Side Story: The Perfect Connection (1)
A week had passed since the S-rank dungeon conquest was completed. The chaotic atmosphere had subsided, and everyone had returned to their normal daily lives. Sa Hae-geon, the protagonist of the S-rank dungeon conquest, was no exception. Having received a vacation from the Ability Department along with Chae Do-min, Sa Hae-geon was doing his best to help his lover’s confinement—or rather, seclusion.
He found great happiness and satisfaction in preparing every meal for Chae Do-min, preparing snacks, and occasionally serving special late-night dishes. Especially whenever he saw Chae Do-min munching with his tiny mouth, as small as a baby bird’s beak, his heart would flutter. When he reached out to wipe sauce from the corner of his mouth or brush away crumbs, Chae Do-min would blink in surprise before smiling warmly with gratitude.
Who would have thought that Chae Do-min’s eyes would be directed toward him, containing only him? Sa Hae-geon’s lips twitched into a smile as he rolled kimbap early in the morning.
Just then, someone embraced him from behind. Chae Do-min seemed to have woken up. Unlike himself, Chae Do-min’s skin was soft and delicate, feeling as though it might bruise at the slightest touch. Feeling that tender skin against his back, Sa Hae-geon bit his lower lip and asked, “Are you up?”
“Yeah. I tried to sleep more, but you weren’t beside me.”
His voice was full of sleepiness. Despite being such a heavy sleeper, he had left the bed because Sa Hae-geon wasn’t there. This was practically a love confession, and Sa Hae-geon couldn’t help but smile. Trying to suppress his grin, he pressed the back of his gloved hand against his twitching lips and mumbled nonchalantly, “Go sit down. The kimbap is almost ready.”
“Okay. Just let me stay like this a little longer…”
Chae Do-min buried his face against Sa Hae-geon’s back and rubbed it side to side. With each movement, Sa Hae-geon could feel his unique, warm scent and body heat, making his heart pound uncontrollably. Every time Sa Hae-geon realized he had preserved this peaceful daily life with Chae Do-min, he felt proud of himself.
Though it was frustrating that this daily life would be threatened every 10 years, at least they were safe until the next signs appeared. That was enough. He would stay by Chae Do-min’s side and protect him.
In fact, Sa Hae-geon had already mapped out their life together up to age 100. Of course, he hadn’t gotten Chae Do-min’s consent, but why would that matter? Chae Do-min would naturally agree to whatever he suggested anyway.
At any rate, he planned to remain active in the field until his fifties, like the Esper Lee Cheol-min, protecting Chae Do-min’s peace with his own hands. After that, he would quit working and regain his freedom.
He would travel far away with Chae Do-min and spend time leisurely like they were doing now. After that, it would be the next generation of Espers’ responsibility. Since today’s Espers were much more capable than those from 10 years ago, the Espers who would appear 10 and 20 years later would likely follow a similar pattern. The more outstanding Espers there were, the safer this world would become.
Moreover, with advancing scientific technology, countries were persistently researching methods to completely nullify the dungeons that occurred at fixed intervals, so there was a high possibility that S-rank dungeons would soon exist only in history.
Lost in his daydream, Sa Hae-geon felt Chae Do-min’s hands kneading his stomach. Sa Hae-geon, who had been brushing sesame oil on the kimbap, flinched and turned his head to find Chae Do-min standing there half-asleep, asking dazedly, “What are you doing…?”
Hearing that languid voice, Sa Hae-geon stared at him blankly for a moment before swallowing a sigh. He removed his gloves, placed them neatly on the cutting board, and hoisted the swaying Chae Do-min onto his shoulder. Startled by the sudden change in perspective, Chae Do-min flailed and exclaimed, “Wh-what?”
Without a word, Sa Hae-geon carried him to the bedroom, gently laid him on the bed, carefully covered him with the blanket, and said kindly, “Sleep a bit more.”
“Uh… huh?”
Meeting Chae Do-min’s hazy gaze, Sa Hae-geon added, “You seem tired. It’s okay to eat breakfast a little later, so you should sleep more.”
“Ah…”
“You were up until dawn, after all.”
Chae Do-min blinked slowly, belatedly understanding the implication before blushing and hiding under the blanket. Sa Hae-geon chuckled softly, and Chae Do-min grumbled from beneath the covers, “We did it together, so why are you the only one who’s fine…”
“Because you lack exercise.”
“I don’t think exercise would make any difference. Never mind. Go away.”
Chae Do-min was finally sulking. After fixing the blanket crumpled by Chae Do-min’s agitated movements, Sa Hae-geon whispered for him to rest and left the bedroom.
Of course, Chae Do-min had every right to feel aggrieved. He had diligently exercised during their vacation to try to match Sa Hae-geon’s stamina and had eaten more enthusiastically too, but who would have known that the only improvement would be passing out twenty minutes later than before? Sa Hae-geon seemed pleased even with just that, smiling with downcast eyes, but that wasn’t enough to satisfy Chae Do-min.
Recalling what had happened the night before from inside the soft, heavy blanket, Chae Do-min sighed deeply and poked his face out. The slightly cool air on his cheeks seemed to dispel some of the sleepiness that had been weighing down his entire body.
As the fog-like drowsiness cleared from his mind, he finally came to his senses. Chae Do-min blinked, staring blankly at the ceiling. Cream, who had been lounging leisurely in the living room, had somehow climbed onto the bed and was occupying a spot. As he reached out to touch Cream’s soft fur, Chae Do-min froze at the flash of memory from the previous night.
‘Are you crying, hm? Because it feels good?’
Sa Hae-geon had asked that with his face drenched in sweat. When Chae Do-min shook his head and let out a moan, Sa Hae-geon smiled with one corner of his mouth lifted and kissed his temple. Sa Hae-geon’s lips were damp with transparent liquid. Only then did Chae Do-min touch his face and realize he had shed tears from excessive excitement. And that Sa Hae-geon had caught him doing so.
His face flushed instantly. Sa Hae-geon had teased him by deliberately kissing only where tears had left trails. He even stuck out his tongue and licked them demonstratively. Then he continued thrusting as if nothing had happened. So greedily that Chae Do-min, who had been about to get angry, couldn’t resist and ended up embracing him tightly.
Just briefly recalling what had happened at dawn made him feel hot. Thinking the house seemed warmer, Chae Do-min threw off the expensive goose down blanket and sat up abruptly. The cat, who had been sleeping curled up like an ancient fossil on the blanket, narrowed its eyes and glared at Chae Do-min after being disturbed.
“Oh, sorry, Cream.”
Apologizing while patting the discontentedly tail-flicking cat’s belly, Chae Do-min got out of bed and tiptoed out of the room. The aroma of fragrant sesame oil and simple egg soup permeated the living room. Chae Do-min snuck a glance at Sa Hae-geon’s back as he concentrated on cutting the kimbap into proper sizes, and entered the kitchen.
As he naturally opened the refrigerator to get water, Sa Hae-geon asked curiously, “You don’t need to sleep more?”
“No, I’m fully awake now.”
“Already?”
Sa Hae-geon asked as if that were impossible, pausing from cutting the kimbap to carefully observe Chae Do-min as he gulped down water. His cheeks and ears were flushed red. What on earth had he been thinking alone in the bedroom? Sa Hae-geon slightly raised the corner of his mouth as he transferred the kimbap to a dish.
“Hyung.”
“Y-yeah?”
“Your face is red.”
“R-really? It was a bit warm, so maybe that’s why…”
“Was it hot?”
“Yeah, a little hot. I guess the weather’s warming up.”
Sa Hae-geon took in Chae Do-min’s awkward response and simply nodded. He couldn’t make him uncomfortable first thing in the morning.
After finishing his meal, Chae Do-min met the gaze of Sa Hae-geon, who was eyeing him suspiciously. What scheme was he planning? He had barely touched the kimbap and was just observing him intently. Had he eaten some while making them? Chae Do-min moistened his throat with water and asked, “Why are you looking at me like that? Do you have something to say?”
Then Sa Hae-geon spoke as if he had been waiting for just that question, “What were you thinking about alone in the room?”
“Uh… what?”
“What were you thinking that made your face red when you came out?”
Though he asked in a questioning tone, his slightly upturned lips suggested he had a good guess. Chae Do-min set down the water glass on the table, calculating his timing. No matter how close he was with Sa Hae-geon, embarrassing things were still embarrassing. There was no need to confess in front of Sa Hae-geon that he had been blushing while reminiscing about what had happened yesterday.
Chae Do-min’s eyes moved busily. After examining the various rooms—two bedrooms, bathroom, dressing room, and others—he soon met Sa Hae-geon’s eyes. Those deep blue eyes were glistening as if finding this situation amusing. With an ominous premonition, Chae Do-min jumped up from his seat to flee, but at that very moment, Sa Hae-geon also rose with perfect timing.
As if he had read his mind, Sa Hae-geon approached in long strides right up to his face and subtly asked as he wrapped his arm around Chae Do-min’s waist, who was standing awkwardly, “So, were you expecting it?”
“W-what?”
“Whether today would be like yesterday or not.”
“W-why would I expect something like that?”
Chae Do-min denied it urgently, lowering his gaze. But Sa Hae-geon, who had already caught on, didn’t stop there and continued while playing with his waist, “I was expecting it. Did you really not expect it?”
At those words, Chae Do-min swallowed hard. His fingers, which had been placed defensively on Sa Hae-geon’s chest, trembled slightly.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
