One Day, a Villain Fell into My Wardrobe

22

After running for a while, the three of them arrived at a suitable spot halfway up the Legion Mountains and stopped. They tied their horses to a tree and gathered firewood inside a wide-mouthed cave to start a fire.

“It feels like we’re having a campfire.”

This was what Yeon Ji-ho said after seeing Apophis snap his fingers and ignite the fire on the gathered wood. He took out a torch he had brought just in case from his bag but then put it back.

“Campfire?”

“When you go camping, everyone usually gathers around a campfire like this. That’s what a campfire is.”

Set seemed to have no idea that it was both a form of entertainment and an emotional experience, but he nodded. While they were talking, Apophis rummaged through the luggage tied to the horse and brought something over.

“Ji-ho, you might be hungry, so please fill your stomach with this.”

“Excuse me?”

Yeon Ji-ho stared intently at the jerky being offered to him. Apophis and Set were already chewing on theirs, seemingly just to satisfy their hunger.

Since it was offered, he accepted it and put it in his mouth, but the smell was overwhelming. It seemed they had brought it along when they got the horses. Yeon Ji-ho hesitated.

“So this is dinner?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“This is all there is?”

“Yes…”

Apophis lowered his head with an embarrassed expression. Yeon Ji-ho felt uncomfortable, as if he had unintentionally scolded him.

However, thinking about it differently, it didn’t make sense to have just this piece of jerky for dinner. Moreover, Set and Apophis seemed to be eating much more than Yeon Ji-ho, likely due to their physical exertion.

In the end, he put the jerky into his bag. Then he took out the camping pot he had brought instead.

“I’m not complaining. I mean, I got a free ride, but you two have worked hard all day holding the reins, and I thought this wouldn’t be enough to fill you up.”

As expected of a camping pot, Yeon Ji-ho took out the largest pot from the neatly stacked ones. Then he subtly handed it to Apophis and asked,

“Could you fill this with water?”

“Of course.”

With a snap of his fingers, water poured over the pot. In fact, this was a request Yeon Ji-ho had made after seeing Apophis create water out of thin air to drink earlier.

Once the water reached a suitable level, Yeon Ji-ho said, “That’s good,” and carefully placed the pot over the fire.

While waiting for the water to boil, he took out instant noodles from his bag.

“Camping is all about instant noodles.”

“……?”

Both of them looked puzzled at the red rectangular item Yeon Ji-ho had pulled out. After all, he had only ever cooked rice for them, so they had never seen instant noodles before.

Considering their appetites, Yeon Ji-ho opened the entire five-pack. The pot wasn’t large enough to boil all five at once, so he would have to cook three first and then the remaining two, but that was fine.

As the water boiled vigorously, he poured in the red seasoning. Soon, the yellow noodles were dropped in with a plop.

“Here, forks and bowls.”

“……When did you pack all this?”

Apophis looked astonished at the bowl and fork that had somehow ended up in his hands. In fact, he had considered suggesting that Yeon Ji-ho get rid of some unnecessary items when he saw how heavy his bag was at the start.

Yeon Ji-ho shrugged in response.

“I was a Boy Scout when I was younger.”

It was back when he was an elementary school student, before meeting Nam Jeong-hwan and his group. Still, he had prepared for the possibility of camping with his limited experience. So when Apophis mentioned they would have to camp, he accepted it calmly without surprise.

“Eat up, it’s going to get cold.”

“Thank you for the meal.”

As the noodles cooked deliciously, Apophis, who had been swallowing saliva repeatedly, immediately started awkwardly scooping noodles with his fork as soon as he was told to eat. Yeon Ji-ho served Set’s portion himself and handed it to him, saying,

“Be careful, it’s hot.”

It was a simple statement, but it strangely lifted his spirits. Set held the bowl he was given carefully and began to eat slowly.

After a day of eating nothing but sandwiches and jerky, the noodles went down easily. Apophis, without even being told, was already drinking the broth straight from the bowl.

“Ji-ho, your world seems amazing. To have such a simple yet perfect dish!”

Apophis, usually quiet and composed, became animated when it came to food. As he praised with sparkling eyes, Yeon Ji-ho chuckled lightly.

“It’s embarrassing to even call it cooking. It’s just a convenient meal for when you need to eat quickly.”

Set, who usually was the first to compliment Yeon Ji-ho’s cooking, seemed to sulk as Apophis took over that role. Of course, Apophis seemed too busy slurping the noodles to care.

“What about you, Set? Is it good? Is it very spicy?”

Suddenly asked, Set was taken aback. He looked up at Yeon Ji-ho and quickly nodded up and down.

“It’s delicious, very.”

“Thank goodness. If it’s too spicy, I’ll give you some water. Just in case, I brought two bottles of mineral water.”

“Ji-ho, you are really…”

“Yes?”

“……No, it’s nothing.”

Set stammered as he tried to find the right words to compliment Yeon Ji-ho but ultimately missed the timing. As Yeon Ji-ho returned to his meal with a bland expression, Set had even less time to speak.

If it were Hadad, would he have expressed his gratitude in a kind and skillful manner even at a time like this?

The image of Hadad he had seen earlier that day flashed through Set’s mind. The protagonist. A face that was hard not to fall in love with. And that gentle and meticulous personality too…

After that, Set said nothing and focused solely on eating. No, it would be more accurate to say he couldn’t say anything.

***

The next morning, Yeon Ji-ho woke up early and opened the zipper door of the makeshift tent. He stretched widely.

Inside the cave, three small tents were lined up in the same direction. All of them were packed by Yeon Ji-ho into their bags, but last night, when he told them to take out the tents, they had only looked at him with puzzled expressions.

It seemed they had just brought whatever was packed without even looking inside their bags. Later, when they saw the unfolded tents, they praised them as if they were marvels of new technology.

“Is no one awake yet?”

However, even stepping outside to greet the morning dew, he saw no one. While Yeon Ji-ho might have woken up by chance due to an unfamiliar sleeping arrangement, the other two were not the type to sleep in.

Just as Yeon Ji-ho was about to check if they were still in their tents, he heard a strange sound.

Peeeee…

It sounded like a bird? But there was something artificial about it. Yeon Ji-ho quietly listened to the sound.

And then, in an instant, something black suddenly grabbed Yeon Ji-ho’s neck.

“Who are you?”

Before he could fully grasp the situation, his breath was cut off. Someone was tightly gripping his thin neck with a thick arm from behind. The voice did not belong to Set or Apophis. Too shocked to say anything, the person continued to question him.

“Why are you with His Excellency when you’re not even a beast of Gorgon?”

“Ugh, cough, no, that, my neck…”

“Aha, are you Hadad’s personal?”

Shouldn’t he loosen his grip a bit so he could answer?

Whenever he tried to say something, the other person tightened their grip, thinking Yeon Ji-ho was resisting. In just five minutes, bruises would surely form on his skin.

“I’ll cut off your breath right here.”

Am I going to die here? Remembering Set, Yeon Ji-ho struggled with a pale face. Finally, he managed to part his lips and utter a single word.

“Set…”

Pooook.

At that moment, a sword flew through the air. Yeon Ji-ho saw his black hair fluttering. He also barely caught sight of the blue sword’s hilt in his vision.

Above his head, the sword plunged into the chest of the unknown man who was holding Yeon Ji-ho from behind.

“Ji-ho!”

The moment Set’s voice reached his ears, Yeon Ji-ho suddenly gasped for air, and his vision went dark. The last thing he saw was Set looking at him with wide eyes, pulling him close.

“Damn it, Ji-ho! Ji-ho! Stay with me! Don’t die!”

Amidst the fading consciousness, only Set’s voice echoed in his mind. Yeon Ji-ho thought as he lost consciousness.

If someone saw this, they would really think I’m dying here…