RACA 14

He actually gave his first to that actor he adored? Unable to believe this reality, Eunsol felt like tearing his hair out in agony. He sighed and turned on the water.

The high-end apartment must have excellent hot water systems, the water poured out instantly at the perfect temperature. As if he was washing away his anguish and regret, he plunged his head straight into the stream. Just as he squeezed shampoo into his hands to lather his hair,

Thud.

A sound he shouldn’t have heard came from behind him. Startled, Eunsol opened his eyes and glanced toward the bathroom entrance. Sure enough, a man boasting an imposing physique was strolling in like a predator stalking its prey.

“Uh, excuse me…!”

Stammering in panic, his words barely forming coherent sounds, Pyo Jaebeom had already closed the distance to within inches of Eunsol.

“Wh-wh-wh-why are you… here?”

Shampoo dripped from his hair, stinging his eyes, but Eunsol couldn’t tear his gaze away from him. He had an overwhelming premonition that if he looked away, he wouldn’t be able to handle whatever might happen next.

“Washing up?”

Pyo Jaebeom leaned against the wall, arms crossed. The slow gaze sweeping up from below couldn’t be a mistake. A pale tongue flicked out to lick his lips.

He didn’t know why he was smacking his lips. But it felt strange. There was definitely a chilling tension, but it was subtly different from fear. It was closer to excitement…

Startled by the thought that flashed through his mind, Eunsol flicked the lever to wash it out of his brain.

Whoosh…

Water poured from the showerhead on the ceiling, splashing onto the floor. Pyo Jaebeom’s gaze followed the stream as it soaked his feet.

“Hah.”

He snorted at the obvious trick, tilting his head in mockery. Eunsol slowly stepped under the stream.

“Fine. What do you want me to do?”

With that, Pyo Jaebeom uncrossed his arms. Taking a step back, he turned and slowly walked away.

Eunsol’s eyes never left him until he was completely out of the bathroom.

“Huh…”

The moment he was finally left alone, he exhaled a breath of relief mixed with embarrassment.

“Ah, it stings! It stings!”

Only then did he realize soapy water had gotten in his eyes, and he made a big fuss. He exaggerated even more, trying desperately to shake off the near-disaster that had almost befallen his moments ago.

The reason he took so long showering was similar. Eunsol wrapped a large towel around himself and glared at the door. If he wasn’t going to stay here, he had to leave.

“He can’t possibly be standing right outside?”

That was precisely why he hesitated to step out of the bathroom.

“Viewers complain that anything repeated three times gets stale…”

So he fervently hoped the situation he dreaded wouldn’t materialize.

“Alright! Here I go.”

He held the doorknob with an intake of breath. A crease formed between his tightly furrowed brows. But despite his momentum, the door opened agonizingly slowly, only allowing his head to peek through the crack.

He scanned his surroundings more meticulously than usual, ears pricked. Only after confirming there was no predator – no, no Pyo Jaebeom – did he fully open the door and pull his body outside.

Then, something caught his foot. His gazed down.

“Huh.”

There lay neatly folded T-shirts and pants. His head instinctively turned sideways again. Still no sign of movement.

He touched the clothes as cautiously as if he was handling explosives. He grabbed the top first, gave it a shake, and peered inside, finding nothing amiss.

Relieved, he slipped his head through the neckline. It fit well, though slightly large. Next, he tackled the pants. Again, he meticulously checked every pocket before pulling them on.

“I’m hungry.”

Eunsol rubbed his stomach with his palm.

‘What time is it?’

Being indoors made it hard to gauge the exact hour. But he knew it was evening. When he’d rushed out of the room earlier, the sky outside had been pitch black.

“Let’s drink some water first and then decide what to eat.”

Eunsol tapped his stiff waist as he entered the kitchen, only to find Pyo Jaebeom sitting at the table as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“Whoa!”

Caught off guard by the sight, he recoiled in shock.

“Wh-wh-what are you doing here?”

His words felt slightly out of place. It was his house, after all. Pyo Jaebeom looked at him as if he were ridiculous, then tilted his head.

“Aren’t you making dinner?”

“Ah…”

He exclaimed before he could stop it. Right. Come to think of it, he did have something else to do. Namely, the task of preparing Pyo Jaebeom’s meal.

“Uh, um. Yeah, I should, I have to.”

He stammered a reply while quickly thinking. He already knew the ingredients in the fridge inside out; he just needed to decide what to cook. But considering he was preparing it for money, he hesitated to decide rashly.

“Um, is there anything you’d like to eat?”

Eunsol cautiously asked, deciding it was better to cater to his preferences in this situation.

“Anything.”

“Okay.”

The most infuriating answer in the world came back. But unable to show his true feelings to Jaebeom, Eunsol swallowed a torrent of curses and walked to the refrigerator.

Of course, he thought he was hiding it well, but his face gave him away completely. He didn’t notice that Pyo Jaebeom was barely holding back a smile.

Opening the refrigerator and scanning inside, the organic bean sprouts left over from making bean sprout rice for lunch caught his eye first.

‘Should I make a spicy kimchi bean sprout soup?’

He wouldn’t turn it down just because he’d eaten it earlier. With him waiting so expectantly, he didn’t have the confidence to make something that took a long time to prepare.

He hurriedly took out the bean sprouts and kimchi, grabbing zucchini, onions, and ham for side dishes too. There didn’t seem to be time to cook rice separately, so without hesitation, he found the instant rice he’d saw on his first day.

‘This will taste good if I heat it up properly, right? “

As long as it looked decent, it would be fine. He rationalized this to himself, then found some potatoes and began seriously prepping the ingredients.

“What are you doing?”

“Ah!”

He jumped. Pyo Jaebeom had appeared behind him, and he hadn’t noticed him approach. Holding a knife at that very moment, Eunsol nearly caused a major accident, his heart hammering.

“I’m making kimchi radish soup, stir-fried pumpkin, and ham and potato stir-fry.”

It was an improvised menu, but the side dishes would pair well with the spicy soup.

“Okay.”

He couldn’t tell if he approved or not. Before he could read his expression, Pyo Jaebeom turned away.

“Where are you going?”

Seeing him make a move to leave the kitchen entirely, Eunsol blurted out the question without thinking.

“I have to wash up.”

“Oh…”

It was an obvious answer, yet his ears burned again. Eunsol mumbled awkwardly and quickly turned his head away.

Then he pretended to focus on cooking. Peeling potatoes, trimming onions, cutting squash into bite-sized pieces, he turned his body as if he was searching for the frying pan, stealing a glance toward the kitchen entrance.

As expected, Pyo Jaebeom was gone.

“My heart won’t survive this.”

He sighed, a habit now almost second nature, Eunsol stir-fried the squash, lightly fried the potatoes in oil, and boiled a bean sprout soup with kimchi. He efficiently heated instant rice and transferred it to a bowl, completing the meal preparation.

“All done?”

Just then, as if he was waiting for him, Pyo Jaebeom appeared. Eunsol’s gaze drifted involuntarily to his damp hair.

Why did he always look so pointlessly fresh and clean?

“Yes.”

He averted his eyes, waiting for him to sit down. As he fidgeted, tapping his fingers against the chair’s armrest, Pyo Jaebeom took his seat and immediately picked up his spoon.

Watching him start eating without even a polite “Enjoy your meal,” Eunsol quickly took the seat opposite him and scooped a spoonful of rice.

Though he’d cooked it himself, the seasoning was spot-on, and it tasted excellent. He stole a glance at Pyo Jaebeom, his chopsticks were moving nonstop.

“What?”

What an animal-like Alpha. He must have sensed his gaze, because he spoke up.

“No, I mean… how does it taste?”

“It’s edible.”

Even though his response was lukewarm, Eunsol was satisfied. It had been so long since he’d sat across from someone like this to eat that his heart kept fluttering.

After finishing the meal, Pyo Jaebeom made an unexpected suggestion.

“Do you want to grab a drink?”

“Huh?”

“I asked if you want to drink.”

“Ah…”

Eunsol blinked slowly. He’d heard him clearly, but it took a moment to process what he meant.

“With me?”

“Yeah, with you. Why? Don’t you want to sit across from me and have a drink?”

“Ah, no. Of course not.”

Eunsol hesitated for a moment. If he were timid, he’d agree readily. But if he wanted to play the innocent, demure part, shouldn’t he say he couldn’t drink?

“Um, but I’m not really good at drinking…”

He could easily handle two bottles of soju, but the moment he backed down, he heard that deflated laugh again.

‘I’m not a comedian, what’s so funny?’