Fortunately, The Man’s peculiar gaze did not linger.
After staring directly at me for a moment, he simply nodded to himself before shifting his attention back to his rice bowl.
I had no idea what he was thinking, but believing it unnecessary to know, I decided to let it pass.
Perhaps our male protagonist, having once been a good citizen, simply felt a sense of kinship with my personality.
Since my intelligent brain was the one making this deduction, it had to be correct.
Excellent. Another friendship stack had been accumulated this time.
“Hmm…”
He certainly eats well, though.
My mouth fell open involuntarily at the sight of him shoveling food down, like a ravenous beast literally devouring its meal.
He attacked his food as if he hadn’t eaten for a week, determined not to leave a single grain of rice behind.
Even as nearly an hour of mealtime passed, the speed at which he moved his spoon showed no sign of slowing.
Was that even possible? I wondered how such a vast quantity of food could possibly fit into that slender body.
Didn’t he eat a considerable amount for breakfast, too?
Ah, or was it brunch, not breakfast? Regardless.
What could be the reason? Ah, perhaps it was that?
Hu-hung.
Indeed, if one had just finished ‘that,’ they would certainly be hungry.
A phrase I’d heard somewhere came to mind: the act of ejaculating consumes more calories than most exercises… or was it something like that?
Thinking so, a smile naturally formed on my lips.
Just how physically powerful must he be to need to devour nutrients so ravenously?
How much has he trained his lower body? Surely he doesn’t have a separate gym routine for those particular muscles.
Ugh, I really should have seen that first CG (TL Note: Computer Graphics, referring to a special in-game image) last time.
Then I would have witnessed the massive dragon’s head, hidden beneath those baggy pants, mercilessly ravaging the hero…
“…?”
As I inadvertently gazed at The Man’s unseen lower half, letting out a ‘euh-heu-heu’ of wicked laughter, he suddenly lifted his head, as if he’d felt my gaze.
With two grains of rice stuck to the corner of his mouth, his eyes, filled with bewilderment, began to glare at me.
…He noticed that. He’s quicker-witted than I thought.
“Why? Just keep eating.”
“…Alright.”
As I raised both hands, flashing an innocent expression, The Man furrowed his brow but then silently resumed eating, moving his spoon once more.
Watching him for a moment, I clapped my hands together, ‘clack-clack.’
At once, a small machine, resembling a chef robot, scuttled over from the corner and approached my side.
It was Sweetie, the dessert specialist.
“…What is that now?”
Startled by the robot’s sudden appearance, The Man paused his meal and asked.
“Our Mob-kun is taking so long to eat…, I thought I’d have some dessert while I waited.”
Unlike my foolish Mob-kun, my body is highly efficient; I can sustain myself for an entire day with just a small amount of food.
Since I couldn’t possibly keep watching that gluttonous male lead guzzle his food, I summoned Sweetie for a much-needed sugar boost.
“I’m going to have a cup of cocoa. Ah, would you like one too, Mob-kun…?”
A small mechanical ‘clunk’ echoed from Sweetie’s chest.
Then, a steaming mug popped out from within.
It was freshly brewed, warm cocoa.
I took the cup in both hands, gazing at the steaming dark liquid before subtly shifting my eyes and offering it to The Man.
He looked at my hand for a moment, then shook his head.
“…I don’t particularly care for sweets.”
Eh, really?
That’s unexpected.
“Really? I thought our utterly childish Mob-kun would naturally love them…”
No sooner had the words left my mouth than The Man’s brow furrowed deeply.
“Who’s utterly childish? I’m all grown up now.”
“Hee-hee…”
I sipped my cocoa, chuckling softly.
His reddened earlobes clearly indicated that my words had struck a nerve.
How cute. That attitude of wanting to appear mature is truly adorable. My lips twitched upward involuntarily.
“…And, I’d say the term ‘childish’ suits you better than me.”
The Man, seeing my smirk, added with clear displeasure.
Hee-hee. Oh, really? After spending a night with me, this guy is trying to retaliate now.
But he’s too soft. That’s a cheap provocation, Childish-kun (TL Note: A playful, teasing honorific derived from ‘잼민이’, a slang term for a child or someone childish).
“Oh, dear, dear, Mob-kun, you only know one thing, not two. You see, sugar must be replenished periodically…”
At my lighthearted retort, The Man’s expression rapidly contorted.
His eyes twitched, filled with annoyance, a sight both cute and a little pathetic.
“You’ll… understand when you grow up…”
“But I’m already grown up!”
“Yes, yes. This older sibling understands everything.”
The Man, scowling deeply, tried to argue.
“No, what kind of…”
He seemed utterly dumbfounded, his words trailing off, and he eventually sighed in resignation.
“Ha…”
“Puh-hah-hah.”
What an idiot.
Alright, another easy win for me this time.
Covering my mouth with my hand, I burst into overt laughter.
“Mob-kun really has the best reactions. It’s so much fun to tease him…”
Honestly, at first, I only teased him because it felt unfair that he, as the protagonist, could freely claim (TL Note: The original Korean term implies sexually exploiting or taking advantage of) other heroes.
But teasing him like this, the reactions I get back are quite entertaining, so even without a particular reason, I feel the urge to keep messing with him.
What does it matter?
That male lead can’t do anything without me.
What could he possibly do if I declared a strike and withheld my inventions?
“Puh-hah-hah…”
Haa, this is great.
This is what it feels like to be in the overwhelmingly ‘superior’ position (TL Note: ‘Gap’ refers to the superior party in a hierarchical relationship, often in business or power dynamics).
Ee-hee-hee.
****
‘That infuriating little brat.’
The Man was suppressing his anger deep within.
Even now, with that insufferable face smugly mocking him in real-time, he could barely endure it without gritting his teeth.
Should he perhaps flick her forehead?
Just as The Man was seriously contemplating this, The Doctor suddenly opened her mouth wide and let out a yawn.
“Haaahm…”
Instantly, The Man’s eyebrows twitched.
Having shown an incredibly annoyed expression moments ago, she now suddenly looked sleepy, with tears welling in her eyes.
It was truly exasperating.
“Mmm… Why am I suddenly so sleepy? Is it because I ate so much and even drank cocoa…?”
The Doctor mumbled, then swayed languidly towards the sofa and plopped down onto it.
Burying her head in the sofa, The Doctor slowly waved her hand.
“Mob-kun… this genius Doctor… is sleepy… wake me up in just ten minutes…”
The Man shifted his gaze to the clock.
The hands still pointed to 7 PM. It was a rather awkward time to go to sleep.
He spoke with a hint of sarcasm.
“It’s only seven, and you’re going to sleep already?”
At that, The Doctor waved her hand weakly and replied softly.
“Sorry… I tend to get food comas easily… You really have to wake me up…”
And with that, her eyelids immediately drooped.
“Ah… I’m collapsing, can’t…”
The Doctor’s voice faded, leaving only the soft, even sound of her breathing.
How could she fall into dreamland less than three seconds after lying down?
The Man watched her quietly, then let out a small, hollow laugh.
“Honestly… I don’t know what kind of person she is.”
Yet, for some reason, his gaze couldn’t easily detach from her pitifully sleeping face.
Besides, she fell asleep without him even agreeing to wake her up.
The Man snorted.
“So utterly carefree…”
To fall asleep so casually in front of a robust man.
Does she have no sense of caution whatsoever?
The soft, even breaths she exhaled, paradoxically, grated on The Man’s nerves.
Seeing her sleep so soundly, devoid of any tension, a heat surged through his chest.
He really ought to teach her a lesson. Whether by using an invention or simply taking advantage of her, that smile would surely crumble instantly.
“Haa…”
The Man briefly felt the cold sensation of metal against his fingertips, then withdrew his hand.
Just then, The Doctor suddenly began to twitch and shiver.
She hunched her shoulders, letting out small whimpers.
Was she cold? The air conditioning was indeed quite sharp.
“Is she a cat?”
The Man closed his eyes for a moment, then silently shook his head and picked up a thin blanket from the floor.
As he casually draped it over The Doctor, her face relaxed into a blissful expression.
Her lips curled slightly upward, and her once-tense brow softened and eased.
The Man stared blankly, his mouth slightly agape, at her languid face.
Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind.
Since he had given up his original room to her, would The Doctor continue to sleep on this sofa from now on?
If so, wouldn’t it be uncomfortable for her to sleep here?
…Huh?
Suddenly, The Man pressed a hand to his forehead.
“No, wait a minute.”
What was he thinking right now? Why was he bothering to care about such things?
She was just an annoying little brat of a Doctor, after all.
Something unknown stirred within his chest.
The Man gritted his teeth.
“Damn it…”
