noveltune Chapter 4
Chapter 4
The size difference between them was already palpable in this arrangement. Choi Gang-hu’s dense shadow completely covered Ryu Seo-ha’s slender body. It felt like being a herbivore facing a predator.
“Why.”
A voice as unfathomable as a dark swamp brushed softly against his ear. The faint breath that seeped in with it was ticklish. Trapping Seo-ha, who had unknowingly held his breath, in his arms, Gang-hu slowly bent his waist.
“Are you afraid of me?”
The voice, resembling a lightless deep sea, sank even lower. The muscles visible through the open shirt felt ominous. Instinctively, his body began to tremble slightly.
“I don’t remember treating Ryu Seo-ha badly.”
His pitch-black eyes were so dark they seemed to absorb even light.
“Why are you avoiding me?”@@@@
Seo-ha, who had been holding his breath while facing the chilling gaze, suddenly curved his eyes gently. It was a strange smile that could provoke lewd imagination.
“I thought you might dislike being touched.”
Choi Gang-hu, who had been looking down at him expressionlessly, paused.
“Me?”
“Because of what happened last time...”
As Seo-ha trailed off, feigning a pitiful expression, Gang-hu’s well-shaped eyebrows twitched. He seemed to recall mentioning causing harm or something similar. His large hand cupped Seo-ha’s smooth jawline, caressing it.
Magic Power 69
Magic Power 76
As expected, the mana stat began to soar.
“Not at all.”
An inscrutable smile spread across Gang-hu’s face as he tilted his head as if about to kiss. This time, his breath brushed against Seo-ha’s mouth. A pleasant scent reminiscent of cool skin lotion wafted faintly.
“Are you really okay with it?”
Seo-ha asked, blinking innocently, as he slightly moved out of kissing range while pretending to tilt his head. Gang-hu nodded slightly as if to ask what the problem was. This gave Seo-ha courage.
“Then excuse me for a moment.”
Seo-ha’s slender arms extended downwards, wrapping around Gang-hu’s thick torso. He placed his hands on Gang-hu’s broad back over the shirt, rested his chin at the point where the collar met the shoulder seam, and watched his status window.
Magic Power 88
The number stopped increasing and remained static.
‘Does skin need to touch directly?’
Due to the sudden movement, Gang-hu’s hand had released Seo-ha’s chin. What was touching Gang-hu’s exposed upper body was Seo-ha’s hoodie. This was more challenging than expected.
Gang-hu, who seemed momentarily surprised, slowly lowered his arms to wrap around Seo-ha’s waist. At that moment, Seo-ha came to his senses, stopped the hug, and quickly stepped back.
“...”
An awkward silence settled in the changing room. Seo-ha quickly lowered his eyes and fiddled with the thick sleeve of his hoodie. The atmosphere made it impossible to openly say he had touched him experimentally.
“I’m sorry. I was curious about how firm you were.”
Feeling that the silence shouldn’t drag on, he blurted out something random and immediately regretted it. Gang-hu probably guessed the real reason anyway.
A low chuckle was heard from Gang-hu at the implausible excuse. Glancing up, Seo-ha saw amusement in Gang-hu’s eyes. Fortunately, he didn’t seem upset.
“More importantly, I’d like to discuss the contract after you finish washing up.”
Just in case, Seo-ha quickly changed the subject to something that might interest the other party.
“What is all this...?”
“I didn’t know what you liked.”
Most surprising of all was the food spread out on the folding table. A variety of dishes from Korean, Japanese, Chinese, and Western cuisines were prepared.
“Let’s eat together. The menu is modest as it was prepared in a hurry.”
Modest? Did he mispronounce ‘extravagant’? It looks like we’ve come to a buffet.
The hot food was steaming, and the fried dishes looked extremely crispy. The delicious smell mercilessly stimulated his salivary glands. Enough to blow away any context of this situation to Andromeda.
“...Thank you for the meal.”
Seo-ha picked up his chopsticks, putting aside any sense of shame. Though he wasn’t hungry, having food in front of him automatically put him in battle mode. Then, he picked up a large piece of bulgogi beef that was closest to him. He put it straight in his mouth and chewed silently.
“Do you like Korean food?”
Choi Gang-hu smiled and pushed fluffy rice and well-fermented kimchi towards him. Seo-ha nodded after quickly chewing and swallowing the food in his mouth.
“I like all food.”
Taking a spoonful of rice and adding the bright red kimchi to the bulgogi beef, a joyful mix of flavors melted in his mouth. Before he knew it, his chopsticks began to move faster. Even though he was trying to restrain himself out of politeness.
“You can eat slowly.”
Gang-hu gently admonished in a voice tinged with laughter, as if to say he wouldn’t take the food away. Only then did Seo-ha’s chopsticks pause. He felt a bit embarrassed. The problem was his habit of quickly finishing once he started on something.
As he turned his head while wiping his mouth with a napkin, already feeling full, he could see the city landscape passing by outside the car window. He hadn’t even noticed when the limousine had started moving. Thanks to the excellent ride quality, he hadn’t felt any shaking at all. It must be the effect of a high-grade item. Shamefully, it was also partly because he had been distracted by the food.
“This is troublesome...”
He muttered inadvertently while looking down at the many colorful dishes on the table – sushi, steak, sweet and sour pork, chicken, grilled pork belly, and more.
“What is?”
“I’m full... but I should eat as much as I can when I can... Ah.”
Answering as if talking to himself, he realized his slip of the tongue and showed a troubled expression. It seems he had been disarmed in front of food. There was no benefit in showing his Chinatown survivor side. Especially in front of Choi Gang-hu.
“That’s right. Eating is not just for pleasure, but also an act of survival.”
A calm empathetic response came from him. There was no sign of him being upset or mocking. Choi Gang-hu had lived in an environment far harsher than an apocalyptic situation. In the Abyss, where it was difficult to even see proper food, let alone seasonings and spices, for as long as 300 years.
There was a good reason for the scenes in the original story where he enjoyed gourmet food while traveling around the world. As well as his habit of eating a variety of hearty meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
“Thank you for the meal.”
After rinsing his mouth with water, Seo-ha hesitated for a moment before bowing his head, and Choi Gang-hu laughed softly.
“Are you very full?”
His voice seemed even softer. Feeling guilty about leaving so much food, Seo-ha nodded hesitantly, and the laughter lines around Gang-hu’s eyes deepened.
“The leftover food will be purified with a skill and donated to those in need.”
“...?”
“Don’t look so dejected, it’s not going to waste.”
Dejected? As he unconsciously touched his face, Gang-hu took out a dessert that had been kept warm.
“You can still eat dessert, right?”
Gang-hu asked in a tone as if coaxing a shy child.
“...Yes.”
Seo-ha found himself nodding without realizing it.