#60
Though his relationships were short, there were quite a few of them. Among them, there were times when he had confessed first and started dating, so he should be able to speak without hesitation, but strangely, the words wouldn’t come out easily.
“Ho-woo.”
“Y-Yes?”
Ho-woo, whose face had now turned red, stammered.
“Are you perhaps catching a cold?”
The hand that carefully touched his cheek and then his forehead felt lukewarm. It wasn’t that Oh-yul’s hand was cold, but that Ho-woo’s face was too hot.
“You got caught in a lot of rain yesterday, and you overexerted yourself because of me, so it wouldn’t be strange if you caught a cold.”
Yul met his gaze with his eyes slightly drooping in concern. His face was so close that Ho-woo could feel his breath, and he could clearly sense the warm temperature of the tickling breath on his cheek.
“Do you have medicine at home…”
Ho-woo raised his hand and firmly pressed it against Yul’s mouth to stop him.
“First, be quiet for a moment. I’m not sick.”
Yul’s eyes rarely filled with bewilderment. It wouldn’t be difficult to shake off the hand covering his mouth, but he obediently waited, repeatedly sighing, as Ho-woo furrowed his brow again.
Meanwhile, Ho-woo was fiercely battling with his inner self.
The indecisive Lee Ho-woo urged him to just accept his feelings, while the petty, jealous Lee Ho-woo demanded that he resolve this matter clearly.
Worry deeply etched Ho-woo’s face.
Looking at it closely, this situation wasn’t Oh-yul’s fault. He knew that Yul was also a victim of the Management Complex. Moreover, he had received an apology. But the more Ho-woo ruminated on how he felt when he first saw Yul on TV, the more his blood boiled.
No, it’s not that he’s completely blameless. Who told him to smile so prettily?
Recalling the bright smile that filled the screen, he had a somewhat rough thought of wanting to slap that handsome face just once, different from giving his heart to this man.
“Can I hit you just once?”
In the end, the petty Lee Ho-woo who emerged victorious blurted out.
“……”
Still with his mouth covered, Yul slowly closed his eyes without hesitation. It was a silent permission. His long eyelashes trembled like butterfly wings.
He looked so compliant that it seemed as if he had prepared himself for this to happen.
“Why… Why don’t you make excuses?”
Ho-woo asked, releasing his hand from Yul’s mouth. Aren’t you feeling wronged? He’s also a victim manipulated by the Complex.
Instead of defending himself, Oh-yul just submissively accepted the situation. Even when he apologized to Ho-woo, Yul had pleaded not to hate him. While telling the truth, he worried it would sound like an excuse. Ho-woo didn’t like that at all.
He wished Yul would defend himself more actively. He wished he would say no to the unfairness directed at him.
No matter who it was from.
Ho-woo’s lips tightened. As he recalled the incident at the movie theater, he could imagine how this overly gentle man had lived until now.
The petty Lee Ho-woo’s narrow mind filled with sympathy for the man.
Right, I should protect him after all.
Instead of his grand goal of giving him one big hit, Ho-woo bit his lip with a solemn face.
“You know.”
The Esper, who had been bracing for the impact of Ho-woo’s call, gently opened his eyes. His dark blue eyes, tinged with confusion, met the tense brown eyes in mid-air.
“I like people who take good care of themselves. I’d like you to be like that from now on, Yul.”
At the somewhat abrupt statement, Yul raised one eyebrow.
“So…”
Unable to easily speak, Ho-woo moistened his parched lips for a while, then let out a long sigh. Only then did he notice that Oh-yul was even more tense than himself, and he let out a small laugh.
Yul’s eyes, intensely focused on Ho-woo, narrowed slightly.
On that commute home riding the subway together, Ho-woo might have already fallen for the sincerity Yul had shown him.
“I surrender.”
At Lee Ho-woo’s declaration of surrender, Yul’s eyes, which had been blank for a moment, slowly widened. After passing through surprise and disbelief, a bright smile bloomed across his face.
His cat-like eyes curved into round crescents and closed deeply.
Ah, he’s pretty.
The orange glow of the street lamps surged into the parked car, expanding its territory. Under the last light sent by the sun sinking below the horizon, Oh-yul smiled so beautifully that the light seemed to crumble.
“It seems my efforts weren’t in vain.”
His voice was brimming with overflowing joy. A large hand boldly intertwined with Ho-woo’s fingers, gripping tightly.
“Ho-woo.”
The head that gently approached tilted slightly. Yul’s downcast eyes met Ho-woo’s steadily, as if seeking permission. Their breaths mingled dizzily.
He didn’t act hastily. He gave Ho-woo the chance to choose, not to be rude, and Ho-woo gladly accepted his consideration.
Their lips, trembling with anticipation, met carefully. It was a gentle kiss, neither sloppy nor overtly passionate, just like the affection an innocent child might give.
The lips that had lightly nibbled on the lower lip moved away, exuding regret. A sticky desire lingered in his gaze, resting on Ho-woo’s lips. The eyes glistening with emotion for the other quickly disappeared under their lids.
“…Hmm.”
Yul wrinkled his nose with a troubled expression. The ends of his drooping eyebrows twitched. He quietly tried to lift his thigh to cover himself, but his large body, tightly squeezed into the narrow driver’s seat, thwarted that small attempt.
Ho-woo suddenly realized from that reaction. It was a response that, as another man, he couldn’t fail to understand.
Ah…
Under the blatant gaze, Yul quietly pulled at his clothes.
Ho-woo confidently pretended not to notice and looked away. It seemed like they would need some time between them. Quite a long time.
“I’ll wait outside the car. Take your time coming out.”
Ho-woo quickly fled out of the car. Oh-yul seemed to have composed himself faster than expected, approaching Ho-woo with a normal face.
Ho-woo, reflexively restraining his gaze from drifting downward, smiled faintly.
Appreciating Ho-woo’s effort to somehow dispel the awkward atmosphere with a smile, Yul obligingly changed the subject of conversation.
“Would you like to have dinner together?”
“Are you going to make a lot today too?”
“Hmm, now I’ll make just the right amount.”
A hand gently slipped between his fingers. Large, long fingers stealthily and quickly found their place, like a cat, and grasped Ho-woo’s hand.
Even in the few steps across the parking lot to the entrance of the shabby apartment, and even in the moment of riding the elevator, the warmth of their touching palms was hotter than the midsummer heat.
When they arrived in front of the house, Oh-yul lingered for a while, seemingly reluctant to let go of the hand he was holding.
“I’ll be right back.”
It was just next door, so it wouldn’t even take thirty minutes to change clothes and wash up briefly. It might take longer if he showered.
“Or you could come over, Yul.”
With walls as thin as panels that weren’t even properly soundproofed, wouldn’t the houses become one if an Esper lightly punched it?
Ho-woo giggled at the plausible imagination. His chest felt light, as if he had just downed a glass of alcohol, making him feel buoyant and ticklish.
The sensation of romance that he had forgotten about wrapped around Ho-woo pleasantly. However, even at a time when he should only be happy, worries still remained.
Ho-woo’s relationships were always short, lasting at most barely a month. And the endings were always not good.
What if it happens again this time?
Such anxiety was still scattered in Ho-woo’s mind. He had always thought that the problem in his relationships was largely his own. After all, it was always the other person who left first.
Still, he hoped it would be different this time. He hadn’t accepted this man after such intense deliberation only to part ways so meaninglessly.
Besides, even though it was a bit strange, he had become capable of Guiding, so wouldn’t Yul stay with him at least to receive that Guiding?
Espers prioritize their Guides, after all.
It was good to have a means to keep him. Even if it was a bit depressing to continue a relationship without affection.
“What are you thinking so deeply about?”
Long fingers tapped the tip of his nose. Yul, who had bent his waist and tilted his head to meet Ho-woo’s gaze, was staring at him intently.
“…Nothing.”
If he answered “about my past relationships,” it wouldn’t be polite to the partner he had just started dating today. Ho-woo put a plausible excuse on his lips.
“I was wondering what to have for dinner.”
“I’ll take care of that for you, don’t worry.”
He laughed as if deflating.
“I was wondering what serious thoughts you were having, but it was about dinner.”
Was my face that serious? Ho-woo lightly touched his cheek. Ah, well, it was a serious concern. Worries about the continuation of a relationship couldn’t be light.
“See you later.”
Smooch.
The lips that gently descended placed a light kiss on his cheek. The ticklish contact made his chest feel tight.
The sensation of gradually melting every time they touched, and the pounding heart, felt incredibly good.
