“Hey, what are you doing?”
Startled, Go Hoon tried to push his hand away, but Bae Jung-yoon held his ground with firm resistance.
“I said, what are you doing?”
“Just stay still for a second.”
Tsk. Letting out a deliberately stern sound, Bae Jung-yoon tightened his grip on Go Hoon’s chin.
Go Hoon eventually gave up and let himself go limp. He had a feeling that resisting wouldn’t change anything—Jung-yoon wasn’t going to back down.
When he obediently offered up his face, Bae Jung-yoon examined the inside of his mouth with a meticulous gaze. Anyone could see it was a mouth ulcer. Just as the closeness was starting to feel excessive, Jung-yoon finally spoke.
“It’s stomatitis.”
“Yeah, exactly. So let go.”
“It’s pretty big. How long have you had it?”
He ignored everything Go Hoon had said and just kept talking. It was a good thing they were the only two on the second floor—anyone else witnessing this scene would’ve found it extremely suspicious.
Go Hoon carefully pulled away Jung-yoon’s hand with as much politeness as he could manage.
“I don’t know.”
“You need to put ointment on it.”
“I’m fine. It’ll heal on its own in a few days.”
He’d had mouth ulcers like this a few times before. Sure, they were smaller than this one, but still.
Whenever something hurt, Go Hoon usually left it alone. Ignoring it had become a habit. He’d just wait it out until the skin regenerated and healed naturally.
Giving in to something this minor didn’t feel manly. Sometimes he even forced himself to act tough. Thinking about the pain only made it worse. If he convinced himself it would get better and just pushed through, it usually did.
A mouth ulcer was no different. Even if it was annoying, he’d just endure it. After about a week, it would shrink and disappear without a trace.
“Hold on.”
Suddenly, Bae Jung-yoon stood up, grabbed his phone, and walked off. Before Go Hoon could ask where he was going, Jung-yoon had already disappeared down the stairs.
“…Where the hell is he going now?”
Go Hoon muttered and waited. He figured Jung-yoon would be back in no time. But the wait stretched longer than expected.
Wasn’t he just grabbing something from downstairs? Go Hoon glanced out the window, but saw nothing. He even tried calling, but Jung-yoon didn’t pick up.
After about ten minutes, Bae Jung-yoon finally returned.
“Where’d you go?”
Jung-yoon didn’t answer. He strode over with his long legs, pulled something from his pocket, and sat down right next to Go Hoon—way too close.
“What is it?”
Go Hoon flinched and tried to scoot away, but Jung-yoon grabbed his arm.
“Let’s put on the ointment.”
A small bottle of medicine and a cotton swab landed on the table. He must’ve gone to the pharmacy. Go Hoon stared at him in disbelief.
“You went out just to buy this?”
“Yeah.”
Jung-yoon quickly tore the packaging open, pulled out a cotton swab, and dipped it into the ointment.
“Come on. Open your mouth.”
Go Hoon looked at him awkwardly. This really didn’t require that much effort. Jung-yoon must’ve been seriously annoyed watching him keep poking the sore with his tongue. To go all the way to a pharmacy for this…
“I’ll do it myself.”
This much, he could easily handle. He reached out to take the swab, but Jung-yoon pulled his face closer instead.
“I sai—”
“Just stay still.”
Bae Jung-yoon’s intense gaze silenced him.
There was something about the mood that made it hard to say no. The guy had just gone out of his way to get medicine. Wouldn’t it be too harsh to push him away now?
While Go Hoon hesitated, Jung-yoon’s gaze dropped. Realizing that focused stare was fixed on his lips made it strangely hard to move.
With gentle pressure, Jung-yoon pressed down on his lower lip. The tender skin inside was exposed, and Go Hoon could feel the cool touch of his fingers.
Swallowing dryly, he turned his head away. Facing Jung-yoon directly felt weirdly uncomfortable. Then the medicated swab touched the sore spot.
“Agh!”
In that instant, a sharp cry escaped Go Hoon’s lips before he could stop himself. At the same time, he smacked Bae Jung-yoon’s hand away.
“Ha, fuck…”
The curse slipped out on instinct. Clutching his mouth, he let out a silent scream. What the hell?! Why does it hurt so damn much?!
The pain didn’t fade quickly, either. It lingered, sharp and raw—like acid burning exposed skin. Maybe some would say he was being dramatic, but this was unlike any pain he’d ever felt before.
Frowning hard, Go Hoon stayed still, waiting for the sting to subside. Beside him, Bae Jung-yoon watched in silence, thankfully keeping his distance for once.
After a while, Go Hoon finally regained his composure. He opened his eyes and cautiously ran his tongue over the sore spot. The area felt oddly stiff, like it had been partially numbed.
“What the hell is this? Are you sure this is real medicine?”
He eyed the bottle on the table with deep suspicion.
Why does it hurt this bad? Was that even normal? Was it supposed to sting like fire? It felt like someone had seared his flesh with a branding iron. It was worse than pouring antiseptic on a wound.
“You think I bought some knockoff from a back-alley quack?”
Bae Jung-yoon replied coolly, totally unfazed, as he pulled out a fresh cotton swab and dipped it into the bottle again. Then he reached for Go Hoon once more.
“I think it didn’t go on properly because you flinched. Just let me try one more time.”
“No, it went on fine—seriously, it’s on there!”
Go Hoon instinctively covered his mouth with both hands and shook his head like mad. Then, in a panic, he scrambled backward.
“Come on.”
Jung-yoon stepped forward again, more determined this time. As Hoon scooted back little by little, Jung-yoon mirrored each move, steadily closing the gap.
Before long, Go Hoon found himself pressed into the corner of the couch, the window now cool against his back—no escape.
“Don’t come any closer!”
He shouted in a panic with just inches left between them.
“Too bad.”
Jung-yoon was clearly enjoying himself. A smug grin tugged at the corner of his lips, and it made Go Hoon want to punch something. He glared and thrust out a hand.
“I’m serious—don’t come closer. One more step and I’ll scream.”
“Geez, you make it sound like I’m trying to assault you or something.”
“Goddamn it, I said stay back!”
If he moved any closer, Go Hoon was fully prepared to shove the table between them and bolt.
He grabbed onto the table with both hands, bracing himself. Seeing this, Bae Jung-yoon finally burst out laughing.
With his head down and shoulders shaking, he looked downright irritating. He laughed and laughed, then finally managed to calm down.
When he raised his head and met Go Hoon’s icy glare, Hoon flinched without meaning to. Still on edge, he kept tense and ready to jump at any moment, until Jung-yoon finally backed off.
“Alright, alright. I’m done. Relax, Hoon.”
His voice was gentle, coaxing even—but Go Hoon didn’t lower his guard. He shot him a scowl, clearly unimpressed.
“You bought that shit just to mess with me, didn’t you?”
The accusation came out before he could stop himself.
He’d been sitting there, practically in tears, and Jung-yoon had been grinning the whole time like it was the funniest thing in the world. There was no way this wasn’t on purpose.
He was starting to believe Jung-yoon had gone all the way to the pharmacy just to enjoy this moment. Suspicion was fast turning into certainty.
Regardless, Bae Jung-yoon remained completely calm as he cleaned up the used swab and tidied the table.
“Put this on, and something that would’ve taken a week to heal will be gone in two days.”
Now that he’d had his fun, he was suddenly playing the responsible adult. Only when he sealed the bottle completely did Go Hoon allow himself to breathe a little easier, though he still grumbled under his breath.
“What kind of medicine hurts like that?”
“When you scrape out infected tissue and grow new skin, it’s gonna hurt. That’s just how it works.”
He said this while crushing the tissue-wrapped swab in his hand.
“You know how we get fevers when we’re sick? Most people think it’s because of the virus, but actually, our body raises the temperature on purpose. Viruses don’t do well with heat.”
Why the hell is he turning this into a science lesson? Was he trying to show off how smart he was?
“What’s with the random biology talk?”
“There’s pain that’s necessary for healing.”
Oh, please. What a wannabe sage. Go Hoon narrowed his eyes at him. But Jung-yoon didn’t care. He calmly packed the bottle back into its box and handed it to Go Hoon, along with the pouch of cotton swabs.
“Here. A gift.”
“What gift? No thanks.”
“Keep it at home. If you get another ulcer, use it. It’ll help a lot.”
Go Hoon tried to brush it off, voice gruff, but Jung-yoon didn’t seem to hear it—or chose not to. He gently placed the box and swabs into Hoon’s hands, then gave his hand a couple of soft taps.
“And think of me when you do.”
That sly smile, all crinkled eyes and playful charm, filled his vision.
Go Hoon instinctively scrunched his brow into a deep scowl.
Fox-faced bastard. He really, really got on his nerves.
