Chapter 10
Though he spoke sternly, it was genuine concern. He had often seen cases where people who couldn’t fix their drinking habits at a young age suffered well into their older years. This kind of thing needed to be nipped in the bud.
Especially after doing something as reckless as hugging just anyone without fear like yesterday, he could end up in serious trouble. It wasn’t something that could just be brushed off as cute – it was very dangerous behavior when drunk.
After finishing his words, Jeonghyeok slowly moved away.
Just as he was about to go sit on the sofa again, a small voice stopped Jeonghyeok.
“I don’t do that.”
It was quite a firm tone. Jeonghyeok turned around to look at Yuwon’s face.
“I don’t do that to other people. Only to ajeossi… I do that.”
His face was red as if it might burst, yet it was quite a bold statement. When Jeonghyeok, at a loss for words, let out a quiet chuckle, Yuwon chewed on his lower lip.
He was embarrassed but also felt relieved. One side of his chest was tingling.
Honestly, he couldn’t believe that he had hugged Jeonghyeok, but since it was the first time he’d ever been drunk enough to black out, it wasn’t completely impossible either.
But to say he would do the same thing to other people – he couldn’t agree with that. No matter how completely drunk he got, that would absolutely never happen.
Yuwon turned his body diagonally and gulped down the honey water. Though it had cooled down a bit, it was still quite hot and stung his throat, but he didn’t care and drank it all without leaving a drop.
Yuwon, who removed the cup from his mouth with a “puha” sound, wiped what was on his lips and spoke very politely.
“Thank you for letting me sleep here. And for the honey water too. I’ll definitely repay this kindness.”
Come to think of it, from their first meeting he had caused trouble by dirtying his coat. Last time he had even gotten jjajangmyeon, and yesterday he had even thrown a drunken fit.
Since he had always been indebted, he now wanted to somehow repay Jeonghyeok. His finances weren’t abundant anyway, so there was no way to express his feelings with money. In that case, he had no choice but to make up for it with his body. Yuwon thought of what he could do.
“I’m good at cooking. I’m also good at laundry and cleaning.”
So what about it? At Jeonghyeok’s puzzled expression, Yuwon’s eyes sparkled as he spoke.
“So I’ll come again.”
“What?”
“I’ll come again to cook and clean before leaving.”
Of course, it wasn’t purely just to repay the kindness. Since things had come to this, he wanted to somehow create another opportunity to meet Jeonghyeok. If he helped with housework, he could repay his debt to Jeonghyeok and also get closer to him, so it was good in many ways. Yuwon immediately continued speaking without even listening to Jeonghyeok’s answer.
“Can I come tomorrow?”
When Yuwon arbitrarily decided on a date, Jeonghyeok scrunched up his face.
“No.”
“Then the day after tomorrow?”
“Just no.”
Even though he only repeated the answer “no,” Yuwon didn’t give up. He just repeated the same question over and over again.
“Why? I’m not asking for money.”
“I wouldn’t give it to you even if you asked.”
“Then why don’t you like it? There’s no reason to dislike it, is there?”
Yuwon tilted his head and blinked his clear eyes. Was he really asking because he didn’t know? Jeonghyeok was at a loss for words at his shameless attitude.
“Ah, I might not know about other things, but I’m really good at cooking. You’ll be so surprised by how delicious it is!”
With confidence coming from who knows where, Yuwon began to rattle off the menu items he knew how to make. In the end, Jeonghyeok gave up on the conversation and lay down on the sofa. Then Yuwon called out “Ajeossi” and scurried over.
“What do you like? Meat? Fish?”
“Stop chattering and go.”
Saying that, Jeonghyeok placed his arm over his eyes. It was an expression that he wouldn’t have any more conversation, but Yuwon didn’t back down and stuck his head closer.
“Meat would probably be better, right?”
Jeonghyeok completely shut his mouth. Since he wouldn’t listen even when he spoke, there was no other way. If he stayed like this, he would give up on his own and disappear. He buried his body even deeper into the sofa.
When there was no answer for a while, he felt Yuwon moving away. Hearing the footsteps heading toward the inside of the room, Jeonghyeok quietly opened his eyes. As expected, Yuwon was nowhere to be seen.
“Whew.”
Had he finally given up? All the strength drained from his body. That little guy really had a talent for being bothersome.
He was already not used to having people in his house and hadn’t been able to sleep properly, and on top of that, he was quite exhausted because of this guy who wouldn’t quietly go home and instead tormented him.
Cooking and cleaning – who gave him permission? Just imagining Yuwon moving around inside this house made his nerves stand on edge. Not just Yuwon, but anyone would be the same. His home had to be entirely his own space. He had been used to being alone since childhood and had never once let anyone into his house in all his years. It had become so ingrained that it was now hard to change – it was like a kind of habit.
He inflated his chest with a “seup” sound and then exhaled with a “whew.” It was a struggle to force himself to sleep.
Just then, rustling sounds and footsteps came from the room. Jeonghyeok quickly closed his eyes.
Yuwon, who had come out after getting his outerwear from the room, stood in front of Jeonghyeok again.
Because he was covering his eyes with his forearm, only his prominent nose and masculine jawline were visible. Unlike himself, the pronounced jaw and dark stubble marks were fascinating. Not only that, but his heavy voice, thick hands and arms, and torso were all fascinating too. It was exactly like he was a person of a different species from himself.
Yuwon, who had been looking at the motionless Jeonghyeok as if watching a show, soon spoke in a small voice.
“Ajeossi.”
“……”
“Are you sleeping?”
Thinking it would be better to pretend to sleep, Jeonghyeok continued to breathe evenly while still covering his face with his arm.
Had he fallen asleep already? Yuwon looked at Jeonghyeok, who was pretending to sleep, with a distant gaze. It seemed pitiful that he was sleeping on the sofa when there was a bed. He even felt guilty seeing how tired he looked.
Should he wake him up and tell him to go to bed? After contemplating and thinking that would also be a nuisance, Yuwon waited for a long time before looking at the clock on the wall and being startled. There were only 30 minutes left until work.
He hurriedly took out his phone from his outerwear pocket to check his current location, and it showed a building not far from the subway station. If he left right away, it seemed like he could arrive safely by work time.
“Ajeossi, I’m leaving.”
Whether it was for him to hear or not, Yuwon whispered at a level where he was barely moving his lips. And as he moved his reluctant feet, he added:
“See you tomorrow evening.”
The pattering footsteps grew distant. The sound of putting on shoes, the sound of the door lock being released, and the sound of the front door opening.
Only after hearing the sound of the door completely closing did Jeonghyeok open his eyes. The breath he had been holding burst out.
“Ha…”
This was really the first time he’d met someone so relentless. Whether men or women, when they saw his cold expression, they would all take a step back, but Yuwon showed no such signs at all.
Moreover, though it wasn’t visible, he had a wagging tail. His clear eyes were similar to those of a dog happy to see its owner. It made him think he should put something in his mouth.
This emotion that was heavily rising in his chest wasn’t rational fondness or sexual attraction. Maybe it was the compassion he felt for small children or little animals. The important thing was why he was feeling such emotions toward a fully grown adult man. He detested children and had no interest in pets or anything like that.
Jeonghyeok raised his heavy body. Even though the fatigue accumulated over several days was clearly pressing down on his shoulders, strangely his mind became even clearer.
Coming tomorrow evening – he was probably just talking.
Yuwon’s last words lingered in his ears. Honestly, he could just pretend not to know and leave the house empty. If you really thought about it, it was Yuwon’s fault for making a pointless promise in front of someone who was sleeping.
Jeonghyeok went to the kitchen and made coffee while sweeping up his fallen hair. Just as he was closing his tired eyes tightly and opening them, a cup suddenly caught his attention. It was the white cup that Yuwon had emptied and left.
He remembered Yuwon’s red lips that had touched it. Also how a water droplet had clung to his plump lower lip as he drank hurriedly. The memory followed its tail and went back to last night, vividly drawing before his eyes Yuwon’s white nape and collarbone as he had been held in his arms.
Zing – the sound of Jeonghyeok’s hollow laugh was buried in the noise from the coffee machine.
He must have been starving for too long. Maybe he had been too neglectful of managing his lower body due to his busy schedule. He should release it appropriately soon – at this rate, he might end up lusting after an impossible target.
Jeonghyeok, who took out the cup from under the coffee machine that had stopped working, drank his coffee as leisurely as possible. The warm morning sunlight was illuminating half of the dining table.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
