Chapter : 10
“Can’t you tell just by looking? I’m telling you to hurry up and get better. You need to eat something to recover faster.”
As he spoke, he casually added the prepped vegetables into the pot of boiling water, then walked over to the rice cooker.
Did we even have stuff like that at my place?
Hyun rarely cooked for herself.
There was no way she had gone grocery shopping. It must have been ingredients bought by the housekeeper who came once a week to clean.
“No, more importantly, you still shouldn’t be moving around. Your wound might reopen—”
Hyun stepped in front of him to block his path.
At the same time, Jaehyuk, who needed the ladle placed behind her, leaned forward. In an instant, his solid upper body overlapped hers, and his arm slid past her waist.
“…!”
At such close proximity, Hyun’s breath caught.
Completely unfazed, Jaehyuk successfully grabbed the ladle he was reaching for.
“Are you even listening to me?”
“Yeah.”
He answered briefly and stepped away from her. Then he calmly moved back to the stove and tasted the stew.
“You said I’m going to be living here. Then can’t you at least let me handle feeding myself?”
Setting the ladle aside, Jaehyuk looked down at her. Only then did Hyun become acutely aware of his blunt stare—and of what she was wearing.
Of course, if they were going to talk about appearances, Jaehyuk was cooking shirtless because he couldn’t find his clothes. But Hyun had just woken up and was defenseless in nothing but a thin slip.
“If you’re going to eat, come sit down.”
Even after taking in her appearance, he didn’t so much as blink.
With his usual indifferent expression, Jaehyuk invited her to the table.
The embarrassment was entirely hers to bear. She turned her head, trying not to show how flushed her face had become.
“J-just wait a second. I’ll go put some clothes on.”
She might have stuttered, but she didn’t have time to dwell on it. More than anything, she just wanted to get out of there.
She practically ran back to her room and slammed the door shut, yet the image from earlier wouldn’t leave her mind.
Jaehyuk, shirtless, leaning in close to grab the ladle—she could still feel the warmth of his breath.
Telling herself her racing heart was only because of her outfit, she headed into the dressing room to change. But the reflection in the mirror looked far more indecent than she expected, and her face heated up again.
What is he? Is he impotent or something?
Last time, even when his hand had brushed her chest, he’d acted completely unfazed. And now, despite her undeniably provocative attire, he hadn’t reacted at all.
Or… am I just not his type?
That thought crossed her mind—and strangely, it was a relief.
Because of her striking looks, Hyun had often faced trouble during her time as an agent.
No matter how much she trained, her muscles never grew bulky, and people around her tended to underestimate her. Her slender wrists, as though they’d never held a weapon, and her pretty features didn’t help.
Men usually approached her romantically at first. Only after discovering her overwhelming combat ability and sharp tongue did they back off.
Come to think of it, Jaehyuk had never once shown interest in her back in school, despite her popularity.
Even Daeyik had his reasons for acting friendly toward her. The constant morning and evening messages he’d sent after she gave him her contact information likely had similar motives.
Considering we’re living together, maybe this is actually a good thing.
Hyun slipped off her nightdress and put on a bra she normally didn’t wear to sleep. Then she changed into an oversized T-shirt that hid her silhouette and a pair of training pants before heading back out to the living room.
An even more fragrant aroma now filled the kitchen.
In the meantime, Jaehyuk had quickly prepared the stew and several side dishes, setting the table.
“Sit.”
It felt strange.
She was clearly the homeowner.
Yet Hyun couldn’t shake the feeling that the roles had somehow been reversed.
Regardless, Jaehyuk casually served rice and stew into separate bowls and placed them in front of her.
How long has it been since I had a proper home-cooked meal?
Just looking at the food made her hungry.
Suppressing her appetite, she waited for Jaehyuk—still bustling about—to finally sit down.
“Why aren’t you eating?”
After taking his seat, he asked when she still hadn’t lifted her spoon.
“I’ll eat when you sit.”
Only then did he realize she had been waiting for him.
Hyun inwardly marveled.
This is the best stew I’ve ever had.
The only soybean paste stew she’d ever eaten before was the kind served as a side at barbecue restaurants.
She was only now realizing how deep and rich the flavor could be. The ingredients hadn’t been anything special, yet she couldn’t fathom how he’d made it taste this good.
Of course, she didn’t show it. Praising him didn’t seem like it would benefit her in any way.
She kept her head down and focused on eating.
The bold confidence she’d displayed earlier had long since faded. She couldn’t bring herself to look up.
Watching her, Jaehyuk simply assumed she had a good appetite. He paid no attention whatsoever to the fact that he himself was still shirtless.
Only Hyun was on edge.
She had seen his upper body many times while treating him. She’d even touched him before, and had taken in the sight countless times. If God had carefully sculpted the male body, she sometimes thought it might look like that—but she’d never harbored any ulterior thoughts.
It would be a lie to say his firm muscles had left her completely unmoved, but they had never bothered her like this.
Right now, the sight of Jaehyuk eating in front of her, half-naked, was seriously distracting.
Was it because of the warmth of his breath when he’d leaned close earlier, still lingering at the bridge of her nose?
“Want some more?”
Contrary to her rational thoughts, her instincts had already devoured the delicious food.
Lost in her thoughts, she realized her bowl was empty.
She’d eaten while staring only at her rice bowl. If their eyes met, she felt like she might not be able to digest her food properly.
But apparently that wasn’t the case for him.
The moment she finished her last spoonful, he immediately asked.
“…No. I don’t eat much in the morning.”
Hyun put down her spoon and replied indifferently.
For someone claiming not to eat much, she seemed to have ignored the impressive number of grains she’d already consumed.
A low chuckle escaped from Jaehyuk’s lips across the table.
Hyun had heard that particular laugh of his a few times before, but she made no attempt to define it. Instead, she picked up her bowl and utensils and stood first.
She usually survived on a single cup of coffee in the mornings, so eating a full meal had left her stuffed.
“When do you start going back to work?”
As she set the dishes in the sink, Jaehyuk asked from behind her.
It had only been three or four days since he regained consciousness, yet he looked ready to head straight back into the field.
Hyun had already anticipated that he would push to resume the investigation soon after waking up. She knew his personality well.
Still, she hadn’t imagined it would be this soon.
When someone is injured, recovery requires time. There’s a baseline for healing—but Jaehyuk seemed to have none.
“After your wound heals. Not now. We still haven’t found Jo Chihun’s whereabouts. Just wait.”
“Last time we waited, we were too late.”
“Don’t worry. Once you’re fully healed, we’ll follow your method no matter what. But for now, absolutely not.”
“I am fully healed.”
He was unbelievably stubborn.
Hyun argued with him, telling him to stop talking nonsense.
Having finished his meal during her scolding, Jaehyuk stood and followed her to the sink, carrying his dishes as well.
“What are you talking about? You’re nowhere near healed yet.”
“Look.”
After placing his bowl down, Jaehyuk turned to face her.
Then he gently took one of her hands.
“What are you doing?”
Before she could even attempt to pull away, Jaehyuk brought her hand to rest against his abdomen.
