Warm Porridge, Soft Hands, and a Quiet Unease

“I want to live.”

What kind of question was that?

Did I look like someone who didn’t want to live?

I wanted to grab my sister by the collar and cry as I demanded an answer.

But I couldn’t.

Because I woke up.

“Ah, Chanyeong. You’re awake?”

“…Seo Eunsu?”

“If I woke you up, I’m sorry. You seemed to be sleeping well, but I was worried about you, so…”

What exactly had he done?

My hazy mind couldn’t keep up, so I didn’t fully understand what he meant.

“It’s fine. It wasn’t a good dream anyway, so waking up feels better.”

My voice came out hoarse.

Great.

Now even my throat was ruined.

Not getting better—just barely maintaining.

Hopeless.

‘Why do I feel like all I’ve been doing lately is sleeping?’

At this rate, I might turn into a sloth.

“How long did I sleep this time?”

“About three or four hours. You haven’t eaten anything, right? Here, have some porridge.”

On the tray Seo Eunsu held out, steam rose gently from a bowl of porridge.

Just like I had heard before falling asleep, it was abalone porridge.

And not just thrown together—it was carefully plated, neat and aesthetically arranged.

Next to the bowl were small side dishes of soy-braised meat and kimchi, placed just like something from a franchise porridge shop.

“Did Baek Dojun make this?”

“Yes. He said he made it for you, so I should make sure you finish it.”

It was unexpected that he hadn’t brought it himself.

Instead, he sent Seo Eunsu to feed me.

Did I really look like someone who’d listen to Seo Eunsu that well?

‘…Well, he’s not wrong.’

Even if the original story had gone off track, the main character was still the main character.

Even if his relationship with the others seemed strained, I didn’t want to take chances, so I treated Seo Eunsu as kindly as possible.

That, and he was just… a genuinely good person.

He had saved me from Moon Gyeongsik, after all.

A small table had already been set up so I could eat in bed.

Where they found that, I had no idea—but I pushed the thought aside and focused on eating.

I picked up the spoon and swallowed a mouthful of warm porridge.

The heat spread through my empty stomach.

It was good.

Perfectly seasoned—not too salty, not bland.

“Reluctantly, I admit it’s delicious. No wonder the Alphas leave the cooking to Baek Dojun.”

It was on par with the housekeeper’s cooking, the same one who kept trying to fatten me up.

If cooking skill was part of being a “top,” then Baek Dojun was annoyingly competent.

I kept eating steadily to regain my strength.

As he watched me, Seo Eunsu murmured quietly,

“I wanted to take care of you myself… but it seems my turn was taken.”

Cough.

“What?”

“I’ve never felt so dissatisfied with staying in the annex before. I didn’t even know you were sick… I’ve failed as your part-timer.”

No one had said anything, yet he was digging himself into a hole.

I couldn’t help but stare.

“No, I didn’t call you here to make you suffer, you know?”

His constant attempts to take on more work were suffocating.

I said I was fine, yet he kept making me feel guilty.

“I want to be worth what I’m paid for, at least while I’m by your side. Does that make you uncomfortable?”

“That’s…”

He looked at me with those slightly damp black eyes.

Saying yes felt impossible.

I didn’t answer.

I didn’t want to lie and say no.

But I also didn’t want to see him look disappointed.

So I changed the subject.

“Are you okay? You shouldn’t catch my cold.”

“I don’t mind. There’s a saying that if you pass a cold on, you recover faster. If that’s true, then I’d be happy.”

‘…What part of that is supposed to be good?’

Something tightened in my chest.

Now that he was an Alpha, Seo Eunsu wouldn’t get sick easily.

Even if he did, it’d just be a mild cough.

That kind of ease, born from a strong body—I envied it.

Honestly, if I had transmigrated into an Alpha, I could’ve done all the farm work myself in no time.

Life was unfair.

“What are you thinking so hard about?”

Tap.

His finger lightly touched my forehead.

Right.

Thinking like that in front of him was rude.

“Sorry. I got distracted.”

“Finish the rest while it’s warm. I’m going to watch you closely until you finish everything.”

Seo Eunsu rested his chin in his hands and stared at me.

If anyone else did that, I’d tell them to get lost.

But with his face—it somehow worked.

A human flower.

“I’ll finish it, so can you let me eat in peace?”

“That’s a promise?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Alright, then.”

Had the Alphas and Seo Eunsu formed some kind of “Make Seong Chanyeong Healthy” alliance while I was asleep?

Even after dropping the pose, he kept staring at me intently.

It was kind of funny.

I had no appetite, but I forced myself to eat.

Thankfully, it was delicious.

Before long, the bowl was empty.

“Done, right? I kept my promise.”

“Well done, Chanyeong. Now let’s check your temperature once more, and then you should rest. Even the staff unanimously said you shouldn’t push yourself outside today.”

“I see…”

I could already imagine how I looked to others.

Probably like some stubborn idiot trying to farm while half-dead.

“They’re just worried about you, so don’t think badly of them.”

“Of course not. Well… except for Baek Dojun, Chae Yunchan, Yoo Iseo, and Joo Taegang.”

“Excluding those four, then.”

Seo Eunsu smiled faintly.

There was a hint of playfulness in it.

Even though he had brought the porridge Baek Dojun made, he still sided with me.

That felt… unfamiliar.

And a little nice.

“Oh, right. What about General’s walk?”

After drinking some water, I realized General wasn’t around.

When I asked, Seo Eunsu handed me a small wildflower he had picked.

“I took him out. He wouldn’t listen to anyone else. Since I’ve walked that route with you before, it worked out.”

“Did you… happen to run into Moon Gyeongsik?”

Just hearing “walking route” made my chest tighten.

Seo Eunsu shook his head.

“No. I changed the route just in case, so we didn’t run into him. General behaved well too.”

Relief washed over me.

But at the same time, a chilling certainty settled in—

Moon Gyeongsik had been targeting me.

As my body trembled, Seo Eunsu quickly cleared the tray and gently laid me back down.

“It’s going to be okay. Baek Dojun, Yoo Iseo, Chae Yunchan, and Joo Taegang were all furious when they heard you were sick. They were saying you must’ve been shocked by Moon Gyeongsik’s behavior.”

That eased me.

At least they hadn’t suspected the truth about me being a recessive Omega.

“Well… I can’t say he’s not to blame.”

What Moon Gyeongsik did was undeniably violent.

Once Secretary Choi finished his investigation, I planned to find out everything—and pay him back properly.

‘Living as an Omega really is inconvenient.’

For the first time, I felt genuinely grateful for Seong Chanyeong’s wealth.

Other Omegas must live with this kind of vulnerability all the time.

At least I had the background and money to live comfortably.

That realization sobered me.

“You’ve gone through this kind of thing before too, right? What did you do back then?”

After a bit of rest, I felt slightly better.

I wanted to hear his story directly.

Not just what I knew from the original.

“I was similar. There were always people targeting a poor, powerless dominant Omega like me. Those Alphas outside… especially Yoo Iseo—he stepped in as a sponsor early on, so I was luckier than most.”

Even so, his life couldn’t have been easy.

This radiant, beautiful man—

was probably the one who needed care the most.

‘Not something I can give him, though.’

Still, I wanted him to have a happy ending.

Not one tied to those Alpha bastards—

but one where someone truly understood him.

So I told him,

“You’ll definitely be happy someday. I can bet my entire field on it.”

“That’s sudden. But thank you. I hope so too.”

Seo Eunsu reached toward my face.

Before I could react, his fingers gently brushed my cheek—

and picked off a grain of rice.

“I really hope so.”

With a bright smile, he popped it into his mouth.

For some reason… a chill ran down my spine.

So he was the type who wouldn’t leave even a single grain behind.

When he said “finish everything,” he meant it literally.

I silently paid respect to that kind of… unsettling dedication to food.