* * *
“Aigoo, Saewoo! You little rascal…!”
Saewoo and Jibeom had gone to pay their respects at a familiar elder sparrow.
As soon as they stepped inside, the old lady who ran the place tossed aside her apron and rushed over to welcome Saewoo.
“You brat, you had this old woman worried sick!”
Her face was a mix of relief and concern as she playfully smacked Saewoo’s backside.
“Ah…!”
She hadn’t hit him that hard, but after everything that had happened the day before, even that light touch stung enough to make his eyes water.
“…Hey, old lady.”
Jibeom, watching the exchange, stepped forward with a slightly menacing expression.
Saewoo gasped and quickly moved in front of him.
The last thing he wanted was to cause a scene here.
“Haha… Grandma, I’m sorry for dropping by unannounced. And empty-handed, no less…”
“Psh, what nonsense! Not like you came empty-handed—looks like you brought something along. Must be cold out, huh? Hurry up and find yourselves a seat. I’ll bring you some fish cakes.”
Brushing off his concerns, the old lady bustled back behind the counter.
Saewoo snuck a glance at Jibeom.
The way she completely ignored him was a bit telling.
Not that he could blame her—after all, it wasn’t once but twice that Jibeom had stormed in here looking for him and making a scene.
At this rate, he felt like he should be offering a formal apology instead of just a greeting.
“Where do you wanna sit?”
Jibeom, however, seemed utterly unbothered.
“Ah…”
Saewoo glanced around and let out a small sigh.
The old lady had told them to sit wherever they liked, but the elder sparrow was now completely empty—every last customer had left at the sight of the “beast.”
Had they just ruined her business for the night?
Maybe they should’ve just said hello and left…
“Should I grab a cushion?”
Seeing Saewoo hesitate in front of a chair, Jibeom turned as if he was about to step back outside.
“Ah, no, I’m fi—”
“Geez, looks like everyone ran off ‘cause the beast showed up.”
Before Saewoo could stop him, the old lady had already yanked Jibeom back inside and slammed a metal pot down onto the table.
It was her most popular menu item—the ‘Fish Cake Set A,’ featuring six different types of fish cakes.
“What’re you waiting for? Sit down already before it gets cold!”
At her sharp command, Jibeom finally took a seat.
Saewoo, still feeling dazed, followed suit.
‘What the…? Since when did Jibeom and Grandma get so…’
Maybe it was just his imagination, but the two of them seemed oddly familiar with each other.
“Jeez… business is gonna be slow again today, thanks to the beast.”
Despite her grumbling, the old lady was grinning from ear to ear.
“I’ll cover today’s sales, same as yesterday. No need to worry.”
Jibeom said it with a straight face, and her expression lit up instantly.
“For real? Well, ain’t I lucky today! Saewoo, should I grill you some hagfish?”
“Hagfish…?”
“That’s right! I’ll even use the freshest wild-caught ones, just for you!”
With that, she loudly declared her plan and disappeared to the back, likely to prepare the charcoal.
“……”
“…Do you like hagfish?”
Still staring blankly in the direction she had left, Saewoo turned at the sound of Jibeom’s voice.
“Huh? Yeah, I do… But she usually doesn’t grill it ‘cause of the smoke.”
He muttered absentmindedly before eyeing Jibeom.
Something he’d said earlier was bothering him.
“What did you mean by that?”
“By what?”
“That thing about yesterday’s sales…”
“Oh, that.”
Jibeom reacted like it was nothing, idly poking at the fish cakes in the pot with mild curiosity.
Since he had never eaten fish cakes before, even their skewered form must’ve looked strange to him.
“It’s exactly what it sounds like.
When I tore apart that dumpling place looking for you, I paid for the damages.
And last time, when you left your phone here, she made a huge fuss, saying I scared all her customers away.
So I covered the sales she lost.”
“……”
Saewoo stared at him in silence as Jibeom casually picked up a skewer, smirking as he inspected the soft, broth-soaked rice cake.
“What’s this? Why’s it shaped like this?”
“…Why didn’t you tell me about the phone thing? If I’d known, I could’ve explained things properly to Grandma.”
Saewoo’s chest felt tight.
It wasn’t just the fact that the old lady had let the whole thing slide without saying anything—it was the way Jibeom spoke about it, as if it was no big deal.
“What’s there to explain?”
His dismissive tone stung.
Saewoo was the one who wasn’t even involved, yet he felt unfairly wronged.
“Why… why wouldn’t you explain?”
His voice trembled slightly as he fought to keep his emotions in check.
Jibeom, sensing something in his tone, turned to him with a peculiar look in his eyes.
“You really are a naive little fledgling, huh? Guess you don’t know how harsh the world can be. Stuff like this happens all the time to guys like me. Hell, beasts like me never get a warm welcome anywhere, anyway.”
“……”
Though he spoke calmly, the sheer sharpness of the predator’s words made Saewoo’s heart sink in an instant.
Thud.
“Hah, now we’ve got a fire going. Neither of you are drinking, right? Saewoo, I heard you don’t drink Coke because of the sugar, so I got you some sparkling water!”
In the meantime, the elderly woman set down a bottle of sparkling water and a cider on the table.
The sound of a knife striking down echoed—it seemed she was getting ready to prepare the hagfish.
“…I’ll pay today.”
Saewoo, who had been quietly listening, spoke in a hushed voice.
It felt like the only way to ease even a little of his guilt.
“Hm, suit yourself.”
Thankfully, Jibeom seemed to respect his decision and poured the sparkling water into a cup for him.
After a brief silence, Saewoo noticed Jibeom picking up a skewer of fish cake and suddenly recalled what he had said earlier.
“…Ah, that’s called ‘mooltteok.’ It’s rice cake made from rice flour, and when it soaks in the broth, it gets really soft and tasty.”
“Oh, really?”
Even though Saewoo kindly explained, Jibeom just stared at the fish cake, unmoving.
“…What is it?”
“It just… kinda looks like….”
Jibeom trailed off, glancing at Saewoo, before suddenly letting out a low chuckle.
Seeing the way his cheekbones lifted, forming soft crescents under his eyes, Saewoo found himself dazed without realizing it.
“Ahem, right. Hey, old lady! Can we get some dumplings over here?”
Still chuckling to himself, Jibeom took a big bite of the fish cake before calling out.
“Which kind? Kimchi again?”
“Lots of it,” Jibeom answered, grinning.
“You sure do love my cooking, huh?”
“You’ve had these dumplings before?”
Surprised, Saewoo asked.
He hadn’t expected Jibeom to be familiar with the menu at this street stall.
“I’ve stopped by a few times. Picked up food for the kids every now and then.”
“These little rascals clear out my whole stock every time they come! Completely wipe me out! Ugh…!”
The elderly woman muttered as she opened the steaming dumpling steamer, using tongs to pull out the kimchi dumplings.
With no other customers around, every word of their conversation carried clearly.
“……”
Saewoo was suddenly overwhelmed by an unfamiliar emotion.
He hadn’t known Jibeom was on such good terms with the stall owner.
It wasn’t jealousy or irritation—just a strange feeling, knowing that someone else was familiar with a side of Jibeom that he himself had never seen before.
“Why aren’t you eating? I thought you liked this.”
Noticing that Saewoo hadn’t touched his fish cake and was lost in thought, Jibeom casually reached over and handed him a skewer.
“This thing looks dangerous, though… Should I cut it for you?”
Before Saewoo could respond, Jibeom suddenly pulled the skewer back, mumbling something about how the sharp stick seemed too dangerous.
He was already shifting as if to stand, probably planning to grab a pair of kitchen scissors.
“N-no, it’s fine…!”
Panicked, Saewoo instinctively grabbed Jibeom’s wrist.
He hadn’t really thought about it—his body just moved on its own.
“I-I mean….”
Only after realizing what he’d done did Saewoo quickly let go.
But before he could fully withdraw, Jibeom smoothly reached out and grabbed his fleeing hand, holding it firmly.
His palm was warm, like the broth of the fish cakes.
“Wh-what are you doing? Let go….”
Worried that the elderly woman might see them, Saewoo whispered urgently.
But Jibeom only leaned in closer, an amused smirk playing on his lips.
“Hey, Baek Saewoo.”
“…What?”
“You’ve been acting like a sulking puppy this whole time. If you’re uncomfortable because I’m here….”
“T-that’s not it….”
Realizing that Jibeom had misunderstood his demeanor, Saewoo felt his chest tighten.
His face flushed, and his eyes began to redden.
“What’s with that face? Are you about to cry? Are you in pain?”
At the sight of Saewoo’s expression—like he might burst into tears at any moment—Jibeom suddenly shot up from his seat.
“N-no! That’s not….”
Embarrassed at how easily he’d been read, Saewoo’s face grew hot.
Feeling stupid, he reached out and grabbed Jibeom’s sleeve, pulling him back down.
“No way! If you’re really in pain, we need to get you to a hospit—”
Smack!
Before Jibeom could finish, a massive hand came down on his back with a resounding thud.
“You little punk! How dare you make the kid cry?!”
“Ugh, grandma…!”
“There are limits to what you should and shouldn’t do! You damn punk…!”
The elderly woman didn’t hold back, landing blow after blow on Jibeom’s back like she was tenderizing meat.
Just as Saewoo opened his mouth to explain that it wasn’t what she thought, he caught sight of Jibeom gripping the table tightly.
He wasn’t dodging the hits—just making sure the table didn’t flip over from the impact.
‘What an idiot….’
“You beast of a man, making that tiny kid cry…!”
Smack! Smack!
The relentless scolding continued, and eventually, Saewoo couldn’t take it anymore.
“H-he’s not a thug!”
The elderly woman halted mid-swing, turning to look at Saewoo in surprise.
“Don’t hit him! W-why… hic… why are you hitting him…! Hic, hic… why…!”
With his face flushed red, Saewoo stammered through his words before finally breaking down into sobs, crying like the world was ending.
* * *
