"Saphen, who are you talking to?"
Right at that moment, a young man's voice suddenly came from the phone, followed by the faint rustling of fabric. Whoever it was stood very close to Saphen.
Saphen's voice dropped low. "Wait for me." Then he hung up.
Cain stayed frozen for a moment before slowly lowering the phone. He stared at the dark screen. Who was that man? He and Saphen sounded… pretty close…
At the shop, Saphen stepped to the side, his brows slightly furrowed. "Damian, don't stand so close."
Hearing that, Damian jolted as if startled. He hurriedly stepped back and scratched his head awkwardly. "Sorry."
He looked at Saphen. Saphen had never taken off his mask at the shop, so Damian could only see his beautiful gold eyes. Usually, he seemed cold, but his eyes were so expressive; whenever he smiled, they curved like tiny hooks, hooking straight into someone's soul… exactly Damian's type.
Damian was convinced that even without seeing the rest of Saphen's face, there was no doubt—Saphen had to be gorgeous.
He'd chased after him nonstop, but Saphen always acted as if he didn't notice. Damian had already begun to accept that Saphen was straight.
But what had just happened? Saphen had taken a call from a man.
At that moment, Saphen had already removed his apron and placed it directly into Damian's hands, speaking softly. "I'll come back after lunch break."
Damian stared blankly at the apron, then hurried after him. "You're going home? Because of that man? Just now you were talking to—"
Suddenly, a superb fingertip pressed against his lips, stopping him. Damian froze instinctively. He pursed his lips, lowering his gaze to the slender white finger resting there.
Beautiful—neatly trimmed nails with a faint pink hue, even the joints were tinged with pink. Damian didn't know if he was imagining it, but there was a light scent of gardenia.
He met Saphen's gaze. Saphen's eyes curved gently, faint eye bags showing, the light inside flickering like falling stars—yet without the slightest joy. "You talk too much, Damian. We're not that close."
With that, he turned and walked away.
Damian stood there staring after him until Saphen's figure completely disappeared. Only then did his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed and murmured blankly, "Sorry…"
As for Saphen, because of the storyline, he could only ride his bike to the supermarket, pick up some cooking ingredients, and head back.
Since he had to go home anyway, he didn't plan on eating out. Besides, Cain needed nourishment—so he might as well cook a proper meal.
6677 exclaimed, delighted beyond words: [Master, you even know how to cook! This skill of yours truly exists to perfect the storyline! I wish I could taste your cooking too; it must be better than the finest dish in this world!]
[If your vocabulary is limited, don't try too hard to sound poetic.]
Saphen's emotionless tone echoed.
6677: [… you're really too much]
Saphen smiled. [I'll let you taste it later, don't worry.]
6677 instantly perked up again: [Master! You truly are an angel descended to the mortal world! I am willing to kneel beneath your leather shoes forever!]
What a foolish child, Saphen thought. But he didn't dislike fools.
Cain had been sitting in place for more than thirty minutes when he finally heard the door open.
He looked over and saw Saphen coming in from outside with bags of groceries. Saphen glanced at Cain's perfectly upright sitting posture, confirming his position again before saying, "Don't tell me you didn't move even once the entire morning?"
Cain paused, then finally said, "I… went to the bathroom…"
Saphen couldn't help but laugh. "You don't have to be that honest."
He set a bag of tangerines on the table. "Eat something first."
Then he headed to the kitchen and began to show his skills.
Since arriving here, Saphen hadn't touched the stove even once. But now that there was a sick person at home, he figured it was time to actually make use of one of his real talents.
6677 bounced with excitement: [Chef, what's on today's menu?]
[Mung bean porridge and pan-seared salmon.]
With that, Saphen got to work.
Watching Saphen's smooth, skilled movements, 6677 couldn't help but marvel nonstop: [You really can cook! You really can cook! I thought—]
[Thought what? Cooking is just a basic survival skill.]
Saphen didn't consider himself a chef; these simple boiled and pan-fried dishes weren't complicated. Of course, his skill level was nothing extraordinary—just acceptable enough.
Finally, beneath 6677's barrage of compliments, Saphen finished preparing the two dishes for lunch.
He walked out and looked over at Cain. Three tangerine peels were now sitting on the table—it looked like this big guy really was quite hungry.
"Can you walk on your own?" Saphen asked.
Cain looked over and saw Saphen standing at the kitchen doorway in a pink apron with a bunny holding a heart printed on the chest, arms folded as he watched him.
Cain nodded immediately. "I can."
He stood up slowly. His legs weren't injured; as long as he moved carefully and didn't strain the wound on his waist, it would be fine.
6677 grew distressed: [We should've gotten a wheelchair. The male lead is so pitiful!]
[You sponsor it, then,] Saphen said with a light laugh.
6677 fell silent instantly.
Cain moved as if he wanted to help set the table, but Saphen waved him off. "I don't torture patients. Go sit down."
Hearing that, Cain obediently complied. 6677 sighed dramatically: [The male lead truly is an angel! He looks so cute being obedient!]
Saphen: [… are you running on auto-chat mode now?]
6677 fell silent.
Cain watched as Saphen set down two bowls of mung bean porridge, one on each side, then placed a plate of pan-seared salmon in front of him.
He looked at Saphen, but Saphen had already sat down and was slowly blowing on his porridge, doing nothing else.
Cain stared blankly at the salmon in front of him, then looked back at Saphen.
Maybe his gaze was too intense, because Saphen eventually lifted his head and asked in confusion, "What is it?"
Cain spoke directly. "Why do I have salmon and you don't?"
Saphen laughed. "That's all? Just eat. I've kept track of everything I spend on you. Once you get your memories back, you'll have to pay me ten times the amount, so don't worry."
Cain looked at Saphen's not-very-sincere smile and nodded thoughtfully. "When I remember everything, I will definitely repay you!"
Saphen curled his lips. Was Cain's memory loss making him stupid, too? Why was he suddenly saying cheesy lines exactly like 6677?
6677 was just about to praise Cain for being earnest when Saphen cut in:
[Stay quiet unless you want the male lead to go hungry.]
6677: […]
Cain watched Saphen quietly eat lunch, then picked up his spoon, blew on the porridge, and tasted it.
Almost immediately, his brows knit together.
He turned to look at Saphen. Saphen was still slowly eating, blowing carefully each time. Whenever the porridge was even slightly hot, he stuck his tongue out a little. It seemed he wasn't good with hot food, but he still looked like he was enjoying it… as if he couldn't taste how strangely sweet-and-salty his porridge actually was.
Cain swallowed, forcing down the weird aftertaste clinging to his throat.
Sensing Cain's staring, Saphen looked up with a frown. "What now? You don't like it?"
Cain pressed his lips together, then shook his head. "No." As he spoke, he scooped up more porridge, his expression serious as he "savored" it.
6677 wanted to scream, but remembering Saphen's warning, it forced itself to speak calmly:
[My god, this is a sign of love! A crucial turning point marking the beginning of your journey to becoming the male lead's white moonlight! Master, you are truly the best!]
Lunch didn't take long. Once they finished, Saphen shooed Cain outside and stayed behind to clean up the table.
6677 rubbed its paws eagerly: [Master, where's my portion?]
Saphen took out the bowl of mung bean porridge he had set aside earlier, placed it in a corner out of sight, and said carelessly, [Eat.]
Instantly, an orange cat appeared out of thin air, wearing a pair of glasses.
It licked its lips, wiggled its chubby body, and eagerly tasted the porridge.
And then…
"Gagh!"