#191
“A movie?”
Yoon Pa-ran finally took his eyes off the potted plant and looked up at the employee. The neatly-dressed employee was looking at Yoon Pa-ran with a gentle smile.
Strangely, without even blinking.
Meeting that clear gaze, Yoon Pa-ran felt puzzled. It was a surprisingly random suggestion.
“With the children?”
“No, I’d like it to be just the two of us.”
In truth, Yoon Pa-ran didn’t even know this employee’s name yet. He had tried to ask a few times, but somehow the timing was always off. Either the employee would urgently receive a call on the radio and leave, or the children would come asking to play.
So all Yoon Pa-ran knew was that this employee, like himself, had several younger siblings.
“Why?”
So he asked why such a suggestion was being made. There was no sarcasm intended, just genuine curiosity.
Yoon Pa-ran found it strange because he didn’t have friends to go see movies with. Was this common among people who weren’t close?
“Well…”
When Yoon Pa-ran asked so directly, the employee seemed troubled and cleared his throat. He set down the potted plant and moved even closer to Yoon Pa-ran.
Until his shoes touched the toes of Yoon Pa-ran, who was sitting on the swing.
“…”
Every time they met, Yoon Pa-ran noticed this employee’s sense of personal space was a bit too close.
It was the same when playing with the children. He would often lift kids up to play airplane or give them piggyback rides while running around the yard, always energetic.
But coming this close to Yoon Pa-ran was strange. Usually, people maintained some distance from hunters out of caution.
Moreover, this employee had a habit of whispering excessively when relaying messages to Yoon Pa-ran.
Why was he acting like this? Was he fascinated by hunters?
Just then, a statement that directly shattered Yoon Pa-ran’s thoughts came forth.
“Why? Because I have a personal interest in you, Yoon Pa-ran.”
“Interest?”
“Yes. I’m gay.”
Ah, so that’s it.
A calm realization washed over Yoon Pa-ran. It was the first time he’d heard such a direct confession, so he blankly stared at the employee’s face for a moment.
Now that he thought about it, Ju-hee had once mentioned that this employee was quite handsome. Looking closely, he indeed wasn’t bad-looking.
As Yoon Pa-ran remained silent, the employee suddenly moved closer, gripping both swing ropes. Watching the face gradually approaching, Yoon Pa-ran thought absently:
But I’m not gay.
However, as soon as he had that thought, Dan Joo-hyuk suddenly came to mind for some reason.
“…”
Regardless of Dan Joo-hyuk, this employee’s proximity was somewhat startling. And to be honest, it was even unpleasant. Why was he approaching so carelessly?
He was about to politely ask him to step back.
“Yoon Pa-ran.”
Dan Joo-hyuk’s voice came from behind.
“Oh.”
Yoon Pa-ran turned calmly to Dan Joo-hyuk and answered. Only then did the employee hastily step back a few paces.
“I came to pick you up.”
“You’re early.”
“Ahem…”
Dan Joo-hyuk walked straight to where the employee had been standing moments ago. Naturally pushed back by his presence, the employee moved even further away.
“Let’s go.”
Dan Joo-hyuk helped Yoon Pa-ran up and wrapped his arm around his waist, guiding him toward the entrance. Unlike usual, Yoon Pa-ran was fully aware of his action and looked down at his own waist.
Dan Joo-hyuk’s arm remained wrapped lightly around it, not moving an inch.
“What is it?”
“…Nothing.”
As if asking if there was a problem, Dan Joo-hyuk smiled faintly. His smile, forming a more perfect arc than usual today, somehow looked a bit cold.
Come to think of it, Dan Joo-hyuk also tends to keep close proximity.
“Let’s go.”
But instead of pushing away his arm, Yoon Pa-ran walked forward. Due to their special circumstances, Dan Joo-hyuk was generally more physically affectionate.
Probably unlike that employee, he did it without any particular thoughts.
“Ah, sorry. I don’t want to see a movie. I’ll be back after going out.”
“…Have a safe trip.”
“…”
Strangely, his mind felt complicated.
He just wanted to shower quickly and change into comfortable clothes.
❖ ❖ ❖
“Want some more?”
“No, I’m full.”
Dan Joo-hyuk, sitting beside him, lightly touched Yoon Pa-ran’s earlobe as he asked. Now that he was conscious of it, the spot Dan Joo-hyuk touched felt quite ticklish, and Yoon Pa-ran rubbed his ear.
On the table was the fried rice Dan Joo-hyuk had made again today. He seemed a bit dissatisfied, saying the ingredients weren’t good enough, but Yoon Pa-ran couldn’t understand his complaint.
As soon as they arrived at Dan Joo-hyuk’s house, Yoon Pa-ran had thrown off his equipment. After showering and filling his stomach, his body was starting to feel languid.
He hadn’t even faced any monsters, yet he felt unusually tired today. Perhaps it was because he had a lot on his mind lately.
“You seem tired.”
When Yoon Pa-ran casually rolled his neck, Dan Joo-hyuk began massaging his nape firmly.
The sensation of those hot, large hands moving across his skin felt strangely unfamiliar today.
“A little.”
But the massage was genuinely refreshing, so Yoon Pa-ran unconsciously relaxed and leaned back in the chair. Dan Joo-hyuk, now standing fully behind him, used both hands to massage his shoulders.
The touch of his hands moving between Yoon Pa-ran’s damp hair and skin on his nape evoked a strange feeling.
Looking up at him as if searching for a reason, Yoon Pa-ran noticed that Dan Joo-hyuk’s hair was also still slightly damp.
“That’s enough now.”
Pushing aside the inexplicable feeling, Yoon Pa-ran stretched extensively.
“Hmm…”
Dan Joo-hyuk’s hands naturally fell away. Unusually, he was fully dressed, both top and bottom.
Following Dan Joo-hyuk’s casual attire, Yoon Pa-ran had also put on his pajamas. They were among the few sets of clothes he had recently brought to this house.
The design was a bit childish, but it didn’t matter since no one else was around.
“Want to take a short nap?”
“No. We need to experiment. Where’s what we brought?”
Trying to shake off the fatigue, Yoon Pa-ran stood up abruptly and took his dish to the sink. As he reached out to wash it, Dan Joo-hyuk quickly approached, placed a hand on his shoulder, and guided him away.
“Go to the living room. Leave that.”
It was embarrassing to always eat his food and not be allowed to help with chores. Though there seemed to be a dishwasher.
Scratching his cheek a bit, Yoon Pa-ran obediently sat on the sofa.
Since earlier, whenever Dan Joo-hyuk touched him, it felt peculiar. Was he having indigestion?
“Here. Drink this while we work.”
“Oh, thanks.”
What Dan Joo-hyuk brought was the grape juice that had tasted good last time. It was perfect timing as he was craving something sweet.
Happily drinking the juice while waiting, Yoon Pa-ran saw Dan Joo-hyuk return quickly. In his hands were several fragments of sacred statues.
“Do you feel anything?”
“Not yet.”
Putting down the juice, Yoon Pa-ran promptly sat down on the floor below the sofa.
Dan Joo-hyuk placed five fragments on the table one by one. They ranged from as small as a fingernail to as large as Yoon Pa-ran’s torso.
Looking at that huge fragment of the sacred statue, Yoon Pa-ran asked in bewilderment:
“How did you manage to smuggle this out?”
“I just waited for when no one was paying attention.”
“…”
Whether people really weren’t paying attention or Dan Joo-hyuk had intimidated them into looking away was unclear.
Regardless, Dan Joo-hyuk was certainly resourceful. Yoon Pa-ran had only planned to experiment with one small stone fragment as a temporary measure, but he had prepared such a variety.
“Let me try.”
“Yes.”
Although he could have sat on the sofa, Dan Joo-hyuk plopped down on the floor just like Yoon Pa-ran had.
However, it seemed he wasn’t used to sitting this way. He misjudged the distance, and his thigh pressed tightly against Yoon Pa-ran’s.
“…”
Again, his lower abdomen felt strange. His stomach had been fine while drinking the juice.
Anyway, Yoon Pa-ran began the experiment by holding the smallest fragment first.
First, he checked if a status window would appear. Then he infused it with Sacred Energy, and finally tried using the safe zone declaration skill.
“Nothing works.”
“I see.”
There was no change even by the time he picked up the second largest fragment. The skills simply didn’t respond, as if cast into thin air.
Finally, when he half-embraced the largest fragment and activated the safe zone skill, there was finally a response.
“Failed to meet the minimum size requirement for safe zone activation.”
“Ah.”
“I see.”
Dan Joo-hyuk said something beside him, but Yoon Pa-ran couldn’t hear clearly. He just read the status window seriously and reported the result.
“It seems this is too small to activate the skill. Given that the status window only appears with a piece this size, we can assume fragments smaller than this are practically useless.”
“Right.”
“Creating a safe zone in hand won’t work. I thought it would be invincible like a shield. What a shame.”
“Indeed.”
“Sacred statues are usually half-broken, right? If there was a perfectly shaped statue, wouldn’t the safe zone be much larger?”
“I suppose so.”
Dan Joo-hyuk fixed his gaze on Yoon Pa-ran’s chattering lips and mechanically offered responses.
Although he wore a mask-like smile on his face, in reality, he had been unable to concentrate the entire time.
‘Yes. I’m gay.’
Ever since he saw that dog-like bastard approaching Yoon Pa-ran, he had been like this.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
