“……”
No answer. Is this not enough either? I kept smiling while hypnotizing myself that I was looking at a cute puppy. After a long while, just before tremors were about to occur in my mouth corners, permission came.
“Eat.”
Fuck. I really feel like I’ve become a dog.
Cursing inwardly, I sat on the floor, but seeing the big rice bowl, peace naturally came to my heart. Hastily opening the bowl’s lid, I was briefly puzzled. Somehow it seemed a bit big for a rice bowl. What was in the bowl wasn’t rice but porridge. As soon as I opened the lid, the savory scent of beef and sesame oil wafted richly.
“You said you kept starving. Don’t get sick from eating this and that randomly, eat porridge first.”
Sitting on the sofa and turning on the TV, Jukyung said in an indifferent voice. Something was a bit… strange. I glanced at Jukyung with my side eye. Could that possibly mean he’s worried about me?
“If you don’t like it, throw it away.”
At the voice that seemed ready to snatch it away immediately, I first stuck a spoon into the porridge bowl.
“Who said I don’t like it?”
Thinking to fill my stomach first and see, I scooped a heaping spoonful of porridge into my mouth. And as soon as I took that one bite, this time not as empty words but sincerely, I became grateful to Jukyung. Admirably, tearfully delicious. Savory, soft, and warm. It would have been delicious even without starving for two days in a full state.
“Eat slowly and chew thoroughly. If you make a fuss about indigestion in the middle of sleeping, I’ll kick your butt and chase you out.”
As I was shoveling it in frantically, Jukyung said annoying things aimed at the back of my head again. He should watch TV, why does he keep picking fights? Still, it didn’t sound as hateful or annoying as before. I even thought his voice seemed nice. I nodded and forcibly slowed down to cleanly empty the porridge bowl.
After finishing eating, it was well past midnight. Since Kwon Jukyung said he goes to a company, it was already too late. And probably I’d have to wake up at the time he wakes and leave, so sleeping time was insufficient. It would be nice if I could sleep soundly enough to wash away all the accumulated fatigue, sleeping in a comfortable and clean place for the first time in a while.
With regretful feelings, I got up from my seat and started clearing the dishes.
“Put them in the sink. I’ll do the dishes.”
It was too commendable a statement to believe it came from Kwon-bastard’s mouth, but I couldn’t. Even if I couldn’t say I was accustomed to washing dishes, I was a human with a conscience.
“No, I should do it. I’m the one who ate.”
“How can I trust your dishwashing? I’ll have to do it again anyway, so don’t make me work twice and just leave it.”
“……”
There it is. Like it would be words of consideration for me. It’s because of germophobia. Do as you please, you’re the only one suffering anyway.
Following his orders, I put the dishes in the sink and came out to find the table already wiped clean without a single stain. Jukyung pointed at the bathroom with his finger.
“Brush your teeth.”
“……”
Does he think I’m a child? I’d brush my teeth before sleeping on my own. Or is he enjoying the feeling of training a puppy?
But since my stomach was full and I wasn’t particularly in a bad mood, I headed silently to the bathroom. No, to be honest, right now I was in a mood where if told to wag my tail, I’d make a tail even if I didn’t have one and wag it. Everything was satisfactory. After brushing my teeth and coming out, I heard dishwashing sounds from the kitchen. I sat leisurely on the sofa as if it were my own house and briefly focused on the TV Jukyung had turned on.
When Jukyung finished washing dishes and came out, I was in a slightly droopy state from sleepiness. He glanced at my appearance and disappeared without a word into a room presumed to be the bedroom. Was he going to sleep without even greeting? What was I supposed to do? Should I just sleep here? With the air conditioning on, it seemed a bit cold to just sleep like this.
Holding a cushion, I sniffled. The cold air was just right when right after bathing or when heated up from eating, but if I fell asleep and my body temperature dropped, it would be cold. Anyway, I was the type to sleep with air conditioning on even in summer and cover myself with a somewhat thick blanket. Like this, I might get a stomachache or catch a cold.
“Kang Doyun.”
While briefly hesitating, Jukyung called from inside. I turned off the TV first and got up. Since he’s calling me in, he must be telling me to bring a blanket. Or maybe there’s a separate guest room. It seemed like there were a couple more doors. Thinking this and that, I entered the room Jukyung had called from.
Like the living room, it was a simple room. One large bed that appeared to be king-size, and one side table on each side. A screen was lowered at the window and there was no other furniture. A few paintings hung on the wall and one door appeared to connect to a dressing room or bathroom.
I didn’t see anything like a closet where spare blankets might be stored. On the bed, there were just two pillows placed side by side and one fluffy blanket that seemed to be what he originally covered himself with, spread wide.
“Where’s my blanket?”
Jukyung, who was pulling back the blanket and getting on the bed, looked at me as if to say what are you talking about.
“Why are you looking for your blanket in my house?”
“No, I mean. The blanket for me to cover myself and sleep.”
“It’s right here.”
“Where here…”
I stopped talking mid-sentence and closed my mouth at an ominous premonition. Jukyung was looking at me with an expression saying why the fuss when he’s tired.
“Don’t tell me… you want me to sleep here together?”
“Then do you want to sleep on the floor?”
Jukyung entered under the blanket with an indifferent expression. After laying his head on the pillow and properly taking a sleeping position, he stretched out his arm to find and grab something like a small remote control from the side table.
“It’s late. I have to go to work tomorrow so I need to sleep quickly. Turning off the light?”
Flustered, I’d been standing with my mouth open for a moment, but at those words I hastily came to my senses. The living room light behind me went off by itself. The sound of the living room air conditioner turning off was heard together. It seemed Jukyung had turned it off with the remote.
“No, I mean, don’t you have a spare blanket or something? You’ll be uncomfortable. I’ll just sleep on the sofa.”
Actually, I didn’t care much if Kwon Jukyung was uncomfortable. I was doing this because I was uncomfortable.
“Spare, what nonsense. Why would I have useless things like that? Just taking up space for nothing. Stop talking and close the door and come up quickly.”
At the voice starting to be tinged with irritation, I closed the door for now. Then Jukyung didn’t ask anymore and turned off the room light too.
“You say it’s useless, but you have two pillows.”
Unable to help it, I grumbled as I climbed onto the bed.
“One is for me to put my legs on while sleeping. I got it taken away, so don’t say anything even if I put my legs on you tonight.”
“……”
Further whining would be shameless even for me, so I just kept my mouth shut. Aside from quiet breathing, all around sank into silence. I sighed inwardly and tried not to toss my uncomfortable body.
Basically, I wasn’t used to sharing a bed with someone. In my life, I could count on my fingers the times I’d shared a room, let alone a bed. But today was actually a special case, so if I were to be fair, it was a situation where I should be grateful for Jukyung’s kindness in sharing his bed.
I too, if only I hadn’t manifested, would have had no resistance to sharing a bed with Jukyung for about a day. Since the situation was what it was, I could endure being uncomfortable for a day or two. But having manifested and having a history of rolling around with a male Alpha once, the truth was I was a bit reluctant even though Jukyung was a Beta.
Jukyung would be dumbfounded if he knew my thoughts. Anyway, he wouldn’t have any sexual interest in me. Actually, if you think about it, Kwon Jukyung, unlike his annoying words and expressions, was a guy with a decent heart. Considering he brought me, who’s dirty as hell, to his house like this despite seeming to have germophobia, washed me, fed me, and put me to sleep. As a Beta man himself, he wouldn’t be particularly keen on sharing one bed and one blanket with a fellow guy either, but since he can’t let me sleep on the floor without a blanket, isn’t he offering even his bed like this? Thinking it through like this, he was really a much kinder guy than I thought.
At some point, Jukyung’s breathing began to spread evenly in the room where night had descended. He must have been tired. Looking at the time, it seemed he’d done overtime too, but because of suddenly meeting me, he couldn’t rest in the evening or go to bed early. It would have been more comfortable if he hadn’t just racked his brain to tease me. What a fool.
“……”
No, was tormenting me in the name of joking possibly his own form of entertainment and rest?
Just from a few hours of experience, he was a guy I couldn’t figure out at all—Kwon Jukyung.
I sighed quietly so as not to wake him and carefully moved to find the most comfortable position. I wondered if I could sleep properly being conscious of Jukyung, but I too was in a state of deadly fatigue. How many days had I been homeless? Wasn’t it close to a week? Physical fatigue defeated mental sensitivity.
Closing my eyes and curling up, sleep like a swamp sucked me in. Cool air conditioning wind brushed my shoulders pleasantly. I suddenly thought it was strange how porridge had been delivered at that hour in that kind of bowl, but even that question was quickly devoured by sleep and forgotten.
## CH 4
Drrrr, drrrr
I woke up again because of the vibrating sound ringing at my bedside.
“Mmm…”
My eyes wouldn’t open well as if glued shut. Half-asleep, I only stretched my arm up and flailed at the bedside where the sound was coming from. When the phone was caught in my hand, I vaguely looked at the screen that floated up in my blurred vision and answered the phone without any thought.
“Hello.”
