94
The possibility that Doun might not have any family was something Samin had anticipated well enough. There were never any mentions of family in their usual conversations, he lived alone in a spacious house, and there were no signs of anyone calling him or exchanging contact with others.
But a memorial day for his ‘families’? And the day after tomorrow at that? There were mountains of things he wanted to ask. However, Samin buried all those curiosities and asked this instead.
“You’re going the day after tomorrow, right?”
“Yeah. I have to go.”
“Would it be okay if I took you there?”
His tone was quite careful, as if he was worried that Doun might feel uncomfortable about it. At Samin’s cautious attitude, Doun’s face showed he was lost in thought for a moment.
How many people would readily accompany someone to a memorial hall where their family members are enshrined after dating for less than a week? People date to enjoy happy and joyful things together, but this way it felt like they were only sharing depressing and heavy matters first.
However, Doun wanted to show Samin to his family, setting aside any sense of propriety. That such a wonderful and caring person was by his side. That he had someone he had come to rely on much more than he thought he would.
“…Yeah. If you’re okay with it, would you like to come see my family? I want to introduce you to my family, telling them I have a boyfriend now.”
“I’ll have to pay special attention the day after tomorrow then. It’s the first time meeting your family members, so I should make a good impression, right? I need to show them that hyung’s boyfriend is this decent and handsome.”
Samin lightly kissed the corners of Doun’s eyes where moisture had formed. Touched by that gentle warmth, Doun pulled Samin into an embrace and took a deep breath.
“…Yeah. I’m going to brag about you.”
“But hyung, Kim Chansol said I have the face destined to fail at meeting the parents. What if your family members don’t think well of me?”
“No. My family will like anyone I like.”
Though his family had suddenly left his side long ago, Doun was certain. If his gentle and kind parents and his little sibling who was just learning to talk were still alive, they would definitely have treated Samin warmly.
His voice trembled messily from getting choked up, but Samin could clearly feel Doun’s conviction.
‘Our hyung lived with kind family members.’
Samin gently patted the shoulders that were shaking slightly.
“Then that’s a relief. Let’s go see hyung’s family together the day after tomorrow. I’ll clear my schedule.”
“Is that really okay?”
“I’m the guild master, so what wouldn’t be okay? Tower conquest is important, but we need to take care of daily life together too if we want to keep doing this job for a long time. If you only do conquests, your brain gets a bit dull, or something like that feeling.”
“Yeah…”
There was merit to Samin’s words. It’s not like the Earth would be destroyed or any disadvantages would occur if they didn’t do conquests. So there was no need to be desperately obsessed with tower conquest to the point of abandoning daily life just for the members’ and individuals’ sense of achievement, honor, and financial gain.
It was very basic common sense, but there simply wasn’t anyone around Doun to tell him that.
Samin lay there holding Doun who had been sniffling for quite a while. The more he learned about Doun, the more he came to love him for silently enduring and trying to overcome all those situations. On the other hand, he also felt relieved just that Doun was alive, even if he didn’t try to get better.
The years Doun had endured would have been too harsh for someone who likes people and is soft-hearted to go through.
“Doun hyung.”
“…Yeah.”
“Don’t worry about anything and sleep well. I’m right here next to you.”
If words had physical form, Samin’s words would surely have a soft and squishy texture. Doun thought this as he looked up at Samin.
“Samin.”
“Yes.”
“I really like you.”
“…I know. That hyung likes me.”
Samin embraced Doun, who kissed his lips first with tear-filled eyes.
‘Ah, I don’t really want to see hyung crying from sadness anymore.’
It would be nice if he could take back those words he had babbled about liking to see him cry before. Samin ended up regretting it belatedly.
* * *
Throughout breakfast, Doun tried to appear the same as usual. Samin would have accepted the relationship knowing he suffered from depression, but he didn’t want to spread gloominess from the early stages of their romance.
“We’re going to floors 45 and 46 today, right?”
“For now, yes. Is hyung’s condition okay?”
“There’s nothing that would make it bad. I’m fine. I’m more worried about accidentally using my movement skill.”
“Because of thought acceleration?”
“Yeah. When I think using the movement skill would be the best judgment, I can’t help it.”
“Then I just need to provide support so hyung can conquer without needing to use the movement skill.”
Samin brought a sausage from his lunchbox to Doun’s mouth while smiling.
“Ah, say ah.”
“…Am I a child?”
Doun grumbled but still lowered his head to eat the sausage.
“It’s troublesome to order delivery every morning and produces a lot of trash, so after we finish today’s conquest, want to go grocery shopping?”
Doun nodded, and Samin organized the shopping list in his head. Since it was such a clean kitchen that seemed to have nothing to do with cooking, even just buying seasonings and basic ingredients would make both hands heavy.
‘Ah, the magic stone carrier. When is it coming!’
It seemed he’d have to call and ask after they finished eating.
* * *
The two who conquered floors 45 and 46 consecutively and did a thorough job of grocery shopping cooked dinner and went to bed early. And the next morning when they woke up.
Doun stood in front of the mirror. Instead of the t-shirt and shorts he usually liked to wear, he put on a neat short-sleeved shirt and long pants.
‘Hyung, if you go dressed all in black like that, you’ll have trouble from the heat. Don’t you have a white shirt?’
When he came out of the dressing room dressed as he always did, Samin looked for a white shirt, saying how could he wear black when the weather was so hot these days, which led to a change in his outfit.
‘Is it really right to bring Samin already?’
Now that it was actually his family’s memorial day, his feelings were complicated. It seemed like an inappropriate place to bring a lover he’d only been dating for a few days, and it felt like he was causing trouble by making him clear his schedule. Just as his thoughts were starting to flow negatively, Samin’s voice was heard.
“Hyung. I’m all ready. Shall we head out now?”
Samin, who came out of the small room after changing clothes, was surprisingly neat in appearance. The rings that had been hanging all over his hands were gone, and several of the piercings in his ears had disappeared too.
“Yeah. Let’s go.”
Doun said this while casually taking Samin’s hand. The warmth of the hand that clasped his back was indescribably wonderful.
* * *
The air in the memorial hall they arrived at while holding chrysanthemums was cool. Following Doun who walked through the large building with familiar steps, they arrived at a place where bleak-looking stone tablets were lined up in rows.
It wasn’t the type of memorial hall where urns, flowers, dolls, and photos could be placed. It was a place with only smooth stone tablets with small nameplates bearing the deceased’s photos attached.
Samin looked up to where Doun’s gaze had reached.
Lee Seokhwan, Seong Yeowon, Lee Dohyeon.
The nameplates with photos of a couple presumed to be Doun’s parents and a baby that would probably smell like milk came into view.
Looking at the nameplates, Doun smiled faintly.
‘Mom, Dad. Dohyeon. I’m here.’
Having visited this place countless times and cried quietly, his sadness had gradually worn away, so now he could smile even when looking at his family’s nameplates. Doun thought it was fortunate. He didn’t want to cry when Samin was next to him.
‘Mom, Dad. This is my younger brother whom I trust and rely on, and he’s my boyfriend… He’s handsome, right?’
Doun didn’t recall the difficult things that had happened during this time. He did this in case his family might be listening from heaven. He wanted to show them only how well he was living, but he couldn’t manage that, so one side of his heart was always uncomfortable. That’s why Doun tried to think only of happy stories, at least when he came to this place where his family was enshrined.
After looking up at the nameplates for quite a long time, Doun seemed to have pulled himself together and quietly took the hand of Samin, who had been standing silently beside him.
“That’s enough. I’ve finished greeting them. Let’s go now.”
Samin moved his lips, then looked at Doun’s eyes full of moisture and nodded. If he said anything to the nameplates where the family was enshrined here, it seemed like Doun would end up crying.
‘I don’t like seeing hyung cry like this.’
Rather than conveying lip service like ‘I’ll treat Doun well’ or ‘Please trust and watch over us’ to people who don’t exist in this world, Samin’s priority was getting out of this place so Doun wouldn’t cry.
He silently followed behind Doun while glancing at the place where the family’s nameplates were. Though he couldn’t convey it in words, Samin put his resolution into his gaze.
‘Hyung, I’ll take good care of him. Please don’t worry.’
* * *
Returning home from the memorial hall, Doun ate two full bowls of the kimchi fried rice that Samin made. When he said he liked runny eggs, Samin attempted to make a fried egg but the yolk burst, making him sulk, which made Doun giggle with laughter.
After Doun dutifully took his medicine, washed up, and lay down on the bed, Samin silently offered to be his arm pillow and embraced him.
“Thank you for introducing me to your family today.”
“It’s nothing special. Let’s only do fun things together from tomorrow.”
“I keep saying everything I do with hyung is good.”
Samin chuckled softly while patting Doun. Being held in his arms, Samin’s noisy heartbeat could be heard clearly. Thump, thump. It was quite loud, but thinking it was Samin’s sound filling the bedroom that had only been full of his crying sounds, he wanted to keep listening to it.
‘Samin’s down there, hard again…’
Lying body to body, it was impossible not to notice. Doun was quietly lost in thought when he spoke up.
“…Samin.”
“…Yes. Hyung, this down here is an unavoidable physiological phenomenon, you could say… Anyway, so…”
It was when Samin was rambling and slightly pulling his lower body back. Doun pressed his body close to Samin’s lower half that was moving away from his body and whispered.
“…Want to do it?”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
