PAHO 58

Since the smell wouldn’t go away with just the electric range hood, he turned the air purifier on to its maximum setting, and the acrid, burnt smell disappeared in a few minutes. Still not feeling reassured, he opened all the veranda windows and the front door, then had Nam Haejin sit in a well-ventilated spot before he could finally relax.

Taking a deep breath, Nam Gyeonhwa stealthily lifted the frying pan he had thrown into the sink. The blackened soot, stuck to the bottom, was mixed with the egg and rice, floating around because of the water he had turned on to cool the heated pan. Considering it said “organic” on the package, it must not have been cheap. It was a waste to have thrown away high-quality ingredients, but it was a great relief that a fire hadn’t broken out.

“What were you trying to make?”

“…”

“An omelet? Scrambled eggs?”

Na Taebeom spoke to Nam Gyeonhwa, who was grabbing the food waste with his bare hands and stuffing it into a disposal bag. After dealing with the trash without a word, Nam Gyeonhwa washed his hands, which were a mess of oil and soot, squeezing detergent instead of soap onto them.

“…If you don’t have any business, just go. I’m busy.”

The way he was staring blankly was burdensome. With his arms crossed, Na Taebeom leaned against the refrigerator and spoke.

“Because of dinner?”

“After that, I have to do the laundry, and take out the recycling and trash. They only collect it once a week here.”

Finishing his explanation in a blunt tone, Nam Gyeonhwa pushed him aside and rummaged through the refrigerator. He had a decent amount of eggs, but the other ingredients were seriously lacking. He was also out of instant rice, so it would take a while to cook a fresh batch. Maybe he should try to persuade him to just have cereal.

“Why is there nothing in this fridge?”

Gently pushing Nam Gyeonhwa aside and naturally taking the spot next to him, Na Taebeom looked at the refrigerator and clicked his tongue. All that was there were eggs, bottled water, milk, ketchup, and a watermelon. In fact, except for the watermelon, there was nothing that could be called food.

“What on earth have you been eating to live?”

“I’ve been managing to eat and live just fine on my own.”

Stopping Nam Gyeonhwa’s arm as he tried to close the refrigerator, Na Taebeom opened the freezer section at the bottom. Looking down at the plastic storage space where only a cold chill flowed without even the common ice cube, he suddenly grabbed Nam Gyeonhwa’s chin.

“So this is why you haven’t been gaining any weight.”

As his eyes scanned his complexion this way and that, Nam Gyeonhwa grabbed his wrist and pulled it down. Ignoring the displeased look, Na Taebeom immediately took his phone out of his pocket.

“I’m here, at the, residential area in Jungang-dong below Euljiro. Yeah, the food court at the department store is still open, right? Then just buy a bunch of whatever you see in the fresh produce section there and have it delivered.”

After rattling off his list, he added as if he had almost forgotten.

“Except for the watermelon.”

After finishing the call where he had abruptly requested groceries, Na Taebeom turned around. His eyes, which had glanced at Nam Gyeonhwa standing there with a flabbergasted expression, moved to the frying pan lying upside down in the sink.

“So, what were you really trying to make?”

Tap, tap, the sound of a knife hitting the cutting board was busy. Na Taebeom put the finely chopped carrots, onions, and ham into a heated frying pan and quickly stirred them around. Every time his broad shoulders moved, a warm smell pushed away the cool air from the air purifier and oxygen generator, spreading from the kitchen to the living room.

“Hyung-ah, it smells really delicious.”

Haejin, who was sitting on the sofa fiddling with a dinosaur figure, whispered secretly. Nodding silently, Nam Gyeonhwa couldn’t take his eyes off the kitchen.

Less than thirty minutes after the phone call, the doorbell rang. In the four delivery boxes left by a delivery man with a sturdy impression, there were vegetables, fruits, meat, various seasonings, and instant rice of all kinds. After examining the contents of the boxes, Na Taebeom took out a small pot and bowls from the cupboard without even asking for permission. They were cooking utensils that Nam Gyeonhwa, who had actually been living in the house, hadn’t even known existed.

Fried rice, you said. After reconfirming the dinner menu he was about to prepare, he drove Nam Gyeonhwa out of the living room. For the simple reason that the kitchen was too small and inconvenient, Nam Gyeonhwa found himself sitting on the living room sofa like a guest.

“Done.”

Na Taebeom, who had carefully placed the plates on the dining table, gestured with his chin. Seeing the food on the plate, Nam Haejin’s eyes widened.

“Omurice!”

It wasn’t just a simple fried egg covering the rice; a round, oval-shaped omelet was placed on top of the fried rice. Na Taebeom picked up the ketchup bottle that had been turned upside down.

“Little one, want me to put ketchup on it for you?”

“A lot.”

“A lot?”

Willingly accepting the order, Na Taebeom squeezed ketchup onto the yellow egg. In an instant, a cat character that looked familiar was drawn on top of the omurice.

“Hyung-ah! Look at this, the director drew a cat for me!”

Unlike the excited Nam Haejin, Nam Gyeonhwa stared down at his plate, bewildered. Na Taebeom, who had smacked the bottom of the ketchup bottle with his palm, indicated the other plate with his eyes.

“Let’s see, should I draw a puppy for the puppy?”

“…”

Smirking at the sullen face, Na Taebeom squeezed a straight line of ketchup across the omelet. It was not in the shape of a puppy.

“I was starving to death.”

Unlike Na Taebeom, who started shoveling rice into his mouth as soon as he sat down, Nam Haejin was busy happily tracing the ketchup-drawn cat with his spoon. Nam Gyeonhwa glanced once at the plate in front of him, then at Na Taebeom sitting across from him. At his blatant stare, Na Taebeom frowned.

“What.”

“…I was wondering if I was seeing things.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You suddenly show up and even cook.”

“Is it that strange that I’m cooking?”

Did he really think he wouldn’t find it strange? From their first meeting until now, what Na Taebeom had shown him was, to put it nicely, hierarchy management, or to put it accurately, violence. His basic attitude was insolent and arrogant. He thought that those hands knew nothing but how to throw a punch and had no interest in anything else. But he had never imagined that he could cook, and not just cook, but make something that looked perfectly fine.

Stealthily picking up a spoon, Nam Gyeonhwa took a spoonful of the fried rice. The seasoning was just right, and it was cooked to the right degree.

“It’s good, isn’t it?”

“…Is it a meal kit, or something?”

“Honestly, what do you take me for? I made it all myself.”

At his frankly disbelieving gaze, Na Taebeom let out a faint laugh and tapped his temple with his finger.

“My brain isn’t that sharp, so even after learning foreign languages and business for ten years, I still don’t know jack shit, but I’m good at things I do with my body. Especially three things, you could say I’m at an expert level.”

“…Fighting, cooking, and what else.”

“Can I say it in front of the kid?”

“…”

Instantly understanding the meaning implied by his lecherous gaze, Nam Gyeonhwa glared at him. He looked ready to grab him by the collar if he dared to open his mouth.

“Hyung-ah.”

Haejin, who was nibbling at his omurice like an excavator digging up dirt, carefully nudged Nam Gyeonhwa.

“Are you angry? Your face is scary.”

“No. I’m not angry.”

Shaking his head at the worried expression that subtly showed, he wiped Haejin’s lips with his thumb. From how earnestly he had been savoring the food, his small mouth was a mess of ketchup.

“Is the omurice delicious?”

“Yup.”

As soon as he answered, Haejin lifted his body up and brought his face close to his ear. But, the one hyung made was more, more delicious. A small laugh escaped at the whispering voice. He hadn’t even asked, but the fact that he was deliberately comparing it to Nam Gyeonhwa’s cooking must mean it was really delicious.

After dinner, Nam Gyeonhwa sequentially took care of the household chores. First, he did the dishes, then started the washing machine, and then organized the refrigerator, which Na Taebeom had filled up by just grabbing things at random. He had bought so much that one of the boxes of delivered ingredients couldn’t even fit, so in the end, things that could be stored at room temperature like potatoes, onions, and apples had to be placed on and under the dining table. Still, seeing the ingredients fill the space, it couldn’t be helped that he felt a sense of satisfaction rather than worry. He felt like a rich man even though he had no money.

When he returned after taking out the recycling he had gathered in advance, a scene no different from a toy exhibition greeted Nam Gyeonhwa. Haejin, who usually preferred to play alone without saying much, would talk endlessly once he relaxed. It was his specialty, and a sign of affection, to ramble on about various animals, especially his favorite, dinosaurs.

A few days ago it was Choi Jiyu, and today Na Taebeom seemed to have been selected as his audience, as he was busy chattering about baboons and emperor penguins with an animal encyclopedia open.

“The blue whale, you see, is the largest mammal on Earth.”

“So it is, it’s fucking huge.”

“Director, do you know what a mammal is?”

“Of course I do. They’re animals with tits.”

He could have just pushed him away out of annoyance, but Na Taebeom, despite his indifferent expression, was appropriately responding to whatever Haejin, who was stuck to his side, was reading to him. The only catch was that the words he used in his responses were not very proper.

Swallowing a sigh, Nam Gyeonhwa took out the diced watermelon from the refrigerator and put just enough to eat in a bowl. He held out a piece of watermelon speared on a fork to Haejin, who was fidgeting with a book in the living room.

“Eat this, and you have to brush your teeth right away.”

Haejin, who took it in a single bite, nodded. Na Taebeom, who was lying on his side on the sofa watching the scene, suddenly opened his mouth.

“Me too, give me some.”

“…You have hands. Use a fork and get it yourself.”

At the blunt retort, he suddenly swung his arms behind his back and shrugged his shoulders.

“Oh dear, my arms seem to have momentarily disappeared.”

Crazy bastard. Shoving the curse back down his throat, Nam Gyeonhwa jabbed several pieces of watermelon with a fork and held it out to his mouth. Casually accepting the watermelon, he smirked.

“You know, in some classic movies, a beauty feeds a king fruit with her hands while he’s lying down. This is exactly that feeling.”

“…”

I shouldn’t even bother talking to him. Nam Gyeonhwa had just placed the bowl on the sofa and was turning around. Just as his vision swayed for a moment, his nose grew warm, and moisture trickled down from his philtrum. Clutching his nose, he rushed straight into the bathroom without a second thought.

“Hyung-ah, what’s wrong?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Unlike Haejin, who hesitated at his gesture not to come, Na Taebeom calmly followed him into the bathroom and grabbed his arm, pulling it down. The area under his nose was reddish from the dripping blood.