NPC Fell onto My Bed C15

Chapter 15

The restaurant where they were to meet Nam Jinwoo was a meat grill located not far from the mall. Because parking space there was limited, Gu Taeheon and Noah decided to walk. On the way, they found themselves surrounded by a flood of people waiting to pass.

The crowd was far denser and more chaotic than anything Noah had ever seen in the imperial capital. He didn’t know how to move amid such numbers; each time someone brushed his shoulder, he stopped and bowed his head repeatedly in apology. Unaccustomed to physical contact and bustling crowds, Noah soon lost sight of Taeheon ahead and stood helplessly, waiting for the people to thin out.

“Ah…”

He could barely see the top of Taeheon’s head in the distance, but couldn’t force himself forward. He had never been good at pushing his way through others.

As Noah stood stranded, anxious and uncertain, a sudden warmth touched his palm. He flinched in surprise and looked down at his hand—then lifted his head to find Taeheon had already returned to his side.

“You—didn’t you go ahead?”
“Leave you here? Where would I go?”

Taeheon’s hand was large—within it, Noah’s hand looked like a toy. Holding his delicate fingers firmly, Taeheon began walking again, cutting through the crowd with calm determination.

When someone’s shoulder grazed his, Taeheon simply inclined his head in a polite apology but never once shrank away. Every now and then, he glanced back to make sure Noah followed safely and wasn’t jostled.

Eventually, they reached the restaurant where they were to meet Nam Jinwoo. Now that they had turned into a quieter alleyway, the crowd thinned, and there was no need to keep holding hands.

But Taeheon did not let go.

Noah’s fingers fidgeted nervously within his palm until he spoke softly.
“Um… Mr. Taeheon, your hand…”
“…Ah. Right.”

Freed at last, Noah’s hand felt oddly empty. He pressed it against his other palm, as though to fill the small, lonely space left behind, and walked into the restaurant.

“Hey! Over here!”

Nam Jinwoo waved enthusiastically from a corner table. Taeheon went ahead, pulled out a chair, and seated Noah first before taking the seat beside him.

“Noah, how did you get here? That rude bastard—he did drive you, right?”
“Ah, yes. A rude… bastard? Hmm, there wasn’t one in the car, but yes, we came here by automobile. He even bought me clothes.”
“I knew it! Noah, you look even more stunning today!”

Jinwoo exaggerated his tone, shaking his body comically. Noah responded with a soft smile. Jinwoo inhaled sharply and cleared his throat, half flustered.
“Cough—ugh, even that smile, I still can’t handle it.”
“Should I stop smiling?”
“Heavens no! That would be a loss for humanity!”

Taeheon frowned as Jinwoo pretended familiarity, calling for the waiter to order instead. Without hesitation, he began listing the most expensive cuts of Korean beef.

“I’ll just confirm—five portions of flower shrimp, five of chuck flap tail, and five of ribeye, correct?”
“Yes.”

As soon as the waiter left, Jinwoo grabbed his neck and groaned.
“What the—fifteen portions?! Damn it, man! There’s only three of us!”
“If there’s leftovers, I’ll pay.”
“That’s not the point—these prices—”
“Flower shrimp? What is that?”

At Noah’s innocent question, both men turned toward him simultaneously. Staring into those golden eyes filled with curiosity, Jinwoo answered without thinking.
“It’s a special beef cut—they call it that because it looks like marbled shrimp flesh. It’s really good. You’ve never had beef before, have you? Wait… are you a foreigner? But your Korean’s perfect.”

Only now did Jinwoo realize the odd contrast—Noah’s foreign looks and flawless command of the language. Until then, Noah’s sheer beauty had distracted him from noticing.

“Beef… then what we’re served is meat?”
“Huh? Yes. Noah, you don’t like meat?”
“Hmm.”

Noah didn’t dislike it; he simply didn’t eat it. To obtain meat, one had to slaughter living creatures, and Noah abhorred that act—the killing necessary for consumption.

Still, he couldn’t say that aloud now, so he only smiled faintly and looked between the two men.

“I’ll light the grill. Please be careful.”

The server placed a portable brazier at the center of the table. Taeheon picked up the tongs naturally, and with a sizzling sound, the slices began to cook. Noah watched in fascination, eyes fixed on the small tabletop fire pit.

“So this is a brazier?”
“Yeah. Used to grill meat.”
“How remarkable. A restaurant preparing portable braziers for guests…”

As the raw red beef darkened to a glossy brown and gave off a savory aroma, Taeheon carefully cut a piece and placed it on Noah’s plate.

Noah stared at the food, eyes wide. The smell was rich, enticing—so much that even someone indifferent to meat found his mouth watering. Yet he didn’t pick it up, for one simple reason.

He didn’t know how.

“Noah, you don’t know how to use chopsticks, do you?”
“…”

Silence answered him. Jinwoo muttered under his breath, “Oh dear.” Taeheon realized the oversight; in all their meals together, they’d never eaten food requiring chopsticks. Noah simply didn’t know how.

“Should I ask for a fork?”
“No… thank you. Perhaps you could teach me. I’ll learn it now.”

Noah awkwardly picked up his chopsticks, watching Taeheon’s hands closely. But hands long accustomed to forks couldn’t adapt to chopsticks overnight.

Finally, Taeheon sighed and lifted a piece of beef with his own chopsticks, holding it near Noah’s mouth.

“…?”
“Eat.”
“Ah…”

Noah’s “ah” wasn’t an invitation—it meant “I understand.” But Taeheon mistook the timing and slipped the morsel past his lips. Noah blinked, chewed quietly, and his eyes widened in surprise.

“It… disappeared.”
“What?”
“The meat vanished in my mouth, Mr. Taeheon!”

It was Noah’s first taste of beef—and his eyelashes trembled violently. It was that delicious. The flavor struck him like revelation; he even raised his hand to cover his mouth, overwhelmed.

“Here, another bite.”

From that moment, Noah ate like a fledgling bird, accepting every bite Taeheon brought to his lips. Taeheon himself hardly tasted the fifteen portions he’d ordered, yet felt fully satisfied watching Noah eat so eagerly.

Jinwoo, chewing on his own chopsticks, eventually broke the silence.
“Are you two dating?”
“Wh—what?”
“No.”

Taeheon froze in surprise, while Noah answered calmly. Their opposite reactions made Jinwoo’s mouth twitch knowingly.

“Ah, I see.”

From that single question, Jinwoo understood who had feelings for whom. Pleased that his old friend seemed to have found spring again, he raised his brows playfully and started piling more beef onto Noah’s plate.
“Eat plenty, Noah!”
“Thank you. You too, Mr. Jinwoo.”

Noah didn’t refuse. For the first time in his life, his cheeks puffed round from food. Had his old High Priest seen him now, they would have fainted from shock at such lack of decorum.

As all three men focused on eating, two new figures approached their table—Omega males.

“Excuse me… aren’t you Mr. Gu Taeheon?”
“…”

Both Omegas fixed their eyes on Taeheon. Realizing he’d been recognized, his expression tightened coldly.

“We really admired you, Mr. Gu Taeheon! And um… the accident—it was so tragic…”

Jinwoo, flustered beside him, could only open and close his mouth. Taeheon’s face grew visibly colder, his silence trembling with suppressed tension. It wouldn’t be surprising if the table flipped.

And then came the worst.

“You really can’t practice judo anymore, right? I was so excited for the Paris Olympics…”

Clatter.

Taeheon’s chopsticks fell neatly onto the table. His expression emptied completely—no emotion left.

What did they want from him? Perhaps they wanted him to speak his own defeat aloud—to admit ruin, as if declaring his own death.

But before he could answer, a calm, steady voice rose beside him.

“No, he will do it again.”

It was Noah.

Footnotes:

1. Omegaverse social classes (Alpha, Beta, Omega) – Terms derived from speculative fiction describing social and biological hierarchies, often influencing gender, emotion, and status.

Flower shrimp cut (꽃새우살, ggotsaeusal) – A specific marbled beef cut prized in Korean barbecue for its buttery texture and sweetness.