One Day, a Dark Shadow Fell on My Closet

04

“Ah, you’re out? The clothes fit well…”

Standing by the kitchen, Yeon Ji-ho turned his head at the sound of the bathroom door opening. When he met the gaze of the man who had just come out, he abruptly stopped speaking.

The clothes he had given to Set Gorgon were a black short-sleeve t-shirt and black training shorts, the largest size he had. However, they didn’t quite fit at the shoulders when he wore them.

Despite that, the man had an incredible presence. Yeon Ji-ho felt as if he were looking at a foreign alpha model and hurriedly averted his eyes.

“What’s wrong?”

“Uh, it’s just…”

The man’s face frowned. Yeon Ji-ho seemed uncomfortable, often starting and stopping his words. The man began to stride toward the kitchen.

Having lived a normal life all his life, Yeon Ji-ho instinctively stepped back as the extraordinarily handsome man approached him. He raised his palm and quickly exclaimed.

“Y-you’re just so handsome, it’s a bit overwhelming.”

“……”

If one were to categorize him, Yeon Ji-ho was an omega, and he had no romantic experience. In short, he had no immunity to handsome men.

As Set stared at him, speechless, Yeon Ji-ho felt his ears heat up. He turned back to continue what he was doing and spoke in the calmest voice he could muster.

“Would you like to sit there? I was making egg toast. You must be very hungry, right?”

It was around the time the sunset was streaming in through the large window in the living room. Yeon Ji-ho usually cooked Korean food for dinner, but since he had a guest today, he had no choice but to change the menu to egg toast.

Set’s gray hair and odd-colored eyes, along with his chiseled jawline and deep eye sockets, resembled those of a Caucasian. He had no confidence that a man like him would enjoy Korean food, so he opted for a simple toast instead.

As he finished preparing, including the ones he had pre-cooked, he gently sprinkled white sugar on top. When Yeon Ji-ho placed the toast on the table, he received a reaction from Set, who had been sitting quietly.

“……Is this, by any chance, sugar?”

“Yes, why?”

“Using sugar so lavishly? Are you a noble?”

Set glared at the sugar that had fallen like snow. It was then that Yeon Ji-ho realized that he was a man who had just come from years of war.

In ‘The Star of Hadad,’ sugar and most spices were precious commodities, sometimes even used as currency. It was no wonder he was surprised to see a dish covered in sugar, something that could only be eaten in a duke’s household.

“No, sugar is cheap here. And there are no nobles or slaves in this country.”

“……So there are no social classes?”

“Yes, just eat first. I’ll let you know anything you’re curious about while we eat.”

After finishing his sentence, Yeon Ji-ho headed toward the oven instead of sitting down at the table. The orange light inside the oven was slowly turning.

Ding…!

Then, with a sound indicating it was done, the oven stopped. At that moment, Set jumped up from his seat. With a single gesture from the man, a sword made of blue metal appeared.

“Is it an ambush alert?”

Yeon Ji-ho blinked at those words while wearing round kitchen gloves and opened the oven. He then took out a white plate and held it out to Set as if to show him.

“No, it’s a cooking completion alert.”

“……Is there such a thing?”

“Yes, so please put the sword away and sit down.”

Set, who had closed his mouth, sat back down. The sword that had appeared was already gone.

Yeon Ji-ho placed the dish he had made on the table and brought out the cheese and grinder he had prepared, starting to sprinkle white snow on the plate. Set watched all of this with great interest.

“This is a dish called ratatouille; I brought it in a way that you might find familiar. How is it?”

It’s a Mediterranean dish. For some reason, he felt that ‘The Star of Hadad’ would feature such European cuisine, so he chose this menu.

However, Set looked at the simple dishes on the table and said firmly.

“These are all things I’ve never seen before.”

“……I thought so.”

Yeon Ji-ho looked at the table with a slightly disappointed expression. It had been a while since he had made Mediterranean food, and Set’s comment turned his thoughtful gesture into something useless.

Seeing the disappointment on his face, Set felt flustered instead. He glanced between Yeon Ji-ho’s face and the food, swallowed, and hurriedly opened his mouth.

“But it looks really delicious.”

“Ah, would you like to try some?”

Nodding, Set picked up the fork and knife in front of him. In the meantime, Yeon Ji-ho placed a slice of toast on a plate and set it in front of him. He then pushed the ratatouille across the table toward Set.

Having only cooked for himself, it had been a long time since Yeon Ji-ho had cooked for someone else, and his eyes sparkled with anticipation. He watched as Set took a bite-sized piece of ratatouille.

“Does it suit your taste?”

“……Yeah.”

“Thank goodness. Would you like something to drink? Milk? Juice? Water? Coffee?”

“Water.”

Seeing Set eat quite enjoyably, Yeon Ji-ho smiled and excitedly headed to the water dispenser. After pouring a glass of water and placing it in front of Set, he rested his chin on his hand and diligently watched him eat.

It was Set who felt burdened first. He glanced at Yeon Ji-ho and asked.

“Aren’t you going to eat?”

“Ah. I should eat too. But it’s been a while since someone has eaten the food I’ve made, so I’m just watching.”

Set looked at Yeon Ji-ho with a strange expression. It wasn’t that he had never eaten someone else’s cooking before. It was just that he had never seen someone so genuinely happy after cooking for him.

Feeling a tightness in his chest again, Set frowned. Nevertheless, he quickly cut the egg toast and finished one slice in just two bites. Yeon Ji-ho excitedly placed a second toast in front of him.

At that, Set briefly rolled his eyes and said shortly.

“……It’s delicious.”

“Really? It’s really delicious?”

“Yeah.”

Joy that couldn’t be hidden filled Yeon Ji-ho’s face. As he smiled softly, Set momentarily forgot what he was eating and quietly watched him.

The meal filled both of them, who had been starving. But that was something only the two of them were unaware of.

***

“So, I read a book that was written about you.”

“My story?”

Set frowned, wondering who would write such a book. No one in his world would dare to write about someone called the greatest demon.

Then Yeon Ji-ho realized he had misspoken and corrected himself.

“Ah, to be precise, it’s a book written about ‘Hadad.'”

“……Ah.”

Hadad. This time, Set nodded willingly. It was entirely plausible for a book to be written about Hadad, who was called an unparalleled hero.

“And ‘choi-ae’ means that. It usually refers to the character you like the most.”

“……Didn’t you say your choi-ae was me?”

“That’s right. Set Gorgon, isn’t he a truly sexy villain?”

Set looked at Yeon Ji-ho with a silent expression. Yeon Ji-ho squinted his eyes and continued.

“I watched every scene you appeared in twice. You were so cool.”

“The protagonist is… probably Hadad, not me.”

“Hadad is certainly cool too.”

Set lowered his eyes to stare at the floor. It was only natural that Hadad was more popular than Set Gorgon, even during their academy days.

“Still, I liked Set Gorgon more. There are so many people who like Hadad, right?”

At those words, Set silently raised his hand and rubbed it over his heart. Perhaps he might have a heart condition. At this point, it felt more fitting to think of it as an illness.

“Set… um, can I call you Set? How did you end up here?”

“Well, when I closed my eyes and opened them, I found myself trapped in a dark, narrow place. I couldn’t open it from the inside, so I knocked on the walls.”

“Could it be a wardrobe?”

Yeon Ji-ho’s eyes widened. After pondering for a moment, he soon led Set to his bedroom, where they had first met.

In the bedroom, there was only one wardrobe. However, Yeon Ji-ho’s house had a separate dressing room, and the wardrobe in this bedroom was not for clothes. So, that place was…

-Creak.

It was Yeon Ji-ho who opened the wardrobe door. Light poured out from inside the doors that opened to both sides. A bluish light enveloped Yeon Ji-ho’s face.

“What is this?”

“……It’s a gate.”

Inside the wardrobe was a strange pattern he had never seen before, glowing a bright blue. Along with the inheritance from his deceased parents.