DS 141

The inside of the cafe was a world far too unfamiliar to Eun-myeong.

People who looked like college students were gathered in small groups, laughing and chatting, or studying with books open before them. He watched them with envious eyes, thinking they looked so cool. He decided he should ask the Boss to come to a place like this with him.

However, the students who had entered with him asked him a question.

“We’re a bit hungry; would it be alright if we had some bread?”

Eun-myeong fell into thought for a moment. He did have the card the Boss had given him. They were strangers, but since they said they would help him find his aptitude…

Steeling himself, he pulled out the card the man had given him to use as pocket money.

“What would you like?”

Eun-myeong stared at the menu for a long time.

“…One espresso, please.”

He ordered the very first item on the list, and it came in a tiny cup.

To make matters worse, he was shocked by how bitter it tasted when he took a sip. He felt as though he had eaten something terribly wrong, but he tightened his brows, determined not to look like a country bumpkin.

It felt as if his tongue were sizzling and burning. He decided he must tell the Boss not to drink coffee. Something like this would ruin one’s stomach and liver.

“You can fill this out.”

The students sitting opposite him handed Eun-myeong something they called a test sheet.

“Yes, thank you.”

Eun-myeong checked the boxes one by one. ‘Do you feel comfortable socializing with others?’ With a sorrowful face, Eun-myeong checked the No box.

“Your way of speaking is a bit unique. You [visit unauthorized copy[stolen content]our site]aren’t from Seoul, are you? It’s quite charming.”

“Yes, I’m not from Seoul.”

He was caught immediately. Eun-myeong shrank back, wondering if he reeked of the countryside. His eyelashes lowered softly.

“I came from Gyeryong Bay, down below.”

A collective “Ohhh” escaped them. Eun-myeong felt suddenly shy and scratched the back of his head vigorously. It had been a very long time since he had received attention from strangers.

“Sashimi is incredibly famous there.”

“Sashimi?”

At the mention of a topic he knew well, Eun-myeong’s eyes sparkled and shone.

“I used to work at a sashimi restaurant. The place that gets the most customers there is Hwangjegung Fisheries. Did you go there?”

“I, well, I don’t quite remember…,”

“I can make everything on their menu. Of course, I can serve and handle the register, but I actually love cooking the most.”

“Ah, I see.”

“But lately, I haven’t had many chances to cook. And the ingredients aren’t good in winter. I need to make marinated crab.”

“Ah, my mom usually buys frozen ones then….”

At those words, Eun-myeong’s eyes turned ice-cold.

“Frozen crab is trash. You shouldn’t eat things like that. It’s very low grade. Even if you put it in spicy fish stew, it tastes fishy, and if you marinate it, the flavor is off.”

The two who had spoken to Eun-myeong broke into a cold sweat. They had no idea where the conversation had veered off to. They had been listening to a story about sashimi—something they weren’t at all curious about—for dozens of minutes.

The two blurted out whatever they could to try and change the subject.

“W-wow, I see. The clothes you’re wearing right now really suit you.”

“Ah, these?”

Eun-myeong smiled faintly. His front teeth peeked out shyly.

“I, actually, got married not too long ago.”

Here it went again.

“My spouse is incredibly sweet and kind. Of course, to people who don’t know him, he might look scary, but he’s actually a good person. He bought this for me because it gets cold in winter….”

“Ah, yes….”

The two pseudo-religious cultists looked at Eun-myeong and thought of the same phrase in their heads: A lunatic with clear eyes. Their vacant eyes began to lose focus.

Proselytizing in Seoul these days was truly not easy. A few days ago, when they asked someone if they knew Jacob, they were met with, “Huh? Vegetable Gopchang?”

They wondered if they should just give up at this point. However, the clothes stolen Read on Read BL Novelscontentthis person was wearing exuded an extraordinary aura of wealth. They decided to try one last time.

“By any chance, have you heard about ancestral spirits?”

“Ancestors?”

Eun-myeong blinked.

“I don’t have any ancestors.”

When he asked, “Am I supposed to have some?”, the two were left speechless. The thought hit them: Ah, this isn’t going to work.

“W-we’ll be going now.”

Deciding it was hopeless, the two scattered like cockroaches. Scurry, scurry. Left alone, Eun-myeong became very lonely. Being alone like this made him miss the Boss terribly again.

Thinking he should just go home, he trudged out of the cafe.

“So I never actually found out what my aptitude was….”

What on earth do I want to do? He still didn’t know. People with dreams seemed to sparkle, while he felt as if he were stagnant in one place, like dark, gloomy moss.

And moss tucked under a man’s side, at that.

“Sigh.”

As he walked along with a sigh, he came to a sudden halt because white steam was rising from somewhere.

People were gathered, perhaps because it was a famous spot. Curious about what they were selling, he craned his neck to look inside, and it was a steamed bun and dumpling shop.

Seeing steamed buns for the first time since coming to Seoul, a spark of interest flickered in Eun-myeong’s eyes.

Inside the shop, a part-timer who looked to be around his age was passionately selling the buns.

“Want some?”

“Yes, how much are the steamed buns?”

“Oh, it’s your first time at our place?”

Eun-myeong nodded, saying yes.

“Our buns are seriously addictive. Once you start eating one, you have to eat at least five in a row. You have to eat until your stomach bursts.”

“Still, five seems like a bit much….”

“Ay, if you only buy a few, you won’t be able to sleep at night. You’ll feel cheated. Then you’ll come back again the next day.”

Swayed by the sales pitch, Eun-myeong bought steamed buns, meat dumplings, and kimchi dumplings. He spent too much money—and it wasn’t even his. With a heavy heart, Eun-myeong walked slowly.

“Excuse me.”

Then, hearing a voice call out from behind, he turned around. There, a person in a suit was panting heavily, catching their breath.

“I’ve been calling you for a while; I chased you all the way from back there.”

“Me?”

Eun-myeong tilted his head. Then, the man abruptly reached into his jacket and pulled out a small piece of paper. He took it instinctively and read it; it was a business card.

“You’re so beautiful, I was wondering if you’d be interested in being an actor?”

At those words, Eun-myeong immediately became wary. His softly drooping eyes narrowed into sharp triangles. Me, beautiful? I’m just a common Omega.

Besides, aren’t alphas and omegas everywhere in Seoul? No matter how little social experience he had, he wasn’t so naive as to be fooled by this.

“I’m the CEO of MS Agency, so if you’re interested.”

He knew it. Eun-myeong quickly hurried his pace.

“Ah, no, I’m fine, I won’t do it.”

But alas, the man was chasing right after him.

“No, I’m not a scammer or anything.”

Eun-myeong hurried his steps and quickly squeezed himself into the car. It was the car driven by the Mister who had been chasing him, and only after closing the car door did he pant heavily to catch his breath.

He had almost been scammed. Thinking that this was indeed a place where one should not let their guard down, Eun-myeong opened his eyes wide with determination.

“I will take you home.”

After being tense for a while, Eun-myeong felt a bit relieved once the car started moving.

“Phew.”

Sighing, he hugged the bag in his hand tightly. Now that he could breathe a sigh of relief, his only thought was to get these home while they were still warm. The Boss didn’t seem to like sweet foods much. Still, since it was a famous shop, he was a little excited.

By the time he arrived home, he had completely forgotten the bad experience. Being with the man, a warm smile, like a steamed bun, naturally spread across Eun-myeong’s face.

“I saw people gathered at a steamed bun shop, so I bought some. I think it’s a on Read BL Novelscopy -->unauthorized copyreally famous place.”

As the Boss broke a steamed bun in half, white steam wafted out.

Eun-myeong took the other half and ate it. He let out hot breaths—hoa, hoa—and it was truly delicious. The bread was chewy and the red bean paste inside was sweet; the taste was killer. It was by far the best he had ever tasted. Eun-myeong nodded in agreement.

“Mm.”

Even though the man didn’t like sweets, he ate everything Eun-myeong gave him. He even sucked his thumb and added sweet praise.

“This is incredibly delicious.”

The Boss, who must have eaten so many great and expensive things, was eating it with great relish. Seeing him praise something so simple made Eun-myeong feel wonderful.

“By the way.”

Eun-myeong raised an eyebrow at the sudden remark. As the man glanced sideways, the whites of his eyes flashed with a characteristic glint.

“I heard something happened today.”

…Something? Eun-myeong reviewed the many things that had happened incessantly today one by one.

“Ah, right.”

Then, something suddenly came to mind, and Eun-myeong quickly handed him the business card from his pocket.

“Some person came to me and tried to scam me, but I noticed right away and ran away quickly.”

“Dear me, you did well to make sure they didn’t cut your nose off.”

He looked down at the card and chuckled. He whispered into Eun-myeong’s ear that it was indeed a scam, so he must never follow people like that in the future.

Eun-myeong nodded innocently, saying he understood.

“Shall Mister tear this up?”

Huh? With a chu—a kiss on the tip unauthorized copyof his nose—the man tore the business card into shreds and burned it.