like it more with practice.”
“It’s not a skill…”
“You won’t know until you try.”
“That’s true, but…”
—Pajeon, pajeon, pajeon, pajeon! Everyone sing! Pajeon, pajeon, pajeon, pajeon!
“Shut up!” Satin finally snapped. Cain was also getting annoyed.
‘I almost had him.’
***
Weird singing artifact vs. pushy younger boyfriend. Which is more troublesome?
Satin’s mind was a battlefield. The Sacred Relic’s ridiculous song and Cain’s suggestion to “practice” were fighting for his attention.
In the end, Cain won. Satin could scold the Sacred Relic, but Cain? He wouldn’t listen, and Satin wasn’t even sure he should scold him.
Satin had learned everything he knew about romance from fiction. In fact, “learned” might not be the right word. It’s more accurate to say he absorbed it naturally.
In romantic comedy films, lovers would fight, cause trouble, and make a fuss as soon as they met. But by the climax, they would share a kiss. Sometimes this led to a bedroom scene, but those were never shown in detail.
‘If they had, it wouldn’t have been a romantic comedy—it would have been a passionate melodrama.’
Web novels occasionally featured romantic moods, but readers would often complain in the comments, with nine out of ten saying things like, “Stop fooling around with romance and get on with the story!” As a result, most web novel couples never even got to kiss. (Romance novels were probably different, but Satin wasn’t familiar with that genre.)
Foreign dramas were more open. Bedroom scenes appeared frequently, regardless of genre. But this made them feel less romantic—a classic case of “too much of a good thing.”
In short, the romance Satin knew from fiction was quite different from reality. He only knew the tip of the iceberg—the parts commonly depicted in media.
The climax of romance was a kiss. Everything after that was unknown.
And sometimes, that unknown was treated as nonexistent. After all, how can you imagine something if you believe it doesn’t exist?
As a result, Satin was caught off guard when Cain naturally thought of the next step. Satin felt embarrassed and ashamed. He had acted like such a child in front of a vigorous 21-year-old. How immature must he have seemed to Cain?
‘This can’t go on.’
Satin was determined to become a proper adult. He would live with purpose, be a role model for young people, and promote healthy attitudes towards sex.
Just then, a man approached Satin. He asked in a very adult-like manner, “Is this your first time at our shop?”
The man’s gaze briefly scanned Satin, as if checking to see if he had been there before. Rumor had it that first-time visitors received special service.
Satin replied just as maturely, “Yes, I’d like to see some of your products. I heard you sell them exclusively here.”
The man smiled. “We have many exclusive items. Which one would you like to see?”
“Spinach seeds.”
First things first—Satin needed to fill his empty garden. A true adult knows how to prioritize.
