That Face Is the Problem - Chapter 21.2
The thought about “letting my heart know” vanished far away, completely overridden by his awakened sense of taste. He frantically split a soft-boiled egg in half, letting the rich yolk flow over his ramen, added a handful of kimchi on top, and drank the soup straight from the bowl. It took him less than five minutes to finish everything.
Da-sol forgot about his own portion of ramen and watched Jae-gyeong’s incredible eating performance.
“…This is not your first time eating ramen, right?”
“Huh? No, it’s not? By the way, do you have any instant rice here?”
Jae-gyeong stood up, chewing with his cheeks puffed out. It was the most proactive he had been since joining the training guild. He took two packs of instant rice from the cabinet and microwaved them.
Da-sol ate his ramen with a somewhat reluctant expression. Two minutes later, Jae-gyeong returned with the hot rice stacked in his hands. He tore open one pack of rice and dropped it into the remaining soup, then widened his eyes and quickly finished a bowl of rice mixed with ramen soup in one gulp.
“This one bowl is for you, Da-sol…”
Jae-gyeong, who had been staring blankly at his empty bowl, finally pushed the hot rice toward Da-sol and said.
“Oh, really.”
Da-sol replied without much reaction.
“You were eating so well, I thought you were going to eat both bowls yourself.”
“Oh, no…!”
Still, Jae-gyeong’s eyes were glued to Da-sol’s bowl of ramen that still had some left. Da-sol ate the remaining ramen leisurely and even finished the rice.
Their meal was finished in a total of eight minutes.
“Dinner is done. Now, shall we have a serious conversation?”
Da-sol asked as he stood up. Jae-gyeong nodded, unable to hide his disappointment.
‘He really ate all three servings by himself… Of course, I wasn’t planning to give him any…’
He had thought about it a little, but he never truly believed he would. After all, it was Da-sol. He had not even expected it.
“Do you want to drink?”
“Uh… I should refrain from drinking… but one can of beer should be fine.”
Jae-gyeong nodded cautiously. It was rare that Da-sol offered him alcohol, and refusing now would feel like missing a rare opportunity. As long as he did not lose control like before, he would not make a scene.
Da-sol took two cans of beer from the fridge, cleared the table, and tossed one can toward Jae-gyeong. If Jae-gyeong were not a quick-witted combat hunter, the beer would surely have smashed against the wall.
‘He wouldn’t have thrown it to break it on purpose, right…?’
His heart raced. This time, the trembling was closer to fear. Jae-gyeong held the can tightly and stood awkwardly.
“Let’s talk in the living room.”
“Ah… yes…”
Jae-gyeong went to the living room and, slightly flustered, sat at the edge of the sofa. Da-sol finished clearing the table. Jae-gyeong muttered from a half-standing, half-sitting position.
“I could… have cleaned it… sorry…”
“It’s fine. Sit down.”
Da-sol sat on the bare floor. Jae-gyeong quickly got off the sofa and sat on the floor as well. Da-sol sounded slightly annoyed but kept his voice under control.
“Do you usually care so much about other people’s reactions? Did I… give you a hint?”
“Huh? Oh, no, not at all…!”
“I heard you are the same age as me. Did you act this awkwardly at JK Guild too?”
“Uh… I guess I act like this more here…”
At JK Guild, he mostly kept quiet or only responded minimally. He only spoke when warning hunters who were bothering Da-in. The team always treated Jae-gyeong as a quiet and easygoing person, and he rarely spoke outside official matters.
“Well, personalities vary… I am not exactly a great personality either.”
He knows… Jae-gyeong admired silently. And he even admitted it.
“But honestly, Hunter Jeong Jae-gyeong, you go too far. You act foolish a lot in front of me, get flustered, frustrate others, and make excessive mistakes.”
“Yes… I cannot deny that…”
“The problem is, I have encountered men like you more than once or twice.”
Da-sol’s gaze became sharp and predatory.
“You like me, don’t you?”
“…Huh?”
“Isn’t that why you act like an idiot?”
He should have denied it immediately, but he could not. Da-sol’s face, so beautiful and intoxicating, reminded him of someone else. It felt as if Da-in had traveled three years through time to ask him this question personally.
Jae-gyeong slowly moved his lips.
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