Chapter 156
Yet each time she recognized this, Jaha both coveted him and felt the distance between them widen. It wasn’t just the occasional, inexplicable unease creeping in.
There were surely more refined ways to phrase it, but bluntly put—they were mismatched.
All humans are equal, you say? What nonsense.
Once, she had believed it. Back in those naive days when she knew nothing. But all of that was hypocrisy. Humans are never born with equal worth.
Someone once asked Jaha: If a doctor and a d**g addict were drowning, and there was only one life jacket, who would you save? If a hero and an ordinary person were poisoned, and there was only one antidote, who would you give it to?
‘…… Who was it again?’
Jaha tried to recall but gave up. Who had asked her didn’t really matter. In the end, she had agreed. That was the conclusion.
‘Yeah, it’s better not to start at all.’
Eat only as much as you can digest. Get involved with a man only to the extent you can handle.
This man is beyond me.
If I take a bite just because it looks delicious, I’ll regret it later.
Steadying her restless heart, Jaha exchanged words with Rikanan. Today’s topic was food.
“Rice is broadly divided into two types—one with high stickiness and one with relatively low stickiness. The former is called glutinous rice, and the latter is called non-glutinous rice. If you steam non-glutinous rice flour, pound it, and shape it into long, thin strips, you get garaetteok. That garaetteok is the main ingredient of tteokbokki.”
Originally, they had been talking about Korean food culture, but somehow, the topic had shifted to “Jaha’s favorite dishes.” Talking about food was always exciting, so Jaha was more animated than usual in her explanation.
“It’s a shame there’s no gochujang or chili powder here. I really like spicy food. Ah, I’d love to have some instant noodles with a spoonful of chili powder mixed in. Or some spicy fried chicken. The food here just isn’t spicy enough.”
Jaha trailed off awkwardly, laughing. Rikanan probably couldn’t even understand her—she had gotten too lost in her own world.
“Sorry. I must’ve bored you, rambling about things only I know.”
“It’s fine. I don’t need an interesting story—I just want to hear about you.”
Rikanan, who had been listening quietly, smiled in response. Before Jaha could process the sudden remark, a gloved hand reached toward her face.
“And they say spiciness isn’t a taste—it’s a tactile reaction.”
The soft touch of silk brushed beneath her eye. Jaha stiffened in surprise.
The large hand grazed her cheek, barely touching, as if smoothing down fine feathers. A thumb lightly swept past the corner of her eye.
Jaha guessed he must have been brushing off a stray eyelash. Even through the glove, she shouldn’t have felt his body heat—yet a lingering warmth remained where his fingertips had touched.
“To be precise, it’s a type of pain accompanied by heat.”
His smooth, pleasant voice continued.
For a moment, his deep blue eyes gleamed sharply, like the fangs of a beast.
“Jaha, you prefer pain over sweetness—over anything else.”
“Ah…”
Staring blankly up at him, Jaha felt her face grow hot.
This was just a conversation about taste. A simple preference, like anyone else’s. Yet it felt as if she had been told something deeply embarrassing. Something secretive and indecent—the kind of exchange that shouldn’t happen in broad daylight.
‘Get a grip, Yoo Jaha!’
She barely managed to compose herself, inwardly scolding her own thoughts. First last night’s dream, and now this—had her mind really become so fixated on that lately?
Maybe it was because she had no other hobbies.
Compared to Earth, this world was unbearably dull. For a modern person, it was hardly a suitable place to live—no electronics, no dramas, no variety shows. No internet, no games. And of course, no way to see her friends back home.
Stuck in a world like this, was it any wonder her mind kept circling back to primal pleasures?
‘I should at least read a book.’
She had stopped reading after that strange sense of rejection she felt in the library. But if this kept up, she’d end up becoming some kind of pervert.
Once this walk was over, she’d head to the mansion’s study. Just as she made that decision—distracted, her eyes not on the path—her ankle twisted unexpectedly.
“Ah!”
As she lost her balance and tipped sideways, Rikanan caught her. Her chest collided with his firm body, her n****e pressing hard against him, and an inexplicable jolt of electricity shot down her spine.
“Hng—”
A shuddering moan escaped her before she could stop it. The moment she realized what she’d done, she froze.
What… was that sound just now?
Did he hear it?
How did it sound to him?
Please, just don’t let this sound perverted. Or better yet—let him not have heard it at all.
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