* * *

“Mmm…”

Back at home, Saewoo stayed in Jibeom’s arms for a while, trying to calm down.

Even though he had returned to his human form, his body was still trembling.

He knew he shouldn’t rely on Jibeom like this, but his warmth was too comforting to pull away from.

Jibeom didn’t say much either.

Maybe he wanted Saewoo to recover first because, for once, he wasn’t being his usual teasing self.

Instead, he just sat quietly on the sofa, waiting.

Who knows how long he stayed curled up in Jibeom’s arms like a baby kangaroo?

Thanks to the older man’s naturally high body temperature, Saewoo eventually let out a deep breath and lifted his head.

His once pale cheeks were now tinged with a soft blush.

“Well, look at that. Heat up a little, and you’re all flushed. Getting hard again?”

“N-No, I’m not…!”

“Oh? Then what? Gonna cry again?”

“……”

Jibeom smirked as he wiped away the redness around Saewoo’s already tear-streaked eyes with his fingers.

Just as Saewoo was about to retort—

Grrrrgle…

A very distinct, very embarrassing sound rumbled through the room, leaving no doubt about its owner.

Saewoo’s face turned beet red, like a roasted sweet potato.

“Hungry?”

Jibeom bit the inside of his cheek, barely holding back a laugh as he asked.

Saewoo hesitated for a moment before mumbling softly.

“I… want ramen…”

°❀•°❀°•❀°

Clatter, clatter.

The kitchen was bustling with noise.

Jibeom, whose large frame nearly filled the entire space, was making a ruckus pulling dishes from the shelves.

“This one? You want me to use this?”

He held up a floral-patterned ceramic bowl and shook it over his head.

Sitting at the table wrapped in a blanket, Saewoo nodded.

“Yeah, that one. Oh! The water’s boiling!”

Clang.

Saewoo hurriedly tried to get up, but Jibeom turned his body to block him.

“Uh-uh. Stay put.”

With that, he removed the pot lid from the boiling water on the stove.

A cloud of steam rose into the air.

Faced with Jibeom’s firm stance, Saewoo hesitated before reluctantly settling back into his chair.

But his eyes kept drifting toward Jibeom’s hands—the ones that had been injured before.

It bothered him.

“Jibeom, I can cook—”

“I’ll do it.”

“But your hand—”

“It’s healed.”

“……”

As if to prove it, Jibeom turned around and held out his palm, revealing the faint scars left behind.

Beastmen healed fast, after all.

“You don’t believe me? I even jerked off with this hand.”

“W-W-What?!”

While Saewoo stammered, his face heating up all the way to his forehead, Jibeom calmly resumed cooking the ramen.

Rustle.

He tore open the seasoning packet.

“Oh… You put the seasoning in first?”

“Why? Want me to add the noodles first?”

“No, I was just curious…”

Saewoo replied indifferently, but after a brief pause, Jibeom dropped the noodles in first, even shaking the bag to get every last bit.

Just as he reached for chopsticks to stir—

“Oh! There’s ham in the fridge too.”

Just then, as if he had suddenly remembered something, Saewoo clapped his hands and shared an idea.

If nothing else, he was sure Jibeom would like meat.

Jibeom was rummaging through the fridge, grabbing some ham for kimbap when he also picked up a can of tuna.

“You have to drain the oil from the tuna.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

As Saewoo instructed, Jibeom drained the oil over the sink and dumped the tuna into the pot.

He occasionally stirred the bubbling ramen with tongs, waiting for it to cook, but for some reason, he felt like something was missing.

Fwoosh.

Jibeom turned around.

“…Why?”

Saewoo was sitting there, staring at him with eyes full of anticipation.

Jibeom raised an eyebrow.

“You want me to add vegetables too?”

“Gasp. Can I?”

At his tentative question, Saewoo’s bright voice answered as if he had been waiting for this.

“Sure. As long as you eat them all.”

“Yeah! I’ll eat them all.”

Even just the thought of adding vegetables to the ramen seemed to make Saewoo happy.

Grinning, he innocently added, “I think I should always eat ramen with you, Jibeom.”

Clatter.

“Here.”

A short while later, the ramen, now mixed with mushrooms, scallions, egg, ham, and tuna, was set on the table.

It looked a little chaotic—almost like a haphazard stew—but to Saewoo, it appeared hearty and even more delicious.

“Thanks for the meal!”

With a cheerful expression, Saewoo picked up his chopsticks.

He scooped up some noodles, blew on them, and slurped them up with a satisfying sound.

Even though it was just a few strands, he chewed them for a long time.

“Taste okay?”

Jibeom, who had been waiting until Saewoo swallowed, asked. Saewoo grinned.

“Yeah, it’s delicious. You cooked the noodles perfectly—they’re not soggy at all!”

“Eh, it’s just ramen.”

Jibeom shrugged, acting nonchalant.

He mentioned that he used to cook ramen hundreds of times while living with his subordinates and that he could measure the water perfectly with his eyes closed.

‘…Why would you measure the water with your eyes closed?’

Saewoo had no idea why anyone would do that, but seeing how proud Jibeom looked, he decided to just go along with it.

“But about last night…”

Jibeom, already halfway through his ramen, took a bite of kimchi and started talking.

‘Sigh… Knew it.’

Clatter.

Saewoo set down his chopsticks, bracing himself for what was coming.

“What… happened last night?”

“Huh?”

“I thought something was weird… I drank that soda yesterday, and I don’t remember anything after that….”

“Soda?”

Jibeom was speechless.

Did he seriously think that was soda?

“The alcohol content was low, so I guess you mistook it for a soft drink. But that was booze.”

“Wait… A-Alcohol?! Then that means I….”

No wonder he had woken up with a pounding headache.

The drink had tasted so sweet that he hadn’t suspected a thing.

“Then… Did I do anything embarrassing to you…?”

Saewoo looked especially concerned.

Jibeom stared at him silently.

He could already predict how Saewoo would react if he told him the truth.

It would be one of two things: either he’d desperately deny it, calling it a lie, or he’d turn pale and spiral into an anxious mess.

Both reactions would be amusing, but for some reason, Jibeom didn’t feel like playing that game right now.

After a brief pause, he spoke.

“Nope. When I woke up, you were just sleeping peacefully next to me.”

“Ah… Thank god. I must’ve passed out right after drinking.”

Relieved, Saewoo exhaled deeply, patting his chest.

“So… why ramen?”

Jibeom, seemingly done talking about last night, changed the subject as he continued eating.

“I figured you wouldn’t eat instant ramen since you’re always trying to take care of your health. But you wanted it, so….”

Jibeom’s tone was indifferent, but he seemed curious about the reason.

Well, if he didn’t know Saewoo’s situation, it would be natural to wonder.

“Oh, actually… I had a bout of low blood pressure earlier.”

“What? Low blood pressure? Was it that damn weasel’s fault?”

“Hmm… Who knows? But it wasn’t that serious. Anyway, eating something salty is the best way to raise blood pressure.”

“That so?”

“Yeah. But it’s been ages since I last had ramen. My doctor told me not to eat it. I actually love noodles, though.”

Saewoo knew how bad flour was for his health—practically the root of all evil when it came to his condition—but resisting it was incredibly hard.

Back when he was in the human world, he could eat anything without worry…

But now that he was stuck in the body of a frail sparrow-type beastkin, diet restrictions were a must.

Who knew when he’d get another chance to indulge?

He was going to savor this moment.

“Hm.”

Jibeom watched Saewoo eat, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

“There’s another way to raise your blood pressure.”

“Oh? What is it?”

Saewoo immediately took out his phone, ready to take notes in case it was a useful method.

“I’m moving.”

“…Moving?”

The sudden topic shift caught him off guard.

Then again, maybe it wasn’t that sudden.

It was possible that Jibeom had already planned this before they even met.

‘Where is he moving to? Is it far…?’

Suppressing the slight pang of disappointment, Saewoo cautiously asked.

“Where are you moving to? Is it far?”

“No, not far.”

“Then… nearby?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh, I see….”

That was a relief. But then something felt off.

“…Wait, how does that have anything to do with blood pressure…?”

Saewoo trailed off as a strange suspicion crept up on him.

Jibeom, noticing the realization dawning on Saewoo’s face, nodded.

“Yeah. Give me a room.”

With the most shameless expression ever, he made his demand.

* * *