Side Story Chapter 1
Habits were frightening things. I had cheerfully turned off my morning alarm the night before the holiday, but around 7 AM, my eyes opened on their own.
I wasn’t alone lying sideways on the bed. A long, firm arm stretched from behind me, loosely wrapped around my waist. The owner of that arm was, of course, Song Ji-hyeok.
His peaceful breathing tickled my nape. Seeing him breathe steadily and quietly, Song Ji-hyeok seemed to still be in deep sleep. It made sense since he had returned from a dungeon late last night and we had spent passionate time together until dawn.
Afraid I might wake him, I carefully tried to create distance while lying still and holding my breath. Just when I thought I had successfully escaped, Song Ji-hyeok’s voice came from behind me before I could properly sit up.
“What time is it?”
“Just a moment.”
I quickly looked for my phone, but it wasn’t anywhere in sight. Since we had started a second round by overlapping lips as soon as we entered the house yesterday, it was likely in the pocket of the coat I had thrown off near the entrance.
Instead, I checked the electronic clock on the nightstand and answered while turning around.
“It’s just past 7. Sleep more.”
Laughter leaked into my voice as I answered. He couldn’t even open his eyes, drunk on sleep, looking like a puppy dozing in the afternoon sunlight. I was amazed that he had managed to sense me getting up even in that state.
“Why did you wake up so early? We agreed to sleep in today.”
“Just, my eyes opened on their own.”
Still unable to open his eyes, Song Ji-hyeok unusually launched a personal attack.
“They say you lose your morning sleep when you get old…”
This bastard.
“I’m still in my twenties, you know?”
“I’m… never mind.”
I could see his thin lips curve slightly into an arc. Those plump, reddish lips that perfectly harmonized with his features and put the finishing touch on his beauty felt annoying at this moment.
The guy who had been giggling weakly wrapped his arms around my waist again. Instead of showing off his strength by pulling me toward him, he pressed his upper body against mine and buried his face particularly near my thighs, above the drawers area, mumbling.
“Let’s sleep a bit more.”
“Sleep more if you’re sleepy. I’ll go out for a bit and come back.”
Then Song Ji-hyeok raised his head with a serious expression, as if he had never been acting sleepy.
“Where are you going?”
I involuntarily hesitated at the suddenly changed atmosphere, but answered in a nonchalant tone again.
“The bathroom.”
With my hand, I rustled through Song Ji-hyeok’s fine hair. It still smelled good, probably because he had washed it before sleeping. With an obviously relieved expression, Song Ji-hyeok returned his face to its original position and leaned against the pillow.
“I was startled, thinking you were going somewhere alone.”
“As if that would happen? Anyway, I’ll just quickly go to the bathroom and come back.”
Then this time he grabbed my hand. From the moment of contact, he slowly intertwined our fingers and gently tickled the sensitive inside of my palm with his thumb.
With his other hand, he hugged the pure white pillow and showed a fresh smile like a celebrity shooting a bed pictorial. But the words flowing from that mouth were anything but fresh.
“Shall I help you?”
No, really, this bastard.
Having spent time together, this level was now predictable. The impulse to flick his forehead briefly arose, but I managed to endure it and smiled while gritting my teeth.
“La-ter. In about seventy years.”
Song Ji-hyeok couldn’t have missed the barb in my words, but he responded naturally without losing his smile.
“Yes. I’ll definitely take care of you.”
The fact that he only used proper honorifics at times like this doubled my annoyance. Finally, I punished the giggling guy by thoroughly messing up his hair before finally escaping from the bed and heading to the bathroom.
I relieved myself refreshingly and stood in front of the sink. After roughly washing my hands, I put a toothbrush with toothpaste in my mouth. Unlike my lower body, which had managed to put on underwear before sleeping, my upper body was completely naked. The marks all over my neck and chest area were reflected in the mirror, but since this wasn’t the first or second time, I didn’t really care anymore.
I chuckled while brushing my teeth vigorously. Actually, the bathroom wasn’t my real destination.
Perhaps because I had sweated while supporting Song Ji-hyeok’s weight on the bed until dawn, I felt hungry as soon as I woke up in the morning. I even briefly thought that maybe I had woken up because I was hungry. When I told Song Ji-hyeok “I’ll go out for a bit and come back,” the place I had pictured in my mind was the kitchen, but saying it directly felt somehow embarrassing, so I had deflected.
‘Being hungry isn’t wrong… but looking for food as soon as you wake up is a bit much.’
Actually, I thought nothing would particularly change even if I dated. But seeing myself wanting to look good to the other person felt both unfamiliar and a bit embarrassing. I shook my head once and finished brushing my teeth by rinsing out the foam that filled my mouth. It was a leisurely weekend morning for once.
***
Like most office workers, my daily routine was quite regular. When I got to work, I would first head straight to the company cafeteria to fill my stomach heartily, and my first task was to check the data updated overnight, record what needed recording and memorize what needed memorizing while working on documents in parallel, and before I knew it, it would be lunchtime.
In the afternoon, I always made time for physical training. Although it was no longer possible for me to use my abilities as an Esper, a certain level of physical fitness was absolutely necessary as a Guide. And even if it wasn’t to the level of exercise addiction, I liked the unique refreshment and relief I could feel after using muscles throughout my body and sweating profusely.
After spending a busy yet rewarding day, the time I spent at home was also quite similar. On days when Song Ji-hyeok was absent and I went home alone, I would roughly wash my hands and prepare dinner for myself. I would mainly take out side dishes from the refrigerator, heat up two instant rice packs, and sit at the dining table.
Although my annual salary had skyrocketed to the point of breaking through the roof, surprisingly my life hadn’t changed much. I was still living with Song Ji-hyeok, and when I had no appointments, I would prepare and eat dinner at home myself. When I wanted to eat delicious food outside, I would wait for days when Song Ji-hyeok returned from dungeons. After suffering for several days and returning, he would be given at least half a day or more of rest.
Anyway, normally I would have gone straight home after work, but today I had a dinner appointment. When I got off the elevator on the 3rd basement floor, Park Jae-kyung, who had arrived first, raised her hand to greet me.
Soon Park Jae-kyung loaded me into her car and headed somewhere. Casually turning the steering wheel with one hand, she spoke to me.
“How’s your driving going?”
“Yeah. It’s still a bit scary, but I’m managing to drive carefully without scratching anything.”
“Wow, your Esper experience is still alive. A junior I know crashed the bumper on the first day and was devastated.”
It was a casual remark, but it didn’t sound like someone else’s business to me. That was because I was still a novice driver.
I got my driver’s license about a month ago, and there was a reason why I, who thought I’d live as a pedestrian my whole life, ended up becoming a car owner. It was because unforeseen problems arose during my commute.
My still-distinctive hair color was apparently quite noticeable, so after much deliberation, I dyed it black. And when going out, I made sure to wear a cap and mask like Song Ji-hyeok. But unfortunately, my efforts didn’t have much effect. Even though only my eyes were barely visible like a masked thief, there were always people who recognized me when I went outside.
Citizens who quietly approached and asked for handshakes were still the better ones. Calling out my name as if we were friends was cute compared to screaming loud enough to call all the neighborhood people or taking photos without permission, which happened frequently. Given the situation, I had no choice but to be more careful, and taking taxis was one of those things.
But as they say, you get stabbed in the foot by the axe you trust… There were even taxi drivers who recognized me and kept talking to me until I got off, or even demanded ridiculous tips, so I ended up getting my license late.
Song Ji-hyeok got me my first car. It wasn’t a new car, but he transferred the one he had been driving to me. Until just before changing the registration, Song Ji-hyeok complained, saying “I’ll buy you a sturdy new car. No matter how I think about it, a used one doesn’t look good,” but my position was different.
As a beginner, there was a high probability I’d scratch it here and there, and if a new car got damaged, I felt it would be more heartbreaking. Moreover, even though it was a used car, it was a new model that had been purchased less than a year ago and was so well-maintained that it was as good as new.
And the price? The quote for the used car Song Ji-hyeok transferred to me was even higher than the new car I had been eyeing, so that said it all.
Anyway, today I could ride comfortably in the passenger seat thanks to Park Jae-kyung. As we chatted, the car soon entered a parking lot entrance.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
