“Of course. I have about eightynine ramen recipes of my own. This is a recipe I completed by researching after watching it on TV.”
Listening to Ji An’s long and detailed ramen recipe, Dan Woo retraced the path they had taken.
“Ramen is the best when cooked according to the instructions on the packet. But on days like today, there’s nothing to beat the taste of ramen boiled with thinly sliced leek. If you also have a glass of soju, it’s game over.”
Ji An, who had turned her upper body in the opposite direction, looked up at him.
Concerned about her walking backward in that state, Dan Woo stretched out his arm as if to envelop her.
Upon seeing a utility pole, he put strength into his arm to pull her inward, nodding his head in response instead of speaking.
It was also his responsibility to pull her to the side when it looked like she might trip on a protruding rock.
As Dan Woo was locking the gate upon entering the yard, Ji An’s voice echoed in the yard.
“Ah! Ouch.”
“Are you okay?”
“Yes. I’m fine.”
White breath dispersed between the lips of Ji An who had stubbed her buttock.
Just as it seemed like she was about to droop her shoulders and look up at the sky, she lay flat on her back again.
As a sigh leaked from Dan Woo’s lips, Ji An’s voice dispersed too.
“I love the snow blanket. It feels like the sky might fall.”
“……?”
As Ji An stretched out her arms on the snow and flapped them, a round halo was created. Like the wings of an angel.
She who stopped her arms blew out her breath.
Finding it ridiculous to go in alone, Dan Woo spread his large palm wide. Cold white snow settled on it.
“Lie down.”
Pulling on Dan Woo’s pants, Ji An added in a voice fluttering like snow.
“I’ve done a lot by myself so now I need someone to do things with. Just pretend you’re indulging me and lie down for once.”
Dan Woo looked down at Ji An, puzzled.
What a troublesome woman.
When he bent his legs and sat down, resting his arms on his knees, Ji An gave a broad smile.
Fine. Let’s just go along with it.
He lay beside Ji An, stretching his legs out long.
After poking Dan Woo a bit, Ji An’s index finger pointed up at the sky.
“Look at the sky.”
White snow was falling incessantly from the black sky. It was falling so fast it could be scary, and it did so silently.
The quiet moment amid the dark night brought back old memories to Dan Woo.
The time he had lived to regain his life.
He was the one who was forced to donate his liver to Woo Jung Hyun and was chased all the way to America with his unhealed body.
Nevertheless, he had endured difficult times until his body recovered, creating a small hope with a pitiful compassion.
One winter night that was cold and dark.
He found out in the abandoned building he was dragged into by strangers who rushed into his house.
‘Do you know Woo Jung Hyun? He asked you to live like a loser.’
He, who could not be a family to them, was Woo Dan Woo.
Watching the snow falling scarily, Dan Woo remembered the abandoned building where he was left alone after the assault.
His heart grew cold and ached numbly, making his voice lonesome.
“It hurts.”
“The snow falling from the sky does… hurts.”
Ji An was also hurt by the relentless snowfall. As if irrevocable memories were pouring out.
The small and curious child just wanted to make his mother laugh.
Just wished that his mother would smile when she looked at him.
Unknowingly, Ji An let a habitual phrase slip from her lips.
“Why did she give birth to me?”
“Exactly.”
Startled, Ji An turned her head and her gaze collided with Dan Woo’s.
It was a returned answer as if he knew her innermost thoughts.
Feeling like her heart had been exposed, Ji An’s pupils momentarily widened, and her once cold face flushed hot.
Dan Woo looked at the sky with his firm jawline, slowly raising his eyebrows.
I have people who are like strangers to me, even though they are my family.
I really hated and was annoyed with myself for caring about and living with them.
Instead of continuing his words, he sat up.
“Enough, let’s go inside.”
Ji An boiled ramen in a broth she had prepared by simmering vegetables to cook octopus.
When the bottom of Dan Woo and Ji An’s ramen bowls could be seen.
Rattle, clatter. Rattlerattle.
The sound of a tank scraping against the stone floor was heard, followed by the sound of a broken engine.
Startled, Ji An asked.
“What’s that? What is it?”
Dan Woo, who had twisted his torso in the opposite direction while holding the back of the chair, looked back at Ji An and answered.
“Just wait a moment.”
Upon entering the utility room, Dan Woo scratched his forehead with his index finger as he looked at the quiet boiler.
Is there a reason for this to stop?
When he hit both sides of the boiler with his hands, the metallic sound echoed hollowly.
The falling snow and the temperature that had dropped below zero.
This was not the timing for it to break down.
Dan Woo took a deep breath.
Standing at the entrance to the utility room, Ji An also noticed that the situation was not normal and anxiously looked out the window.
“What do we do?”
“First, let’s call the landlord.”
Ji An, who tried turning up the induction heat, moved a step and turned up the water supply at the sink. Fortunately or unfortunately, the electricity and water supply were still working.
“The electricity is fine.”
“Wait. There won’t be a problem.”
Reassuring Ji An, Dan Woo took his cell phone and headed to the second floor.
Standing at the end of the stairs, he dialed Tae Yun’s number and waited for the call to connect.
Click.
I can’t go. I can’t. I can’t move the car.
“I understand.”
Why did you call when you knew?
“The boiler stopped.”
Taken aback by the unexpected response, Tae Yun’s forehead twitched.
This kid. Now he comes up with all sorts of excuses.
Suddenly?
“Do you think I’d joke with you in this weather? You don’t have to come, just send someone to repair it.”
Why would a guy who doesn’t turn on the boiler need to come?
“That’s when I’m alone.”
Ah! Right. Ms. Ji An. …What about electricity?
“It’s fine.”
Dan Woo, with his hand on his hip, sternly ended the conversation.
“Just send a technician. Definitely.”
It’s impossible. I’ll understand that you’re talking out of ignorance about the road conditions.
“I’m going insane. Is there still no contact from the police station?”
Who? The previous owner? Not yet.
If he hadn’t bought the house, Ji An would have had to endure this night alone.
He felt like he would be angry if such an incident happened. The excuse that it was a coincidence seemed ridiculous, but he couldn’t deny his feelings.
Dan Woo pushed Tae Yun with a forced argument.
“Catch him by tomorrow. Or you’ll be the first to know.”
How can I catch him by tomorrow? Just say anything because you’re angry. Are you throwing your weight around?
“Woo Tae Yun!”
Of all the days for it to break down, it had to be today.
As Tae Yun had said, it didn’t concern him.
The second floor, where the boiler was not installed, was filled with cold air.
Even the coldness transmitted to his bare feet as he wore shorts and a tshirt didn’t disturb him.
He had a constitution that wasn’t affected by the cold, but there was also a reason he didn’t get close to warmth due to the memory of the night of the fire.
Tae Yun’s voice came through from the other end of the phone.
If you go to the annex, there’s a carbon mat on my bed.
“……”
I can’t sleep without it. I’m the kind of guy who needs to feel really warm to sleep. Ah! There’s also a fireplace in the living room.
“A fireplace?”
It’s built into the wall. The firewood is in a rack behind the flower pot, so manage with that. And then.
In Tae Yun’s silence, Dan Woo urged him on and asked.
“Continue.”
I’ll go as soon as the road conditions are cleared up. I’ll try to catch that guy somehow.
After hanging up, Tae Yun sent a text to the previous owner of the stone house.
The Villainous Demon Lord Laid an Egg for Her (Female-Dominated)
Several months after transmigrating into a book, Yu Wu found herself facing the demon lord Li You, who could no longer conceal his dragon horns. With one hand on her aching waist and the other gripping a sharp sword, she stared at him.
The demon lord’s eyes were red with fury:
“This is all your doing! Today, I won’t rest until I kill you!”
Yu Wu rubbed her temples. Putting aside the taboo against bloodshed during pregnancy, wasn’t it this very man who willingly walked into her trap that day?!
Warnings:
- Male pregnancy.
- Height ratios are set to mirror typical male-female height proportions.
- Characters include a foot-loving demon lord and an eldest daughter from an immortal family’s concubine lineage.
