Chapter 23: Eat Well Before the Hunter Bites

“What are you doing?!”

“Ah- no… you told me to eat.”

Ju-an watched Joo Ji-chan carefully, his suspicion not fully gone.

Compared to when he’d been locked behind the iron door, his gaze and breathing seemed stable, but still, Ju-an couldn’t relax. He took a step back from Joo Ji-chan. In response, Joo Ji-chan let out a short laugh.

“What, you think I’m going to eat you or something?”

After calling him “mysterious food” and acting like he would eat him, what was that supposed to mean? It was absurd, but checking his condition came first.

“A-are you okay?”

“Of course I am. You think I’d lose to some half-assed side effect that easily?”

“Well… you do have strong self-control, Mr. Joo Ji-chan.”

At that, Joo Ji-chan scratched the back of his head awkwardly and muttered, “What are you talking about?” before turning his gaze elsewhere. He seemed to be looking over the chaotic spread of ingredients on the counter.

Ju-an had washed and roughly chopped things in an attempt to make doenjang stew, but even he could tell the counter looked like a disaster zone.

Joo Ji-chan clicked his tongue, rolled up his sleeves, and stepped in front of the sink.

“What is this- are you trying to cook, or make food waste? You’re in the way. Step back.”

What? Was he going to cook himself?

That was nice of him, but… he wasn’t going to demand something in return later, was he?

Ju-an narrowed his eyes suspiciously. Joo Ji-chan, looking thoroughly annoyed, snapped back.

“I’m already barely holding it together and you keep hovering. What, you planning to eat something else instead of food? Didn’t you hear me tell you to get lost?”

“Yes, yes, I heard you. No need to bite my head off.”

Seriously, his words never matched his actions. If you did kind things while talking like that, who would like you? He probably didn’t have a single friend.

Grumbling, Ju-an left the kitchen and collapsed onto the sofa. Maybe because he’d been pushed around all day, the moment his hips hit the soft cushion, drowsiness washed over him.

Then, Ju-an’s eyes flew open.

The air felt strangely hot. A wave of anxiety surged through him.

If Joo Ji-chan was acting up again… ugh, just imagining it was terrifying.

Trying to wake himself up, Ju-an pinched his thigh and slapped his cheeks. A moment later, a savory aroma drifted in from the kitchen. At the same time, his stomach growled loudly, and as if possessed, he walked toward the kitchen.

Joo Ji-chan, who was lifting a pot, turned his gaze toward him. Feeling awkward, Ju-an scratched the back of his head. Joo Ji-chan jerked his chin toward the dining table.

“Sit. There weren’t many ingredients, and I made it in a hurry, so I can’t guarantee the taste.”

Ju-an sat down and looked over the dishes laid out before him.

Doenjang stew with sliced brisket, rolled omelet, stir-fried dried squid, stir-fried fish cakes, bean sprouts, spinach, and young radish kimchi, a full mom’s home-cooked meal set.

Just looking at it made his eyes sting.

Wow. How long had it been since he’d seen real home cooking?

With all the all-nighters he’d pulled, Ju-an had survived mostly on cup ramen and triangle kimbap. He’d felt too self-conscious to go to the supposedly amazing company cafeteria… This was a feast.

“Thank you for the meal!”

Joo Ji-chan glanced at him, veins standing out on his forearm as he ladled stew into his bowl. Steam rose right in front of his face. Vegetables, meat, and big chunks of tofu filled the bowl.

Gulp.

The moment he took a spoonful, a rich, savory flavor spread through his mouth.

Wow, if the stew was this good, how good were the side dishes?

Ju-an piled side dishes onto his rice and tried them one by one.

The slightly salty omelet, spicy and chewy dried squid, sweet fish cakes, crunchy bean sprouts… unbelievably, it tasted almost exactly like his mother’s cooking.

“Is it good?”

Ju-an nodded vigorously.

“It’s insane. So good. I thought you put drugs in it or something!”

“Drugs… I don’t put that kind of stuff in food. What do you take me for?”

What, this world didn’t have the famous “drug kimbap” joke? Or was Joo Ji-chan just too dense to get it? Probably the latter. Still, who cared? With cooking skills like this, you could forgive him for almost anything, as long as he wasn’t your parents’ mortal enemy!

“I just meant it’s that good. Thank you.”

Watching Ju-an shovel food into his mouth like there was no tomorrow, Joo Ji-chan poured him a glass of water. Ju-an drank, then dipped his spoon back into the stew, when he felt a heavy gaze on him.

Was it just his imagination?

Why was Joo Ji-chan staring at him instead of eating?

“Were you starving?”

Ju-an quickly swallowed and answered.

“My heart was hungry.”

“…Your heart?”

Ah. Too abstract for a muscle-brain. Ju-an hurriedly corrected himself.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve had food like this. My mother used to make things like this.”

“Huh. You eat like someone blessed. Still, it’s strange. Most Awakeners lose their appetite when they awaken, since their other senses sharpen. You’re different?”

“Ah…”

Well, of course. He’d gone from a Constellation without a body back to an Awakener. He was completely different from someone who’d been an ordinary human all along.

Not knowing how to explain, Ju-an hesitated. Joo Ji-chan tilted his head, then, without pressing further, started eating. Ju-an scraped his bowl clean, when once again, that strange gaze returned.

“So?”

“So what?”

Under the table, Joo Ji-chan’s foot slid onto the top of Ju-an’s foot, brushing lightly over his ankle before pulling back.

What the hell was that? Was he insane?

“After eating, it happens again…”

That snapped Ju-an fully alert. He slammed his spoon down and widened his eyes.

“Joo Ji-chan, calm down. Should I escort you back to the room?”

“Haa…”

The foot that had been at his ankle slid slowly up his calf. Heat rose from below, making Ju-an’s face burn. Afraid that saying anything might provoke him further, Ju-an stayed silent.

‘Hey, get a grip. I’m a guy. And you’re literally a character I created. If you were a real person, we’d be- f-father and son, no, wait, stop thinking. Just stop.’

As Ju-an tried to inch his leg back, Joo Ji-chan chuckled.

“You look like a scared puppy.”

What? So this wasn’t a side effect, he was just messing with him?

Ju-an blinked in confusion. Joo Ji-chan stood up and took Ju-an’s rice bowl. A moment later, he placed it back down, now filled with a fresh mound of steaming white rice.

“Eat a lot. Grow big and strong.”

“…”

‘Damn it. There are limits to jokes. That nearly gave me a heart attack.’

But anger faded quickly when Ju-an saw the refilled bowl. Appetite won again. Even if Joo Ji-chan was annoying, rice was innocent.

After finishing every last grain, Ju-an looked up to see Joo Ji-chan watching him with a satisfied expression. When their eyes met, he immediately coughed and turned away like nothing had happened.

Seriously, what an incomprehensible man.

****

Morning came.

Thankfully, nothing else happened after dinner; they’d each slept safely in separate rooms.

Ju-an had worried Baek Eun-hoo might barge in with Gong Se-yoon, but with Joo Ji-chan’s buff still active, they seemed to be lying low.

That buff really was something, strong enough to keep powerful Awakeners in check.

When Ju-an came out, Joo Ji-chan was already setting the table with a different breakfast menu. Compared to his old life of constant overtime, sleeping well and eating well felt like heaven.

For a split second, Ju-an even wondered if he should use the kiss skill one more time and settle down here.

No.

Absolutely not.

He shook his head sharply. He couldn’t drown himself in a dream world, he had to return to reality. Besides, Joo Ji-chan might snap at any moment. Definitely not an option.

Just as he was enjoying breakfast-

Ding-dong, ding-dong!

The doorbell rang.

‘Who was it? Please don’t let it be Baek Eun-hoo or Gong Se-yoon.’

“Damn it…”

Grinding out a curse, Joo Ji-chan headed for the door. Ju-an followed behind him.

“Who is it?”

“It’s Mo Jun-young.”

The voice from outside sounded urgent. At least it wasn’t one of those lunatics, but that urgency made Ju-an uneasy.

Joo Ji-chan opened the door, and Mo Jun-young stepped inside.

“What is it? The incident at the mall was handled.”

“I appreciate that, but Seong Ju-an is under special protection by the Center. He can’t stay here any longer.”

Oh… he’d come to take him to the Awakener residence?

Honestly, that was probably safer than staying in the house of someone struggling to control intense sexual side effects. And inside the Center, even Baek Eun-hoo wouldn’t dare act recklessly.

Ju-an carefully edged toward Mo Jun-young while watching Joo Ji-chan’s reaction.

Then-

Mo Jun-young wrapped an arm around Ju-an’s shoulders.

‘What? Why the sudden, out-of-character physical contact?’

If he did that now, there was no way Joo Ji-chan would stay calm.

As expected, sparks practically flew from Joo Ji-chan’s eyes. Ju-an struggled to break free.

“Please let go. I was going to come with you.”

But the more he struggled, the tighter Mo Jun-young’s grip became, pressing against his neck.

Ignoring Ju-an completely, Mo Jun-young glared at Joo Ji-chan, his eyes sharp, like a massive beast waiting for the chance to tear its prey apart.

Then Joo Ji-chan began to growl.