PIA 44

Ji-an pulled out a chair and sat in front of the island table in the kitchen. Jeong Hee-seo glanced at him once before opening the fridge and taking out meat and vegetables one by one.

“Wow, hyung-nim, you’re more serious than I thought.”

When Jeong Hee-seo brought out the dry-aged beef, Ji-an said with admiration. That’s an ingredient that even his mother didn’t use!

Ji-an has no talent or hobby in cooking, and since Jeong Hee-seo offered to do it for him, he couldn’t miss out on this rare sight. Instead of wandering around trying to help, Ji-an placed his arms on the table and began to watch Jeong Hee-seo with sparkling eyes.

They say you eat with your eyes first… He wondered if this was what they meant. Watching someone cook so gracefully felt like appreciating performance art.

Maybe it was because Ji-an mostly saw Jeong Hee-seo wearing clothes tightly wrapped around his body in an ascetic manner, but the unbuttoned shirt gave him a completely different look. It was somehow sexy to see a man with a cold demeanor holding a kitchen knife and skillfully chopping on the cutting board.

Jeong Hee-seo’s focused gaze on the ingredients and his wet fingertips kept catching Ji-an’s attention. He would have been suited to be a chef. No, whatever he did, he would be cool. Ji-an found himself staring at his handsome profile, as if mesmerized, and unknowingly raised his phone to take a picture.

When the sound of a click was heard, Jeong Hee-seo spoke calmly with his eyes fixed on the cooking ingredients.

“If you post that photo anywhere, it will become a hot topic.”

“Oh…”

“It means I’m only doing this for you.”

Ji-an was impressed and gave two thumbs up.

It suddenly dawned on him why Jeong Hee-seo was the final villain boss.

The reason why a man with such strong self-love would go berserk and fall into the wrong path of joint suicide at the end of the drama was probably due to wounded pride.

He was such a perfect Alpha.

Not only had his heart been stolen by a petty recessive Omega named Seo Ji-an, but he also couldn’t even get his affection acknowledged, so he probably didn’t know how to restore his severely damaged pride. Having never experienced such a defeat in life, it must have hurt even more.

In the process, the main couple was also in danger, so he was labeled as a villain, but in reality, he was a joker who tidied up the final act of the drama. The word was too harsh to just label him a villain.

“What exactly can’t you do, hyung-nim?”

Ji-an suddenly couldn’t hold back and asked. He was so discouraged that he even felt a little angry. Even his voice came out rough. It was because Jeong Hee-seo had just sliced the onions into thin slices at an astonishing speed, almost like cutting paper.

“Do you know everything like a complete expert now? Did you hire a famous chef separately and learn from them?”

Jeong Hee-seo should sign up for a cooking competition right away. Ji-an joked to himself.

Jeong Hee-seo just smiled as he repeated the series of actions of washing his hands and wiping them on a dishcloth.

Watching him work on tenderizing the meat made Ji-an feel a bit frustrated.

“You’re a cheat, a total cheat. You’re breaking the balance.”

“Why, there are a lot of things I can’t do too.”

“Tell me, like what then.”

Ji-an threatened that he would be severely punished if he did not give a proper answer. Jeong Hee-seo seemed to be thinking seriously for a moment, then looked at Ji-an with a perplexed expression.

“Well, there are. A lot of things I can’t do. If I had to pick one…”

“If you’re going to say you can’t speak Mongolian in front of someone who can’t speak English, then forget it.”

Ji-an found it fascinating that Hee-seo had such rare skills. He wondered if it was because Jeong Hee-seo was a character in a drama, but Ji-an also thought that the character Jeong Hee-seo in the world he was in would be no different. Whether it was a possession by a drama or a dimensional shift caused by the existence of this world, he wouldn’t have had the experience of eating the food Jeong Hee-seo made without this opportunity.

“Hyung-nim and I are probably at opposite ends.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Like, south and north.”

“Are we talking about democracy and communism now?”

“No! No, no, no! I mean magnets. Magnets. The north pole and the south pole!”

Hmm, Jeong Hee-seo, who was nodding and hummed, looked at Ji-an as he set down the torch he was searing the meat with.

“So you seem to be having fun.”

“Hyung, am I amusing to you?”

“Uh-huh.”

As he skillfully sliced the tender beef with the torch, a savory scent filled the air. Ji-an put aside his idle chatter and stood up to set the table. He didn’t want to keep listening to Hee-seo’s words and risk getting more flustered.

After washing his hands and returning, almost all the dishes were ready. Sushi made with Hanwoo beef, grilled vegetables, and sirloin steak were all served on one table. With grilled cheese and tangy pickles, it was truly an elaborate spread.

“Wow… I really, really appreciate this meal, hyung-nim. It’s an honor.”

“Wait a minute, come here.”

Jeong Hee-seo wiped his hands on a towel and called Ji-an. Since he had washed it in cold water, he checked the temperature by rubbing them together and slowly placed his hands on Ji-an’s face.

A subtle pheromone emanated from his wrist where his pulse was beating. Avoiding eye contact because it felt awkward, Ji-an’s gaze shifted downward, revealing his lips, then his neck. It felt like being ensnared from all sides.

There was no way that the quick-witted Jeong Hee-seo did not know the meaning of the gaze that was wandering round, not knowing where to settle down.

Jeong Hee-seo deliberately released the pheromone more intensely and gently brushed Ji-an’s cheek with a smooth touch. As Jeong Hee-seo touched his red-hot earlobe, Ji-an shrugged his shoulders as if he couldn’t bear it anymore.

“I think I suddenly know what I can’t do.”

“What is it?”

Jeong Hee-seo paused for a moment, looking down at Ji-an.

“I can’t do what I want?”

He whispered. As he lowered his head and narrowed the distance, Ji-an’s eyes widened. His face flushed red, and the trembling of his pupils stimulated Jeong Hee-seo even more.

“H-hyung-nim?”

Ji-an urgently raised his hand to stop the tilted head from coming any closer to his nose. It was just before their lips touched. Feeling Ji-an’s flinch and resistance, Hee-seo raised an eyebrow

“… Why?”

“No, it’s because the meat might get cold, hyung.”

“Right, we should eat. After all, we even made a contract.”

Jeong Hee-seo stepped back and licked his lips lightly. When he released the pheromone, the people around him would be drawn toward him. Jeong Hee-seo could see Ji-an clearly reacting to him, but he was frustrated because Ji-an pushed him away every time.

“Well, since you’ve made it so delicious.”

“Let’s see what happens after we finish eating.”

“Do you have to be so persistent…?”

The meal that Jeong Hee-seo cooked was extremely delicious. As much as it looked, it tasted exactly like Jeong Hee-seo’s image drawn before his eyes. It tasted even better because the guy who took control of his body and aroused his appetite was with him.

By the time they had emptied the sushi plate after the meat, Jeong Hee-seo, who had been watching Ji-an eat, reached out. He gently brushed aside his hair and then placed his hand where there had been a wound on his forehead. When Ji-an looked up at the touching gesture.

“It’s healed now.”

There was no answer, so Ji-an became more nervous. It was even worse because they didn’t sit across from each other.Sitting diagonally from each other meant that Hee-seo’s hand could reach him with a stretch.

The hand that had been touching his forehead brushed past his ear and down to his neck. When he massaged his shoulders, his gaze seemed to soften a bit.

“You seem a bit thin. Don’t you usually gain weight when you’re pregnant?”

“I’ll start gaining from now on. I just need to eat diligently.”

Ji-an subtly hinted that he would eat heartily if Hee-seo didn’t interrupt. He eagerly stabbed four pieces of grilled vegetables with his fork and stuffed them into his mouth, determined not to let the strange atmosphere prevail.

With a resigned sigh, Hee-seo rested his chin on his hand. His fingertips lingered on Ji-an’s shoulders, leaving behind a sense of reluctance.

“It would be simple if we just lived together in my own home, so why make it so difficult? I gave in and backed out of marriage. Why can’t we live together? What is the problem?”

“Because I’m still a child with many dreams?”

It was a topic that was discussed many times with no resolution in sight. Jeong Hee-seo narrowed his eyes without hiding his disapproval. Finally, Ji-an added one more thing.

“But hyung-nim. I don’t know if it’s just my mood, but why have you been touching me strangely since the last time? It feels awkward…”

Even if Ji-an was a hopeless single with an unrequited love history for 8 years, he was not so clueless as to not recognize these subtle signs.

“Feeling awkward? It’s not because of your mood.”

Jeong Hee-seo chuckled and leaned in his upper body. As the shadows grew, the distance between them narrowed. He rested his elbows on the table, looking intently at Ji-an.

To avoid those gazes, Ji-an stuffed the food into his mouth even more fiercely.

“I hate things that are vague and unclear. So, I came up with a hypothesis. I wanted to find out something. To do that, I thought I needed to prove it once. You know those common stories. If you don’t understand, try it physically.”

“… Who would say such nonsense?”

“Aren’t you curious?”

“I don’t know what it is, but I’m not curious?”

“I was wondering if you could do it again with me in a clear mind and not under the influence of drugs.”

“…”