Chapter 38
“Huh?”
“Ah….”
Seoyul was surprised that Dowoon’s clothes were much bigger than he expected, and Dowoon…
‘Damn. That’s not why I gave it to him.’
Due to their significant size difference, it looked as if the cardigan had swallowed Seoyul whole. Even though he was trying not to think that way these days, seeing the clothes seemingly envelop Seoyul first gave him a strange feeling.
“Ah. It is quite big.”
Seoyul began rolling up his sleeves with an embarrassed smile. He seemed to struggle doing it alone, making cute grunting sounds.
Dowoon burst into laughter at the sight and grabbed Seoyul’s hand.
“Give it here. I’ll do it for you.”
Wearing the mask of a kind Esper, he neatly rolled up the sleeves. Seoyul smiled and thanked him.
“Thank you, Esper-nim.”
“You sure have a lot to be thankful for.”
Despite Dowoon’s small grumble, Seoyul just laughed and grabbed his large hand. Then with a smiling face, he pulled Dowoon along.
“Well… shall we go?”
“Ah… sure.”
Even though this wasn’t their first or second time going out, Dowoon couldn’t shake the unfamiliar, heart-fluttering feeling.
* * *
When they arrived at the place Seoyul wanted to visit, Dowoon blankly stared at the sign.
[Toon Toon Manhwa Cafe]
…Right. The place they had currently arrived at was a cafe where one could read manhwa.
Dowoon was greatly taken aback, as he had never been to such a place before, nor had he ever thought of visiting one.
“Minjun hyung recommended it to me. When I told him that my childhood wish was to read manhwa all day long, he told me about this place. They have tons of books and lots of delicious food too! Isn’t that amazing?”
“…”
With Seoyul’s eyes sparkling like that, Dowoon couldn’t bring himself to say anything negative.
‘So this is the place he wanted to visit…’
If he wanted to read manhwa, couldn’t he just buy them and read them? Why come to a place like this…?
Dowoon tended to avoid crowded spaces as he usually attracted attention wherever he went.
But…
“Do you… not like it?”
Seoyul’s expression turned gloomy. Dowoon startled and quickly opened his mouth.
“No, no! It’s not that. I’ve just never been here before.”
Right. If Seoyul wanted to visit, what did his own opinion matter?
Dowoon quickly shook his head and smiled brightly.
“You really wanted to come here?”
“Yes! Esper-nim always plays games with me and watches movies with me. You taught me that doing things you like together makes them even better, so I wanted to come here with you this time too!”
“Seoyul…”
Dowoon was deeply moved by Seoyul’s words. Right. What did the place matter? If it was uncomfortable, he could just endure it.
With that thought, Dowoon stepped forward. But as soon as they entered, he ran into a second obstacle.
“Wow! It’s so pretty, Esper-nim!”
Seoyul exclaimed in admiration as he looked around. However, Dowoon couldn’t share his enthusiasm at all.
This was because he was confronted with an interior that was seriously cute and adorable. Dowoon even looked back at the sign to check if this was actually a kids’ cafe.
But Seoyul seemed to really like the interior, chattering away with sparkling eyes.
“Look at that! I think we read books in there.”
What he pointed at was a small space spanning the first and second floors. Judging by the tiny doors and windows above and below, it seemed they had to open those small doors to enter and read books.
The problem was that the first floor was only slightly higher than Dowoon’s waist. The inside was even worse.
‘It’s so cramped!!!’
Dowoon screamed internally. The thought of having to read manhwa with Seoyul in that narrow space made him dizzy.
Though he was always close to Seoyul, he had never been with him in such a confined space. It was hard enough in wide-open areas, so he wondered how much self-control he would need in a space like this.
“Wow! Esper-nim! Look over there! There are really so many books!”
But Seoyul, unaware of Dowoon’s inner turmoil, kept chattering excitedly.
“Look at the menu too! There are so many options!”
…It seemed impossible to leave this place now.
‘Haah…’
Dowoon let out a small sigh and chose books and food with the excited Seoyul. They picked books easily, but selecting food took quite some time and careful consideration.
In the end, they chose cheese jajang ramen and ade.
“I’m so excited. I’ve always wanted to try eating and hanging out like this.”
The way he emphasized it again showed how much he had really wanted to do this. He probably had to suppress these desires before due to his family circumstances.
Thinking about that, Dowoon’s own discomfort suddenly didn’t seem to matter at all.
‘Well, what’s the big deal? Reading at home or outside, it’s all the same.’
With thoughts completely different from when he entered, Dowoon made his way to their designated spot.
But the door was so small… Dowoon had to crumple his large body significantly before he could barely squeeze inside.
And his first impression after sitting down was…
‘Damn. It’s ridiculously cramped.’
It felt even narrower than he had thought. It might be fine for Seoyul, but for someone with Dowoon’s large build, it felt suffocating.
“Esper-nim!”
As he was looking around the interior, Seoyul entered with the food. The stimulating smell of instant ramen filled the small room.
Such food wasn’t to Dowoon’s taste, but since Seoyul liked it, he nodded and accepted the food.
“Are you sure you don’t want any, Esper-nim?”
Feeling bad about eating alone, Seoyul asked again.
“Yeah. I’ll tell you if I want some.”
“Yes! Please tell me! Or I can share some of mine with you.”
It was cute how he offered to share food that would probably be gone in one bite. Dowoon patted Seoyul’s head and gestured for him to come in.
Seoyul smiled cutely again and came in to sit down.
Seoyul sat neatly in front of the ramen, picked up the chopsticks, and was fully prepared to start eating.
“Then, I’ll eat well.”
Slurp, slurp.
He was eating so well. Dowoon leaned against the wall and admired the back of Seoyul’s head as he transported the jajang ramen to his mouth.
His round head was so cute. He seemed to really be enjoying the food, his head swaying left and right every time he chewed.
‘Is it okay to be this cute?’
Dowoon let out a chuckle and thoroughly enjoyed watching Seoyul’s bobbing head until he finished eating. Seeing him enjoy it so much, Dowoon thought that this wasn’t so bad after all.
He felt cozy rather than having strange thoughts, to the point where he wondered why he had worried so much.
Just as he was sighing in relief, Seoyul, having finished his food, started wriggling over with a book.
‘Hmm…?’
Wondering why he wasn’t reading from over there, Dowoon tilted his head in confusion as Seoyul nestled between his legs and settled in.
“…”
Dowoon silently looked at him. Seeming a bit embarrassed, Seoyul’s face flushed as excuses poured out.
“Ahem. Well… I thought it would be… more fun to read together…”
As he said this and leaned his body against Dowoon, Dowoon’s heart dropped with a thud.
‘Oh.’
It was close. Too close.
His heart began to pound loudly, and a feeling like something was tightly squeezing his heart spread throughout his body.
He couldn’t understand why he was reacting this way when they had been in this position many times before.
But Dowoon soon realized the reason.
‘…It’s because… it’s the first time.’
This was the first time Seoyul had come into his arms on his own initiative. There had been numerous times when Dowoon had suggested it first and pulled him in, but this was the first time Seoyul had approached him first.
‘Ah. Damn.’
Dowoon bit his lip tightly and pulled Seoyul into an embrace. His trembling body was insanely lovable.
Warning bells started ringing in his head, but he deliberately ignored them and rested his head on Seoyul’s shoulder. He could feel a small smile forming in his arms, along with a bit more weight leaning into him.
Dowoon thought that this alone was enough for today’s schedule. He had received sufficient reward since Seoyul had approached him first.
But Seoyul’s actions didn’t end there.
“You…”
Dowoon opened his eyes again in surprise. Guiding was leaking from Seoyul. At first, he thought it was an accidental flow due to feeling good.
But…
“Ahem…”
Seoyul, with his cheeks flushed red, leaned his body even more. His tightly closed lips and the intentional release of Guiding told him it wasn’t a coincidence.
‘Oh… really…’
Not only had Seoyul snuggled into his arms first, but he was also initiating Guiding?
“Seoyul…”
Dowoon buried his face in Seoyul’s shoulder again and murmured softly. His mind was a jumbled mess, unable to figure out what to say or how to respond.
But one thing was clear.
The real reason Seoyul had wanted to come here. It was to do this kind of Guiding for him.
“Esper-nim. Are you okay…?”
Seoyul asked, full of concern.
‘Am I okay?’
He wasn’t okay. His heart ached as the one-way flow of feelings finally seemed to connect.
Though Seoyul was probably just fulfilling his duty, Dowoon couldn’t contain his excitement at feeling like their hearts had connected.
“Seoyul.”
“Yes?”
Seoyul responded with surprise at Dowoon’s voice, which had noticeably deepened. Dowoon barely parted his lips, suppressing the emotions that felt like they would burst.
“Nothing. Just… thank you.”
Yes. For now, just this far. Just this far.
Dowoon thought this as he pulled Seoyul closer into his arms. Seeing Seoyul’s still worried face trying to speak, Dowoon buried his face in his shoulder and nuzzled him to show that he was really okay. Then, from within his tightly embraced arms, he heard a relieved, pleasant laugh and a lovely voice.
“Then… shall we read the book together?”
“Yes.”
Dowoon mumbled with his face still buried in Seoyul’s shoulder. To Seoyul, it felt just like a child whining, and he guided Dowoon with a gentle smile.
Plenty enough to make him satisfied.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
