Chapter 34
At the sudden question, Yuwon’s round eyes grew even rounder.
“What?”
“The lighter.”
“Wh-what lighter?”
Jeonghyeok couldn’t help but chuckle. What kind of intense interrogation had he done to make him stutter like this? The sight was quite cute.
“That thing is really expensive. It’s hard to even get in Korea.”
“……”
“Don’t tell me you smoke?”
“No!”
“Then why did you take my lighter?”
Finding out where the lighter went wasn’t that difficult. Yuwon was the only person who could touch his pockets. He had only planned to probe a little, but Yuwon, who had no talent for lying, confessed everything with just his expression.
Jeonghyeok stared intently at Yuwon. This poor thief, who got caught lying so easily with just this level of questioning, just rolled his clear eyes around before finally giving up and opening his mouth.
“I wanted ajeossi to… cut down on smoking a bit.”
“I don’t even smoke that much.”
“You shouldn’t smoke just a little—just quit completely. What’s so good about cigarettes?”
Did he really take the lighter for that reason? Not quite understanding, Jeonghyeok tilted his head and asked.
“If you were going to hide something, why hide the lighter instead of the cigarettes?”
“That would be too obvious. If cigarettes went missing, I thought you’d just buy more, but with the lighter, I thought you might just not bother buying another one. Ajeossi really hates troublesome things.”
It was strange logic, but even that was so like Yuwon that he burst into laughter. Despite being mature for his age and not childish in his thinking, he sometimes had these quirky sides to him.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Because it’s funny.”
What’s so funny about that? Yuwon pouted his lips. Embarrassed, he kept fidgeting with his fingertips. Jeonghyeok grabbed Yuwon’s shoulders to make him look at him. Yuwon, who turned his body pretending to be defeated, slowly blinked his eyes.
His long eyelashes and light-colored eyes appeared alternately. Jeonghyeok, who had been watching that simple movement as if appreciating it, soon said quietly.
“Now close your eyes again.”
“…Why?”
“Why do you think?”
As soon as Yuwon noticed Jeonghyeok suddenly leaning down toward him, he reflexively moved his hips. Avoiding Jeonghyeok, who grabbed his forearm with beast-like movements, he pulled his body back, but he quickly reached the end of the sofa and could no longer escape.
Jeonghyeok smiled like a villain and said.
“You were closing them just fine earlier. You kept them closed for quite a while.”
At the mischievous tone, Yuwon’s earlobes burned red. He remembered himself obediently closing his eyes thinking he was going to kiss him just a moment ago. At that time, he really thought it was just a kiss.
Ajeossi must have done that on purpose to trick him. Even though it was his fault for being foolishly deceived, he was annoyed that he had played such a prank in the first place. Yuwon glared at Jeonghyeok with all his might.
“Don’t tease me, really.”
“I told you to close your eyes.”
“I don’t want to!”
Jeonghyeok embraced the struggling Yuwon and lay down on the sofa. When he buried his face in the reddened nape, the familiar body scent permeated deep into his nostrils.
“Just once. Hmm?”
A plea that wasn’t quite a plea flowed through his crooked lips. Yuwon, who had deliberately widened his eyes to avoid being deceived by false acting, eventually surrendered due to the tormenting tickling touch from his sides to his armpits.
Laughter occasionally leaked through the gap between their lips that bumped together like pecking beaks. On TV, a drama with no viewers was faithfully playing.
***
On the day Yuwon returned the lighter, Jeonghyeok promised to cut down on smoking.
Originally, he habitually smoked one cigarette after finishing meals and also smoked intermittently while working, but after his promise with Yuwon, he only smoked after meals. Complete cessation was still too much, so that was the best Jeonghyeok could do.
Several days passed like that. What had felt like his mouth being a bit bored was only temporary—he quickly got used to it, and except for when eating, he didn’t particularly crave cigarettes. Taeju, who had been puzzled at first, now also offered cigarettes to Jeonghyeok only after meals like clockwork.
After eating bean sprout hangover soup for lunch, the two men found an appropriate spot and habitually took out cigarettes from their pockets. Taeju was already holding a lighter, waiting in front of Jeonghyeok.
Then, a rustling sound came from somewhere. Jeonghyeok put his hand back in his pocket at the unfamiliar texture he felt at his fingertips. With another rustle, something round was felt.
“What is…”
…this?
Jeonghyeok, who took out what was in his hand to check, deeply furrowed his brow. It was candy. A candy with a cute strawberry picture drawn on it that he’d never seen before.
Taeju also discovered the candy in Jeonghyeok’s palm and asked with wide eyes.
“Huh? Isn’t that candy? But hyung-nim doesn’t really like sweet things.”
Jeonghyeok looked down at the candy in his hand. As Taeju said, there was no way he, who didn’t like sweet things, would carry such candy in his pocket. Someone else had put it there. He didn’t need to think long about who it was.
‘I wanted ajeossi to… cut down on smoking a bit.’
Jeonghyeok recalled Yuwon’s face speaking shyly. When did he put the candy in there? Just like with the lighter last time—at this point, he wondered if he wasn’t being dense.
As he just stared at the candy after taking it out, Taeju hurriedly put away the lighter he was holding and asked.
“Hyung-nim, don’t tell me you’re having withdrawal symptoms?”
“No, nothing like that.”
“Then could you give me that…”
Before he could finish saying “please,” Jeonghyeok peeled off the candy wrapper and crunched it with a fierce sound. The sound was so violent, it was as if he was chewing hard glass instead of candy.
A cool gaze turned toward Taeju. There’s nothing for you. His eyes spoke instead.
Taeju, who had been looking at Jeonghyeok awkwardly, took the lighter back out of his pocket. As he lit his cigarette, Jeonghyeok, who had been chewing candy, waved his hand and left his spot.
“I’ll be in the car.”
“…Yes.”
Taeju, who politely bowed, watched Jeonghyeok’s retreating figure. His hyung-nim disappearing behind the murky smoke felt very unfamiliar. Though his appearance hadn’t changed at all, his expressions, tone, and actions were definitely different from before.
“What a thing to see after living so long, really.”
Should I start dating too? Taeju took a deep drag of his cigarette and seriously pondered.
Jeonghyeok, who got in the car, first took out his phone. He thought about sending a text to Yuwon, then just called instead. As always, Yuwon’s voice was heard immediately.
—Hello? Ajeossi?
“Yeah.”
Why was his voice coming out so blunt? Feeling embarrassed, Jeonghyeok hurriedly added.
“I saw the candy.”
It was nice putting that in my mouth instead of smoking. Jo Taeju was envious of it. How do you always pick candy that’s just like you no matter what you choose? There were many things he wanted to say, but the words caught in his breath mixed with sweet-flavored saliva and slid down his throat. He could hear Yuwon laughing softly from the other side.
—You only saw it? You didn’t eat it?
“I ate it.”
The strawberry flavor’s aftertaste still lingered in his mouth. Actually, it was just sugar with added strawberry flavoring, but to Jeonghyeok, it was more fragrant and sweet than anything else.
—How is it? Does eating candy make you think about cigarettes less?
“……”
To be honest, that small candy couldn’t fill the satisfaction that cigarettes provided. However, even before that candy entered his mouth, perhaps from the moment he saw the candy wrapper with the strawberry drawn on it, thoughts of cigarettes completely disappeared. When he imagined the scene of the cute thief who had stolen his lighter secretly putting candy in his pocket, there was no way he could be bothered by mere cigarettes.
“I definitely think about them less.”
—But?
“Now instead of cigarettes, I’m craving something else more, which is a big problem.”
—Something else? What is it?
He could easily picture Yuwon innocently sparkling his eyes. And himself getting aroused over such a guy. Instead of cigarettes, I want to bite and suck you and savor you to my heart’s content—what a perverted bastard spouting such vulgar words.
Jeonghyeok lowered his head to stare between his legs. His member, disgustingly erect from just one strawberry-flavored candy, was making the front of his pants taut. Yuwon, unaware of the situation, urged him on.
—Hm? What are you craving more?
“…I’ll tell you when I get home.”
—What is it? How curious.
Even the sound of his bland laughter was pleasant to hear. Jeonghyeok leaned back as much as possible in his seat and asked Yuwon trivial questions. He asked if he had eaten lunch, what he was doing to pass time. What you were doing while I wasn’t there—lately, he was really curious about such things.
As they had everyday conversation, fortunately the heat in his lower body gradually cooled down. Instead, the center of his chest became heavily warm. His whole body seemed to be consumed by the voice calling “ajeossi” so gently.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
