By Zephyria 
“Ah…”
Kim Jeong-seong, who seemed to realize something at Lee Yeon-rok’s words, smiled.
“I misspoke. That’s right. It wasn’t someone else’s business.”
Seeing the goodwill and trust on Kim Jeong-seong’s face, Lee Yeon-rok felt proud. But that was only for a moment. As if the praise time was over, Kim Jeong-seong began to nag with a serious expression.
“But you were too reckless. Do you know how dangerous a car accident is? Please wait in a safe place next time. We exist to handle these things. In the end, you were put in danger too.”
“I’m sorry…”
Lee Yeon-rok, who had been listening to a gentle but long lecture all the way home, reflected on his actions. Moon Kyeon-woo didn’t return home with him. He had been hit in the head hard enough to bleed, so it was for his safety. As a result of Lee Yeon-rok’s active insistence that his words and actions were different from usual, he was hospitalized.
When he returned home, the sports car was back in front of the house, crumpled. Lee Yeon-rok sadly stroked the hood, which was wide open and wouldn’t close, when he heard a scream.
“What is this!”
Oh no. Turning around, he saw Choi Hwan standing there blankly, having returned after finishing his schedule. Lee Yeon-rok, who had received an expensive gift and ruined it in less than a month, avoided his gaze with guilt.
“The, the car, why is it like this?”
“Well, something happened…”
Lee Yeon-rok explained the whole story in as much detail as possible. Choi Hwan’s mouth dropped open.
“You’re saying you crashed into it with the car I bought you to save Moon Kyeon-woo who was being kidnapped? You’re lying, right?”
Even Lee Yeon-rok thought it was an unbelievable story. Fortunately, Kim Jeong-seong testified next to him that it was true. Choi Hwan didn’t get angry, but he looked distraught in front of the wrecked sports car. To comfort him, Lee Yeon-rok added an explanation.
“But they said they can start repairing it right away from today. They said they’ll try to save it as much as possible. Oh, and the CEO said he’ll pay for all the repairs, so they’ll be able to fix it well…”
However, the more Lee Yeon-rok spoke, the more dejected Choi Hwan seemed to become. He gave him a sad look and then trudged into the house, causing Lee Yeon-rok’s conscience to ache. It was the moment when another grudge against Yeom Cheon-ryul was added.
Two days later, Moon Kyeon-woo was discharged from the hospital. Lee Yeon-rok, who had been lounging around in the indoor garden, greeted him with delight.
“You’re discharged now? Is your body okay?”
Looking him up and down, he looked even healthier than Lee Yeon-rok, who had a cast on. Since he had been hit in the back of the head, there wasn’t a single scratch on his face. Moon Kyeon-woo smiled.
“I’m fine thanks to your concern.”
Perhaps because he was the benefactor who had saved him from being kidnapped, Moon Kyeon-woo’s attitude was softer than ever before. Lee Yeon-rok’s eyes widened at the unexpected reaction, and Moon Kyeon-woo handed him a paper bag he was holding. He accepted it with his uncasted hand, feeling dazed.
“What’s this?”
Opening the paper bag, he found a couple of nutritional supplements inside. Remembering how he had treated him like he was lacking last time and given him supplements that were good for the brain, Lee Yeon-rok looked at him suspiciously. Was he making fun of him again this time?
“They’re nutritional supplements that are good for bones. I bought them for you to take.”
Taking them out and looking at the ingredient list, they did indeed contain calcium, vitamins D and K, zinc, and so on. Lee Yeon-rok, his guard lowered, replied awkwardly.
“Thank you. I’ll take them well.”
It was very unfamiliar and awkward to receive only pure goodwill from the other person without any expression of negative emotions. It was uncomfortable, but it was worth having a cast on his arm. Moon Kyeon-woo then held up the shopping bag he was holding in his other hand.
“Have you had lunch? I bought some sushi on the way, do you want to eat it?”
“Sushi?”
Lee Yeon-rok was tempted by the welcome menu choice. Park Yeo-sa knew how to cook a lot of dishes, but most of them were focused on Korean and Western cuisine. As he reached out to take the shopping bag, Moon Kyeon-woo shook his head slightly.
“I’m not going to have someone who’s injured carry it.”
Then he strode ahead. Walking behind him, Lee Yeon-rok felt very strange. Choi Hwan and Moon Kyeon-woo had both become so close thanks to Lee Yeon-rok’s efforts. Kim Jeong-seong had nagged him not to do reckless things, but it seemed worth it if it was to this extent.
“Wow. Looks delicious.”
Lee Yeon-rok swallowed hard as he looked at the sushi that Moon Kyeon-woo had set on the table. It was enough for at least three people. But there was one problem. The arm in the cast was on his right side, making it very difficult to use chopsticks.
Park Yeo-sa had taken Lee Yeon-rok’s difficulties into consideration and had been preparing dishes that he could eat with only a spoon and fork. But there was no way to do that with sushi. Lee Yeon-rok struggled to grab the chopsticks. He managed to pick up one piece of sushi with concentration, but it soon tilted to the side, and the rice and fish separated and fell. He was about to pick them up one by one when it happened.
“You look very uncomfortable.”
Moon Kyeon-woo, who had been watching Lee Yeon-rok, stretched out his chopsticks. He roughly put the sushi that had fallen on the table back together and put it in his mouth, then took Lee Yeon-rok’s chopsticks. Then, he put a new piece of sushi in his mouth.
“Uh…”
Lee Yeon-rok, who had inadvertently put the sushi that Moon Kyeon-woo had fed him in his mouth, widened his eyes. What on earth was going on? What had Moon Kyeon-woo just done to him? He chewed the sushi diligently with his eyes wide open, trying to figure out what was going on. But as soon as he swallowed and opened his mouth, another new piece of sushi came into his mouth. His bewildered eyes shook wildly.
‘…Oh. It’s delicious.’
But apart from being bewildered, it was really delicious. Only after swallowing the second piece of sushi did Lee Yeon-rok avoid the third piece of sushi that was coming to his mouth and shout.
“Wh, what are you doing?”
Moon Kyeon-woo, still holding the sushi with the long tail of glistening fish, replied with an indifferent and calm face.
“Your arm is broken. So I’m just helping you.”
“It’s not broken. It’s just a hairline fracture, so they said I only need to wear the cast for two or three weeks.”
Then Moon Kyeon-woo muttered in a small voice.
“…Isn’t that too short?”
“What?”
Lee Yeon-rok asked back, doubting his ears. Was he saying he didn’t want him to get better? He narrowed his eyes and stared at him, wondering if he was picking a fight, when Moon Kyeon-woo called him this.
“Lee Yeon-rok.”
“Gasp. Why, why, why are you calling me that?”
Lee Yeon-rok, who was horrified by the overly friendly name, shuddered. Regardless, Moon Kyeon-woo spoke in a very affectionate and gentle voice. It was the kind of sweet and tender voice that he only gave to his lovers.
“It’s because I’m really grateful. If I had been dragged away by the stalker, how badly would I have been treated? I might have suffered a lifelong scar.”
“Thaat’s, true.”
Lee Yeon-rok, who was secretly proud of having saved Moon Kyeon-woo, nodded. He continued.
“Besides, how rude and obnoxious have I been all this time? But you saved me like this, so wouldn’t it be natural for anyone to be grateful and sorry?”
“Uhh, that’s, true too?”
Lee Yeon-rok, surprised that the opponent who had been so arrogant and picky was so easily admitting his mistakes and apologizing, nodded his head. …By the way, his mouth and stomach were empty because the sushi had stopped coming. He clumsily tried to use the chopsticks again and dropped one. Moon Kyeon-woo picked up the chopsticks and said.
“More than anything, I have to take care of you since you got hurt because of me. What do you want to eat? This? Engawa?”
“What’s engawa?”
“Flounder fin. Here.”
He dipped it lightly in soy sauce and gave it to him, so Lee Yeon-rok inadvertently accepted it again. He was awkward and embarrassed for a moment, but then Lee Yeon-rok’s eyes sparkled. As he ate one or two like that, it became natural for the next piece of sushi to come into his mouth.
Lee Yeon-rok, completely distracted by the delicious food, forgot that the person feeding him was Moon Kyeon-woo and ate diligently. Moon Kyeon-woo’s gaze, watching his cheeks puffed up with sushi, was pleased.
After that day, Moon Kyeon-woo often helped Lee Yeon-rok with his meals. He would pick up side dishes or feed him directly. Lee Yeon-rok found it quite burdensome, so as a result of constant practice, he somehow managed to learn how to eat with his left hand.
“Look at this. From today, I’m ambidextrous.”
Lee Yeon-rok showed off his chopsticks skills with his left hand quite skillfully. Moon Kyeon-woo, who had clearly been quite annoyed by having to take care of him all this time, seemed to be regretting it.
“Lee Yeon-rok, you must have good manual dexterity. You got used to using your left hand quickly too.”
“Th, that’s right.”
He was still embarrassed whenever Moon Kyeon-woo said nice things to him, but he didn’t feel too bad. One day, he received a call from Kim Jeong-seong and came out in front of the house to find a red sports car parked there.
“Yeon-ji!”
Lee Yeon-rok embraced the sports car with overwhelming emotion.