Encouraged by the fact that he was nearby, Yi-hyeon wriggled and pulled his body out of the mat he’d been shoved into. His rear, puffed up because of his tail, got caught and wouldn’t come out easily, so he shook his body from side to side.
[Louis paw-pad photo]
—[Not yet?]
[Louis paw-pad photo]
—[When it’s lunchtime, come to the shade under the trees here]
[Louis paw-pad photo]
—[Feels like people might crowd around]
[Louis paw-pad photo]
—[Sorryㅠ]
[My butt’s stuck because of my tail]
[I’ll open it right now]
[Louis paw-pad photo]
—[……]
[Louis paw-pad photo]
—[Is it legal to be cute in an emergency like this?]
At the word “cute,” Yi-hyeon’s heart gave an unnecessary lurch. Realizing he didn’t have time to dawdle, he quickly got a grip on his emotions. Then, before running to the door by the window to open it, he sent Han Jun another DM, as if double-checking their safety.
[Opening it now?]
[Louis paw-pad photo]
—[Yes]
[Louis paw-pad photo]
—[Going now]
When Yi-hyeon turned the round mechanism to the side, click—the lock disengaged. Afraid the door might open, Yi-hyeon sprinted faster than he ever had and shoved himself back into the mat he’d been hiding in.
[Louis paw-pad photo]
—[I’m going in now]
As promised, a confirmation message saying he’d open the door came through, and Yi-hyeon sent back a short OK. With a creak, the door cracked open just enough for Han Jun to slip in swiftly like the protagonist of a spy movie. Thud—he shut the door again and clicked it locked. After checking to make sure it was secure, Han Jun turned around.
The two ears stuck to Yi-hyeon’s head perked straight up, then drooped helplessly downward when they saw Han Jun.
It had been too dark in the haunted house to see properly, and in the infirmary he’d been too startled to look closely. That was why, the moment he saw the fluffy, pink ears attached to Yi-hyeon’s head poking out between the mats, Han Jun clapped a hand over his mouth.
“Whoa…… insanely cute.”
Without realizing it, Han Jun blurted out the muffled exclamation behind his hand.
Insisting that he’d protect Yi-hyeon from the closest possible position, Han Jun deliberately squeezed his large body into the cramped space inside the mat. As a result, their bodies ended up pressed together in an unintended intimacy.
“Is it too cramped? Or should I go over there……?”
Han Jun pointed toward the ping-pong table across from them. At that moment, Yi-hyeon’s small head bumped into Han Jun’s shoulder.
Startled by Yi-hyeon’s unfamiliar behavior—Yi-hyeon, who usually tried to keep his distance and avoid him—Han Jun flinched. Then, thinking that enduring the dark storage room alone must have weakened Yi-hyeon’s heart considerably, he wrapped one arm around Yi-hyeon’s shoulder as he leaned against him.
Yi-hyeon found the slow, steady contact of the hand brushing him unbelievably gentle and warm. It reminded him of his mother’s touch, soothing him when he’d sniffled as a child after watching a sad scene in an animated movie.
“Are you okay?”
The peach scent drifting from Han Jun’s mouth mingled with the breath Yi-hyeon inhaled. The sweet fragrance circulating with his blood soon seeped into Yi-hyeon’s heart, which had begun to thump rapidly. Strangely enough, Yi-hyeon’s body, which had been trembling with anxiety, slowly started to calm down.
“Sorry.”
“Sorry for what? Being sick isn’t something you apologize for, idiot. Huh? What the—.”
Han Jun gently cupped Yi-hyeon’s face with his large hands and lifted his gaze to meet his own.
“Did you cry? You’re all grown up—what are you doing crying?”
As Han Jun softly wiped the damp corners of his eyes with his thumb, Yi-hyeon tried to push his hand away, saying he hadn’t cried, so he wouldn’t give away his fluttering feelings—but he didn’t really want to, and stopped.
Once Yi-hyeon’s emotions settled back into place, Han Jun crawled out of the mat and began rearranging the equipment in the storage room this way and that. It looked like a solid fortress built to protect Yi-hyeon.
“You know, sometimes the way you act is kind of like our Louis. He liked hiding in narrow spaces too. Under the bed, in the tall grass in the garden.”
Yi-hyeon felt prickly inside and fidgeted restlessly. Then, seeing Han Jun carrying heavy equipment, he felt bad just sitting there and tried to come out of the mat to help.
Han Jun clicked his tongue and waved him off.
“Just stay there. Sick people should rest properly. What if your ears don’t go back in?”
“There’s no air conditioning here. You’re the one suffering. You’re sweating a lot.”
“Sweat? Ah…….”
Han Jun swept his entire face with his forearm. Then he turned back to Yi-hyeon and grinned brightly.
“So what? You think I look like a beggar?”
As if!
Even with sweat making his hair cling to his face, Han Jun still looked handsome.
“I didn’t say that.”
“If you’re grateful to me, you can let me touch your tail a bit later.”
The instant the word “tail” was spoken, the cottony fluff that had escaped from Yi-hyeon’s clothes swayed gently from side to side. Embarrassed, he hurriedly stuffed it back in with his hand.
“No answer. If you don’t want to, then forget it.”
Just imagining Han Jun’s delicate hands groping his tail made Yi-hyeon’s face burn hot. If it actually happened, there was no way he’d be able to suppress the heat surging through his body. Still, since he didn’t want to refuse Han Jun outright, he had no choice but to stay silent.
While Han Jun set up the small hideout, Yi-hyeon repeated the word “tail” dozens of times in his head.
Come to think of it, Han Jun really loved Louis’s tail!
Knowing that Han Jun had a habit of stroking Louis’s fur from his back all the way down to his tail, Yi-hyeon crouched blankly in the corner and slowly pulled his tail back out from where he’d stuffed it inside his clothes. Then he held his fingers upright like a comb and gently began untangling the fur, which had gotten knotted from being forcibly crammed in.
He was grooming himself absentmindedly when Han Jun shook out his hands and stretched, arching his back. Startled, Yi-hyeon immediately stopped what he was doing and stared at Han Jun’s back with an expression that said nothing had happened. At that very moment, Han Jun turned around.
“All done! What do you think? No way anyone’ll find it, right? If something like this happens again, hide in here.”
It was a gym storage room that wasn’t used anyway, and all the equipment inside was old and outdated. At Han Jun’s words—that no one would come in to clean it up for a while—Yi-hyeon nodded as he looked at the pile of equipment stacked as solidly as a castle fortress.
“It’s really perfect. From the window, it’ll probably just look like a pile of junk.”
“Let’s go in.”
“Together?”
Instead of answering, Han Jun grabbed Yi-hyeon’s wrist and pulled him along. Wrapped in the warm body heat that softly encircled his skin, Yi-hyeon couldn’t bring himself to protest and followed Han Jun inside.
The inside wasn’t as comfortable as he’d imagined.
The space was wide, but the acrid smell of dust stung his nose, and now and then his skin prickled as if mites were biting him. With his sensitive skin, Yi-hyeon quickly broke out in rashes and felt itchy, but he clenched his teeth and endured it, feeling bad that Han Jun was suffering pain he didn’t need to because of him. And being pressed close to Han Jun, trapped together in the cramped space, was strangely enjoyable.
“The dust is insane. I’ll head out first and soak a towel with some water. Let’s wipe your face and hands at least.”
Han Jun said this while looking at the clear bloodstains around Yi-hyeon’s nose and on his palms.
“Seriously, thank you. Of all days, it had to be this hot. I’m putting you through so much because of me.”
“That kind of unnecessary talk—drop it. I’ll tell our homeroom teacher that you weren’t feeling well and I put you in a taxi. You should go home and rest today.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll get ready to leave and come back here with the wet towel. Maybe about thirty minutes? You can hide here until then, right?”
“Get ready to leave?”
“What, were you really planning to take a taxi home by yourself?”
“If my ears disappear, it wouldn’t really matter.”
“It’s hot today, so they might pop out again. So don’t argue—just stay hidden until I come back. Got it? Even if someone comes poking around, don’t come out thinking it’s me. I’ll DM you from the door before coming in, so don’t get confused, okay?”
“I’m not a kid. I won’t get confused.”
“Of course. How could anyone confuse a face this handsome? But you won’t be able to see me from inside the storage room.”
