NOVEL WEB 35
“By the way, Jae-jin, you’re answering properly now. Not ignoring me.”
“Yeah, well.”
“Then can I ask you a few things I’m curious about?”
“What is it?”
“Four years from now… what did you like about me?”
Seo Eui-woo spun Jae-jin around in a full circle while holding him. It wasn’t a movement of the body but the use of an ability. Like a figurine turning atop a music box, they traced a circle over the sea.
In midair, the two seemed to be dancing. Slowly, as if enjoying the moment, they rotated.
“Do I change a lot from how I am now?”
That was a question he hadn’t expected.
The things Seo Eui-woo said were always strange, fascinating, and utterly bewildering. Jae-jin answered carefully.
“Well… you’re quite different from ‘now.’”
“Ah, hearing it like that makes me want to check. I should’ve read deeper back then… Can I take another look at your head? This time, properly.”
“No. I won’t allow it again.”
“Come on, don’t be like that.”
“I said no. And even if you saw it, it wouldn’t change anything. What’s the point?”
“You’re so stingy. Can’t I just want to know? A bunch of things. You already know most of my information, don’t you? The only thing I know about Kwon Jae-jin right now is that he gets swept up in a Gate and dies.”
“…….”
“Those soft limbs, torn apart one by one… It was brutal, truly.”
Seo Eui-woo buried his chin into Jae-jin’s shoulder. As if shielding him with his own body, he tightened his embrace.
“This time, I won’t let you die so horribly. I’ll protect you properly, so let me in a little more.”
Jae-jin downed his coffee in rapid gulps.
His throat was dry.
It was fortunate that Seo Eui-woo was clinging tightly to him. At least in this position, his expression wouldn’t be seen.
“……Still, is there really a need to look inside my head? If you’re curious, you can just ask me directly.”
“I have a lot of things I’m curious about, that’s why.”
“Then ask them one by one. Start with something simple, something easy to answer.”
Seo Eui-woo fell into brief thought before beginning his questions.
“Jae-jin, how old are you?”
“Thirt—no, I’m twenty-six right now.”
“You’re six years older than me.”
“Before the regression, I was thirty. If you count by mental age, I’m actually ten years older than you.”
Right now, Seo Eui-woo was just a twenty-year-old brat. So what choice did a thirty-year-old Kwon Jae-jin have but to babysit?
“That kind of calculation is a little unfair. Then, what did you do in the 6th Residential District?”
“I worked at an ordinary company. A finance-related firm.”
“Then what about hobbies? You used to do rock climbing, didn’t you?”
“Ah… I liked exercising. Running, going to the gym.”
“What about cooking? Why are you so good at it?”
“Heh, that’s entirely your fault, Seo Eui-woo. I was stuck in the house for four whole years with no choice but to prepare three meals a day for myself. How could I not improve? If anything, you should’ve cooked for me once in a while.”
“Oh wow, so that’s why. It was because of me… Got it. I’ll learn to cook from now on.”
“……Forget it. What’s the point now, all of a sudden…?”
“No, I mean it. I’ll learn. I want to.”
“…….”
“And what else? Did you have any complaints about the future me? Tell me everything.”
“Ha…”
Kwon Jae-jin let out a deep sigh.
He didn’t particularly want to talk about the first timeline’s Seo Eui-woo. But at the same time, he didn’t want to act like he was hiding things from this Seo Eui-woo either.
So, after a brief hesitation, he answered honestly, just as it was.
“Seo Eui-woo… you cried too much.”
“What?”
“You sobbed, clung, begged… Seriously… And why did you kneel so often?”
“I did that…? Me?”
“As if you knew I had a weakness for that kind of thing, you did it over and over… Every time, I was really at a loss and didn’t know what to do with you.”
“…….”
“When a person says they need time, it doesn’t mean anything else—it means they truly need time. But you, Seo Eui-woo, you couldn’t even wait for that brief moment and kept digging into me until… Haa, in the end, I had no choice but to go along with whatever you wanted.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
Seo Eui-woo lifted his head, eyes wide like a startled rabbit, unable to believe what he was hearing. Seeing that expression, Kwon Jae-jin swallowed back a hollow laugh.
It was an impossible situation, but wouldn’t it be amusing to have a three-way confrontation? To seat the Seo Eui-woo from the first timeline and the Seo Eui-woo from the second timeline side by side and watch the show unfold?
“Exactly. It’s ridiculous. And yet, you always did those ridiculous things.”
“…….”
“Do you want to hear more?”
Kwon Jae-jin quietly reached out and cupped Seo Eui-woo’s cheek. He gave it a light pat before running his fingers through the black strands of hair that swayed elegantly in the sea breeze.
“It’s getting chilly. Let’s go inside.”
Seo Eui-woo didn’t move. No light flashed, no change in scenery occurred.
Instead, he raised a hand and traced Jae-jin’s cheek just as Jae-jin had done to him. His touch, gentle at first, soon became more deliberate, as if he were memorizing the contours of Jae-jin’s features. His fingertips glided over his face, tracing the shapes one by one.
“I want to see your face four years from now. I want to examine every detail, see how you’ve changed.”
“…….”
“And your face from four years ago, too. Meaning… I wonder what kind of expression you had when you didn’t know me at all, when we first truly met.”
His index finger brushed over Jae-jin’s eyebrows, then traced the outline of his cheekbones. He tapped his lips lightly, then smiled—a smile with an expression Jae-jin had never seen before.
“There are too many versions of Kwon Jae-jin that I don’t know. Don’t you think that’s… a little unfair?”
Jae-jin had thought he had seen all of Seo Eui-woo’s expressions by now. But the fact that there were still some he hadn’t seen was surprising.
“And on top of that, I’m six—no, ten years younger than you.”
“…….”
“How am I ever supposed to catch up?”
With that final, slow and heavy murmur, light spread in all directions.
They returned to the charred kitchen of Seo Eui-woo’s mansion. The burnt, blackened living room remained the same. Their feet gradually descended, the tips of their toes touching the wooden floor first, then the heels settling down in a slow, steady landing.
“Jae-jin, I want to cook. Teach me.”
Seo Eui-woo pushed up the sleeves of his hoodie and yanked open the fridge door. Kwon Jae-jin stood still, silently watching his back.
***
Seo Eui-woo really did seem intent on learning how to cook.
It was ridiculous—he wouldn’t even eat any of it himself—yet the way he was so eager to be taught was both absurd and oddly endearing.
‘Fine. If the kid wants to learn, I should teach him… what else can I do?’
It would be morning soon anyway. He might as well take advantage of the opportunity to prepare breakfast and use Seo Eui-woo as his assistant. He could start with something simple.
With that decision made, Jae-jin told Seo Eui-woo to wash his hands, then handed him a glass bowl and a raw egg.
“Crack the egg into the bowl. Like this.”
Kwon Jae-jin demonstrated first. He tapped the egg lightly against the bowl, then split the shell cleanly in half. The bright yellow yolk and the clear egg white slipped smoothly into the bowl.
“Okay, like this?”
Seo Eui-woo held an egg and mimicked the motion. The moment he tapped it against the bowl, the shell crumbled completely, shattering into a mess.
“Huh? Why did that happen?”
“You need to learn how to control your strength. Yes, strength control. That would make things much easier for my body too. Go ahead, crack all the eggs over there.”
“…….”
And so, Seo Eui-woo began his battle with the eggs.
Kwon Jae-jin watched him struggle with an indescribable expression.
Eventually, Seo Eui-woo would eat meals like a normal person, but he had never attempted to cook before. Jae-jin couldn’t understand what had suddenly inspired him to do this. Still, the fact that he was making an effort—seemingly for Jae-jin’s sake—was strangely endearing.
“Ah, hold on. Seo Eui-woo, wear an apron first.”
Jae-jin grabbed a black apron and wrapped it around Seo Eui-woo’s waist. As he reached behind him to tie the strings, their posture ended up resembling a back hug.
Jae-jin’s hands hesitated for a moment.
His gaze fell to Seo Eui-woo’s broad back and solid chest. When he glanced to the side, his eyes caught the sight of the muscular forearm exposed by his rolled-up sleeves.
Since the regression, he had only ever seen Seo Eui-woo in combat gear or completely bare. Seeing him in ordinary clothes for once felt strangely unfamiliar. And now, with an apron on top of it…
“Jae-jin?”
“Ah. Yes.”
Snapping out of his daze, Jae-jin quickly tied the apron snugly around Seo Eui-woo’s waist. After securing the knot at his back, he stepped away, putting distance between them.
“Look at this! I did it! Finally!”
Seo Eui-woo had successfully cracked an egg properly after just three attempts. Jae-jin had expected it to take longer, but the guy was quick to pick things up and had a knack for getting the hang of things fast.
Jae-jin gave him a casual compliment.
“Well done.”
“Heh. Haha.”
“Now, whisk it. Make sure the egg mixture is well beaten.”
“Do I just stir it?”
“Yes. Stir in one direction.”
There were plenty of egg dishes—rolled omelets, steamed eggs, egg soup… But considering Seo Eui-woo’s skill level, scrambled eggs seemed like the safest option.
Jae-jin went to the fridge and took out some milk and heavy cream.