Kyu-Sik's presence struck an immediate twinge of [i]does not belong[/i] as he stepped inside, and Donovan felt his guard raise slightly at an instinctual feeling of his personal space being invaded, even though he'd willingly invited it. Anybody else, and he might have started making up panicked excuses to cancel and insist he leave, but he was sure that would be the mistake he couldn't recover from. The apartment was his safety, his retreat, and allowing anyone inside was unsettling, especially with the disapproval of his roommate hanging over. But what Altan didn't know couldn't offend him, and he trusted Kyu-Sik not to disrupt anything enough to leave evidence of his visit that would raise any suspicions.
At least it'd be nice to share dinner with somebody that wouldn't spend most of the evening loudly complaining, and Donovan let his discomfort slowly fade out of his thoughts as if it never existed at all. "Ah… Altan redecorates every few months or so," Donovan passed off the credit of anything that could be considered nice, only did his part in keeping up the cleanliness. His own room was a stark contrast to the stylish decorating of the rest of the apartment, not that he had any intention of letting Kyu-Sik see it.
Returning to the kitchen, the open layout of the apartment allowing him to keep an eye on Kyu-Sik, he continued chopping the remaining ingredients for the tomato and cucumber salad. After observing Kyu-Sik's picnic choices, Donovan had decided the boy could use some vegetables that hadn't been fried. "It's no problem, as long as you don't mind waiting a bit longer," Donovan dismissed the apology, noting how tired Kyu-Sik looked but deciding not to comment on it. Chances were he was perfectly aware of being tired, probably didn't need additional commentary on the fact. "Sorry, just push those books out of the way if you want to sit," he offered, "There's nothing I need help with." The rosemary chicken was doing fine baking on its own. He could have picked something fancier, far more complicated, but he hardly wanted to look like he was trying too hard to be impressive and was operating on a limited budget anyway. Simple was better.