As soon as Cheon Tae-seong got out of bed, Lee Ha-jin quickly sat up. A sharp jolt of pain shot through his waist, but he ignored it and reached for his robe. After glancing briefly at Tae-seong’s naked body standing by the window, he moved to check his phone.
Zero missed calls. Thirteen text messages.
Twelve of them were advertisements.
The only message from Yushin said not to worry, that he was fine, and that Ha-jin should take care of himself. That one line of maturity from his younger brother only made Ha-jin more anxious.
At that moment, Cheon Tae-seong turned to look at the crouching Ha-jin. Watching him dig through the pile of clothes tossed carelessly across the floor, searching for his phone, reminded Tae-seong of the puppy he’d seen at his grandfather’s estate not long ago—and without meaning to, he let out a quiet laugh.
“At least Ha-jin’s cute. You? You’re just creepy.”
“You think Ha-jin’s cute? What part of him?”
Had it been that long since he’d snapped back at Song Jae-hyun with those words? And yet here he was, already comparing Ha-jin to all sorts of adorable things without even realizing it.
Sending a series of instructions to Lim Han-soo, Tae-seong approached Ha-jin like a man entranced. He wanted to touch his messy hair right away.
“CEO…”
“He said he took all his meds.”
Before Ha-jin could even ask, Tae-seong answered the question already lingering in his mind. He waved his phone lightly, as if signaling that Lim Han-soo had already reported back, leaving Ha-jin momentarily speechless.
What’s more, Tae-seong was standing right in front of him with all that bare skin on display, giving Ha-jin nowhere appropriate to rest his gaze. He turned his head quickly. Tae-seong’s fingers running through his hair felt warm, sending heat crawling up his ears.
“Don’t you trust your brother? He’s a grown adult.”
His words were chillier than his hands. It was understandable—no one could truly grasp what it felt like to have a sick family member. When Ha-jin said nothing and simply fidgeted with his phone, Tae-seong backed off and flopped onto the bed.
“And did you forget what Dr. Joo said about not leaving the room? Stay here until things stabilize.”
“It’s just the room next door… And I’ve been out for two nights. He’s probably worried. Not that Yushin would ever show it to Lim Han-soo…”
Tae-seong raised an eyebrow.
In his previous life, Ha-jin had never been this obsessed with his brother—or so he remembered. Why was he acting like a restless little puppy, constantly gazing in the direction of his brother?
“…”
“…I’m sorry.”
After a brief but awkward silence, Ha-jin apologized. Tae-seong suppressed the irritation rising within him and shot off a message to Lim Han-soo to hurry up the room service order.
“Fine. Let’s eat. I’m starving. Haven’t had anything in two days.”
Only then did Ha-jin realize he’d been thoroughly cleaned up. Unlike their first night, this time all the mess he’d made—his copious amounts of semen—was gone without a trace. As that thought crossed his mind, the half-hearted apology he’d just made began to feel embarrassingly shallow.
Strictly speaking, Tae-seong had essentially skipped meals to have sex with him throughout his heat cycle.
“I’m sorry.”
“If you’re sorry, then come here.”
Tae-seong readily accepted the sincere apology, patting his thigh with a loud smack. Ha-jin stood up hesitantly and approached him, only for Tae-seong to yank him down onto his lap.
Seated on those rock-solid thighs, Ha-jin couldn’t help but notice that he was sitting right on Tae-seong’s cock. He shifted nervously, and Tae-seong’s arm around his waist tightened—he could feel it thickening beneath him.
Tae-seong pulled Ha-jin to the side in a snug embrace, resting his chin on Ha-jin’s shoulder. Then he began placing soft kisses along his neck and the edge of his earlobe. When he gently nibbled the tender skin with his front teeth, Ha-jin’s shoulder flinched.
“How’s your body? Are you okay? Dr. Joo said it might still hurt. You still feel a little feverish, too.”
The unexpected concern made Ha-jin’s face flush bright red. He instinctively turned his head to look Tae-seong in the eye.
And there it was—in his gaze, a lingering heat that hadn’t yet cooled. Ha-jin slowly nodded.
“I’m okay. Nothing hurts.”
“You remember everything?”
“…Yes.”
“From start to finish?”
“Yes—huh!”
At the tail end of his question, Tae-seong suddenly reached in and grabbed Ha-jin’s cock.
Ha-jin tried to block him with both hands, but it was no use. Fingers fondled his soft, sagging balls, then Tae-seong pulled open the robe and lifted his flaccid length, inspecting the tip.
It was like he wanted to visually confirm that Ha-jin wasn’t hurt—checking for scrapes, abrasions… The way he was going, he’d be peeking into the hole next. Panicking, Ha-jin clutched the robe shut.
“R-really, I’m not hurt. I’m fine.”
Truthfully, his insides felt like they’d been punched. His hole still burned. His lower back sparked with sharp pain every time he moved wrong. Even his throat was sore.
But Ha-jin had never been the type to whine. He couldn’t bring himself to say he was hurting—it felt like too much of a burden.
“Do you even realize how much you came? You know we went all night on just water?”
“I know. I remember. So you can stop checking.”
“Funny—someone who remembers everything wakes up and says that?”
With a pout, Tae-seong rubbed his cheek against Ha-jin’s shoulder. The hand that had been fondling his crotch now rested on his stomach, warm and broad, slowly gliding upward to his chest.
“…”
“Guess things feel awkward now that we’ve done everything, huh? Your face is about to explode, Ha-jin.”
“It’s because you keep touching me.”
“Then you touch me.”
“What are you—ah!”
Tae-seong flicked his thigh playfully. The sudden bounce made Ha-jin’s hips jerk upward—and a dull ache shot through his still-swollen insides.
“You said you wanted to eat. Didn’t you skip meals on the plane, too? You never eat when you fly.”
“That’s usually true. I can handle it. But judging by the way your stomach’s grumbling, you’re the one who’s hungry… Oh, there it goes again.”
Feeling like he’d slipped up by mentioning the plane, Ha-jin tensed—only to be relieved by Tae-seong’s teasing. Anyone who’d received even a handful of his background details would know he disliked in-flight meals, so there was no reason to overthink it… but Ha-jin still felt oddly self-conscious.
“Yes! I’m hungry. If I don’t eat properly during my cycle, I lose muscle mass. You know that. It’s even in the manager’s guidelines—nutrition is important.”
“There’ll be a bit of a wait before room service gets here, baby…”
“I think I heard something by the entrance.”
Twisting out of his lap, Ha-jin hopped down from Tae-seong’s thighs. One tug from Tae-seong’s reluctant hand nearly pulled the robe off entirely.
He hadn’t heard anything, of course—he was just trying to escape..But the moment he stepped into the living room, a knock echoed through the suite, and the door opened.
Room service, remarkably punctual even at dawn.
The staff paused in surprise at the sight of Ha-jin, then bowed politely before pushing the trolley toward the dining room.
They set the table swiftly and withdrew just as quietly, like nothing had happened—almost as if enchanted.
By the time Ha-jin turned around, Tae-seong had already thrown on a robe and appeared behind him. The loosely-tied belt on his gown tugged tight as he headed over to take a seat at the dining table.
“…Would you like some wine?”
Since Tae-seong reached for the bottle first, Ha-jin asked cautiously. The dishes laid out were heavy and rich—steak, meat stew—not exactly typical fare for the middle of the night.
“Yeah. You’re not drinking, right?”
“…”
Maybe because he’d refused so many times before, Tae-seong simply assumed he wouldn’t.
Ha-jin sat across from him and picked up an empty wine glass.
“If it’s okay… I’d like some. Please.”
“…”
“You’re back now, so I have to head in to work anyway. Though… considering the state I’m in—”
Before he could even finish, Tae-seong poured the wine generously. The aroma of the red liquor was intoxicating.
“Bon appétit. You should eat first, too, CEO.”
“I wasn’t thinking clearly—of course Ha-jin would need a drink too.”
“I was pretty shocked, yeah.”
Ha-jin started with the meat stew. A blend of beef and tomato, it was unfamiliar but delicious—so good it made him hum with satisfaction from the first bite. As the warmth spread through his stomach, he raised the wine glass and downed it in one go.
Across the table, Tae-seong let out a soft laugh.
“Well now, this is a whole new side of you.”
He rested his chin in one hand, eyes gleaming with curiosity.
“…”
Tae-seong sliced a piece of steak and held it out for Ha-jin. Blinking, Ha-jin hesitated, then opened his mouth and accepted it. Next came grilled mushrooms, then eggplant—one after another.
It made him feel like a child, fumbling as if he might spill something… but the food was delicious, and his cheeks grew warm.
“I’ve never been in a relationship, you know.”
Tae-seong dug up the very topic Ha-jin had been trying to avoid. The abrupt shift in subject made him freeze mid-chew. Tae-seong licked his wine-dampened lips and smiled.
“But I don’t think I’d be bad at it.”
“…”
