|| Philophobia || Baek Kyung

Chapter - 20 The chosen one

The door creaked shut behind them. Yeona tossed her bag onto the chair and kicked off her shoes with a sigh. Baek Kyung dropped onto her couch like he'd been carrying the entire weight of Seoul on his shoulders. He crossed his arms, face set in his usual sulky scowl.

"You're eating," Yeona declared, heading for the kitchen.

"I'm not hungry.", His clipped voice mumbled as massaged his forehead and brought up his bag to his side

Her head popped out from the fridge. "Then starve. I don't care."

He arched a brow. "You sound like my mom."

"Good," she shot back, clattering plates onto the counter. "Someone has to raise you."

He didn't answer, just sank deeper into the cushions. But when she set down a steaming bowl of rice and soup in front of him, he picked up the chopsticks anyway, grumbling under his breath like a kid forced to do homework.

Yeona smirked. "That's what I thought." She proceeded to flip her hair and waltz into the kitchen, twirling her knife and setting it down on the counter all while Baek Kyung glared at her and chomped down on his food

They ended up sitting cross-legged on the floor, plates between them. Baek Kyung picked at his food, Yeona stealing bites off his plate whenever he wasn't looking.

"You're shameless," he muttered when she swiped a dumpling.

"You're slow." She grinned, leaning across him to grab chopsticks she'd left on the far side of the table. Her hair brushed his arm, feather-light. Neither of them moved back.

Baek Kyung's pulse jumped, but he covered it with a scoff. "Annoying."

"Thanks. Ugly."

Still, she didn't shift away, and he didn't tell her to. They continued eating in a peaceful silence till---

Baek Kyung poked at the soup with his chopsticks. "This looks... edible."

Yeona gasped dramatically, clutching her chest. "Excuse me? That's kimchi jjigae straight out of my grandmother's sacred recipe book. You better worship it before you taste it."

He deadpanned, "Your grandmother must've hated people."

"Wow." She jabbed a dumpling at his mouth. "Eat and be grateful, peasant."

He opened his mouth just enough to bite half of it, leaving her holding the rest.

"Did you just—"

"Sharing is caring." He chewed slowly, smugness radiating.

Yeona narrowed her eyes, then snatched the half-dumpling back out of his chopsticks and popped it into her own mouth. "Mine again."

"You're feral," he muttered.

"Better than starving." She leaned over his plate without hesitation, stealing a piece of kimchi pancake.

He tried to block her with his elbow. "Unbelievable. You invited me here, fed me scraps, and now you're stealing from me?"

"I'm keeping you humble. Someone has to."

"Pretty sure I was humble before you," he said dryly.

She arched a brow. "You? Humble? Please. Your ego has its own postal code."

His lip twitched like he was trying not to smile. He stabbed another dumpling and waved it in her face. "Fine. One more. But if you steal again, I'm eating you next."

Yeona snorted so hard she almost choked on her soup. "Cannibalism doesn't scare me. I've fought for fried chicken during family dinners. You wouldn't survive."

Baek Kyung just shook his head, but the tiniest laugh slipped out before he buried it with another spoonful of rice.

Yeona crouched down on the floor, scratching behind the ears of a fluffy white cat that purred like an engine. "See? She loves me. Animals have good instincts."

Baek Kyung leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. "No, she loves food. You literally bribed her with dried fish."

"It's called bonding," Yeona retorted, holding the cat up proudly like she was presenting Simba. The cat lazily flicked its tail, unimpressed.

"Bonding?" He raised a brow. "Pretty sure you just kidnapped her loyalty with snacks."

"Then why won't my precious dog come near you, huh?" she shot back, pointing at the golden retriever lounging with its head in her lap like it had found paradise.

Baek Kyung scowled. "Traitor. I fed you my food."

The dog wagged its tail and licked Yeona's hand, only proving her point. She smirked triumphantly. "Guess even the dog knows who's better company."

"Don't flatter yourself," he muttered, crouching down and trying to coax the retriever back. "He's just confused."

"Oh, right. Confused into choosing me, his oh-so-beloved master?" Yeona teased, burying her fingers in the dog's fur. "Face it, Baek Kyung. I'm the chosen one."

He rolled his eyes but leaned closer, his shoulder brushing hers as he scratched behind the dog's ears too. "Fine. We'll share custody."

"Custody?" She laughed. "This isn't a divorce settlement."

"Feels like one," he said with mock bitterness. "You're already stealing half my food. Now I might as well steal your pets?"

Yeona grinned, her voice softening. "Maybe they just know I won't let them down."

For a moment, their eyes met over the dog's head, a fragile silence settling in. Then the cat yawned, breaking the tension, and Yeona chuckled. "Guess even she's bored of your tragic speeches."