It was the first time I ever wanted to take back the words that had come out of my mouth.

“Don’t make that awful noise. Why did the conversation suddenly jump like this?”

I asked, frowning, and the reply that came back was ludicrous.

“It’s probably because you seem to think of me as very special.”

“……On what grounds do you think that?”

Puffing out his chest and acting arrogant, Hyunjung Hyuk’s attitude was absurd. The sad thing was that such ridiculous behavior suited the man called Hyunjung Hyuk. Instead of looking pitiful, he appeared cheerful and amusing.

‘Amusing, my foot! He’s someone who makes my insides burst. I will never accept it.’

It was then when I was rubbing my eyes, which felt like they were hallucinating, with my sleeve. Hyunjung Hyuk poked my forehead with his index finger and asked.

“Think about it. Do you have anyone else with whom you talk as comfortably as you do with me?”

“Uh…….”

I was stunned for a moment at his words. He had hit the mark.

‘Come to think of it, Hyunjung Hyuk is the first person I’ve spoken informally to since coming to this world.’

I do speak informally with Jiho, but Jiho is practically my sibling.

Hyunjung Hyuk crossed his arms, looking confident. His thick arms were conspicuously noticeable.

“You wouldn’t talk so casually to the young master you serve, right?”

“Ugh.”

He was right. No matter how much time passed, I would never be able to treat Danmokbi so casually.

But it wasn’t because Hyunjung Hyuk was special.

“It’s natural to feel uncomfortable treating someone you like too casually.”

“Why?”

“I want to show only my good side. I don’t want the person I like to be disappointed in me.”

“Really?”

Hyunjung Hyuk tilted his head at my words, looking utterly incomprehensible. I sighed and kneaded the flour dough.

‘Yes. I’m escaping reality now.’

This was no time to be dealing with doughlike things. Danmokbi must be worried since I’ve disappeared.

‘I should avoid fighting with my brother.’

Jegal Min was there at Danmok’s place at the time. He must have been furious, wondering how the kidnapper got in under his management.

‘It’s difficult to fight with someone who will be family.’

In the end, returning as soon as possible was the answer. The problem was how to escape from here.

‘Hyunjung Hyuk trusts me. There will be an opportunity.’

If I act meekly enough to be reassuring, the opportunity will come whenever.

‘Next time, I’ll have to create an excuse to slip out of the kitchen subtly. I need to know what the inside of the hideout looks like to escape.’

What excuse could get me out? I was pondering this when,

Hyunjung Hyuk wouldn’t leave me alone to concentrate. He grinned and laid his chin on my shoulder.

“So, you want to show me your talent for good taste, being a woman, and…”

“Will you please get away from me!”

Relief or whatever, it’s so creepy that I can’t stand it!

(This is a time separator.)

Hyunjung Hyuk ate well. Unlike someone who used to eat raw meat, raw vegetables, and rice water as food.

Was he really originally consuming raw food, as sometimes the meals I prepared did not suit his taste.

But today was the worst.

“My tongue feels numb.”

The food I made today was none other than Mala Tang! Since I came to Chungwon, of course, I had to make a bowl of Mala Tang. Unexpectedly, Hyunjung Hyuk turned it upside down.

He flicked his tongue like a snake and looked at me sideways.

“Tell me the truth. You tried to kill me, didn’t you?”

Continuously making Korean food might be boring, so I made the unfamiliar and laborintensive Mala Tang. It was a grievous accusation for me.

“Kill you? What nonsense! It’s just a normal spicy taste! Don’t you know spicy?”

“You mean people enjoy this pain ordinarily? And they’re not even perverts?”

“Why is liking spicy food perverted!”

At first, it was just a trivial argument, but as we spoke, the words became more heated.

Finally, I yelled in frustration.
“If you don’t trust it so much, let’s have someone else try it! Then you’ll know!”

“But…….”

We either have to let someone in to try it, or we have to go out ourselves.

In a situation where he could provide me with a taste of the outside world, Hyungjunghyuk was unable to respond quickly and froze.

I delivered the final blow to him.

“And honestly, it’s not even fit for the spicy category! This is a mild spice that even children can enjoy.”

“Don’t lie. My tongue is this red.”

“So, you’re saying you’re a spice wimp!”

“What?”

My teasing was bearable to the extent that it was pleasant, but the words that hurt his pride made Hyungjunghyuk’s eyes widen in surprise.

Fearing that he would have an outburst, I flinched slightly. Hyungjunghyuk, with his terrifying gaze, walked past me briskly and suddenly opened the door to my room, which had never been opened before.

Beyond the door, a corridor painted the same red as the room led to a warrior standing guard. It was clear that he had been guarding my room.

‘I have to put that person to sleep to escape safely.’