“He is handsome, I’ll give him that.”
“But not as handsome as me, right?”
“He’s far above you.”
Accompanied by joking farewells, they left the shop. As Eden politely said goodbye on the way out, Kitish winked at him. One of Somerset’s slyly charming habits had probably been learned from her.
“Eden, your name’s officially entered the lineage of New York handsome men now. You’ve been certified by Kitish.”
Not wanting to lose, Somerset winked at Eden too. He even pushed his sunglasses up to his forehead so his eyes would be clearly visible—needlessly meticulous about it.
Eden pulled his sunglasses from his pocket, put them on, and walked past him. They were heading in the opposite direction from Eden’s home, but Somerset caught up without complaint and walked beside him. The midday heat clung to them like a shadow.
People busily going about their daily lives embroidered the city scenery around them. Spotting a food truck with office workers lined up in front of it, Somerset showed interest. He craned his neck to check the sign and menu.
“Aren’t you full? You’re going to eat again?”
“No, I’m scouting it out so we can come together next time.”
“Did I ever say I’d go?”
“Not yet. But you will eventually.”
Concealing the movement of his eyes behind the dark lenses, Eden glanced toward the food truck. It sold various kinds of kebabs.
“Looks like your heart’s already standing in line at the kebab truck.”
Somehow having noticed, Somerset teased him.
“These sunglasses aren’t doing their job.”
“You guessed wrong. I figured it out because I could hear your eyes moving.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“Actually, I just went with intuition. My accuracy rate is incredible.”
The smell of kebabs was strong enough to make their mouths water despite how full they already were. By the time they finally escaped it, a cool scent captured Eden’s sense of smell instead. It drifted over softly on the faint breeze—from Somerset.
Eden inhaled deeply, then abruptly stopped walking and removed his sunglasses. Looking at Somerset anew, dressed in white from head to toe, he resembled a god from mythology. A pleasure-loving god devoted to indulgence and revelry. Beneath the shirt carelessly buttoned with only three buttons fastened, the bronze skin peeking through looked decadent, yet somehow pure.
Somerset, who had been walking backward while meeting Eden’s gaze, returned with long strides.
“Do your legs hurt? Want to stop walking? Want me to carry you?”
Unfortunately, his body was perfectly fine. It was his mind that had dulled. He couldn’t think about anything except the man in front of him. It felt like his brain had shrunk. Right now, Eden was full of openings. His usually formidable caution had disappeared, and he couldn’t even think rationally.
Somerset approached the defenseless him. How close do I have to get before you react? His steps seemed to ask that—not too careful, yet not entirely lighthearted either. Before Eden realized it, they were close enough that the tips of their shoes could touch. Both of them had large feet, which was fortunate for Eden.
“You look like you’re in the kind of state where you’d let me do anything to you.”
That was accurate. Which made it dangerous. If Somerset decided to harbor wicked intentions, he could do anything he wanted. Taking advantage of Eden’s lowered guard, Somerset committed two offenses. Looking at him heatedly with trembling pupils, and whispering.
“How can you be this pretty? Maybe it’s rude to say that to a man, but it’s true. You’re so beautiful.”
His sweet voice hit harder than a punch.
“If I ever got the chance to name you, I’d definitely include ‘Emerald’ or ‘Blue.’”
The moment Somerset said the word “Blue,” Eden snapped back to his senses. Blue was his middle name, inherited from Serena’s mother—his maternal grandmother. He almost told him that fact, then stopped himself. Somerset would become unbearably smug if he knew.
Next time. I’ll tell him once this conversation’s been forgotten.
Though maybe it never would be forgotten.
Eden imagined leaving Somerset with an eternal mystery. The thought was strangely unpleasant, beyond merely not enjoyable.
If the secret had continued, there was a high chance our relationship would’ve remained something ordinary.
Guess I don’t want that.
He tried to dismiss the emotion blooming inside him like it belonged to someone else, when a drop of water landed on the bridge of his nose. Wiping it away, Eden looked up at the sky.
Heavy clouds had dramatically rolled in, beginning to block out the light. The air darkened in an instant, thick with humidity, as though the weather itself was punishing him into regaining his senses.
Raindrops began falling steadily. Somerset opened his palm and caught a few.
“It’s going to pour soon.”
“Probably.”
“Are you the type who hates getting wet?”
“Who knows. Depends on the situation.”
“You’ll be fine today. I’m here, after all.”
Speaking brightly, Somerset crouched down to straighten the loafers he’d been lazily stepping on. After confirming that Eden was wearing sneakers, he stood back up looking satisfied.
The raindrops now clinging to his curly hair sparkled like dew. But even that wasn’t enough to rival the vitality that made his amber eyes look golden. Pulling off his sunglasses and stuffing them carelessly into his back pocket, he shouted—
“Run!”
As if bewitched, Eden moved after him.
They ran back along the road they’d leisurely walked earlier. A few places suitable for sheltering from the rain appeared along the way, but neither of them stopped. By the time they passed Kitish’s sandwich shop, the rain had become noticeably heavier.
“Kitty! Bye!”
Somerset shouted a greeting to Kitish, who happened to be outside unfolding the awning. Seeing the two of them sprinting through the downpour, she yelled, “You crazy bastards!” Her hearty laughter followed after them, making it feel for a while as though all three of them were running together.
They turned a corner and stopped at a crosswalk. Standing with the rain-blurred red signal behind him, Somerset panted heavily, then seemed to notice that Eden was breathing much more quietly and abruptly pretended to be composed.
“You know I enjoy jogging, right? This is nothing.”
“Don’t push yourself. Hah… I’m out of breath too.”
“See? Hah… thought so. Hah.”
They hadn’t even been running that fast, but the problem was that their entire bodies were soaked, clothes absorbing water by the second, doubling the strain on their stamina. Along with that, Eden admitted to himself that he’d been neglecting exercise lately.
The cause was right beside him.
Because of this unexpected variable—because of this man who pushed himself at him like an overexcited puppy—his daily life no longer resembled its usual self.
But he wasn’t annoyed or bothered.
Which was exactly why it was a problem.
Somerset leaned toward him as though about to bump shoulders. Just before touching him, he stepped back with a grin.
“But running is fun, right?”
It really did feel strangely refreshing. Like the rain was washing the sweat away. Even though, chemically speaking, it definitely wasn’t clean. Brushing back his soaked hair, Eden said,
“I think it might be nice to deliberately walk in the rain sometimes.”
“By yourself?”
“Who knows.”
“That’d be lonely. It only feels complete if I’m there.”
Declaring that confidently, Somerset suddenly smacked his own chest with a loud slap.
“Doesn’t hurt. It just sounded loud because I’m soaked.”
Kindly easing any concern, he grinned.
“Here, I can feel my heart pounding. Not sure if it’s because I was running or because I’m with you.”
Eden could only blame him. He hadn’t been confused at all. Or at least he thought he hadn’t. But now he was starting to become confused. His heartbeat intensified to the point of spiraling out of control. Not just his chest—his whole body rang with it.
After causing complete chaos inside someone else’s body, Somerset casually changed the subject.
“Ah, this is bad. Can you totally see through my clothes?”
It was a fairly serious issue in its own way. Eden lowered his gaze to inspect both himself and Somerset.
“It’s fine. You can’t see anything. But wait… are you not wearing underwear?”
The wet fabric clinging to their bodies had stopped functioning properly as clothing. Eden was fine thanks to his thicker pants and darker shirt, but Somerset—wearing thin white clothes top and bottom—looked nearly half-naked.
“I am wearing some. It’s just close to my skin tone. What kind of pervert do you take me for?”
“You do look like one right now.”
Somerset panicked, insisting they needed to escape before someone called the police. The moment the pedestrian light changed, he swung his arms and legs forward without hesitation. Eden didn’t fall behind. Their rain-soaked clothes whipped heavily around them.
They ran side by side, sometimes overtaking each other. Every time their eyes met, Eden could see it—his lively face.
“This is so fun!”
Practically naked at this point, Somerset shouted gleefully. What if someone really reports him? Preparing for the worst-case scenario, Eden found himself mentally rehearsing arguments he’d make to the police officer.
He’s innocent and genuinely a good person. I’d stake my entire credibility on it. Think about it, Officer. He’s the kind of guy who talks to a neighbor he just met without hesitation. He smiles easily, talks easily. He’s like a giant puppy. And there’s no such thing as a bad puppy. He’s so honest he’s practically transparent. Here, just look at those shining eyes. Could you really suspect someone like that? He’s too sexy to let off? Come on, let’s not be jealous.
If Somerset really got arrested, Eden would probably gather every bit of legal knowledge he’d learned at university, hire a lawyer, and lean heavily on Somerset’s absurdly powerful background. Grabbing a police officer and passionately pleading his case was a ridiculous fantasy, but he meant every word.
Somerset looked like a pervert, but he was magnificent.
If someone painted him running through the rain and hung it in a massive frame on the wall, Eden would wake up happy every morning. Because seeing that masterpiece first thing after opening his eyes would be overwhelmingly beautiful.
Eden was awestruck.
Could a human being really be this incredible?
Could a human being really be this healthy?
Could a human being really be this hot?
If it’s you, then yes. You can be all of those things.
You’re incredible, healthy, and burning hot.
***
Being with Somerset made it dangerously easy to lose touch with reality. It felt like escaping gravity itself and floating up into the sky. He never thought he’d use the kind of expression that sounded like it came from a childish book. And it wasn’t even just floating still—it was running, like on that rainy day. Kicking through clouds and cutting through wind.
Ironically, even though it felt dreamlike, his senses had become sharper than usual. A few days ago, Somerset had touched his hair to remove a leaf, and the sensation had felt so intense it became a problem. Such a tiny touch had been magnified enough to stiffen his entire body, leaving him unable to even chase after Somerset when he ran away afterward.
Remembering how careful Somerset’s movements had been, Eden brushed back his bangs. Sunlight filtering through the window added shine to his muted blond hair. Apparently the sensation had been addictive, because Somerset’s expression clearly said he wanted to touch it again. He looked disappointed that he had no excuse to do so. Smacking his lips lightly, he called over the bartender.
Around noon. A little early to get drunk, but the two of them had stopped by a bar near the sandwich shop. The atmosphere wasn’t bad. Soft music played without interfering with conversation, and the windows were positioned to catch the light nicely.
The unusual thing was that the place emphasized how “clean” it was—no drugs allowed, only open from daytime through evening, and so on. To Eden, that only made it seem more suspicious. Operating under the belief that the more someone insisted they were wholesome, the more questionable they probably were, he carefully observed the bartender making cocktails.
Fortunately, nothing stood out.
After warming up with low-alcohol cocktails, Somerset lounged there grinning as he talked.
“Kitish hates drinking. If she saw me here, she’d stand outside with her arms crossed and jerk her head like this.”
Watching him sharply tilt his head to the side, Eden let out a quiet laugh.
“I can totally picture you obediently leaving.”
“Maybe normally. But not today.”
“Why?”
“I should be asking you that. Why ask when the answer’s sitting right in front of you?”
Eden couldn’t immediately refute him. Because he thought he knew exactly what the answer was.
“I don’t want my time with you interrupted.”
As expected.
Even though he’d anticipated it and mentally prepared himself beforehand, Eden still failed to stop his face from heating up. While he struggled to fend off the stimulation coming from outside, a wave surged up from within and crashed over him instead. His heartbeat quickened, his temperature rose. He couldn’t blame it on the alcohol—not when he was nowhere near drunk yet.
