FLIA 64

***

After returning from the queen termite’s chamber, Yohan informed Yoon Seungryong of the food storage. The moment he heard it, Yoon Seungryong dashed off and came back carrying an armful of seeds, dug up from the nauseating remains of various byproducts. As Yohan purified them one by one, Ju Hoyoung picked something up and screamed.

“This, no way!”

“What is it, Hoyoung-ah?! What is it?!”

“Co… coffee!”

Coffee?! Yohan’s eyes widened at the unexpected name. Coffee?! They’d cried over garlic and red pepper powder all this time, but never even thought about coffee. Understandable, life in the Abyss had been far too harsh for anyone to indulge in something as luxurious as a beverage.

But when he looked with growing hope, the bunch of fruit Ju Hoyoung held up was red, luscious… and looked more like thorny cherries. Yohan asked, doubtful.

“Isn’t that… cherry?”

“No! I swear on my barista certification. It’s got thorns, sure, but this is definitely a coffee cherry!”

Yohan didn’t know what a coffee cherry was, but if someone with a barista license was this sure, he couldn’t help getting his hopes up. He wasn’t even that fond of coffee, but in the Abyss, anything was welcome.

Ju Hoyoung began processing the coffee cherries at lightning speed. Over the course of several days, he peeled, dried, and stripped the pulp. Miraculously, what emerged looked exactly like the coffee beans Yohan knew. Even Lee Hyunmook, who normally enjoyed any food with the same nonchalant attitude, showed rare interest. As Yohan watched Ju Hoyoung carefully grinding the beans, he asked Lee Hyunmook:

“Do you like coffee?”

“I used to like it enough to drink it every day.”

Lee Hyunmook, leisurely sipping coffee in the morning, that really did seem like a perfect image. Now that he thought about it, hadn’t he even done a coffee commercial before?

Then, an unbelievably strong and striking aroma of coffee hit them like a shockwave. As everyone craned their necks in anticipation, Ju Hoyoung poured a cup for each person and asked:

“Iced?”

With eager agreement, Ju Hoyoung added ice shards to the cups. They all drank in silence. The aroma and flavor were so moving it brought tears to their eyes. It was even stronger and more fragrant than the coffee they remembered from Korea.

“Red pepper and coffee, just these two alone make this whole place worth it.”

Even Yoon Seungryong murmured in awe, and everyone agreed. After enjoying a blissful coffee break, they left their temporary shelter in the nest. They passed through an area tinged here and there with red, heading ever deeper.

“It’s really humid here… unlike up above.”

Yohan muttered, looking up at the towering reeds overhead. Aside from the glow of the light he conjured, there was no light at all, giving the place an eerie atmosphere. The reeds trapped the moisture, making the humidity nearly unbearable. It truly felt like they were deep under the sea. Thankfully, thanks to Ju Hoyoung’s abilities, water supply wasn’t an issue.

“Yeah. Your hair’s all wet.”

Lee Hyunmook gently brushed back Yohan’s damp bangs. That tiny touch was nothing, really, but it instantly made Yohan feel happy. Trying not to grin too much in front of the others, he was just about to take another step when–

“Stop.”

The moment Lee Hyunmook said it softly, everyone froze. He tilted his chin upward, and Yoon Seungryong, who had been walking in the lead, swung his spear and cut through the reeds. After a few such swings, they heard a harsh sound like heavy rain crashing down. Something came crashing from high above.

Lee Hyunmook quickly stepped in front of Yohan, shielding him from flying debris with his body.

Thud… What fell with a heavy thump was a massive bundle of reeds. Over time, the reeds had withered and tangled together, hanging suspended in the air, until Yoon Seungryong’s spear cut them loose and they dropped. Even though it was just reeds, the sheer size and weight were enough to crush a normal person to death. Yohan looked up at the spot where the bundle had fallen and saw a sky stained dark red.

Even after removing the hazard, they didn’t let down their guard. Sure enough, long, thick, and vicious creatures began leaping out from between the reed bundles. They were enormous monster snakes with flaring scales charging at them. But on closer look, they had legs, it was more accurate to say they were giant lizards or crocodilian beasts than snakes.

Ju Hoyoung instantly loosed pre-made ice arrows. The rock-hard projectiles struck the monsters’ soft mouths and eyes. Several died instantly, while others writhed in pain before being sliced apart by Yoon Seungryong’s spear.

“Geez, this boomer really knows how to work us to death.”

Despite grumbling, Yoon Seungryong diligently collected the dead lizards, they would be today’s meal. Nothing could be wasted here, and the tightly packed reed bundle became their new temporary shelter for the day. Squatting in front of it, they roasted the lizard meat over burning reed straw. It tasted oddly special.

“Tastes just like chicken… though it’s tough, like it’s been aged for decades.”

Yohan curiously knocked on the reed wall with his fist, thumping it a few times. Lee Hyunmook split a piece of reed thinly so it made a sharp snapping sound, then skewered a few well-roasted, juicy pieces of lizard meat onto a makeshift stick and handed it to Yohan.

“They’re probably different because the reeds are corrupted.”

Just as Hyunmook said, the reeds here were stiff and straight like bamboo. As Yohan bit into the meat, he noticed pieces of pineapple tucked between them. He was happily eating when Yoon Seungryong, who had been grilling meat, suddenly looked around.

“Huh? Where did the pineapple I left here go?”

“…Gasp.”

Yohan, flustered, gulped down the well-roasted pineapple he’d been chewing. Seeing that, Yoon Seungryong raised his eyebrows. Then, muttering under his breath, he fumbled through empty air and pulled out another pineapple.

“Team leader, I’ve got a mouth too, you know.”

“There’s still some left here…”

Yohan sheepishly held out his skewer, but Yoon Seungryong shook his head.

“No, Yohan-ah. Eat up. I was going to share it for dessert anyway.”

“You heard him. Don’t worry and just eat.”

“…Okay…”

Still feeling awkward, Yohan chewed on the piece of pineapple that Hyunmook offered him. Ever since Hyunmook had confessed and asked to date, he had started casually reaching out to touch Yohan like this. At first, Yohan always watched for how Yoon Seungryong and Ju Hoyoung would react, but they didn’t show any particular reaction–didn’t even seem to notice–so lately he’d begun to accept it more comfortably.

“Hoyoung-ah, you’re eating okay?”

Feeling self-conscious, Yohan tried to check on Hoyoung for no real reason. Despite being absorbed in his game near the campfire, Hoyoung nodded.

“Yeah, eating just fine. Don’t worry about me, Yohan-hyung should eat more. Using your power burns a lot of calories.”

It was strange. Hoyoung was definitely younger, so why did Yohan always feel like he was the one being taken care of? Even though the youngest among them was clearly Ju Hoyoung, Yohan often couldn’t shake the feeling that he himself was the baby of the group…

After the meal, Yohan lay down to sleep. Even after he awakened, walking for over ten hours straight through the dark reeds had left him exhausted. It was a bit selfish, but he was honestly relieved he’d been exempt from night watch lately, thanks to needing to recover his purification power.

Lying on the mattress Yoon Seungryong had pulled out, Yohan curled and stretched his sore feet restlessly when Lee Hyunmook lifted the edge of the sleeping bag and asked:

“Want a massage?”

Yohan quickly answered yes, then belatedly glanced around and added a casual excuse. Ju Hoyoung was too absorbed in his game near the fire to notice anything, but Yoon Seungryong, who was still busy tidying up ingredients, made him nervous.

“…My legs are kind of stiff.”

“Right. We’ll be walking a lot tomorrow too.”

Hyunmook gave his words a valid reason and sat down. As soon as Yohan lay face down, strong hands gripped his calves and began a firm but pleasant massage. A groan slipped out.

“Ughh, that’s good.”

Setting aside the little secret thrill in his heart, Yohan had to admit, Hyunmook’s massage was flawless. He was practically a living, breathing deep-tissue massager. His tight muscles melted under those hands, and his eyelids grew heavy. But despite the comfort, a faint feeling of longing bubbled up.

Yohan turned his head and looked at Hyunmook. Their eyes met, and Hyunmook’s gaze curved gently. Confirming that Yoon Seungryong and Ju Hoyoung weren’t looking this way, Yohan silently mouthed:

‘I want a kiss.’

Then he giggled shyly. Spending all their time with the other two made even a simple kiss feel like a risk. They hadn’t kissed once since leaving the termite tower.

But unlike Yohan, Hyunmook was a little bolder.

Pretending to keep massaging Yohan’s back, he leaned in and gently pressed his lips to Yohan’s cheek and nape. His kisses lingered softly, teasingly, sometimes lightly pecking again and again like a game. Heat bloomed in Yohan’s ears. He eventually gave in, laughing quietly and whispering:

“That tickles.”

“Sorry, I’ll be more careful.”

Hyunmook apologized with a serious tone. And just when Yohan was drifting on the edge of sleep, Hyunmook gave him one more gentle, teasing kiss–like a proper lover.