TTOA Chapter 133

“And what else?”

“Again?”

“Tell me everything you want to eat. I’ll make it for you tomorrow.”

“Ah… well…”

Kwon Jae-jin turned his head and reluctantly replied. He planned to say whatever came to mind and quickly put Seo Eui-woo to sleep.

“Braised potatoes, fried tofu, spicy pork…”

“Yes, yes. I remember, haha.”

Seo Eui-woo chuckled happily and hugged Kwon Jae-jin tightly. He pinned Jae-jin between his legs as if hugging a teddy bear and raised his cool eyes.

His sharp, focused gray eyes showed no signs of sleepiness.

“Jae-jin-ssi.”

“What is it now?”

“Do you still love me?”

“…”

“Has your mind changed in the meantime?”

“What are you even…”

Jae-jin rolled his eyes in embarrassment before lowering them.

“Stop talking nonsense and let’s get some sleep. Just sleep, please.”

“Answer me properly.”

Seo Eui-woo curved his eyes into a smile. The gentle curve of his eyes was both affectionate and intimidating.

The pouring gaze felt almost too heavy to bear, and his eyes were so dark that one couldn’t fathom the depths of his heart.

Suddenly, Seo Eui-woo seemed to have become much deeper.

Perhaps it should be described as having grown.

“…”

Jae-jin paused for a moment.

He thought about replying with something appropriate like braised potatoes, fried tofu, and spicy pork to put him to sleep, but the words didn’t come out as easily as he thought.

The feelings that had been festering deep in his heart for so long were a laborious emotional task, too burdensome to squeeze out even a single drop. Kwon Jae-jin didn’t know how to express this brick-like mass in simple words. He had never even considered trying.

Even when he opened his mouth, difficult sighs kept popping out. In that short moment, all sorts of worries crossed his mind. Should he ignore the question, change the subject to avoid it, or just pretend to be tired and fall asleep…?

After hesitating for a long time, he managed to utter only a few crumbs.

“Ha… I think dying would be faster.”

“Jae-jin-ssi, you’ve already died, haven’t you?”

“That’s why I’m saying it.”

Death was faster. Than a change of heart.

“I answered, so that’s enough, right? Now we’re sleeping. Close your mouth and shut your eyes.”

Jae-jin took his hand out from under the blanket and covered Seo Eui-woo’s mouth, pressing down on his chin. Seo Eui-woo, unfazed, chuckled against Kwon Jae-jin’s palm. The hot breath and the sensation of his lips were clearly felt through his soft palm.

“I think I know a little bit what you mean.”

“Seo Eui-woo, I told you to sleep…”

“Why Jae-jin-ssi said I was like a kid, and that I smelled green. I understand.”

Seo Eui-woo whispered in a much lower voice, burying his face in Kwon Jae-jin’s palm. He pressed his lips between his fingers and looked up.

An overwhelming desire was reflected in his deep gray eyes.

“Until now, when I was like this with Jae-jin-ssi, I just felt happy. I felt like an excited child.”

Happy and excited to the point of not knowing what to do…

“Now, I feel like I’m melting. Melting and seeping in. And something incredibly thick and sticky is pooling at my bottom, to the point that even I’m surprised. There’s something sinking down like a weight.”

“…”

“Rather than just being happy, it’s tingling and… like a disease.”

Seo Eui-woo, who had been muttering calmly, shrugged his shoulders and burst into a loud, impatient laugh.

He thought that ordinary people all dating normally must all be happy and enviable. Now he realized that it wasn’t something to be so easily dismissed and judged.

Upon realizing and bearing the weight that felt like a disease, the depth of his emotions deepened like the sea. It reached the essential source below.

“Looking back one by one, everything Jae-jin-ssi said was right.”

“…”

“I was so naive. Right?”

Seo Eui-woo hugged Jae-jin tightly and took a slow, deep breath. The fervent inhales and exhales were vivid.

He paused for a moment, then closed his eyes and removed his smile.

“I’m done talking. I’m going to sleep now.”

“Ah, okay.”

“Good night, Jae-jin-ssi.”

“Yeah. You too…”

Finally, Seo Eui-woo closed his eyes and shut his mouth. Darkness and silence instantly fell over the bedroom.

However, Kwon Jae-jin felt as if he could still hear phantom echoes in his ears until dawn that day.

The reverberation of Seo Eui-woo’s voice, as if submerged in deep water, saying, “I love you, Jae-jin-ssi, I love you…”

*

The next day started wonderfully. He opened his eyes to the beautiful rays of light shining beyond the purple mist, waking up with a wondrous sunrise.

Just as he was about to sink into thought while welcoming the slightly early morning, Seo Eui-woo followed suit, waking up, crushing and tickling Kwon Jae-jin. After a quick wash and cleanse, he brewed strong coffee, and Seo Eui-woo set the breakfast table beside him.

New mansion, new bedroom, new kitchen.

Everywhere his feet landed was neatly arranged and perfectly suited for Kwon Jae-jin. Despite the unfamiliar place, there was a comfortable excitement as if he had lived there his whole life.

For a moment, he felt like he had returned to his daily life. And for some reason, he didn’t even have any nightmares.

‘It was pouring rain a few days ago, but today the weather is so clear.’

Should he tell Seo Eui-woo to go out for a bit after finishing the meal…?

Now that he thought about it, he should also find out about the situation on the Center’s side.

He disappeared abruptly after finishing the rank test, and after the battle, he immediately teleported away. It would be better for him to go to them first, before any possible trouble arose.

‘Well, there’s no time to delay…’

The Creature Wave is reality. The generals must be feeling a sense of urgency by now. Unless they were utter idiots, they wouldn’t try to antagonize Seo Eui-woo, facing the Creature Wave.

No matter what their true feelings were, they would have to smile and shake hands on the surface.

No, if they were commanders with any sense, they would abandon their stubbornness and bow their stiff heads to welcome Seo Eui-woo.

‘And the Guiding…’

Could Kwon Jae-jin’s Guiding really have the power to enhance an Esper’s abilities? He wanted to verify it clearly at least once. He felt like he had to know for sure.

Finishing his thoughts, Jae-jin emptied his coffee. The caffeine cleared his head refreshingly. The aroma of food wafted from the kitchen, stimulating his appetite.

Yesterday, he had casually mentioned that he wanted to eat something hot and soupy, and Seo Eui-woo was boiling a pot of galbitang with large chunks of beef ribs. He was also neatly preparing the braised potatoes, fried tofu, and spicy pork that he had unconsciously mentioned. White rice was being perfectly cooked in the rice cooker.

Kwon Jae-jin put the empty coffee cup in the sink and subtly went to Seo Eui-woo’s side.

It was always Kwon Jae-jin’s role to be busy cooking in the kitchen, and Seo Eui-woo would always interfere with him, but now it seemed that Kwon Jae-jin would be the one interfering with Seo Eui-woo.

“Jae-jin-ssi, breakfast is almost ready.”

Seo Eui-woo, wearing an apron, turned to look at Kwon Jae-jin.

His breath caught in his throat as he slowly turned his head, as if stumbling on a stone.

He felt strangely embarrassed the moment their eyes met.

His transparent gray eyes were embedded in deeply sunken eyelids.

They were Seo Eui-woo’s eyes, which he had seen countless times, but he didn’t know why he felt so nervous.

Seo Eui-woo was curving his elegant eyes into a smile, and it looked like a dazzling darkness. His pale white face, contrasting with his dark hair, was as clear and sensual as a canvas painted in black and white.

“Can you taste the ribs to see if they’re cooked well?”

“Huh? Oh… Okay.”

Jae-jin, who had been momentarily dazed, turned his eyes away to find the utensils. Seo Eui-woo used his ability to bring the spoon as if he didn’t need to.

A clean new spoon slid into his hand, and Seo Eui-woo picked out the most appetizing and glossy piece of meat from the hot, boiling pot. Even though he could have just moved the spoon using his ability, he didn’t.

“Just a moment.”

Seo Eui-woo blew on the meat to cool it down. It was obvious that he was paying close attention to every detail.

“Here, say ‘ah’.”

“Ah…”

As he opened his mouth, his body reflexively flinched.

Each moment felt elongated as if time had been stretched, and his senses, including sight, smell, and touch, became more sensitive.

It was just an ordinary moment in everyday life,

He was just tasting the meat to see if it was seasoned well as part of preparing a normal breakfast,

He didn’t know why this felt so special.

Seo Eui-woo’s appearance pierced deep into his retina, and the delicious aroma heightened the flavor. The moment he chewed on the piece of rib that had entered his open mouth, his sense of taste also reacted.

The well-cooked meat tore softly as he chewed, and it was chewy, savory, and delicious. It was a memorable taste.

“…Delicious. It’s cooked well. It’s really… oh, it’s very delicious.”

“Really? I guess the cooking went well. No wonder…”

“No wonder?”

“The food looked especially appetizing today. Usually, it just looks like lumps of wood.”