I took the tray from his hands and looked at the food in the bowl. I swallowed in nervousness. It was definitely a porridge but… Is it supposed to look so black? The steam rose off the dish. I was doubtful whether this could be called a ‘porridge’ because large chunks of unpeeled vegetables floated in the bowl I agony. I was sure I would die if I tasted this abomination.
“I can’t believe my teacher cooked this himself… haha…. How can I casually eat it?” I said, carefully.
“I didn’t make it with you in mind,” he said, generously. “I don’t want a corpse in my house. So, dig right in!”
I glanced at his face. His chin jutted out proudly at the ‘food’ he had made. His demeanor seemed to say that he had made it so generously so I would better eat everything. He was arrogant but this was valuable food. It would be such a shame to waste it. Besides, Kaichen the Great had made it himself for someone. He must not have done something like that for anybody his entire life. He did say that he hadn’t made it for me, specifically but his expression said otherwise.
If I eat it… I hope I don’t barf in front of him. It was his effort for someone he had distrusted and despised. It was no less than a peace offering. I couldn’t refuse it if I wanted my relationship with him not to spiral down to whatever it was before, or worse…
I didn’t think for long. If I did, I might never be able to raise the spoon to my lips. I looked at the hellish food in front of me. I gulped. I was starving but…
I raised a spoonful to my lips with trembling hands. I don’t know if I was trembling because it was a symptom or because of the prospect of tasting the porridge laid out for me. I realized that Kaichen was still looking at me.
“Ahem, t-teacher,” I said, “Are you going to keep watching as I eat?”
“Yeah. Can’t I do that?”
Oh, dear god! What if I throw up? What the hell happened to him while I was sleeping? Why does he seem so interested in whether I eat it or not? I smiled at him and shook my head reassuringly. I put the spoonful of food in my mouth. The black, gooey porridge steeled on my tongue. Please, dear god, have mercy on me! I prayed. I chewed it slowly and swallowed. Whatever slimy, slippery thing that slipped down my throat was unidentifiable. The taste itself hit me like a brick to the face. It was fishy, tangy and bitter all at the same time, while something sickly sweet hit my nostrils.
I barely managed not to gag. If I somehow force myself to eat everything in that bowl, I will surely pass out. I had only finished a spoonful; I had a whole bowl left! I was definitely going to throw up. Damn it! I cursed. I wanted to shove a finger down my throat and vomit everything that I had eaten and throw away the hellish food. I glanced at Kaichen.
I was shocked. He was smiling! He smiled in satisfaction as I ate the disgusting porridge. F*ck, I cursed. I scooped another spoonful with trembling hands. I closed my eyes and prayed. May my poor stomach endure this food. I wish I could lose the ability to taste food just for this moment.
I couldn’t disregard his smile; it was the very first time I had seen him smile at all. I don’t know if he is smiling like that because I am diligently eating the food he cooked for me or because of his successful attempt at poisoning me. Whatever the reason, he smiled at me earnestly and I didn’t have the heart to break his illusion.
He had accepted me as his disciple, albeit temporarily. Now, I could go anywhere, register anywhere as his disciple. Hell, I could brag about it! I could tell anyone that I was the disciple of Kaichen Tenebre and it wouldn’t be untrue. This was a very big development, a huge leap. So, as a determined Korean I showed my indomitable will and ate the revolting food.
“Ugh….” A groan escaped through my lips. I wished I could stop feeling my tongue at all, or whatever fell on it. I pretended to cough as though I had eaten too fast and almost choked. Without doing so, I had no way to explain the tears coming out of the corners of my eyes.
I finally finished the repulsive thing. Kaichen took the tray from my hands, with the corners of his mouth slightly turned up.
He looked at the empty bowl and smiled brightly. “I didn’t know you would eat everything so deliciously,” he said, “I didn’t have a spare bowl, so I brought you the portion for dinner too!”
I stared at him wide-eyed. Crazy piece of sh!t! You should have said that before! I had been calling him ‘teacher’ respectfully all this time and cursing him felt sacrilegious. But I had been deceived! I wanted to quarrel, but I felt that if I opened my mouth, I would vomit everything back. So, I stayed quiet.
I smiled at him awkwardly. And Kaichen smiled back proudly. “I really don’t want to cook but I will make it for you again. You are sick and you need nutrition to be healthy again,” he proudly declared.
No, STOP! I lamented inwardly. Are you planning to kill me?! I had no choice, and I didn’t want to open my mouth, it could turn out to be disastrous. So, I nodded at him and smiled awkwardly. Kaichen looked at me, beaming. He then quietly closed the door to my room and left.
Ugh, I wanted to pass out right about now! It felt like my soul had left my body already. I was only able to breathe properly when I was left completely alone in the room. My stomach was churning. I felt nauseous. My anger and frustration bubbled.
