RACA 43

“Uh…”

Eunsol blinked as he looked back at the pot. Judging by the amount, it definitely seemed untouched.

Eunsol, who had been walking toward the induction cooktop, glanced back at Jaebeom. He stood with his arms crossed, waiting to see what he would say.

“Th-then, sh-should we have dinner together?”

It felt awkward, and he stammered. Who could have imagined that Pyo Jaebeom would be waiting without even eating?

“Sit down. I’ll get everything ready.”

“Huh?”

What did you just say?

“I’ll take care of it, so just sit down and wait.”

He hadn’t misheard.

“No, it’s okay. I can do it.”

Eunsol was startled and tried to move, but Pyo Jaebeom spoke even more firmly.

“Didn’t you say you shouldn’t lift heavy things? I’ll do it after I wash up, so just sit still.”

Before he could say anything else, Pyo Jaebeom stormed out of the kitchen. Left alone, Eunsol agonized intensely. Couldn’t he just set the table while he was gone? But then again, wouldn’t he get scolded for disobeying him?

His conflict vanihed instantly when Jaebeom reappeared.

“Why are you still doing that?”

At those words, Eunsol obediently sat down on the chair. Pyo Jaebeom pulled dishes from the upper cabinet, fetched side dishes from the refrigerator and placed them on plates, scooped fluffy, perfectly cooked rice from the rice cooker, and swiftly carried it to the table. Finally, he brought over the soft tofu stew brimming with seafood.

‘Something feels different than usual.’

Eunsol, who had been staring at him, tilted his head in confusion for a moment before noticing the dampness on his shirt and realizing why. To be precise, droplets falling from Pyo Jaebeom’s hair were trickling down his shoulder, soaking into his shirt.

‘What the hell, even that’s sexy? Seriously.’

Back in the day, Pyo Jaebeom once modeled for a summer special beer commercial. It wasn’t just for show that it became such a hot topic.

His wet hair fell across his forehead, droplets slowly trickled down his jawline toward his collarbone.

It would be strange if the sight didn’t draw attention.

The combination of the cold beer can and the refreshing expression on Jaebeom’s smiling face sparked the purchasing desire of the entire nation.

‘If I collected all the beer I drank back then, it would fill about one-tenth of the Pacific Ocean.’

It was something he should have kept secret forever, but he captured that day’s scene and set it as his laptop’s background.

Honestly, he wanted to set it as his phone’s wallpaper, but he held back for fear of causing unnecessary misunderstandings.

It reminded him of a time when a minor actor he used to be close with got into trouble after displaying a photo of Pyo Jaebeom, only to be suspected of stalking him.

After that incident, an unwritten rule emerged among them for a while: never use photos of famous celebrities as backgrounds.

“What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“No, I mean… please dry your hair properly before coming out.”

He couldn’t bring himself to say he’d catch a cold. It was June anyway, not exactly the season for colds to be going around. He couldn’t even imagine that healthy alpha lying there burning up with fever.

Come to think of it, he’s never heard anyone say Pyo Jaebeom took time off because he was sick.

The roles he took on were mostly characters radiating health or projecting a strong impression; he’d never seen him play a sickly one.

On the contrary, he’s seen scenes where he tenderly nurses someone who’s sick or looks after someone while making irritating remarks.

“Stop bothering me. Just leave me alone. I’ll wither away.”

“Yes…”

Eunsol answered slowly, drawing out his words, then picked up the water glass. he tried to quench his dry throat, but strangely, it seemed to make his even thirstier.

‘It’s because I’m hungry.’

Of course hunger was the problem. he tried to convince hisself that was why his gaze kept drifting to Pyo Jaebeom’s upper body and below. Eunsol scooped a generous portion of soft tofu into his bowl. he piled seafood on top, then slid it forward.

“Here, have some.”

Eunsol casually answered his questioning gaze, then took the empty bowl in front of him and scooped out his portion.

He knew Pyo Jaebeom was watching him, but he deliberately avoided meeting his gaze. This wasn’t the first time he’d done this, so he ignored his stare and scooped up the wobbly soft tofu.

The soft tofu stew gave off a spicy yet savory aroma. Just as he was convinced this was why his mouth had watered and took a bite, Pyo Jaebeom asked casually, as if it were no big deal.

“How did you know what kind of food I like?”

Eunsol paused briefly, still not looking at him as he answered.

“Why else? It’s because I’m very interested in you, CEO.”

“Really? We haven’t even been together two months yet. Are you saying we’re already close enough for you to know my eating habits?”

No way. It was just the information I’d gathered over time, admiring the actor Pyo Jaebeom, finally paying off.

But Eunsol just gave a sly smile instead of speaking honestly.

“Well, I suppose it’s best if you think about why I’m like this, CEO?”

This is all to find your lost memories. He quickly dismissed the thought of whether it was really necessary to go this far, given it wasn’t even certain if Pyo Jaebeom had transmigrated. Whatever it was, he had to try. What if it wasn’t?

‘Well, what can you do? Back then, I just had to do my best to avoid becoming a broken, imprisoned wreck!’

“Figuring out why I’m like this is what you need to do from now on, CEO.”

Jaebeom watched Eunsol, who had said that, calmly scoop up his seafood soft tofu stew without a care.

By now, it was getting harder to ignore the unsettling feeling. For several days, he had sensed Eunsol acting strangely toward him, but unable to pinpoint the reason, he had bruhed it off as nothing serious.

But seeing him eat his meal so calmly after making him this curious, he couldn’t just let it slide like before.

‘What’s the purpose?’

Thise must be a reason for his suspicious behavior. Then, suddenly, a possibility flahed through Jaebeom’s mind.

“Lee Eunsol.”

Eunsol, who had been vigorously mixing soft tofu into his rice before popping it into his mouth, rolled his eyes at the sound of his name and glanced at Jaebeom. His questioning gaze was clear and pure, appearing innocent, devoid of any scheme.

But Jaebeom didn’t trust that expression. He had reasons to be suspicious.

“No matter how much you try to pull tricks, it won’t work.”

“……What do you mean?”

Eunsol set down his spoon, piled high with rice. Jaebeom, who had been watching his spoon, frowned. Just eat. Why stop?

If he’d known this would happen, I should have waited until he swallowed his food before speaking.

The thought that surfaced unconsciously vanished just as quickly. With a languid expression, he spat out words that would wound Eunsol.

“Chairman Jang seems to have led you on for nothing. Don’t be mistaken. What I need isn’t an Omega, but a baby.”

Eunsol’s eyelids slowly closed and then opened. It seemed like he was replaying the conversation he’d just heard. Jaebeom waited quietly for his reply.

He could guess what kind of sound would come out, but he felt he would be quite disappointed if he heard something different from what he expected.

“Excuse me, CEO.”

Eunsol finally spoke up. Then, letting out a sigh, he continued.

“You keep talking like that and hitting a wall. You might regret it later, so please think it over before you speak.”

“What?”

This answer was not what Jaebeom had anticipated. He gave him a look of utter bewilderment, but Eunsol remained steadfast.

He picked up the spoon he’d set down, put it in his mouth, and chewed thoroughly. All the while, he stared straight at Jaebeom as if they were locked in a staring contest.

Jaebeom stared back just as intensely. Bulgom, who had just come into the kitchen to get a drink of water, spotted the two exchanging fierce glances and wore an awkward expression.

Why did I come here right now instead of getting water earlier!

‘The CEO does have a sharp tongue. But since sister-in-law is no pushover either, it should be fine, right?’

Honestly, even Bulgom noticed that Jaebeom was being way too mean to sister-in-law. Watching them, it was clear Eunsol wasn’t just trying to please him because he wanted something from him.

Even Kwak Sang, who had gathered various information about Eunsol as Jaebeom’s confidant, remarked that he seemed like a decent match for him.

“You know, they say words can pay off a thousand-liang debt, right? Well, that just means you might end up owing a debt in the first place.”

“So what?”

“You don’t know what’ll happen next, so do you really have to say that? You do know what I want, right?”

At first, Eunsol seemed a bit hesitant, but now he was boldly confronting Jaebeom. Bulgom found him a bit admirable.

In his view, that side of Eunsol suited him better. Being a bit easygoing and optimistic while still efficiently finding his own tasks to tackle.

“It’s obvious. You’re just trying to exercise parental rights over the baby.”

Bulgom, who had been staring at Jaebeom with a gasp-inducing expression as he spewed remarks hurtful enough to wound even him, quickly turned to check on Eunsol.

Even amidst all that, Eunsol had diligently eaten his meal, neatly placing his chopsticks down and drinking a glass of water before exhaling a long breath once more.

“Is there a reason I shouldn’t?”