Right in front of me, trembling, Jeok Igeon continued eating as if nothing was wrong.
Relief at having survived slowly calmed me down, but there was no helping the irritation bubbling up at his composed attitude.
Of course, someone like me had no right to question him, so the only thing I could do was quietly attend to his meal.
The only depressing part was that I had to do this four times a day.
Back when I was an office worker, I was perfectly happy eating just two meals a day.
But here, even three weren’t enough—I had to serve a late-night snack too.
Considering he constantly exerted himself physically, it wasn’t incomprehensible, but from a worker’s perspective, it was incredibly tedious.
I preferred the days when all I had to do was laundry.
Carrying the empty tray back to Jamigwan, dragging my feet, I felt so pitiful that my chest ached.
If I was already this drained on the first day, how was I supposed to endure two whole months?
Still, at least I got through breakfast safely.
I forced myself to think positively.
Negative thoughts harm your health and destroy your confidence.
And hadn’t the ice water worked?
Since I got off to a good start, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to be a little bolder.
“There’s Seolha!”
“Seolha!”
Before I even entered Jamigwan, the maids, including So-ok, rushed toward me.
“What did the Second Young Master say?”
“It’s the first time he’s ever asked for ice water! No, it’s the first time he’s requested anything from Jamigwan at all!”
“What about lunch?”
“Did he say he wants anything else?”
All this fuss over a single cup of ice water.
If you think about it, Jeok Igeon hadn’t really done anything for them. If anything, he had just made things more troublesome.
And yet they were this excited.
Well… that’s why he’s the protagonist, I guess.
Suddenly, irritation surged up inside me.
Listening to them praise Jeok Igeon nonstop made my stomach churn.
I felt like grabbing someone and ranting about his true nature, but if I did that, I might end up labeled a traitor among the maids.
Honestly, I wasn’t even sure they’d believe me. Even later, when he revealed his true self, speaking ill of Jeok Igeon was impossible.
Everyone valued their lives, after all.
And I would absolutely need Jamigwan’s help going forward.
For that, it would benefit me to throw them some bait they’d like.
Looks like I’ll be saying a lot of things I don’t mean for a while.
It pricked my conscience, but I was doing this to survive.
So I decided not to feel too guilty about it.
“Thank you so much for today. The Second Young Master liked it very much as soon as he drank it.”
“Oh my! That taciturn man actually said he liked it?”
“Really?”
“Yes, he said exactly this: ‘Good.’”
I deliberately mimicked Jeok Igeon’s blunt tone.
Immediately, squeals erupted all around.
“We should’ve brought it sooner!”
“I want to hear his voice too!”
Are you really that happy?
I barely suppressed a sigh and added,
“If possible, it might be good to prepare ice water with his meals from now on… though I suppose that would be difficult, since ice is so precious.”
“No! Not at all!”
“That’s right! There’s plenty of ice in Seolbinggo!”
“Hardly anyone even requests it, so that’s totally fine!”
“Let’s put the Seolbinggo staff to work for once. They’ve been wasting time anyway.”
Alright, that secures the ice water.
“What about something simple like noodles for lunch?”
“Noodles?”
“Yes, I think he might like them. If we add plenty of meat as toppings, it’ll make a great meal.”
“Perfect! I’ll put my life into kneading the dough today!”
“I’ll handle the broth. I’ll simmer a whole chicken until it’s rich!”
The master cooks of Jamigwan rolled up their sleeves, their eyes burning with zeal. It almost felt like witnessing fanatics.
Quietly slipping away from their energy, I approached So-ok.
“So-ok, do you happen to have any snacks left?”
“What? Did you skip breakfast worrying about the Second Young Master? Honestly… wait here.”
Friendship among coworkers really is the best.
Soon, So-ok discreetly slipped a fairly heavy bundle into my sleeve.
I thanked her with a glance and returned to Geonyeonggak.
I had heard that at this time, Jeok Igeon and Cheon Gang would each be training in the private training grounds.
My main task during that time was to clean any remaining areas or check the work done by other maids like Doae-seonbae.
I had planned to scold them if they slacked off using sore arms as an excuse, but perhaps my earlier warning worked—they had finished everything neatly.
The hostility in their eyes hadn’t completely disappeared, but they were clearly wary of me now.
Grandmother said not to reveal my martial arts carelessly…
But what could possibly go wrong?
Even thinking back, I couldn’t have held back earlier.
Still, from now on, I should make sure to deal with such things outside Geonyeonggak.
After giving a few instructions, I headed back to Jamigwan.
Until yesterday, the laundry area had been my main workplace and resting spot, so passing through felt strangely unfamiliar.
But I’d get used to it soon. From today onward, this would be the path I walked most often.
For lunch, I had to personally bring the meal to the training grounds.
According to the booklet Madam Gwak gave me, Jeok Igeon had the habit of eating lunch later than others, at the training grounds.
Training at dawn.
Training after breakfast.
Eating lunch while training.
Then dinner after bathing.
After that, he’d read a bit before having a late-night snack and sleeping.
Wasn’t that incredibly diligent?
That must be how he reached such monstrous heights at such a young age.
Of course, as the protagonist, he also had a few lucky encounters.
Those parts were so interesting I reread them a couple of times.
Would those events happen the same way this time?
The thought briefly crossed my mind, but I dismissed it. I wouldn’t even be here by then.
Whether Jeok Igeon gained those opportunities or not had nothing to do with me.
I was going to escape this Demonic Sect and go far, far away.
“But what’s that sound?”
As I neared the training grounds with the noodles, a fierce slicing sound tore through the air, and the ground trembled as if an earthquake had struck.
“Ah, no!”
Afraid the broth would spill, I instinctively circulated my internal energy and steadied myself.
“Don’t tell me that just now was…!”
My suspicion was confirmed the moment I entered the training ground.
Jeok Igeon was practicing sword techniques.
At a glance, he wasn’t using any internal energy at all—only pure physical strength.
That’s possible without internal energy?
I was utterly overwhelmed.
Not just the dazzling techniques, but Jeok Igeon himself, completely immersed, was awe-inspiring.
This was the first true high-level martial art I had witnessed since coming to this world.
“You can place the meal in that pavilion.”
I had been completely entranced.
“…Yes.”
Startled by the sudden voice beside me, I snapped back to my senses.
Of all things, I had been staring at Jeok Igeon’s training.
Why did I keep doing such reckless things? I almost felt disgusted with myself.
I bowed to Cheon Gang and quickly set the lunch in the pavilion.
As if he had been waiting, Jeok Igeon set down his sword and immediately came over.
Before opening the noodle lid, I poured him a glass of ice water.
Perhaps because he had already tried it once, he drank it without a word.
So that “Good” earlier was all I was getting.
Cold bastard.
But I still had one trump card left.
As I lifted the lid off the noodles, I felt Jeok Igeon pause.
There we go.
Didn’t expect this, did you?
Both in Korea and here, noodles were a commoner’s food.
Born as the Second Young Master of the Heavenly Demon Sect, Jeok Igeon had only tasted noodles after conquering the martial world.
Before that, he probably didn’t even know such a dish existed.
Despite being a psychopath, his tastes were simple—he always ordered noodles wherever he went afterward.
If he never got tired of them then, he would definitely like them now.
But faced with this unfamiliar dish, Jeok Igeon once again just stared at me with that frightening gaze.
I really can’t get used to those eyes.
Lowering my gaze quickly, I explained,
“This is a dish called Dak Kalguksu. Chicken is simmered to make broth, and flour dough is sliced thin and boiled. It may not look appealing, but I believe it will suit your taste.”
Even with my polite explanation, his sharp gaze didn’t soften.
Suppressing my nervousness, I added,
“It’s very nutritious, so it will help restore your strength. You train every day without fail. Think of it as a nourishing dish.”
Now are you interested?
At the word “nourishing,” his pupils clearly wavered.
If you finish the bowl down to the last drop, I’ll stake my life on it.
You’ll start craving it afterward.
After hesitating as if in thought, Jeok Igeon finally picked up his chopsticks.
Soon, I heard the sound of him eating the noodles. Then, almost immediately, he took another bite—faster this time.
The pace of his chopsticks quickened, until before long, he was slurping the noodles.
There it is.
He’s even slurping them properly.
Watching him lift the bowl and drink the broth, I couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.
Now you’re curious what comes next, aren’t you?
As they say, no one can resist being won over through food.
Not that I was actually trying to seduce him, of course—but still, lunch was a success too.
‘My lifespan probably increased by a day or two.’
With a quiet sigh of relief, I watched Jeok Igeon eat, a sly glint in my eyes.
