Chapter 91
By the time Juha came out after washing up, Taeri was chatting with Yunha as if they had been close friends for a long time. Finding the immature younger sister’s way of speaking cute, Taeri listened to Yunha’s stories with a pleased smile.
They were trivial things like stories about school friends, who in their class was a fan of which My Idol contestant and what they said, and other personal matters.
‘She doesn’t tell me stories like that.’
As he dried his wet hair and thought about it, Juha realized he had never once listened when Yunha told such stories. Seeing the affectionate Taeri made him reflect on how blunt he had been with his sister.
Only after greeting their father who had returned from working late did Taeri and Juha enter the room.
Perhaps home-cooked food really was the best medicine—just eating their mother’s tteokbokki had filled his depleted body with energy. More than anything, the relief of being home was great.
“My stomach isn’t going down.”
Taeri also kept rubbing his stomach while muttering. Unlike the Ha siblings who had picked at their food, Taeri alone had eagerly devoured more than half the tteokbokki like a baby pig, so it was understandable. It was amazing that he maintained those muscles while eating everything so well.
Just like last time, when Juha spread out the blanket on the floor, Taeri tactfully grabbed the opposite side and helped.
“Come on, let’s lie down now!”
“You lie down first.”
Taeri gestured quickly without making eye contact with Juha. As he was about to lie down, Taeri now seemed embarrassed about eating his fill and imposing on sleeping arrangements at someone else’s house.
Juha quickly noticed the emotion Taeri was feeling. Seeing someone who usually didn’t care about others’ opinions suddenly acting like a homeless child made his heart ache somewhat.
“Honey, lie down next to me. I’m lonely.”
Juha lay down on the bedding first and patted the spot next to him while playing the same prank Taeri used to do. Taeri’s face immediately brightened.
“Honey, were you waiting for me?”
Taeri didn’t miss the chance to respond to Juha’s words and lay down beside him.
“Mm-hmm! Let me hug Choi Taeri once.”
Juha hugged Taeri so tightly he might burst. When the large frame filled his embrace, Taeri’s characteristic cool, clean scent with a sweet ending wafted over him. From the first training camp, just smelling this scent made Juha’s mood rapidly improve and flutter. Taeri made a “mmm” sound as he accepted Juha’s intense embrace. Having a boyfriend who was both sexy and cute made him feel content just looking at him, but the feeling when hugging was even better. These solid muscles felt just like a cozy teddy bear.
“Let me breathe a little…”
At Taeri’s words after holding back, Juha grabbed his chin with both hands and blew air into his mouth with a “whoo.”
“Cough! Ah, Lee Juha!”
Watching Taeri coughing, Juha laughed happily. Usually it was always Taeri who played pranks and Juha who was mostly on the receiving end, but deliberately initiating pranks first was all to lighten Taeri’s mood.
Knowing that deep intention, Taeri was happy but also somewhat bitter. He had wanted to show only cool sides of himself, but his weak side had been discovered like this.
“Choi Taeri, focus. I’m right in front of you.”
Juha grabbed both of Taeri’s cheeks again and turned his head toward him. Lying face to face with the lights off, their eyes sparkled like illumination. Taeri tightly grasped Juha’s hands that touched his cheeks.
Today’s performance had been satisfying. Most of the trainees who had made it to the third round possessed both skill and ambition, so their obsession with the stage was outstanding. After finishing the short stage of less than five minutes, everyone was panting as if lacking oxygen. Though they had given their all to finish the stage, if Taeri had gone home alone today, he probably would have endlessly burrowed into the floor.
What Taeri found hardest to bear above all was loneliness. Being rejected by the family members who should be on his side most was, regardless of familiarity, becoming harder to endure as years passed.
Moreover, the confrontation with his father right before the performance had brutally trampled on Taeri.
What would have happened if Lee Juha hadn’t been there? No matter how much he thought about it, he didn’t think he could have endured it.
“Lee Juha, thank you.”
Taeri said with a gentle smile.
“For what?”
“If it weren’t for you, tonight would have been really bad.”
“I want to be helpful. Like you were for me when I was having a hard time.”
Seeing Juha answer so prettily made the corners of Taeri’s mouth keep rising. Many people had approached him until now, but he couldn’t open his heart to anyone. He couldn’t bring himself to say that he had already been abandoned by the family they so envied. Amid his father’s long verbal abuse and his mother’s hypocritical complicity, Taeri was precariously enduring this life on one foot. He had comforted himself that once he achieved his dreams, this much would be nothing.
However, looking at the person in front of him, Taeri realized that Lee Juha was a much more important existence than he had thought. Not just someone who cheered him up during difficult times, but someone who held Taeri’s hand and walked together on life’s tightrope. There was one thing he hadn’t told even Juha.
His father’s words that he would absolutely not let him debut unless he was first place.
He had threatened his father today that he would debut even if he wasn’t first place, but in one corner of his heart, he was afraid of what his father might really do. But he couldn’t tell Juha about it.
Because he was worried that after knowing that fact, Lee Juha might not be able to look after his own ranking and would prioritize Taeri instead.
“What are you thinking about by yourself again?”
Juha said, looking at Taeri who had been silent for a while.
“Thinking about you.”
At Taeri’s unhesitating answer, Juha’s face instantly turned red.
“I’m right in front of you, so why think? You should talk.”
“I love you, Lee Juha.”
Thump. When their gazes met as Juha looked at him with clear eyes, Taeri’s heart rate increased. Though they knew each other’s feelings, it had been a long time since confessing so seriously. They had always been busy hiding their hearts while being mindful of people and cameras around them, and when they were alone together, they were too busy playing pranks.
“Ah, I got a little flutter.”
Juha said playfully while stroking his chest with his hand.
“Lee Juha is starting to become scarily likable now, so I thought I need to manage my feelings well if I don’t want to get caught.”
Taeri confessed while slowly stroking Juha’s cheek, paying no mind.
“It’s probably smaller than how much I like you.”
Seeing Lee Juha smile and snuggle close with pretty words made Taeri feel like he was in another world. Time alone with Lee Juha was always so happy that no thoughts came to mind. No matter who tormented him—his father, his family, anyone—it couldn’t hurt at all. The fact that life could change so dramatically because of one person was amazing.
On the other side of that bright sunshine-like feeling, fear also lurked. Sometimes he was scared wondering if it was okay to like one person this much. He was suddenly afraid that the day might come when Juha couldn’t accept his feelings that had grown this large.
“Lee Juha. What do you think would make you hate me?”
At Taeri’s question, Juha blinked as if he didn’t understand.
“What are you talking about?”
“You might come to hate me. I want to prepare myself mentally in advance.”
At Taeri’s attitude of preparing for reflection without rhyme or reason, Juha burst into laughter.
“As long as you don’t like someone else, I won’t hate you.”
“Really?”
Taeri’s eyes immediately brightened, but he couldn’t hide his doubt. Juha had sometimes found Taeri’s abandoned puppy-like behavior somewhat puzzling before, but now that he knew his background, he understood everything.
Taeri, who had lived constantly rejected by his family, needed confidence that he was loved.
“No.”
“Why…”
Taeri’s voice became small again at Juha’s answer.
“If you say you like someone else, I’ll beat you up and drag you back to my side even if I have to.”
Looking at Juha’s clear eyes, Taeri finally smiled brightly.
* * *
Originally, he had planned to impose for just one night and return home right away, but with Lee Juha in front of him, Taeri couldn’t bring himself to turn away coldly. Early in the morning, Juha’s father and Yunha went to work and school respectively, and their mother went to Aunt Miyoung’s place after preparing breakfast.
Left alone in the house, Juha and Taeri lay on the floor giggling until late morning.
“So who do you want to be on the next team with?”
“Hmm… I want to try once more with Choi Musin, and I want to try with Kim Namhong too. Musin feels like a talent too good to just do missions together with? Kim Namhong I’m curious about since I’ve never worked with him. What about you?”
At Taeri’s question, Juha rolled his eyes and answered seriously.
“Andrew.”
“Again? Why?”
“When Andrew comes in, the musical expression goes way up. Having a proper main vocalist or not really makes a world of difference.”
“You’re too close with Andrew.”
Though it was natural that Juha and Taeri were each other’s top priority, hearing another person’s name from Taeri’s mouth made Juha feel strange.
When Juha pretended to sulk as a joke, Taeri quietly wrapped his arms around him.
“I’m closer with you though.”
Taeri’s voice seeped into his ear along with warm breath. The atmosphere suddenly became suggestive.
“Mm, don’t. It tickles.”
“Shouldn’t we try more to know whether it’s ticklish or a different feeling?”
Taeri’s lips lightly bit Juha’s earlobe then released it, and kissed behind his ear with a smack. A frightening thrill ran through his entire body. He had forgotten while worrying about Taeri’s wounds and loneliness, but Choi Taeri’s greatest weapon was seducing Lee Juha.
“Mm, no… Mom might come back.”
“She hasn’t come back yet.”
Taeri grinned and climbed on top of Juha. Taeri interlocked their fingers to prevent movement and kissed Juha like that. The moment their warm lips touched, the image of Taeri struggling throughout the recent filming floated in Juha’s mind. Though it seemed like just a small mission that wouldn’t be reflected in rankings to others, for the two of them it was the result of overcoming a great obstacle together.
After lips separated with a smacking sound, they touched again and a tongue strongly penetrated into his mouth. They had definitely kissed last night too, but trying to kiss in broad daylight at his own house, in his own room, made Juha feel unnecessary guilt. But that feeling also brought a strange pleasure. Juha closed his eyes and frantically accepted his lips. With hands now free as the finger-locking had come undone, Juha wrapped his arms around Taeri’s neck. Each time they changed the angle of their faces, lips stuck together and separated with wet sounds.
“Mmm…”
Just as the kiss deepened and Taeri’s hand was about to enter Juha’s clothes, Taeri’s phone rang as if to interrupt them.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
