NTH 22

Nana was dressed in his usual jeans and black T-shirt, but over them, he wore a white apron adorned with frilly ruffles at the shoulders.

“Where’d you get that?” Jeha asked.

Nana beamed with a proud expression. “Isn’t it cute? I bought it at the mart today. It’s my work uniform, so I used the employer’s card.”

“Alright. But why aren’t you wearing your hat for once?”

“Well, we’re indoors…”

Nana trailed off, averting his gaze slightly. His hair looked a bit damp.

“Did you shower or something?”

“No, it’s just… I was working so hard on the chores that I got sweaty. I can’t make food for my employer while all sweaty and dirty, right?”

“You got sweaty in this cool weather?”

“I only turned on the air conditioner because you were coming! And I barely watched any TV! Just two hours, or maybe three…”

Jeha looked at Nana, who was nervously rambling about things he hadn’t even asked, with a hint of pity.

“Why are you acting so guilty? Use the air conditioner as much as you want. Watch TV for three hours, four hours, whatever you feel like.”

“Really?” Nana asked.

“Yeah. Use the bathroom as much as you want too. I’m not going to nag you about stuff like that.”

“For real? Can I shower twice a day?”

“Sure.”

“What about filling the tub for a bubble bath?”

“Do it as much as you want. I don’t have any bubble bath soap, so buy some when you’re out shopping. I’m going to change.”

“Okay!”

Jeha took a quick shower and changed into comfortable clothes. He wasn’t sure how Nana had cleaned, but since the house was already spotless, it didn’t look much different from when he’d left that morning.

When he went to the kitchen, Nana, who was grilling meat, turned to him. “Hungry? I’m grilling meat now, so sit down.”

The wide dining table held only white rice, kimchi, lettuce, unevenly sliced cucumbers, and ssamjang. Perhaps embarrassed by the sparse setup, Nana added defensively, “I bought 1++ grade Hanwoo beef to feed you. You know you don’t need side dishes when you’re eating meat, right? If you fill up on other stuff, you can’t eat as much meat.”

“Got it.”

Nana placed a plate of meat in front of Jeha and smiled brightly. “Alright, dig in.”

Looking down at the plate, Jeha asked in a low voice, “What’s this? Why’s the meat so burnt?”

“Huh? It’s supposed to be cooked like this. If it’s undercooked, the parasites don’t die and get into your stomach to lay eggs. Don’t British meats have parasites?”

“No, but still, who cooks beef like this…”

Jeha, briefly dumbfounded, suddenly wondered if Nana had never eaten Hanwoo beef before. He stood up. “I’ll grill it. You eat too.”

“Huh? I’m fine just heading out.”

“So you’re saying I should clean up the dishes you used? Eat and do the dishes before you go. Sit down.”

“Oh, alright then.”

Grinning, Nana quickly sat down. Jeha pushed aside the plate of overcooked meat Nana had grilled. He swiftly cooked a fresh batch, cut it into bite-sized pieces, and placed it in front of Nana.

“Try it.”

“What’s this? It’s not cooked at all. I can see the blood!”

“This is how it’s supposed to be eaten—it tastes better this way.”

Nana, with a skeptical look, put a piece in his mouth and his eyes widened. “Wow! This is amazing! It melts in your mouth!”

“Eat some rice too.”

Jeha scooped a generous portion of rice for Nana and started making doenjang jjigae in a pot, adding a few ingredients. As he grilled more meat, Nana came over to his side.

“Open up, ah-.”

Nana blinked, holding a round lettuce wrap near Jeha’s mouth. After a moment’s hesitation, Jeha opened his mouth wide to take the wrap Nana fed him. Satisfied, Nana grinned and returned to his seat.

After grilling all the meat and stacking it high on a plate like a tower, Jeha placed the jjigae next to Nana’s rice bowl before sitting across from him. Nana took a spoonful of the jjigae, glanced at Jeha, and spoke cautiously. “Hey, are you going to fire me?”

“What are you talking about?”

“The jjigae is so good it’s worrying me. You’re way better at everything than I am, so I’m starting to think you don’t need me.”

“Don’t talk nonsense. Tomorrow, go to the dry cleaner’s in the shopping district.”

“Dry cleaner’s? You got something there?”

“Yeah. Ask for Dong and Hosu, pick up the clothes, and hang them in the dressing room. Don’t forget to drop off any laundry while you’re there.”

“Got it. Anything else you need?”

“Nope. Take out the recycling and have your bubble bath or whatever. And cooking isn’t something you master overnight, so don’t rush it—learn slowly.”

“Alright. I’ll work hard.”

Nana nodded and stuffed rice and meat into his mouth like a chipmunk.

Jeha reflected on why he was going to such lengths to keep Nana around, even providing what was essentially a charity job.

There was no concrete evidence that Chubok, Soondeok, Meokmeoki, or Manbong from his dreams were Nana’s past lives. But every time he glimpsed their aura or traits in Nana, his heart skipped a beat.

What troubled him most was their uniformly short lifespans and the strange fate of being exploited by sanpaku-eyed figures. The fact that their time with Jeha in those past lives had been fleeting, mere moments, also weighed on him.

In this life, though, Jeha had crossed paths with Nana more frequently and for longer than with any of them. He wanted to stay close to Nana to uncover the depth and reason behind this connection. If possible, he also wanted to understand why feeding Nana to his heart’s content brought such an indescribable sense of fulfillment.

If he could figure that out, even if Nana spent millions over the years, it wouldn’t feel like a waste at all.