Jinho suddenly jumped up and hurried to the fridge. Seongjun watched, shaking his head, as Jinho nearly slipped on the wet floor. He yanked open the freezer door so hard that something inside toppled out.
“Ow! Ahhh…”
Jinho winced, crouching down. Seongjun rushed over. The floor was still damp, and he moved carefully.
“Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself?”
The freezer had been packed haphazardly. Containers spilled out, and one had landed on Jinho’s foot. He was wincing, unable to move.
“You said there was nothing in here. What is all this?”
Jinho hesitated, then gave a sheepish grin. Seongjun knelt to check his foot. It was already swelling slightly, a red mark forming.
“That might bruise. You should put some ointment on it. I’ll find the first aid kit—you put these back. Where is it?”
“In my room, next to the bed.”
At least he had a first aid kit, though with his level of clumsiness, it was no surprise. Seongjun headed for the bedroom, directly across from the kitchen. Like his own apartment, the layout was simple: a small room dominated by a single bed. As he stepped inside, his foot splashed in something wet.
“What the—? Why is there water in here?”
Jinho, still limping, hurried over. The late afternoon light filtering through the window was faint, but the puddle on the floor was unmistakable.
“Huh? Why is there water here too? I never even opened this door…”
Seongjun groaned inwardly. Of course you’d ask me. He turned to the sink across from the bedroom door. The trajectory of the earlier geyser-like spray flashed through his mind. The apartment was so small that the water must have shot straight through the gap under the door. He’d assumed the door was closed tightly enough, but clearly, he’d been wrong. With the faucet missing and Jinho mopping aimlessly, it was no wonder the water had seeped in.
Turning his head back toward the room, Seongjun’s mind was filled only with the thought that he needed to clean up quickly. It wasn’t his own home, and they weren’t close, so this much should have been enough—but perhaps because he had been dragging along the unreliable Jinho the whole time, he felt an unshakable sense of responsibility to handle it himself.
“Are your feet okay?”
“Huh? Oh, yes.”
“Then let’s clean up. Bring the rag and the basin.”
Seongjun strode into the room, leaving Jinho dazed as he fumbled to grab the rag and large pot he had shoved next to the living room. Meanwhile, Seongjun recalled the layout of his own home, which had a similar structure, and quickly located the outlet first. The circuit breaker had been turned off long ago, but after seeing what Jinho was capable of, Seongjun was convinced he couldn’t let his guard down for a second. Jinho was the type to pour water into a perfectly fine outlet. Splash! Clang! Crash! The loud noise came as Jinho tripped over the doorframe, spilling water all over Seongjun.
“Ugh, ah, damn…”
Jinho groaned as he struggled to sit up after the loud fall. Seongjun, momentarily stunned by the sudden drenching, exhaled deeply—haaa—and wiped his wet hair from his face with one hand. In the other, he held the outlet he had just pulled out. If the breaker hadn’t been turned off, he would have been electrocuted for sure.
Seongjun glanced at the pot lying on the floor next to the dazed Jinho. It was the same pot filled with water from the rag he had wrung out earlier. So, instead of emptying it, he had brought it in here? He almost laughed at the thought that he should be grateful he had only been hit with water and not the pot itself in this cramped room.
“Jihoon.”
“S-sorry! Ugh, ow…”
Jinho’s pained voice drowned out the stern tone Seongjun had used to call his name. Suppressing his rising irritation, Seongjun crouched down next to the groaning Jinho. His pants stuck to the wet floor, but he didn’t care—they were already soaked through.
“Let me see. Are you badly hurt?”
Jinho’s T-shirt was just as drenched. It seemed his foot, which he had stubbed earlier while opening the freezer door, had hit the doorframe again. When Seongjun told him to bend his ankle and knee, Jinho obeyed without hesitation. The room wasn’t bright enough to see clearly, but there didn’t appear to be any serious injuries—just a small scratch near his temple.
“You’ve got a scratch here. Did you hit the pot?”
Seongjun examined the red mark closely. As he leaned in to check the slightly bleeding spot, the wet white T-shirt clung to his dry skin, revealing the contours of his body. Jinho’s gaze was drawn to the exposed skin beneath the soaked shirt. His face flushed red. Seongjun, who had been checking his forehead, wondered if it was too dark to see properly or if Jinho was running a fever. Thud. He lightly pressed his forehead against Jinho’s.
“You don’t seem to have a fever, so why are you so red? Or… is it a little?”
Seongjun’s lips moved close to Jinho’s flushed face. Jinho had never imagined such gentle words would come from those sharp, red lips. The sharp jawline that always made him avert his eyes had seemed intimidating at first, and the cold impression combined with those piercing eyes had only made Jinho respond with defensive smiles. He had never thought of Seongjun as someone warm and alluring.
As Seongjun pulled away and looked at him, Jinho stared back blankly, then reached out and placed his hand on Seongjun’s wet waist. The sudden, heated touch made Seongjun flinch. Jinho’s eyes were fixed on him, and the wet shirt clung to Seongjun’s toned body, accentuating every muscle. Seongjun had briefly noticed Jinho’s decent physique when the door opened earlier. He must work out regularly, despite his clumsiness. As Seongjun’s gaze lingered, Jinho stared back, unblinking. The dim light made it hard to see clearly, but something about those eyes made his stomach flutter. He swallowed hard. His hand, resting on Seongjun’s stomach, felt too good to pull away.
A strange tension filled the air between them as they held each other’s gaze. The room grew darker faster than before. Jinho, still frozen, whispered softly to the motionless Seongjun.
“You’ll catch a cold. Take off your clothes.”
Seongjun, snapped back to his senses by the stammering voice, muttered an acknowledgment and scooted back slightly to peel off his wet T-shirt. Jinho’s gaze lingered on him, making Seongjun oddly self-conscious. He glanced at Jinho, and their eyes met again. Jinho quickly looked away, but not before Seongjun’s slender, exposed body caught his eye. He couldn’t tear his gaze away from that defenseless, delicate frame.
In the narrow, dim, wet room, Jinho’s heart pounded rapidly as he faced the shirtless Seongjun. What do I do? What do I do? he repeated inwardly, unable to resist any longer. Thud. Seongjun’s bare back hit the floor, sending a splash of water into the air. The cold, wet sensation soaked his scalp as the dark ceiling came into view. Then, Jinho’s face filled his vision.
“Seongjun.”
“Wait, Jinho…”
Before the flustered Seongjun could finish, Jinho leaned in even closer. The tension in the room thickened as quickly as the darkness. Jinho parted his lips and asked cautiously, “Can I… kiss you?”
A laugh escaped Seongjun’s lips. Jinho, taken aback, could only stare down at him. After a moment of chuckling, Seongjun raised his arms and wrapped them around Jinho’s neck, pulling him down. Unable to resist, Jinho’s eyes widened in surprise before closing as their lips met. The sweet sensation made him lower his eyelids. The wet floor squelched as Jinho adjusted his position, pressing closer to Seongjun. The cold chill seeping into his back was pushed away by the heat of their bodies pressed together.
Their tongues tangled, hot and eager, licking and sucking at each other. Seongjun’s hand slipped under Jinho’s wet T-shirt, his long fingers tracing the damp skin. Hngh, mmph. Jinho moaned against Seongjun’s lips, his lower body twitching. Their soaked pants rubbed together, the friction sending waves of heat through them.
“Hnngh…”
As their lips parted, Jinho let out another needy moan. He sat up abruptly, and Seongjun’s hand, which had been cradling his nape, slid down. Jinho tore off his clinging T-shirt and then his wet pants, which scraped against his skin. Seongjun shifted his hips and pulled down his own heavy, waterlogged pants. Now naked, Jinho pressed his heated body against Seongjun’s. His forearm splashed in the puddle on the floor as he leaned down to kiss Seongjun’s lips again, visible only as a shadowy outline in the dark. His tongue delved back into the soft, sensitive warmth of Seongjun’s mouth. Seongjun’s wet hand stroked Jinho’s back firmly as he pulled him closer. The pressure of their bodies grinding together sent waves of pleasure through them both.
Jinho pulled back slightly, his breath ragged. “Can I… touch you?”
Seongjun finally noticed Jinho’s awkward attempt to avoid putting his full weight on him. He chuckled at the question—it was cute, considering his hand was already exploring Jinho’s body. The sight of Jinho, so desperate yet clumsy, was oddly refreshing. Maybe even… appealing.
“You don’t have to ask every single time.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
