“Ah…”
Jae-young turned his head and stared blankly at Sa Gong-hyun, who was brewing coffee from a machine. I thought he was an empty can, but he smiles at his dog and seems more human than I expected.
“Yes, I’d like that.”
He approached and stood next to Sa Gong-hyun. He accepted the mug that was handed over with an indifferent face.
Judging by his face, you’d think his hands would be very fine. Actually, his hands were long and pretty. They were just openly rough. Sa Gong-hyun’s hands were covered with scars that looked like knife cuts.
Jae-young, who had been holding the hot mug with both hands, reached out with one. When his fingertips brushed over Sa Gong-hyun’s scars, the latter turned his head.
“…What kind of wounds are these?”
I have a vague idea. The hands of people who use their bodies roughly often looked like this. Sa Gong-hyun had started his organizational life earlier, so it was natural that his hands had many scars.
Knowing this, he still asked about the scars. The fake Do Jae-young wasn’t supposed to know what he was really doing.
Having risen from the bottom, it was evident that Sa Gong-hyun wouldn’t have been choosy about his methods. There must have been hardship in that, and pain.
For the relationship with Sa Gong-hyun to deepen, the fake Do Jae-young needed to embrace his pain. He needed to convey clumsy comfort with an innocent, untainted face. Of course, Sa Gong-hyun probably wouldn’t welcome this.
Jae-young silently stroked the scars. Sa Gong-hyun stared down at his own hand that Jae-young had grabbed. He closed his eyes once and then stared at Jae-young.
Sa Gong-hyun moved his hand. Judging by how he was escaping Jae-young’s grasp, it meant “don’t touch.”
Jae-young looked up at Sa Gong-hyun with round eyes. He was wearing a self-deprecating smile. It was the opposite of the smile he had given Ver.
“Do you have the luxury to care about such things?”
“…”
“Are you aware of where you’ve stepped into right now?”
As Sa Gong-hyun took a step forward, Jae-young instinctively took a step back. Realizing that he had backed away unconsciously, he tried to stand his ground, but as Sa Gong-hyun kept approaching, he had no choice but to step backward.
The path that Sa Gong-hyun had guided him on was already blocked. It was a thin wall built to divide the living room and dining room.
The moment Jae-young glanced at the edge of the dividing wall, Sa Gong-hyun reached out and placed his hand beside Jae-young.
“I wonder if you’re stupid or if you’re knowingly continuing to follow me. I think it’s the latter. What does Do Jae-young-ssi think?”
Jae-young quietly swallowed. Instead of answering, he gripped the mug tightly, putting strength into his fingertips.
Does he dislike the scars on his hands? Even if he didn’t show signs of displeasure, this kind of reaction suggested that might be the case.
“…Am I not allowed to be curious?”
When he hesitantly brought out his voice, Sa Gong-hyun’s face showed a slight movement. His downcast eyes, already haughty and insolent, became even more haughty.
“Even apart from the scars, there’s a lot I’m curious about with Hyun-ssi.”
“What are you so curious about that you only choose to do things you can’t handle?”
“I’d like to answer that I want to know everything, but… For now, I’d like to gradually share stories that won’t make Hyun-ssi uncomfortable even if I know them. Even trivial things are fine. I’ll try not to cross the lines that Hyun-ssi draws.”
It was a timely comment. He hadn’t crossed any lines that should be kept, nor was he disrespectful. So by now, his twisted heart should have calmed down, but Sa Gong-hyun frowned rather than smile.
“That’s why I followed you. As Hyun-ssi guessed, I knowingly followed you.”
The intense downward gaze made it feel like his face might burn. Jae-young, who had been stubbornly making eye contact, suddenly lowered his gaze.
“…Are you going to kick me out now?”
With movements neither too slow nor too fast, he glanced at Sa Gong-hyun as if checking his reaction. Will my face get a hole in it at this rate? Dissatisfaction bloomed freshly, and he clenched his molars tightly.
Sa Gong-hyun, having already erased his furrowed expression, looked down at Jae-young. There was no sympathy whatsoever for the pitifulness being displayed.
It was hard to read his expression. His expressionless face was like looking at a finely crafted jointed doll.
Swallowing became heavier. Even trying to relax didn’t work as well as he thought.
Should I reach out? Reach out and try to hold his hand again? He seems sensitive about his hands, so somewhere else? Where then? Just kiss him out of the blue?
Throughout Jae-young’s contemplation, his fingertips wrapped around the mug twitched slightly. Sa Gong-hyun’s gaze swept over Jae-young and went down. Soon, that gaze turned toward Jae-young’s hands—specifically, toward the fingertips that were timidly fidgeting.
The movement, which would normally be imperceptible, froze. He unconsciously exhaled, and the weight of that breath was quite heavy.
At that moment, the hand that had been placed beside Jae-young was withdrawn.
“If I had intended to kick you out to that extent, I wouldn’t have let you in in the first place.”
Just as his throat was burning, Sa Gong-hyun smiled nonchalantly. Jae-young looked up at Sa Gong-hyun with wide round eyes.
He nodded his head slightly to the side. Understanding the meaning of the gesture, Jae-young walked through the gap that Sa Gong-hyun had just blocked with his arm. Coffee sloshed in the cup that had cooled down to a temperature suitable for holding.
What am I supposed to do now? Walking straight ahead, he just rolled his eyes. He hoped to catch sight of Sa Gong-hyun, but could only barely sense his presence.
Jae-young, who had been crossing the middle of the living room, suddenly stopped walking. When he turned around, he saw Sa Gong-hyun standing right behind him.
“…”
Jae-young froze in place, swallowing his breath.
He was startled. Seeing that already handsome face up close properly made him speechless. Damn, he’s really good-looking.
He had thought many men were good-looking before, but had rarely been impressed. Seung-kwon was also clean-cut and handsome, but Jae-young had never thought of him this way even once.
As he silently moved his lips, the mug left his hand. Sa Gong-hyun’s hand placed the mug on the nearest shelf.
“You said you had a lot of questions, so why are you keeping your mouth shut?”
The gaze that had been following the mug turned to Sa Gong-hyun. Is he telling me to ask now? Jae-young, who had been slowly breathing, rolled his eyes in embarrassment.
“…How old are you?”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
