Breakfast with Unwanted Guests

‘I slept way too deeply.’

He had been asleep for almost an entire day.

His stomach was screaming from hunger.

If Janggun hadn’t nudged him for food, he might have slept even longer.

After crying himself to sleep in a storm of anger and anxiety, the reflection in the mirror looked like a swollen carp.

He clicked his tongue at how ugly it was.

“Ugh… my eyes are completely puffed up.”

As he splashed cold water over his swollen eyes, memories of yesterday slowly came back.

Those ridiculous questions from those bastards… and how he snapped and told them to get lost again.

Drying his face with a towel, he asked Janggun, who was happily munching on his feed,

“Janggun, I said enough yesterday, so those guys should be gone today, right?”

“Woof?”

“Unless they’ve got zero shame, they wouldn’t stick around here after being the ones at fault, right?”

“Woof woof!”

“Yeah. They must’ve left.”

“If they experienced being stalked by the real Seong Chanyeong, they’d have run off on their own. Yeah.”

Thinking positively, he waited for Janggun to finish eating.

He didn’t feel like eating breakfast, so he moved sluggishly.

“Woof! Woof!”

“Alright, alright. Let’s go for a walk.”

He put on Janggun’s harness and leash, changed into workout clothes, and stepped out of his room—

“Hungry, right?”

“I made breakfast, so eat before you go.”

…Huh?

That voice was too deep to be the housekeeper’s.

But too young to be one of the older workers.

Creak—

Like turning a rusted screw, he slowly turned his head.

There stood Yoo Iseo, smiling brightly, wearing a cute pink floral apron and pointing toward the kitchen.

“Holy—!”

More terrifying than a ghost.

Who the hell decided to put a pink apron on that dominant Alpha?

His heart nearly dropped.

“You’re not coming?”

“I worked hard on it. Like a newlywed bride.”

What the hell.

What nonsense is this bastard spouting?

“Wh-why are you like that…?”

The pink floral apron was originally his size, so on Iseo’s muscular frame, it was stretched tight.

The straps looked like they might snap at any moment over his bulging chest.

That apron used to be the housekeeper’s favorite.

At the “new bride” comment, Chanyeong’s mind blanked.

His legs gave out, and he scooted backward on the floor.

Iseo approached him with a smile like poisonous herbs.

‘This is terrifying!’

In Iseo’s hand was a kitchen knife.

There was red smeared on it—like blood.

He didn’t know what it was used for, but hopefully not to kill him.

“Grrr! Woof! Woof!”

Even Janggun barked fiercely, trembling beside him.

“I made breakfast.”

‘You… did?’

He had no idea what had happened while he was asleep.

Who let that dominant Alpha cook?

Still dazed, he grabbed Iseo’s outstretched hand and stood up.

Iseo smiled in satisfaction.

It felt like a female mantis watching a male right before mating.

“Yesterday, we were treated.”

“So today, we wanted to prepare a meal for you, Seong Chanyeong-ssi.”

“You stayed for that?”

Did they poison the food?

Was today his funeral day?

His pupils shook wildly.

Noticing, Iseo asked awkwardly,

“Is that not okay?”

‘This is my house.’

He had yelled at them to leave yesterday—clearly, it meant nothing.

He hadn’t expected them to stay with this excuse.

He forgot that these male leads would even cook if it meant feeding the protagonist.

“Well… it’s just sudden.”

The most cunning one acting like a puppy made it even more suspicious.

“So you don’t like it?”

“I worked hard with these tiny hands.”

‘Tiny, my ass.’

Your hands are the size of pot lids.

Even if ferns evolved, they wouldn’t grow that big.

Staring at him in disbelief, Chanyeong was dragged to the kitchen.

“Grrr…”

“Oh dear. He bit me.”

Janggun bit Iseo’s heel, thinking Chanyeong was being kidnapped.

Iseo didn’t even react.

“Please eat before you go.”

“I’m not the only one who cooked.”

“Huh?”

“Everyone helped.”

“Not everything is… edible, but at least appreciate the effort.”

‘Are you telling me to eat and die?’

Still… he couldn’t ignore the effort.

And yesterday, he was the one who brought them over to eat.

“…This is edible, right?”

He was dragged to the table.

Half looked normal.

The other half looked like disasters.

All of them stood around the table in aprons.

‘Who gave them those aprons?’

“…This smells burnt. What is this?”

Something black and charred sat on a plate.

“That’s mine.”

Joo Taegang coughed awkwardly.

His apron was covered in soot, and he held a ruined frying pan.

“…What is it?”

“Grilled tteokgalbi.”

‘You just grilled it… how did it turn into charcoal?’

“…You can’t eat this.”

“…Got it.”

Taegang looked oddly dejected.

‘Eat fast and escape…’

Next was bean sprout salad.

“I made that!”

Chae Yunchan declared proudly.

“…You?”

“I’m not totally clueless about cooking.”

‘That’s a lie.’

Chanyeong took a bite.

“Cough! Cough!”

“Here—water.”

Seo Eunsu handed him a glass.

“…Yunchan.”

“It’s too salty.”

“And way too spicy.”

Yunchan sulked.

‘This is torture, not a meal.’

Next—

Fried eggs, sausages, bread, and salad.

“I made that.”

Iseo.

‘Wait… then what was the bloody knife for?’

“I messed something up earlier, so I made something simple instead.”

Thankfully, it was edible.

‘As expected of someone practical.’

Finally—soybean paste stew.

Potatoes, zucchini, tofu… even beef.

‘This is good.’

“I made that.”

Baek Dojun said.

“It’s good.”

“Glad to hear.”

‘Still… this is so uncomfortable.’

After finishing, he tried to clean up, but Eunsu stopped him.

“They said they’d do it.”

“…Really?”

“They feel guilty.”

The Alphas cleaned everything neatly.

“Want some fruit?”

Iseo asked, still in that ridiculous apron, holding the knife.

“…No.”

“I need to walk Janggun.”

“And before that—you all need to leave.”

His stance hadn’t changed.

But instead—

“Can’t we stay?”

“…What?”

Why did they suddenly sound so casual?