At that moment, through the slightly open door, small voices flowed out.
“…Let me see.”
“Seunghyun.”
“Quickly.”
“I told you I’m fine now.”
“…?”
Jaehyun felt a bit curious at the bickering voices. Because of this, instead of opening the door and going in, he bent down and peeked inside through the gap.
Suhwan was looking at Seunghyun, who had approached him, with a bewildered expression. As soon as Jaehyun had left, Seunghyun had come over and kept asking him to stick out his tongue. It seemed he was still concerned about Suhwan burning his tongue while eating earlier.
“The professor will be back soon.”
“My brother takes a long time in the bathroom when he’s stressed, so it’s fine.”
Jaehyun wanted to immediately shut his brother’s mouth for blurting out a weakness he’d rather not reveal. But he endured and continued to stare into the room.
“Still, in a place like this.”
“I’m worried.”
“…”
Suhwan, whose face had turned red, lowered his eyes. Seunghyun gazed at his embarrassed face intently, then moved his hand. He placed his thumb on Suhwan’s plump lower lip and spread it, and Suhwan, as if he had no choice, slightly stuck out his reddened tongue.
“…That must have hurt a lot.”
“Yes.”
Seunghyun examined the wounded tongue with a serious face. There was a distinct injury on the tip of Suhwan’s extended tongue. Seeing that the wound was worse than he had thought, Seunghyun frowned.
“Let’s buy medicine on our way back.”
“No. There’s no need for that.”
“How can I just leave this?”
Seeing Seunghyun’s distressed face, Suhwan couldn’t bring himself to insist it was fine anymore.
But buying medicine seemed excessive no matter how he thought about it. It had hurt when he burned it, but it wasn’t such a serious injury. This kind of wound would heal on its own if left alone.
As if sensing Suhwan’s thoughts, Seunghyun narrowed his eyes and asked:
“Then should I disinfect it for you?”
“Disinfect?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
But as soon as he asked, a folk remedy he had heard somewhere popped into his mind. That applying saliva to a wound helps it heal. Looking at Seunghyun with disbelief, he pushed him away in alarm as Seunghyun’s face came closer.
“No. Not here.”
“It’s fine. No one will see.”
“Still… mm.”
Despite his words, there was no strength in Suhwan’s hands as he pushed away. Seunghyun easily gathered Suhwan’s resisting hands in one of his and kissed him. To be faithful to the act of “disinfection,” Seunghyun moved his tongue to brush against the tip of Suhwan’s tongue.
“Mmm, it hurts, ah.”
A stinging sensation sent a shiver to the top of his head. Seunghyun’s tongue followed wherever Suhwan tried to avoid, rubbing around the wound. A wound inside the mouth would disinfect itself according to folk remedies, but this was quite an elaborate excuse.
“…!”
Jaehyun outside the door watched the scene in astonishment. No matter how he looked at it, Seunghyun was actively taking the initiative. Although Suhwan had seemed reluctant at first, he was now responding to the kiss, but it was all too clear which of them was more fixated on the kiss.
“Seunghyu… huh?”
Suhwan, who had forgotten everything else and felt a part of his brain melting, wrapped his arms around Seunghyun’s neck. Then he looked somewhere and opened his eyes wide. He had made direct eye contact with eyes watching them through the slightly open door.
“Gasp…!”
“Ugh.”
The startled Suhwan pushed away Seunghyun, with whom he had been kissing. When Seunghyun asked with his eyes why he did that, Suhwan pointed behind him with a flustered face.
“Ah, hyung.”
“…!”
Seunghyun turned around casually and gave Jaehyun an annoyed look. It was as if he was saying with just his eyes:
‘Read the room.’
“…”
What? Is it my fault? Should I have slipped away unnoticed? Why has the atmosphere turned like this?
Jaehyun’s mind became thoroughly confused, having been treated as an intruder and having unintentionally peeked at his brother’s intimate moment.
“The professor… the professor saw…”
And Suhwan’s face was no less confused than Jaehyun’s. No, rather than confused, he seemed to be overcome with shame and not know what to do with himself.
“So what? We’re in love. At home, we do even more…”
“You, shut your mouth!”
Suhwan tearfully covered Seunghyun’s mouth. Truly, nothing was going well.
They left the restaurant after a meal that was satisfying to no one. After paying, Suhwan couldn’t look at Jaehyun and lowered his head.
What should I do? It was too embarrassing. He couldn’t even imagine what expression Jaehyun was making as he looked at him.
Seunghyun approached the hesitant Suhwan, took his hand, and said:
“Let’s go home now.”
“…!”
Surprised, Suhwan raised his head. As he was about to nod while looking at Seunghyun’s gently smiling face, he tilted his head at the warmth that seemed hotter than usual.
“Are you running a fever?”
“Me?”
“Yes, your hand feels a bit hot.”
Muttering, Suhwan raised his other hand and placed it on Seunghyun’s forehead. Indeed, it felt somewhat hot. Suhwan’s expression turned worried.
“Ahem, ahem.”
“…!”
Startled by the unnatural cough, Suhwan pulled his hand away. Looking uncomfortable, Jaehyun opened his mouth and asked.
“Did you take suppressants?”
“…I did.”
“Then, it’s probably nothing.”
“…?”
Only Suhwan widened his eyes at the brothers’ incomprehensible conversation. Then at the word “suppressants,” he recalled the pill bottle that Seunghyun had recently received from Jaehyun.
Heat cycle. Seunghyun was about to enter his heat cycle. Suhwan grabbed Seunghyun’s hand tightly in surprise.
“L-let’s go home quickly.”
“I took medicine, so it’s fine.”
“Still.”
Worried, Suhwan stamped his feet. Even Suhwan, with the novel’s content in his mind, knew how dangerous it was for an omega in heat to be outside.
“I’ll be going now too.”
“Ah, Professor.”
Jaehyun, who was turning to leave, paused when Suhwan called out to him. He gave Suhwan a sidelong glance.
“What is it?”
“I… thank you for coming today.”
Although the meal had been messier than expected, Suhwan viewed Jaehyun’s presence alone as a positive thing. Even if Jaehyun didn’t think the same.
“Could we meet again next time?”
“……”
Jaehyun stared intently at Suhwan, who asked cautiously.
Is this man really keeping Seunghyun imprisoned in his house against his will? Such doubt sprouted in a corner of his mind. At the same time, his gaze went to the hands of the two people, tightly holding each other.
A silver bracelet hanging from Suhwan’s left wrist caught his eye briefly. He had seen it several times during the meal but hadn’t paid attention due to other matters. But looking at it now, it was a bracelet with a strangely familiar design.
“…!”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
