79
* * *
‘Wow. Grandma’s sulking is lasting longer and longer. I laughed so much my cheeks hurt.’
Samin looked up vacantly at the sky. The night sky that had already turned pitch black showed not a single star.
‘Is hyung sleeping early because he’s tired? Except for the reply saying he arrived safely, there’s nothing else…’
He’d tried calling several times, but Doun didn’t answer. Thinking about it, Doun’s expression had looked a bit awkward before he left during lunch. At the time, he thought it was because he felt awkward being left alone among the guild members, but what if there was another reason he didn’t know about?
‘Strangely, I’m fucking accurate about this kind of thing… Ah, what should I do?’
Samin agonized intensely in the taxi heading to his home. If Doun was sleeping early because he was tired and he suddenly visited, not only would he disturb Doun’s sound sleep but he’d become the guy who selfishly showed up at his house. He’d probably get tons of points deducted too.
But what if something had happened to Doun? What if his soft tofu, always half-submerged in various thoughts, was on the verge of completely falling apart?
‘If hyung had just sent one more text, I was going to come in the morning, but this won’t do. Getting some points deducted is better. I’m worried, so what am I supposed to do.’
When Samin had almost reached his apartment complex, he spoke to the taxi driver.
“Driver, can you turn the car around now?”
“Where should I turn to?”
Samin swallowed briefly and recited Doun’s apartment name. The driver nodded and made a U-turn, and Samin picked up his phone.
[Hyung, I’m heading to your place right now. If you see this, please reply]
By the time Samin got off at Doun’s apartment complex, the read receipt appeared. He expected a reply, but Doun didn’t send one for quite a long time. Though it would be frustrating, Samin didn’t mind and looked around the commercial area near the apartment complex.
Since it was late afternoon, many shops had already closed. Looking through the still-open stores, he entered a Japanese restaurant that operated until dawn.
“Welcome. How many people?”
“Is takeout possible?”
“Yes. I’ll give you the menu.”
Receiving the menu, Samin ordered things Doun might eat. While waiting for the packaging, he checked his phone, but still no reply came.
‘Later when we’re dating, I should make a promise that he has to reply… Ah, should I try that?’
At an idea that suddenly crossed his mind, Samin opened his status window.
[Alert: ‘Slope’ registers a new promise in ‘Bond (S)’.]
[Currently registered promise: Reply immediately]
[Alert: ‘Slope’ registers a new penalty in ‘Bond (S)’.]
[Currently registered penalty: Kiss for 1 hour]
It was a kind of protest using the fact that alerts appeared even without opening the status window.
‘If he doesn’t reply even to this, I’m really going to barge in. Lee Doun…’
While Samin was glaring at his phone, the packaged food came out in a paper bag. After quickly paying, Samin entered the lobby of Doun’s apartment building with the paper bag in hand.
[♥♥Our Hyung♥♥: When are you coming?]
The protest using system alerts was effective. Samin got on the elevator, pressed the 29th floor button, and sent a reply.
[Arriving in 30 seconds]
Putting his phone in his pocket, he anxiously looked up at the floor indicator. As soon as the elevator doors opened, he got off and stood in front of Doun’s door with familiar steps, pressing the doorbell.
“Hyung! It’s me. Please open the door. I brought delicious late-night snacks to eat together!”
When he deliberately showed the Japanese restaurant paper bag to the camera to look good, the front door smoothly opened. A disheveled head appeared.
“Cute Samin has appeared…”
Samin, who was about to act cute with third-person speech that didn’t match his build, wiggled his eyebrows and muttered lowly the moment he met Doun’s eyes.
“Why are your eyes like that again?”
“Why. Are they red again?”
Doun stepped aside, telling him to come in. Samin, who entered the entrance, muttered while tightly gripping the paper bag.
“No, red is one thing, but are you using a skill right now, hyung? You’re not in the middle of combining skills to hit me, are you?”
Both eyes of Doun, who was looking back at Samin as if asking what he was talking about, were piercingly blue. The red swollen eyelids and bright red bloodshot whites meant only one thing.
‘He cried.’
Whatever happened, Lee Doun had cried. A lot too. Samin was certain.
One of Doun’s pupils, who had been checking his status window, slowly began to regain its original color.
“Is it still like that now?”
“Uh, no. Now it’s just one side.”
“It must have broken again, I guess.”
Doun chuckled and glanced at Samin. He showed no hesitation in calling himself broken like an object. Samin felt upset about that.
“What did you eat for dinner?”
When he asked while sitting at the dining table, Doun shook his head.
“I didn’t eat. Wasn’t thinking about it.”
“At least eat this before sleeping. You must be hungry.”
“…What is it.”
Doun didn’t sit at the table. He just stood next to the table where Samin sat and looked down at the food he’d brought.
Though it was the face he’d wanted to see so badly, actually seeing it directly like this made him feel sorrowful. It was an emotion that could only be described as sorrowful even though he had no reason to feel sorrowful in this situation.
‘Ah, the real crazy one was me.’
Though he’d criticized Samin’s behavior as crazy and been disgusted, it felt like he was the real crazy one. He couldn’t maintain his center, swept away by emotions that went back and forth constantly.
“It was late so the only places open nearby were bars and Japanese restaurants. I bought sushi, cold buckwheat noodles, and fried food.”
“For me to eat?”
“Then did I buy it for myself? I ate tons at grandma’s birthday party. People would think it was my birthday.”
The chattering voice felt like it stuck to his earlobes then fell away. The sensation of words not penetrating his brain but continuously bouncing off. Afraid that one side of his head really seemed broken, Doun lightly touched Samin’s forearm. He couldn’t even put strength into it, worried he might hurt him like last time if he gripped too hard.
“Hm?”
At the touch, Samin, who had been taking food out of the paper bag, looked up at Doun. Tears hung precariously at the tips of his long eyelashes.
“What’s wrong, hyung. What happened?”
Samin stood up from his seat without hesitation and embraced Doun. The body that weakly fell into his arms trembled slightly.
“Did I surprise you by suddenly chasing you to your house? Are you upset about that?”
“No.”
“Then are you upset because you don’t want to eat what I bought?”
“…No.”
His breathing cleared from the stability that came from the arms firmly embracing his body that seemed ready to collapse at any moment. Doun rubbed his cheek against Samin’s chest.
“Samin.”
“Yes.”
“Can I stay like this for just a moment?”
“Of course you can. If your legs hurt from standing, would you like to sit on me?”
Samin took the opportunity to seat Doun on his lap. Whether he lacked the strength to refuse, Doun obediently sat astride Samin’s thighs. Not knowing where to put his head, when Samin gently made him lean on his shoulder, Doun rubbed his warmly flushed cheek again.
Strangely, being held by Samin made his heart quiet. Though it was a bit embarrassing for a grown man to be held like a baby.
“Hyung. Want to go see the ocean?”
When Doun had somewhat calmed his restless heart, Samin suddenly suggested going to see the ocean.
“If you don’t like the ocean, should we go see stars like last time?”
Throughout the time Doun was in his arms, Samin patted and embraced Doun with his large hands. He could clearly feel Doun’s trembling body finding stability in his touch, leaving him no choice.
“I don’t really know what I want to do anymore.”
Doun muttered gloomily.
“Then how about trying what I want to do? I want to go see the night ocean with hyung right now.”
“…Now?”
“Yes.”
Doun hesitated. The ocean. It was a place with no good memories. But if he stayed home, he’d probably just be gloomy and complain to Samin.
“Okay. Let’s go. To the ocean.”
“Then let’s eat first and go. This place seems to be famous. While waiting for packaging, tons of delivery orders kept coming in.”
“Mm.”
Doun quietly got down from Samin’s lap. Thinking about how he’d been held continuously made him a bit embarrassed, and his rationality seemed to return belatedly. Sitting across from him at the table, he picked up the wooden chopsticks Samin had even unwrapped for him and put a piece of sushi in his mouth.
“Ah, I came straight by taxi from grandma’s house, so I’ll just go home to get my car. I’ll change clothes while I’m at it.”
Looking at Samin’s outfit belatedly, it was exactly the same as when he’d left the restaurant at lunch.
“Yeah. Go and come back. I’ll wait.”
“Yes. I’ll be back soon. Here, have some soup and there’s salad too.”
Samin diligently pushed soup and salad toward Doun, who was only chewing sushi, worried his throat might get stuck. Watching him silently eat the food placed in front of him, Samin impulsively asked.
“Actually, hyung. Would you like to come to my house instead? You’ve never been to my house before.”
He felt like if he left Doun alone, he’d be crying again. If he wasn’t right there watching closely, Doun would often cry and be depressed. Since his emotional wounds hadn’t fully healed yet, and he’d forced him to return as a hunter by throwing tantrums, he felt he should at least take good care of him.
“Your house?”
“If you don’t want to, I’ll just quickly go get my car.”
After thinking briefly, Doun nodded. It was ambiguous whether he meant he didn’t want to go or that it was good. Samin leaned forward with a puzzled expression and asked.
“Are you going? Or not going?”
Doun didn’t want to be away from Samin for long. He felt like his heart, which had barely calmed down after meeting Samin, would run wild again. And he’d always been curious. What kind of house did Samin, who seemed armed with kindness, eat and sleep in?
“Let’s go, to your house.”
Doun smiled slightly, and Samin swallowed. Though he’d thrown out the invitation to come to his house, he couldn’t quite remember if his house was clean.
‘I can’t get points deducted for living dirty…?’
Samin suddenly became anxious.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
