6.1

“Chapssal, wake the sleepyhead.”  

Juhan placed Chapssal on the bed and left the room. Chapssal immediately ran to her side and began licking her face furiously.  

“Ahahaha.”  

A life where a dog wakes you up—what happiness….  

She hugged the burrowing Chapssal tightly against her bare body and gently stroked him.  

She had no idea what time she had gone to bed the night before. Even when she tried to check the clock, Juhan had blocked her from looking.  

It was Hyunho’s day off, and Juhan had taken leave as well, making it a rest day for all three of them. Perhaps because they had no work the next day, the two of them had acted like completely untethered lunatics the night before. Compared to Juhan, Hyunho was more restrained, but even he had not been entirely normal. It seemed that while she was asleep, the two of them had indulged in eel together.  

She dragged her tired body out of bed and washed up briefly. As she headed to the kitchen, the delicious aroma of food greeted her, and the two men were busy preparing a meal.  

“Yebom, you’re awake?”  

“Yeah, it smells amazing.”  

The table was filled with a rich brunch, perfect for a late morning: croissant sandwiches, salad, scrambled eggs and bacon, pancakes, sausages, and more…. Living with big eaters was a joy in itself.  

“Let’s eat.”  

“Enjoy your meal.”  

Hyunho even prepared something delicious for Chapssal—a boiled chicken br*ast topped with powdered supplements. The sound of Chapssal eagerly munching away was adorable and whetted her appetite.  

“Ah, it’s nice not having to go to the office.”  

Juhan made this remark while looking at her for some reason.  

It’s your father’s company, though…. 

She wanted to say this but held her tongue, thinking that even if it were his father’s company, not having to go to work would obviously be better. More than that, the way he was staring at her made her feel uneasy.  

“Why, why are you staring at me?”  

“Am I not allowed to?”  

“It’s not that you can’t, but….”  

“Looking at you instead of a monitor is so much better. Even at work, I just want to have s*x with you so badly.”  

“…….”  

Juhan had a way of ruining one’s appetite.  

“…Focus on work when you’re at the office….”  

“I do focus.”  

Focus on your food during meals….  

“Mmm, this is delicious.”  

“Delicious? Yebom, your hair.”  

Noticing a strand of hair in her mouth, Hyunho reached out and tucked it behind her ear. She thought she should tie her hair up. For now, she simply pushed it back and focused on eating.  

As she ate the grilled mushrooms in her salad, a funny joke suddenly came to mind.  

“What’s the sexiest vegetable in the world?”  

“Sexy vegetable? Cucumber?”  

“…Why cucumber?”  

“Cucumbers are sexy. Don’t people use cucumbers for… you know?”  

As she feared, his answer was just as she expected. Truly vulgar….  

“The correct answer is mushrooms. Mushrooms—”  

Oh, mushrooms…!

(T/N: The pronunciation sounded similar to “벗어 (beoseo),” which means “to take off (clothes).”)

“Hahaha.”

Hyunho laughed out loud, while Juhan snorted derisively.  

“No, that’s wrong. What’s sexy about taking something off? Cucumbers are sexier. Cucumbers are the answer. Or maybe eggplants or zucchini.”  

“No….”  

She shook her head in disbelief, but then Hyunho leaned in close to her ear and whispered.  

“Yebom, but mushrooms aren’t vegetables—they’re fungi.”  

“…….”  

Oh, right….  

She nodded absentmindedly.  

“Why, do you want to try using a cucumber?”  

Startled by Juhan’s sudden question, she jumped.  

“No! It was just a pun, a joke to make you laugh.”  

She felt too intimidated to say anything else.  

“It wasn’t funny at all. Do we have cucumbers at home?”  

Juhan turned to ask Hyunho.  

“No, we don’t.”  

“Then we’ll have to buy some. Let’s go out after lunch.”  

“…I’m telling you, it was just a joke!”  

“We do need to go grocery shopping.”  

“…….”  

She looked to Hyunho for help, but he only gave her a wry smile.  

“We do need to go to the market, but we don’t have to buy cucumbers, Yebom.”  

It really seemed like it was time to restock groceries.  

“We’re not buying cucumbers.”  

“I’ll buy them.”  

“Absolutely not….”  

She picked up a French fry and shoved it into Juhan’s mouth—no, she fed it to him. He accepted it with an incredulous look. She felt like she had dug her own grave. A sense of foreboding crept over her.  

Because they ate such lavish meals every time, groceries ran out quickly, even with frequent shopping trips. After checking the fridge, the three of them headed out to a large supermarket. Hyunho grabbed a cart and told her to put in anything she wanted.  

“Can I really put in everything I want?”  

“Of course.”  

Excited, she practically skipped ahead.  

She already loved browsing large supermarkets, and now she could fill the cart with whatever she wanted—it was thrilling. She headed straight to the snack and packaged goods aisle. When she lived alone, she couldn’t buy large packs of snacks because she’d never finish them, but now she could. She began stacking the cart with all the snacks she wanted.  

“You don’t eat much rice, but you sure love snacking.”  

“It’s been a while since I’ve heard the word ‘snacking.’”  

Juhan’s snack preferences leaned toward the old-fashioned; he added some sesame snacks to the cart. Hyunho, who didn’t eat much in the way of snacks, went to grab a few bags of nuts instead. Oh, he even got cashews, which she loved.  

Ah, I needed to buy sanitary pads too.  

Seeing them on display reminded her.  

She quietly picked up a few packs and placed them in the cart, covering them with snacks. Juhan glanced at them and muttered.  

“Get more, get more.”  

“No, this is enough.”  

As they continued shopping for various necessities and food items, they arrived at the sampling section. The sight of golden-brown tofu being grilled made her mouth water.  

“Hyunho, let’s try that.”  

“Sure.”  

“Please have a taste; it’s organic tofu.”  

The staff member cut the freshly grilled tofu into bite-sized pieces and handed them out. She picked up a piece with a toothpick and fed it to Hyunho before eating one herself. The hot tofu was simple yet savory and delicious.  

“It’s good.”  

She wanted Juhan to try it too, but he had disappeared again. Juhan had a habit of vanishing and reappearing with random items.  

“Should we buy it?”  

“Yes.”  

Hyunho added several packs of the promotional tofu to the cart, making the saleswoman beam.  

Next, they came across mung bean jelly, which was also available for sampling. She felt the intense gaze of the staff member as they approached.  

“Oh my, you’re so beautiful. Is this your boyfriend?”  

“Yes.”  

She answered with a slightly awkward smile. Hyunho added a few packs of the mung bean jelly to the cart.  

“And your boyfriend is so handsome. You two make such a lovely couple.”  

“Thank you.”  

“What are you eating?”  

Juhan suddenly appeared and placed a bundle of beer into the cart.  

“Mung bean jelly.”  

She picked up a piece of mung bean jelly with a toothpick and fed it to Juhan.  

“Oh my, such handsome people! Is this your older brother?”  

“No, boyfriend.”  

At Juhan’s response, the staff member’s face froze in surprise.  

“…….”  

“…….”  

I can’t live like this.

She thought, quickly bowing and pulling the cart away. She felt as though the woman’s gaze was burning into her back. While she felt a chill run down her spine, Hyunho laughed heartily as if the situation amused him.  

“What’s so funny?”  

“Before you came, the woman asked if I was her boyfriend. She must have been surprised when you also said you’re her boyfriend.”

“Oh, so that’s why her reaction was so strange.”  

Juhan chuckled nonchalantly. Both of them were so bold. Being more timid herself, she only managed to relax after they had moved some distance away.  

“This isn’t funny. Her expression was no joke. We need to be more careful in public.”  

“What’s there to be careful about? Hey, there are cucumbers over there.”  

Oh no, her heart sank as she realized the crisis was approaching.  

In the fresh produce section, where cool air wafted from the shelves, Juhan stood in front of the cucumbers, casually examining them.  

“This is absolutely not happening….”  

“What are you thinking? I’m just buying cucumbers to eat. They’re delicious, you know.”  

His feigned innocence was infuriating.  

“Liar. What are you going to make with them?”  

“I’ll just eat them raw. Don’t you know how good cucumbers are for you? They’re full of water and vitamins.”  

“Don’t buy them….”  

“These are big and fresh.”  

Juhan picked up an unusually large and firm bundle of cucumbers. She reached out to stop him, but he held them high above her head.  

“Try and grab them.”  

“Are you showing off your height now?”  

The two engaged in a silent and playful struggle. No matter how hard she tried, his long arms and tall stature made it impossible for her to reach the cucumbers. Pouting, she looked to Hyunho for help, but he was busy carefully selecting carrots. Juhan tossed the cucumbers into the cart with a triumphant flick, like scoring a goal. She bumped her head against his chest in frustration.  

“You’re such a rascal.”  

Juhan hugged her teasingly.  

“It’s not an act, okay? You’re really just going to eat it, right? I’m not putting it in…”  

Her voice grew quieter, as if afraid someone might overhear.  

“Alright, alright.”  

It was an answer that was hard to trust.