The instinct to protect someone who’s broken—or maybe it was pity. Sun Woosung stared at Seo Suho, comparing those soft emotions he knew with the ones stirring in his own heart.
Wearing a white lab coat, tapping on a tablet while muttering under his breath, Seo Suho now looked every bit the mature adult. The image of him in a school uniform, his youthful face still untouched by age, felt oddly distant. Though they’d recently crossed paths elsewhere, and this was already their second encounter here, now that it was just the two of them in the room, the moment felt different—more intimate, somehow.
Sun Woosung, relying on his sharp intuition, sensed that Seo Suho remembered him too.
“Is there something you wanted to say to me?”
Seo Suho’s quiet voice broke the silence, as if he’d noticed Sun Woosung’s lingering gaze. Sun Woosung stayed silent for a moment, then slowly shook his head.
“No, nothing.”
“……”
Those dark eyes fixed on Sun Woosung without wavering.
“……I have something I’d like to say to you, Colonel.”
The unexpected words triggered a flicker of confusion in Sun Woosung’s mind. He quickly assumed it must be related to the project and quietly watched Seo Suho’s face.
“It’s just… not here.”
Seo Suho glanced around the room, subtly gesturing at the cameras recording everything. It was clear he didn’t want their voices recorded—this was meant to be a private conversation.
“I’ll bring it up when you have some time to spare. Would tomorrow work for you?”
“I don’t have anything scheduled for tomorrow evening.”
The answer slipped out faster than Sun Woosung expected—even to himself. It felt like his mouth moved ahead of his mind.
“I need to return to base tonight, and tomorrow evening, I’ll be heading home after finishing things at the lab.”
He added the explanation unnecessarily, but Seo Suho didn’t seem to notice anything odd and simply nodded.
“All right, then. Tomorrow.”
Thunk.
A beast, its fur bristling like needles, slammed its head against the barrier. Seo Suho turned immediately to the creature. Despite the massive size of the beast and the way it looked ready to leap over the barrier at any moment, he remained calm and composed as he soothed it.
“What’s wrong? I told you not to bang your body like that.”
Grrr.
“No. When I’m speaking, you’re supposed to look at me.”
Snapping his fingers firmly, he drew the beast’s gaze away from Sun Woosung and back to himself, commanding with effortless authority.
Sun Woosung watched silently as the beast, which had been glaring at him with narrowed eyes, gradually settled down once it turned back to Seo Suho.
***
I wanted to make sure I thanked Sun Woosung—I didn’t want to forget that. I hadn’t expected we’d be setting something up as early as tomorrow, though.
After coming home and taking a shower, I skipped dinner and collapsed straight into bed. I couldn’t even be bothered to pull the blanket over myself. While I couldn’t remove any research data from the lab, there was nothing stopping me from organizing what was in my head. I wanted to delve deeper into today’s test results with Sun Woosung and Cat, but my body felt like it was melting into the mattress, and my mind was too hazy to think straight.
My heavy eyelids slowly shut.
“…Hey. Seo Suho.”
A careful hand gently shook me awake. I opened my eyes to find Min Yugeon staring down at me, dressed like he’d just come through the door. I’d dozed off lying on my side.
“You’re back.”
“You went to sleep without even eating dinner?”
“…Yeah.”
Min Yugeon examined me with concern, noticing how sluggish I was.
“You’re not sick, right? You don’t have a fever or anything?”
He placed his hand on my forehead to check my temperature. I blinked and awkwardly turned my gaze away. Our first time had been intense, but because Min Yugeon had taken such gentle care of me afterward, I wasn’t in any pain. I just felt thoroughly drained—like all my energy had been sapped—and overwhelmingly sleepy. Shaking my head, I buried my face into the pillow.
“I’m just tired. Really, I’m fine. Don’t worry about me—go eat dinner. I’m going to sleep like this.”
“…Okay.”
Though I could no longer see him, Min Yugeon stood still for a moment, then smoothed down my disheveled hair. Soon after, I heard him walk out of the room.
The door clicked shut. I let out a silent sigh, still lying face down.
Ever since learning what was really in Min Yugeon’s heart, I hadn’t been able to act like nothing had changed. Even if I tried to hide it, someone as perceptive as Min Yugeon—who always noticed the subtle shifts in my mood or expression—would surely pick up on it. Just like how I’d sensed when he was avoiding me.
“You were with the Vice Captain… No, the Captain now… I know you were just trying to comfort him. I get that. Anyone would have seen it that way. But it was the first time I’d ever seen you like that with someone else. …And the thought that you might hate me if you ever heard this—it scared me.”
Thinking back, I probably looked ridiculous when I said that. I’d mistaken his feelings for nothing more than a possessive attachment between friends. And now, the thought that my obliviousness might have hurt him made my chest feel heavier. I hated how I’d made him force a smile with that complicated look on his face.
…So what am I supposed to do now?
I knew pretending nothing happened wasn’t a solution. If I kept this up, I’d only end up making things more painful for Min Yugeon. Maybe he’d realize I had heard his confession after all… or start regretting what happened between us, swept up in the heat of the moment.
No matter what, I didn’t want him to suffer emotionally.
But even if I wanted to be honest, I had no idea what I was supposed to say. It’s not like he confessed expecting an answer. Responding now might just make things even more awkward.
I didn’t want to lose him. I hated myself for thinking this way, but… if I turned him down, he might walk away. Sure, I’d pictured the day he’d eventually fall for someone and move out. But the idea of him cutting ties with me completely—that was something else entirely.
Just the thought of it made my chest tighten. I lifted my head from the pillow. Pressing my palm to my forehead, I let out a long, weary breath.
Knock, knock.
A soft knock echoed through the room. When I looked over, Min Yugeon came in with his sleeves rolled up. Caught off guard, I flinched without thinking.
“What is it?”
“I figured yesterday wasn’t quite enough. Wanted to help you relax a bit more.”
His hands were still damp from washing as he approached with confident steps. Climbing onto the bed where I lay face down, he rolled up my pajama pants. It was only then I realized he meant a massage.
“No, really. That was enough. You don’t have to worry about me.”
“You don’t worry about me either. Just go to sleep.”
Unfortunately, I’d already been wide awake for a while. Before I could say anything else, Min Yugeon gently wrapped his hand around my ankle. His palm was so big that it enveloped it completely.
He rotated the joint gently, then began kneading from the arch of my foot up to my calf. His touch was firm, thorough, and just the right amount of pressure. The sensation silenced me completely. I tilted my head and rested one cheek against the pillow.
It wasn’t the first time Min Yugeon had given me a massage. If I ever winced during stretching or looked worn out from body aches, he’d always step in and tend to me. Thanks to him, I rarely felt stiff or sore. Maybe it was because he was good with his body, but his massages were damn effective.
“Does it feel tight here?”
He gently pressed the inner side of my knee. The pressure on the hollow curve created a strange sensation, and my toes involuntarily twitched.
Had it always felt like this?
“It’s fine.”
“…That’s good.”
His hand lingered at the back of my knee for a while, then slowly moved upward. After that one jolt of sensation, all my nerves were on edge. My body had become hypersensitive to his touch. When his thumb started drawing slow circles on the inside of my thigh, a soft moan escaped my lips before I could stop it.
“……”
“……”
Min Yugeon froze. Until then, the only sounds in the room had been the faint rustling of clothes or sheets brushing against his movements—but even that went still. The room sank into silence.
He resumed his motions, quietly, as if pretending he hadn’t heard it. Whether it was because he was now hyper-aware of the sound or it was just my imagination, his touch felt noticeably more delicate.
I bit my bottom lip. My face burned. Yesterday, I’d been so exhausted I’d practically passed out during the massage. But tonight, I had enough awareness to feel everything. Memories of how every part of my body had reacted to his touch came flooding back, making me more tense than relaxed.
By the time his hand cautiously pressed into the swell of my ass, I couldn’t take it anymore. I turned over and finally spoke.
“That’s enough, Min Yugeon. Stop…”
My voice trailed off and broke.
Because of the way he was straddling me, my gaze landed on his lower half before our eyes could meet. Even though his pants weren’t particularly tight, the outline of his erection was clearly visible—blatantly so.
“…Mm.”
Our eyes finally locked. Min Yugeon gave me a sheepish smile.
…I wasn’t the only one caught in an awkward position.
