4) Summer Vacation
It was the vacation he’d been waiting and waiting for.
His eyes snapped open early in the morning. Unlike usual—when he’d bargain with himself for just five more minutes, ten more minutes because he loved sleeping—Eun-jo bolted upright.
“Vacation!”
It was the first vacation of his previous life and this one. Back when he’d been acting, he filmed dramas and movies nonstop without breaks, and even during the rare gaps, he stayed busy attending acting academies. On top of that, his face had become too well known, so forget domestic trips—he couldn’t even dream of traveling overseas.
With an excited flush all over his face, Eun-jo dragged his suitcase out from the corner of the room. Then he hurried all around the house, packing things up.
Even though he’d packed since the day before, there were still so many things missing. From sports towels for swimming and drying off to eyedrops and a selfie stick, the list kept growing.
The moment he stuffed in even the nail clipper set that had been rolling around in the corner, Jung Tae-seok—who’d been standing there with his arms crossed the whole time—furrowed his brow.
“What do you need nail clippers for?”
Taking the set out of the suitcase, Jung Tae-seok tossed it onto the sofa with a thud. Then he inspected the messily packed luggage.
“What’s this? An electric blanket?”
“…It could get cold.”
From the person who always complained it was too hot and hated cuddling. Brushing off Eun-jo’s words effortlessly, Jung Tae-seok pulled the electric blanket out.
“And what’s this now? Are you moving out or something? You even packed a comforter?”
“You’re right. I should pack a blanket too.”
It might get cold in the car or at the pool, so a microfiber blanket sounded useful. It was still hot out now, but weather could change anytime.
Jung Tae-seok grabbed Eun-jo as he happily trotted back toward the room. Then he sat him back down beside the suitcase.
“One selfie stick is enough.”
The selfie stick with the attached tripod flew onto the sofa.
“And why are you bringing so many supplements? Just take the red ginseng and ditch the rest.”
“That’s a multivitamin!”
“Why do you have so many socks? Yeo Eun-jo, are you a centipede or something?”
“I’ll wear them myself!”
Ignoring him completely, Jung Tae-seok kept throwing out unnecessary luggage. Even when Eun-jo secretly stuffed things back in, Jung Tae-seok somehow noticed every time and mercilessly tossed them back out again.
After even his cushion and speaker got confiscated, Eun-jo let out a rough huff. He absolutely needed music there! Glowering at Jung Tae-seok, Eun-jo smacked the suitcase.
“Then what do I need?!”
Bang. The sound came out louder than expected.
…The suitcase better not dent.
This time he slapped the floor instead.
“You’re taking out literally everything I put in!”
“I left the socks.”
“You call this leaving them?”
Eun-jo kicked the fuzzy sleeping socks rolling on the floor with the tip of his foot and took a breath.
“The electric blanket’s not allowed. The eyedrops aren’t allowed. You said I could keep the red ginseng, but you already took that out too.”
For someone who couldn’t even get out of bed in the morning without a struggle, supplements were essential. Did he think everyone was as sturdy as an Esper? Feeling unfairly wronged, Eun-jo picked up the red ginseng. The packaging crinkled sharply in his hand.
When grievance filled those round eyes, Jung Tae-seok let out a low sigh.
“Fine.”
Then he disappeared into his room before returning almost immediately. His arms were full of something.
Rustle.
He dumped everything straight into the suitcase. Eun-jo stared blankly at the square-shaped items wrapped in fluorescent and blue packaging.
Condoms.
“Why?”
When Eun-jo looked up at him with bewildered eyes, Jung Tae-seok asked as if nothing were strange.
“You said to bring what’s necessary.”
“…”
“Feels like we’ll use these more often than nail clippers.”
“You…!”
“Or do you wanna go without them, hyung?”
One corner of his lips curled crookedly upward.
“That’d work great for me.”
Crazy bastard. Trembling, Eun-jo reached into the suitcase instead of answering. He shoved all the obscene condoms out and began putting his belongings back in one by one.
“I said we should pack the condoms first.”
It was the same fight over and over. Eun-jo packed something, Jung Tae-seok tossed it onto the sofa, Eun-jo secretly hid it again, and Jung Tae-seok found it with ghostlike precision. And he threw things out so damn fast too. After repeating the cycle countless times, Eun-jo let out a breathless sigh.
I’m gonna kill him.
Just as Eun-jo stopped moving and glared at Jung Tae-seok—
“Eun-jo-ssi.”
A large backpack appeared in front of him. Inside, perfectly packed, were the electric blanket, the nail clipper set, and even the microfiber blanket Jung Tae-seok had confiscated.
“My bag’s empty.”
“Heo Nan-gyeom-ssi…!”
Beaming, Eun-jo hurried toward the backpack’s owner, Heo Nan-gyeom. Just as he was about to hug the bag, Jung Tae-seok grabbed both his arms.
“Do you know how hard I worked to take all that out…?!”
Easily shaking him off, Eun-jo hugged the backpack tightly.
“When did you pack all this? Can I put more stuff in here too? Really?”
“I already packed my things, so it’s fine if you fill the rest with your luggage, Eun-jo-ssi.”
“Wow.”
A genuine exclamation escaped his lips. Seeing those sparkling eyes, Heo Nan-gyeom let out a small laugh.
“I didn’t even transfer you money separately though…”
“Haven’t you already paid in advance?”
Remembering the previous night, Heo Nan-gyeom pulled Eun-jo into his arms along with the backpack. His lips brushed against Eun-jo’s neat forehead.
“That’s enough.”
His smiling face shone almost excessively bright. Just looking at that handsome face—even the curve of his lips looked unfairly attractive—made heat rise for no reason. His neck and ears were probably red already.
“You two having fun?”
Strong arms wrapped around his waist. In an instant, Eun-jo was pulled away from Heo Nan-gyeom’s embrace. He turned his head.
Jung Tae-seok stood there crookedly, but the second their eyes met, he looked away. Even so, he still didn’t let go of Eun-jo.
He’s sulking.
But Eun-jo wasn’t exactly in a better mood either. Bending at the waist, he slipped free with ease and headed toward the room. Lee Sang-heon followed behind him, wagging his tail happily.
Revived again, Eun-jo wandered all over the house. There was only one actual puppy, but it felt like another tail was wagging behind Eun-jo too.
“He’s basically a child.”
Jin Mu-seong snorted a laugh while making coffee. Eun-jo was so excited even his bouncing hair seemed to radiate energy.
Holding his coffee cup, Jin Mu-seong leaned lazily against the dining table. Watching Eun-jo run back toward the room again, he spoke.
“If we tell him the vacation’s canceled, he looks like he’d collapse dramatically.”
“…”
“And what does Team A’s leader think?”
Park Se-yul, who’d been sitting at the table staring down at a tablet, finally looked up. Bloodshot eyes immediately found Eun-jo.
He’d just come back after being dragged to the Center at dawn. The issue was a Gate report from last month that had been submitted incorrectly. It had been a joint operation with another team, and although that team leader had already seemed excessive, the real problem was that he’d credited every achievement in the report solely to his own team.
The Central Center wasn’t stupid. There was no way they’d approve a report claiming the elite Team A had done absolutely nothing. Thanks to that, Park Se-yul alone had been summoned and forced to rewrite the report until late at night. And not just casually—he had to detail exactly what happened inside the Gate by time slot: where, when, how, and what they did.
That alone was enough to piss him off, but right when he finally finished the report, he got called out to the field. Somewhere had caught fire, and they urgently needed him to freeze it. Of course it had to be a government institution too, making it difficult to refuse.
“Ha…”
Only returning home once morning arrived, Park Se-yul covered his face tiredly.
“How many days?”
“Three.”
Three days.
Moistening his dry lips, his eyes followed Eun-jo.
Right now, he wanted to grab those slender ankles and drag him straight into the bedroom. It felt like everything would be fine if he buried his teeth into Eun-jo’s neck until the waves calmed down, spread his legs apart, and thrust himself inside him.
“If you’re going to look at him like that, maybe you should stay behind.”
“…”
“He’s that excited. Don’t ruin it.”
“If I stay…”
Park Se-yul closed and reopened his throbbing eyes before adding,
“If I stay behind, do you think Yeo Eun-jo would obediently follow me?”
Eun-jo could never ignore an Esper who looked like he was dying. Thinking the same thing, Jin Mu-seong clicked his tongue in annoyance.
“At least if he goes, he won’t have time for weird thoughts.”
Returning his gaze to the documents, Park Se-yul continued.
“I’ll just focus on work, so keep an eye on him. If one of you so much as grabs his hand for no reason, he’ll probably start saying he should do Guiding instead of taking a vacation.”
“…Good thing we were thinking the same thing.”
That ended the conversation.
What remained was Eun-jo darting around excitedly, the puppy chasing after him, and Jung Tae-seok and Heo Nan-gyeom repeatedly packing and unpacking luggage like people preparing for evacuation.
***
The vacation he’d dreamed about exceeded all expectations.
Because of regulations, overseas travel was impossible, and since his face was well known through various media outlets, domestic tourist destinations were difficult too. So the place they chose was this private resort. Located on an island, the resort consisted only of private villas and pools aside from the staff housing.
The vast East Sea, the gardens, and the long pool stretching alongside the horizon. Ever since stepping off the private plane, Eun-jo’s flushed cheeks hadn’t cooled once.
A vacation. I’m actually on vacation…!
After unpacking in the second-floor bedroom, Eun-jo let out an excited breath.
“This is insane.”
No matter where he looked, everything was breathtaking. The bedroom filled with modern furniture was beautiful too, but the most stunning part was the view beyond the balcony.
“This might be better than filming locations.”
He’d visited countless scenic places both domestically and overseas, but nowhere had felt as beautiful as this.
“Maybe it’s because it’s a vacation?”
As expected, nothing was fun when it was work-related.
Humming to himself, he unzipped the suitcase. Thanks to Heo Nan-gyeom and Lee Sang-heon helping him, the electric blanket, blanket, and all the miscellaneous items had safely made it there.
He shoved both hands into the chaotic pile.
What he pulled out was a swimsuit.
He stepped into the swimsuit that came halfway down his thighs and took off the T-shirt he’d been wearing. Tucking a swim tube securely under his arm, Eun-jo left the room.
“……”
Park Se-yul, who had just stepped out of the room across from his, stopped dead in his tracks. His cool gaze swept slowly over Eun-jo’s body from top to bottom.
“…Yeo Eun-jo.”
“Y-Yes?”
No further words came.
Keeping his mouth tightly shut, Park Se-yul stared at Eun-jo’s half-naked body.
The person who’d once looked like he might die from overwork had apparently started following Jung Tae-seok to the Training Center, because now his body had developed attractive muscle definition. His posture had improved too, and lean muscle clearly lined his arms, shoulders, and stomach.
“……”
This is driving me insane.
Park Se-yul swallowed a quiet groan.
The lean muscle wasn’t even the biggest problem. The issue was slightly higher up.
Above pale white skin, his chest swelled plumply. Thanks to five people constantly touching him, the nipples had become obscenely swollen and prominent.
“Team Leader?”
Desire surged violently.
The chaotic waves rampaging inside him urged him to ravage the Guide standing before him immediately. Feeling his vision darken, Park Se-yul tore his gaze away from Eun-jo.
“You’re going out dressed like that?”
“…Does it not suit me?”
“It doesn’t.”
It was a swimsuit he’d agonized over before ordering online. He’d even bought three and carefully picked this one.
Eun-jo glanced down at the swimsuit.
“I picked this after a lot of thought though…”
As he shoved his hands into the pockets and fluttered the fabric, Park Se-yul’s gaze landed on his thighs. His eyes drifted inside the swimsuit, toward even more intimate places, and Eun-jo nearly gasped internally.
He could just say he didn’t want others seeing him. Why make it difficult?
Pretending not to notice, Eun-jo tilted his head.
“Should I just wear boxer briefs instead?”
“What?”
At his suddenly ice-cold expression, Eun-jo hummed thoughtfully and rambled on.
“A swimsuit and boxer briefs are basically the same anyway. No one else is going to see us. It’s just us here.”
“If underwear and swimsuits are the same thing, then why do swimsuits even exist?”
“Oh… good point.”
“……”
“Why do they exist?”
When Eun-jo asked again as if he genuinely didn’t know, the sound of grinding teeth escaped Park Se-yul. That cold face looked like he might grab Eun-jo by the nape and pin him down at any second.
Eun-jo glanced around.
To the left was the sofa. To the right, a table. Either place would work fine for making out. Going into the bedroom would be even better.
Just as he stepped closer to Park Se-yul to make himself easier to grab, Park Se-yul took one step back.
Exactly the same distance Eun-jo had approached.
“There’s a robe in the closet. Put it on.”
“Team Leader?”
As if the conversation was over, Park Se-yul looked away.
“…It’s slippery, so be careful.”
Before Eun-jo could react, Park Se-yul disappeared into his room. Left standing before the closed door, Eun-jo stared blankly at the spot where he’d been.
Did he just avoid me?
The veins bulging across his forehead and neck, the eyes blazing so intensely Eun-jo couldn’t tell whether he looked at him with love or murderous intent—
He definitely looked like he was about to pin me down though…?
Park Se-yul had never been the type to hesitate.
Something was strange.
Just as Eun-jo reached for the doorknob, footsteps sounded from the staircase.
