108
* * *
After intimately eating the food they had ordered for delivery and finishing the recycling, Samin led Doun, who had come out after washing, to the sofa and said.
“Hyung, sit down for a moment. I have something to talk about.”
“What is it?”
“The engagement ring I gave you a few days ago. Could you give it back to me?”
Doun hesitated. To think he’d quickly take back the ring just because he got scolded a few times today. What kind of person is this? Feeling hurt, Doun muttered.
“…You said you were giving it to me before.”
Looking at his completely sulky face touching the necklace hanging near his collarbone, Samin suppressed the laughter that was about to burst out.
“No, it’s not that I’m trying to take back what I gave hyung, but if hyung wants to wear it, we need to reduce the ring size first, right? My mom knows someone who runs a big jewelry workshop, so I thought maybe we could entrust it to that person. I was asking for it temporarily to send it there.”
“Ah. No, if that’s the case, say it faster. How embarrassing, really. Ah…”
“Oh my. Our baby, did you think I was taking back the ring I gave you? What do you take me for, really. Hm?”
Even at the completely teasing words, Doun couldn’t answer and rubbed his flushed face. Then he fumbled several times to undo the necklace around his neck. He handed Samin the item that had been hanging around his neck for several days.
Since it was a precious item passed down through someone else’s family for generations, his touch was quite careful. Samin grinned as he received the necklace with the ring threaded like a pendant.
“Should we measure the ring size at home? We could go to the workshop and measure it directly, but since it’s my mother’s acquaintance, it’s a bit… If hyung is okay with it, I don’t really mind either way.”
“…You don’t need to measure the size.”
At the slightly sulky voice, Samin’s eyes suddenly widened. Why would he say there’s no need to measure the size when it’s almost the only item that could show Doun is his lover?
‘Did he get sulky because I teased him a bit? Or maybe…’
He was getting anxious, wondering if maybe Doun didn’t want to wear couple rings because he was conscious of people’s reactions. It was then that Doun mumbled with unclear pronunciation as if babbling.
“…I already measured it.”
“You measured it? When?”
Samin managed to understand Doun’s words. Though he had mentioned needing to reduce the size when first giving him the ring, after threading it on a necklace and putting it around his neck, Doun had shown no signs of caring about the ring. At least not when Samin was awake to see.
“Hm? When did you measure it? Ah, hyung, did you maybe make couple rings with a previous lover…”
It was when Samin was looking at Doun with jealous eyes. Doun squeezed his eyes shut and shouted loudly.
“No! The day after I got the ring from you… Just in case, I measured it alone.”
When was he dumped by a lover that it would suddenly come up here? He even got dumped before thinking about making couple rings, so he felt wronged.
‘Did Lee Doun really pick today to embarrass himself… How many embarrassing things are there exactly? Ah, so annoying.’
It was a day when nothing went right.
“Ah, this is really driving me crazy. So what size is the ring? Left hand, fourth finger.”
“…I don’t know.”
“Why don’t you know? Hm? I won’t tease you. Tell me. Aren’t you going to wear the ring?”
“…”
“Hyung, you don’t want to make couple rings with me? You measured the size thoroughly but now suddenly won’t tell me. Did you not want to wear rings anymore? Then instead of couple rings, should we get tattoos?”
Tattoos? Flustered, Doun decided to answer obediently before Samin came up with even stranger options.
“…Size 17.”
“Oh my, our baby’s finger is size 17? Did you measure your finger circumference alone to find that out?”
Having finally obtained the information he wanted, Samin chattered in a teasing tone. As he rubbed his cheek against Doun’s cheek with all his might, the soft cheek was completely pressed down. Doun’s expression quickly became displeased.
“…You, is it fun teasing me?”
“Of course it’s fun. Your reactions are so immediately visible.”
Giggling, he slightly pulled away and gently swayed the necklace in his hand. The ring that would soon be reborn to fit Doun’s finger size sparkled under the lighting.
“Do you have any design in mind? Since it’s platinum, very complex designs aren’t possible, but almost all simple ones are doable.”
“Wasn’t it just reducing the size?”
“That’s fine too. The blue gemstone is a sapphire, you know? But when I looked it up, hyung’s birthstone is ruby, so I thought maybe we could change the stone too while we’re at it.”
“It’s something passed down in the family, so what if you change it arbitrarily?”
“What’s wrong with that? If I gave it to you, this is mine now. It’s a bit strange to say I can change the design but not change the gemstone.”
Doun fell into thought for a moment. Though he didn’t know well, a ring passed down through generations would have great meaning. Knowing that, Samin had probably said he was scared of losing it. Even if the size could be reduced, changing even the gemstone seemed like it would greatly damage the meaning.
“No. Since it’s been passed down through generations, changing even the gemstone doesn’t seem right.”
“Then should we keep the gemstone as is and just reduce the size with the same design? Since hyung will be wearing it anyway, I’ll do whatever hyung likes.”
“Yeah. Let’s keep the gemstone as is. And I want to pay for the cost of making your ring…”
At Doun’s suggestion, Samin thought for a moment. It wasn’t like he was impoverished without money, but he didn’t like the idea of splitting the cost of couple rings half and half. Since he had decided to use connections to entrust it to a private workshop run by his mother’s acquaintance who had served as a chief designer at a famous jewelry brand, no specific amount had come out yet.
While he was pondering whether to refuse or accept, Doun said this.
“Don’t you want to accept what I’m doing for you?”
When Doun said he wanted to pay for making his ring, what had he been pondering? Samin scolded himself for his foolishness and answered as if he had intended to accept from the beginning.
“No? I totally want to accept it? I was just late in answering because I was roughly estimating since I don’t know how much it will cost, but what kind of strange imagination is hyung having?”
“Usually your answers come right away, but you were stalling, so I wondered.”
“No. I like everything hyung does for me.”
Samin rubbed his head against Doun’s chest. Whenever there was a chance, he would hug and cling like a dog.
“Anyway, you stick to me whenever you get a chance, again.”
Though his words seemed to lightly scold, the undeniable affection leaked from his hand gently stroking his head. After flirting for a while, Doun suddenly realized.
‘What happened earlier feels like it was ages ago…’
Just a few hours ago, he had been angry. Seeing Samin who had taken his injuries in place of his own pierced side, memories he had tried to forget came flooding back, and he had thrown a tantrum and even cried.
Because Samin had flexibly accepted his emotional ups and downs, he was able to find stability quickly. But he couldn’t keep leaning on Samin’s kindness and understanding.
‘I need to become strong quickly too.’
To become a worthy lover to Samin, his will must not break. Doun gently pushed away his cunning boyfriend who was slyly satisfying his selfish desires by touching his waist and headed toward where his medicine was placed.
“…Should I bring you some water?”
“No. I’ll get it myself and drink it.”
What kind of honor is taking medicine? Though he was grateful for Samin’s heart in volunteering to bring water, Doun declined with a smile. The number of pills on his palm had also noticeably decreased compared to what he used to take before. Still, it looked like a lot to Doun’s eyes.
‘Someday there will come a time when I don’t need to take medicine.’
The medicine that only used to increase was decreasing. As time passed, visits to the hospital would also become rare. There was no law saying he had to be depressed like this until death.
As he cheerfully took his medicine and drank water, he couldn’t feel Samin’s presence. He worried about what strange thing he might be doing somewhere again.
“Samin?”
After organizing the cup and calling his name, he heard an answer from the bedroom direction. When he entered the bedroom, Samin was lying sprawled on the bed.
“Baby, lie down here.”
Patting the spot next to him, Samin grinned.
“Are you going to say you warmed the bed again?”
“Oh, our hyung’s intuition has improved quite a bit? Hyung gets sleepy a little while after taking medicine.”
“…How did you know?”
Doun asked while lying on the bed and getting comfortable. Then Samin, who was covering him with a blanket, chuckled.
“Living with hyung, I could tell right away? Even when we had sex before, you got sleepy from the medicine’s effects and ended up sleeping in the middle, right?”
“…Ah. That time was…”
Doun trailed off and avoided his gaze. After initiating sex first, he had been worked over several times in the middle before getting exhausted on his own and nodding off, and when he opened his eyes it was morning. Though he was tired from pleasure, the influence of not being able to overcome the sleeping pill’s effects was also significant.
“But you lasted a long time…”
“Mmhm. I know. I wasn’t saying anything bad, just that I learned because hyung’s daily routine is consistent.”
Samin gently patted the shoulder of Doun lying on his side. Doun, who had slipped into Samin’s embrace, took the opportunity to offer an apology.
“Samin. I’m sorry for getting annoyed at you for no reason earlier. I remembered the past and I hated that you were bearing what I got hurt with.”
“There’s a lot to be sorry about. Our hyung. I’m fine. It’s not like we’ve only been bickering for a day or two. And originally when you date, you fight more, and that’s how relationships become stronger.”
“You talk like a dating expert… You, honestly tell me. Were you a player?”
When Doun asked back with laughter in his voice, Samin hugged Doun tightly and shook him just enough to not make him dizzy.
“A player? Do I look like a player to hyung?”
“Looking at how you talk, you totally do. Smoothly making people completely lose their minds.”
“You lose your mind when you’re with me? Really?”
“Of course I lose my mind. When I’m with you, I talk incredibly childishly and do things I would never normally do.”
“Then we’re having a proper relationship. Originally people act silly like that in front of someone they like.”
“…At least you can’t talk.”
Doun slightly leaned his head against Samin’s broad embrace. It wasn’t enough that he had become someone to trust and rely on; now he had become someone indispensable. With Samin, it seemed like he could quickly overcome even terrible memories.
‘Still, that can’t happen again, so I should go to the hospital tomorrow and get some counseling.’
Doun began visiting the hospital he had been going to out of habit to get prescriptions with a clear purpose now. His will to get better had become clear, and he had someone with whom he wanted to see only good things in his original state.
“Sleep well, hyung.”
“You sleep well too, Samin.”
With the affectionate goodnight, Doun’s breathing gradually slowed. Samin quietly held the sleeping Doun. Embracing the head of Doun sleeping against his chest and slowly closing his eyes, Samin’s expression looked a bit complicated.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
