‘Oh my, I knew you would say that. But I feel sorry for the person. That child is really a burden, a burden.’
Though they seemed to continue their conversation afterward, Yeonwoo couldn’t hear anything else.
His small heart pounded at being described as a burden. He ran up the stairs, quietly opened the front door, hurriedly changed into pajamas, and burrowed under the blanket.
Shortly after, he heard the front door opening—his father had returned home. Quiet footsteps approached Yeonwoo’s room. Even though he felt the gaze upon him when the door opened, Yeonwoo remained still. Normally, he would have jumped up energetically and said, “You’re home!”
But Yeonwoo didn’t move, pretending to be deeply asleep, and his father, who had been watching the sleeping Yeonwoo from the doorway for quite some time, simply closed the door. For some reason, that made Yeonwoo feel disappointed as he bit his lower lip.
‘That child is really a burden, a burden.’
Recalling what he’d just heard, Yeonwoo curled up even smaller.
Even without his father, he had eaten well, bathed, and gone to school by himself. While alone at home, he never caused trouble and just waited for his father to return.
When classmates invited him to play or attend birthday parties, he declined. Because of this, unlike at the beginning of the semester, everyone seemed to ostracize him, but he never showed it and returned straight home after school. Though no one was waiting for him, he knew his father would worry if he stayed out late.
Someone like him couldn’t possibly be his father’s burden.
Useless burdens would eventually be discarded.
But he didn’t want to be abandoned…
‘…’
His father always worked hard. Now he understood that it was an effort to live with him. He worked diligently to earn money and tried to raise Yeonwoo. And when he had time to rest, he would lie alone in his room, staring blankly at the ceiling or watching TV, occasionally smiling.
The stories other friends told about going somewhere with their parents on weekends or doing activities together seemed like dreams to Yeonwoo. For him, it was rare enough that his father, who only occasionally rested, would stay home all day. Just being together like that was enough to make him happy.
He vaguely sensed that his life was somewhat different from other households. But that didn’t make him resentful.
He just felt a little regretful, that’s all.
It was difficult to explain, but yes, he felt regretful and somewhat bitter.
“…”
Opening his eyes, Yeonwoo instinctively reached for the spot beside him. But he was alone on the wide bed, with no one next to him. Feeling the cold, empty space, he closed his eyes again.
His whole body ached. They had been at it since the afternoon, and he had eventually passed out. The man had woken him up and taken him downstairs to eat, but afterward, they had continued…
His last memory was of Ho Munbeom approaching from behind while he was showering. He had suffered for quite a while in the bathroom, where sounds echoed due to the nature of the space, but he had no memory after that.
Had he been moved from the bathroom to the bed? Come to think of it, though he had been interrupted while washing, he felt strangely refreshed.
Opening his eyes again, Yeonwoo slipped his hand under the blanket to feel his body. His skin was as soft and dry as well-dried laundry. Relieved that he wouldn’t need to wash again, he wanted to go back to sleep, but for some reason, his body moved on its own.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, his entire body ached.
Yeonwoo lowered his head and pressed his throbbing lower abdomen.
“…It hurts.”
Well, it would be strange if it didn’t hurt after such a large thing had thrust into him repeatedly.
He had believed he’d become accustomed to the unfamiliar act, but apparently that was an illusion. Or perhaps they had simply done it too many times, making it difficult. Yeonwoo moved slowly with a groan.
After checking behind him once more just in case, he put on his underwear and clothes, placed the contraceptive pill he had brought in his pocket, and went outside. As he descended halfway down the stairs intending to go to the first floor, he heard a cheerful exclamation of surprise.
“You’re up? That’s good. I can prepare a meal for you now.”
“…”
Yeonwoo froze at the sudden encounter with a stranger. Seeing his wide eyes, the woman covered her mouth and asked cautiously.
“…Should I have pretended not to notice? Did I overstep?”
Seeing her at a loss, as if she had made a major mistake, Yeonwoo shook his head. Before he could say it wasn’t like that, the woman introduced herself first.
“I’m the villa caretaker’s wife. I usually prepare meals when the young master visits. I’ve prepared everything inside, but sometimes I make additional dishes he might want.”
Realizing she was the wife of the taciturn middle-aged man he had seen yesterday, Yeonwoo let out a small “Ah.” Seeing his reaction, the woman smiled brightly, tilting her head as she asked:
“The young master usually has light sandwiches or toast for breakfast, but what would you prefer? I can prepare rice right away if you just say the word. Oh, should I brew some coffee first?”
Suddenly remembering, she looked up at him with her hands clasped together. Yeonwoo shook his head. He tried to say “No,” but his voice came out strangely due to his hoarse throat. Wrapping his hand around his throat, he cleared it with a couple of “hmm” sounds before speaking.
“Don’t worry about me. Coffee is fine.”
“But you came with the young master—how could I not be considerate?”
It seemed that just coming with Ho Munbeom made him a special person. But that wasn’t really the case. More than anything, Yeonwoo wanted a glass of water rather than coffee or food, but he bit his lip slightly as he considered his options.
Just then, the front door swung open, and someone strode in. Before seeing him, Yeonwoo turned his head at the subtle, now-familiar pheromones.
Ho Munbeom was dressed casually, as if he had been exercising—his hair was completely wet, and sweat ran down his face. After roughly wiping his face and hair with the towel around his neck, he stopped upon seeing Yeonwoo standing in the middle of the staircase and the woman at the bottom. After looking at them both, he seemed to understand the situation and said to the woman:
“If you’ve finished preparing breakfast, you can go now. Thank you.”
“No need for thanks—it’s just what I should do. Then I’ll be going.”
The woman, who had been trying to take care of Yeonwoo in some way, immediately withdrew at Ho Munbeom’s dismissal. She left promptly, as if trained to do so. Watching her leave, Yeonwoo felt a gaze on his face and turned his head. Ho Munbeom was looking at him.
Feeling a tickle inside, Yeonwoo tensed his fingertips on the railing.
“Are you going to keep standing there?”
“…No.”
Shaking his head, Yeonwoo slowly descended the stairs.
His whole body ached from their activities that had continued until dawn, making it difficult to walk down the stairs alone. Still, not wanting to show it in front of Ho Munbeom, he clenched his molars and moved one step at a time, slowly. Then a large, firm hand was extended toward him.
“…”
After alternately looking at the hand in front of him and Ho Munbeom, Yeonwoo carefully took it. Feeling as if his body suddenly hurt less—over something so small—Yeonwoo looked up at him after reaching the bottom step.
Unbeknownst to Yeonwoo, the back of his hair was slightly sticking up. Unlike the front hair that had been combed down neatly while washing his face, Ho Munbeom reached for the slightly raised hair in the middle. As he touched Yeonwoo’s small head, which fit completely in his palm with room to spare, he asked:
“You woke up early.”
The living room was filled with natural light, and Ho Munbeom had just returned from exercise. Compared to his industrious activity, Yeonwoo hadn’t really woken up early, but he nodded slightly.
“We overdid it yesterday. How’s your body feeling?”
It wasn’t in great condition. Various parts ached, his frequently pounded abdomen felt raw, and his thighs were sore. Not to mention his buttocks, and his chest and nipples, which had been persistently sucked, still felt hard and erect.
After hesitating, Yeonwoo mouthed, “I’m fine.”
At this response, one of Ho Munbeom’s eyes narrowed. Staring intently as if gauging whether Yeonwoo’s words were true, he soon removed his hand from the back of Yeonwoo’s head.
“Breakfast should be ready. I’ll go wash up, so start eating without me.”
“…Yes.”
After answering quietly, Yeonwoo cleared his throat with a “hmm.”
No matter how much he tried to pretend he was fine, he couldn’t hide his half-hoarse voice. Looking at Yeonwoo silently, Ho Munbeom lowered his head and gave a peck on the swollen lips that had been bitten and sucked all night. The lips met with a smacking sound and separated, leaving Yeonwoo’s eyes wide with surprise.
“I’ll be quick, so don’t wait for me.”
“…”
There was a hint of playfulness in his low voice. The sudden change in tone made the fine hairs on Yeonwoo’s pale cheeks rise slightly, but pretending not to notice, Ho Munbeom kissed him once more before pulling away. A strong bodily scent emanated from him as he moved back. The pheromones mixed with sweat created excitement rather than discomfort.
He must have been holding his breath without realizing it. Belatedly becoming aware, Yeonwoo regulated his breathing and placed a hand on his chest. Feeling his heart beating rapidly under his palm, Yeonwoo watched the direction Ho Munbeom had disappeared in before taking a step.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
