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Yohan, having returned from the queen ant’s chamber, told Yoon Seungryong about the existence of the food storage. The moment he heard it, Yoon Seungryong bolted away and came back with armfuls of seeds, gathered from among the nauseating debris of all sorts of byproducts. While Yohan purified them one by one, Joo Hoyoung, clutching something in his hand, suddenly screamed.
“This, no way!”
“What is it, Hoyoung? What is it?!”
“Co... coffee!”
Coffee?! At the unexpected name of such a fruit, Yohan’s eyes widened. Coffee! Though he had often cried out for garlic or chili powder, coffee had never even crossed his mind. Of course, it was understandable—life in the Abyss was far too harsh to indulge in such a luxurious foodstuff as a beverage.
Yet when he looked hopefully, the bundle of fruits Joo Hoyoung was holding up was red and luscious... looking more like thorny cherries. Yohan asked doubtfully.
“Isn’t that... cherry?”
“No! I swear on my barista license. Thorns or not, this is definitely coffee cherry!”
Yohan did not know exactly what a coffee cherry was, but since Hoyoung swore by his barista license, even Yohan began to harbor a little hope. He was not particularly fond of coffee, but here in the Abyss, anything and everything felt precious.
Joo Hoyoung began working the cherries with astonishing speed, and over several days he peeled, dried, stripped off the pulp, and processed them. Amazingly, the beans Yohan knew so well finally emerged. Even Lee Hyunmook, who normally enjoyed any food without preference, showed rare interest. Watching Hoyoung carefully grind the beans, Yohan asked Hyunmook.
“Do you like coffee?”
“I liked it enough to drink every day.”
Lee Hyunmook leisurely drinking coffee in the morning—it suited him perfectly. Yohan even recalled that he had once done a coffee commercial. At that moment, a shockingly intense coffee aroma struck them. While everyone craned their necks in anticipation, Joo Hoyoung poured each of them a cup.
“Ice?”
With eager agreement, Hoyoung dropped ice shards into the cups. Everyone drank in silence. The fragrance and flavor were so moving that tears pricked at their eyes. It was even richer and more fragrant than what they had drunk back in Korea.
“Chili peppers and coffee—just for ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) these, coming here was worth it.”
That was how much it meant, muttered Yoon Seungryong, and everyone agreed. After happily enjoying coffee time, they left the temporary shelter of the ant colony and moved on, heading deeper into the places where faint red light only rarely gleamed.
“Unlike above, it’s really humid here....”
Yohan muttered, staring up at the endlessly tall reeds above their heads. Except for the light he floated, there was no other illumination, making the place eerie, and the reeds seemed to trap the dampness so the humidity was stiflingly high. It really felt as though they had sunk deep into the ocean. Fortunately, thanks to Joo Hoyoung’s ability, there was no problem with drinking water.
“You’re right. My hair’s soaked.”
Hyunmook brushed aside Yohan’s damp bangs with a gentle touch. Just that trivial contact was enough to make Yohan instantly happy. He tried not to grin too obviously, since others were present, and kept walking.
“Stop.”
At Hyunmook’s quiet command, everyone halted. He jerked his chin upward, and Yoon Seungryong, walking at the front, swung his spear to cut the reeds. After several such swipes, a roaring sound like a heavy downpour filled the air, and something plummeted from high above. Hyunmook swiftly stepped in front of Yohan, shielding him from the flying debris with his body.
Thud... With a heavy crash, what fell was a massive clump of reeds. Over the years, rotting and weakening reeds had entangled together and hung suspended, only to collapse when Yoon Seungryong cut them. Though it was “just” a bundle of reeds, it was so heavy and enormous that it could easily have crushed an ordinary person to death. Looking toward where it fell, Yohan glimpsed the dark crimson sky.
Even after clearing that dangerous falling mass, they did not relax their guard. Sure enough, from within the bundles of reeds burst long, thick, vicious creatures. Scales flared as giant serpentine monsters lunged. But upon closer look, with legs attached, it was clear their origin lay not in snakes but lizards or crocodiles.
In an instant, Joo Hoyoung fired the ice arrows he had prepared. Rock-hard projectiles pierced the monsters’ soft mouths and eyes. Some died instantly, others howled in agony before being hacked apart by Yoon Seungryong’s spear.
“Of course, like a true old man, he makes us suffer.”
Grumbling, Yoon Seungryong still carefully collected the slain lizards. They would be that day’s food. Nothing was wasted, and the dense reed bundles became their temporary shelter for the night. Squatting before the entrance, they roasted lizard meat over straw fire, and it tasted especially good—it was like chicken.
“It’s hard as though it’s been decades.”
Yohan marveled, thumping the reed walls with his fist. Hyunmook split a reed into thin strips with a sharp snap, then skewered a few well-roasted, juicy lizard chunks on an improvised stick and handed it to Yohan.
“Since the reeds are contaminated, their properties must have changed.”
Indeed, the reeds here were firm and straight like bamboo. While chewing the meat, Yohan discovered pieces of pineapple tucked among them. Eating happily, he suddenly heard Yoon Seungryong, who had been preparing meat, look around.
“Huh? Where’s the pineapple I left here?”
“...Uh.”
Startled, Yohan swallowed the roasted pineapple piece he had been chewing. Yoon Seungryong saw and raised his eyebrows. Then, grumbling, he reached into empty air and pulled out another pineapple.
“Leader, I have a mouth too, you know.”
“There’s still some left here....”
Embarrassed, Yohan held out the skewer, but Yoon Seungryong shook his head.
“No, Yohan. Eat more. It was meant as dessert to share anyway.”
“You heard him. Don’t worry, just eat.”
“But...”
Feeling awkward, Yohan let Hyunmook personally feed him a pineapple piece. Ever since he had confessed and they had started dating, Hyunmook often touched him openly like this. Yohan had been self-conscious of Yoon Seungryong and Joo Hoyoung’s eyes, but since neither reacted nor even seemed to notice, he had lately begun to accept it more comfortably.
“Hoyoung, are you eating well?”
Feeling shy, Yohan asked after him. Though engrossed in his game, Hoyoung managed to keep eating and nodded.
“Yeah, I’m eating fine. Don’t worry about me, Yohan hyung—take care of yourself. Using abilities burns a lot of calories.”
Strange. Hoyoung was clearly younger, yet Yohan always felt like he was the one being looked after. Even though the true youngest among them was Joo Hoyoung, Yohan often felt like he himself was the baby of the group....
After dinner, Yohan lay down. Even though he was an Awakener, trudging for over ten hours through the dark reeds left him exhausted. To his relief, he had been excused from night watch lately under the reason that his purification recovery took priority.
On the mattress Yoon Seungryong had provided, Yohan curled and stretched his aching feet, fidgeting restlessly. Then Hyunmook lifted the edge of his sleeping bag and asked.
“Want me to give you a massage?”
“Yes!” Yohan answered quickly, then hastily added an excuse as he glanced at the others. Joo Hoyoung was too immersed in his game near the fire to notice, but Yoon Seungryong was busy sorting ingredients, and Yohan worried about what he might think.
“...My legs are kind of stiff.”
“Yeah. We’ll have to walk a lot again tomorrow.”
Hyunmook gave a valid reason for it and sat down. Yohan immediately lay face down, and strong hands grasped his calves. Then the massage began at exactly the right pressure. Yohan groaned with relief.
“Ahh, that feels so good.”
Aside from Yohan’s mischievous thoughts, Hyunmook’s massage was truly perfect. He was like a living low-frequency massage device, smoothly loosening tense muscles. Yohan’s eyelids grew heavy. Yet mixed with the comfort was a pang of disappointment. freewēbnoveℓ.com
Turning his head, Yohan looked at Hyunmook. Their eyes met, and Hyunmook’s gaze softened into a curve. Confirming that Yoon Seungryong and Joo Hoyoung were not watching, Yohan silently mouthed the words.
‘I want to kiss you.’
Then he laughed shyly. Always stuck with the three of them together, even a kiss felt impossible. Since leaving the termite mound, they had not once kissed. But Hyunmook was bolder than Yohan.
Pretending to massage his back, Hyunmook leaned down and pressed his lips gently to Yohan’s cheek and nape. His lips lingered, then nipped teasingly, and pecked again and again playfully. Heat flushed Yohan’s ears. He could not hold back, chuckled quietly, and whispered.
“It tickles.”
“Sorry, I’ll be more careful.”
Hyunmook apologized with a serious air. And when Yohan hovered between wakefulness and sleep, he teased him once more, this time with the touch of a true lover.
