Admittingly a bear wasn't the worst challenge they've faced. And maybe Jae-Ha could have chosen to let Zeno be their shield, but Jae-Ha loves Zeno too much to leave his friend or "Dragon Brother" as Kija would call Zeno to endure that pain.
Waking up to three men surrounding him certainly wasn't the most beautiful sight, though seeing that he'd kept all of them from getting harmed was. Zeno was leaning against Jae-Ha's side, looking like he'd worried over him and fussed over him for ages.
Even his scolding didn't make Jae-Ha regret keeping him safe. The way Zeno just jumps in front of danger seemed way too familiar for their friend. Like he'd willingly been a human shield for everybody for far too long, hundreds upon hundreds of years.
Zeno's smart, years of experience giving him a wide variety of knowledge. Kija, who had been so excited to make bear stew, now just wanted it to be good enough for it to give Jae-Ha the energy to recover quickly.
And Zeno seemed to know just how to cook bear meat, so it isn't overwhelmingly hard nor so raw that your stomach revolts. And better yet, Zeno knew what else to throw into the stew to highlight and accent its flavor.
It's so cool! And yet, it does make one wonder just what Zeno ate or how long it took for him to discover things like these all these years. Zeno had learned from experience after all, he'd had no teacher.
Now though, Zeno was caring for Jae-Ha just like he'd been denied at doing so, when Jae-Ha shielded Zeno from the bear. Zeno had found another way to care for his friend, a way that avoided anyone getting injured and required no human shields.
