#143
“Oh my, do you have someone to give it to?”
“Well…”
The question seemed unexpected as Yoon Seul looked at Yoon Pa-ran with wide eyes.
Those sparkling eyes made Yoon Pa-ran feel a bit uncomfortable, so he deliberately trailed off.
“Here you go. Take it.”
Anyway, Yoon Seul willingly handed over the cake. It was a white cream cake topped with large strawberries.
Yoon Pa-ran quickly took the cake box. Dan Joo-hyuk probably wouldn’t particularly enjoy cake, but judging by how well the children ate it, it probably didn’t taste bad.
Since it’s Christmas, it should be fine. He’s done a lot for me recently too.
“I’ll be back shortly.”
Yoon Pa-ran took a big step forward, having thought of several reasons why he needed to hurry. Strangely, once he had an excuse, he felt a sense of urgency.
“Alright, Pa-ran. Don’t worry about things here, just have fun.”
Yoon Seul encouraged Yoon Pa-ran with a strange smile, her thoughts unclear.
She seemed to have misunderstood something, so Yoon Pa-ran answered firmly.
“I’ll be back soon.”
With that, Yoon Pa-ran left the orphanage.
On his way, he thought about calling Dan Joo-hyuk but decided against it. The chances of him being home were low anyway.
If he happened to be home when Yoon Pa-ran visited, he planned to just give him the cake and leave. If Dan insisted, they could even share a slice together.
Today, his steps were quite hasty. Like someone trying to escape the cold he normally wouldn’t pay attention to.
He arrived at Dan Joo-hyuk’s place in no time. Getting into the elevator with his key was easy.
“…Ah.”
As the numbers climbed, Yoon Pa-ran realized something he hadn’t considered.
If Dan Joo-hyuk was home, would he be alone on Christmas?
The sudden question unexpectedly settled like a heavy weight in his chest. Before he could understand its meaning, the elevator doors opened with a clear sound.
Belatedly, he regretted coming so impulsively. But since Dan Joo-hyuk would likely have already sensed his arrival, he couldn’t just turn back.
He reluctantly entered the apartment. He figured Dan Joo-hyuk probably wasn’t home, and if there were guests, he’d just quickly turn around and leave.
However, the air inside was surprisingly quiet.
“…”
Someone was lying defenseless on the living room sofa visible from the entrance.
“Dan Joo-hyuk?”
That large figure was Dan Joo-hyuk. There was no sign of anyone else.
Yoon Pa-ran was puzzled to see him lying still with his eyes closed. He should have woken up when he sensed Yoon Pa-ran’s arrival—was he playing a joke?
Despite thinking this, Yoon Pa-ran couldn’t shake an odd feeling of concern. Dan Joo-hyuk’s normally cheerful face had been on his mind for the past two days.
He hurried toward Dan Joo-hyuk. The cake box in his hand wobbled unsteadily.
Even as Yoon Pa-ran came right up to him, Dan Joo-hyuk remained still with his eyes closed. He hadn’t moved at all despite Yoon Pa-ran making no effort to hide his presence.
Looking down at him up close, Yoon Pa-ran could see Dan Joo-hyuk’s chest rising and falling evenly. Like someone in a completely deep sleep.
Realizing this, Yoon Pa-ran felt relieved. He questioned what he’d been worried about in the first place.
Maybe he fell asleep from exhaustion after returning from the Gate.
He was making Yoon Pa-ran unnecessarily worried. Anyway, Yoon Pa-ran looked down at Dan Joo-hyuk’s sleeping face with a curious expression. It was his first time seeing him so quietly resting with his eyes closed.
Strangely, he couldn’t take his eyes off him. Yoon Pa-ran found himself studying Dan Joo-hyuk’s sleeping form thoroughly, until he realized something odd.
Dan Joo-hyuk’s position seemed exactly the same as when Yoon Pa-ran had left this house two days ago. He could be wearing the same clothes, but why did it feel that way?
It was as if Dan Joo-hyuk’s time had stopped completely while Yoon Pa-ran was spending time with his family.
“…”
This sudden thought made Yoon Pa-ran frown. Dan Joo-hyuk must have gone to the Gate during that time, so it was an unfounded assumption.
Still, it was strange that Dan Joo-hyuk hadn’t woken up despite Yoon Pa-ran staring at him so closely. He belatedly realized he’d been looking at his face for too long, which made him feel awkward.
Feeling embarrassed, Yoon Pa-ran cleared his throat and gently shook Dan Joo-hyuk’s shoulder.
“Hey, wake—”
As soon as his hand touched the firm shoulder, Dan Joo-hyuk’s eyes flew open.
In the moment their eyes met, Yoon Pa-ran’s vision suddenly flipped.
“Ugh.”
His body crashed into the sofa with a jolt. The cake box he was holding fell to the floor with a loud thud.
Though momentarily disoriented, Yoon Pa-ran managed to grasp the situation. Dan Joo-hyuk had grabbed him and pinned him to the sofa.
Opening his eyes urgently, he saw Dan Joo-hyuk looking down at him with a rather fierce gaze.
As Dan Joo-hyuk’s large hand roughly moved toward his neck, Yoon Pa-ran instinctively called out his name loudly.
“Dan Joo-hyuk!”
The hand about to grip his neck stopped abruptly. The realization that his throat would have been squeezed if he’d been even a moment later came belatedly.
“…”
Dan Joo-hyuk, frozen in that position for a while, slowly blinked.
Eventually, recognizing Yoon Pa-ran pinned beneath him, he let out what sounded like a sigh.
“Aah.”
“You…”
The hand that had been about to strangle him naturally moved up along his neck to cup his cheek. With the same gentle touch as always.
Dan Joo-hyuk’s tense face smoothed into a smile that spread like ripples.
“It’s Yoon Pa-ran.”
Ironically, at that moment, Yoon Pa-ran realized how soft Dan Joo-hyuk’s touch had always been when handling him.
It was a useless thought to have in a situation where he’d nearly been strangled. Quickly dispersing the thought, Yoon Pa-ran frowned. He was about to demand an explanation for why Dan Joo-hyuk had pinned him down.
“Are you okay?”
“…”
But when their eyes met, Yoon Pa-ran found it difficult to speak. Dan Joo-hyuk’s slow blinking made him look genuinely disoriented.
Is he still half-asleep?
As his mind cleared, the situation started to make sense. He must have been startled when someone disturbed him while he was sleeping vulnerably.
“What brings you here? You said you had to go.”
Meanwhile, Dan Joo-hyuk’s hand kept moving between Yoon Pa-ran’s cheek and earlobe. His tone was as languid as his slow movements.
That feeling seemed contagious, as Yoon Pa-ran also spoke slowly.
Dan Joo-hyuk’s warm body temperature passing over his skin made his throat feel dry.
“…There was a cake left over.”
“And?”
“I brought it for you…”
Once he said it out loud, it seemed like a flimsy excuse. He couldn’t understand why he’d rushed here so urgently, and his face flushed with embarrassment.
Nevertheless, having answered earnestly, Yoon Pa-ran turned his head toward the cake.
“…”
That’s when he saw the ruined cake. When he dropped the box, the cake had been ejected. It seemed he had tried to catch it reflexively, as one of his arms was covered in smashed cake.
The excuse he’d worked so hard to bring was ruined along with the cake. The realization that he’d done something unnecessary hit Yoon Pa-ran hard.
“Forget it. Sorry for waking you up. I’ll go.”
With a stiffened face, Yoon Pa-ran tried to get up, supporting himself with the hand that wasn’t covered in cake.
He wasn’t angry about Dan Joo-hyuk’s actions. If anything, he understood them more as time passed.
Even he would have defended himself if someone approached so closely while he was off guard. Especially if he was on edge after returning from a Gate.
So he intended to quietly withdraw.
“Wait, I’m leaving… What are you doing!”
Before he could fully pull away, Yoon Pa-ran exclaimed in shock. Dan Joo-hyuk had suddenly grabbed his cake-covered hand and started licking it from the wrist up.
“Ugh. That’s dirty, why—”
“You brought this for me?”
Dan Joo-hyuk smiled softly with cream on his lips. His voice, as smooth as the cream that had accidentally covered Yoon Pa-ran’s fingertips, settled over him.
“Did you want to eat it together? Hmm?”
“Mmph.”
He continued slowly licking Yoon Pa-ran’s hand. Starting from the palm, his tongue eventually made its way up to the tip of the fourth finger.
Looking at him with white cream on his lips, Yoon Pa-ran felt a strange sense of danger. In this unexpected situation, Yoon Pa-ran urgently pushed Dan Joo-hyuk away.
“Hey, w-wait…”
Dan Joo-hyuk indulgently backed off a little.
But soon he made Yoon Pa-ran puzzled with an unexpected question.
“Is Christmas over?”
With a perplexed expression, Yoon Pa-ran blinked. One of his hands was still firmly held with no sign of being released.
His gaze kept anxiously fixing on the white cream on Dan Joo-hyuk’s lips. With his throat continuously going dry, Yoon Pa-ran answered in a slightly cracked voice.
“…Not yet.”
“That’s good.”
Dan Joo-hyuk lowered his head very naturally. Soon, hot lips met lips.
Yoon Pa-ran couldn’t understand what exactly was so good about that.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
