Chapter 103

The uncomfortable, makeshift trio’s fishing trip continued for several more days. During that time, Blaine frequently pulled in Arowanas, while Theo and Daize caught nothing but bitterlings.

Whenever Theo fished alone with Blaine, rare species appeared more often than usual, but now, they were only hooking the cheapest common types. Theo was convinced it was Daize’s fault—that the man had brought a curse upon them. That unlucky bastard.

Even while soaking their lines in the same water at the same spot, the three of them were miles apart in thought.

Blaine was agonizing over how to hand over his Arowanas to Theo; Theo was pondering how to get rid of Daize; and Daize had no thoughts at all. Or rather, to be precise, he was thinking about how damn boring fishing was.

However, it didn’t take long for their worries to be rendered moot. The need to fish suddenly vanished.

The reason was a modern-day act of noblesse oblige: the 3rd and 4th generations had promised income support to everyone affected by the inevitable losses caused by the heightened security measures against the terrorists. Thanks to that, town maintenance fees were no longer a concern.

The Father and the Guest guild house was bustling from early morning. Everyone was moving busily under Father’s direction. Seeing that even the tables in the central hall had been cleared away, it looked like they were preparing for something major.

Entering the guild house with Blaine, Theo tilted his head at the sight of the empty hall and Father hurrying into the workshop. When Father emerged from the workshop a moment later, Theo asked.

“What are you doing?”

“Oh? You’re here? Since there’s nothing else to do, I thought we’d try our hand at kimjang.”

“…What?”

“Well, Quia said she wanted boiled pork slices, and isn’t it the unwritten rule of the land to eat boiled pork with freshly made kimchi?”

“…I suppose.”

“So, I figured since we’re doing it, we might as well do it right. It’s my first time making kimchi in a game, so I’m a bit nervous, but surely a Korean with Tier 5 cooking skills like me can handle it?”

As she spoke, Father spread a massive, circular kimjang mat across the floor of the empty central hall and dumped a mountain of kimchi stuffing onto it. Watching the scene unfold with an intensity he hadn’t expected, Theo muttered to himself.

“Why is this so serious…?”

While most dishes could be whipped up instantly using recipes and cooking tools, it seemed the game honored the Korean spirit by forcing players to adhere to traditional methods from start to finish when it came to kimjang.

Once the mat and stuffing were ready, Father tied her long hair into a tight bun on top of her head and donned a pair of rubber gloves and an apron. She then shouted toward the workshop.

“Hey! Bring out the cabbage!”

No sooner had Father finished her shout than guild members began filing out of the workshop one after another.

“Oh, hey, you’re here?”

That was Noquia.

“Oh? Hyung, you’re here?”

That was Marco.

“Oh, you two arrived?”

That was Mastar.

“Hi there, Theo-nim, Blaine-nim.”

That was Daize.

Every single one of them was wearing red rubber gloves and a red apron as they began lining up salted cabbages on the kimjang mat.

Father walked over to Theo and Blaine, who were just staring blankly at the spectacle, and held something out to them.

“The stuffing is all ready; we just need to coat the leaves. You two help out, too.”

It was a set of red rubber gloves and red aprons.

Before they knew it, Theo and Blaine had been swept into the Great Kimjang War, their hands busy smearing stuffing onto cabbage leaves in the blink of an eye. Surprisingly, it was the kind of work that demanded total focus. Other guild members who had been loitering nearby soon joined in, and once word got out, even members of the YesYesu guild flocked over, turning it into a massive, full-scale event.

Forgetting how tiring it was, Theo focused intently on the stuffing. On his left and right were Blaine and Daize. Blaine, however, was incredibly clumsy, leaving his cabbages looking pale and barely coated, which kept Theo busy fixing his messes.

Ultimately, after his poor skills ended up making double the work for everyone, Blaine was practically kicked out of the main circle. He was demoted to a gofer, scurrying back and forth on errands alongside Marco, who had been exiled even earlier.

Watching Blaine get pushed aside, Daize quickly scooted closer to Theo’s side. He began whispering to Theo, who was still busy salvaging the pale cabbages Blaine had left behind.

“Blaine-nim is quite a handful, isn’t he?”

Theo offered no response.

“It’s like he has no social skills, so he’s hard to get close to. He’s just so blunt…”

Daize let his words trail off as he studied Theo’s face. Theo remained indifferent, focusing solely on the cabbage leaves. Glancing over at Blaine, who looked busy running errands, Daize added with a sigh of mock sympathy.

“How did you ever get close to someone like Blaine-nim, Theo-nim? He’s so frustratingly stifling…”

At the insult, Theo’s hands stopped. He turned to look at Daize. Seeing Theo’s gaze, Daize seized the opportunity and spoke up instantly.

“I bet you had to put in so much effort to become friends. Since we’re on the subject… could you share some of your know-how with me?”

Theo stared blankly at Daize. Then, he looked away and resumed his movements, tossing out a single sentence.

“I never put in any effort.”

“…Pardon?”

“I said I never put in any effort. Because Blaine was the one who approached me first…”

His own casual words caused his hands to stop for a second time.

“What?”

He didn’t even hear Daize’s bewildered voice.

Come to think of it… what effort did I ever make for Blaine? While that painfully shy kid was walking on eggshells, gathering the courage to speak to me and approach me first… what was I doing?

What did I ever do for Blaine, who showered me with endless affection?

After standing frozen in thought for a long time, Theo turned his head to look for Blaine. Blaine was standing in a corner of the hall, talking to Marco. When he noticed Theo’s eyes on him, he gave a radiant smile and waved his hand. His golden eyes, full of affection, crinkled beautifully.

Theo beckoned him over. Expecting an errand, Blaine hurried over with anticipation. Instead of giving him a task, Theo tore off the tastiest part of a well-seasoned cabbage and popped it into Blaine’s mouth.

Having been fed so suddenly, Blaine covered his mouth in surprise. He chewed slowly, looking at Theo with questioning eyes. Seeing that dazed expression made Theo chuckle. With a hint of a smile, Theo spoke.

“It’s good, so I wanted you to have a taste.”

Blaine’s eyes widened, and his cheeks quickly flushed as he nodded. He looked more happy than words could describe.

Seeing the tender moment between the two, the twins immediately swarmed Father’s sides, opening their mouths like baby birds and begging for a bite. Moved by the heartwarming sight of Theo and Blaine, Father initially tore off a few pieces for the twins. However, eventually fed up with their relentless begging, she ended up stuffing entire heads of unseasoned, salted cabbage into their mouths.

The kimjang wrapped up amidst the rowdy atmosphere. Father headed straight to the workshop to prepare the boiled pork, and in the meantime, the guild members restored the central hall tables to their original positions.

The massive tables were soon covered with kimchi, boiled pork, and various types of alcohol. The guild members sat huddled together, busy eating and drinking.

Aslan and Blaine had claimed the seats on either side of Theo, leaving no room for Daize to squeeze in. With no space next to Blaine either, Daize was forced to sit across from Theo. He sipped his beer, stealing glances at Theo.

‘I can be a pushover, too.’

‘Why won’t you take me in as your pushover…?’

‘I want to be your pushover, too, Hyung.’

The memory of Blaine’s voice, which he had heard back at the restaurant in Sanaret, was still vivid in Daize’s ears.

Why? What is so special about this person named Theo?

It wasn’t that Theo was lacking in looks, but he wasn’t particularly exceptional either. He wasn’t exceptionally kind, nor was he rich; he was just an ordinary 2nd-gen. He wasn’t much different from Daize himself right now.

Daize couldn’t understand why Blaine was so hung up on a man like Theo. Was there some unbreakable bond between them? If so, what was it?

He couldn’t find an answer to how he could divert the attention meant for Theo toward himself. He had tried to imitate Theo on purpose, but Blaine’s eyes remained fixed solely on Theo. Like an imprinted hatchling, he looked only at Theo and followed only in Theo’s footsteps.

Is it a personality issue? If I act as indifferent as Theo, will he get curious and approach me?

“…….”

But indifference wasn’t in his nature. Whenever he made friends, he always pushed forward like a bulldozer with his active social skills to close the gap quickly. Even introverts usually unbolted their doors and became close friends once he approached them aggressively. He was confident in making people like him. That was why he had been so sure he could get close to Blaine—sure that the boy would one day volunteer to be his pushover.

Yet, look at the reality. The more he approached, far from opening the bolts, Blaine seemed to be building barricades and nailing the doors shut.

Amidst the noisy guild members eating and drinking, Daize just sipped his beer and stared intently at Theo. He agonized over one thing: how to steal Theo’s place, and how to win Blaine’s heart.

Father distributed the remaining kimchi to everyone. Having eaten and drunk their fill, the guild members gratefully accepted the kimchi and left the guild house.

Theo and Blaine also took their portions and returned to Ratteon. Since Daize wasn’t following them, they walked toward Blaine’s house at a leisurely pace. The sun was sinking slowly beyond the horizon. The streets were dyed in the orange hues of the sunset, and a gentle sea breeze swept through their hair.

Theo watched Blaine as they walked in silence.

If he hadn’t saved Blaine in the Jain Forest, Blaine wouldn’t be standing by his side right now. If it had been Daize who saved him in that forest, Blaine would likely be letting that man drain him dry while volunteering to be his pushover.

Theo looked ahead again. The sunset sky was growing darker. Purples, oranges, and yellows swirled together as twilight descended.

Even though the additional data backup was done, Blaine wasn’t out of danger from the terrorists. Even if the 4th-gen attacks were resolved, if Blaine continued to stay up all night outside the house waiting for him, he would remain exposed to other dangers. And Daize was becoming a nuisance as well.

Theo stared blankly at the sky, then down at the ground. There was no reason he had to respond to Blaine’s one-sided affection. However, as long as that affection felt welcome and the boy felt lovable, he could no longer ignore it. If it was a small favor, he could at least make an effort.

After a brief, fleeting moment of deliberation, Theo called out to Blaine softly.

“Blaine.”

Blaine turned at the call and answered with a smile.

“Yes.”

His serene smile was bathed in the light of the setting sun. For some reason, Theo felt a tickle in his chest. He stopped walking and pressed his palm firmly over his heart. Blaine, stopping along with him, looked at Theo with a puzzled expression. Just as he was about to ask if Theo was in pain, Theo reached out and grabbed Blaine’s arm.

Then, he asked.

“Do you want to live with me?”