Touched by Fingertips (7)
I wonder if Sa Hae-geon knows what I did before falling back asleep. And where did he pick up this habit of suddenly waking up and kissing me… Even if young people these days move quickly, isn’t this too bewildering? I was oddly concerned about whether this was a habit he’d always had.
Then a question suddenly occurred to me. So what kind of relationship are Sa Hae-geon and I now? Because Sa Hae-geon fell asleep before we could discuss the most important thing, we hadn’t found a word to define our relationship. Feeling slightly annoyed, I poked Sa Hae-geon’s cheek where faint tear marks remained.
His eyebrows wrinkled slightly in response. But that was all. His eyebrows wrinkled, but his eyes didn’t open. Taking the opportunity, I decided to touch Sa Hae-geon’s cheeks, just as he had kneaded my hand.
I carefully placed my hand on Sa Hae-geon’s cheek. I could feel the lukewarm warmth on my palm. His cheeks were soft and smooth, making them quite satisfying to knead. Watching his reaction, I stretched his plump cheeks and gently squeezed them without causing pain.
Sa Hae-geon frowned and tossed a bit, but he still didn’t open his eyes. When I pressed my index finger firmly on Sa Hae-geon’s wrinkled brow to smooth it out, he sighed deeply as if annoyed and burrowed into my arms. Then he tightened his arms around my waist, hugging me even more firmly. It was such a strong grip that I couldn’t help but gasp.
It seemed he couldn’t control his strength while half-asleep. I wriggled around trying to get away from him due to the somewhat suffocating feeling, but Sa Hae-geon hugged me even tighter.
“Oh my…”
This isn’t like I’m a cicada clinging to an old tree… Looking at Sa Hae-geon firmly attached to my body, I thought that sleep should be done comfortably in a bed. Sleeping in such an uncomfortable position on the sofa would surely cause stiffness.
But there was no way I could move this huge body by myself. Should I wake him up to change locations?
I carefully shook Sa Hae-geon’s body. As expected, he clung to me without budging. I couldn’t drag a sleeping person either… After several attempts, I finally decided to give up cleanly.
With my body almost entirely surrendered to Sa Hae-geon, I leaned against the sofa armrest and blankly stared at the ceiling, gradually feeling drowsy. While yawning quietly and looking around with heavy eyelids, I spotted Cream sleeping soundly on the rug with her belly pressed down. Cream was wagging her tail gently and even licking her lips as if having a pleasant dream.
Seeing the peaceful faces of Cream and Sa Hae-geon made me sleepy too. My eyes kept trying to close. I yawned widely and stroked Sa Hae-geon’s hair as he hugged me like a teddy bear. Suddenly, I recalled our first meeting.
What did Sa Hae-geon say back then?
‘Are you feeling unwell? You look tired… Would you like to rest at my house before going? I have a soft bed and sleeping pills. I also have a large teddy bear you can hug while sleeping. Of course, it would be better for you to sleep hugging me, who’s bigger and warmer than that teddy bear. What do you think?’
Yes. Sa Hae-geon definitely said that even though we had just met. It was even before we had introduced ourselves. At the time, I was bewildered thinking that a strange neighbor had moved in…
At our first meeting, Sa Hae-geon said it would be better to sleep hugging him instead of a teddy bear, but now the sight of him using me like a teddy bear made me laugh in disbelief. I was so surprised when I shook his hot hand back then.
Still, it was fortunate that his body temperature seemed to have risen considerably, unlike when he used to warm his hands in water so hot it could cause burns, trying to thaw his ice-cold hands.
Hugging Sa Hae-geon, whose body temperature had now become quite similar to a normal person’s, I gradually fell asleep too.
How much time had passed? The feeling of something touching my hand and poking my cheek gradually pushed away my drowsiness. Not stopping there, I now felt a breath on the crown of my head. The sound of sniffing vaguely reached my ears.
‘…Is it Cream?’
Is she protesting for food? Today’s method is quite moderate. On other days, she would have sat on my face, crushing my nose, exerting the maximum physical force possible for a cat.
Even normally, when we slept in the same bed, she would occasionally use my face as a pillow or sleep with her bottom pressed against my forehead, engaging in all sorts of eccentric behaviors.
“Cream, Daddy’s tired… Can you wait a little? I’ll be… alert soon.”
While saying these words to soothe Cream, I raised my arm to feel above my head, but instead of Cream’s soft fur, I touched something like a person’s firm skin. My eyes flew open at this completely unexpected sensation.
And I met Sa Hae-geon’s gaze as he looked down at me intently. I was a bit taken aback that it was Sa Hae-geon, not Cream, who had been touching me. However, Sa Hae-geon didn’t seem too surprised even though our eyes had suddenly met.
Clearing my throat, I slightly raised my head to look around and discovered Sa Hae-geon’s lap supporting my head. When did he wake up and offer his lap to me? More importantly, how could I not have noticed it?
“…Ah. It was Hae-geon, not Cream. Hae-geon, what time is it now?”
“5:16.”
“Already? I slept quite long… When did you wake up?”
“About thirty minutes ago.”
“Mmm. You slept well. Good job.”
Confirming that it was none other than Sa Hae-geon who had woken me, drowsiness washed over me again. I yawned widely and stretched my arms to pat Sa Hae-geon’s lower back. Sa Hae-geon, who had been quietly receiving my touch, spoke up.
“Hyung.”
“Yes…”
“That thing earlier… it wasn’t a dream, right?”
“…Hmm? Dream? What are you talking about?”
“…What you said.”
Sa Hae-geon spoke in a small voice. It was so adorable, so typical of Sa Hae-geon to wake up from a good sleep and worry about such things.
“Yes. It wasn’t a dream. Did you think it was?”
At my teasing question, Sa Hae-geon silently played with my hand. After playing with my hand for quite some time, he quietly replied.
“No. Actually, I knew it wasn’t a dream. I just wanted to hear it once more in your voice, so I asked.”
“…Oh, really?”
“Yes.”
Sa Hae-geon’s earlobes were tinged red even as he answered calmly. I slowly reached out and fiddled with his ear. That part, firm yet soft, was gradually warming up. Sa Hae-geon hesitated for a moment and then lowered his gaze quietly.
“Hae-geon.”
“…Yes.”
“So what kind of relationship are we now?”
“…”
“I wanted to ask earlier, but you fell asleep so I couldn’t.”
Sa Hae-geon slightly frowned at my words. Then he asked with a voice mixed with a sigh.
“Are you… stupid?”
“…What?”
I was dumbfounded by the word “stupid” that came from Sa Hae-geon’s mouth. What did I say to be called stupid?
“You told me you wanted to be in a relationship where we kiss and have sex.”
“…Yes, I did.”
“Then doesn’t that obviously mean we’re dating? You weren’t talking about just wanting each other’s bodies… a relationship pursuing pleasure without emotional exchange, were you? Even though we’re an Esper and a Guide, such…”
Sa Hae-geon looked at me as if he were looking at someone utterly shameless. A hint of betrayal seemed to flicker in his eyes.
“What? No, that’s not what I meant, but I didn’t go as far as saying let’s date. So I asked to make sure.”
I really felt wronged. Isn’t a relationship supposed to begin when such words are explicitly exchanged? I only asked because I thought a relationship changes when something is decided between two people, but Sa Hae-geon was looking at me like I was some terrible villain.
“It’s good to make things clear. To avoid misunderstandings between us. And since you tend to misunderstand things, I should be more careful.”
“…When have I ever.”
“You always jump to conclusions on your own, get sulky, and whine. You did it earlier too.”
“Whine? When did I whine? Am I a puppy?”
Sa Hae-geon, who had been glaring at me, suddenly used his index finger and thumb like chopsticks to firmly grab my lips.
“Mmph, mmph!”
With narrowed eyes, he watched me struggle before biting the part of my lips protruding between his fingers. Then he chewed diligently as if my lips were jelly. Mischief was evident in Sa Hae-geon’s eyes.
Although my lips hurt a bit, I didn’t mind at all since Sa Hae-geon seemed to have returned to his normal state. This would probably have continued if I hadn’t discovered the deep purple bruise around my lips much later.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
