“So what?”
“I’m serious. Really. He got revenge for me—clean, decisive, like a real human. Total catharsis.”
“So what do you want me to do about it?”
“I think Louis loves me.”
No, he doesn’t!
At Han Jun’s words, Yi-hyeon perked his ears and lifted his head sharply.
“I don’t think so. Louis is looking at you with pure contempt right now.”
“What are you talking about? This is the look of love. Just look at these sparkling, pretty eyes staring at me. It means he wants to capture my face in his pupils. Besides, my aunt who got dumped not long ago wouldn’t even know what love—”
“You little shit. Ha, forget it. It’s not like I don’t already know you’re insane. Move. I’m about to go into caffeine withdrawal.”
Saying she’d wasted enough time stopping just to listen to his nonsense, Mi-jin told him that if he had time to spout bullshit, he should memorize at least one math formula instead. Then she headed back down to the kitchen.
Losing interest after being brushed off, Han Jun returned to his room. He set Yi-hyeon down on the bed and faced him, smiling with gently curved eyes as he lightly scratched the back of Yi-hyeon’s neck with his fingers.
“If you don’t believe it, whatever. Just trust me when I say he likes me.”
When Yi-hyeon stared at him blankly, Han Jun leaned in close and asked, “Right, Louis?” The skin brushing Yi-hyeon’s cheek was warm and soft.
If this kind of constant skinship kept up without even a second’s break, maybe one day touching him would feel normal. But still shy, Yi-hyeon kept washing his face with his front paws over and over.
Propping his arm on the edge of the bed, Han Jun lay there looking down at Yi-hyeon. His dark eyes shimmered under the fluorescent light. His eyelashes fluttered briefly as his eyelids slowly closed, then stilled.
“You feel like the last gift Mom left me.”
A moment later, Han Jun’s eyes fully shut.
Listening to the soft, steady rhythm of his breathing slipping through his slightly parted lips, Yi-hyeon crept closer. He lay facing Han Jun, tail slowly swaying from side to side.
A gift…
He wanted to be one.
He wanted to touch those eyelashes that looked as soft as fur. That straight, solid-looking nose bridge without a single flaw. And those lips—lively, supple, as if they’d carry a faint peach scent—what would they feel like?
No matter how many times he looked, Han Jun’s harmonious features never grew old.
I really want to become a gift.
A good gift—like a friend.
Hoping Han Jun would never again be hurt by the cruel words of bad friends, Yi-hyeon made a quiet vow to fill that empty space himself. He had nothing, and he was nothing special—but still…
Swoosh. Han Jun’s bangs slipped down, brushing the bridge of his nose. He frowned briefly, then relaxed again. Yi-hyeon jolted upright, startled—but when Han Jun didn’t wake and sank back into sleep, Yi-hyeon stretched out again, gently nudging the hair away with his nose.
After fussing around to settle things, Yi-hyeon somehow ended up with his butt pressed against Han Jun’s face, drifting off into a warm, cozy sleep.
***
It was a bright weekend. After returning from a light walk with Han Jun, Yi-hyeon—face pale—was carried into the bathroom in Han Jun’s arms. Han Jun had finally gotten his hands on a hard-to-find dog shampoo through a purchasing service and had decided to personally bathe Yi-hyeon.
Yi-hyeon’s eyes darted around every second.
He still wasn’t used to skinship with Han Jun. Bathing together—bare-skinned, bodies pressed close? And Yi-hyeon was a puppy who couldn’t wash himself properly. Han Jun’s hands would inevitably touch everywhere.
Completely unaware of Yi-hyeon’s anxiety, Han Jun proudly held up the shampoo bottle.
“Ta-da. I got this too. Know what it is? A bath additive humans can use too. Let’s do a half-bath together, Louis. It smells like peaches, but you can’t drink it, okay?”
“Kiing, kiing kiiing!”
No! I hate half-baths, Han Jun. Please don’t do this! You’ll regret it later, asshole!
Yi-hyeon’s desperate cries never reached him.
The moment Han Jun closed the bathroom door and yanked his pants down, Yi-hyeon freaked out and began scratching at the tightly shut door with all his might. Facing the greatest crisis of his nineteen-year life, Yi-hyeon’s pupils shook violently.
B-big. It’s too big! What is that—some kind of weapon?!
Completely naked, Han Jun walked over and gathered Yi-hyeon into his arms.
As he moved, his well-defined muscles pressed through Yi-hyeon’s fur and against his skin. Having already lost his pride as a man, Yi-hyeon felt like he was about to lose his very identity too. He went limp, squeezing his eyes shut with the resolve not to see any of this, no matter what.
Holding Yi-hyeon, Han Jun slowly lowered himself into the bathtub.
Having his face squashed against a classmate’s firm chest muscles while sitting in the same tub was, quite frankly, the worst.
Yi-hyeon had used public bathhouses before. He’d bathed together with younger kids at the orphanage too. So bathing with another man wasn’t the issue. But being pressed this close—skin to skin—and on top of that, being forced to keenly feel the sensual appeal of another man’s body… the situation was unfamiliar, uncomfortable, and unbearable.
“Kiing, kiing.”
Scratch, scratch—Yi-hyeon tried to scramble out of the tub, clawing at the edge, but slipped. Splash! As he fell into the water, Han Jun gently caught him with his palm and lifted him back up, setting him on his thigh.
I’m screwed…
Trying to escape had only made things more embarrassing. Yi-hyeon froze in place. His skin, slicker than before thanks to the bath additive, pressed against Han Jun. As Yi-hyeon flailed his four legs to get away, his paw landed on something big and soft—
Kk—
His mind went blank.
Why is it so unnecessarily big…
In the end, there was nowhere Yi-hyeon could escape to. Standing stiffly upright, stretching his waist as far up as he could just to breathe, hot steam filled his lungs, warming his chest.
Han Jun, sitting with one knee raised, began to massage Yi-hyeon.
From his neck to his armpits, then down along the curve of his waist, Han Jun’s firm thumb reached Yi-hyeon’s groin. A startled “Hik!” slipped out as Yi-hyeon fiercely smacked Han Jun’s hand away with his hind leg.
“Haha, Louis. What is it—are you splashing around?”
Water droplets splattered onto his face as Han Jun laughed brightly, clearly enjoying himself.
H-hey, wait—there?!
When Han Jun’s fingers, which had been digging into his back, sides, and belly, slipped between his hind legs, Yi-hyeon panicked and dog-paddled to the far end of the tub.
Rising from the water in a rush, Han Jun strode over, saying he needed to rinse him off. Muscles flexed with each step, and even though Yi-hyeon tried not to look, his gaze kept getting drawn to the movement between Han Jun’s legs.
Caught again, Yi-hyeon was forced into a humiliating position while Han Jun rinsed him. As if that weren’t enough, Han Jun lifted Yi-hyeon’s tail—tightly tucked between his legs—saying hadn’t he just gone number two earlier?
“Kiing, kiing!!”
P-please, Han Jun!
Never in his life had Yi-hyeon felt this humiliated.
Suppressing his boiling emotions with everything he had, Yi-hyeon finally finished his bath. The moment they were out, he scurried under the bed and didn’t come out for a long time. He felt like if he even met Han Jun’s eyes, all those strange, mortifying sensations from earlier would come rushing back.
You bastard. I said I didn’t want that…
As if shaking off the horrific memories that rose up like steam from the bathroom, Yi-hyeon shook his head violently.
“Louis, what’s wrong now? Huh? What did I do wrong this time?”
Hearing Han Jun’s voice calling to him as he crouched under the bed, Yi-hyeon squeezed his eyes shut. No matter how much he shook his head or closed his eyes, Han Jun’s body—so vividly present even in the steam—kept flashing back in his mind.
***
“Louis. Han Louis. Louiiis.”
Saying he was heading to school and asking if Yi-hyeon wasn’t going to see him off, Han Jun called out in a pitiful voice. Maybe yesterday’s events had hit harder than he thought—Yi-hyeon’s heart still wavered at the sound of Han Jun’s voice, and he couldn’t bring himself to come out from under the bed.
Only after he heard the bedroom door open, then the front door downstairs close, did Yi-hyeon slowly crawl out on all fours.
This is driving me insane.
Wondering how long he was supposed to keep living like this, Yi-hyeon let out a long breath from deep in his core.
Today was the day Han Jun had tutoring. That meant Yi-hyeon would be alone for quite a while.
For a moment, he wondered if he should’ve at least shown his face when seeing him off—but just thinking of Han Jun made his heart pound so hard that he felt hiding had been the right choice after all.
Being apart from Han Jun was lonely, but time alone was the only time Yi-hyeon could study for the CSAT in peace. So, as usual, he reached for the TV remote—then flinched, shuddering, and glanced around sharply.
