I laid my head down on Oh Rion's thighs and wriggled around to find a comfortable position.
"Is it uncomfortable, hyung?"
When I lay straight with my face up in an attempt to find the most comfortable position, Oh Rion's face was directly in my sight.
"Huh, your nostrils are heart-shaped."
How could it be that kind of heart-shaped?
"Ahahaha! Hyung, what am I supposed to do if you say something like that while looking up at me from below?"
Ever since I had come back in time, this was my first time seeing Oh Rion laugh out loud, looking so amused. Unlike his usual self, he finally looked like someone his own age.
"Hey, stop laughing. My head is shaking because of your legs."
"Pfft, alright. Then you can't look at me like that, either, hyung."
Oh Rion lifted his right hand up and covered my eyes.
"That's unfair. You can't cover my eyes just because I saw your nostrils!"
I knitted my eyebrows and made sure that my annoyance showed on my face. I grabbed his hand that was placed on my eyes and forced it off.
"Hyung, you're really cute when I look down at you from up here. It really makes me want to tease you. So don't resist and let me cover your eyes.
"And straighten your eyebrows. You're going to get wrinkles."
Oh Rion loosened the grip on his hand that was grabbed by me and gently stroke my creased forehead with his other hand.
"Am I that dog-like to you?"
No matter how I looked at it, his gaze seemed as if he were looking at a puppy. His playful expression irked me.
"Not a dog, but a puppy. You're like a little Pomeranian."
— beep, beep, click!
I heard the front door open.
You're the one to speak. You're like a cat, oblivious to your surroundings and all.
"Hyunggg! We're back!"
"I wonder if Suan and Rion had no problem preparing everything…"
"Ah, it's so cold outside. Shouldn't it be starting to get warmer now that it's March?"
As soon as the door opened, I could hear the members clatter and chatter all the way from the living room.
"Seems like all the hyung and Sunho are back."
"Yeah, it's getting rowdy."
The three members, chatting while holding a large plastic bag, and another person who was holding a camera—whom I assume was a filming staff—came into the living room together.
"I'll put this on the dining table!"
"Welcome back, everyone."
"Rion, were you looking after the house well? Where's Suan?"
"Huh? Is Lee Suan holed up in his room sleeping again?"
"Ehh? Suan-hyunggg! Where are you?"
I'm lying down here, you know?
"I'll go check the room. Jitae and Sunho, you guys can start putting away the groceries."
"I'll join you. Oh Rion! Where did Lee Suan go?"
"Wahh, Suan-hyung! I brought back meat! Come out!"
I raised my hand up above the backrest of the couch.
"I'm here."
I don't want to get up. His lap is more comfortable than I had anticipated.
"Suan-hyung's lying down over here."
Huh? Two extra heads popped out beside Oh Rion's face.
"You guys look like Cerberus."
(T/N: Cerberus is a three-headed dog in Greek Mythology that guards the gates of the Underworld.)
"Hey, why are you lying down there?! If you're tired, you should've gone to lie on the bed or something."
"Hyunggg, get up! It's yucky-yucky!"
"What's yucky-yucky?"
Yeah, what's yucky-yucky?
"You're yucky-yucky, obviously! Lee Suan, hurry up and get up."
"Suan-hyung, don't just play with Rion and play with me! I even brought meat!"
Park Jitae and Ryu Sunho tried to pull me up. Unable to resist their nagging, I sat up on the couch.
"Suan isn't in his r— huh? Were you lying down on the couch, Suan?"
I watched Seo Yoon-hyung as he walked towards me from the far side of the living room.
"Yes. I got tired after showering, so I was lying down for a bit."
"You're always so tired. How are you gonna survive later on?"
"I wonder as well. Anyway, you guys should go take off your coats."
The two of them were still fully armed with long winter jackets. You could definitely tell that they had just come back from outside.
"Hey, it's hella cold outside."
"Okay! I'll take it off and come back quick!"
A contrasting scene was created by Park Jitae, who grumbled and wriggled out of his jacket as he slowly walked towards our room, and Ryu Sunho, who sprinted towards his own room. Seo Yoon-hyung was wearing a white crewneck sweater; it seemed like he had taken his jacket off when he went into our room to find me before coming towards the couch.
"How did you manage to buy meat, hyung? I heard from Sunho that the pork belly was taken."
"The staff over there took it from us. But I heard that our little Suan wanted meat."
"Ah, hello."
"Hello."
I hastily stood up from the couch and greeted the man behind Seo Yoon-hyung, who was turning the camera towards the kitchen.
"Did you have to buy it again because of me?"
"How did you buy it again?"
"We were told that simply grilling meat didn't count as cooking, so we bought it as a cooking ingredient. Moreover, it's the Korean beef that we had wanted in the beginning!"
"Oh… as a cooking ingredient?"
Oh Rion, who was standing beside me, nodded and walked into the kitchen.
"Yeah, a cooking ingredient. We'll cook up something good for you."
Even though Seo Yoon-hyung seemed to be talking with a gentle smile, it felt as if his words were automatically filtered into my ears as welcome to hell.
"Suan-hyung! I took off my jacket and washed my hands, too!"
I missed you, hyung. Before I even noticed, Ryu Sunho hugged me from behind and placed his chin on top of my head, rubbing his face against me.
"Sunho, it's going to be hard on Suan if you press him like that. Rion is putting away the groceries all by himself, so we should go and help him."
"Okayyy. Suan-hyung, help me recharge!"
"Recharge?"
Gah, it's hard to breathe when you suddenly hug me tightly like that.
"Hehe, charging complete! Rionnn, let's do it together!"
Ryu Sunho quickly hugged me tightly from behind and dashed into the kitchen. Park Jitae, who was standing next to the kitchen entrance, slapped Ryu Sunho's back.
"Recharge, my ass. Are you a machine or what?"
He grumbled as he picked on Ryu Sunho, who was about to help Oh Rion in putting away the groceries.
"What's up with him this time?"
I mumbled to myself as I clicked my tongue.
"Mmh, it looks like he really likes our little Suan."
As if to provide a reply, Seo Yoon-hyung muttered softly as he glanced towards the kitchen.
Why am I part of this all of a sudden? He just looks like he's picking on Ryu Sunho.
"Let's hurry over, too. We'll make you good food!"
"Yes… what are you planning to make?"
"I'm thinking about making burgers. We even bought a ready-made sauce."
If they got a ready-made sauce, it'll still be barely cooking. It would be stranger if they screwed up.
"Sounds delicious, doesn't it?"
Seo Yoon-hyung asked me with a smile. He suddenly looked like a handsome angel.
"Yes! I really love burgers!"
I replied in a high-pitched voice, excited that even the worst of cooks could succeed in making a burger. I quickly walked over to the kitchen with Seo Yoon-hyung.
I looked around in the kitchen examined the ingredients that were laid out on the dining table: six burger buns, pickles, lettuce, sliced cheese, beef patties, butter, ready-made steak sauce, mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, and sesame-seed dressing.
Judging from the dressing, it seemed like they were planning to make some salad from the leftover lettuce.
I guess I was worried over nothing.
My mood lightened as I stared at the ingredients that they had bought.
Park Jitae melted some butter on a frying pan and grilled the patties. On the other side, Oh Rion was toasting the buns.
Ryu Sunho went around removing wrappers from the ingredients and collecting any trash that was produced. Seo Yoon-hyung was handing plates to Park Jitae and Oh Rion.
Hoh, they're better than I had expected. I'm sure that they were horrible cooks… Were they pretending to be bad cooks back then because they didn't want to do it?
Oh Rion carried a plate stacked with toasted buns to the dining table. I took the cabbage from Ryu Sunho as he removed the packaging and ripped the leaves apart one by one, washed them, and placed them on the strainer. I peeled the onions and sliced them before putting them into a bowl filled with water.
Meanwhile, Park Jitae finished grilling the patties and took them over to the dining table on a plate. The four boys were gathered around the table, pouring sauce into a large mixing bowl.
The vegetables should be fairly dry by now.
I poured the onions into the strainer that held the cabbage and tapped the water out one last time. I placed a large bowl under the strainer and brought it over to the dining table.
"W-What… W-What's th-th…"
The shock didn't even allow me to speak properly.
"Are you talking about this, Suan?"
Catching my unformed sentences, Seo Yoon-hyung asked back.
"Weren't… we making hamburgers?"
"We are working hard at making burgers."
"Those are definitely hamburgers."
"They are."
"Two pure-beef patties on sesame buns. They didn't sell sesame buns, so we were spreading the sesame-seed dressing on it! Looks good, right?"
Hahh, Christ… Mr. Staff, please stop them.
When our eyes met, the staff member shook his head. His eyes were dead.
"S-Sure…"
It should be fine with the ready-made sauce, I guess.
They placed the patties on the buns that were now soaked with sesame-seed dressing and poured the contents of the mixing bowl that were now grotesquely discoloured.
Is that supposed to be eaten? Hahh, crazy bastards… Are they actually dumbasses?