One Day, a Dark Shadow Fell on My Closet

16

“Nice to meet you. I am Apophis. Please feel free to call me Apophis.”

“Ah, yes….”

Yeon Ji-ho shook hands with the man who had a snake-like impression, his face showing reluctance. Just then, Set rushed over and pulled Yeon Ji-ho’s hand away from Apophis.

“That guy is a wizard. Ji-ho, wizards measure the magical power level of their opponents through a handshake, so it’s better not to shake hands carelessly.”

Set, having firmly warned Yeon Ji-ho, then frowned at Apophis, who was looking at him with a dazed expression. Only Apophis seemed bewildered.

“Your Excellency, who on earth is this person that you would tell me such things? Where exactly is this place?”

“Apophis. Do you want to die?”

Meanwhile, Yeon Ji-ho was staring intently at the blue-haired man with an extremely exotic face. Apophis. That was a name he recognized as well.

He was the assistant to Set during his time as a duke in the novel ‘The Star of Hadad.’ Although he didn’t have a large role, he was always by Set’s side during the war scenes in the latter part of the story.

Moreover, unlike Set, who adhered to a rather straightforward style of strategy, Apophis tended to choose the most despicable and dirty methods. As a result, he was always described as a ‘snake-like man’ in the novel.

And this was his impression upon seeing him in person.

“Your Excellency, are you really insane? I thought you were transformed by magic, but you’re just a complete fool with no magic or mana at all.”

He really looked like a snake.

If he had to be compared, he was like a very small snake, akin to a copperhead.

“Do you have any idea how much I struggled to find you? And to think you were hiding here so peacefully, it’s hard to believe.”

“Apophis.”

“Yes, Your Excellency. I am Apophis. Do you recognize me? You are indeed the Your Excellency I knew, right?”

“Shut your mouth.”

“…….”

Apophis was much shorter than Yeon Ji-ho. He was just a bit taller than the quite small Mr. Shinrok.

Perhaps because of this, his impression was that of a squinty-eyed man with thin lips and eyebrows, making him look quite sneaky, yet his small and thin stature made him appear somewhat cute at first glance. Of course, Yeon Ji-ho kept this impression to himself.

Indeed, there is a difference between reading about someone and seeing them in person. In the novel, Apophis was portrayed as a very frightening and cruel character due to his devious strategies.

“I’m sorry. I was just so surprised to learn that you are alive.”

“Didn’t you expect to find me alive?”

“No, I didn’t. I was just searching with a glimmer of hope because I couldn’t find a corpse in the fire.”

Set looked down at Apophis with an expressionless gaze. Apophis was not dressed in the fine attire he wore when he served as Set’s assistant, but rather in a single drenched robe.

Moreover, he was so thin. It was easy to imagine how the assistant who survived after the death of the infamous demon had been living.

“I just fell into the water while being chased by the knights of the imperial palace… Where exactly is this place?”

“Um, how about you wash up first instead of asking for explanations?”

Yeon Ji-ho scratched the back of his head as he watched the area under his bed gradually turning into a sea of water. It didn’t matter that there was one more guest in his home, but this was his own bedroom. The puddle was steadily growing and flowing under the bed.

Then, it was Apophis who reacted. He seemed to quickly think about Yeon Ji-ho’s suggestion to wash up first. At the very least, the fact that his master was here meant that the person who appeared to be the owner posed no threat to them.

In that case.

“Then, um, could I ask for a meal instead of washing up?”

“…….”

“It’s been ten days since I last had a meal. Please save me.”

Yeon Ji-ho looked at Apophis, who was gazing at him with a very earnest expression, and his lips twitched. When he glanced at Set, he found that Set had already taken his eyes off Apophis. He was clearly embarrassed by his assistant.

***

Apophis boldly stated that he felt like he was going to die from hunger, but ultimately, he had to head to the bathroom first at Yeon Ji-ho’s insistence. After all, it would take some time to prepare a meal, so he was told to wash up in the meantime.

During that time, Yeon Ji-ho and Set continued with the meal preparations they had started. They went out to the garden to pick some simple leafy vegetables and quickly made a soybean paste stew, so there was only one thing left to prepare: the brazier.

“This is quite a familiar method. What you’re holding in your hand is something I’ve never seen before.”

Set briefly commented as he watched Yeon Ji-ho put firewood into the brazier and light it with a torch. Yeon Ji-ho smiled slightly and replied.

“My parents said that if you’re going to run a pension, you must have a brazier. They said the brazier is the essence of camping.”

“……Essence?”

“It’s very sentimental.”

Yeon Ji-ho placed a grill on top of the brazier and checked the heat. Soon, the sizzling sound of pork belly hit the hot grill.

As expected of pork belly being grilled on a brazier, grease splattered, and one would think to keep a distance, but Set narrowed his eyes and focused solely on the grill. Yeon Ji-ho adjusted his grip on the tongs and said to Set.

“Be careful, it’s hot, so step back a bit, Set.”

“……Should I do it?”

“No, no. That’s absolutely not allowed. If a beginner does it, they might get burned because they don’t have the technique.”

Grilling pork belly on the grill. At first glance, it seemed easy, but since pork belly is a fatty cut, if not grilled properly, it would splatter grease and easily burn. When Yeon Ji-ho spoke quite firmly, Set lowered his eyes and weakly protested.

“I’m used to burns, so it’s fine.”

“Who is used to burns?!”

Flipping the well-cooked side up, Yeon Ji-ho pouted his lips. He did it deliberately to make it obvious for Set to see.

“You’re making me feel bad for the person who applied burn ointment to you.”

“Feel bad… for what?”

“Yes, feel bad. Since I treated you, your body now has a bit of my share. So please handle it carefully.”

It was a remark made in jest. He was also worried because Set treated his body so roughly.

However, Set pondered over Yeon Ji-ho’s words. Then, he finally nodded slowly and replied.

“Ji-ho, I will make sure not to get hurt without your permission from now on.”

“Uh? Yes… that would be nice.”

He answered in a daze, but the conversation felt somewhat strange. Set’s attitude was also very serious. But how could a person only get hurt when they had permission?

At that moment, Apophis came out of the house. He was wearing a school gym uniform that Yeon Ji-ho had worn when he was young, and on his feet were old three-striped slippers.

“Your Excellency, what on earth is going on here? I turned the silver handle as you said, and hot water came pouring out. Thanks to that, my throat is all wet.”

“……What? Your throat? Where did you wet your throat?”

In fact, Apophis’s shower had been guided by Set. Yeon Ji-ho was busy preparing the meal, so it was only natural.

Having followed Set’s guidance and emerged with soft skin, Apophis spoke with a very confident expression.

“Wasn’t there clean drinking water in the white cylinder next to the washing area? It was very clean water.”

Yeon Ji-ho’s hand, which was holding the tongs, suddenly stopped. He thought he understood what the white cylinder he mentioned was. But he hesitated to tell Apophis the truth…

“That’s a toilet. It’s where you relieve yourself.”

Set stated the fact very nonchalantly, without caring at all about the damage Apophis would receive.

“Uweeeek!”

As Apophis vomited the water he drank, the pork belly was nearly done. As Yeon Ji-ho began to cut it with scissors, Set quietly approached with a plate and offered it.

“Apophis has a foolish side when it comes to magic and strategy. It’s even more so in real life.”

“Hmm, I see.”

Yeon Ji-ho piled the meat high on Set’s plate while looking at Apophis with a somewhat reluctant expression. He was still gagging, shouting curses. The more he looked, the more he was a different man from the description in the novel.

Finally, the pale Apophis returned to the wooden table. The outdoor wooden table, made solely for barbecuing, was filled with ingredients for wraps, as well as white rice and stew.

Yeon Ji-ho spoke to the two, who were looking at everything with unfamiliar faces, as if giving them a very important mission.

“Now, watch me closely.”

The essence of K-pork belly was undoubtedly the wrap. Yeon Ji-ho held up a lettuce leaf and placed it in his palm, then added a piece of pork belly, some ssamjang, a well-grilled garlic clove, and a bit of seasoned green onion. He then wrapped it all up neatly.

“You eat this in one bite. Absolutely one bite. That’s the point.”

He had been so uncomfortable when foreigners would take half-bites when he taught them how to eat wraps on TV. As Yeon Ji-ho emphasized this, Apophis and Set nodded with somewhat tense expressions.

Then Apophis quickly grabbed a lettuce leaf. Set also tried to follow what Yeon Ji-ho had done, but suddenly, a wrap came toward his mouth.

Looking up, he saw Yeon Ji-ho offering him the wrap he had just made.

“Ah.”

Yeon Ji-ho simply uttered a syllable with a very natural expression. Set, without realizing it, opened his mouth and accepted the wrap.

“Is it good?”

Set nodded slightly while chewing the wrap, which was much smaller than his mouth. Then he glanced at Apophis. As expected, Apophis was also struggling with the chopsticks like Set.

Watching this, Set hurriedly swallowed the wrap that had entered his mouth and said to Ji-ho in a calm voice.

“It’s very delicious.”

“Ugh, I feel proud. Grilling it on the brazier is the way to go.”

“……But the way to eat it is a bit difficult. Could you make me another one?”

“Shall I?”

Yeon Ji-ho, instead of being annoyed by Set’s childishness, smiled happily and prepared another wrap. Meanwhile, Set rolled his eyes to sneak a peek at how much Apophis was eating.

“What was it again? What else did you say to put on it?”

“This, this. Ssamjang. It’s a seasoning made from beans, and it’s delicious.”

“Ah. I see.”

In fact, Set had memorized the entire order of the wrap just from Yeon Ji-ho showing him once. It was a habitual thing.

However, his hand remained still under the table, not moving an inch. He was simply waiting for Yeon Ji-ho to prepare the wrap for him.

“It’s very, um, delicious! I think I understand now!”

After eating a wrap, Apophis nodded and exclaimed in admiration. Then, from that point on, he began to wrap and eat without asking Yeon Ji-ho.

On the other hand, Set was.

“Ji-ho. What should I do after this…?”

“Set, it’s still hard for you to use chopsticks, right? Should I do it for you?”

“……Yeah.”

That day, throughout the meal, Yeon Ji-ho stayed close to Set, never leaving his side. Of course, all of this was because Set was not yet accustomed to eating.