Another awkward silence fell between them. Yu-jin couldn’t bring himself to meet Winston’s gaze and mumbled hesitantly, averting his eyes.
“Uh, well, instead of that… shouldn’t we do something else? We finally… got to be alone.”
His words came out haltingly, leaving Winston momentarily speechless. He stood frozen with wide eyes, taking a few seconds before finally managing to respond.
“What?”
Even after pausing to process it, that was all he could manage to say. His brain simply refused to keep up with the unexpected turn of events. He felt like a fool. But Yu-jin was right. Killing those bastards wasn’t something that had to be done this very second. They could be dealt with at any time. So why now?
Because they made Yu-jin cry.
That alone was an unforgivable sin that deserved immediate retribution. How dare they make Yu-jin shed tears in front of him?
But right now, that wasn’t what Yu-jin wanted. His face flushed red as he fidgeted, clearly uncertain.
“Th-There’s something we… left unfinished. A-And, are we just going to let it go again today…?”
Seeing the mix of expectation and uncertainty in Yu-jin’s expression, Winston couldn’t answer right away. His hesitation made Yu-jin’s shoulders slump as if he were disappointed.
“I knew it. Saying you liked me was just a lie.”
“No!”
Winston, who had only been opening and closing his mouth soundlessly, finally managed to shout. If holding Yu-jin in his arms could prove his feelings, he would do it a thousand times over. No, rather—it was an absolute win for him. Getting to hold Yu-jin was already a dream come true, but on top of that, he could prove his love? There would never be a better deal in the world.
“You’re the only one I love. If this is how you’ll believe me, then of course, I— No, even without that, all I could think about last night was wanting to hold you.”
“What? Then why didn’t you come?”
Yu-jin asked bluntly, then muttered in a dejected voice,
“I was waiting for you last night too…”
I should have gone to him.
Yu-jin’s voice, quiet and filled with regret, made Winston’s eyes widen in shock. Yu-jin had been waiting for him? And yet, he had wasted the entire night doing nothing?
What a complete idiot. Winston let out a groan, burying his face in his hands. When Yu-jin looked at him in surprise, Winston sighed and confessed,
“I thought I was rushing things. I was afraid if I suddenly showed up asking to sleep together, you might be scared…”
No, that was just a flimsy excuse. He admitted the truth with a sigh.
“The real reason is… I was afraid of how much of a beast I’d become.”
His voice was laced with self-reproach and regret. If they had just done it last night, they wouldn’t have wasted so much time for no reason.
Yu-jin, who had been staring at him blankly, suddenly burst into laughter. Winston lowered his hands from his face at the sound, only to see Yu-jin looking at him with bright eyes, his laughter still spilling out.
“We were both beasts, huh!”
Winston was silent for a moment before he, too, let out a laugh.
“Yeah, pretending to be human was exhausting.”
“It really was.”
Yu-jin nodded in agreement. The lingering tension between them crumbled so absurdly easily. But in its place, a different kind of tension emerged—one that made it undeniably clear what they both wanted most in this moment.
“Then,” Yu-jin spoke first, “there’s nothing holding us back anymore, right?”
His heart pounded so hard it was difficult to get the words out. His flushed cheeks only deepened as he looked at Winston, who gave a slow nod.
“Yeah… probably.”
Yu-jin couldn’t help but tilt his head in confusion at the uncertain answer. Winston sighed and explained,
“I just… still can’t believe it. That you actually waited for me all night.”
Then, as if making absolutely sure, he asked again,
“You do know what we’re about to do, right?”
This time, they wouldn’t stop halfway. There would be no interruptions. If Yu-jin wanted to back out, this was his last chance. But he didn’t take it.
Without a word, Yu-jin held Winston’s gaze as he slowly reached for the waistband of his pants and pulled them down. Winston watched with wide eyes as the fabric, along with his underwear, slid down his thighs, barely reaching halfway before slipping off completely. Yu-jin was trembling with nerves and embarrassment, but he didn’t stop. If he hesitated now, he feared he’d never have the courage again. He kicked the discarded clothing off the bed, then grasped the hem of his shirt and hesitantly lifted it.
Winston didn’t miss a single movement.
As the fabric slid up, Yu-jin’s slender waist was revealed first, glowing under the dim light. His small, smooth navel, his delicate chest, and then—his pink nipples, stiff from the cool air, came into view one by one. Finally, as he pulled the shirt over his head, his thin, graceful neck was exposed, followed by his flushed face. His tousled hair fell messily over his burning cheeks as he clutched the discarded shirt to his chest.
“…Winnie.”
His voice came out as a whisper, barely audible. He reached out a trembling hand, sitting on the bed, while Winston remained frozen in place, staring at him.
“Come here.”
He felt like he was going to die from embarrassment. If Winston turned around and walked out of the room now, Yu-jin might just flee to the ends of the earth and live in hiding for the rest of his life. His entire body tensed with nervous anticipation, every hair on his skin standing on edge.
But it didn’t happen.
Yu-jin saw Winston’s hand release the doorknob. Even as he started moving, his gaze never left Yu-jin’s face. Step by step, he slowly made his way forward.
The distance wasn’t far, and yet to Yu-jin, the wait felt agonizing—his heart pounded so wildly it felt as if it might burst.
At last, Winston stopped right in front of the bed. It was only then that Yu-jin realized—his face was just as flushed as his own.
A large hand cupped his cheek, fingers gliding over his skin in a gentle, soothing motion. From his jawline, down his throat, to his shoulders—slowly, deliberately, it traced downward. Finally, Winston’s fingers reached the shirt Yu-jin had been clutching tightly this whole time. He hesitated for a brief moment, as if wavering at the very last second. But that hesitation barely lasted a few seconds.
“Ah…!”
In an instant, Winston snatched the shirt away and tossed it aside. Yu-jin barely had time to gasp before his mouth was captured, his voice swallowed up in the urgent press of lips.
The next thing he knew, Winston’s weight bore down on him, pushing him onto the bed.
“Ah, haah, mmph…”
For all the time they had spent hesitating, it now felt like a lie. Their lips crashed together, their tongues tangling desperately, and the heat between them spiraled out of control. There was no time to properly align their mouths—teeth clashed, breath hitched, and every kiss grew sloppier. Winston sucked hard on Yu-jin’s tongue before suddenly pulling away.
Yu-jin blinked in confusion.
Above him, Winston grabbed the collar of his own shirt, yanking it over his head in one swift motion. His tousled hair fell over his forehead as he shook his head like a wild animal. Then, without pausing, he reached for the waistband of his pants.
Yu-jin could only stare, wide-eyed, as Winston undressed in a flash. The moment he was just as bare, he pressed down again, their bodies now completely unshielded.
Nothing separated them anymore.
Despite his trembling hands, Yu-jin found the courage to wrap his arms around Winston. Their bodies meshed together without a single gap between them. The evidence of Winston’s arousal was impossible to ignore. But Yu-jin wasn’t startled. He wasn’t embarrassed. Because he was the same. And that knowledge only made them both even more intoxicated.
“Yu-jin,” Winston murmured, nipping at his lower lip before moving to suck on the sensitive skin of his neck.
“God, I can’t believe this. I dreamed about this all night.”
A large hand roamed over Yu-jin’s skin, leaving a trail of heat in its wake. The touch was scalding, as if it could burn.
Yu-jin parted his legs hesitantly, and Winston immediately pressed closer, sinking against him. Mustering the last of his courage, Yu-jin wrapped his legs around Winston’s waist, pulling him in completely. A shiver ran down his spine—this wasn’t the end. He knew that instinctively.
He had never seen it with his own eyes, but books were filled with metaphors. And at the very least, he had a general idea of what came next.
Not even Harold could censor literature.
It was one of the few things he had been careless about—after all, he never would have imagined that the son he had so carefully raised would one day claim his most prized treasure.
