69
While Samin was making a face, Doun couldn’t hide his flustered expression. Except for Samin and a few Yeoun Guild members, this was the first time he’d met someone who claimed to be his fan.
With Samin, he could believe the claim of being a fan since he knew his skills and track record in detail. However, the existing guild members were a bit ambiguous.
Of course, they were basically kind and gentle to him, but unlike Samin, they rarely cheered loudly or fawned over him.
In fact, except for Dong Jiwon who wasn’t very interested in gossip, it wouldn’t be wrong to say all the guild members in Yeoun were Doun’s fans. When they said they were recruiting people to help with conquest to fill Doun’s one-year gap, Samin had said this looking at the people gathered in the guild building:
‘Wow. I think this is really almost the first time I’ve seen this many of our guild members gathered?’
The guild members were constantly looking for opportunities to get closer to Doun. However, Samin was clinging to Doun more than they’d imagined. They felt like if they all acted like that too, Doun would feel burdened. So everyone was restraining themselves, which only Doun himself was completely unaware of.
So Doun couldn’t help but be flustered seeing someone who said they were his fan.
“Wow. He’s fucking handsome.”
At the impressed man’s voice, Doun asked back in a bewildered voice.
“Do you really support me?”
“Yes. Your skills are so cool too. And you’re handsome. Ah, but is it weird for a guy to say this? Like I’m gay or something?”
The man who had been answering with an overwhelmed face made a strange expression, looking embarrassed. It was because he recalled how Magnetic’s antis consistently claimed that ‘those bastard fans going crazy over his pretty face must be women or gays.’
“No. Thank you for your support.”
Doun seemed to answer the man while putting the tray in his hands down on the table, then glanced at Samin. With a guy who wanted to date him rushing at him for kisses and even rubbing his thing, this much was nothing. Doun was just happy to meet a hunter who was favorable toward him besides guild members.
“There are really fucking a lot of people who support you, hyung. I really think it’s so good that you came back with Yeoun Guild too.”
Doun agreed to some extent. Joining Yeoun Guild was one of the best things he’d done this year.
“Ah, please give me your autograph too, hyung.”
The man finally remembered Samin’s existence and looked back and forth between his phone in his hand and Doun. Then Samin answered with a crooked smile instead.
“Sorry, but our Magnetic hyung said he doesn’t do autographs. So you’ll have to be satisfied with mine?”
“Huh?”
The man was flustered. Slope’s tone as he glared at him and spoke was very aggressive. Enough that he should be grateful for the fact that he’d at least give an autograph.
‘Why is he glaring at me?’
While the man was breaking out in cold sweat, Doun felt a bit grateful to Samin who had answered for him and muttered.
“I’m sorry. I don’t do autographs.”
This kind of request was almost the first since Samin, so he was bewildered. Doun hadn’t been used to refusing since he was young. If Samin hadn’t stepped up to refuse for him, he would have been at a loss, just rolling his eyes around.
“Then could you take a selfie with me? So I can brag to my friends that I met you, hyung. My friends are all your fans too.”
As soon as the man received the phone with Samin’s carelessly scribbled autograph, he held up the lens to Doun. When he got excited and stuck close, Doun finally drew a line. Regardless of him saying he supported him, he really didn’t feel like taking photos.
“Photos are a bit… I don’t really like taking pictures.”
When Doun refused the photo request, Samin was pleased.
‘Hyung is better at refusing than I thought.’
If Doun had readily agreed to the selfie, he would have asked to take hundreds together. Doun’s iron wall was fortunate, but also strangely disappointing. He thought this side might be more profitable since he could get hundreds of selfies with Doun if he just endured a little disappointment.
“Ah. Then just a handshake.”
The man finally asked Doun for a handshake. It would be awkward to refuse twice, and he’d shaken hands quite often, so Doun readily extended his hand.
“Hyung. My hunter nickname is Paprika, okay? Please remember it. I might be able to join Yeoun someday.”
The man who mentioned Yeoun glanced at Samin. Guild membership offers could only be made by guild masters and sub-guild masters. Moreover, due to their operating policy as a small elite top ranker guild, Yeoun was a place where guild member recruitment notices were posted maybe twice a year.
“Oho, your nickname is Paprika? I’ll remember it very well.”
Samin responded while scooping the strawberry shaved ice Doun had brought with a spoon. He was clearly smiling, but why did it sound like “let’s see about that”? The man who had introduced his hunter nickname as Paprika finally left.
After finishing the impromptu fan meeting, Doun seemed drained and gulped down his americano as soon as he sat on the sofa.
“He said he was my fan, but turns out he was hyung’s fan. I shouldn’t have given him an autograph.”
Samin’s gestures of crushing fresh strawberries like he was venting while sitting across from Doun were just petty.
“What are you being petty about now?”
“Being petty? What did I do?”
“Look at what you’re doing right now.”
“What? I’m eating strawberry shaved ice. It’s delicious, just going down so smoothly.”
It was fine that the man who claimed to be his fan in front of him actually liked Doun more. Saying hunter Magnetic wasn’t popular was as absurd as saying the earth was flat.
However, it was a separate matter that he came to the cafe with Doun but had to helplessly watch him shake hands with another man. He wondered if one-sidedly loving a popular person was always this hard, and felt annoyed for no reason.
‘Fuck. Even I can see this is ugly jealousy… Since it’s come to this, let’s just live uglily from today.’
Normally he would have held out a spoon to Doun asking him to try a bite, but his insides were burning with anger, so when he came to his senses, he’d finished the whole large shaved ice by himself.
“You look hotter than me…”
“It was similar. My insides burning with rage counts as heat too. Hyung, no matter how I think about it, this cafe’s location seems a bit bad. Let’s go somewhere else.”
“Why are you saying that after eating all the shaved ice?”
Doun laughed in disbelief. He wondered if this was something the guy who had even praised this place’s atmosphere as looking nice should say.
‘Really funny guy. It’s not like he’s some puppy that gets wary whenever someone comes near me.’
Now that he looked at it, Samin seemed a bit like the brown dog that used to guard the rural hanok when Doun’s grandmother was alive. Though it had grown up well-fed in the generous countryside, it would bark fiercely whenever it heard footsteps.
“I finished drinking too, so let’s slowly go home. We need to finish our walk.”
When Doun started cleaning up the table, Samin looked around. In case another guy who recognized Doun might appear.
Fortunately, no one approached Doun until they returned their glasses and dishes and left the cafe. However, Samin didn’t let his guard down until they retraced their steps and entered the secluded walking path.
“Why do you keep looking around?”
“Hyung, you know what?”
“What is it?”
“Earlier at the cafe. If you had taken a selfie with that Paprika guy or whatever, I almost cried from feeling sorry for myself.”
“Why?”
“Because you refused autographs saying you don’t do them, but I worried you might do it for Paprika. Do you know how nervous I was then?”
What does he take me for? Doun answered in a slightly annoyed voice.
“Do I look like someone who would lie about something like that?”
“I know you’re not. I know, but I guess I just felt anxious…”
Samin stuck both hands in his pockets and avoided eye contact.
The word anxious was true. Even though they were close enough that Doun had let him kiss him, nothing had changed. Doun still showed no signs of seeing Samin as a romantic partner and only showed enthusiasm when talking about that damn tower.
Though Samin was bulldozer-like in his advances, one corner of his heart was anxious. He felt like someone more kind, handsome, and capable than him would drop from the sky and steal away Doun who was by his side. Naturally, he couldn’t help but feel impatient.
When Samin was uncharacteristically silent for a moment, Doun spoke up.
“…What would I gain by lying to you now? We’ve talked about all sorts of things. Depression and whatnot. You have a lot to be anxious about.”
“Then am I someone who’s gained a little trust from hyung?”
Samin, with both hands in his pockets, bent only his upper body and looked into Doun’s face as he asked. Then Doun quickly stepped back and furrowed his brows.
“Why do you keep getting your face close to mine outside?”
He gently pushed away the glossy face that had come close with his hand. Then Samin, who obediently stepped back, grinned.
“Then can I get close inside the house?”
“Would that work?”
Really, whenever there was a chance, sweet talk and nonsense would pour out. Doun shook his head and quickly left the apartment walking path.
“Come on, what’s wrong with getting our faces a little close given our relationship?”
“What kind of relationship are we?”
Doun asked back, listening to Samin’s persistent sophistry. Actually, he roughly knew what answer would come. Since Samin had been consistently claiming only one thing since his sudden confession in the park.
“…A relationship where we’re testing the waters?”
“Bullshit.”
Though he’d expected it, hearing it directly out loud made a violent reaction burst out. Because the idea of testing the waters with a man didn’t feel real to him. Though they’d kissed, slept in the same bed, and even traveled together, strictly speaking, to Doun, Samin was closer to a colleague.
“Hmph.”
“What hmph? You’re a grown man.”
“I am pretty big.”
Samin shrugged his shoulders. For a moment, Doun couldn’t help but first think of Samin’s member that had rubbed against his thigh in the living room.
“Are you crazy, really?”
“I was talking about height.”
“Ah.”
“Did you think of somewhere else, hyung?”
“…”
“Could it be…”
The more Samin dragged it out, the redder Doun’s complexion became. He felt ashamed as if he’d been caught having lewd thoughts on the street and wanted to disappear underground. Watching Doun’s face turn bright red in real time, Samin didn’t hide his expression of finding it cute and letting it slide.
“You thought about my size?”
For a moment, Doun was in intense conflict. To affirm here would hurt his pride as the older one, but to deny would make him someone who had lewd thoughts. Either choice would only result in loss.
‘Ah. Really annoying. Kyung Samin.’
Doun got frustrated and ultimately couldn’t give any answer, fleeing alone to the apartment lobby.
“Huh? Hyung. Let’s go together. I’m supposed to sleep at your house today, so where are you going alone?”
Samin’s face as he hurriedly followed was full of mischievous smiles. As if he’d never been anxious and impatient.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
