Dopamine Addiction - Chapter 27

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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27.
Hui Ju burst out laughing and knelt down beside the bed. With gentle fingers, she stroked Noel’s hair.
“I’m disappointed. I’ve thought of you as a friend from the very beginning.”
Noel’s eyes widened in shock at those words.
“I think of you as a friend now too! Really! Sahara is my first friend!”
“That’s quite an honor. You must be tired, so if you can’t sleep, just rest your eyes. I’ll be back soon.”
“Okay.”
Hui Ju left the room first. As she closed the door, her eyes met Liam’s. He shrugged slightly.
“Looks like we won’t be checking into a hotel tonight.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Not at all.”
“Let’s postpone going to Utah for just two more days. It seems there’s something we need to settle here.”
Liam nodded with an intrigued expression, clearly curious about how this office worker would handle the situation.
***
As Hui Ju left the apartment, Liam naturally followed. The two descended the stairs and stepped onto a street that had become quite familiar to them.
“There’s a pharmacy and a mart one block over. I confirmed it on the way here earlier.”
Hui Ju nodded and walked slowly. Liam glanced at her sideways.
“Are you angry?”
Was she angry? The feeling writhing in her chest was undoubtedly rage. Whenever she thought of Noel’s battered face, it felt like the anger she was forcibly suppressing might burst out at any moment.
“Yes. I suppose I am.”
Despite the delayed response, Liam simply nodded without further comment. The two entered the pharmacy and then headed to the nearby mart.
The mart was run by a man of Turkish descent behind the counter. Hui Ju stood at the entrance, surveying the store.
Though small, it had everything necessary—groceries and miscellaneous goods alike. She first made her way toward the food section.
“A sick person should probably eat porridge, right?”
Though Noel’s injuries were external rather than internal, Hui Ju had no doubt about this. When she was sick, her mother always made egg porridge. So for a patient, porridge it would be.
She nodded, then her brow furrowed. She’d run into another problem.
“What kind of porridge should I make?”
This wasn’t Korea, and she couldn’t find all the ingredients she needed.
More than that, the problem was that Hui Ju could count on one hand the types of porridge she was capable of making.
“Tuna is… not available. Egg porridge would be better.”
After placing eggs and salt in the basket, Hui Ju hesitated in front of the grains. There was only jasmine rice.
“Can I make porridge with this? Well, it’s better than nothing.”
After a moment’s consideration, Hui Ju grabbed the rice and put it in the basket. She also picked up some fruit before finally looking around.
Liam, whom she thought was nearby, was nowhere to be seen. She moved slowly, searching for him.
Just then, Liam approached from across the aisle and tossed a small box into her basket. Then he naturally took the basket from her hands.
Hui Ju noticed what was in the box he’d thrown in and gave him a sidelong glance.
“There’s no need for that at Noel’s place. Wake up. Noel is still a minor.”
“At that age, don’t you think she knows everything already?”
Hui Ju took the box out and placed it back on the shelf.
“Maybe you were like that, but Noel isn’t. Noel is so innocent.”
Liam picked it up again and put it back in the basket.
“I’m not saying we’ll use it at her place. Didn’t I tell you—perfectionism. When opportunity comes, I can’t miss it just because I’m unprepared.”
“You want me to buy it with my own money?”
Liam shrugged lightly.
“Unfortunately I don’t have cash on me right now. Don’t worry. I’ll pay you back later with interest.”
“I hope you don’t forget that promise.”
“Fortunately, I have a good memory.”
Hui Ju sighed briefly and went to the counter. The owner, who had set down his phone, began ringing up the purchases.
Having run a store in this location for a long time, he didn’t so much as blink at the condom box. Even with the pair standing in front of him, he entertained no crude assumptions.
His movements were appropriately matter-of-fact and appropriately indifferent. Beep, beep—only the sound of the barcode scanner filled the quiet store.
But then.
……
The owner paused. His hand stopped scanning barcodes. He glanced up, his eyes moving from Hui Ju to Liam in turn. His expression took on a subtle shade of meaning.
Noticing this, Hui Ju smiled innocently and spoke.
“We just moved in today, and there’s so much that needs fixing—pipes, window frames, and all sorts of things.”
The man’s gaze returned to the register. Duct tape, cable ties, an awl, a jack knife. What kind of repairs required all of that?
Hui Ju shook her head and launched into complaints.
“The landlord is a picky old woman who won’t call a repairman. When I asked for basic tenant rights, she told me I should go back to my own country if I’m so smart. What can you do about that? You’re just a tenant.”
Hui Ju stopped speaking and looked at the man with a bitter expression. The store owner, having lived as a foreigner himself, quickly felt empathy for her.
He resumed scanning and voiced his frustration.
“Lately it seems like there are more idiots than ever. All they know how to say is ‘go back to your country.’ They think this place would be theirs if I wasn’t here. You must have just moved to the area?”
“Yes, two blocks from here. I’ll be coming by often. I like to cook for myself.”
“Our products are the freshest and cheapest in this neighborhood.”
“I can tell.”
The owner handed Hui Ju a bag. Liam took the groceries as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
Well, if you had no money, you made do with your body.
“Have a good day.”
Hui Ju bowed politely, and the owner returned the gesture before burying himself in his phone.
Once they left the mart, Liam glanced at the bag with interest.
“Was there actually something that needed fixing?”
“Yes. Loose screws.”
Realizing what she meant, Liam let out a quiet laugh.
This was unexpected. The woman who’d hit someone for the first time, who’d pulled a trigger for the first time, was buying cable ties and a jack knife without hesitation.
Perhaps.
She wasn’t the arid, colorless person he’d thought. Perhaps she was someone far more passionate and emotional than anyone.
Which meant that as long as he stayed within her boundaries—and Noel was certainly within her boundaries.
Suddenly Liam’s eyes narrowed. A woman who bent her principles for others… just the thought made his lower abdomen heavy.
He glanced sidelong at the condom box in the bag. Hoping the day would come soon when he could use it, he changed the subject.
“Can you cook?”
“I haven’t done it much, but when I do, I’m good at it.”
Liam pointed to a pizza shop on the corner.
“Still, let’s buy something for us to eat.”
“Of course—I’ll pay, naturally.”
“You don’t have a choice. Using a card might leave a trace they could track.”
“I suppose you’re right.”
Hui Ju shook her head and headed toward the pizza shop.
The moment the smell of pizza hit her nose, the hunger she’d forgotten came rushing back. She stood before the menu board, lost in careful deliberation.
The decision fell to Liam.
“When things get complicated, you have to go back to basics.”
With that, Liam ordered a pepperoni pizza.
***
Hui Ju stared intently at the pot. Bubble-bubble—foam began to rise with a pleasing sound.
The color was acceptable, and the smell was good. Considering it was made with unfamiliar ingredients in a kitchen that was basically a wasteland, it was quite impressive.
Hui Ju turned off the gas and wore a confident expression. Liam, who had quietly approached, suddenly leaned in over her shoulder.
“What is this?”
Hui Ju’s back stiffened, as if he were embracing her from behind.
Liam’s breath was so close that she couldn’t turn her head carelessly. She remained rigid, staring only at the innocent pot.
Liam, who understood this perfectly, rested his chin on her shoulder. Then he asked in a casual voice.
“Soup?”
Hui Ju swallowed silently. She didn’t want him to see her fidgeting nervously. She wanted to handle it as smoothly as Liam did.
So she opened her mouth, trying to sound casual.
“It’s egg porridge. In Korea, we usually eat porridge when sick, so I tried to recreate the taste with similar ingredients. Want to try some?”
Hui Ju spooned out some egg porridge, blew on it gently to cool it, and held it out to him, steadying the bottom with her other hand. He curved his lips into a faint smile.
“This is quite a suggestive situation.”
Probably he meant it looked like a newlywed couple.
Losing composure meant losing. Swallowing that thought, Hui Ju continued calmly.
“Noel’s grandfather is Korean. Since her only family, her grandfather, is in a nursing home, she must miss home-cooked meals. So I thought I’d show off my skills for once.”
“Well then…”
Liam swallowed the egg porridge in one gulp. Hui Ju looked at him expectantly.
“What do you think?”
Liam chewed carefully, though there was barely anything to chew. He was simply trying to buy himself time.
“I’m not sure if it’ll suit Noel’s palate.”
Liam stood at the most critical crossroads of his life. Like a bomb disposal expert carefully cutting the detonator wire, he chose his words with precision.
“I don’t think it would be good to give it to a patient.”
He couldn’t understand what taste was coming from the egg porridge. He could understand if it tasted fishy or bland.
But why was it spicy, bitter, and sour all at once?
Hui Ju hesitated, then spooned up some egg porridge again and put it in her mouth. Smack-smack—as she tasted it, her shoulders sagged.
“My mother is good at cooking. Not the mother who gave birth to me, but my mother who retired and goes hiking with my father. I guess I didn’t inherit her cooking skills.”
“What on earth did you put in the egg porridge?”
In the end, Liam asked the question anyway.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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