Chapter 36
Chapter 36
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Chef
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Leaning against the wall, Juyeol stood frozen for a long moment before lifting his head.
The back of his head tapped against the wall, his gaze landing on the ceiling.
“…I’m losing my mind.”
Headlights filtering through the curtains swept past, filling the gaping bullet holes with light.
He was overcome by an unfamiliar feeling.
A sensation of his anxiety plummeting, only to surge back up again, his stomach churning.
It was an emotion difficult to describe in a single word.
*‘What did she just say? Did she lose another screw?’*
Juyeol rubbed the back of his neck and approached Haon.
She was completely out, not even stirring when he nudged her shoulder to lay her down on the sofa.
Seeing the dark circles under her eyes, her gaunt face, and how quickly she’d fallen asleep, it seemed she hadn’t slept well in a long time.
He turned his gaze to the bluebird sitting quietly near Haon.
Wondering if it would answer his question, he asked softly.
“How long has she been unable to sleep?”
[Haon has been sleeping an average of two hours a day recently.]
Fortunately, Blue answered, saving him from embarrassment.
“Why can’t she sleep?”
[It’s insomnia due to psychological factors.]
“Last time, too, she only slept well when someone was next to her.”
*Can’t she sleep alone?* The thought brought a forgotten sense of pride, and he let out a small laugh.
Everyone else might be afraid of him, but not Eun Haon.
She hid behind him to avoid other Heroes and slept soundly by his side, feeling safe with him.
It was part of the goodwill she showed him.
*‘As long as she keeps looking for a non-existent best friend in me, she’ll stay by my side…’*
Muttering to himself, his mood suddenly plummeted, and he furrowed his brow.
* * *
After that day, Haon visited Juyeol every other day.
During the day, she searched for Awakening Spheres and holed herself up in the Dimension Gate lab, but once the sun set, she would go to his safe house.
The first few times, Juyeol acted awkward, as if he hadn’t expected her to come again, but he gradually grew accustomed to it.
He would often stare at Haon with a look that said he had much to say, only to end up sighing, but he never kicked her out.
The gauntness in both their faces began to fade, and at least when they were together, they didn’t just sit around blankly.
The living room sofa became her bed, and the chair opposite his at the dining table, which he had only ever used to drape his coat over, became hers as well.
Because of this, Haon suddenly felt like she was imposing on Juyeol too much.
*‘Today, I’ll do something for him!’*
Full of excitement, Haon threw open the safe house door as if it were her own.
“Juyeol! I’m here. Today, I’m going to…?”
Stepping inside, Haon froze at the unusual sight.
Normally, the first thing she’d see upon opening the door was the small living room sofa, but today, her eyes met with someone hanging upside down from the ceiling.
His face was deathly pale, and he looked younger than Juyeol.
“Uh… hello?”
When she offered an awkward greeting, he freaked out.
“Dr-Dr. Eun?”
The man fumbled to untie the rope around his ankles and fell to the floor with a loud, chaotic crash.
Wondering what was going on, Haon took a few steps back and finally noticed the purple goblin emblem on his black clothes.
“…!”
To think she’d suddenly meet another Hero when she wasn’t mentally prepared at all. And without his face covered!
Startled, Haon hid behind Juyeol’s back and fidgeted, while the Hero let out a bizarre groan, as if he’d seen something he shouldn’t have.
“Why is she with you… What in the world is…”
Juyeol sighed in annoyance and helped the man up.
“H-Hyung. Why is Dr. Eun here… What are you? Why did you come here?”
The Hero scrambled to his feet, pressed his back against the front door, and drew his gun.
Haon hesitated before answering in a barely audible voice.
“I, I came to eat. I-If you’d like to join…”
“What is she talking about?”
He looked at Juyeol with a dumbfounded expression.
“What do you think? She just came to eat.”
“If you had plans, should I come back later?”
Haon asked cautiously, but Juyeol shook his head without a second thought.
“Don’t worry about it. He was banging on the door so persistently, I was just going to hang him up for a bit before letting him down. Well, as you know, this is Eun Haon, and this is Chaser.”
“Hyung!”
Chaser shouted, but his breath hitched when his eyes met Haon’s. A cold sweat began to form on his pale face.
“Um, Mr. Chaser? A-Are you feeling unwell? Why are you trembling so much?”
“What did you just… say?”
Chaser’s voice was cold, even as he trembled.
*Did I say something wrong?* Flustered, Haon covered her mouth with her fist and glanced up at Juyeol.
Juyeol ran a hand through his hair a few times before turning Chaser around.
“You don’t look fully recovered yet. Just go home for today.”
“Go where! You want me to leave you alone with that crazy woman?”
“I quit being a Hero, so I have nothing to talk to you about.”
“W-Wait a minute, hyung!”
He couldn’t resist Juyeol’s push and was shoved out of the safe house.
Even after the door closed, he knocked several times, but Juyeol just gave a dry warning, “Go away before I throw all my remaining grenades at Headquarters.”
As if he believed Juyeol would actually do it, Chaser muttered under his breath and left.
Haon, who had been watching silently, clutched the grocery bag to her chest and cautiously observed the situation.
“Do all Heroes hate me that much?”
“Chaser, especially, shudders at the thought of you.”
“Why?”
“You kind of…”
“Kind of?”
“Just know that you have a history of torturing him. To the point where he sometimes hallucinates from the trauma.”
“…?”
The word ‘torture,’ which she had never imagined, left Haon standing there blankly before she let out a sigh.
No wonder his mana wavelength felt slightly different from other Awakeners; it seemed he had been left with a severe scar.
*‘Just how did you live your life, ‘Eun Haon’…!’*
It was so unfair that she, who had nothing to do with it, had to bear the consequences of the original’s actions.
Juyeol snatched the crumpled paper bag from Haon’s arms.
“You bought food?”
Then, seeing that it contained ingredients and not prepared food, he looked puzzled.
“What’s this?”
Haon, who had been clutching her head, looked up at his question and said, “Oh, right.”
“I’m going to cook for you today.”
“You’re going to cook?”
“Just sit down. It’ll be ready in a flash!”
Already looking proud, Haon sat Juyeol down at the dining table and started cooking.
Juyeol had gotten quite used to this tiny creature pottering about his safe house, but this was completely new.
It was strange enough that someone was in his rarely used kitchen, but the fact that it was Eun Haon made it even stranger.
Juyeol stared blankly at her bustling back and muttered.
“…What did that friend of yours do to deserve all this?”
His words were drowned out by the clattering sounds, and Haon turned around.
“Hmm? What did you say?”
Her face was blank, without a trace of suspicion.
As Juyeol looked away from the kitchen with an even more troubled expression, Haon tilted her head, then focused on her cooking again.
After busily moving about for a while, Haon excitedly placed a dish on the table.
“Go on, try it.”
The steaming fried rice and egg drop soup looked quite plausible.
With a surprised expression, Juyeol looked at the fried rice, then took a spoonful and put it in his mouth.
After a few chews, a small crunching sound was heard.
“…”
“…Huh?”
Flustered, Haon quickly tried a spoonful of her own fried rice.
As she chewed, an overpowering saltiness and a gritty texture filled her mouth, and just as her eyes began to tremble, she crunched down on a piece of eggshell.
“B-But it tasted fine when I checked the seasoning…”
Barely managing to swallow the salty fried rice, Haon glanced at him and took a sip of the egg drop soup.
*How can it taste like this?*
It was so bland it was absurd.
Juyeol put his spoon down with a clatter, let out a deep sigh, and went into the kitchen.
In no time, he came back with newly made fried rice and a fixed-up egg drop soup.
The aroma alone was completely different. Haon hesitated for a moment before tasting it.
“Mm?”
Her eyes widened. She tried the egg soup as well and then shot her head up.
“If you can cook this well, why do you always eat out?”
The ‘Juyeol’ she knew wasn’t a skilled cook, but the food this Juyeol made was delicious.
It was leagues better than any convenience store fried rice bento or frozen fried rice.
“It’s a hassle. And I buy food on the way back to check if any annoying pests are around.”
Juyeol replied nonchalantly and ate his fried rice.
The meal was so delicious it helped her forget her embarrassment, and Haon moved her spoon nonstop.
Then she saw him let out a small, incredulous laugh and pouted.
“It’ll be different next time. I can do better.”
“Don’t even think about setting foot in the kitchen.”
Haon’s chin dimpled in a pout at his unhesitating reply.
Of course, she still scraped the plate of fried rice clean.
* * *
Starting from the day Juyeol first cooked for her, their dinners together were mostly filled with his food.
Surprisingly, there was almost nothing he couldn’t cook as long as he had the ingredients.
Whenever Haon went to his safe house, she quite enjoyed picking out ingredients while thinking about what to ask him to make that day.
Since she hadn’t tried a wide variety of foods, the menu she could think of was limited, but whatever it was, Juyeol made it delicious.
*‘The rice cake soup was delicious, too. It reminded me of New Year’s Day.’*
As she was reminiscing about yesterday’s dinner, a series of unexpected gifts suddenly began to arrive at the research institute.