One Day, a Dark Shadow Fell on My Closet

15

Set arrived at the mart, holding Yeon Ji-ho’s right hand tightly with a face that showed no fear. Along the way, whenever Yeon Ji-ho asked, “Set, are you feeling nauseous?” he would just shake his head slightly but never let go of his hand.

“We’re going to pull this here.”

“……What is this?”

“It’s called a cart. We use it to carry the things we’re going to buy today. Since it’s been a while since I came to the mart, I bet we’ll have a lot to get.”

“Ah, so it’s like a hand truck.”

Set nodded briefly as he watched Yeon Ji-ho push the cart. Then, he naturally approached and, from behind Yeon Ji-ho, wrapped his arms around him, grabbing the cart handle together.

“……Set?”

“What’s wrong?”

“Well, your posture….”

Yeon Ji-ho was startled and slipped out of his embrace. Even a newlywed couple wouldn’t pull a cart like that.

However, it seemed Set had no thoughts about how they had just been overlapping. He tilted his head while holding the cart handle alone.

“Isn’t it supposed to be pushed by two people?”

“……No, it shouldn’t be that heavy.”

“Is that so? Well, Ji-ho, since you’re weak, it might be better for me to push it alone.”

“This is the first time I’ve heard someone call me weak, Set.”

Yeon Ji-ho, who was tall for a male omega and had some strength from farming and managing a pension, had heard he didn’t seem ‘omega-like’ but had never been called weak. Yet, when Set looked at him, his eyes genuinely seemed worried.

Moreover, he looked at him as if he were some kind of beauty from a bygone era, while Yeon Ji-ho was merely decent-looking among ordinary people, not exceptionally handsome. In fact, Set looked like he had stepped out of a magazine.

Yeon Ji-ho wondered if Set’s standards for beauty were different from the rest of the world. Judging by how he assessed others, it didn’t seem like that was the case.

“The items are piled up like a mountain….”

When Set descended to the basement level, he paused at the sight of the discounted items stacked on the shelves. The concept of selling hundreds of identical items and the idea of a ‘mart’ where such a variety of goods were sold in one place were both unfamiliar to him.

“They’re all produced identically in factories. So, there’s not much of a concept of ‘craftsmanship’ here.”

“Then at least there shouldn’t be anyone starving.”

“Unfortunately, that’s not the case either. The gap between the rich and the poor is quite severe.”

Set frowned at the thought that there were still those who went hungry despite the abundance of food and goods. Then he nodded to himself and said,

“Well, that’s how the world is. There can’t be only good people like you, Ji-ho.”

“That….”

Yeon Ji-ho shut his mouth, unsure of where to start correcting Set’s perception of him. It seemed that in his eyes, he appeared as a weak beauty, perhaps even a saint.

“Um… this would be better.”

Yeon Ji-ho and Set wandered around the mart for quite a while. It was all because of Yeon Ji-ho, who kept going back to the same place to buy cheaper and better products, even if they were the same items.

Still, Set had no complaints. Instead, when Yeon Ji-ho, who was holding two items in his hands, finally decided to put only one in the cart, he asked,

“Isn’t the one you just put in a bit more expensive by weight? Why are you choosing that one?”

“Huh? Um… this one has more pork content. But how did you know that?”

The two types of bacon he was contemplating were actually difficult to compare in price. Each had different weights, and companies often complicated things with promotions like 1+1 or 1+2 to make them seem cheaper.

Of course, Yeon Ji-ho could take his time comparing the prices of the two items. However, calculating accurately in just a few seconds with a quick glance like Set did was honestly difficult.

“I calculated it in my head.”

“What? So quickly? Did you study a bit, Set?”

Yeon Ji-ho briefly recalled the story of ‘The Star of Hadad.’ There had been a mention that Hadad was good at studying, but there was no mention of Set’s grades, who was also an academy student.

That was only natural. He wasn’t the protagonist.

“I was doing well at the academy.”

“What?! Wow, then what about Hadad?”

Yeon Ji-ho’s eyes sparkled at the behind-the-scenes story Set was sharing about the novel ‘The Star of Hadad.’ Set glanced at Yeon Ji-ho’s expression and seemed somewhat dissatisfied. Nevertheless, he willingly shared more about Hadad.

“……Hadad was always around 10th in the overall rankings. I was first.”

Of course, Set’s excellent academic performance was due not only to his sharp mind but also to the ambition of the duke, though he didn’t mention that. Instead, he subtly added his own rank along with Hadad’s without being asked.

“That’s impressive. Were you good at math? What subject did you like the most?”

“I… liked math. When I was young, I wanted to be a merchant.”

Set rummaged through his old memories. In fact, it was the first time someone had asked him what subject he liked, so it felt unfamiliar.

Yes, that was how Set was back then. Before completely turning away from Hadad, during his time at the academy, it was the only pure period of his life.

“A merchant, huh. I think you would have looked great as a merchant, Set. Since you handle a sword well, you wouldn’t even need a bodyguard, right?”

Set followed behind Yeon Ji-ho, who was pulling the cart, and imagined himself as a merchant. 

A merchant who wouldn’t roll around on the battlefield, who learned just enough swordsmanship to buy and sell goods. Someone who crossed deserts and sailed, traveling around the world.

Then suddenly, Set envisioned Yeon Ji-ho smiling brightly beside him. Not dressed in the clothes of this world, but in the attire of the world Set knew. Traveling the world together with him. That was quite…

He paused.

Set unknowingly stopped the cart and stood still. Yeon Ji-ho, who was ahead, turned his head and looked at Set.

“Set?”

Yeon Ji-ho had now become adept at noticing when Set wasn’t following him. It was the result of Set following him every day for the past few days. Set found himself staring blankly at Yeon Ji-ho’s face.

“What’s wrong?”

Yeon Ji-ho approached him. Yeon Ji-ho, Yeon Ji-ho… Ji-ho.

Set unconsciously gripped the cart handle tightly. He suddenly realized that he had unwittingly harbored feelings for someone he shouldn’t have.

“Ah, Set, that’s the handle!”

It was a terrible realization. Set stared blankly at the crumpled cart handle, trembling his lips. He realized his long-desired love and affection in such a way.

One day, suddenly, in the middle of the mart, he stumbled upon this realization so coincidentally.

He hadn’t known that affection could come so unexpectedly.

***

“Have you seen the stove next to the vegetable garden?”

“A stove?”

“Yes, it looks different from what you know, so you probably didn’t recognize it. We’re going to grill meat there today.”

Yeon Ji-ho gently turned the steering wheel with one hand as he navigated a corner. After arriving home and parking in the usual spot, Yeon Ji-ho opened the door and got out of the car first.

Then he walked around the car and headed toward the passenger seat where Set was sitting. Yeon Ji-ho naturally opened the door for him and bent down to unbuckle his seatbelt. It was a very considerate gesture.

“Let’s just organize what we bought today and then go outside. Ah! I can carry it.”

Yeon Ji-ho hugged the shopping basket tightly to his chest, fearing it would be taken away by Set again before getting into the car. Set firmly replied,

“No, if you carry that, your arm will definitely break.”

“Really, it’s not that heavy.”

“It is.”

Once again, the shopping basket was taken from him. Yeon Ji-ho, now empty-handed, followed closely behind Set, who was striding ahead, and said,

“Set, that’s really a misunderstanding, you know? I’m average here….”

“By my standards, Ji-ho, you are weak.”

“No, that’s a flawed standard!”

Set, unaware that Yeon Ji-ho was following him, slightly curled his lips in a smile and pretended not to hear him.

Of course, it might be true that Yeon Ji-ho wasn’t particularly weak in this world, as Set said. But that didn’t matter. If there was only one person Set wanted to protect and consider weak, it was Ji-ho.

“The meat is for eating now, so just take it out and put these in the fridge. Sit for a moment.”

Even with the suggestion to sit, Set took it upon himself to assist Yeon Ji-ho with the organizing. It was so natural that even Yeon Ji-ho didn’t realize it.

And finally, just as they finished organizing the fridge, Yeon Ji-ho and Set were about to head out for dinner.

Crash!

“……I’m not the only one who heard that, right?”

“I heard it too.”

The sound had definitely come from Yeon Ji-ho’s room. He squinted at the source of the noise, feeling a sense of déjà vu.

“What is it, a thief?”

“I’ll go check, Ji-ho. You wait here.”

“No, no. I’ll go with you.”

Yeon Ji-ho quickly grabbed the baseball bat from the pantry, but then noticed Set’s sword protruding from his hand and set it down obediently. He felt like he wouldn’t even be scared if a ghost appeared.

Thus, the two slowly made their way to the master bedroom. When Set signaled for him to wait, Yeon Ji-ho stood nervously at the door. Then, bang.

Set opened the master bedroom door. At the same time, the wardrobe inside the room also opened its door. Set had quickly identified the wardrobe as the source of the noise and used his energy to open it.

“Ugh, cough, cough!”

Rolling out from the wardrobe was a man with blue hair. He was sprawled on the floor next to the bed, flailing his limbs.

Set, standing guard at the door, quietly watched the man rolling on the floor and moved his lips silently.

“……Apophis?”

At Set’s low voice, the man, who had been writhing like a bug, suddenly stopped moving. Then he slowly raised his head, and upon seeing Set in front of him, his eyes widened in surprise. He crawled on his knees until he reached Set.

“Your Highness!”

Seeing the two of them, Yeon Ji-ho thought, Another person has fallen out of my closet.