Churu for the Angry Guide

40

“Eat before it gets cold.”

As Jihan had said, the food arrived exactly 10 minutes later. However, Siwoo’s trust in Jihan didn’t increase at all.

Siwoo, who had moved to the sofa where the meal was laid out, couldn’t hide his disappointment. If they were going to order something, they could have at least gotten something tasty.

“What’s with this porridge…”

He had been waiting for rice, but what was set on the sofa table was rice porridge made by soaking rice in water. Did they think he was a patient? He made a displeased face but then noticed his patient gown and just licked his lips.

“You don’t like porridge?”

“Who likes this stuff?”

It’s something you force yourself to eat when you’re sick. For Siwoo, porridge was a food he ate out of necessity when rice was scarce. There was a time when he had survived for a month on plain white porridge seasoned only with salt. Since then, he hadn’t even looked at porridge.

“I like porridge. It’s tasty and easy to digest.”

Did this guy also grow up not eating anything good? Siwoo swallowed a sigh and picked up the spoon with an indifferent expression. And the portion was so large. The porridge bowl was the size of a basin.

“You don’t have to eat it all. It’s portioned for our appetites.”

No wonder the amount seemed excessive. Siwoo nodded in understanding and took a big spoonful of porridge. While being easy to digest was an advantage, the big drawback was that it left you hungry again quickly. If he wasn’t going to feel full anyway, Siwoo would rather spend the money for porridge on eating his fill of Churu.

“Not bad, right?”

Jihan rested his chin on his hand as he watched Siwoo swallow the porridge. He was sitting on the sofa opposite Siwoo, observing him eat. His crooked smile seemed confident that Siwoo would like the taste.

“This place is known for good food. It’s quite famous.”

“Where is it?”

It must have suited his taste, as the speed of his spoonfuls increased.

Siwoo was surprised that porridge could be this delicious and hurriedly filled his stomach. The seasoning was just right, and unexpectedly, there was even some texture to chew, making it go down smoothly. At this level, it was forgivable even if he got hungry again soon.

“I’ll tell you the name of the restaurant if you join our guild.”

“Cough!”

He choked trying to swallow a plump abalone. Throwing out such a serious topic during a meal was bound to make him choke.

Jihan immediately brought tissues and a glass of water to Siwoo.

“Sorry, I won’t talk anymore, just keep eating.”

Siwoo took a sip of water and continued eating the porridge. Jihan also went back into observation mode. Focused on the savory abalone porridge, Siwoo wasn’t bothered by Jihan’s gaze. That’s how delicious the porridge was.

“Eat slowly. You’ll get indigestion.”

Siwoo, who had been filling his mouth with porridge, froze mid-chew.

[Eat slowly, slowly.]

It overlapped with the fool’s voice. It was what he had said most often to Siwoo. He often tried to calm Siwoo, who always ate everything hurriedly as if hiding crab eyes.

He was a fool who genuinely worried that Siwoo’s stomach might burst from overeating due to his gluttony. A foolish guy who brought home a cat of unknown origin, trusting it completely without even getting it checked.

Remembering the fool’s touch filled with affection, he finally put down his spoon. The memory of being hit by his coat and colliding with the wall came back as well.

“Why don’t you eat some more?”

“I’m done.”

“Full already?”

Jihan picked up Siwoo’s spoon as he watched him just sipping water silently.

“Want me to feed you?”

Siwoo immediately pretended to look around for the nurse call button. If Jihan really tried to feed him, he was going to call someone.

Jihan chuckled as if he had just been joking and tidied up the bowl and spoon. Siwoo watched him and then wiped his mouth before saying abruptly:

“Thanks for the meal.”

Jihan’s eyes softened even more at the clumsy expression of gratitude.

“Anytime if you want to eat again.”

Siwoo twisted his lips at the cheesy comment. He was about to tell him to just give him the name of the porridge place, when Jihan’s hand suddenly approached his face.

“What…!”

“There’s something on your chin.”

A small grain of rice was stuck to the tip of Siwoo’s chin. Jihan tried to wipe it off, but before he could, Siwoo jerked his head back so hard it made a ‘thud’ sound.

“Don’t touch me carelessly!”

Siwoo shouted and quickly returned to the bed. He covered himself with the blanket, panting and glaring in Jihan’s direction.

He didn’t like how Jihan kept acting overly familiar. His pretense of being kind with his soft voice was annoying, and every time he smiled with his eyes out of habit, it gave Siwoo goosebumps. It was such an unfamiliar attitude to Siwoo that the more he saw it, the more his aversion grew.

“Why is he acting like this…”

His excessive kindness made Siwoo even more uncomfortable. He couldn’t relax, not knowing when Jihan might suddenly change his behavior again.

Perhaps surprised by food entering his stomach after a long time, Siwoo’s stomach ached slightly. Even though he hadn’t eaten anything spicy, he felt stomach pain. Though not severe, the sensation of his stomach being poked was irritating.

[What’s wrong? Are you hurting somewhere?]

That guy used to come running even if I was just a little sick. Siwoo unconsciously recalled Geonho again. It wasn’t his intention.

[Get out!]

Even Geonho’s expression as he threw his heavy coat at Siwoo flickered before his eyes. The image of him flaring up in anger was deeply etched in his mind.

Siwoo pressed his lips together and wrapped his arms more tightly around his stomach. The pain seemed to grow as the angry face of the fool kept appearing in his mind.

“Guide Han Siwoo.”

Jihan approached Siwoo, who had curled up. He didn’t get too close to the bed, keeping a slight distance. Then he said something out of the blue.

“There’s no one here to attack you, Guide.”

“…”

“You can relax.”

His voice, annoyingly sweet, sounded kind again. Even knowing he was all talk, Siwoo found himself listening to his voice.

Jihan meant what he said sincerely. He wanted Siwoo, who was armed with wariness, to rest comfortably at least during his hospital stay. Also, seeing the long tail poking out from under the blanket made him worry that Siwoo’s stress had increased.

“You threatened to throw me in jail.”

As Jihan was looking at the snow-white tail with its tip slightly curled, a faint voice leaked out. He was refraining from touching the tail, feeling that Siwoo might bolt from the hospital room if he did.

“Did I?”

“You did! You said I’d end up in jail anyway!”

Did I say that? Jihan tilted his head slightly but then nodded in agreement. Although he didn’t remember saying it, if the person who heard it said so, he should acknowledge it.

“I was just joking.”

Siwoo, who had been lying with his back to Jihan, suddenly sat up, kicking off the blanket.

“Joking?! Do you know how much I…!”

His pride wouldn’t allow him to honestly say how scared he had been.

“It was awful! Don’t ever make that kind of joke again! Got it?!”

“Yes, I understand. I’ll keep it in mind.”

“And stop smiling when you talk!”

Jihan’s eyes curved into half-moons, apparently having no intention of complying with that request.

“I said stop smiling! Am I funny to you?!”

“No, it’s just amusing.”

“What’s so amusing!”

Siwoo jumped up and down on the bed, venting his anger. He was displeased with Jihan’s infinitely light attitude, contrary to his own seriousness.

“Stop jumping. You’ll fall.”

“I won’t fall!”

As soon as he said that, he slightly lost his balance. Jumping after a long time made him a bit dizzy.

“Want a drink instead of water?”

Jihan naturally averted his gaze and went to the refrigerator. He pretended not to see, knowing that if he added even one more word, the prickly cat would lose it.

“You didn’t eat much porridge, so you should at least hydrate a lot.”

“I’ll drink it later. Don’t throw it away.”

Siwoo didn’t refuse the grape juice Jihan offered. Shouting had made his throat dry. As the sweetness entered his mouth, he felt a little calmer.

“Don’t eat it when it’s cold. I’ll get you a fresh one.”

“It’s fine. I’ll drink it all.”

He seemed to have trouble getting much down, as he just moistened his throat with the juice before quickly putting it down. Jihan sat in the chair, scanning Siwoo’s much thinner frame with his eyes.

After giving him a moment to calm down, he asked a question.

“Have you thought about it?”

“…About what?”

Siwoo pretended not to know what he was asking, even though he did.

“Joining our guild.”

Siwoo leaned back against the pillow and crossed his arms. He had been wondering when Jihan would ask.

It was a question he was reluctant to answer, but he couldn’t just avoid it. He needed to clearly express his intentions.

Jihan calmly waited as Siwoo moved his lips, considering his words. He took his time, discreetly admiring Siwoo’s ears and tail without him noticing. Siwoo seemed unaware that his animal-form ears and tail were showing, given that he wasn’t trying to hide them.

He really must be a patient. Jihan looked disapprovingly at the patient gown that was far too big for Siwoo’s thin frame.

He thought a well-fitted guide uniform would suit him much better than that gown. The patient gown made him look even thinner and more fragile.

He even felt like stripping off the patient gown right then and dressing Siwoo in new clothes. He also imagined that Siwoo would slap him if he could read his mind. Probably not just a slap.

Still, he’d look prettier properly dressed up.

Jihan rested his chin on his hand, recalling Siwoo eating the sandwich. Even the plain guide trainee uniform looked completely different on him. He was certain that in an official uniform, Siwoo would be pretty enough to catch everyone’s eye.

He might even make our leader turn his head. Imagining this made him want to undress Siwoo even more.

Jihan rubbed his mouth as he looked at Siwoo’s snow-white neckline, then lightly turned his head. At that moment, Siwoo suddenly muttered:

“What did… Kang Geonho say?”

At this, the corners of Jihan’s mouth, which had been twitching, naturally calmed.

However, he soon put on a new smile.