So that’s why he tried to accept Lee Jonghoon, a man without any sense of responsibility, as his father. Because if he had at least that person, he wouldn’t be truly alone. He wanted to be a little less afraid.
At that moment, Munbeom entered Yeonwoo’s field of vision.
After going outside, he had taken off his robe. As expected, he was wearing a tight black swimsuit that revealed the muscles of his thighs. After loosely stretching his arms and moving his head from side to side, he entered the water. He swam past the room, cutting through the long stretch of water.
Even to Yeonwoo, who knew nothing about swimming, his form looked excellent. Staring blankly as his eyes followed Munbeom, Yeonwoo looked at the swimming trunks in his hand. After fiddling with them, he went to a secluded corner to change.
When he came out through the corridor connected to the living room, the night air was cool. Yeonwoo tightened the robe he was wearing and walked toward the sound of refreshing water. There were slippers at the entrance which he put on, but they were a bit big. Walking with a slight dragging sound, Yeonwoo saw Munbeom swimming back to his side after reaching the far end of the lane.
He wasn’t sure what had been done to the bottom of the pool, but the water was bright. This allowed him to clearly see Munbeom approaching, stretching his arms freely. Yeonwoo took a deep breath and exhaled as his heart pounded against the back of his hand pressed to his chest.
Reaching Yeonwoo’s front in an instant, Munbeom raised one arm and pulled his body halfway up. After rubbing his wet face with one hand and brushing all his hair back, he looked up at Yeonwoo.
“Aren’t you coming in?”
Yeonwoo looked at the pool floor.
It looked deep even at a glance. Since he didn’t know how to swim, he couldn’t just jump in recklessly, so he shook his head slightly. After adding, “Maybe later,” Munbeom, who had been staring at Yeonwoo, stretched out his arm.
“I’ll teach you.”
“…”
Yeonwoo looked at the large, firm hand extended to him.
At that moment, he could feel his heart beating faster under his palm resting on his chest. Worried that Munbeom might notice, Yeonwoo stepped back and shook his head. At this action, Munbeom lowered his outstretched hand and rested his chin on his other arm.
“Swimming is fun. Once you learn, you’ll find uses for it time and again.”
“…A little later.”
“Alright, let’s try later then.”
Munbeom then leaned back and moved his arms in large circles. Some water droplets splashed onto Yeonwoo. Closing one eye as droplets hit his cheek, then opening it again, Yeonwoo watched as Munbeom quickly moved away.
It certainly did look fun. If just watching made his heart flutter this much, actually doing it would be even better.
After continuing to watch him, Yeonwoo sat down on a nearby sun bed.
Though he tried not to be conscious of it, it was a bit difficult as his weight pressed down. Enduring the soreness and throbbing below, Yeonwoo looked at Munbeom again. Having already reached the far end, Munbeom came out of the water and shook his head from side to side. Then, looking at Yeonwoo, he raised his arm high.
Feeling as though his face might flush, Yeonwoo hesitated before raising his hand and waving it back and forth. Since he hadn’t taken the hand offered earlier, he included a bit of apology in this timid greeting, to which Munbeom seemed to smile.
“…”
He’s smiling more than usual today.
As their meetings continued, Yeonwoo had become a bit more comfortable with Munbeom. It seemed the same for him too. If that was why he smiled so often, it wasn’t bad. In fact, it was very good. Yeonwoo continued waving even after Munbeom started swimming again.
Yeonwoo tried to recall when the period specified in the contract was. Then he realized something surprising.
“…It’s already April.”
He wasn’t one to pay much attention to dates, but he hadn’t even realized March had ended. Today was April 1st. It felt like there was something special about this date, but what was it? Tilting his head, Yeonwoo slightly parted his lips. April Fool’s Day, that was it.
When he was in school, it was hard to miss because of the mischievous kids in every class. Remembering how boisterously he had spent this time every year, Yeonwoo smiled slightly.
Back then, Yeonwoo didn’t blend well with his classmates. His father was very concerned about the fact that Yeonwoo was a dominant omega, so he didn’t let Yeonwoo go on school trips or distant field trips. Each time, he made excuses like family circumstances or poor health, but the kids knew better. Even without Yeonwoo saying it himself, as rumors about him being a “dominant omega” spread among the children, the distance between them grew.
That was relatively better; there were also cases where people approached him out of curiosity, wanting to provoke him. Sighing heavily at memories he didn’t particularly want to recall, Yeonwoo stroked his arm.
Though it was April, the nights were still cold.
As he rubbed his clasped hands together, Yeonwoo suddenly realized something. The sound of water was no longer audible.
“…”
Startled, Yeonwoo’s head moved quickly. He couldn’t see anyone approaching him, splashing water in the vast water-filled space. Seeing the calm surface, Yeonwoo’s eyes wavered, and his chest heaved greatly.
Before he could even think, his body moved first.
Rising from the sun bed, Yeonwoo staggered once before falling straight into the water. His head went deep before resurfacing, and before he could spit out the water that had filled his mouth, his legs moved first. Though the water-soaked robe was heavy and drooping, he had no time to notice as he looked ahead and moved hastily, his eyes checking the calm water surface.
Just as Yeonwoo’s eyes, trembling with panic, widened, a large splash of water erupted nearby, and Munbeom appeared. After briefly turning his head while exposing his face, he immediately approached Yeonwoo.
“Yeonwoo, so you finally felt like coming in…”
Munbeom’s words didn’t continue. Seeing Yeonwoo’s face looking at him, the man quickly moved. He embraced Yeonwoo’s waist with one arm and cradled his small chin with the other hand, lifting him up.
“Yeonwoo, breathe.”
At those words, Yeonwoo exhaled the breath he had been holding. As his chest heaved greatly, his anxious eyes examined every part of Munbeom’s face. Then, slowly closing his eyes, Yeonwoo’s lips moved. Though it was hard to hear what he wanted to say, calming him was the priority.
While stroking Yeonwoo’s back in the water, Munbeom touched his wet cheek. Observing the labored breathing escaping through slightly parted lips, Munbeom felt the heaviness of the robe Yeonwoo was wearing and pulled it back. Holding Yeonwoo more firmly as he seemed to retreat, Munbeom managed to remove the robe and pressed his lips to Yeonwoo’s forehead.
“It’s okay, calm down.”
“…”
Munbeom’s voice, which had seemed distant, gradually became clearer.
Opening his eyes which had been closed all along, Yeonwoo looked at the man right in front of him. After seeing his wet cheeks, wet hair, and the firm gaze visible between them, Yeonwoo opened his lips. Without taking his eyes off the man who lowered his head as if to hear what he was saying, Yeonwoo whispered.
“…I thought something was wrong.”
Even to Yeonwoo, Munbeom seemed like an excellent swimmer. Even if such a person briefly disappeared from sight, it shouldn’t have been a problem, but in that moment, Yeonwoo couldn’t breathe. Being this startled in his life was, well, the first time since receiving the call that his father had collapsed.
Saying that he must have become a coward because of past events, Yeonwoo smiled a little.
“I’m sorry. I did something unnecessary…”
Munbeom had been enjoying his swim, and Yeonwoo felt like he had ruined it.
Just as he was about to say not to worry anymore and that he would go outside, two large hands cupped Yeonwoo’s face. His head was slightly lifted, and something soft touched his lips. Yeonwoo looked at the man kissing him, then closed his eyes.
Though his vision darkened, Munbeom’s eyes, which had been looking at him, remained imprinted. Yeonwoo trembled as the tongue delved into his closed lips.
The tongue that invaded Yeonwoo’s mouth touched everything from the roof of his mouth to the inside of his cheeks and teeth. When it probed so deeply it reached his throat, even Yeonwoo struggled, panting breathlessly. As he tilted his head back, a firm arm dug under his waist and thighs. Held by Munbeom, Yeonwoo could barely keep up with trying to follow his lips as they pulled away from his own.
Meanwhile, Munbeom’s lips still touched Yeonwoo’s face, which had emerged from the water. His eyelids, cheeks, nostrils, philtrum, chin—his lips touched everywhere. Yeonwoo couldn’t gather his thoughts amid the kisses falling all over his face. Making pained sounds, he embraced Munbeom’s neck as they entered the building.
Munbeom, who had been setting his teeth against Yeonwoo’s soft cheek, gradually moved down to suck on his neck and collarbone. Then, lowering his head, he latched onto Yeonwoo’s nipple.
The small flesh that had been touched by fingers and mouth in the car was quite plumply swollen.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
