Ch.69Fried Egg Rice 2

The refrigerator’s hum fills the quiet studio apartment.

Light filters in bit by bit through the curtains.

Lying on the bed, I stare blankly at the dust particles floating in the light.

I don’t want to think about anything.

The moment I start thinking, yesterday’s events rush in like a tide, making my head spin.

I just hope the sensations from that day fade away soon.

Even now, when I remember it, my lower abdomen twitches.

Beyond twitching, it feels ticklish, and beyond ticklish, it burns so hot I can’t bear it.

I just lay there weakly with my thighs pressed together.

Thanks to my developed body, I was getting wet down there beyond my control.

My fingers kept twitching, as if wanting to imitate the Red Lion’s fingers that had toyed with me.

I’m truly afraid that, as she said, I’ll end up doing that thing every week.

To prevent it somehow, I put my fingers in my mouth and bit down hard.

But even as I bit down, the sensual face of the Red Lion kept appearing in my mind.

The next day, when I opened my eyes, I thought the Red Lion had irresponsibly left.

But she was still there when I woke up.

She had a huge snake tattoo on her waist, visible above her bra.

She came back leisurely after smoking a cigarette on the balcony.

Then she gave me a cleanser and silently showed me how to use it.

But such advice didn’t register in my ears at all.

Instead, it only made me acutely aware that I was a lewd woman.

A completely different kind of pleasure than I had ever felt as a man.

The moment I felt it, I realized the irreversible reality.

That I was no longer Dohyun, but Siho—someone who gets excited just by being touched between the legs.

After returning home alone, I just lay there trying to forget that fact.

I don’t want to do anything.

I ignored all the calls from the Red Lion.

I’m a bit… tired.

That’s how I spent the entire morning, and soon noon arrived.

“…”

I hear footsteps in the hallway.

Must be someone who lives next door.

With that thought, I closed my eyes.

But I soon had to open them again.

Because the clear footsteps stopped right in front of my door.

“—!”

Someone is knocking on the front door.

Why not use the doorbell that’s right there…

I instinctively curled up at the aggressive knocking.

Swallowing deeply, I slowly got up.

Could it be the Red Lion?

Did she come because I didn’t answer her calls?

She’s not going to punish me again like yesterday, is she?

Just the thought makes my lower abdomen flutter.

“…”

When I didn’t respond, the knocking soon subsided.

And then…

I started hearing the sound of metal against the doorknob.

I quickly realized what that sound meant.

Someone is picking the lock.

Sweat trickles down my spine.

I hurriedly raised my limp body and rushed to the entrance.

I need to lock it.

Before they force it open.

Staggering, I barely reached the shoe cabinet.

Just as I reached out to slide the bolt…

Intense sunlight began pouring in from outside.

In that moment, I froze, witnessing a dark silhouette.

“…”

Haah…

I let out a deep sigh as I recognized the silhouette.

“Anna… you scared me…”

Elegant white hair and white eyes.

Anna, wearing only a black jacket over a tank top, looks down at me expressionlessly.

She was holding a pin in her hand.

My goodness, did she pick the lock with just that little skewer?

She must have learned well from Sunyae.

“There was no response. I thought you were dead.”

“As if…”

I clutched my disheveled hair and felt along the wall.

Anna stared at me intently.

“Are you okay?”

Is she actually worried about me?

I turned my head at this unexpected reaction.

Anna quietly gazed at my haggard face with its dark circles.

I must look terrible after lying down all day.

“Yeah… I’m fine.”

I smiled gently for her sake.

Anna closed the door and followed me into the room.

The killer calmly surveyed my room.

Unlike other girls, my place doesn’t have any particularly fragrant smell.

The aphrodisiac that had permeated my body had completely dissipated.

“Want something to drink?”

“No, I’m fine. Looking at your condition, it seems difficult for you to teach me about emotions today.”

Ah, right.

I was supposed to teach Anna how to live like other people today.

I had completely forgotten.

I sat heavily on the bed and gathered my thoughts for a moment.

Should I still go out with her now?

While I hesitated due to my tired body, Anna made her own decision.

“I’ll just go. You look sick.”

I look sick?

I guess you can’t fool a killer after all.

I rubbed my trembling arms.

And stared at Anna as she prepared to leave.

If she leaves, I’ll be alone again.

And in this darkness, I’ll desperately struggle to forget yesterday’s sensations.

For minutes, hours, perhaps beyond a day to a week.

What if I completely break down?

My body trembles at the thought of myself sticking out my tongue and calling the Red Lion “master.”

The moment I imagined that scene, my lips parted.

“Um, Anna…”

Anna turned her head at my instinctively uttered words.

Her empty, cloudy eyes stare at me.

But today, those eyes seemed peaceful to me.

Like a calm lake without any worries.

“I’m sorry, but… could you stay with me for a while?”

Anna didn’t respond immediately to my words.

She blinked thoughtfully, as if trying to understand the meaning.

“Just for a moment. A very short moment…”

I forced a smile with drooping eyes.

At that decadent smile, Anna finally nodded slowly.

I patted one side of the bed.

Anna sat down there gracefully.

“…”

She’s silent like a doll, not even her breathing audible.

But just having her sit beside me was somehow comforting.

Like having a quiet, long-time friend by my side.

If the Red Lion feels like a dependable boyfriend, Anna feels like a childhood friend.

Only then did I breathe comfortably.

I savored her fresh soap scent for the first time in a while.

As my body relaxed, I slowly leaned my head on her shoulder.

And let my weight press against her until my cheek was squished.

All the while, only the sound of the refrigerator running

and children playing ball outside in the warm sun could be heard.

“Did something happen?”

“No… I was just feeling a bit depressed.”

I spoke leisurely with my eyes closed.

Anna then tilted her head and rested her cheek on the crown of my head.

“Depressed?”

“Yeah… right, you probably don’t understand what being depressed means.”

From my squished cheek, I calmly began explaining about “depression.”

“It’s like feeling alone in this vast world… I think depression is when no one can understand you.”

“I see…”

Anna murmured with her cheek pressed against the top of my head.

Such vague expressions probably wouldn’t help her understand right away.

Anna is that rational and cold-blooded a killer…

But her response was completely different from what I expected.

“I think I understand a little.”

Anna blinked her eyes and looked at the sink where water was dripping, just as I had been doing.

Soon she asked me:

“Did the Red Lion make you sad?”

I flinched at the casual mention of her name.

Just hearing her name makes my body heat up.

Like a dog called by its owner.

“N-no, that’s not it… But how did you know I was with the Red Lion?”

When I asked, Anna answered with blank eyes.

“You smell like that bitch’s perfume.”

I instinctively raised my wrist at her words.

I quickly sniffed it.

Strange.

I don’t smell anything particular…

“Want me to kill her?”

“N-no… the Red Lion is my mast— I mean, my friend.”

I almost said the wrong thing.

My body became sensitive whenever she was mentioned, so I cleared my throat.

“Anna.”

“What is it?”

“Let’s just stay like this.”

I murmured the same line someone once said to me.

Fortunately, Anna didn’t ask me for a reason.

We just leaned against each other for several minutes.

But… that silence didn’t last long.

My stupid body was the problem again.

“—.”

Maybe because I’d been lying down all day without eating anything.

My stomach growled loudly.

“Are you hungry?”

Anna asked.

Embarrassed, I hugged my stomach and hung my head.

And shook my head so hard my messy hair flew around.

“No… I’m fine.”

“Being hungry is inefficient. It slows down calculations and reduces operational efficiency.”

Anna spoke logically, as if analyzing.

That’s not the issue…

I pondered for a while how to explain to this fool.

But in the meantime, Anna got up and headed to the refrigerator.

Soon her hands held eggs and onions.

No way…

“I’ll borrow your kitchen.”

She took off her jacket.

Revealing her firm, smooth shoulders and arm muscles.

Not bulky at all, but sleek and beautifully shaped.

I couldn’t help but salivate at the sight.

At that moment, I squeezed my eyes shut.

The aphrodisiac should have left my body by now.

So why am I having these strange thoughts…

I tried to stay lost in thought all day, yet just a tank top…

“Really, I’m not hungry…”

“I am.”

Anna said firmly as she tied on an apron.

As I stood there dumbfounded, she turned her head and silently started frying rice.

And so, for the first time in my life, I witnessed a killer wearing an apron.

Surprisingly, her cooking was very skillful.

As if she’d been making only this dish her entire life since eating fried rice from me.

Soon, a steaming golden fried rice was placed in the middle of the table.

<Anna’s Egg Fried Rice>

Grade: ★★★★ (Epic)

Effect: Restores 60% of the consumer’s energy.

Info: Fried rice made with simple ingredients found at home.

Though the ingredients are ordinary, a perfect fried rice was created by following an internet recipe almost exactly.

A flawless dish infused with a killer’s meticulousness.

The fragrant smell of onions fills the house.

I couldn’t help but swallow at that smell.

Anna paid no attention to me as she picked up a spoon.

She served some rice onto a plate and silently ate the fried rice.

I glanced at Anna repeatedly.

The killer paused her eating for a moment and silently took out another plate.

“Eat if you want.”

At her words, I awkwardly approached the table.

And sat down on the chair, watching her cautiously.

A four-star fried rice…

It’s even higher grade than what I made for her last time.

Probably because she followed the internet recipe exactly.

I imagined Anna reading the recipe meticulously with her cloudy eyes.

Just thinking about it…

It’s cute.

Was it because I imagined that scene?

Without realizing it, my drooping mouth corners turned upward.

“Then I’ll just taste it…”

I scooped up some of the fluffy fried rice with my spoon.

And slowly put it in my mouth.

The sweet onions and eggs melt in my mouth.

My goodness… it’s so delicious…

Perhaps Anna might be even better at fried rice than Senior Jiwook.

After I had swallowed about two spoonfuls.

Suddenly I felt a piercing gaze from across the table.

“If you were going to eat so well, why did you act like you didn’t want it?”

“Huh…?”

When I came to my senses, the plate of fried rice was almost empty.

When did I eat it all…

That sight reminded me of the day I made fried rice for Anna.

She too had initially refused, calling it inefficient food, but ended up eating it all.

So this is how it feels…

I let out a deep sigh.

It wasn’t a sigh of denial.

It was a sigh of relief, like coming home.

Perhaps because it had been so long since I’d had a home-cooked meal, my chest felt warm.

That warmth soon traveled up my throat and made my eyes hot.

Why am I like this…

I couldn’t bear the wavering in my eyes.

I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand and sniffled.

“Are you okay? Are you sick again?”

“No… I don’t know…”

I didn’t know why I had become so tearful.

Why I had become so sensitive.

“Anna, do I look like a girl to you too?”

At this absurd question, Anna tilted her head.

Surely she would scold me for asking such a stupid question.

It’s impossible to deny the obvious appearance of a woman.

The answer from rational Anna was predictable.

“What does it mean to be feminine?”

Surprisingly, she questioned my query.

My mind went blank for a moment.

“Huh…?”

What does it mean to be feminine…

“You are just you. You can’t be defined by such modifiers.”

At that answer, I paused my eating for a moment.

I looked up at the beautiful woman from Russia.

Having finished her plate, she rested her chin on her hand and stared down at me.

With her cheek pressed, she said to me:

“Let’s go out.”

“Go out?”

I reflexively echoed her sudden suggestion.

Anna answered calmly.

“Staying inside all the time isn’t good. It’s inefficient.”

In that moment, I noticed.

Her tone had become somewhat gentler.