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Her buttocks protruded from beneath the blanket, stretching her body and grumbling like an elderly man. After she was satisfied, she flopped her belly with a soft, sleepy "aigoo." Her mouth was agape as she pressed her face into the pillow, eyes closed, but her nose flared and moved to sniff. Her eyes blinked open, and she sat up in bed.
"What is that?" she murmured while sniffing the air once again. Before exiting the room, she hastily jumped out of bed and put on her glasses.
It surprised her to see a man at the kitchen counter. His dominant hand moved up and down, slicing something on the wooden cutting board.
Tak, tak, tak, tak!
The constant knocking of the knife and chopping board was loud enough for her to hear from her bedroom door. Steam rose from the metal pot, filling the space with the aroma of the dish he was preparing. "Good-good morning!" she said as she moved closer to the kitchen to see what he was cooking.
Seokjin appeared startled as he glanced behind him to notice her presence. "Good... afternoon?" he replied, smiling as he set the other ingredients down.
"It's afternoon?" Hye-ryeong asked, staring at him blankly. The man nodded, pointing at the clock on the wall next to them. She hissed and reprimanded herself quietly; she didn't intend to wake up late. "I'm sorry, I didn't plan to–"
"It's all right."
Half-awakened, Hye-ryeong was still blurry. "Pardon?" she said.
"It's okay," Seokjin said, taking the metal pot and placing it on the table on top of a folded towel. "Where do I look for plates and bowls?"
Hye-ryeong snapped out of her trance. "Oh!" She dashed into the kitchen, standing on her toes to reach the top cupboard. When she reached for a pastel bowl and dish, a hand reached for her instead. Before the hand brought down the objects she grabbed for, she gazed at the owner of the hand.
It was possible that her mental blankness at the time had caused her to forget that Beomgyu had helped her place the special plates and bowls in the top cupboard. She was a slacker when it came to cooking, so she rarely used the plates and bowls. When she was alone or with her brother, she frequently used the dish and bowl in the rack.
Changing her attention to the drying rack next to the sink, she realized it didn't have the dish or bowl she usually used. She couldn't blame Seokjin for not being able to find the plate and bowl.
Seokjin unexpectedly said, "Now, since you're the owner of this house, why don't you help me cook kimchi fried rice?"
"Me?" Hye-ryeong asked, a puzzled expression on her face.
Before returning to Hye-ryeong, Seokjin's gaze lingered on the place. "Do we have anyone else here?" he questioned.
Hye-ryeong's bewilderment burst through right away. "W-well, no."
