“Commander.”
“What is it this time?”
“It’s not anything weird, but could you go out and grab something from the convenience store?”
The Commander entered my room, and I said that to him.
Honestly, it might have made sense for me to go to the Commander’s room for the meat, but… it felt a bit off.
After all, there weren’t any proper cooking facilities in the Commander’s room, right?
Of course, my personal space wasn’t exactly perfect either, but grilling meat was totally doable.
That’s because I had bought an electric grill a while back!
One of those grills that doesn’t let out smoke—well, it does produce some, but it’s the kind that eliminates it.
“Uh… do you need anything else? I already have alcohol in the fridge.”
“I don’t have any kitchen towels.”
“…That can’t be helped.”
Yeah, it was a bit of a problem not having kitchen towels for grilling meat.
Reluctantly, the Commander had to make an unscheduled sacrifice.
Of course, I could have gone out, but since I was the one in charge of the room, leaving a man alone in a woman’s space felt… a bit strange.
Even though I used to be a man, I couldn’t help but have that kind of mindset.
“Is there anything else you need aside from kitchen towels?”
“Um… I’ll be drinking, so how about you buy some cola for yourself?”
“Fair enough… It’d be a shame to drink only water. That’s not bad.”
“Yes, and there probably isn’t anything else.”
After all, I was only going to eat meat.
There was really no need to buy anything more.
Anyway, upon hearing my words, the Commander simply put on his coat and stepped outside.
Usually, I’d forget about grilling meat in the room since it wasn’t a regular occurrence, so I was glad he didn’t complain.
“Hmm… I shouldn’t drink anything too strong.”
No matter what, having a man around while getting completely wasted in this body could lead to some issues, even if the Commander wasn’t that type of guy.
I knew that it wouldn’t hurt to be cautious.
Yeah.
If he had intentions of acting like a delinquent, he would’ve already made a move on some other agents long ago.
*
-Sizzle…
“Definitely, the meat seems good. Just putting it on the grill and I can already see myself drooling.”
“They said it’s expensive, so it must be good.”
True, but seeing it in person made my mouth water even more.
I wasn’t particularly greedy when it came to food, but it was definitely a nice-looking piece of meat.
Personally, I preferred pork over beef, but seeing such quality meat, I couldn’t help but appreciate it.
-Sizzle… sizzle…
There were more varieties, but for now, I decided to store them in my personal fridge and would take them out if I ran out.
After all, the night was long, right?
“Commander, how do you like your meat?”
“How do you mean, in what way are you asking?”
“I just mean it literally. Do you eat the meat alone, or do you make wraps? There are various ways to eat it, like different dipping sauces, for example.”
“Ah.”
I asked because I was a bit bored while grilling and since we were going to eat together anyway, I thought it would feel a bit off if it was too quiet.
And if I only used a method he didn’t like, even if it was delicious, it might stress him out a bit.
“I usually just eat the meat by itself.”
“That’s not very healthy.”
“………”
“Today, let’s have some wraps too.”
That was an unhealthy eating habit, and eating like that would probably be bad for him.
Unlike the previous Commander, this one was performing well and had no issues, so I didn’t want any changes.
If that were to happen out of the blue due to health issues, it would be a big deal.
So I intentionally said this.
“Okay, maybe just once in the middle.”
“Just once?”
“…Okay, fine.”
Yeah, eating healthily is essential for our ship’s operation to run smoothly for a long time.
Well, I might retire before that could happen, but having a competent and popular Commander among the agents change would be a real issue.
Anyway, the meat was grilling away, and the sauces, like ssamjang and sesame oil, were all ready.
The remaining wrapping vegetables like radish, perilla leaves, and lettuce didn’t present a problem either.
Now, if only these fragrant meats were all grilled, we’d be done.
“Ha…”
“Just a little longer. It’ll be done soon.”
“Doesn’t it smell good?”
“That’s true.”
The Commander had to honestly agree that it smelled great.
I hoped it would grill quickly.
Of course, I had just flipped it earlier, and we only had to wait a little longer now.
“Go ahead and start eating.”
“Thank you.”
“Go ahead first. If you find it undercooked, I can wait a bit.”
“…You’ve ruined the mood.”
What was that about?
Anyway, the meat was all grilled up, and I served a piece to the Commander first and then put another on the plate.
I didn’t necessarily have to serve him first, but he was my superior.
Plus, it was my mother—who wasn’t anyone else but the Commander—who was serving the meat, so it only made sense to serve him first.
“Hmm… This is better than what I had at the last work dinner.”
“Is that so? I’m relieved.”
While I grilled it, I was worried I’d mess it up.
Of course, seeing that it was perfectly grilled and delicious was reassuring, but still…
Seeing the Commander smiling slightly made me eat a piece of meat too.
It was definitely… incredibly delicious.
“Good stuff.”
“Yeah, eat plenty. You’ve been tangled in this mess because of me, and I haven’t properly paid you back yet.”
“I didn’t really do it expecting anything in return, so it’s not a big deal. I mean, you’ve been in quite the predicament as Commander, haven’t you?”
“That might be so, but still, it’s better to take care of these things. You’re not just anyone; you’re my junior.”
“…I appreciate it.”
He spoke in a suddenly awkward way, which felt strange, but I let it slide for now.
He probably didn’t intend to come off that way.
-Snap!
“Are you already drinking?”
“Yes, the meat is too good to resist.”
I opened the soju bottle, and the Commander asked me while watching.
Well, he was usually someone who didn’t drink.
He must’ve been surprised to see me wanting to drink right from the meal’s start.
I’d take it slowly, though.
“Don’t worry. I’ve always been the one getting drunk first whenever we’ve shared drinks before, right?”
“…Ahem.”
“Just have your meat and cola like a good child. It suits a Commander with such a childish palate, doesn’t it?”
I said that with a slight smile.
After all, I felt good, the meat was good, and the alcohol… was just for enjoyment.
There wasn’t any special reason, but I felt like laughing just because it was a good time.
Seeing the Commander chuckle at my words made the atmosphere feel pleasant.
“You always put about four spoons of sugar in your coffee, so are you sure you’re not just a big kid?”
“Have you ever seen a kid over 180 cm tall?”
“Well… among the agents, there are some who are underage yet still over 180 cm, aren’t there…?”
“That might be true?”
“Ha!”
Well, we hadn’t actually seen it, but given the diversity in the agents’ appearances, it could be possible.
We talked casually about pointless things while eating, but honestly, I was genuinely enjoying it.
After all, while working is good, having no thoughts and just enjoying delicious food felt like the best option sometimes.
“Ugh…”
“Don’t down the cola and treat soju like a shot.”
“There’s no harm in having the right mood. I think it’s much better than not drinking at all.”
“That’s true.”
It seemed the Commander found things more amusing today or something.
After all, I also preferred this completely relaxed atmosphere over the professional environment.
Well, it was a more comfortable atmosphere than before even when working.
“Linda, we’re getting a lot of money this time, including bonuses. What are you thinking of buying?”
“Um… Isn’t that something you should decide, Commander?”
“I’m talking about something other than recruiting agents. Is there anything you need?”
Caught off guard by the sudden work-related discussion, I thought about it for a moment.
What should I get?
After briefly thinking, I realized I didn’t really need anything.
It seems I had a coffee machine in the office, and the sofa had been taken care of ages ago?
“I don’t think there’s anything?”
“Really nothing?”
“Yes, there isn’t.”
Honestly, there wasn’t really anything.
I couldn’t think of anything more needed in the office.
With agents working in the office, it’d be more beneficial to add agents in other departments below the office.
It’d make more sense to have more agents able to engage in external activities.
“Hmm… In that case, we should at least reward the office with bonuses.”
“That should be sufficient. I don’t think Midori and Dolores need anything special either.”
“Then with the leftover money, we should buy some workout equipment.”
“…Was what you said before serious?”
When the maid talked about working out before, I thought it was just passing talk.
But apparently, that was a genuine sentiment.
“You and I are always sitting in these chairs, right? Every time I get up, my back and waist crack, so don’t you think we should do some exercise?”
“Are you talking about yourself?”
“Yes, you. Anyway, between the people working on this ship, we’re the only normal ones, aren’t we? If we take care of each other, we can stay healthier.”
“……..”
“…Last time, instead of telling me how sore your chest and shoulders were in the middle of work, shouldn’t we consider exercising together?”
“Umm…”
I hadn’t expected him to suggest exercising together.
It was completely out of the blue.
“If you wish for it, Commander…?”
Thanks to that, I couldn’t respond the way I usually would.
It was just so sudden.
I thought he would say something along the lines of working out with Dolores, but it seemed no one would have guessed it’d be me popping up in the conversation.
Definitely.
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