Chapter 19
After finishing his shower, Jeonghyeok sat on the sofa and roughly dried his hair. Checking the delivery app, it showed he still had to wait another 30 minutes. Since it would take time for Yuwon to come anyway, it worked out well.
He picked up the remote and flipped through TV channels here and there, but there was nothing worth watching. The panelists’ chatter on the talk show felt exactly like noise.
It was strange. Before Yuwon started coming and going from his house, he used to turn on the TV even when he wasn’t watching it because he disliked the silent atmosphere of the house. He would deliberately choose noisy shows and turn the volume up as high as possible. But now, that seemed like something from long ago.
Yuwon’s gentle voice echoing through this house had become natural. He had grown accustomed to quietly listening to what the guy had to say.
So what if he’d grown accustomed to it?
Thinking about it, theirs was a relationship that couldn’t last long. Yuwon was only twenty-two and a beginner just learning about romance. As time passed, he would probably want to meet someone younger and more decent than him. He might even look for a woman. A woman with gentle features and kindness that would suit him.
Thinking that far, Jeonghyeok’s brow suddenly furrowed. It felt like something sharp was scratching the center of his chest.
He found himself ridiculous. It was natural, so what was so unpleasant about it? Just as he was being self-deprecating, the doorbell rang.
Thinking it might be Yuwon, he hurriedly opened the door, but an innocent delivery person was standing there. After receiving the perfunctory greeting of “Enjoy your meal,” Jeonghyeok placed the pizza on the dining table and took out his phone. Nothing was displayed on the screen.
He was about to make a call but soon stopped. He’s probably coming, he thought as he sat back down on the sofa.
After glaring at his innocent phone for several dozen minutes, the doorbell rang again.
When he opened the door, Yuwon stood there with his cheeks flushed red. He couldn’t even hide his labored breathing from how urgently he had run here.
“You’re later than I expected.”
At Jeonghyeok’s words, Yuwon made a tearful face.
“Hah, you waited a long time, didn’t you? I’m sorry.”
Without answering, Jeonghyeok headed straight to the dining table. He transferred the pizza that had grown cold and hard to a large plate and put it in the microwave.
Yuwon, who had hurriedly washed his hands first, helped Jeonghyeok heat the pizza. He took cola from the refrigerator and placed small plates and cups on the table. Even then, he looked around to see if there was more to help with and approached Jeonghyeok.
He could feel the fidgeting from behind, but Jeonghyeok deliberately didn’t speak to Yuwon. He wanted to see him getting nervous for no reason. He had aspects that made you want to tease him anyway.
“What are you doing? Sit down.”
Yuwon nodded and pulled out a dining chair to sit. Even his small actions were like a gentle deer.
Silently putting a slice of pizza on a small plate, Jeonghyeok handed it to Yuwon and asked:
“Why were you late?”
“Ah, well…”
Even though the pepperoni pizza he had said he wanted to eat so much was in front of him, there was no sign of joy and his eyebrows drooped downward. This wasn’t the kind of reaction he had expected. Jeonghyeok’s lips twisted crookedly.
“The boss was very angry. He asked why I dash out right at closing time like clockwork these days.”
“Isn’t it natural to leave at closing time? What’s wrong with that?”
“Nothing’s wrong. Nothing, but… I used to help him until closing every time.”
“Why?”
“The director where I grew up is friends with the boss…”
Yuwon couldn’t finish his sentence and soon became quiet. He knew it himself. No matter how close Boss Park was with the director, there was no need to go out of his way to help Boss Park.
But since there was nothing to do even if he went home anyway, and he thought helping Boss Park was the same as doing something for the director, he had been working while ignoring closing time until now.
Boss Park not only took Yuwon’s kindness for granted, but lately he had been displeased with Yuwon leaving the store right at closing time.
“I knew the boss had a nasty personality, but I think I was too complacent.”
“……”
“I won’t do that anymore. I don’t want to lose time being with ajeossi.”
“I’ll have to get rid of him quickly.”
“What?”
What is he talking about? Looking at Yuwon’s puzzled face, Jeonghyeok just chuckled.
“Hurry up and eat. It’ll get cold.”
Jeonghyeok took the first bite of pizza.
At his unexpectedly calm attitude, Yuwon let out a relieved sigh. He had worried that ajeossi might be angry because he was so late, but apparently that wasn’t the case.
Even so, because of the somehow subdued atmosphere, he couldn’t chatter away like usual. Yuwon unnecessarily took a sip of cola. Even though the pizza he had wanted to eat all day was right in front of him, somehow he had no appetite.
After the quiet meal time ended, an awkward silence flowed between the two people sitting side by side on the sofa. The TV was showing a classic movie whose ending everyone knew.
Unlike the calm and peaceful movie, Yuwon’s mind grew increasingly noisy. It was because of Jeonghyeok, who was being more silent than usual today.
Was he angry after all? He was late without even contacting him, and the reason was pathetic too, so he had every right to be angry.
He should probably apologize once more. He was fidgeting with his fingers and watching for the right timing when:
“It’s boring.”
“What?”
When he turned his head, Jeonghyeok had come close at some point. When did he get this close? His surprised eyes opened wide.
“You know the whole plot.”
Jeonghyeok grabbed Yuwon’s chin and turned it toward himself. No matter how many times he saw Yuwon with this blank expression, he never got tired of it.
Was being clumsy at this kind of thing his preference? When he thought about Yuwon becoming skilled someday, he even felt quite regretful.
Leisurely observing the clear face, Jeonghyeok tilted his head and took his lips as they were. Yuwon’s startled shoulders shot up. Jeonghyeok pressed down on them while sucking his lips. When he gently licked the stiff tongue as if coaxing and soothing, he could feel Yuwon’s body trembling directly.
Yuwon kept his eyes tightly shut and barely managed to match Jeonghyeok’s pace. He always thought this, but ajeossi was too skilled. If he had known he would meet someone who was this good at kissing, he should have practiced somewhere. He felt newly embarrassed about having no experience at all.
“What are you thinking about?”
“Ah…”
This was another thing. How did he know like a ghost that he had fallen into other thoughts?
“You seem to have leisure?”
Jeonghyeok chuckled and pulled Yuwon into his arms. He put his hand inside his clothes and stealthily rubbed his back. He slipped in smoothly past the inside of his armpit to his chest.
The slowly rising lips approached closely. Yuwon unconsciously pulled his body backward. But faster than that, Jeonghyeok grabbed the back of Yuwon’s head and brought his lips down.
“Mmph…”
Even though they had kissed several times already, Yuwon couldn’t get used to it at all.
Every time Jeonghyeok’s tongue parted his lips and entered, his breath stopped short, and every time it moved like swimming inside his mouth, his fingers tingled painfully. Especially because his breathing was insufficient, he eventually became dizzy.
Even when he hit his shoulders and twisted his head, Jeonghyeok persistently kissed him. Then when Yuwon’s face turned bright red, only then did he slowly part their lips.
“Hah, haah.”
As he gasped for the breath he had been holding, Jeonghyeok licked Yuwon’s earlobe and whispered:
“How long are you going to be like this? I told you to breathe through your nose.”
“Haah, that doesn’t work well.”
When he spoke in a resentful tone, Jeonghyeok bit Yuwon’s ear painfully.
“Ah!”
“Do it again.”
“Wait a sec…”
Their lips touched. This time it was a slightly gentler kiss than before. When the tongue that had been brushing his lower lip slowly swept his lower teeth and entered, Yuwon breathed through his nose as Jeonghyeok had taught him.
Swoosh, hah, swoosh, hah. While swallowing the saliva Jeonghyeok had passed to him, he diligently exhaled through his nostrils.
Then he felt Jeonghyeok chuckling. Like a weak breeze passing by – if he had laughed like that, he could have missed it, but there was no way the alert Yuwon wouldn’t notice.
“Why, why are you laughing?”
Wondering what he was doing wrong, Yuwon spoke while rolling his drowsy eyes. Perhaps thinking he might as well laugh since he was caught, Jeonghyeok parted their lips and made a “haha” sound.
“Why are you laughing?”
Jeonghyeok silently grabbed Yuwon’s face firmly with both hands. His black eyes were full of laughter.
“Keep breathing through your nose like that. Got it?”
“You’re teasing me right now!”
“No, I’m not.”
It was obviously teasing though. Jeonghyeok approached close to Yuwon’s lips as he made a thoroughly tearful face. But because Yuwon quickly turned his head away, their lips didn’t touch.
“Did you do this with the people you met before too?”
It was a voice sharpened to a point. At the sudden words, Jeonghyeok didn’t even respond.
“Why aren’t you answering?”
“You’re noisy.”
“I’m so upset. You’re my first, but I’m not yours.”
He was truly upset, as wrinkles formed deeply on Yuwon’s brow. His plump lips were also sticking out in a pout.
Jeonghyeok leaned one arm against the sofa and spoke nonchalantly:
“You’re my first too for someone like you.”
“What do you mean, someone like me?”
“Annoyingly troublesome.”
Disappointment filled the eyes that had sparkled with momentary hope. Even knowing this, Jeonghyeok pretended not to notice and asked:
“What about you – am I really your first? Have you really never dated anyone?”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
