I’m Not That Obsessive

Chapter 58

“Ah, ah! Mitchell! What if people pass by here?”

There are well over a dozen people coming and going on the private property now. In fact, the number of people was increasing. Although they were all gathered at my house and had no reason to pass through Mitchell’s front yard, I still panicked and pushed Mitchell away because of the large windows that made the inside of the house completely visible. Mitchell licked his lips as if disappointed, and I quickly escaped to the dressing room.

Although I was chilled by Mitchell’s sudden actions targeting my body at all times, I felt overwhelmed every time he showed his desire for me.

‘How much must he want me to try to touch me without caring about others’ eyes!’

The corners of my mouth twitched. Although it’s difficult to calm him down, I should endure that much effort. I couldn’t just take advantage of his life.

When I came out, my eyes first went to the blackened ruins of the house. At first sight, I was upset, but now I didn’t mind at all. Since Mitchell did it, and it was a space he burned down to resolve my worries in one go, I was only satisfied.

Even though tens of billions worth of property had turned to ashes, I was more concerned about what food to eat right now.

By the way, when will they clean all that up and rebuild the house? No, is there even a need to rebuild the house?

“Mitchell.”

Mitchell, who was gently pressing the accelerator, turned to look at me. As the car moved, the gazes of the remaining people, including nearby police officers, focused on us before drifting away one by one.

“What?”

“Instead of building a house there, shall we plant trees? I can live in your house, or in the second house in the forest. How about that?”

Instead of answering, Mitchell placed his hand on the nape of my neck. Judging by his gentle touch, I anticipated a good response even without hearing his answer.

“That’s good. The second house should be finished by tomorrow.”

Mitchell kneaded the nape of my neck. The movement of his fingers was like playing the piano. Although no sound could be heard, it must have been a cheerful and warm tune.

Feeling good along with him, I tilted my head and rubbed my cheek against his arm. My heart beat in time with the piano performance. I had the illusion that another heart besides mine had joined in the performance.

***

“Here?”

The place Mitchell took me was a Korean restaurant far from home. Braised short ribs, japchae, bibimbap, and more! I was mesmerized by the menu items that made my mouth water just hearing their names.

However, the extremely high prices were a drawback. A kimchi stew at this localized Korean restaurant cost as much as 40,000 won.

We sat in the innermost seat with partitions, where we wouldn’t encounter other customers. It was the perfect space to eat comfortably.

Looking at the menu Mitchell handed me, my hands trembled. I couldn’t tell if it was due to sudden hunger or the sorrow of living in a foreign land.

“Uh, uh, Mitchell. So, calm down. We need to be calm.”

“You just need to be calm.”

“Oh, right, right. Um, well, kimchi stew, braised short ribs. Soft tofu stew, bibimbap, samgyeopsal, green onion pancake, oh, and kimchi pancake…”

You might think I’m reading the menu from start to finish, but no. These are the dishes I’m going to eat.

I wondered if I could digest all of that, but there’s nothing a person can’t do if they put their mind to it.

“Geon-woo?”

Haha.

At Mitchell’s call, I barely came to my senses and made a heavy decision like a warrior at the final crossroads.

“It might be too much for two people, right? How about just kimchi stew and braised short ribs?”

“Order everything you just mentioned. It’s fine.”

“It’s too much. Looking at other tables, they serve a lot of side dishes too. Wouldn’t we be full just eating the side dishes that come out by default? We can’t eat all that. It’s also a shame to leave leftovers.”

Mitchell said it was his first time at a Korean restaurant. As I kindly explained the generosity of side dishes at Korean restaurants to someone unfamiliar with it, he nodded as if understanding.

“Then, let’s just order kimchi stew, braised short ribs, green onion pancake, and kimchi pancake.”

Of course, it was me who couldn’t give up.

The person who said we’d order just a little ended up choosing four menu items. Mitchell’s eyebrows arched as he stared at me silently, as if telling me to explain myself.

“Well… Usually, you need to have a soup like kimchi stew and a meat side dish like braised short ribs, and the pancakes are side dishes. So the quantity is small… This is the right way to order. This is how we eat in Korea. It’s not just me…”

As my humble and seemingly impoverished explanation dragged on, Mitchell let out a small laugh. His smile was so pretty that I couldn’t help but grin along with him.

“I see there was meaning behind it all. Order it.”

Mitchell accepted my excuse for eating a lot that sounded plausible. It was slightly annoying that he kept chuckling, though.

Then I was distracted by a fragrant smell coming from somewhere. My hands started trembling again.

‘Wow, it must be because I’m so hungry.’

I might even develop tremors that I didn’t have before. I suddenly remembered the past when I used to run excitedly at the sound of the doorbell announcing the arrival of delivery food.

“Ah.”

Suddenly, Mitchell grabbed my hand. He gripped it tightly, causing me to let out a small gasp of pain. Thanks to that, the trembling in my hands stopped.

“I should bring you here often. I didn’t know you’d like it this much.”

“It would be nice to come again. But it’s a bit far and expensive.”

“Ah, I didn’t tell you. From now on, I’ll be responsible for your meals.”

“Why?”

Mitchell, who had let go of my hand, stretched his arm to the side lightly. He continued speaking as if it were no big deal.

“Your whole house burned down. You lost tens of billions, so I should at least take care of your meals. Clothes, necessities, transportation, whatever it may be. I’ll be responsible for all the money you’ll spend from now on. I’ll make sure you don’t spend a penny.”

“If you’re trying to make up for the house value, you’ll have to spend money for a lifetime. Are you okay with that?”

I said, showing off a bit.

“We already agreed to be together for life, didn’t we? I’m just spending money on you while we’re at it.”

Mitchell never mentioned that he was the one who burned down my house. Regardless of what the truth was, I had already concluded in my mind that it wasn’t Mitchell’s doing, so there was no need to mention it.

“Or should I give it back to you as a lump sum? I can give you enough.”

“Why would you? It’s not like you did it.”

I smiled deliberately, showing my teeth. Mitchell then scanned the ceiling before suddenly leaning towards me. He had confirmed that there was no CCTV covering our table. It was clear from the way he sucked on my entire lips.

As our lips parted, Mitchell sat back in his seat. He drank water with a bored expression, as if such a kiss was nothing more than a simple greeting.

After that, the food started arriving one by one. Forgetting Mitchell’s surprise kiss, I drooled at the sight of the bubbling kimchi stew. A sweet smell wafted from the plump braised short ribs. As my stomach protested, blaming my slow hands, I quickly picked up my spoon.

“Eat a lot, Mitchell.”

After saying this out of courtesy, I took a spoonful of the hot kimchi stew.

This is it!

The packed meals were certainly delicious, but as a Korean with a Korean patch, I’m a slave to red pepper powder and minced garlic. This can’t be fixed for a lifetime.

I moved my spoon and chopsticks like a madman. In the meantime, I also put some boneless braised short ribs on Mitchell’s rice and cut the green onion pancake into bite-sized pieces for him.

For every one bite Mitchell took, I ate five. It was an exhilarating mealtime.

***

We left the restaurant, patting our full stomachs. To match Mitchell’s filming schedule, we had to head straight to the set. Even while driving, Mitchell occasionally burst into chuckles. Although I didn’t know why, it made me feel good in its own way.

We arrived at the filming location a few minutes early. Leaving Mitchell behind as he went to meet the staff, I sat in a corner and opened my bag. While occasionally checking Mitchell’s face, I picked up my phone for the first time in a long while.

Since coming to America, I had been checking my phone much less frequently. Not using it consciously had become a habit of sorts, and since I had changed my number, there wasn’t really anyone who would contact me.

However, things were a bit different now. As I turned on my phone, it vibrated several times. From last night to late dawn, there were several missed calls from unknown numbers. They seemed to be related to the fire.

Battery at 91%.

As expected, it hadn’t turned off by itself. Mitchell must have turned it off. This meticulous and clever guy.

While praising my possession profusely, I enjoyed watching his acting that had just begun. It was a scene where he was arguing with a villain, and his angry acting was always impressive.

“Huh?”

Suddenly, a call came in. I took out the vibrating phone from my bag and checked it, and it was another unknown number. Thinking it might be about the house, I answered immediately.

“Hello?”

– “Hey, don’t hang up. I have something to say.”

I should have known better than to answer.