#62
Though it was fortunate to know him now, it still didn’t feel real that this man had become his lover.
Ho-woo carefully traced Oh-yul’s straight, high nose bridge with his finger. The jet-black hair against the cool white skin looked sensual without doing anything.
The slightly parted plump red lips below would surely be soft and warm. They certainly were when their lips had met.
The hand that had been tracing his nose bridge carefully moved to touch his lips. As it outlined them and started to withdraw, worried about waking him, the red lips clung to it.
“Ah!”
The corners of the still-closed-eyed man’s mouth lifted. Without a chance to escape, the hard fingertip was lightly bitten. He nibbled on one joint of the finger, then bit down firmly before releasing it.
The bitten finger tingled. Yul let out a small laugh. His half-closed eyes showed no trace of sleepiness.
“From now on, I’d like you to wake me up with something other than your finger.”
“—!”
How long have you been awake…!
Ho-woo stammered in surprise.
Did you hear all the embarrassing things I said?!
Looking intently at the flustered Ho-woo, Yul slowly sat up. The thin sheet slid down his bare upper body.
His broad shoulders, firm chest, and slim waist were muscular yet lithe rather than bulky. His body, reminiscent of a feline, stretched its muscles. His extended arm flexibly wrapped around Ho-woo’s waist and pulled him close.
Yul tilted his face to match Ho-woo, who had bowed his head deeply, not knowing where to look. He gently bit Ho-woo’s soft nose tip. The pain was quite sharp.
“You seem to like biting.”
“It seems I do.”
Oh-yul, as if just realizing his own preference, pondered for a moment before curving his eyes into crescents.
“I definitely seem to like biting.”
His murmur and the corners of his mouth lifting slightly were meaningful.
“…What?”
Am I still half asleep?
Ho-woo thought he had misheard. However, he was so surprised by Yul’s next words that he couldn’t close his half-open mouth.
“Since it’s my first time, I don’t know much, so please teach me slowly.”
Yul, resting his head on Ho-woo’s shoulder while hugging his waist, blinked, fluttering his long eyelashes.
However, even Ho-woo, who had only experienced failed relationships, didn’t know the basics of dating. If he had known, his past relationships wouldn’t have ended so poorly.
Ho-woo scratched his cheek with a troubled expression. He couldn’t talk about his previous relationships to his current lover, which was quite awkward.
“I never forget anything, so if you teach me once, I’ll do well.”
The words sounded like those of a diligent student, but the nuance of the tone was quite strange. It was clear enough that one could be considered naive if they didn’t catch the hidden intention.
However, Yul didn’t flirt with Ho-woo any further. In an excessively neat and composed tone, he reminded Ho-woo of a fact he had momentarily forgotten.
“You need to prepare for work, don’t you?”
Slightly dazed by this quick change of attitude, Ho-woo left the bed, which was thoroughly imbued with Yul’s scent, as if in a trance.
Even as he hurriedly prepared for work after escaping from Yul’s house, Ho-woo was more worried about how his life would change from now on rather than enjoying the sweetness of his first love. He was startled by the large, dark shadow standing in front of his door.
Rationally, it was obvious who would be standing there, but his body instinctively froze in shock.
Unable to even scream, Ho-woo’s neck stiffened in surprise. Yul, whose eyes met Ho-woo’s, also seemed quite startled, opening his eyes wide before clicking his tongue briefly.
“Were you very surprised?”
Ho-woo groaned softly, his shoulder aching from the shock.
“I told you to live more noisily, didn’t I?”
Ho-woo lightly patted his stiff shoulder and adjusted his bag. Yul looked at him with a strange expression.
“I meant to make your presence known.”
At Ho-woo’s reproach, Yul tilted his head slightly.
“Is it okay for me to do that?”
“What are you saying? Of course it’s okay.”
Ho-woo, who had been looking at Yul as if he had heard something strange, lightly tapped Yul’s arm, which seemed lost in thought.
“Let’s go.”
It was a precarious time where they might be late if they dawdled any longer. Nevertheless, Ho-woo tried to match his steps with the man beside him. Yul slowed his pace, smiling slightly.
“I’ll take you today as well.”
“The time is still okay, so I can take the subway.”
“I don’t like that.”
The caring lover, who skillfully ushered Ho-woo into the car despite his insistence on taking the subway, took out a familiar object from his pocket and securely fastened it to his lover’s wrist before starting the car.
“Charge it well and don’t forget to wear it wherever you go.”
Ho-woo reflexively fiddled with the pager on his wrist. The same device was wrapped around Yul’s wrist as well.
The day this pager rang with a high-pitched noise was terrible in many ways. It was raining like crazy, and even though his whole body was getting soaked, his head was filled with worry for Yul.
The tense atmosphere tightened his heart, and his legs kept moving forward. And when he finally met Yul, he was in a miserable state.
He didn’t want to see that kind of sight again.
“…Try to contact me by phone rather than this if possible.”
Although he would wear it since Yul asked, receiving another call through this didn’t seem very pleasant. Ho-woo glared at the pager before turning his gaze out the window.
“Alright. I suppose I should buy a new phone first.”
“What about the one you were using before?”
“Well… I didn’t lose it, but I don’t think I’ll be able to get it back.”
I don’t know who the culprit is, but it seems it was taken this time.
Ho-woo inwardly sighed deeply. He felt sorry to ask more. Ho-woo couldn’t even begin to imagine what kind of life Yul had lived.
The Esper, who had been staring straight ahead, glanced over. Ho-woo turned his head as if trying to hide his complicated expression, but it was reflected in the window.
“Actually, there’s something I’ve wanted to do if I were in a relationship.”
“What is it?”
“Will you listen if I tell you?”
“Let me hear it first.”
At the half-hearted permission, Oh-yul leisurely pressed the accelerator and opened his mouth.
***
After briefly watching the receding back of the car, Ho-woo searched his phone directory for a familiar number before entering the company.
Thanks to Oh-yul driving him, not only was he not late, but he had time to spare. This allowed Ho-woo time for a brief call.
“Father”
Since the company had contacted him, he needed to call at least once. He also needed to visit soon, as it was almost the anniversary of his mother’s passing.
Ho-woo hesitated before pressing the call button. The monotonous dial tone continued for a long time.
Even though they lived in the same city, since becoming an adult and moving out, he only saw his father’s face on his mother’s death anniversary.
Ho-woo wasn’t an attentive son, and his father wasn’t a parent who acted casually friendly with his child.
The father and son, maintaining an awkward distance typical of parent-child relationships, didn’t contact each other unless necessary.
The dial tone cut off, and a stiff middle-aged man’s voice was heard.
“Yes.”
“Father, it’s me. I called because I thought you might be worried.”
Ho-woo sat on the edge of the flowerbed in front of the company, tapping the ground with his toes. He looked up at the company building meaninglessly, naturally gauging the time on the pager Yul had fastened to his wrist.
“What have you been up to, making your company call me like that.”
Ho-woo swallowed at the stern tone of reproach. It seemed that no matter how old one gets, they never become immune to a parent’s scolding or stern voice.
“I’m sorry, I was flustered because I received a call saying my friend was very sick.”
“Do you mean Do-hyun?”
The name that came out without hesitation was exactly as Ho-woo had expected. After all, it had been a persistent connection from age 10 until now.
“I have friends other than Do-hyun too, you know.”
“I’d know if you had introduced them to me.”
“……”
“If it’s a friend important enough to make you rush out in surprise during work, bring them this time.”
His father hated Espers. Not just dislike, but pathologically hated them. As if he had bundled all the resentment in the world into one.
So the day Ho-woo introduced Yul to his father would never come, even if a lifetime passed. And the fact that he had become a somewhat strange Guide would remain a secret he could never tell. Ho-woo calmly accepted this fact.
“…I’ll ask.”
Ho-woo smiled lightly while making an empty promise he didn’t mean. He felt sorry for lying, but it was much better than making his father collapse holding the back of his neck.
“Oh, and my number might change.”
“Suddenly?”
“Something came up.”
Ho-woo silently laughed, recalling what had happened in the car.
Wonder what he wanted.
“I’ll let you know when I change it.”
“You’re not up to anything strange, are you?”
“No, I’m not.”
Ho-woo answered firmly. His father, checking if there was any hesitation or strange sign in that answer, admonished him once more not to do anything foolish before ending the call.
“It’ll be okay.”
A small murmur trying to shake off the deep-seated anxiety escaped without him realizing it.
