Less than half a bowl of rice — always cold and stuck to the bottom. Side dishes that were either on the verge of going bad or the cheapest things money could buy, nothing more. The rare occasions they’d eaten out, done for appearances’ sake, had been no better — every time he reached for something, eyes would bore into him from all sides. So even when he was hungry, he could never eat properly.
No more thinking about that.
If Kang Jihyeok didn’t send him back, he’d never have to return to that place. Yeonwoo clenched his fist inwardly. I’ll give it everything I’ve got! Just then, Kang Jihyeok’s untouched plate caught his eye. It stood in stark contrast to his own, which was completely empty.
Why isn’t he eating?
Could it be that the food wasn’t to his taste? Though the food was far too delicious for that to be the reason. Then maybe…? Yeonwoo pressed his lips together tightly. It was possible he’d been eating so ravenously that it had put Kang Jihyeok off his meal.
Praying it wasn’t the latter, Yeonwoo carefully set down his utensils.
“Um, Mister.”
“What?”
“You’re not eating…?”
Ah. Only then did Kang Jihyeok look at the meat cooling on his plate. He’d been so busy watching Cha Yeonwoo that he’d forgotten he was supposed to be eating. The sight of him staring back with those already-large eyes stretched even wider made a laugh escape on its own.
“Will the kid feed me?”
It had slipped out on impulse. If Yeonwoo looked flustered, he’d planned to pass it off as a joke.
But the words had barely left his mouth when Cha Yeonwoo shot up from his chair and came trotting over with the most solemn expression on his face — so grave, in fact, that the word joke never made it out. Well, even if it could have, he would’ve kept quiet just to see what Yeonwoo would do next.
“Ah, ah…. Say ‘ah.'”
Yeonwoo saw this as his chance. From this point on, there was no room for nerves. Everything had to be perfect, and he had to make Kang Jihyeok genuinely pleased with him.
The man had gone out of his way to ask him to feed him wholeheartedly — he couldn’t afford to disappoint him.
He approached hesitantly and picked up a piece of meat with the fork. Then, with great care, he held it out to him.
“Ah.”
He fed Kang Jihyeok steak, then pasta, then steak again. Kang Jihyeok accepted every bite Yeonwoo offered without a word. Like a baby bird. Someone watching might have pointed a finger and called it shameless — but what could you do.
“Delicious.”
“R, right?”
“Should we come again next time?”
Next time — again. That meant he intended to keep him around, didn’t it? He hoped that was what it meant. Yeonwoo smiled softly and gave a slow nod.
“…Yes, I’d like that.”
Kang Jihyeok found himself wondering whether what he was feeling was fullness from the meal, or the urge to pop Cha Yeonwoo into his mouth and swallow him whole. Either way, it didn’t matter. Cha Yeonwoo had fallen into his hands — and he had absolutely no intention of letting go.
“Shall we go?”
Kang Jihyeok held out his hand to Yeonwoo.
“Did you enjoy it?”
“Yes, I’m stuffed.”
Just thinking about today’s meal, he felt like he could go two solid days without eating and be fine. Just then, as soon as they stepped out of the restaurant, Yeonwoo spotted two people.
“Hm?”
He definitely recognized those faces. He didn’t know their names, but he’d seen them before. And they’d left an impression strong enough that he couldn’t forget.
Those were the men I saw at the lounge yesterday.
The man with the scar running across his cheek was standing next to the one with the hulking build. Even one of them alone commanded an enormous presence — having both of them standing there together made the air feel all the heavier. Yeonwoo found himself tugging at Kang Jihyeok’s sleeve without thinking.
“Kid, what’s wrong?”
“Th, those people….”
He knew, of course, that you shouldn’t judge people by their looks. But no matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t bring himself to walk past those two. What if they started trouble? If it came to that, he’d have to step in front and shield Kang Jihyeok.
Yeonwoo thought again about their builds. He was used to being hit — but he knew that a punch from either of them would be agonizing. What should he do? As he was racking his brain over how to get through this, a voice reached his ears.
“Ah, you’re here.”
Hm?
Kang Jihyeok raised a hand toward the two men. At that, both of them started walking over. It all happened in an instant. Without thinking, Yeonwoo gripped Kang Jihyeok’s sleeve even tighter. The closer they got, the faster his heart pounded.
The two men, who had come at a quick pace, stopped right in front of them as if they had no idea what was going on in Yeonwoo’s heart. And immediately, both of them bent deeply at the waist.
“Hyung.”
“Sir.”
Two completely different forms of address — but Yeonwoo just swallowed hard.
“You little shit, I told you outside it’s sir.“
The man with the scar smacked the bulky one firmly on the head. Yeonwoo’s shoulders flinched. Gripping Kang Jihyeok’s sleeve tight, Yeonwoo shuffled slightly and tried to pull Kang Jihyeok behind him. It was a tiny, barely-there movement — but there was no way Kang Jihyeok would miss it. Making a face that scared like that, and still trying to put him behind him. Should he give him credit for the bravery, or warn him not to do something so dangerous?
This was no different from a rabbit stepping in front of a tiger to protect a wolf. The corner of Kang Jihyeok’s mouth lifted.
“Kid, what is it?”
“Um, Mister.”
“Yeah?”
“Do you know them?”
Kang Jihyeok gave a small nod. He looked between Manager Yang and Yu Cheol. They’d both gone stiff the moment Yeonwoo opened his mouth and said Mister.
“Manager Yang Jewu. Manager Yang, this is the kid.”
“How do you do.”
“Yes, hello…. Manager Yang. I’m Cha Yeonwoo.”
The man with the large scar running across his face greeted him. Yeonwoo reflexively bowed his head in return. His rough face matched the gruff voice. If he hadn’t bowed his head first, Yeonwoo might’ve heard “How do you do” as “Who are you and why are you standing next to Kang Jihyeok?”
“And this is Yu Cheol.”
“How are you doing?”
“Yes. I’m doing fine, fine.”
Not having registered that he’d answered in a strange way, Yeonwoo rolled his eyes over to Kang Jihyeok.
“Um, Mister.”
“Yeah?”
Yeonwoo rose up on his tiptoes and brought his lips close to Kang Jihyeok’s ear. Kang Jihyeok naturally leaned down to meet him. It was a completely unguarded, natural gesture — but to those watching right in front of them, it landed like a shock. Yu Cheol clapped a hand over his mouth. Manager Yang’s brow furrowed.
“What should I call the two of them?”
“Call them whatever you want to call them.”
He’d assumed he’d be given a straightforward answer, but what came back was entirely unhelpful. Manager Yang looked older than Kang Jihyeok, and Yu Cheol looked younger.
Yeonwoo had no trouble deciding what to call Manager Yang — he could just use his title. But Yu Cheol was the problem. Rising onto his tiptoes again, practically hanging off Kang Jihyeok’s shoulder, Yeonwoo whispered once more.
“C, can I call Yu Cheol… hyung?”
