Touched by Fingertips (9)
I patted Sa Hae-geon’s back, then separated him from my embrace and pointed to the left side of the bed.
“You sleep there.”
I specially gave up the spot near the window for Sa Hae-geon, who had said he liked the view outside from my room. Then, as if escaping from the awkward atmosphere flowing between us, I quickly lay down with my back to Sa Hae-geon. He too seemed to slowly lie down on his back after watching me.
My heart pounded and I felt oddly ticklish all over as I realized again that we were sleeping in the same bed. I lay still on the bed for a while, then slightly turned my head to check behind me.
That’s when I made eye contact with Sa Hae-geon, who was looking at me rather than out the window. I was startled for a moment but tried to act natural as I asked.
“…Why aren’t you sleeping? What are you doing?”
“I was looking at you, hyung.”
“At me? Why?”
“Just because I want to see you.”
“…Really?”
I had generously given him the spot so he could fully enjoy the view outside, but he was just staring at the back of my head. As I awkwardly rolled my eyes and lay back down, I heard Sa Hae-geon squirming closer to me. Somehow I felt like all my nerves were on edge.
I hadn’t felt Sa Hae-geon’s breathing was that loud before, but perhaps because we were in the confined space of a bed, it sounded loud enough to ring in my ears. Because of this, I naturally became conscious of him.
My heartbeat also sounded very loud. I wonder if Sa Hae-geon could hear it too. Since he’s an S-rank Esper, he’s probably hearing everything even though he’s not showing it.
After tossing and turning with my thoughts in turmoil, I finally lay straight and looked up at the ceiling. Sa Hae-geon was still looking at me. Since it was difficult to ignore someone staring so openly, I had no choice but to speak first.
“I can’t sleep because you keep looking at me, which makes me self-conscious.”
“I was waiting to see when you would keep your promise.”
“…Promise? What promise?”
I asked in surprise, trying to recall what promise I had made with Sa Hae-geon. Did I promise him something…? No matter how much I wracked my brain, nothing significant came to mind. There’s no way I would completely forget a promise important enough for Sa Hae-geon to stay awake waiting for…
That’s when Sa Hae-geon replied sullenly.
“You promised to sleep while hugging me. You didn’t keep that.”
“…Ah, right.”
Only then could I understand what promise Sa Hae-geon was referring to. It was closer to indulging his whining than a real promise.
But wait, if he thought I’d forgotten our promise, couldn’t he have just cuddled up to me first? He’s usually quick to snuggle up, but today he’s acting uncharacteristically.
I turned to my side, opened my arms, and carefully embraced Sa Hae-geon. Only then did he burrow into my arms with a satisfied expression. I patted his broad back and said goodnight.
“Sweet dreams, Hae-geon.”
“…You too, hyung.”
Sa Hae-geon mumbled shyly in response, lightly kissed my cheek, and then buried his face in my chest. His hair tickled my cheek, and the scent of the same shampoo we shared lingered at the tip of my nose. Though we clearly used the same shampoo, the scent from his hair was subtly different from mine. Perhaps it felt a bit more cozy?
It seemed to be mixed with Sa Hae-geon’s own scent. I closed my eyes with my face against the top of Sa Hae-geon’s head. For some reason, I had a feeling I would have a very good dream tonight. Was it because I was sleeping with Sa Hae-geon? With such idle thoughts, I drifted off to sleep.
The next morning. My consciousness, trapped in deep sleep, gradually began to rise. I had suffered from a nightmare of being rolled up like an ingredient in a large kimbap roll. Perhaps it was due to the suffocating feeling. Because of the nightmare, I woke up even before the alarm went off.
“…Ugh.”
It was such a strange dream that I couldn’t help but groan. As I opened my eyes to wake up and prepare for work, my vision was completely black. Confused by the sudden situation, I looked around, only to belatedly realize that what filled my vision was Sa Hae-geon’s embrace.
When did I end up in his arms?
Sa Hae-geon, who usually woke up earlier than me, seemed to still be deep in dreamland. Regular breathing sounds were coming from above my head. I tried to carefully extract myself from his embrace to get ready first, but he was holding me so tightly that it was impossible to escape without waking him.
Could it be that I have to stay like this until the alarm goes off? Is there no chance of Sa Hae-geon waking up before then?
While contemplating this and squirming in Sa Hae-geon’s arms, the alarm went off right on cue. At the noise loud enough to startle even me who was already awake, Cream, who had been at our feet, trembled and stretched. Sa Hae-geon also twitched at the loud alarm sound.
But that was all. As he seemed about to go back to sleep, his weight shifting onto me, I tapped his back.
“Hae-geon, you need to get up.”
“Mm…”
Sa Hae-geon hummed and hugged me tighter. Though his uncharacteristic laziness was cute, we really needed to get up now. Above all, today we had to meet with the S-rank dungeon attack team at the Ability User Management Headquarters to discuss the A-rank dungeon.
We needed to be at the Center by 9 o’clock at the latest, but Sa Hae-geon wasn’t budging. Was he always this fond of sleep?
“Hae-geon.”
“…Yes.”
Sa Hae-geon responded in a voice full of drowsiness.
“We need to go to work.”
“Yes…”
“If you’re that sleepy, sleep a bit more. I’ll wake you up after I shower.”
Sa Hae-geon shook his head with his chin resting on my head. Then he mumbled in a low, husky voice.
“We should shower together…”
“Then you need to get up.”
A small sigh was heard from above my head. Sa Hae-geon let out a slight sigh and kissed the crown of my head.
“Ah, what are you doing first thing in the morning?”
“I just kissed you.”
“That’s not what I’m asking… I mean, why a kiss first thing in the morning?”
“Is it not allowed?”
“It’s not that it’s not allowed, but…”
Even in his sleep-intoxicated state, Sa Hae-geon was shameless as ever. I took advantage of a moment when Sa Hae-geon’s arms around my waist loosened slightly and managed to escape from him.
As I disappeared from his embrace, Sa Hae-geon blinked blankly and looked up at me sluggishly. His dark blue-black eyes were filled with dissatisfaction. He stared at me quietly before slowly getting up.
That’s when something caught my eye. I pointed at Sa Hae-geon’s head with my index finger and said.
“…Hae-geon.”
“Yes.”
“Your hair…”
“Yes.”
“It looks exactly like a bird built a nest.”
Sa Hae-geon blinked rapidly as if interpreting my words, then turned pale and dashed to the bathroom. Then he closed the door hard before I could say anything.
“…Hae-geon?”
“D-don’t look!”
“What’s wrong?”
“N-nothing, you shower in the living room. Or you can use the bathroom in my room.”
Sa Hae-geon’s voice was urgent.
“But you said we should shower together.”
“…I changed my mind. We’re running late today, so it would be more efficient to shower separately.”
“Huh? It’s not that late.”
I was puzzled since we had only been bickering for about five minutes, and he had gotten up saying we should shower together, but suddenly changed his behavior. I was also worried if there was a problem. I knocked on the door and called out to Sa Hae-geon who wasn’t answering.
“Hae-geon, why aren’t you answering? I said we’re not that late. You were so eager to shower together yesterday, why the sudden change?”
Instead of an answer, the sound of rushing water came from inside the bathroom. Is he really planning to shower alone? As I was tilting my head in confusion at the incomprehensible situation and about to leave the room, I heard the bathroom door opening. The door opened as noisily as it had been closed.
And behind it appeared Sa Hae-geon with his hair soaked in water. He must have taken off his top, as water was running down Sa Hae-geon’s chest. Though the water was supposed to be warm, I wondered if Sa Hae-geon wasn’t cold so early in the morning.
As I looked at him with bewildered eyes, Sa Hae-geon fidgeted and said.
“I’m fine showering alone, but you seemed to want to shower with me… If you want to use the same bathroom as me that badly, then let’s do that.”
“No, I…”
I opened my mouth to refute his absurd statement, but thinking about it, it wasn’t that wrong, so I decided to agree. Even though Sa Hae-geon had first suggested we shower together, if my heart hadn’t been moved, I wouldn’t have called out to him when he hid in the bathroom.
“Yes. You’re right. I did want to shower together. Have you hidden as much as you wanted to? Can I come in now?”
Sa Hae-geon looked at me a bit surprised, then bit his lower lip and nodded.
“…Yes. Come in. I won’t eat you up…”
“That’s my line.”
What does he mean he won’t eat me up when he’s the one with the face of an innocent rabbit? If anyone’s going to be eaten, it would be me doing the eating.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
