While savoring spotted beluga meat topped with mushrooms foraged from the field, Kim Sibaek nearly choked on his bite. Even the server, who had been doing his best to look away, lost his composure for a moment and stared at them. Sensing that the man’s imagination was now running wild over the broken bed, Kim Sibaek felt a wave of dread.
“We’ll take care of the rest of the grilling.”
“Ah, but grilling is part of my job…”
“It’s fine.”
Whether the staff member was simply dedicated to his work or hoping to eavesdrop on some juicy gossip was unclear, but he reluctantly left the room with a disappointed expression.
Kim Sibaek sighed and picked up the tongs.
“You asked that question already knowing I’d say no, didn’t you?”
“Yep.”
“Unbelievable.”
Reaching across the table, he pinched Tae Woon’s cheek and gave it a firm tug, making the younger man scrunch up his face with a pouty hing.
[Death and Beauty is asking what on earth a “hing face” even means.]
…Anyway, apparently such expressions existed. Kim Sibaek, who had already asked Tae Woon not to read his surface-level emotions for a while, turned back to the grill.
“You’re sick. You shouldn’t be going anywhere. And, uh…”
As he fumbled for the right words, trying to steer the conversation gently, Tae Woon took the chance to cut in.
“And we’re going to have sex too, right? I even ordered that box of condoms online. The domestic ones don’t fit.”
Ignoring Biendeoé’s hiccup in the background, Kim Sibaek rubbed the back of his neck.
“Mm… yeah, I guess… they probably wouldn’t fit… That could happen. Just—if it happens too suddenly, it might catch me off guard. So let’s… not spring it on me…”
“Okay, okay. I’ll behave for now. Just finish eating the rest of the meat.”
As Kim Sibaek mumbled and stumbled over his words, Tae Woon snatched the tongs from his hand.
“When you’re a kid, your parents or older sibling grill for you. But when you’re older, even if it’s just by a year, it’s time to return the favor.”
Kim Sibaek silently took the tongs back.
Since Biendeoé had grown more comfortable living on Earth and was finally ready to sleep in her own room, Tae Woon had offered her a spare room in the penthouse—and even agreed to buy her the canopy bed she’d been eyeing.
When Tae Woon dismissively said, “Isn’t a perch enough?” Biendeoé threatened to beat him with one. Of course, her anger came from the fact that Tae Woon couldn’t read Divine Words.
They were just getting back from a quest-related grocery run that had taken about an hour. As they walked in, Tae Woon checked his phone and pulled up a photo sent by the bed installer.
“They finished setting up the new bed I ordered earlier.”
“Already?”
“Money gets things done. I picked one with features you’d like.”
“……”
“Aren’t you going to ask why I picked something you’d like?”
With his disappointment written all over his face, Tae Woon nearly provoked a reflexive reply from Kim Sibaek—he barely held back from blurting out, Why would you pick something I’d like? He already knew the answer would be something like, Because you’re the one using it.
Still, what kind of “features” does a bed even need?
Curious, he stepped into the room. The mess from the shattered bed had been completely cleaned, and in its place stood a new bed in the usual monochrome palette. More accurately—it was massive.
“……”
“Before, I slept alone, so I didn’t need a big bed. But that’s not the case anymore.”
“……”
“Do you like the size?”
Whether Tae Woon slept alone or did something else wasn’t the point. A bigger bed wasn’t exactly a bad thing. Kim Sibaek gave a slow, reluctant nod.
“What’s the special feature?”
“Here. Press this.”
Without even checking, Kim Sibaek pressed the button on the remote Tae Woon handed him. The bed slowly began to rotate—smoothly, silently.
Tae Woon’s eyes sparkled like a kid waiting for praise.
“Well? You like it, right? These kinds of things are all about body fit. So how about we test it out—on the bed? Deal?”
What flashed through Kim Sibaek’s mind at that moment was a very vivid image of the rotating bed collapsing mid-spin, leaving him and Tae Woon tangled up on the floor.
“Get rid of it.”
“Hyuuuuung~”
***
Kim Sibaek’s senses were razor-sharp—honed through countless battles with monsters and sharpened even further after passing the title of Paladin to Gloiuken. Even when he lived like a shut-in, rarely stepping outside the penthouse, and now as a Hunter in the 7777 Guild, he never wavered from his precise routine.
Of course, after nearly three months of living together, Tae Woon also knew exactly what time Kim Sibaek woke up. He’d never asked—but as an S-rank Hunter, his spiritual perception was just as sharp.
Right on cue with Kim Sibaek’s usual wake-up time, the bedroom door eased open. It wasn’t a coincidence. He’d already been half-awake, having sensed the faint movement outside. If it had been anyone else creeping toward his bed, he would’ve grabbed them by the collar and slammed them into the floor. But the presence drawing near was unmistakably familiar.
The mattress creaked under a familiar weight. Kim Sibaek cracked his eyes open just enough to see Tae Woon crawling under the covers.
“You’re already awake?”
“I missed you.”
Whether that meant he woke up because he missed him, or came here because he missed him—or maybe both—Tae Woon slid under the blanket, nestling in with practiced ease.
As Kim Sibaek yawned and gave him a lazy pat on the back, their lips brushed together like it had been waiting to happen. Instinctively, Kim Sibaek glanced at the cushion next to him, but Biendeoé wasn’t there—she was sleeping peacefully in the next room, perfectly content with the new canopy bed Tae Woon had bought her. …So that’s why he gave her a separate room?
Before he could dwell on it, a warm, wet tongue slipped into his mouth—smooth, confident. Tae Woon’s voice might’ve sounded half-asleep, but the way he kissed was anything but. The sudden rush of heat had Kim Sibaek reeling, and though he tried to push him away, Tae Woon only pressed in harder, sucking on his tongue and wrapping him back up in a mess of heat and moisture.
“Mm… ah…”
Sticky, indecent sounds rang in his ears. When Kim Sibaek finally started responding, Tae Woon’s movements softened, turning tender. His tongue lazily traced the inside of Kim Sibaek’s cheek, then licked teasingly along his lips, making a wet, obscene sound that echoed in the still room. When Kim Sibaek gasped for breath, Tae Woon followed right after, his tongue slipping in deeper to explore—rubbing against the roof of his mouth and curling around his own.
The tip of his tongue caught on the sensitive spot beneath Kim Sibaek’s tongue and pulled just right, sending a shiver straight to his core. His breath quickened, lips tingled, and heat pooled low in his stomach. His pants were starting to feel uncomfortably tight.
At some point, Tae Woon had climbed on top of him. He pressed a thigh between Kim Sibaek’s legs and slowly pushed them apart. Their lips parted, a thin string of saliva stretching between them before snapping.
“Sibaek hyung…”
Tae Woon looked down at him with eyes damp and glistening. The pale light of dawn slipping past the curtains cast a glow over his face. It was still dark enough to feel like night, but that little sliver of red peeking through his parted lips grabbed Kim Sibaek’s attention and didn’t let go. He’d never known how to describe that raw, seductive red that clouded his vision whenever Tae Woon got like this—but now, he had a name for it.
Kim Sibaek reached up, cupping the back of Tae Woon’s neck and pulling him back down. Their lips met again, and Tae Woon swallowed his shaky breath like it was his own. The tongue that slid inside tasted sweet. Their mouths moved together, breaths tangling, the sound of slick heat filling the room.
Had a kiss ever felt this overwhelming? Even the way their breath mixed sent sparks skittering down his spine. He could feel blood surging downward, thick and heavy.
If this kept going, they really weren’t going to stop. Trying to get a hold of himself, Kim Sibaek turned his head aside—but Tae Woon only pressed harder between his legs, grinding against him.
The size that didn’t fit standard condoms was already stiffening.
That finally snapped him out of it.
“W-Wait, hold on. We said we weren’t going to do anything more than this…!”
“We said no sex. I didn’t say we couldn’t do other things.”
“……?!”
It was flawless logic, and Kim Sibaek got completely steamrolled. No—he couldn’t fall for that cute excuse. He scrambled to gather what little willpower he had left.
“I get it, but it’s morning. We should eat, get ready for work—right?”
“We’ve got time for one round.”
“One rou—?!”
Before he could finish, Tae Woon pressed a button on the remote he’d brought with him.
Remote? Wait, that wasn’t the one for the lights. What else in this room had a remote?
And then the bed began to spin.
“What the hell?! Why is the bed moving?!”
“I switched your bed to a rotating one too. Same model, just with the spin option.”
“……”
“Oops. Did I forget to mention it? My bad~”
He winked with that smug grin of his, acting like it was an innocent little slip-up. It was so shameless. So transparent. So incredibly…
“Hyung. I’m way too cute, aren’t I?”
“U-Ugh…”
He knew exactly how cute he was, and he wielded it like a weapon. Kim Sibaek’s resistance melted like sugar in warm tea. And right as his guard dropped, Tae Woon’s hand slid down and grabbed the obvious bulge in his pants.
