“Could you slice the zucchini?”

“Yes.”

“Do it in cubes.”

“Okay.”

He answered obediently and began washing the zucchini carefully.

As expected, it’s a useless thought. There’s no way that kind of demeanor is just an act.

The kitchen, like the rest of Joo Seunghyuk’s house, was enormous. I moved beside him to start chopping onions, but Seunghyuk reached out his hand.

“Give it to me. I’ll do it.”

“No, I’ll handle this one.”

“You’ll hurt your eyes. Let me.”

“It’s fine. If you cook everything, then it’s your dish. I want to cook for you today.”

“Just let me do this part. I don’t want to see you cry.”

I’m not going to cry from slicing a single onion... Does this guy really think I’m a child?

But the onion was already in Seunghyuk’s hands.

“You’re only doing this, and then you’re leaving. Got it?”

“Okay.”

“I mean it. I want to cook for you today.”

Once I made him promise again, Seunghyuk gave a soft smile.

“Alright. I’ll do just that.”

He sliced the zucchini and then moved on to the onion. The way he cut the vegetables—cleanly and at perfect intervals—was impressive.

“Wow, Seunghyuk, you’re amazing.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. You’re like a professional chef.”

“Do you like people who are good at cooking?”

“It’s cool. I kind of envy it.”

“Then I should’ve shown you earlier.”

“From now on, show me everything. Tell me everything. Don’t keep it all to yourself.”

I want to know everything about Seunghyuk. What he likes, what he’s good at, what foods he loves and hates, how he acts when he cooks, what his pheromones feel like—I want to know all of it, every last thing.

“Got it. But... is there anything else I can chop?”

“No. You already promised to stop here.”

“But still. I want to keep showing you my cool side.”

Seunghyuk murmured excitedly with a bright face. Was that what he’d been thinking behind that usually scary expression?

“You’re already cool. You don’t have to try.”

“Me?”

His eyes widened. Was that such a surprising thing to hear?

“Yeah.”

“I’m cool?”

“Of course. If you’re not cool, then who is?”

“When did you start thinking that?”

“Since you got taller than me.”

“Then it’s been a really long time.”

There was a mischievous sparkle in his eyes. He was teasing me for being shorter than him.

“...Well, not that long. And you were tiny when you were little. You were barely the size of an onion.”

“I didn’t expect you to shrink so quickly.”

“...I didn’t shrink. You just grew fast. And I’ll have you know, my height is exactly the Korean average. No—1cm above it!”

“Above average? That’s impressive.”

Seunghyuk kept smiling. He must be having a blast teasing me.

“If you’re done slicing onions, get out! I need to cook!”

I shoved his back. If I didn’t kick this guy out soon, we might not get dinner at all.

“Okay.”

Still smiling, Seunghyuk left the kitchen.

Finally, it was time to show what I could do.

***

I was starting to feel the sharp divide between fantasy and reality.

I wanted to cook a warm, homemade meal for Seunghyuk. He probably never had many chances to enjoy simple, home-cooked food.

Doenjang-jjigae, mushroom egg custard, beef bulgogi, Koni chicken nuggets. And steaming white rice. I put my heart into each dish. I was confident.

These were the greatest hits—the meals that had always gotten the best reactions from my siblings. I’d refined and trimmed the menu to only the most successful ones.

But now that everything was made, I couldn’t help but compare it to Seunghyuk’s cooking—and mine felt so shabby.

Should I whip up one or two more dishes?

“Is it done?”

As I stood at the table, sighing at the sight of the spread, Seunghyuk came in.

“Ah, well...”

“Wow. You made all this?”

“Yeah... It’s kind of embarrassing. There’s not much.”

I awkwardly scratched my temple.

I thought he might be disappointed, but instead, Seunghyuk looked amazed and sat down.

“What do you mean, ‘not much’? Wait here.”

He suddenly ran off to his room and came back with a huge professional camera. Then he started taking pictures of the table.

“Why are you taking pictures...?”

It wasn’t even a phone camera—he brought out a full-blown professional one for this humble meal.

“It’s the first meal you’ve ever made for me. I wish I could preserve it forever, but since I can’t, I’m taking photos instead.”

“Wait, let me at least redo the plating.”

Honestly, it was just a typical bachelor’s table. The egg custard was lumpy, the rice wasn’t neatly shaped.

I reached out to sprinkle some sliced chili on the bulgogi, but Seunghyuk stopped me.

“No. I like it just the way it is.”

He snapped a few more shots, then raised the camera and pressed the shutter again.

“Did you just take a picture of me?”

“Yeah. You made all this for me.”

“At least let me take the apron off first.”

“Then I’ll take another one without it.”

He grinned foolishly. Looks like everything I do makes him happy.

“It’s gonna get cold. Let’s eat first.”

“Okay.”

He sat down. The moment he picked up his spoon, I tensed up.

He scooped a big spoonful of doenjang-jjigae and put it in his mouth. I held my breath as I watched his face.

“How is it?”

“It’s delicious!”

“Really to your taste?”

“Yes. I’ve never had anything this good before.”

“Oh come on, that’s a stretch.”

“I mean it. It’s honestly the best.”

Seunghyuk had probably eaten dishes from world-class chefs. There was no way this was the best he’d ever tasted—but I couldn’t help smiling as my lips twitched upward.

He tried the bulgogi and egg custard too, and praised each one. I’d never seen him this excited before.

“You should eat too.”

“Okay, I will.”

As I scooped some rice, he placed a piece of bulgogi on top for me.

“Thanks.”

“Hurry and try it. It’s really good!”

“Alright.”

As I took a bite, Seunghyuk’s eyes sparkled.

“How is it?”

His nervous expression made me laugh.

I’m the one who cooked it—why is he the one getting nervous?

“It’s good.”

“Right? It’s really good, isn’t it?”

He beamed like he was the one getting complimented. I guess it really was tasty.

“This is the Koni chicken nugget?”

“Yeah. It’s a kid’s version.”

“...It looks like a T-Rex though.”

Well, to be honest, it did look more like a dinosaur than a dragon. Even as a kid, I’d always felt something was off, but I never said it aloud.

I bet the other kids thought the same.

“...If you think of it as a baby’s nugget, it’ll look like a dragon.”

“You see it as a dragon?”

“Yeah.”

After ten years of conditioning myself, I could see it as a Koni about 80% of the time.

“Then I’ll see it as a baby’s nugget too.”

He didn’t have to go out of his way to be brainwashed with me...

Before I could say anything else, Seunghyuk popped the Koni nugget into his mouth.

“Tasty.”

“Really?”

“Yes, hyung. Everything is delicious! You’re amazing.”

“I’m sure it tastes the same no matter who fries it.”

“Nope. It’s better because you made it.”

He said it with total conviction. It made him look so cute and lovely.

“If you like it that much, I’ll make it every day.”

“I’d love that, but don’t. I should be the one doing it. I didn’t bring you here to make you work.”

“It’s not work. I just like watching you eat.”

Seeing Seunghyuk so happy with the food I made made me feel happy too.

“Then let’s cook together.”

“Yeah. Let’s.”

Living with Seunghyuk, waking up together every morning, cooking side by side—

That kind of life didn’t sound so bad.

Despite being a foodie, Seunghyuk wasn’t a big eater. In fact, he had a surprisingly small appetite for his size. But today, he just kept eating.

I’d gone a little overboard making bulgogi, worried there’d be too much—but we nearly ran out.

Guess it really was to his taste. I felt proud.

“You finished everything?”

“Yeah. It was really delicious.”

“I’m glad.”

“I’ll do the dishes.”

“Seunghyuk, wait.”

I stopped him just as he was about to stand.

“Yes?”

“There’s something I want to say.”

The smile that had lingered on his face throughout the meal vanished. He looked at me with a serious expression.

“Go ahead.”

“...Earlier, when I ran into Park Geonwoo sunbae, he told me to be careful around you.”

“...He did?”

“He said to especially be wary of any food you give me. Ah, but don’t get the wrong idea. That’s not why I decided to cook today. I just wanted to do something for you—”

I rushed to explain so he wouldn’t misunderstand, but Seunghyuk suddenly pulled me into a tight hug.

“I don’t misunderstand. I trust you. Don’t worry.”

“Okay.”

“But can I say something too?”

“Yeah. I trust you, ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) so go ahead.”

Park Geonwoo had warned me to be careful of anything Seunghyuk fed me. But I’d been with Seunghyuk constantly since our first night together. I’d eaten at restaurants he took me to, and meals he cooked himself—for six months straight.

If he’d wanted to drug me, something would’ve gone wrong long ago.

Besides, if Seunghyuk ever intended to hurt me, he wouldn’t need drugs. He could’ve done anything he wanted to me during summer break.

And more than anything, my heart told me so.

This was the guy who kept quiet about the Horaitron Gate because he was afraid I’d remember something traumatic. During the Aaron incident, he was terrified I might come into contact with Dust. In Aquilus, he warned me against taking any food that could be laced with drugs. And after going through his rut, he cared for me with such devotion.

Even today—if Seunghyuk had secretly drugged me, he would’ve panicked the moment I insisted on cooking. His plan would’ve been thrown off. But instead, he spent the whole meal smiling like a child.

There’s no way Seunghyuk would ever harm me. I believe that now.

“There’s no way you put drugs in my food.”

“I might’ve.”

“...What kind of drug?”

Seeing Seunghyuk’s sly smile, an uneasy feeling bubbled up inside me.