#66
Eunhong’s face, resting his chin on his hand, was flushed. His eyes were moist from the alcohol, with the yellow light sparkling in them. Jaeha pressed his lower lip firmly.
“You suggest such things thinking I’ve done something wrong and need forgiveness. Pinky, you shouldn’t do business.”
“Yeah. You should do the business…”
Jaeha stretched Eunhong’s cheek as he grinned.
“Don’t regret it later.”
“I won’t regret it. Why would I regret it?”
By now, two bottles of soju were empty. Eunhong had been drinking so fiercely that Jaeha had helped, but Eunhong had drunk almost all of it. The hot pot was also empty, and they had eaten almost all the dried snacks. The table was devastated as if someone had ravaged it.
Eunhong staggered up and headed to the center of the living room. He lay down on the spacious sofa, hugging a cushion. He picked up the remote and turned on the TV. Light suddenly filled the large black rectangle that covered one wall. He flipped through channels but finding nothing interesting, stopped on a music program. Humming along with the song, Eunhong soon fell asleep.
After cleaning up the dining room, Jaeha came to the living room looking for Eunhong. The screen was blaring with fast-tempo music and idol group choreography. The shadows on Eunhong’s white face changed with the flickering light from the screen. The shadows of his lowered eyelashes danced on his cheeks. Jaeha sat down next to him, covering him with a thick blanket.
Eunhong, who seemed deeply asleep, opened his eyes slightly. He blinked slowly, lifting his long eyelashes. His cheeks were red from the alcohol, and his neck was also flushed. The effects of the alcohol seemed to have spread throughout his body as he started mumbling nonsense with a goofy smile.
“Puppy, come here. Kissy kissy.”
Jaeha frowned slightly.
“Let’s go to bed.”
“Yeah, just a moment. I’ll rest like this…”
Wanting to lie down when drunk was Eunhong’s habit. As he curled up on his side, Jaeha pulled the blanket up to his neck. As he patted Eunhong’s shoulder, Eunhong’s lips moved. Curious about what he was saying, Jaeha leaned in to hear him calling, “Jaeha.”
“I’m… afraid of you.”
Jaeha’s back stiffened at the sudden words. Eunhong mumbled something, swallowing the rest of his words, and then unexpectedly apologized.
“I’m sorry for saying that. So…”
“Hm? What?”
“I’m sorry for talking about rut and omega… You do everything for me, and I just wanted to help too. But that doesn’t mean I’m just giving it away. You shouldn’t misunderstand that.”
“…”
“But… you’re not angry because you dislike my body, right?”
Jaeha’s expression hardened at the jumping topics. He wondered what this was about.
“If you’re drunk, just sleep.”
“I’m not drunk.”
“Why are you sorry about that?”
Jaeha’s face darkened as he looked down at Eunhong.
“Tell me anytime. My body is… Lee Jae… ha… um…”
Eunhong’s voice trailed off, and he took a deep breath. His body seemed to relax as he fell into a deep sleep. Jaeha’s hand, which had been patting Eunhong’s shoulder, stopped. He sat still, staring down at Eunhong.
“You mean you can lend your body?”
He sighed as he spoke. After considering for a moment, Jaeha lifted Eunhong. As he took a step or two, Eunhong nuzzled his cheek against Jaeha’s chest. Jaeha changed direction from Eunhong’s bedroom to his own room. He placed Eunhong on his bed and lay down beside him.
Perhaps due to the alcohol, Eunhong’s breathing was rough. Jaeha lifted Eunhong’s head to give him a pillow and propped himself up on his elbow next to him. As he dimmed the lights, Eunhong’s eyes flickered, and he wriggled closer to Jaeha, seeking warmth. When Jaeha covered him with a blanket, Eunhong made a mumbling sound.
“I’m the one who should be sorry.”
“Mmm…”
“If you act like this, it only encourages my bad habits.”
Regardless of his complicated thoughts, the temptation before him was hard to resist. Eunhong’s pheromones, like the scent of sweet flower candy, wafted up. Jaeha held Eunhong tightly, using the alcohol as an excuse. Eunhong slightly furrowed his brow, then smiled broadly. Jaeha buried his nose in Eunhong’s round head. His roughly dried hair tickled Jaeha’s face.
If he could just ignore the tightness below, this cozy feeling was also nice. Jaeha held Eunhong tight, suppressing the red desire within him. He took advantage of Eunhong’s drunken state to hold him as much as he wanted. The body heat and soft skin against him made his heart flutter.
Even though he thought he wouldn’t be able to sleep, he closed his eyes anyway.
***
“Phew…”
Eunhong’s throat was parched, and his burnt insides cried out for water. As soon as he opened his eyes, he regretted drinking again. When he managed to rub his glued eyes open, he took in his surroundings. It wasn’t his room.
Ah… This familiar scenario.
In the yellow indirect lighting, all the dark furniture looked deep reddish-brown. The thought that he might have crawled into some other room while drunk dissipated as he raised his body. The blanket slipped down, causing goosebumps to rise on his bare skin.
And he nearly screamed at the thick arm wrapped around his waist.
Eunhong yanked the blanket up. Fortunately, he was still wearing underwear. But that’s not fortunate!
“Are you awake?”
Jaeha whispered in a deep voice. When Eunhong turned his head, he saw Jaeha with his face half-buried in the pillow, eyes still closed. He seemed to be still half-asleep. The arm around him felt very warm. Uncontrolled pheromones flowed from his breath.
Eunhong clutched the blanket with one hand while fumbling around. Where did his clothes go…? Even though his eyes had adjusted to the darkness, he couldn’t find them. At the rustling sound, Jaeha yawned and shifted his body.
“What are you doing? Not sleeping…”
“Did I sleep here yesterday? I’m sure…”
Jaeha’s eyelids slowly opened at Eunhong’s flustered voice. The first thing he saw was Eunhong’s white back glowing in the dim light. Jaeha slowly reached out his hand. As he brushed his fingertips down Eunhong’s back, Eunhong jumped like a startled small animal.
“You walked in here. You must have been cold.”
Eunhong pulled the blanket up to his chest.
“W-where are my clothes?”
Now fully awake, Jaeha propped himself up on his elbow. He nodded towards one side of the bed. Only then did Eunhong notice a bundle of cloth rolled up in the darkness.
“You seemed hot while sleeping… you took them off.”
Eunhong’s jaw stiffened. That was because Jaeha was also in his underwear. Even in the darkness, everything that could be seen was visible. In fact, the darkness made it more visible. His vision was filled with smoothly shining skin. No… why is he sleeping without clothes… But he couldn’t question it because he was also undressed.
“…”
Eunhong, still holding the blanket with one hand, turned his body and slowly reached for his t-shirt.
At that moment, Jaeha, who had been half-lying down, suddenly sat up. Leaning his weight on his hand pressed against the mattress, he leaned his upper body close to Eunhong. His large shoulders blocked Eunhong’s view. The feeling of Jaeha’s chest touching his bare shoulder was so vivid that Eunhong flinched and curled up.
“Here, let me.”
Jaeha unfolded the t-shirt and slipped it over Eunhong’s head. The round hole passed over his head. Due to his momentary misunderstanding, Eunhong felt extremely embarrassed. He mumbled as he fumbled to put his arms through the sleeves.
“T-then… you keep sleeping. I’ll just get some water…”
“Wait. I’ll bring it.”
While Eunhong was hesitating because he didn’t have pants on, Jaeha quickly got up and left the room. He walked out confidently wearing only his drawers. He seemed to have no shame, probably because he had nothing to be ashamed of in his body… Eunhong, told to wait, sat still on the bed, unable to decide what to do.
I thought he was going to… kiss me. Eunhong fiddled with his shoulder where Jaeha’s skin had touched. The feeling of that soft, firm body pressing against him wasn’t bad. If he had to say, he even felt curious about what might come next and wanted to touch more.
Having thought that far, Eunhong slapped his own cheek. You’ve gone crazy.
“I shouldn’t have drunk…”
“That’s your usual regret.”
Jaeha, who had returned without notice, retorted as he handed Eunhong water mixed with vitamin powder. As the sweet and sour water flowed down, it felt like it was being absorbed from his esophagus. While drinking the water mindlessly, Eunhong choked because Jaeha was staring at him. He managed to avoid spitting it out. As Eunhong’s body shook, Jaeha looked at him with concern. He approached uncomfortably close, still with his bare body.
“Are you okay?”
…Not okay. Go away. Shoo.
Jaeha, who had taken the glass from Eunhong, just stared at him blankly. Just as Eunhong was about to move away from the gaze that had been making him restless, Jaeha suddenly closed the distance. Eunhong felt Jaeha’s breath on his cheek, and then his lips pressed against Eunhong’s wet mouth, stealing the moisture before pulling away. The skin where they had touched turned pink.
“W-w-what…”
“I was thirsty too.”
Jaeha stuck out his tongue and licked up the water droplet he had stolen from Eunhong. His red tongue slipped out and licked the moisture on his lips. There was still water left in the cup, so why… Eunhong opened his big eyes wide. He stood up hesitantly, wanting to avoid the situation.
“I… I’ll go back to my room now.”
“…”
As Eunhong raised his knee to get off the bed, Jaeha suddenly pulled him close.
