Chapter 165: Alone with Ahyu
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 165: Alone with Ahyu
“Want some help?”
“No, I’m going to do it all myself!”
Seeing her determination to handle everything on her own, I had no choice but to sit down and wait.
As I did, Ahyu began to cook in earnest.
From what I could see watching from behind, her knife skills were, at the very least, exceptional.
She prepped the ingredients on the cutting board like a seasoned chef.
Her technique for trimming the sinew from the beef, in particular, was good enough to put a professional to shame.
Is this the power of the Heavenly Demon?
A knife was in the same family as a sword, so I suppose it made sense that she was different.
And this is the girl who always ordered delivery.
Having played Lord of Academy with Ahyu for so long, I had a rough idea of her lifestyle.
Whenever she said she was going to eat, the first thing she did was open a delivery app.
So, when she announced she was going to cook, I was more than a little worried. But seeing her now, I thought it might turn out okay.
Yes, her knife work was definitely nothing to worry about.
But then, problems started popping up in other areas.
“Huh, was this the sugar?”
Holding her phone with the recipe on it, Ahyu dipped a finger in, tasted it, and tilted her head.
I wasn’t sure what she’d mistaken for what, but she wore a puzzled expression before starting to fiddle with things again.
A sense of unease crept over me as I watched her.
This isn’t going to end well.
“Ahyu.”
I called out to her, hoping to dispel my anxiety.
“Hm? What is it, Oppa?”
“I was just wondering if there was anything I could help with.”
“Nah, it’s fine! I’ll do it!”
It doesn’t look fine.
“The heat should be…”
Seeing her fiddling with the induction stove, I eventually sat back down.
Fine, if Ahyu says she’s cooking, then she’s cooking.
All I have to do is enjoy it.
After that, a few more alarming sounds came from her direction, but I just looked at my phone and blocked them out.
A long while later…
Ahyu hesitantly brought a pot over to me.
“Uh, s-sorry. It’s a little burnt.”
She bowed her head, too embarrassed to look me in the eye.
The dish was supposed to be braised beef short ribs, but it was completely burnt and lacked any sauce.
Looks like she chose a difficult dish just to make me something nice.
Still, the thought was sweet.
At the same time, a scene from a manga I’d read came to mind—the one where the girlfriend brings out a failed dish.
In those stories, the boyfriend always ate it with a smile, saying it was delicious.
I pulled out a chair, sat down, and placed a piece of the burnt rib over my rice.
Thankfully, the rice cooker had done its job, so the rice was perfect.
“Stop. Don’t eat it, Oppa.”
Ahyu snatched the pot of ribs away from me.
I took it right back from her.
“Ahyu, in times like these, the polite thing to do is to eat it and say it’s delicious.”
“Huuu…”
While Ahyu kept her head down, I cut a piece of the meat and ate it with some rice.
It was a little burnt, and sweet.
But thankfully, it wasn’t completely inedible.
“This is good, though.”
“…Thanks, even if you’re just saying that.”
“Yeah, I can say whatever you want. So I’m going to keep eating. I’m hungry.”
With that, I started eating again.
Though some parts were burnt, it was actually pretty decent once I got used to it.
It went well with the rice.
As I ate heartily, Ahyu watched me for a moment before leaning against the table.
“Is it edible?”
Her voice was apologetic, but she was smiling, clearly happy.
“The more I eat, the better it gets.”
“I practiced, but it didn’t work out. Sorry. I’ll make you something more delicious next time.”
Seeing her dejected expression, I reached out and started stroking her hair.
“Just hearing you say you’ll cook for me again is the best gift.”
Ahyu smiled softly, enjoying my touch.
“And Ahyu, anything you make for me is delicious.”
“It’s nice to hear you say that.”
I finished the entire bowl of rice and set down my chopsticks.
Now I understood what a meal made with love felt like.
“That was delicious. I’ll do the dishes.”
I gathered the plates and started washing them.
Ahyu watched my back for a moment, then let out a soft chuckle.
“This is like the point of view of a boyfriend washing the dishes after his girlfriend cooked for him, huh?”
“You like that?”
“I love it. I’m gonna take a picture.”
As she spoke, Ahyu started taking photos of my back.
I wasn’t sure what she found so amusing, but when I turned my head and made a V-sign, she seemed even happier.
Well, as long as she’s happy.
“Heehee, my Domi-oppa is so handsome.”
After she finished taking pictures, Ahyu wrapped her arms around my back and hugged me.
“Hey, hey, water’s splashing.”
“You’ll block it all for me.”
“Guess I need to work out more.”
Ahyu hummed a little tune, clinging to my back, clearly in a good mood.
Of course, I was just as happy as she was, so I started humming along with her.
Because the song she was humming was the OST from Lord of Academy.
It was moments like this that I realized how great it was to share the same hobby with your girlfriend.
After I finished the dishes, I took off the rubber gloves.
“Good job!”
Ahyu took my hands in both of hers and held them tight.
I laughed at the sight and walked with her toward the bed.
Since it was a studio apartment, the bed was the most comfortable place to relax.
“What should we do now?”
“I’m happy just like this.”
As I sat on the edge of the bed with her, she leaned her head against my chest and said as much.
I wasn’t opposed to it, but Ahyu was a guest in my home.
I wanted to do something a little more fun.
“Wanna watch Netflix?”
“What do you want to watch?”
“Whatever you want.”
I turned on my computer monitor.
My apartment was laid out so that the monitor was visible from the bed. I set up Netflix and sat down next to Ahyu.
She immediately wrapped her arm around mine and rested her head on my shoulder.
A soft, uniquely feminine scent wafted from her.
“This is nice.”
“We haven’t even done anything yet.”
“I’m happy just being next to you, Domi-oppa.”
Just as Ahyu said, I also felt a unique sense of comfort whenever I was with her.
I opened Netflix and we mulled over what to watch.
We ended up choosing a horror movie.
I didn’t have a preference, but for some reason, Ahyu was particularly keen on watching one.
The movie was about a family being torn apart by a ghost.
However, we had one very big problem.
“Aack!”
The moment the ghost appeared on screen, Ahyu screamed and buried her face in my chest.
Her intentions were so transparent that I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Ahyu, it’s so obvious.”
She rested her chin on my chest and grinned.
“I heard this is why people watch horror movies together.”
Is that so?
Then again, what could possibly scare Ahyu?
She was The Strongest Under Heaven, after all.
In fact, it wasn't just Ahyu; horror movies didn't really scare me either.
After experiencing things far more terrifying in reality, I’d built up an immunity.
They say it’s a common thing for hunters who’ve been active for a long time.
This immunity to fear.
If it was like this for me, it must be downright laughable for Ahyu.
Perhaps that’s why neither of us was very focused on the movie itself.
It was a B-grade film, and the story wasn’t very interesting anyway.
“How’s Do Hwa these days?”
“He seems to be doing well. He went to see Naek-unni again today.”
That Naek. Last time in the game, she’d been so excited about going to meet Do Hwa. It seemed they were meeting up quite often.
I had a feeling those two would start dating soon.
The only problem was that both of them were a bit timid when it came to their own relationships, so it might not be easy.
Of course, it’s not like I’m in any position to worry about someone else’s love life…
I had a mountain of my own problems right in front of me.
There was Kkotbi, who had finally confessed to me. There was Eva-noona, who had kissed me while drunk, thinking I was asleep.
And then there was my upcoming date with Si-ho.
Is this really okay?
I wondered how I’d ended up in this situation, but then I remembered what Baeksan had said. According to him, it was all my fault, so I had nothing to say.
I didn’t quite understand it myself, but he’d said I was perfectly suited to filling the void that returnees and hunters struggled with the most.
I thought of Kkotbi.
The way her eyes looked at me was no different from Ahyu’s, Seol-hyang’s, or Si-ho’s.
Without me, Kkotbi would almost certainly fall apart.
This time, I thought of Eva-noona.
She didn’t lean on me as much as Kkotbi or the others.
She was a strong person.
But the affection in her eyes when she looked at me was no less than anyone else’s.
And one more.
There was someone else who came to mind.
Eunnamu.
My thoughts grew complicated as I pictured her, undoubtedly doing something on her own.
Just then, Ahyu, who was resting on my chest, suddenly started fidgeting with her fingers.
“What are you doing?”
“You seemed to be lost in thought. So I decided to do what I want to do.”
She’s chiding me for getting distracted.
Ahyu had somehow propped her chin on my chest and was now staring intently at me.
The movie had long been forgotten.
My face was reflected in her violet eyes.
Gazing at her, I raised a hand and cupped her cheek.
She leaned her head into my hand, looking pleased.
“Domi-oppa, what do you think? Am I cute?”
“Yeah, you’re the cutest in the world.”
“Heehee, do you like me?”
“I like you more than anyone in the world.”
“Heeheehee.”
It seemed Ahyu had grown quite used to expressing affection.
Before, saying things like this would have made her so shy she couldn’t even lift her head.
I missed that cute side of her, but at the same time, I was happy she only showed this side to me.
As our relationship as lovers deepened, I was beginning to see many different sides of her.
“Oppa, Oppa.”
Ahyu called my name, her voice dripping with affection.
Then, she brought her face right up to mine.
“I want to kiss.”
Seeing that, I leaned in and gave her a quick peck on the lips.
Ahyu’s eyes went wide.
Her face turned as red as a beet, and she shifted closer to me.
“That’s not enough. I want more.”
Then, Ahyu kissed me again.
I didn’t pull away. As our lips met, our tongues soon began to tangle deeply.
I could feel Ahyu’s sweet, heated breaths.
As our saliva mixed and our tongues met, a certain feeling began to build.
A moment later, our lips parted, and a thin string of saliva connected us.
My eyes met Ahyu’s once more.
Her eyes were slightly flushed, and as they met mine, my own emotions began to stir.
Because I realized that she was feeling the exact same way I was.
And in that instant, I knew.
This is it. We’re going to do it.
