Touched by Fingertips (3)
Even if Sa Hae-geon was being pushy, it would still be better to refuse. I was thinking this as I was about to pull my lips away. But as if he had sensed something, he beat me to it.
“Do you dislike bathing with me? If that’s the case, I won’t push.”
“No, that’s not what I…”
I found myself shaking my head in denial at his somewhat dejected voice. Sa Hae-geon immediately brightened his eyes as if he’d caught an opportunity.
‘…I made a mistake.’
After meeting Sa Hae-geon’s eyes shining with anticipation, I couldn’t help but regret my words. He was clearly going to use this as an excuse to be persistent.
“Then what is it?”
Just as I expected. Sa Hae-geon asked subtly. It was difficult to simply scold him, so I decided to find another excuse to politely refuse.
“But you already washed up as soon as you got here earlier.”
“I can wash again. I like bathing.”
Sa Hae-geon answered smoothly. Though his glibness was astounding, it wasn’t a lie. I was very well aware of how important cleanliness was to him. The only flaws in this seemingly spotless house were the traces I left, Cream’s fur, and scattered sand.
For someone who washes his hands and cleans the house several times a day, bathing multiple times would be no big deal. Even if he had already bathed ten times, Sa Hae-geon would definitely say he could just bathe again.
I kept hesitating because it would be my first time bathing with someone who wasn’t family. Even during my time at coed school, and while working in the field, though Espers or fellow Guides had kept watch nearby, I had never bathed with them. That kind of group activity wasn’t forced either.
Of course, that wasn’t the only reason I was reluctant to bathe with Sa Hae-geon.
The act of bathing together itself was a very intimate act for me. An acknowledgment of a relationship too close to turn back from. Therefore, I couldn’t help but hesitate, especially since I hadn’t clearly defined my relationship with Sa Hae-geon yet.
But if I thought of bathing together as advancing our relationship one step further… it wouldn’t be impossible. Even if my relationship with Sa Hae-geon progressed to a point where I could never turn back, I would never regret it.
And what’s so difficult about taking a bath together once?
“Alright. Let’s do that. Let’s do it.”
“…What?”
Sa Hae-geon’s eyes widened at my abrupt answer. He seemed like he hadn’t actually expected me to agree despite his pestering, as his cheeks flushed red and he kept asking.
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Hyung, this isn’t a dream, right?”
“Would you prefer if it was?”
“No. I’d prefer if it wasn’t a dream but reality.”
Sa Hae-geon replied like that and suddenly rushed into my arms. A lukewarm warmth completely enveloped my body. I hadn’t expected him to be this enthusiastically happy, but seeing his reaction made me smile. I placed my hand on Sa Hae-geon’s broad back and carefully patted it.
Sa Hae-geon, who had been quietly receiving my touch, asked with a slightly trembling voice.
“Then… shall we bathe in the bathtub?”
“…Bathtub? Why suddenly the bathtub?”
“I think the shower stall would be too narrow for both of us. And if we do it there, the bath would end quickly.”
Isn’t it better to finish bathing quickly, even to save on water bills? Is Sa Hae-geon welcoming our bath together so much that he doesn’t care about such things at all? I don’t know about others, but I found Sa Hae-geon’s peculiar suggestion simply adorable.
However, two men crammed into one bathtub… it seemed somewhat unsightly.
“Let’s skip the bathtub. Even if it’s narrow, here is better than the bathtub.”
“Since you’re so adamant, I feel a bit disappointed. Can’t we bathe in the bathtub?”
“…What?”
“And we could also use bath bombs.”
“No, no. Let’s just do it here. No need for bath bombs or anything. We’re just going to wash quickly and get out, so why use the bathtub? It’s not like we’re doing a half-body bath.”
Sa Hae-geon’s eyes widened at the term ‘half-body bath.’
“Then should we bathe and do a half-body bath too? They say half-body baths are good for health.”
It was a never-ending mountain. I shook my head again. Bathing together would be fine, but doing a half-body bath in the bathtub together was definitely out of the question. Imagining sitting closely in a bathtub when we weren’t even in any kind of relationship yet made me feel strange. I snapped to my senses at the feeling of doing something improper to a child.
Of course, if I said this directly to Sa Hae-geon, he would have been furious at being treated like a child.
“No. Why would we do a half-body bath together… We’re grown adults with no particular relationship, so it’s a bit… Anyway, let’s just bathe.”
At my refusal, Sa Hae-geon blinked blankly before saying.
“How can you say we have no relationship? We’re even living together.”
Sa Hae-geon looked at me with a hardened face, as if he was hurt. Seeing his expression, my mind went blank for a moment. It felt like I had said something terribly wrong.
“People can live together even without a specific relationship. Many friends do it.”
“Two healthy men, and specifically an Esper and a Guide living together, how can that be no relationship? Plus, we’re taking care of a cat together like our child.”
“What are you saying…”
My cheeks flushed at his absurd words. Sa Hae-geon looked down at me quietly before saying in a sulky voice.
“And if some kind of relationship is required to go into a bathtub as you say, then there’s even less of an issue. Close brothers can casually take baths or half-body baths together.”
“Hae-geon.”
“If you don’t understand, just think of it as granting my wish since I pushed myself during today’s operation.”
“What?”
“You have no choice even if you don’t like it. You can at least do a half-body bath with me for my sake, since I worked hard.”
The more I listened, the more absurd Sa Hae-geon’s logic became, but my heart had already softened considerably, and honestly, I didn’t feel that much resistance. Maybe it was because the other person was Sa Hae-geon…
Right. It’s just a half-body bath, and at most it would last thirty minutes to an hour. If I could grant Sa Hae-geon’s wish by investing that short amount of time, it would be better to do so. Eventually, I nodded.
“If that’s your wish, let’s do it.”
He looked somewhat unsatisfied, but without saying anything more, he pulled me toward the bathroom attached to the living room.
The half-body bath with Sa Hae-geon wasn’t as bad as I had thought. If there was a downside, it was that if I glanced in the wrong direction, the atmosphere would instantly become awkward. But since the bathtub was larger than I expected, it was okay because I didn’t have to be too close to Sa Hae-geon.
He seemed a bit dissatisfied with that aspect, but what could I do? It’s his house with an unnecessarily large bathtub.
“If I had known it would be like this, I would have chosen a smaller bathtub…”
Sa Hae-geon grumbled in a pouty voice and gave me a subtle glance.
“But thanks to the large bathtub, we can comfortably have a half-body bath together. Isn’t this what you wanted?”
“I…”
Sa Hae-geon, who was continuing his words, swallowed a sigh and dropped his gaze. After looking into the bathtub for a moment, he raised his eyes again to stare at me. Droplets of water were falling from the tips of his wet hair.
The water droplet that had been clinging to Sa Hae-geon’s eyelashes flowed down his reddish cheeks as if it had been waiting when he blinked. Faced with this unexpectedly obscene sight, I couldn’t help but inhale sharply.
It was just a droplet of water flowing down his cheek, but is it okay to feel such strange sentiments? I quickly turned my head away from Sa Hae-geon, who was looking at me with innocent eyes. Then he asked in a puzzled voice.
“Why are you suddenly acting like that?”
“…It’s nothing.”
“Your face is red. Are you hot?”
“No… Yes. It’s hot. Maybe my body temperature rose from the half-body bath.”
At my answer, Sa Hae-geon made a humming sound and didn’t show any particular reaction, but then suddenly burst into a quiet laugh. Sa Hae-geon’s laughter echoed in the bathroom.
“Hyung.”
“…Yes.”
“It’s all obvious.”
“What is…”
“You’re clearly feeling embarrassed right now.”
Sa Hae-geon said this as he carefully held my chin with both hands. He turned my head to make our eyes meet, and then asked with a face that had a shallow smile drawn on it.
“You said we have no relationship. Then why are you suddenly embarrassed?”
My heart raced on its own as I looked at Sa Hae-geon, who seemed to have guessed why I was reacting this way. Sa Hae-geon stared at me as I couldn’t give any answer and just rolled my eyes around, then suddenly bit my earlobe with a “chomp” sound.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
