* * *
“Gotcha.”
Siho smiled brightly, asking if they weren’t equal now.
At his action, meant to avoid giving offense, Moon Dowon blinked his eyes like a dazed person and then slowly raised his eyebrows.
“Well, it’s not bad.”
Moon Dowon rubbed below his raised eyebrows with his hand, his ears flushing red.
He wouldn’t have noticed if it were dark, but the surrounding lights made it obvious.
He thought to himself that Moon Dowon would become a cute guy if properly tamed, and then he was startled.
‘Are you crazy? Taming who!’
He shook his head vigorously, thinking he had been reading too many novels.
At his sudden movement, Joohwan asked if something was wrong.
Siho said no and headed inside, where Kang Taeyun was waiting.
The dining table, set up in the party room area, was filled with many dishes.
Candles and flowers, the kind one might see in dramas or movies, were placed there, and the small wine glasses held sparkling wine resembling an emerald.
As Siho held the stem of the glass and swirled the oddly colored liquid that attracted attention, bubbles popped and rose to the surface.
He blinked with curious eyes, set the glass down, and lightly wiped his hands with the napkin placed beside him.
“You can’t drink alcohol, so I asked them to prepare sparkling wine. Is that okay?”
Kang Taeyun asked, exchanging the steak on Siho’s plate with one he had personally sliced.
Siho nodded, familiar with his kindness, yet he felt a sense of alienation at the unfamiliar situation.
At this rate, far from escaping, he felt like he would end up clinging to them, just like the Seo Siho before the transmigration.
He wished he could at least control his lust.
The sight of Joohwan’s lips drinking the sparkling wine and Moon Dowon’s Adam’s apple swallowing the meat kept appearing before his eyes.
‘Ah, I’m going crazy, really.’
He wanted to kiss them and roll around passionately for a while.
He bit his lip, having a high-level thought without realizing it.
He was slowly getting scared of himself for having such vulgar thoughts despite the delicious food.
No matter that it was Seo Siho’s body, he was terrified of his mind, which was only full of lust.
Kang Taeyun looked at him worriedly and asked.
“Are you not hungry? Should I have them bring a different menu?”
“…No, I’m fine.”
The attention focused on him was burdensome.
He wished he could at least drink well and get drunk, but since he couldn’t, he reluctantly speared two pieces of meat and put them in his mouth.
He was practically stuffing them in.
Then, his eyes widened at the rich flavor filling his mouth.
Even though his mood was poor, the food was innocent.
Surprised by the soft texture and taste, his fork automatically went back for more.
“You’re eating well. Does it taste good?”
“…Yes. It’s delicious.”
“I thought so. The chef here is great at cooking. Sometimes, when I think of it, I intentionally come down to eat it.”
Joohwan put down the glass he was holding and smiled proudly.
He hadn’t known why people paid so much to eat the same meat, but after tasting it himself, Siho thought he understood.
His gloomy thoughts vanished as if they had never been there, and before he knew it, he had emptied the plate of meat in front of him.
As he also brought and ate the side dishes, the food on the table gradually disappeared.
“You eat well.”
“Did I eat too much?”
“You should eat well. You felt too light when I saw you before.”
Kang Taeyun spoke gently and wiped the corner of Siho’s mouth with a napkin provided.
He seemed to be recalling the day he had picked Siho up and placed him by the window on his first visit to the house.
“I’m not that skinny…”
When Siho said that Kang Taeyun was abnormally strong, Kang Taeyun chuckled softly.
The laugh, which seemed to only wrinkle one eye, was different from the smiles he had shown so far.
While his previous smiles felt forced, this one felt like his genuine, natural smile.
Although Kang Taeyun didn’t seem to realize it, Siho chose not to mention it out loud.
“Did you visit your family home well? Fortunately, you don’t look hurt.”
“You told me not to get hurt.”
“…Is that why you didn’t get hurt?”
It looked like a one-sided assault, so Siho was even more puzzled.
If he could control it, why hadn’t he avoided the blows until now?
He wondered.
‘Why? It must hurt. Why?’
No one liked pain.
Since it didn’t make sense, question marks kept floating in his mind.
“The old man must have been very flustered.”
“Not really.”
“Even so, you didn’t answer calls until the next morning.”
As Joohwan spoke, hitting the core of the matter, Kang Taeyun remained silent.
The faint anger laced within Joohwan’s worried tone was clearly directed at the person who assaulted Kang Taeyun.
He seemed angry at the fact that he was hit, but also felt devastated and furious at the reality that he couldn’t do anything about it.
The corners of his lips, which usually curved into a light smile, twisted into a sneer filled with cold disdain.
“He must think, ‘What’s with the rebellion from a guy who was quiet even during puberty?’”
“…”
“How long does he have left to live, and why is he so greedy? Does feeding and raising him count as enough? He’s lacking as a guardian.”
“Stop it.”
“Yeah, keep enduring it. If it were me, I would have exposed the old man’s true nature to the media and run away from home.”
Joohwan whirled the teaspoon in his hand, saying there was no one as kind as Kang Taeyun.
Although he was strong, Siho was secretly surprised, wondering if that was possible with his hand alone.
“Aren’t you angry?”
“If you’re done eating, stand up. Don’t ruin the mood.”
It was his way of saying that he was there too, so Joohwan should stop.
When Kang Taeyun abruptly stood up, Joohwan followed suit with a pouty face.
He took Kang Taeyun outside, saying he had something to say and wanted to talk for a moment.
Looking closely, Joohwan seemed to genuinely care for Kang Taeyun a lot.
‘But still… why would he leave just Moon Dowon and me alone?’
They had never been alone together.
The meal was over, and Siho didn’t know what to talk about until the other two returned.
Suppressing his discomfort at Moon Dowon’s steady gaze, Siho reluctantly opened his mouth.
“…Shall we get up now?”
“Do you like Korean food?”
“Huh? Oh, yes.”
“Soybean paste stew? Kimchi-jjigae?”
“…Both?”
It felt strange to have a normal conversation after only talking about how they would devour him or having obscene discussions.
It felt even more awkward because they hadn’t exchanged many long sentences.
As Siho nervously rolled his eyes, Moon Dowon spoke in a slightly softer tone.
“Let’s eat them when we go up.”
“…Just the two of us?”
“You don’t want to?”
“No, it’s not that…”
In this atmosphere, Siho felt like he would choke while eating.
It would be very helpful if Joohwan were here too, but as he pondered this, Moon Dowon let out a short sigh, Hoo.
It was the first time Siho had seen such an expression.
“I am the type of person who is often misunderstood by others.”
“…”
“My nature is this way, and it’s not easy to change it.”
Siho wondered what he meant.
It seemed he had noticed that Siho was feeling burdened.
Siho had tried to control his expression not to show it, but as expected, Moon Dowon noticed it quickly, like a quick-witted person.
“You said you liked me. I also don’t know what to do, as you’re the first person who has ever obsessively followed me, but I’m trying my best to be good to you.”
He only said those words, but Siho felt goosebumps, as if a rash had broken out on his body.
It was a line that was naturally expected, considering the book was an online novel.
But hearing it directly made the hair on his skin stand up.
“T-Thank you. For now, should we get up…?”
He needed to get up before any more embarrassing words came out.
Otherwise, his physical limit might not hold up, and he might frown.
As Siho turned his gaze away firmly, Moon Dowon made a sullen expression.
Siho even had the illusion that Moon Dowon’s ears were drooping over his head.
Just as Siho was about to open his mouth to apologize, Joohwan and Kang Taeyun, who had finished talking, appeared.
Moon Dowon returned to his usual face, as if nothing had happened, upon seeing the two.
“You came back a little late.”
“Why? Were you having a good time?”
“Do you think so?”
Moon Dowon glanced sideways at Joohwan, saying he couldn’t because they had come back too quickly.
His slightly sulking face turned even colder.
“I was eager to go swimming. You love swimming.”
“Yes. Are we going to do it now?”
Even as he said that, Moon Dowon casually unbuttoned his shirt.
Since he was well-muscled, his cleavage was visible even with just one button undone.
“…You have a good body.”
Siho bit his lip and widened his eyes at the words that came out without realizing it.
He sent a look that pleaded with them to pretend they hadn’t heard what he just said, unable to hide his embarrassment.
“If you like it, I’ll take off more.”
Moon Dowon unbuttoned two more buttons with a more daring look.
The taut shirt gaped open, finding some ease as his body was revealed.
Seeing his well-defined muscular body seemed to stimulate the salivary glands in Siho’s mouth.
* * *
