#96
“Wow…”
Encouraged by the soft exclamation, Oh-yul’s eyes curved as he embraced Ho-woo from behind and stretched out both hands.
“Watch carefully.”
He whispered confidently in Ho-woo’s ear. The Esper cupped his hands slightly and let his energy flow with extreme delicacy. It was such precise control that other Espers or Guides would have scolded him for using such a refined ability on something so trivial.
A thin, transparent ice slowly rose with his energy, forming a sphere. Though it seemed like it would shatter if tapped with a finger, the Esper effortlessly completed the hollow round ice. As water gradually filled the ice, Ho-woo thought what Oh-yul was creating looked like a snow globe.
“I thought a lot about what gift to give you.”
Inside that thin ice, small ice pieces formed slowly like blooming flowers, then froze like waves. The undulating waves and the water swaying inside the thin ice gave the impression of a miniature sea.
“It’s our first birthday together. I wanted to give you the best thing I could. After much thought… I realized the best thing was myself.”
Ho-woo, who had been mesmerized by the ice sparkling in the light from the mansion, thought he must have misheard the last part.
“What did you say you’re giving me?”
“Myself.”
The Esper added as he made the snow globe disappear.
“Are you not pleased?”
It wasn’t a matter of being pleased or not, but rather amazement at how he had reached such a conclusion. Thinking that his Esper, who was supposedly in his first relationship, might have seen something strange on the internet, Ho-woo secretly smiled. He just found it cute.
“So how do you plan to give yourself?”
When Ho-woo asked with a voice still tinged with amusement, there was a moment of silence.
Ah, he’s thinking about it.
“…If you’ll forgive me for being rude to you today, I’ll show you.”
His careful voice was laced with faint expectation and worry. Ho-woo readily answered, “Alright.” From their first meeting, Oh-yul had always been kind and polite to him. So Ho-woo had the somewhat naive thought that no matter how rude Oh-yul tried to be, he couldn’t be that rude.
“Are you very hungry?”
“No, I snacked a bit while working, so I’m fine.”
At Ho-woo’s answer, Oh-yul placed his hand on Ho-woo’s stomach as if measuring something. Spreading his thumb and middle finger on the lower abdomen, he made a small “Hmm” sound. After considering as if gauging something, he seemed to reach a conclusion and nodded slightly.
“…What are you doing?”
“It seems better to skip the meal.”
Although he was a bit hungry, it wasn’t unbearable, so Ho-woo agreed for now.
What on earth is he planning to do?
Led by his lover’s hand into the mansion that had turned into an ice castle, Ho-woo was immediately ushered into a room on the second floor.
Seated on the only large bed in a room filled with children’s furniture, Ho-woo tried hard to maintain his composure to assess the situation.
So.
Right now, this is.
The sound of the switch being flipped off was clear. In the darkened room, there were sounds of clothes rustling and heavy objects falling to the floor with thuds.
“Huu…”
Ho-woo tensed up, his hair standing on end, at the small breath that clearly conveyed tension. Although he had some dating experience, relationships that ended before anything could happen had forced Ho-woo into involuntary celibacy. As a result, Ho-woo was quite close friends with his right hand.
I didn’t expect it to happen so suddenly.
The gaze from the approaching shadow in the darkness felt almost prickly. Ho-woo’s body flinched at the large hand that lightly ruffled his hair. The hand that slid down to his cheek felt like the hand from dreams he’d had since childhood.
Calling his name…
“Ho-woo.”
The approaching breath gently pressed against his lips. The bed tilted slightly under the heavy weight. As their breaths intertwined, a faint moan escaped. Oh-yul, not wanting to miss even the smallest piece of Ho-woo in the brief moment they parted, clung to him persistently, swallowing his breath.
“…Stop.”
Limp fingertips barely grasped the man’s sturdy shoulder. Ho-woo could feel the taut shoulder tensing under his hand, though he could only vaguely make out its shape. Though Oh-yul’s stiff expression wasn’t clearly visible, Ho-woo found a strange heat in it. Urgent thirst and longing rippled and shook in his blue eyes.
Raw, fierce emotions, stripped of one layer, poured onto Ho-woo. The waves that always lapped gently at Ho-woo’s feet like mild waves suddenly swelled, engulfing the Guide like a tsunami.
In the flow of this enormous energy, Ho-woo found it difficult to come to his senses. His vision spun. As he gasped for breath, a low laugh returned. A voice filled with sticky affection pleaded urgently.
“Will you call me ‘hyung’?”
To his lover who begged while drawing out the end of his words, Ho-woo barely managed to mumble a small “Hyung…” in response. At this whisper, so faint it was barely audible, the Esper who had stopped all movement like a broken machine soon pounced more roughly. Persistently and desperately, he tried to take everything from Ho-woo. The Esper, frantic to have Ho-woo’s gaze, breath, and even his body beneath him, growled.
Ah.
Ho-woo’s silent exclamation tickled his lips. His heartbeat pounded, echoing in his ears. He felt embarrassed at the thought that Oh-yul might be feeling those vibrations directly.
“I’ll make sure it doesn’t hurt.”
Don’t push me away, Oh-yul whispered, and Ho-woo accepted him with a long exhale. The night that had just begun was excessively long.
***
Will there ever be another day in my life when I feel this much shame?
…Probably. Since we won’t be doing this just once.
Ho-woo thought with a dazed mind. Though his body had some muscle aches, he felt refreshed enough not to remember the dawn. His lover’s ability was excellent not only for cleaning but also for washing people.
Oh-yul, who had asked to be forgiven for being rude, had acted as he pleased, not caring about Ho-woo’s attempts to push him away. Thinking about how he hadn’t stopped even when Ho-woo cried and said no, only saying “Oh really?”, made him feel even more embarrassed.
If asked whether he disliked it, he couldn’t say anything.
To think his preferences were like that. Ho-woo wanted to bury his nose in bleach and die right there. It was because he recalled Oh-yul’s subtle expression when he asked if Ho-woo liked it rough.
Ah, I can’t believe it.
Lamenting, Ho-woo buried his head deep in the blanket and faced the presence entering the room with a haggard face.
“Are you awake?”
Oh-yul, who entered the room carrying a small tray, slightly furrowed his brow as if worried. How dare he look worried with that smooth face. How annoying.
“I feel like I’m dying.”
Ho-woo’s earlobes turned red under Oh-yul’s steady gaze. It was because the events of dawn came to mind unnecessarily. He felt even more embarrassed knowing how those hands holding the tray could move, how persistent that firm and flexible body could be.
Did everyone feel this way when dating? Perhaps his own brief romances had been just short encounters, almost embarrassing to call relationships.
“We didn’t even go all the way.”
Well, how could we do that.
As Ho-woo opened and closed his mouth, at a loss for words, Oh-yul pulled a chair next to the bed, placed the tray on his lap, and began tearing soft bread into small pieces. There was a savory soup smell, but Ho-woo’s upset stomach didn’t feel like eating.
“I prepared something light to eat. You didn’t have dinner either, did you?”
“…You intentionally didn’t let me eat dinner, right?”
“If it’s difficult, I’ll feed you.”
“How could you do such a thing.”
When Ho-woo genuinely recoiled, Oh-yul, pretending not to hear, drooped his eyes with a gloomy face.
“‘Such a thing’? You’re being too harsh.”
Oh-yul pretended to be hurt, but Ho-woo found him detestable at this moment. After all, he had thoroughly plundered Ho-woo all through the dawn.
“You said you’d forgive me for being rude, didn’t you?”
Smiling as he brought up the promise, he whispered very quietly, just loud enough for his sulky lover to hear. Ho-woo’s complexion instantly paled twice over upon hearing that whisper.
Actually, I knew everything…
As Ho-woo’s eyes widened in shock, Oh-yul mischievously curved his eyes. Though he was smiling playfully, it felt with his whole body that it wasn’t a joke but the truth.
“Aren’t you looking forward to the future?”
“No.”
Ho-woo firmly refused. He wasn’t looking forward to it even a hair’s breadth. Despite his lover’s cold response, Oh-yul seemed so pleased that he even hummed a little tune as he put the torn bread into Ho-woo’s mouth and tried to feed him soup as well. Sensing that if he refused, Oh-yul would insist on feeding him until he finished, Ho-woo obediently ate the soup.
“By the way, what time is it now? I need to contact the company to say I can’t come in because I’m not feeling well.”
“I’ve already contacted them. I’m not going to work today either, so don’t strain yourself by moving around.”
