Do Not Feed Recklessly - Chapter 7. Part 1

“Ugh…”

Jia, who had been asleep, groaned as she awoke to a heavy sensation on her body. As she became fully aware, she realized that Ethan’s arms were wrapped around her.

“Hey, can you move your arms?”

“Why…?”

Hearing her irritated tone, Ethan woke up with a big yawn. This time, he seemed just as exhausted, unlike the night before when he had been full of energy. The fatigue was clear in his half-closed eyes.

“You’re heavy, you idiot.”

“Aren’t you being a bit harsh to your boyfriend?” he teased with a tired smile.

“What are you talking about? Who said you’re my boyfriend?”

“What? Am I still not promoted from being a d*ldo?”

“Of course not!”

“Well then, isn’t that a bit harsh for a d*ldo?”

Jia laughed at his ridiculous response. Realizing it might have been a mistake to wake her, Ethan pulled her closer, as if to trap her in his embrace.

“Ugh, this is so suffocating…”

Even as she grumbled, Jia couldn’t deny that she didn’t entirely dislike the warmth radiating from his body behind her. Ethan seemed to sense this, as he made no effort to let her go.

With Ethan nestled against her, Jia tried to drift back to sleep, closing her eyes, but sleep eluded her. Meanwhile, Ethan seemed to have already fallen back asleep, his steady breathing filling the quiet room. 

After a moment of hesitation, Jia slowly opened her mouth to speak.

“Hey.”

“What?”

To her surprise, Ethan’s eyes opened immediately, and he responded without missing a beat. 

“What? You’re not asleep?”

Jia hesitated for a moment as if weighing whether she had something important to say. After a brief pause, she tentatively started.

“Um, but you…”

Her words faltered, and she struggled to put her thoughts into words. Her lips moved silently for a moment as if her thoughts were too tangled to sort out.

It wasn’t until Ethan, growing impatient, pressed her repeatedly with concern, asking what was wrong, that she finally managed to speak.

“You, you…”

“What? What is it?”

“…Do you like me?”

“Yeah, I do.”

Unlike Jia, who had pondered for a long time before answering, Ethan answered immediately without hesitation.

“Why, don’t you believe me?”

“Um… a little?”

“If I didn’t like you, would I have come to Korea?”

That, of course, made sense. Jia nodded absentmindedly, realizing there was no real reason for him to follow her to Korea if he didn’t like her.

As his embrace tightened around her, she decided to close her eyes instead of reacting. The comforting warmth of his body made her feel sleepy again.

* * *

How long had she been asleep? After a deep nap, she woke up to find takeout food sitting on the table.

“What is this?”

Surprised, Jia asked, and Ethan responded proudly, 

“What do you think? I ordered it myself.”

“Wait, you ordered this all by yourself?”

“Yeah, I was curious, so I thought I’d practice.”

In disbelief, Jia quickly checked Ethan’s phone and sure enough, the order history was there on the delivery app. 

“Wow, that’s impressive. Well done!” she praised. Curious to see what he had ordered, she opened the bag and found bright red kimchi inside. 

“But can you actually eat this?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“I read it’s a famous dish, so why not?” he replied confidently. 

“It might be a bit spicy for you.” she warned. 

It’s all right, I’ll try it.” he said determinedly.

Ethan replied, his eyes gleaming with a sense of excitement, while Jia smiled awkwardly, feeling a little insecure. But the real problem was something else. 

“I’m doomed… I can’t handle spicy food…”

After living in Australia for so long, Jia had become accustomed to milder flavours, and anything too spicy was now a challenge. She hesitated, holding up a bright red piece of kimchi, unsure if she should even take a bite. 

Meanwhile, Ethan was eating without hesitation.

“Wow, this is delicious! It’s not as spicy as I expected. It’s really good!”

After living in Australia for so long, Jia had become accustomed to milder flavors, and anything too spicy was now a challenge. She hesitated, holding up a bright red piece of kimchi, unsure if she should even take a bite. 

‘Ugh, why does he eat so well? No, wait. If Ethan can handle it, maybe this dish isn’t as spicy as I thought… ‘

Feeling a sting to her pride as a Korean, Jia closed her eyes tightly and took a big bite of the kimchi wrapped around the tofu. But, contrary to her hopes, the moment it touched her tongue, the intense spiciness hit her, and tears immediately welled up in her eyes.

“What the hell, this is so hot?”

Was Ethan unfazed? With a flushed face, she swallowed some water and found Ethan staring at her in disbelief.

“What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Is this hot?” Ethan asked, tilting his head in disbelief.

“You used to be fine with spicy food when you were a kid.”

“What? Me?”

“Yeah, remember that super spicy sandwich we had when we were young?”

It was only then that Jia remembered what he was referring to—the sandwich where she had secretly added a lot of gochujang to Ethan’s portion. Realizing her mistake, Jia awkwardly cleared her throat and avoided his gaze. Sensing something was wrong, Ethan gently cupped her cheek and turned her face towards him.

“What’s going on, Jia? You didn’t…?”

“Ha ha… ha…”

At that moment, she realized she had fallen victim to her prank.

* * *

“Why do weekends pass so quickly?” Jia thought as Sunday evening rolled around, leaving her feeling suddenly drained of energy. Noticing her downcast expression, Ethan tilted his head and asked.

“What’s wrong? Are you sick?” 

“No… I just really don’t want to go to work,” Jia sighed. She had never been particularly excited about going to the office, but the recent team dinner had made her even less inclined. 

Sensing her mood, Ethan asked with concern, “Is something bothering you?” 

“No, it’s just… I feel like I’m not connecting with the team. It might be because they’re all guys.” 

“All guys, huh?”

Ethan replied, looking surprised, his mouth falling open in disbelief. 

“I didn’t mention it?” Jia continued, “Yeah, they’re all older guys, so the jokes and everything feel a bit off.”