The moment he became aware of the box, his heart started racing. It was a confession he had spent days agonizing over, carefully preparing every detail.
He had run the scenario through his head countless times. But now that it was finally happening, his palms were soaked with cold sweat from sheer nerves.
“Esper Yu Je-hyun, why aren’t you eating?”
Lee Haru, dazed by the salty-sweet flavor of the sea urchin, suddenly noticed something odd. While his own plate held nothing but an empty abalone shell, Yu Je-hyun’s remained untouched—just as it had been when it first arrived.
Startled, Yu Je-hyun picked up his chopsticks, only to bend them into an L-shape with a reflexive grip. Both of them stared at the warped utensils in stunned silence.
“Uh… I’ll ask for another pair.”
Lee Haru recovered first and rang the bell. The staff, surprised by the bent chopsticks, quickly replaced them with a new set.
Yu Je-hyun carefully picked up a thick slice of abalone sashimi and brought it to his mouth, now mindful of his strength—but even then, he couldn’t taste a thing.
With Haru watching, all he could do was chew mechanically. It was the same with every dish that followed.
Yu Je-hyun experienced the flavors only through the expressions on Lee Haru’s face.
“This is dried persimmon stuffed with cream cheese and walnuts, preserved bellflower root, and pine nut ice cream.”
The dishes came out slowly, letting them fully savor the course. On top of that, Yu Je-hyun had ordered several extra à la carte items, so the table was never bare. By the time dessert was served, nearly two hours had passed.
So overwhelmed with tension that he’d lost all sense of time, it felt to Yu Je-hyun like someone had snipped the evening in two with scissors.
“It’s so good…”
Unlike Yu Je-hyun, who hadn’t been able to enjoy any of the food, the carefree Lee Haru was happily savoring even the final dessert.
As he chewed the chewy persimmon, soft cream cheese, and crunchy walnuts, Haru tapped his feet under the table in delight.
Following his lead, Yu Je-hyun pushed a piece of persimmon into his mouth. It was time now—finally.
He had planned all along to bring it up with dessert, hoping the sweetness would soften Haru’s heart.
“Haru.”
“Yes…?”
Haru was just about to try the bellflower root when he looked up, startled. Though Yu Je-hyun had gently called his name a few times since that day, it still felt strange.
Remembering that Yu Je-hyun had something to say today, Haru straightened his back instinctively.
Now that he looked more closely, he was surprised he hadn’t noticed it before—Yu Je-hyun’s expression was stiff, unnaturally so.
He looked just like a student about to give a presentation. One with a deep fear of public speaking.
“Hoo… I’m seriously losing it right now.”
Without breaking eye contact, Yu Je-hyun stood up and walked over to Haru. Then, slowly, he knelt down on one knee in front of him.
Haru could see the tremble in those pitch-black eyes—unrestrained and raw.
His fingers were shaking too. Reaching into the inside of his jacket, Yu Je-hyun pulled out a box that had weighed heavily on his chest throughout the entire meal.
The black velvet gleamed faintly under the lights. He swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing with tension.
Haru’s gaze slowly moved to the box as it opened. Inside was a simple, elegant ring.
Its silvery sheen mirrored the color of Yu Je-hyun’s hair. As Haru’s eyes traced the engraved pattern on the ring’s surface, a soft voice reached his ears.
“Form a Pair with me, Lee Haru.”
At the word Pair, Haru bit down on his lip. In the language of the world he had once lived in, this was no different from a marriage proposal.
“I wanted to say it better… something cooler. But right now, my mind’s blank. All I can see is you.”
His gaze dropped to Yu Je-hyun’s trembling fingertips. Finally understanding why he was so nervous—like a student before a performance—made Haru’s heart pound uncontrollably.
Ever since they’d acknowledged their feelings for each other, they had naturally begun living together. Though Yu Je-hyun’s schedule kept them from spending much time together, their life mirrored that of any couple.
Haru had been content with how things were. He hadn’t even considered the possibility of their relationship deepening further.
When had Yu Je-hyun started thinking this way? The potential consequences of forming a Pair Contract with him flashed briefly through Haru’s mind—but only for a second.
If he could, Haru wanted to Guide only Yu Je-hyun for the rest of his life.
Of course, even when Guiding others, the most physical contact involved was usually just holding hands. But because of the sensations that came with it, even that could sometimes feel as intimate as sharing saliva.
The longer Haru remained silent, the more Yu Je-hyun trembled. Finally, Haru cautiously reached out his left hand toward him.
“Okay. I want to form a Pair with you too, Esper Yu Je-hyun.”
Of course, just because both of them wanted it didn’t mean it would automatically happen. They still needed approval from Kang Min, the Association President.
Whether he would approve or not remained to be seen—but in this moment, as Yu Je-hyun earnestly laid his heart bare, Haru wanted to fully savor it.
“…Thank you.”
Yu Je-hyun’s voice was thick with emotion. Every time the strongest man in the world showed weakness only in front of him, Haru felt a deep, exhilarating joy.
The silver ring slipped onto the fourth finger of his left hand, as if it had always belonged there.
Haru’s gaze lingered on Yu Je-hyun’s hand. On the same finger, an identical ring now gleamed.
He reached out and gently played with Yu Je-hyun’s finger. Their first couple ring—it stirred something sweet and thrilling in his chest.
“Were you really that nervous just to say this? So nervous you couldn’t even eat?”
Both Lee Haru and Yu Je-hyun were powerless in front of good food. Every dish they’d had tonight had been worth the price—flavorful, refined, and unforgettable.
Haru had thoroughly enjoyed it all, but seeing how tense Yu Je-hyun had been—so much that he probably couldn’t tell whether the food had even reached his mouth—left him feeling a bit guilty.
“Just watching you eat was enough to make me full.”
At Yu Je-hyun’s words, a blush bloomed across Haru’s cheeks. He could almost—but not quite—understand the emotions Yu Je-hyun was trying to express.
Moments like this didn’t need words. Sometimes, the best way to show how you felt was through action. Without a word, Haru reached out his hand.
He leaned toward the man kneeling before him. The moment their lips met, soft and warm, his entire world went dark.
That kiss, soaked with heat and saliva, was even sweeter than the dessert they’d just shared.
***
“Mmph… Haa, w-wait a second…”
The kiss that had started at the restaurant had followed them all the way to the hotel. Luckily, the building the restaurant was in also housed a hotel.
There was no way they could have made it all the way home.
By the time they finally pulled apart, their lips were swollen from kissing, and their bodies were flushed—blood pooling so thickly below that it ached.
Barely able to calm themselves, they rushed straight to the hotel. Neither could remember how they even checked in.
They got the key card and stepped into the elevator, hands still linked. Even then, they kept glancing at each other’s lips, tongues twitching in anticipation behind closed mouths.
When the elevator chimed and stopped, Yu Je-hyun seized Haru’s wrist and strode confidently down the long corridor without hesitation.
There were only two doors on the floor. He approached one and tapped the key card against the reader. The moment the door unlocked, Yu Je-hyun leaned down and kissed him again.
Pinned against the wall beside the door, Haru barely managed to take the force of the kiss as Yu Je-hyun’s tongue pushed in, relentless and hungry.
“Ahh…”
Yu Je-hyun slipped his knee between Haru’s legs. His cock—already stirred by the intense make-out session—was half-hard and pressed against Haru through his pants.
The heat between them throbbed with growing pressure, and tears welled up at the corners of Haru’s eyes. They had kissed like this plenty of times before.
They had pressed their groins together, ground against each other naturally in the past. But this—Yu Je-hyun being so openly sexual, so deliberate in the way he teased and stimulated—was new.
It was Haru’s first time in a hotel like this. He couldn’t help being nervous.
Sensing it, Yu Je-hyun finally eased back, pulling away just enough to break the kiss.
His lips were slick with saliva, glistening in a way that was different from usual. Realizing that some of that wetness had come from his own mouth, Haru swallowed hard.
“Why are you shaking so much? Are you that nervous?”
Haru gave a small nod, unable to hide it. Yu Je-hyun let out a soft chuckle. His eyes crinkled in that familiar, charming way, drawing Haru’s gaze.
Then suddenly, a strong arm wrapped around Haru’s waist and lifted him.
Startled, Haru instinctively clung to him, worried he might fall. Yu Je-hyun supported him effortlessly, one arm securely beneath his thighs.
The world tilted. Haru was so used to looking up at Yu Je-hyun—but now, he was looking down at him.
