SWAP 89

“Wow! You’re finally her—huh? What’s with that box?”

At the sound of the door lock releasing, Ye Juyeol, who had come scurrying out to the front door, fixed his gaze on the large cardboard box Saheon was holding. Having waited for the two who had suddenly left the house and returned only after well over an hour, he was currently on the verge of starvation. It was even worse because he had skipped breakfast due to the shocking Co-x-Ball incident. Seoul, who was taking off his shoes with an utterly exhausted face, spoke up.

“I bought ingredients to make samgyetang. Did you guys eat anything? Neither of you had breakfast.”

“We waited so we could eat together, but… ingredients? You didn’t actually go to the mart, did you?”

No way, that’s a lie. How could you go to the mart in that state? Especially taking that time bomb of a human along…! Seeing Ye Juyeol, whose internal thoughts were written clearly across his forehead, Seoul swallowed a sigh that felt like it was about to burst out.

Seoul, who avoided eye contact as if admitting he was the one who committed that crazy act, looked more haggard than when he had left the house. His face felt hot; he didn’t even know what state of mind he was in when he finished the shopping.

On the other hand, Seo Saheon didn’t just look energetic; he looked like he was on cloud nine. With his face bright and relaxed, he hummed a short tune as he leisurely followed Seoul when he fled to the kitchen. Even without asking, Ye Juyeol guessed that something had happened outside and threw a sympathetic look toward Seoul. When he opened the box placed on the table, he felt dizzy seeing the actual prepped chicken and herbal ingredients inside.

Wow. They really went.

Looking toward the sink, he soon saw Seo Saheon stretching both hands out toward Seoul. He wondered what on earth he was doing, but Seoul, who had just washed his own hands with cleanser, also hesitated.

Surely, he isn’t asking me to wash his hands for him…. Even if he became a dog as a penalty, it wasn’t like he actually went for a walk on all fours. Ye Juyeol shuddered for a moment as he imagined it. Far from being funny, it was a terrifying scene that looked like he might bite someone at any moment.

In the meantime, Seoul, who once again failed to break Saheon’s stubbornness, turned on the water with a weary face. The way he held the hands of the man brazenly demanding care, wetted them, and scrubbed them thoroughly with cleanser was no different from a dog owner who had just returned from a walk through a typhoon. As if his own situation felt pitiful, Seoul muttered in a voice full of dissatisfaction.

“What kind of puppy causes this much trouble?”

Even as he says that, every touch is gentle. Not only does he rub meticulously down to the tips of the nails to create foam, but he even rinses between the knuckles to ensure no slippery residue remains. Saheon, who was staring down at Seoul, tilted his large body to the side. Instead of biting the reddish earlobe, he rubbed his forehead against the soft-looking nape of the neck, causing Seoul to stagger slightly. From just this much.

“Ugh. I’m doing it for you. Get off, seriously….”

“……”

“I said you’re heavy, you idiot.”

Thinking he was protesting in a similar context as before, grumbling words poured out of the small mouth. Feeling the strength being put into Seoul’s lower back to withstand the weight against his cheek, Saheon let out a short laugh. This guy even has pretty vertebrae. It was obvious they would be standing out straight, and he wanted to touch them with his fingertips, but unfortunately, both his hands were being held.

When he added a bit more weight out of dissatisfaction, a groaning sound of “Seo Saheon” returned. Seoul was being annoyed in his own way, but he still doesn’t know that it has the opposite effect every time. Ah, should I just crush him? It wouldn’t even be strange since I’m a dog right now. If I press down until he can’t breathe, he’ll turn all red while whimpering.

“……”

Having thought that far, Saheon’s mood soured instantly.

It was because he became conscious of the cameras hidden all over the house. At the thought of the sight of a flushed, panting Lee Seoul being captured by the lenses and broadcasted everywhere, the imagination that had swollen tightly felt like shit in an instant. Why would those other bastards see that? Unless they were all going to go blind as a group, it was something that should absolutely never happen.

It was the moment when the strength that had been heavily leaning his weight drained away all at once.

Seoul, who had finally finished rinsing off all the foam, reached out with his wet hands and snatched both of Saheon’s cheeks.

“I said you’re heavy! Listen to human words, please.”

When Saheon stared blankly at having his cheeks pinched unexpectedly, Seoul shouted with a face full of irritability. He was acting quite sternly, but at most, the corners of his eyes looked sharp like a sulky cat.

In the middle of that, a single eyelash sticking out looked strangely cute, so as Saheon stared intently at it, Seoul let out a sigh—interpreting it however he did—and loosened the strength in his hands. Looking at the atmosphere, it seemed he misunderstood that Saheon was roughly reflecting on his actions.

“This won’t do. You, go sit over there and wait. I won’t accept any whimpering or whining. Reflect more while I’m cooking.”

“……”

Who’s the real idiot here?

He considered biting that naive cheek hard, but he let it slide this once. Saheon, who allowed himself to be led obediently by the slender hand, was eventually isolated in a corner of the dining table. It was funny because it was obvious Seoul had placed him where he could keep an eye on him, fearing what he might do if kicked out to the living room.

I should lay low for now.

Since he was aware that he had been causing trouble nonstop like falling dominoes, he sat quietly and watched Seoul’s back as he moved here and there.

In the meantime, Yun Hyeok, who had come down from the second floor, and Ye Juyeol, who had been observing from this side with “pollack eyes” since earlier, subtly joined in. Whether they felt sorry for letting him cook alone, they hung around uselessly only to end up being isolated side-by-side, but well.

“Ugh, I should have learned more cooking at the academy….”

“Don’t even start. What did the director there do to deserve that? If you want to live a long life, just eat out, you.”

“As if someone would die from cooking!”

“You could certainly burn the kitchen down.”

“……”

Whether he had a past record, Ye Juyeol could no longer make any counterargument. Seeing him tremble in anger like a house-sized phone made Saheon not want to look at him. Considering whether to turn him off, Saheon decided to ignore him and, with his chin resting on his hand, followed Seoul’s movements again. He thought about helping, but just left him alone. He figured if Seoul stayed busy, he wouldn’t have time for distracting thoughts.

Anyway, fuck, you’re no help even after you’re dead.

Even though it was an event from well over ten years ago, his head cooled down as he recalled Seoul freezing up as if it were yesterday.

Just as his expression was freezing chillingly at the fact that even the fact that that woman was Lee Seoul’s biggest Achilles’ heel displeased him, clink, with the sound of a plate being set down, something sweet touched his lower lip. When he opened his mouth unconsciously, a bright red strawberry landed perfectly on his tongue.

“It’ll take a little while to boil fully, so just eat three each for now.”

Seoul, who had brought out exactly three strawberries each—who knows when he washed them—laid the plates down in front of each of the three. Seoul, who had started boiling the chicken in a pot since there was no large pressure cooker, was acting like he was distributing snacks to preschoolers.

Exactly three.

It was an amount that wouldn’t even register as an appetizer, but not a single person raised an objection. It was because they noticed that, having lived together for a few days, Lee Seoul had increased the two he was going to give to three in his own way.

Seoul, who came back after checking the pot once more, picked up one of the two remaining strawberries on Saheon’s plate and fed him again. Saheon, who was imagining licking the red juice that stained his wrist, eventually nipped slightly at Seoul’s fingernail as he fed him the last strawberry.

“…!”

Seoul, who flinched slightly in surprise, flickered his lips before clamping them shut. It seemed he realized that no matter what he said here, the situation would become strange. Instead, he snatched Saheon’s plate away with a whoosh. Despite that, once the samgyetang was finished, he was busy sitting by Saheon’s side, deboning plenty of meat for him.

Since it was cute that his anger didn’t even last for an hour, Saheon allowed him to give him food with chopsticks. Seoul, who was secretly watching for a reaction, only felt relieved after seeing Saheon eating the flesh without a word. When Seoul, with a brightened face, didn’t even touch his own bowl and tried to feed only him, Saheon closed his mouth from then on.

“Why? Is there a bone?”

“Ha.”

Watching him put down the piece of meat he was holding and rummage through it with a bewildered face, Saheon let out a hollow breath unknowingly and tapped Seoul’s bowl with his fingertip. If you don’t eat, I won’t eat either. At the gesture that was conveyed even without words, Seoul hesitated with an “Ah,” but soon put a piece of drumstick meat from his own bowl into his mouth. Chewing as if checking if it was well-cooked, he then quickly fished out a piece from the same part and fed it to him; there was no devotion like it.

Already, Yun Hyeok and Ye Juyeol, who were on the opposite side, were inhaling the samgyetang with their eyes squeezed shut. If you look, you lose. It was the moment they were hypnotizing themselves, saying, “That’s just a dog.”

From the large chunk that went into Saheon’s mouth, a crunch sound echoed, as if a bone really had been mixed in.

And at the same time, they couldn’t help but be stunned upon seeing Seoul thrusting his palm out as if telling him to spit it out.