But contrary to Yeonwoo’s desperate gaze, every dish was set down in front of Kang Jihyeok.
Oh, oh no…. He’d asked what Yeonwoo wanted to eat, asked if one plate was enough — so Yeonwoo had assumed they were eating together. He was wrong. The corners of Yeonwoo’s eyes drooped endlessly downward. The food had been taken awa— no, it hadn’t been taken. It was never his to begin with.
Well, what was so special about him that anyone would feed him? Come to think of it, Jihyeok had said let’s go eat — not let’s eat together. Yeonwoo thought of Kang Jihyeok’s broad, solid build. With a body like that, eating that much would be nothing.
He should be grateful he wasn’t told to stand. Even if Jihyeok had told him to kneel on the floor, he’d have had to nod and say yes, yes. Just being seated in a cushioned chair like this was already a great kindness.
On top of that, Jihyeok had said he’d buy him clothes — so it would be wrong to feel hurt over something as small as not being given food. He shouldn’t feel that way. He really shouldn’t.
Even as he told himself all that, Yeonwoo couldn’t tear his eyes away from the sight of Kang Jihyeok cutting the meat. That looks delicious. It really, truly looks delicious.
One clean slice and it cuts right through like that. If you put it in your mouth and chewed, it would probably melt after just a few bites, wouldn’t it? Yeonwoo’s throat bobbed visibly. Without even realizing he was licking his lips, he stared blankly at the meat.
And all the while, Kang Jihyeok’s gaze stayed fixed on Yeonwoo as he cut. The look on Yeonwoo’s face was so pitifully desperate and longing that the corner of Jihyeok’s mouth twitched upward on its own. He could see straight through him — it was almost transparent. The anticipation on his face when the food arrived. He thought back to the expression Yeonwoo had worn the moment every dish was placed in front of Jihyeok instead. The eager light faded from that small face, replaced by disappointment and something quietly sad. And then watching him try so hard not to let it show — that part was just a little heartbreaking.
So he thinks I’m that kind of person.
He could have said I’m cutting this for you — but he chose not to. He wanted to see the expression on Yeonwoo’s face when he finally handed the food over.
He cut people for a living — cutting meat was something he could do with his eyes closed. So Kang Jihyeok kept his gaze fixed on Yeonwoo as he sliced through the meat in smooth, practiced strokes. He cut one piece, then two, and by the time he’d cut three, he felt a flicker of regret. If I’d known, I would’ve ordered four.
Yeonwoo’s eyes stayed locked on the meat. Kang Jihyeok, having sliced through all three cuts, began moving the pieces onto a separate plate. One, two, three, four. By the time four pieces had been transferred, that soft, swelling sense of hope rose inside Yeonwoo again. It was obvious. That meat was for him!
Is he going to give it to me?
Yes! He’d hoped for about four pieces. Kang Jihyeok wasn’t a bad person. He was kind and warm. It had only been for the briefest moment, but the fact that he’d suspected Jihyeok might not give him any food at all — he felt mortified, almost to tears, over the misunderstanding. Yeonwoo decided he would eat every piece as slowly as possible, making it last. He’d chew like a cow, letting each piece dissolve in his mouth at a crawl. That way he could stretch it out for at least thirty minutes, couldn’t he?
But.
Apparently not.
The pieces just kept piling up, without end. Anyone could see at a glance that it was far more than a reasonable amount to give someone. The corners of Yeonwoo’s eyes drooped again, lower and lower. The soft hope that had been building melted away like snow.
He’d been in far worse situations than this before. When he’d gone a full three days without eating and had to watch people laugh and eat right in front of him just to rub it in — even then, he hadn’t cried. So he didn’t know why tears were threatening to spill now. It had been barely a day and a little more since he’d met Kang Jihyeok — but it was clear that his warmth had already seeped in deep.
Yeonwoo watched in a daze as a plate loaded with what amounted to two full steaks slid toward him.
“This one’s yours, little one.”
“Y-Yes? M-Mine?”
M-Mine? All this meat? Yeonwoo couldn’t help the look of disbelief that crossed his face. It was a gaze tangled up with everything at once — was this a joke, was it a test — every emotion blurred together. But Kang Jihyeok waved his hand, urging him to eat. Seeing him smile so openly, Yeonwoo finally understood, truly, that the mountain of meat in front of him was really his.
All of this is mine.
The tip of Yeonwoo’s nose stung.
“Eat up and grow big and strong.”
“Yes — thank you so much.”
Yeonwoo carefully picked up a piece of meat with his fork. Then he held it out toward Kang Jihyeok. It was only right that when eating, the elder should eat first. Now more than ever.
“Say ah.”
Kang Jihyeok opened his mouth without thinking. The sight of Yeonwoo holding out the piece of meat with such grave sincerity was just too cute. He’d thought Yeonwoo would dive in desperately after tearing up over wanting the food so badly — but instead he was looking after Jihyeok first. He had good manners. And say ah, of all things. That was a first in his life. Strange, and oddly sweet.
“Ah.”
Had anyone ever treated him like this before? No. Most people looked at him with eyes full of fear, or eyes full of contempt. If not that, then reverence.
Not a single person had ever treated him this way. And yet instead of grating on him, it was just cute. Endearing.
This is already quite far gone.
Kang Jihyeok chewed his meat and watched Yeonwoo. He planned to feed him up, get some weight on those bones, and then boost his confidence sky-high. He wanted to erase that timid, at-a-loss look that clung to him the way it did right now. Or, failing that — make sure that look belonged to him alone.
“Eat.”
“Yes.”
Yeonwoo picked up a piece of meat and was about to open his mouth, then looked up at Kang Jihyeok once more.
“Thank you for the meal.”
“Yeah, eat up. I’ll order more if it’s not enough.”
Watching that small mouth open and work slowly at the meat, Kang Jihyeok was certain that Cha Yeonwoo would turn his life completely upside down.
“Is it good?”
Just watching Yeonwoo chew his meat was enough to make Kang Jihyeok feel full. I never thought I’d be this way. The sight of those full cheeks packed with meat, over and over again — he never got tired of it.
Back when Yu Cheol had first started dating and said just watching my partner eat makes me feel full — what had Jihyeok said back to him?
Something like, look at you making a fool of yourself, wasn’t it?
And here he was, making that same fool of himself. Kang Jihyeok watched in quiet fascination as those already-large eyes went even rounder with every bite of meat. It was a transparent, honest reaction.
Every time Yeonwoo reacted like that, Jihyeok wanted to fill his arms with the most delicious things the world had to offer. What should I feed him for dinner? How long would it take before that thin frame filled out and rounded softly? Waiting wasn’t hard. On the contrary, there was a real pleasure in feeding him — the wait wouldn’t feel dull at all. Would he like raw things? Kang Jihyeok found himself already thinking ahead to what he’d feed Yeonwoo for dinner.
“It’s so good.”
Yeonwoo hadn’t noticed that Kang Jihyeok’s gaze was fixed entirely on him, and just kept chewing and chewing, utterly absorbed. This was, without question, the best thing he had ever eaten in his life. And the meat tasted exactly as good as it had looked. Just a few chews in and it was already dissolving on his tongue.
“Want more?”
Kang Jihyeok didn’t touch his own meat at all and instead turned his fork to the pasta. He speared a generous heap of the steaming pasta and piled it onto Yeonwoo’s plate.
“Have some of this too.”
“…Thank you so much.”
Yeonwoo carefully lifted the pasta. A rich, savory aroma tickled his nose. He gently placed the pasta in his mouth, and his eyes went wide. The cream pasta that touched his tongue was a taste unlike anything he’d ever experienced. It was soft and deeply rich. Saliva instantly flooded his mouth. He couldn’t believe food this good actually existed.
For just a moment, Yeonwoo wondered if this meal might be his last supper. It was possible. Wasn’t there a saying — that before making someone do something terrible, they’d fill their stomach one last time?
Thinking that this might be his final meal before something awful somehow made it taste even better. He’d eat his fill, and then throw himself wholeheartedly into whatever dreadful thing awaited him.
Eat well.
Do your best! Earn your keep!
Earn your keep — that was a phrase Yeonwoo didn’t like. It was something Assemblyman Cha had said to him until he was sick of hearing it. At first he’d thought the man was right. Unlike Cha’s biological children, Yeonwoo was someone who had to survive entirely on the goodwill of others. But after sharing this meal with Kang Jihyeok today, he understood that everything Assemblyman Cha had ever said to him was complete and utter garbage.
If someone gave you food this good and asked you to earn your keep, that was something you could at least make sense of. But the food Assemblyman Cha had given him was nothing like this.
