Sickly Beauty
Yeonwoo chose a shop near the hospital. The menu was pasta.
"Eat here?"
"You pick the menu, Seo-ah, and I pick the shop."
"That's what we agreed on. But."
Yeonseo eyed the shop Yeonwoo had chosen with suspicion. Through the large transparent windows flanking the door, not a single customer was visible inside.
"That's why it's good—no people."
"...Fine. As long as it fills us up."
She'd done it backwards. Yeonseo muttered that as she entered the shop first.
"Welcome...!"
The owner, who'd been watching TV, jumped up and greeted the welcome customers who would fill his empty shop with enthusiasm. Or tried to.
"...here."
But he froze the moment he saw them. The awkward end to his greeting was just icing.
"Owner! What are you doing? I'll show you to your seats. Two peo...!"
The waiter rushed out to guide Yeonseo and Yeonwoo. Or tried to.
"...yes."
He too froze, emphasizing their number instead of guiding them.
But it couldn't be helped. The first woman through the door was a beauty. Sleek and aloof, she exuded an icy urban vibe that made her hard to approach casually.
The problem was the woman who slipped in right behind as the door closed. She looked pitiful. Her flawless transparent skin and faintly bloodless lips stirred protective instincts. Yet even her fragility couldn't hide her beauty. The subtle flush on her snow-white skin and her deeply shadowed eyes stabbed at the heart.
What kind of pain and sorrow did this woman carry?
It gnawed at him; he couldn't ignore it. And what this sickly beauty harbored was.
'Heh heh. Gotta eat two bowls.'
A faint smile and swelling ambition.
"P-please, sit wherever you're comfortable!"
Even as a mere waiter, he'd serve them properly today. With the waiter's determined resolve, the two sat at a comfortable spot. A window seat with a clear view outside.
Contrary to her ambitious plans, Yeonwoo ordered just one pasta.
Perhaps because there were no customers, the food arrived quickly. Truffle pasta for Yeonwoo, tomato bolognese for Yeonseo.
"This is pretty good. Why's it so empty?"
Click. Click.
Yeonseo twisted the bowls this way and that, snapping photos diligently. In contrast, Yeonwoo stared down at her dish with a puzzled expression.
"What's wrong? Something off?"
"No, I ordered triple and the portion's like this?"
"Unnie, is your head really okay?"
Slurrrrp—
Yeonwoo inhaled the pasta straight away. It practically vanished into her mouth.
"Whoa."
Even Yeonseo was stunned by the suction power. Surprising enough that such a face was eating like that, but what shocked her most was that it didn't feel tacky. If anything, it made her want to give her more?
"They call it triple 'cause there are three ingredients."
"Ah. But all these flavors—amazing."
So Yeonseo fed her the white lie. Yeonwoo's mood brightened.
"Huh?"
Yeonwoo's gaze snapped to the TV at the mention of the Ant Nest. The corner of the shop's TV was deep into a hunter special.
"I see that one around a lot lately."
Petite but sharp-featured, Yudaram was one of the hunters drawing attention for her explosive growth to Gold rank.
"Pffft!"
Yeonwoo spat out her pasta instantly.
"Cough, hack! Gah, keh...!"
Even a Gate Liberator was defenseless against choking. Yudaram even waved her iron dagger proudly at the camera, beaming.
"Keh, ugh, urk...!"
The Ant Nest Saintess, faced with a disciple she'd converted, teared up and drooled holy water from her mouth.
Tsking, Yeonseo shook her head at the sight.
"Unnie, this is all on you..."
She meant to say she'd reaped what she sowed, but the words stuck. The moment she faced Yeonwoo spitting pasta, her throat closed.
Surprisingly, it didn't seem dirty. How to describe it? Tears welled in her distorted eyes, ready to fall. Her scrunched nose looked pitiful, her flushed face heartbreaking. And she kept hacking up saliva. So fragile.
"..."
It was a fragility Yeonseo had never seen. From the Yeonwoo who'd always been her pillar.
"Come here."
Yeonseo dazedly reached out. She grabbed Yeonwoo's face with tissue and wiped.
But seeing that pitiful sight stirred a fire deep inside. On the verge of fully igniting.
"S-Seo-ah."
"Yeah."
"Why're you grabbing my throat like that?"
Only then did Yeonseo's gaze slowly drop. Somehow, she'd been wiping her face while gripping her neck. She could vividly feel the tremor through the slender white throat. That delicate quiver fanned Yeonseo's flames.
If I could just protect her.
Wouldn't that be nice, in all sorts of ways?
"...To wipe you."
"R-right?"
"Can't touch the dirty parts."
"Ah."
Yeonwoo finally relaxed. Her coughing stopped.
"Done."
Yeonseo released her. Her careful touch had cleaned her face spotless.
"Oppa won't regret it?"
Yeonseo tossed the casual question. No subject, unclear intent. But Yeonwoo knew. Ever since they escaped the burning orphanage together, Yeonseo asked this now and then.
"Nah. Of course not."
"Me neither."
Yeonseo smiled. Refreshingly so. Then she picked up where they'd left off.
"The Ant Nest survivors all came back Tier II."
"That environment demanded it."
"And they're popular? Lots did well like her. People say their vibe's different. Even accounting for surviving the anomaly."
Just as Yeonseo said. In the past month, most headline hunters were Ant Nest returnees. Seven stood out especially, Yudaram among them. Even a nickname emerged for them.
"Ant Nest Kids."
"What kinda dumb name is that?"
"That's what they call them. Basically your kids, unnie? You're the Ant Nest Saintess."
"...Stop. Please, just stop."
Overwhelmed by the burdensome words, Yeonwoo surrendered. Yeonseo finally laughed, showing teeth.
"Anyway."
As Yeonwoo swept back her hair with a hollow chuckle.
"Ex-excuse me!"
The waiter approached.
"If you're okay with it... our new menu item. Would you like to try it?"
The tense waiter, stumbling over words, held dishes in both hands. One: a well-done steak with a hint of blood. The other: gambas with plump shrimp on baguette. Both pricier than their combined pastas. They were blatantly on the menu—not new at all.
While Yeonwoo and Yeonseo ate pasta.
"No way! We gotta keep those customers!"
"No matter how pretty, kidnapping or trafficking's illegal, boss."
"No! Look at that!"
The owner pointed at the transparent window showing them. Specifically, the passersby peeking in. Their eyes unconsciously drifted inside. With those two at the table, it was inevitable. But not just their looks.
Slurrrrp—!
The fragile-looking older sister's eating was extraordinary. Where did it vanish so fast? She demolished her own dish, then eyed her sister's. Yet it didn't feel greedy. Instead, hearty and endearing—the owner grinned paternally. A urge to fill them with affection burned.
"Anyway, take this quick! On the house."
"Huh? No shop gives steak for free."
"Don't care. Make something up. That's your job."
The owner's call sparked instant change.
"...Hey, look."
"Huh? Oh? Ooh."
Yeonwoo devouring the steak halted passersby. Just shoveling, chewing, swallowing on repeat. Yet her pitiful aura evoked a philosophy of fine dining.
"Today. Meat it is."
"Yeah. One pasta each too."
Yeonwoo's meal pulled customers like a black hole.
Some weird reviews tagged along.
While Yeonwoo basked in free food.
"..."
A visitor entered Yeonwoo's empty single room. The room's true occupant, even.
Whoooosh—
Wind from the wide-open window tickled his white hair. But Mikael felt no coolness. The opposite.
"What in the world are you."
Mikael's grip tightened.
Crumple.
Wrinkle bloomed across the neatly folded new coat in his hand.