Since the neighborhood was slated for redevelopment, Yi-an had expected the surroundings to be completely desolate, but unexpectedly, there was a restaurant where they could eat without having to go far. Perhaps because it was located in a secluded spot, the owner didn’t seem particularly surprised by the sight of a menacing group swarming in. However, when their eyes met with Yi-an, who was wearing nothing but a jacket, the owner flinched and turned away, pretending not to see.
“Not eating?”
“Huh?”
Yi-an was so stunned that when he looked up at the man’s words, he found himself facing him across a small table. Startled, he hunched his shoulders and lowered his gaze to see a steaming bowl of soup. The same thing was placed in front of the man as well.
One gang member escorted the two of them. After thoroughly scanning the inside of the shop, the rest of the group stood in a tight single file outside the narrow store, chattering loudly about something. It was truly… a scene that felt completely unreal.
The man glanced at Yi-an while holding a spoon. Ah… He had asked if I wasn’t going to eat. With the scene he had just witnessed lingering like an afterimage, and gang members swarming the entire area, there was no way he could swallow his food. He was starving from not having eaten anything all day, but putting anything in his mouth like this would be more of a chore.
“I, I’m not really hungry…….”
‘Kkoreureuk.’ As soon as he shook his head, Yi-an’s stomach contracted with a loud noise. As it squirmed repeatedly like thunder, Yi-an bit his lip and clutched his belly. Hesitantly, he lifted his chin to find the man staring at him with a dark gaze.
“Baby.”
“… … yes yes.”
“There are two things I fucking hate.”
“Yes…”
“Lying, and acting arrogant without knowing how precious food is.”
“…….”
“But Baby is trying to do both of those fucking things?”
“It’s enough to ruin my appetite.” There was not a trace of the playfulness that usually hung over him. The man, resting his chin on his hand, fixed his gaze indifferently on Yi-an.
“I, I was nervous. Lying… I am truly sorry. It wasn’t on purpose… I wasn’t really sure if I was hungry or not… I’ll enjoy the meal.”
Yi-an immediately lowered his head. Then he buried his face in his rice bowl. He felt like he was going to choke in between spoonfuls of chewing, but naturally, he couldn’t complain. It was because every time a grain of rice struggled to go down his throat, the faces of Ahn Seong-ho and the man who had just been covered in blood flashed through his mind alternately.
Befitting his physique, the man ate quickly. It was likely due to the fact that he had engaged in sex countless times and had exhausted his stamina from the knife work. Yi-an couldn’t even lift his head once as he busily swallowed grains of rice to keep up with the man’s pace.
The man, having neatly emptied his bowl, put down his spoon. Then, leaning back against the chair, he watched Yi-an eat. “Hic…” Yi-an looked down at the bowl of soup with grains still remaining and struggled to push the rest of the food into his stomach. He could not even chew anymore.
“Have you eaten everything?”
“……Yes!”
With food still in his mouth, his answer was half a beat late and clumsy. Perhaps finding the sight of him looking up at him with teary eyes quite amusing, the man smirked and held out his hand. Yi-an, who had been darting his large eyes around, unable to figure out what he wanted to do, soon placed his hand on the man’s palm. It was because resting his chin on it seemed even less like the right answer.
“What is this? The cost of the meal?”
The hand suddenly placed upon it looked incredibly small resting on the man’s thick palm. The man, who had been looking down with wonder at the back of the hand that remained pristine despite rolling in the dust all day, tilted his head slightly and asked.
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