Chirp, chirp, chirp.
If this were a comic or movie, that’s exactly the kind of sound effect you’d hear on a laid-back morning like this. The blanket wrapped softly around his bare skin, its texture so warm and comforting it almost felt unreal.
Still half-asleep, Lee Han-seo lazily rolled to one side, then the other, stretching and squirming without much intent. Sooner or later, without fail, he’d hear it—light, sunny laughter drifting down from above, as crisp and pleasant as freshly dried laundry.
Maybe someone was watching him sleep? Between the giggles, a low whisper occasionally slipped through—So cute… Mhm… You can sleep more if you want… And the large hand gently stroking his hair felt all too familiar in both size and warmth.
With great effort, Han-seo pried open his heavy eyelids. He yawned loudly and blinked a few times, and soon a bright face leaned into view.
Park Woo-jun.
“You’re up? Want to go back to sleep?”
“Mmm… What time is it…?”
“Eleven-thirty.”
“Haaah… I totally missed morning training…”
Even during their coldest days, Han-seo had never skipped his routine. It had been his silent way of saying, No matter what you do, I’m going to keep diving into dungeons. Watching him stubbornly suit up in his workout clothes and tighten his sneakers had only darkened Woo-jun’s mood further.
But those days were over. Last night, after crying their eyes out and confessing over and over—I love you more. No, I do—they had finally made up.
Chuckling, Woo-jun pressed soft kisses to the corners of Han-seo’s sleepy eyes. Puffy and barely open, they were impossibly cute.
“It’s okay to take one day off. If you’re still tired, sleep more. You can’t even open your eyes—where do you think you’re going? Rest up and come with me tonight, alright?”
“But still…”
“Your stomach’s probably upset. I made hangover soup—loaded it with chili powder, real spicy.”
“Aww, good job…”
“‘Good job’? Heh, listen to you. So cute. Baby, Han-seo. Say something else.”
“Nooo, I’m sleepy. I’m going back to sleep…”
“Back to sleep?”
“Mmm…”
That angelic face, tinged with laughter, was downright dangerous. We both cried, so why am I the only one who looks swollen? Han-seo sulked in his head, eyes still refusing to fully open. Was it the booze? But I don’t even swell when I drink…
“Why are you so puffy, baby? You’re killing me here. You look like a steamed bun.”
“Quit calling me a steamed bun… Don’t look at me…”
Maybe it was the sleep, maybe the swelling, but his words kept slurring. Rolling onto his side, Han-seo reached up to touch his hair. As expected, it was a disaster—sticking up everywhere like he’d been electrocuted. Without lifting his head, he scooted closer and buried his face into Woo-jun’s chest.
He must’ve been up for a while. The soup was already made, and he smelled clean—like fresh soap. Suddenly, Han-seo felt self-conscious showing off this half-woken, messy version of himself. This was a matter of boyfriend pride.
“Come on, let me see that face. Please? I promise I won’t laugh. You’re just too cute.”
Yeah, right. Even that promise was laced with laughter. Han-seo groaned and tried to resist, but it was pointless. Woo-jun gently cupped his face in both hands and tilted it up.
“Pfft—snrk… Oh my god, Han-seo. Can you even see? How many fingers am I holding up? You can see them, right?”
“Oh, fuck off. Park Woo-jun, you’ve seriously lost it…”
Unable to hold it in anymore, Woo-jun burst out laughing and wiggled two fingers in front of Han-seo’s face. Han-seo struggled to escape his grip, but his sleepy body wouldn’t cooperate. Besides, trying to overpower Woo-jun was a losing battle from the start.
Honestly, he’d held back long enough. “Two! Two, you bastard!” Han-seo shouted—and bit the wiggling fingers without hesitation. When that didn’t get a reaction, he bit down harder, grinding his molars into them…
“…Baby. If you’re gonna start that kind of thing first thing in the morning… I mean, I’m not complaining, but…”
“Ack—y-you pervert! That’s not what this is! Not even close! Ptooey, ptooey!”
Seeing Woo-jun blushing and flustered, Han-seo freaked out and spat the fingers out like they were poison. No way was he going through that again. He’d already been wrecked until dawn.
“What do you mean, ‘not that’? What’s not what, hmm~?”
His teasing tone was thick with charm. A trap. That’s what it was. Get seduced by that angelic face again and next thing you know, your back’s out and you’re bedridden for days. No, thanks.
Stay strong, Han-seo. Training starts again tonight. Don’t fall for it. Resist… He whispered to himself, bracing his will.
“It’s not what you think. Seriously. Just—no.”
“Hmm? Mmm? Mmm~?”
I’m gonna lose my mind.
With every smile, the corners of his eyes crinkling just so, he was clearly trying to cast a spell. And Lee Han-seo kept thinking, Screw it, his hands twitching with the impulse to just yank down his pajama pants already.
“Han-seo-ya, mwah, I just… smooch smooch, I honestly don’t get what you mean by ‘not that’… mwah, like, really…”
Lee Han-seo was melting—utterly undone by this playful, shameless, dangerously flirty sweet potato of a boyfriend who had no idea how terrifying he actually was.
“You’re gonna show me what you meant, right?”
“Uh… yeah.”
“Right? You will, won’t you? You’ve always been the one to teach Woo-jun everything he didn’t know.”
Was Park Woo-jun insane, or was it Lee Han-seo who’d finally lost it? That cutesy little face, calling himself ‘Woo-jun-ie’ like it was nothing—it was too much. Han-seo couldn’t take it anymore. He leaned in and planted a loud kiss right on Woo-jun’s cheek.
“Hehehe…”
That single peck was all the confirmation Woo-jun needed. Han-seo was already halfway—no, who was he kidding—all the way in. Humming in satisfaction, Woo-jun smiled lazily, his long lashes dipping low. A soft blush bloomed across his porcelain features, making him look even more devastatingly pretty.
Han-seo, already tilting his head instinctively, was about to go in for a kiss—until a sudden wave of alcohol breath hit him square in the nose.
Reality struck like ice water dumped over his head.
“Hey—no! Back off!”
This time, he shoved him away with real strength. There was no playfulness in it—just full-on panic. Shit, we were so close… Woo-jun pouted, lips drawn in with disappointment, and slowly pulled back.
Han-seo bolted out of bed and rushed into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind him.
“What’s wrong, baby? Shower time? Want me to join—?”
He tried to follow, playing it cool.
“Open that door and you die!”
“…Got it. I’ll stay out…”
Yep. Total crash and burn.
***
Sssssshhhhhh—
Standing beneath a steaming downpour, Lee Han-seo smacked his own cheeks over and over with both palms.
“I’m losing it. Seriously. What the hell is wrong with you, Lee Han-seo? Have you completely lost your mind?”
The moment he saw his reflection in the mirror, he’d nearly screamed. Hair a wild mess, face puffed up and blotchy, and he looked like a stray cat that’d crawled out of a dumpster. Not to mention the lingering stench of booze rising off him. And yet Park Woo-jun still had the audacity to call him cute.
If there were a mouse hole nearby, he’d stick his whole head in it. If there were a shallow pond, he’d dunk his face without hesitation. And the more he thought about Woo-jun’s face this morning—so clean, so bright, so angelic—the more he wanted to die.
Wouldn’t it have been better if he’d just blacked out completely?
But no. Every humiliating moment from last night was replaying in high-definition clarity while he slowly scrubbed his dignity back into existence.
“These rice balls… huuuh, they don’t taste as good as Woo-jun’s…”
“Waaaah, you dumbass… you know I’ve only got you… so how could you say something like that…?”
“Waaaah, why would we break up?! Take it back! Take it back right now!”
“AHHH, FUCK!!”
Thud.
With a scream, it felt like a 200-kilogram boulder slammed straight into his soul.
“Shit! UGH! AHHHH! Why am I alive?! WHY?!”
Mortified beyond belief, he flailed and thrashed like he was being exorcised. Naturally, the bathroom door slammed open with a loud bang.
“Baby?! What happened?! Are you okay?!”
Park Woo-jun, now wearing a pale yellow checkered apron and holding a ladle—probably in the middle of prepping breakfast—stood there in pure panic.
Han-seo didn’t care. Dignity was dead and buried. Shame boiling over, he screamed.
“YOU! PARK WOO-JUN! You bastard! How could you do this to me?!”
“Uh… me? What did I… what did I do…?”
He really had no clue. He hadn’t even tried to sneak into the shower—figured if he couldn’t bathe with Han-seo, he could at least quietly grill some ham and warm up the soup. He hadn’t done anything wrong. But no matter how hard he searched his memory, he couldn’t figure out what triggered this meltdown.
“You! You totally saw me last night, didn’t you?! While I was drinking with Jae-won!”
“…Heh. So you figured that out?”
Of course I figured it out, dumbass! Wait, no—that’s not the point! Han-seo groaned, fingers raking through shampoo-lathered hair before collapsing in the shower stall.
“You should’ve carried me out the moment I got drunk! Just like you always do! You usually don’t need me to say anything—but last night, what? You just sat there?! Why?!”
“Well… I mean, he’s your cousin… I figured it’d be okay to let you loosen up a little…”
“Ughhh. Of all people… why in front of Choi Jae-won, that smug little shit… This is a nightmare. I can’t face him again. Maybe I should die. Yeah. Let’s go with that. I’ll just die.”
“Hmph. Why would you die? If you’re embarrassed, just kill him.”
If Choi Jae-won ever heard that, he’d probably keel over from the injustice. One afternoon at the center and he’d already been dragged into absolute chaos. Meanwhile, Park Woo-jun didn’t even blink, as if murdering Han-seo’s cousin was a perfectly logical solution.
He calmly took off his apron, stepped into the shower, and started rinsing the suds off Han-seo’s soapy body like it was the most natural thing in the world.
“Come on. Rinse off and get out. I made rolled omelets too.”
“If I’m gonna die, what’s the point of eating rolled omelets?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll get rid of him for you.”
“…No. Still. Without Choi Jae-won, our Ho-yeon would have a hard time.”
There it was again—our Ho-yeon. At those words, Woo-jun’s grip instinctively tightened, and the poor showerhead bent at a weird angle with a strained creak. He tried to hide it, but in the tight little shower stall, there was no such thing as subtle.
“…Seriously? Even now, you’re worried about Ho-yeon?”
“Hehehe. Fine, I’ll find him a new Guide first. Then I’ll get rid of him!”
“……”
“Should we go eat?”
“Yeah.”
“Good boy.”
All Han-seo had to do was sit down and eat the meal Woo-jun had already made, so he had no idea what part of that made him a good boy. But Woo-jun clearly didn’t care. In his eyes, Han-seo was always the sweetest, most lovable thing in the world—no matter what anyone else thought.
“I made honey water too. Drink that first, okay?”
“Nice.”
“If it’s nice, then give me a kiss.”
Worried Han-seo might catch a cold, Woo-jun gently towel-dried his body, lips already puckered in anticipation. Han-seo grabbed Woo-jun’s face with both hands and leaned in, planting a deliberately deep, playful kiss. Smooch. Woo-jun couldn’t help the dorky little grin that slipped out.
“Waaaah, you stupid bastard… You know I’ve only got you… So how could you say something like that…?”
You know I’ve only got you…
Only you…
Only…
That sudden, drunken confession kept echoing in his head, each replay making his heart flutter all over again. It was like someone had pumped air into his chest until he couldn’t stop smiling.
“Hehehe…”
“What? Why do you keep giggling? What is it?”
“It’s nothing. I just… I really like you.”
“Oh, please. If you like me so much, act like it! I swear, if you ever pull that shit again, it’s game over. You die, I die. Got it?”
A bold, fiery boyfriend… Honestly, the coolest thing ever. And just like that, Park Woo-jun fell for Han-seo all over again. It wasn’t anything new. Even when Han-seo threatened other people with you die, I live, he’d always tell him—we die together. Somehow, that was the most romantic thing in the world. Probably a habit Han-seo himself didn’t even notice.
“Yeah, yeah! I’ll behave. I really, really like you, Han-seo.”
Park Woo-jun liked Lee Han-seo. Just as much as Han-seo liked him.
“What, so now you’re not saying you love me?”
“Of course I love you!”
“From now on, don’t leave either out. Say both.”
“Got it. I like you, I love you, you’re the prettiest, you’re the coolest.”
“Hmph.”
In the end, it was simple—both of them were hopelessly, madly in love with each other, and there was no saving them.
