Chapter 71
It hit the mark. As expected, nothing could be hidden from Woo Hyun-se. Si-yul smiled awkwardly, then lowered his heels and hugged Hyun-se’s waist. He looked up, pressing his cheek against Hyun-se’s back until it wrinkled.
“Hyung. Can I go out today? Without a bodyguard.”
“No.”
It was a sharp refusal. Si-yul became dejected but quickly regained his composure and tried again.
“I really need to go. It was a prior engagement.”
“Only with a bodyguard.”
“Ah, come on, meeting a friend with a bodyguard is a bit much. I’m not some rich young master. How do I explain it to my friend?”
“Mr. Kwon Si-yul, it seems you’ve forgotten your situation. Who was in danger again?”
His lips puffed out. Si-yul tried to remove his arms from Hyun-se’s waist. Hyun-se grabbed his wrist and pulled him forward. Si-yul buried his nose in Hyun-se’s back. Hyun-se chuckled softly. The vibration spread through Si-yul’s cheek and nose.
“Are you that disappointed?”
“…Yes.”
It was a sulky voice. Hyun-se turned around. He hugged Si-yul face to face and swayed him slowly from side to side as if comforting a child.
“Then I’ll tell them to watch from afar. Not having any protection is too dangerous. I’ll tell them not to interfere, so you’ll have to compromise on that, Mr. Kwon Si-yul.”
Hyun-se took a step back. It wasn’t quite enough to be considered lenient, but he had made at least a minimal effort to compromise. Although it was only half the freedom, Si-yul had to be content with what he got. Si-yul hugged Hyun-se tightly and rested his chin on Hyun-se’s chest, looking up.
“Thank you, hyung.”
Hyun-se kissed various spots on Si-yul’s brightly smiling face. As Si-yul was grinning and receiving the kisses, he momentarily froze with his smile intact at a sudden question.
“By the way, which friend? It can’t be Kwon Yuwon.”
He could have easily said it was Woo Tae-joo, but for some reason, he was reluctant to reveal his existence. Above all, the circumstances of their meeting were problematic. They had met intending to spend a night at a motel. Given that he had claimed to have experience and had confessed to trying to sleep with someone else before his first night with Hyun-se, what was there to hide?
“A friend from the orphanage.”
He lied blatantly without changing his expression. His heart was pounding, afraid of being caught, but fortunately, Hyun-se let it slide.
Before leaving the front door, Hyun-se earnestly requested that Si-yul send a text message every time he changed locations. It seemed he wasn’t fully reassured even with the bodyguard. Si-yul, excited just by the thought of going out, nodded vigorously, saying he understood, and showered Hyun-se with kisses.
“Why are you making me not want to let you go?”
“Would you take a day off if I asked?”
“I’d consider it if Kwon Si-yul cancels his appointment.”
If it weren’t for the prior engagement, he would have accepted immediately. Hyun-se taking a day off was certainly worth skipping the appointment. Si-yul hesitated for a moment, but then remembered the tearful Woo Tae-joo and shook his head.
“No, it’s okay. You’re the CEO, how can you not go to work? Go quickly. You’ll be late.”
“You’re so cold.”
I don’t want to send you off either. But Si-yul hid his desire to whine, afraid that Hyun-se would dislike it if he acted too childishly.
Looking at Hyun-se’s back, he already felt regretful. Si-yul hesitated before calling out, “Hyung.” Hyun-se turned around.
Si-yul bit his lip, then released it, hesitating for a long time. He didn’t prolong his deliberation. The words that had risen from his stomach to his chest, to his throat, past his Adam’s apple to the tip of his tongue felt heavy. Afraid that if he swallowed these words, as hot as burning stones, his insides would be scorched red, Si-yul blurted out without realizing:
“I like you.”
Hyun-se paused. His loosely upturned lips settled into a straight line. As if he never expected Si-yul to say such a thing, Hyun-se, who had always been composed no matter what he heard, stared at Si-yul without even blinking.
“I really like you.”
Saying “I love you” was still difficult. Si-yul started with “I like you.” It was quite a fervent confession, yet Hyun-se stood frozen like a wooden statue. Wondering if perhaps it was burdensome, Si-yul scratched the back of his head, feeling a belated wave of embarrassment. He was about to wave his hand, saying it was just a passing comment, nothing to take seriously.
The half-open front door closed with a thud. Hyun-se approached with large strides and cupped Si-yul’s cheeks in his palms. Their lips were close enough to touch.
“Again.”
“Pardon?”
“Say it again.”
His whispering voice was desperate. His pheromones, which had been calm, now surged like waves hit by the wind. It was as if he would devour Si-yul. It wasn’t simple lust. It was a darker, fiercer torrent.
“I like you.”
“Once more.”
“I like you, hyung…”
Si-yul repeated like a parrot. He didn’t know how to make these sincere feelings reach Hyun-se. Even as he expressed them, his heart felt tight. The simple phrase “I like you” seemed too small a vessel to contain his feelings.
I like you.
I like you so much, hyung.
I like you so much that sometimes it takes my breath away.
Among countless expressions, Si-yul only repeated the clumsy phrase “I like you.” Hyun-se covered Si-yul’s rounded lips with his own. Though they had kissed countless times, the gently placed lips were as careful as if it were their first time.
It felt just like an answer. Even without words, Si-yul understood. The sweet and gentle pheromones enveloping him like air, the feather-light touch of their lips – this was the answer Si-yul had wanted.
In the end, Hyun-se took a half-day off. They didn’t even waste time moving to another place, finishing their business at the entrance. With his back against the door, one leg hooked over Hyun-se’s arm, Si-yul bit his own wrist like a gag to prevent any sounds from escaping outside.
Hyun-se hurriedly removed that hand. Instead, he covered Si-yul’s mouth and even his breath. Si-yul also clung tightly to the other, kissing him back. Suppressing his anxiety that embarrassing moans and screams might echo outside the door. Even though they occupied the entire floor, someone in the elevator might hear.
Only after his body had melted into a limp mess did Si-yul break away from Hyun-se. Hyun-se embraced Si-yul, who had collapsed with weak legs, and kissed his entire body. He asked about taking the day off three times and said he didn’t want to go six times. Si-yul also didn’t want to let Hyun-se go, but he couldn’t interfere with work just to satisfy his own desires.
What was meant to be a short rest in bed turned into an accidental nap. He barely opened his eyes as the appointment time drew near. In the past, he would have been knocked out until the next day, but thanks to Hyun-se’s coaxing and nourishing with tonics, he was able to recover.
There was also a missed call from Woo Tae-joo. Si-yul hurriedly washed up, got ready, and rushed out of the house. But he was startled by the large figure that appeared as soon as he opened the front door.
“I’ll escort you, sir.”
“I’ll just take the bus.”
“I was told not to let you go alone.”
Even though Si-yul insisted he could go by himself, the other was as unyielding as a stone wall. It seemed it would be easier to shout at a wall.
“He said he’d have someone watch from afar…”
Si-yul muttered dejectedly, wondering if it had just been lip service to avoid the situation.
“I won’t interfere while you’re with your friend.”
The man stood guard, looking like he wouldn’t budge an inch until Si-yul accepted. With no choice, Si-yul got into the car driven by the man. He shook off the feeling of being under surveillance, telling himself that at least he was saving bus fare and getting to the meeting place comfortably.
The man, keeping his word, dropped Si-yul off and disappeared somewhere. He hadn’t completely vanished though; if one looked carefully, he was standing not too far from Si-yul. Although the feeling of having a tick attached was unpleasant, as Hyun-se had said, Si-yul himself was in danger, so it couldn’t be helped.
“Si-yul hyung!”
Woo Tae-joo raised his hand high and waved. While seeing him at the shop regularly hadn’t sparked any particular thoughts, now it felt good to see him after a while. Si-yul also raised his arm and waved back.
Dressed up for the concert, he looked more dashing than at the shop. From his coat to his shoes and shirt, Si-yul couldn’t help but be reminded of Hyun-se whom he had seen that morning. With his hair styled up and all dressed up, he resembled Hyun-se’s aura even more. Though it was unlikely, one might believe they were relatives if he claimed so.
Si-yul looked down at his own appearance. Although he had dressed up somewhat for the concert, standing next to Tae-joo made him feel like a beggar next to a prince.
“Is it okay to go like this?”
Wishing he had worn a coat, Si-yul asked with a seemingly serious expression, worried that his outfit might be too informal.
“Of course. As long as you’re not going in naked, it doesn’t matter. And hyung, you look cute.”
“Cute, you say.”
He’s got some nerve talking to an elder like that. Si-yul frowned at the impudence, but Tae-joo just smiled brightly as if even that was cute. Si-yul soon smiled back, deliberately smoothing out his furrowed brow. In truth, he was in such a good mood from the rare outing that nothing could upset him.
Tae-joo clenched and unclenched his fist, damp with nervous sweat. While Si-yul seemed the same as usual, Tae-joo was not. He had been bustling about preparing since the night before for this long-awaited meeting. Unable to find satisfactory clothes even after turning his closet inside out, he had rushed out to buy new clothes in a hurry.
Even during the meal, Tae-joo couldn’t take his eyes off Si-yul. His hair had grown a bit longer. His skin still looked fair and his cheeks appeared soft and plump. However, there were also noticeable differences from before.
The atmosphere he exuded was languid. As if he had just finished intense lovemaking. His straight, white neck and his earlobes, red from the cold, along with his downcast gaze were particularly sensual. Although Si-yul wasn’t emitting pheromones, and even if he were, Tae-joo wouldn’t be able to detect them, he sensed a peculiar energy.
As they were leaving after the meal, Si-yul yawned widely. Teardrops hung precariously on his eyelashes. Tae-joo, seizing the opportunity, rubbed Si-yul’s eyes with his hand. Si-yul shook his head weakly, as if shooing away an annoying bug.
“Hyung, are you sleepy?”
“Ah… I didn’t sleep well.”
It was actually because he was physically tired from his passionate activities with Hyun-se, but Tae-joo had no way of knowing that. Si-yul yawned again, opening his mouth like a bird’s beak. He wanted to forget about the concert and everything else and become one with his bed at home.
But he quickly opened his eyes wide. No, that wouldn’t do. This was his first outing in so long, he couldn’t let it fizzle out like this.
“Shall we go quickly? We’ll be late.”
Tae-joo, shaking off the persistent sense of déjà vu, put his arm around Si-yul’s shoulders. Si-yul flinched and frowned, but when Tae-joo wheedled, calling “Hyung, hyung,” Si-yul reluctantly gave in.
