The string of notifications echoing in his ears didn’t quite feel real at first. For a moment, he wondered if his desperation had made him hallucinate. It wasn’t until enough time had passed—enough for him to fully register the heat radiating from Gwak Seung-hyeon’s body still pressed against his, and the sound of his heartbeat—that Seon-woo could finally accept what he’d just heard.
The system had lost control. This time, permanently.
Unless it was a cruel prank, that meant no more “Gwanggong Score has dropped” alerts to torment Gwak Seon-woo.
Seon-woo carefully pulled away from Seung-hyeon. Despite how closely they had been clinging to one another, Seung-hyeon didn’t resist at all, letting himself be gently pushed back. Instead, his searching gaze clung to Seon-woo, scrutinizing him intently.
With a tone almost combative, Seon-woo spoke. A little of it was to test whether the system had truly lost its grip—but most of it was genuine.
“I love you.”
Seung-hyeon responded shyly.
“You really don’t hold back with your confessions, do you?”
His tone was teasing, not matching the way his eyes dipped bashfully. Compared to how he’d just been—dazed and overwhelmed with emotion—he seemed much more composed now. But Seon-woo didn’t care about the reaction. There was truly no system notification. No Gwanggong Score reduction, no penalties. Even the dizzying vertigo that had been plaguing his head had vanished without a trace.
Seon-woo decided to proceed cautiously. He wanted one final confirmation. Grasping Seung-hyeon’s arm, he spoke again.
“Try kissing me.”
The abrupt and firm request seemed to catch Seung-hyeon slightly off guard. But there was no need for Seon-woo to explain further. Seung-hyeon appeared to understand, in his own way. Tilting his head lightly, he closed the distance between them, close enough that the tips of their noses could brush. He whispered,
“You really do whatever you want, Director. Even the way you confess…”
“You don’t like it?”
“I wouldn’t say I love you without knowing how I feel.”
The moment the words left his mouth, Seung-hyeon kissed him. The end of his sentence was swallowed up between their lips.
Enough time passed for the usual warning alert to interrupt and ruin the moment, but there was nothing. No voice, no interruption. The only thing Seon-woo could hear was the slick sound of lips brushing and tongues entwining.
He briefly worried that maybe the system had glitched and might come back—but that thought quickly faded as all of his senses honed in on the sensation of Seung-hyeon’s tongue.
What began as a cautious intrusion stretched into something deeper. At first, Seon-woo simply received Seung-hyeon’s kiss in silence, but it wasn’t long before he reached up to cradle the back of Seung-hyeon’s head, returning the kiss with equal fervor. At some point, Seung-hyeon had been backed up against the wall. He braced himself with one hand against it while the other wrapped firmly around Seon-woo’s waist.
Seon-woo gave no thought to the possibility of losing his balance—his full focus was on the kiss. He opened his eyes mid-kiss, trying to catch a glimpse of Seung-hyeon’s trembling eyelids still closed. A sharp thrill surged up his spine and exploded through his whole body, all the way to his fingertips.
As Seon-woo’s tongue swept along Seung-hyeon’s teeth and dove in deep as though trying to drag out the very root of his tongue, Seung-hyeon’s breathing quickened, and a faint crease formed between his brows. It was an uncharacteristically clumsy look for him. Realizing that he was the one who had drawn out that reaction, Seon-woo felt a quiet, satisfied pride welling up inside him.
Though he’d seemed overwhelmed at first, Seung-hyeon soon regained his composure. He must have managed to catch his breath during the brief moments their lips parted, just enough to keep going. Thanks to that, the kiss stretched on for quite a while.
At last, their lips parted, and Seon-woo took a slow breath, steadying himself. Meeting Seung-hyeon’s fevered gaze, it seemed they were both struck by the same thought: even though the hallway was empty now, anyone could appear at any moment and catch sight of them like this.
As soon as they stepped into the hospital room, Seon-woo made a beeline for the bed without hesitation. This time, it was Seung-hyeon who closed the door—from the inside—and followed slowly behind. When Seon-woo tugged his arm, Seung-hyeon came willingly, though he reached out with his free hand to steady the swaying IV pole.
There was no way Seung-hyeon didn’t know what Seon-woo intended when he pushed him onto the bed. With one hand still pressing him down, Seon-woo climbed onto the mattress, kneeling beside him and looking down into his face.
Naturally, Seung-hyeon wrapped both arms around Seon-woo’s waist, murmuring with a faintly helpless tone,
“You’re the one who’s hospitalized, remember?”
“Is there anyone left who doesn’t know I’m just lying here doing nothing?”
“Well, judging by how you’re talking, you do seem perfectly fine.”
Despite that dry response, Seung-hyeon didn’t try to stop him. Seon-woo frowned in mild annoyance.
“Then what’s the problem?”
It was a bit embarrassing to realize how much it sounded like he was begging for sex, but to be honest, he didn’t think there was any shame in it. After all the interruptions and ordeals, they’d finally gotten to this point—finally confirmed each other’s feelings. If this were a K-drama, a passionate kiss would’ve been the bare minimum. And if it were a Western series, they’d already be tearing off jackets and shoes on the way to the bed.
Granted, most of the hardships Seon-woo had endured were things Seung-hyeon knew nothing about. Still, there was a reason people said it’s better when it’s good. With a brazen look in his eyes, Seon-woo gazed down at Seung-hyeon. In response, Seung-hyeon tightened his hold on Seon-woo’s waist ever so slightly, though his voice remained calm.
“You’re still in a hospital gown.”
“That comes off like anything else.”
“We don’t even have a condom.”
Seon-woo faltered for the briefest moment at that blunt word choice—but only for a second. He quickly regained his composure and threw back a steady question.
“Do you have anything?”
“…What?”
This time, Seung-hyeon seemed genuinely flustered. Seon-woo summoned all his patience and pressed on.
“Have you slept with anyone else? Other than me?”
“Of course not.”
That reply came with a slight furrow of Seung-hyeon’s brow, but it was clear and resolute. Seon-woo’s gaze softened a little at that. Still, he didn’t let his expression reveal any sign of relief.
“Then there’s no problem, is there?”
Before he knew it, Seung-hyeon’s gaze had softened, the way someone might look at a child throwing a tantrum. With a faint smile, he gently pushed back.
“Even with an IV still in your arm?”
Seon-woo, running out of arguments, responded with a sulky tone.
“I can just raise my arm.”
“It’ll be uncomfortable. And if it gets pulled out, you’re going to regret it.”
Seon-woo ran a frustrated hand through his hair. It wasn’t that he didn’t understand Seung-hyeon was right. He knew it was a reasonable excuse—more than reasonable, actually. Seung-hyeon wasn’t even refusing for his own sake. He was doing it for Seon-woo.
But still, they’d just gotten rid of the system’s interference. Finally, he could touch Gwak Seung-hyeon without holding back. And now Seung-hyeon wanted to stop? It felt unfair. Even a little infuriating.
“Director.”
At that moment, Seung-hyeon called him softly. When Seon-woo turned his gaze back to him, Seung-hyeon pulled him closer, hand moving from his waist to cradle the back of his head as he drew him in for another kiss.
This one was much softer and more tender than what they’d shared outside the room. The warm breath swirling inside his mouth as Seung-hyeon kissed him gently made Seon-woo’s whole body melt. The tension in his nerves eased as well. Once the playful kiss ended, Seung-hyeon looked up at him and asked,
“Want me to do it with my mouth?”
Seon-woo let out a snort, not out of mockery but at the sheer absurdity of how gentle his expression was in contrast to his words. Reaching out, his hand brushed between Seung-hyeon’s legs. His face looked calm enough on the outside, but his erection had been obvious since they walked into the room. Pressing lightly over it, Seon-woo murmured teasingly,
“You’re one to talk, looking like this.”
Seung-hyeon tried to keep his expression neutral, but Seon-woo didn’t miss the subtle twitch of his features the moment his hand made contact. Still, he replied with practiced composure.
“I’m good at waiting. I’m very good at being patient.”
Seon-woo stared at him in brief contemplation. That wasn’t wrong. With Seung-hyeon’s level of restraint, he could probably win a gold medal in some kind of endurance contest. …It was a ridiculous thought, and Seon-woo brushed it away with a firm retort.
“Well, I’m not patient.”
Again, Seung-hyeon’s expression shifted slightly. For a moment, Seon-woo felt a twinge of regret. Should he have just let it go, accepted the considerate gesture for what it was? Did he come off as too desperate for sex? Should he have waited until after discharge?
But that hesitation vanished quickly. Seung-hyeon’s expression wasn’t negative at all. If anything, he looked… surprised. Maybe even a little shy. Like he’d never expected words like that to come from Seon-woo’s mouth. It was strange to see someone who had always masked his emotions suddenly look so flustered and bashful—but it was also, in its own way, deeply satisfying.
His lips parted, as if he was about to say something but hesitated. Then he smiled softly, his eyes curving with warmth. The embarrassment had already faded, leaving only the faint glow of affection. Seon-woo found himself thinking absently: Is he trying to seduce me? No, but somehow I ended up being the one seduced anyway.
Before he could settle on an answer, Seung-hyeon began to speak again.
“Alright.”
Seung-hyeon’s hand reached out and pressed the call bell. A nurse would probably show up soon to check on Seon-woo. Not understanding his intent at first, Seon-woo frowned slightly and looked down at him—only for Seung-hyeon to take the hand with the IV needle and place a gentle kiss on it.
“Want to take the IV out?”
He tilted his head slightly, as if daring Seon-woo to say something—Go on, let’s hear it. When Seon-woo didn’t answer right away, Seung-hyeon continued,
“I’ll run an errand real quick.”
“…?”
“Is there anything you need?”
Seon-woo blinked a few times, then scoffed with a laugh that sounded both exasperated and lazy. Hadn’t Seung-hyeon said earlier that they didn’t have a condom…? He studied the sly curve of Seung-hyeon’s expression and realized, yeah—he’d understood exactly right.
You sly little fox. The thought slipped through Seon-woo’s mind as he jerked his chin.
“Hurry back.”
Instead of replying, Seung-hyeon leaned in and gave Seon-woo’s fingertip a playful little bite—just enough to be felt, not enough to hurt.
