Side Story 15
After returning to the dormitory, Siwoo played with the kitten plenty and gave it ample food. He was very concerned about this baby, smaller than his two fists combined, being alone at home.
Around the time the kitten fell asleep, nodding off on its cushion, Geonho came home after finishing work. Reading Siwoo’s gesture to be quiet, he stood in the entrance hallway waiting for him.
They had planned to go for a walk today. It was an outing just the two of them after a long time.
Siwoo tiptoed out and quietly left the dormitory with Geonho. Even after the front door closed, he kept glancing back at it, still worried.
“Should we bring it along?”
“No. It’s cold.”
Siwoo urged Geonho to hurry so they could return quickly. Geonho said anything was fine with him and took Siwoo’s hand. A familiar energy emanated from the soft palm.
“Looks like you were with hyung.”
“Yeah, we ate cake.”
He explained one by one what else he had eaten, saying he ate a lot more. Geonho, listening happily, zipped up Siwoo’s coat more thoroughly. It was chilly outside as there was a lot of snow today too.
“Let’s eat dinner right after we get back quickly.”
Despite Siwoo boasting about eating many desserts, Geonho only thought about feeding him a meal. He didn’t consider bread and such as proper meals. Geonho, like Siwoo, lived enjoying the pleasure of eating.
It was amazing how different siblings could be. Don’t they usually have similar eating habits?
As they walked while discussing what to eat for dinner, they soon arrived at the walking path. It was the place Siwoo and Geonho visited most often. They had many memories there as well.
As they walked side by side, stepping on the accumulated snow, Geonho embraced Siwoo and kissed his forehead.
“I’ll hold your clothes. Go play.”
Naturally thinking Siwoo would transform into his original form today too, he offered to hold his clothes. But Siwoo shook his head. He had no intention of returning to his original form today.
“Why? You like running around here.”
Snow piles that Siwoo had jumped into countless times were heavily accumulated all around. Geonho examined him thoroughly, wondering if perhaps Siwoo wasn’t feeling well.
“Did you catch a cold? I heard everyone’s been catching the flu these days.”
Even Jihan had already suffered from a cold once. A terrible flu that even high-ranked espers couldn’t avoid was rampant.
Siwoo shook his head again, saying he wasn’t sick at all. His body was fine.
Thanks to eating good food every day and sleeping in a warm place, he had no chance to get sick. The Baekya Guild members always completed full-body disinfection after finishing work before returning to the dormitory. They did their best to prevent Siwoo from catching a cold.
“But why aren’t you playing? Don’t feel like running?”
Geonho persistently asked. He seemed confused by Siwoo suddenly showing a different attitude than usual when he used to enjoy snow in his original form.
“Why are you so worried?”
Siwoo, who had been looking at Geonho for a moment, wrapped his arms around his thick neck.
There was no one else on the walking path besides them. Only the wind carrying snow passed by. It was a perfect place for kissing away from others’ eyes.
Siwoo gently pressed his lips against Geonho’s and whispered softly.
“If I transform into my original form, I can’t do this.”
“Ah…”
I see. Geonho burst into laughter and pulled Siwoo’s waist closer.
Han Siwoo, really. No wonder everyone falls for you.
They kissed for a long time until snow piled up on their heads. Neither tried to separate their lips first and continuously transferred each other’s body heat with their tongues.
When their noses had turned red, Siwoo first separated their tenaciously entangled flesh.
“Kang Geonho.”
“Yeah.”
He looked up at Geonho while leaning his weight against Geonho’s heavy body. There was something he had been wanting to properly tell him someday.
“Thank you for picking me up.”
Everything began through Kang Geonho. If he hadn’t met him, he would still be going from guild to guild, starving. He might have left the center, given up being a guide, and been doing something completely different.
He wouldn’t have been able to do anything for long. And he would have been alone.
“Thanks to you, I’m happy. I’m glad you all treat me well and like me.”
The Baekya Guild gave Siwoo the joy of living every day. Each day spent with these guys who applauded even when he just ate well felt like a gift.
“I want to do the same for you all.”
To make every day feel like a gift. He wanted to be a strength to them.
Geonho, surprised by Siwoo’s sudden gratitude, could only move his lips before barely squeezing out words.
“I’m… even more grateful.”
Siwoo grinned at Geonho, who was stammering with overwhelming emotion, and licked his lips. As he clung to his body, asking to be hugged, Geonho immediately lifted him up.
Siwoo looked down at Geonho while wrapping his legs around his waist. He still had something to say to Geonho. Sensing this, Geonho calmly waited, holding Siwoo’s hand that was caressing his cheek.
Geonho could guess what Siwoo was about to say. It would be the issue he had been carefully considering for the past week.
“I don’t want to keep the cat.”
Siwoo touched Geonho’s thick black hair and carefully examined his expression.
“Is that okay?”
To Siwoo’s cautious question, Geonho answered first with a light laugh. It was an unnecessary question.
“If you don’t want to keep it, then we don’t keep it.”
“But you want to keep it.”
“As long as I have you, it’s enough.”
There wasn’t a grain of falsehood in his unhesitating answer. Geonho was sincere. But he was curious. Why didn’t Siwoo want to keep the child he adored like his own baby?
“Did you start disliking it?”
“No, I don’t dislike it.”
With a still complex face, Siwoo fiddled with Geonho’s hair and slowly opened his mouth.
“Right now… I just want to focus on you all.”
“You’re already taking care of us.”
Siwoo shook his head. It wasn’t enough yet. Siwoo wanted to be a much better dedicated guide for them.
“I’m going to train much more in the future, and I’ll become stronger.”
He would work hard to become a guide worthy of the Baekya Guild. That required time.
“If it’s around, I feel like I won’t be able to focus on you all. I’ll just want to stay at the dormitory more.”
Currently, Siwoo was physically weak and had significantly less experience than them. It had been less than a year since he manifested as a guide, so there was bound to be a difference.
To fill that gap, he needed to live diligently. He couldn’t be lazy like now.
“You’re already strong.”
Geonho, who had muttered quietly, swallowed his words. Siwoo’s eyes showed he had already made up his mind.
“Do as you wish.”
He just decided to follow Siwoo’s opinion. Siwoo’s decisions and actions were the right answers for Geonho.
If Siwoo said the sky was red, it would be red, and if he called the sea a mountain, from that day on, the sea would be a mountain to Geonho.
Geonho’s love was always blind. Even the way he expressed love was different from his brother’s.
* * *
Seojun, who had entered the dormitory building’s elevator, crossed his arms with a skewed posture. He seemed very displeased about something.
He glared at his own face reflected in the elevator wall and even let out a heavy sigh. Like someone with a serious concern.
However, Seojun’s worry was not a serious problem at all. It was something Siwoo would slap his back for if he knew.
“Why am I not getting sick…”
He was dissatisfied with his healthy body that wouldn’t catch a cold.
He felt upset, wondering if even the flu virus that was currently spreading was discriminating against him. He had deliberately approached people with cold symptoms, conversed with them, and even borrowed their cups, but his body remained fine.
Even when he slept naked with the window open, his temperature didn’t rise. What could be the problem?
With a serious face, Seojun pondered why he wasn’t catching a cold. Would he get sick if he starved for a few days and slept outside?
The reason he wanted to catch a cold was simple: he wanted to receive Siwoo’s nursing care. A severe body-aching cold seemed like a good opportunity to monopolize his attention. It was a typical maknae idea.
Ding―. With a cheerful mechanical sound, the elevator doors opened. Seojun, who still hadn’t found a clear method, was about to leave with a sour expression when he paused.
“Secretary?”
He saw the back of the secretary standing blankly in front of the dormitory entrance. What was he doing, not going in?
“Ah, you’re here. You worked hard today as well.”
The secretary looked at Seojun and smiled weakly. His complexion wasn’t very good, like someone who was ill.
“Are you not feeling well? Is it a cold perhaps?”
Seojun approached the secretary with shining eyes. The secretary, interpreting his interest as concern, was touched and shook his head.
“No. It’s just that my mood is a bit…”
Seojun’s gaze, which was openly showing disappointment, moved down to the secretary’s arm.
The secretary was holding a large bag. It was a pet carrier.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
Thats fricking sad.