Even when I called his name, Min Siheon kept his hand clamped over his mouth. Watching the cold sweat run down his forehead, I realized this wasn’t something trivial.
Feeling the alcohol leave my system in an instant, I braced a hand behind his back and examined him.
His pale, drained face looked at me and told me he was fine. It didn’t sound true at all.
“Hey, Jungwoo, what’s wrong with him?”
“Is he not feeling well?”
“…….”
Everyone who had been happily pouring their own drinks and enjoying themselves turned their attention to us. I should have answered their questions, but I didn’t have the presence of mind for that.
Friends I hadn’t seen in a long time or not—I needed to take care of him first.
I hurriedly gathered both his things and mine, then bent down toward Min Siheon.
“Should we go to the hospital? Does it hurt a lot?”
“…I don’t think I need a hospital. My stomach just feels bad.”
“Then let’s at least go home. Can you walk? Sung-kyun, can you call a taxi?”
“Yeah.”
The bare arm beneath my palm felt cold, and it made me feel like all the blood was draining from my body.
I’d forgotten. Min Siheon was vulnerable to stress from unfamiliar environments.
I knew well that he was particular about people and had firm boundaries; as much as that was true, his condition could be greatly affected by what happened around him.
What kind of boyfriend forgets that and pushes him into this just to introduce him to his friends? The thought filled me with heavy guilt.
While waiting for the taxi, I supported him and tried to steady him. His body, chilled with sweat, pressed heavily against my chest.
Maybe he felt a little better; Min Siheon slowly rolled his eyes and looked at me.
Thinking the gagging had stopped, I was about to look around for water when Kim Min-hyuk, who’d been sitting across from us watching, handed over a glass first.
“Give it to him.”
“Thanks. Siheon, want some water?”
“…Yeah.”
When I held the glass to his lips, Min Siheon slowly drank.
“Ha.”
Hearing the water go down his throat without him throwing it back up made me feel relieved. Just then, a faint scoff came from the direction of the hand that had passed me the glass.
My head turned automatically. Across from me, Kim Min-hyuk was letting out a hollow laugh with a subtle expression.
The dim bar lighting cast shadows across his creased face. One corner of his mouth was slightly raised, as if in disbelief.
Seeing his expression, I couldn’t hide my confusion.
No matter how much the mood had been ruined, he wasn’t the kind of guy who would sneer at someone who was sick.
Thinking Min Siheon shouldn’t see that look, I gestured with my eyes, silently asking what was wrong. But then a long arm stretched from behind and pulled me back.
“Min Siheon?”
“…I’m dizzy. Sorry, but can you hold me?”
“Yeah, okay.”
Staggering, Min Siheon buried his upper body against me and leaned in.
His head blocked half my view. Our bodies overlapped at an angle, obscuring Kim Min-hyuk from sight.
Anxiously, I waited for the taxi to arrive.
Thankfully, aside from Jae-han, who was tipsy and out of it, the others had mostly sobered up.
“The taxi’s almost here.”
“Guess you should head down.”
Checking his phone, Choi Sung-kyun told us we should go.
I couldn’t even look at my friends, thinking I’d ruined the gathering.
If Min Siheon hadn’t steadied himself and walked out of the room first, I might not have been able to lift my head from guilt.
Leaning against the door with weakened steps, Min Siheon stared at me steadily. The crease between his brows, his face drained white, his bangs damp with cold sweat—it all felt like a silent plea that he didn’t want to stay here any longer.
When I approached him, worried, he lowered his brows with a forlorn expression and shook his head.
“Can you stand? Want to lean on me?”
“…No. I’m heavy, Jungwoo. I can manage.”
Manage, my ass. His slightly unfocused gaze clung to me insistently.
If he got sick here, I’d be the only one he could rely on.
While I was gathering his things, Choi Sung-kyun—who was in the best shape among the three—said goodbye.
“Hey, I’m really sorry. I’ll contact you later.”
“It’s fine. Your friend doesn’t look well, so you should go. …Min Siheon, was it? Seems like you weren’t feeling good. We’re parting like this today, but let’s meet again when you’re in better shape.”
“…Yeah.”
Min Siheon nodded at the well-wishes, though it didn’t last long, as if a headache was crashing in again.
Feeling apologetic, I picked up the bill and said I’d pay for the drinks we’d had.
“That’s not going to be cheap. You sure?”
“The mood got bad because of me. That should cover it. Kim Jae-han, Kim Min-hyuk, sorry. We’ll head out first.”
“Go on~ Jungwoo’s friend, take care of yourself.”
The quiet Min-hyuk raised a hand in apology toward him before turning away. Then I heard his low but firm voice.
“Jungwoo, I’ll contact you next time.”
“Sure. I’m going.”
He didn’t seem in a good mood. I left it at that and said we’d talk next time.
At the same time, Min Siheon pushed himself off the door and stepped toward me.
With a soft slide, his weight collapsed onto me. As I supported him, he buried his head into my shoulder and whispered.
One eye, pressed close, stared straight through me.
“…We’re going to our place, right?”
“Yeah. Of course.”
It seemed Min Siheon was worried I might leave him behind and go back alone.
Where would I go, leaving someone sick? I looked at him openly and took a heavy step forward.
After a slightly unsteady, difficult walk, we got into the taxi that had arrived and headed to Min Siheon’s apartment.
He kept breaking into cold sweats the entire ride. Both of our shirts were soaked through.
Seeing the sweat trail down his pale face and dampen his thin hair made my chest ache. I wiped his forehead over and over.
When sweat tangled in his long lashes and made him frown, guilt crushed my chest for not protecting him from this uncomfortable situation.
We passed the familiar hallway and entered the passcode to the front door. The apartment lay in darkness.
I had fixed the flickering entryway sensor before, so as soon as we stepped in, the space brightened.
I felt along the wall and turned on the living room lights. If I stumbled while supporting him, it would be a disaster.
Carefully, I took off Min Siheon’s shoes and helped him into the bedroom.
As I laid down his heavy body, a dull ache like muscle soreness spread through me.
After turning on the dehumidifier in the somewhat humid room, I checked on him.
He still looked unwell, so washing up seemed impossible. I decided to at least change his sweat-soaked clothes.
But the moment I stepped away to grab some clothes, a long arm shot out behind me and yanked me back with a sharp swish.
Min Siheon, who had been lying on the bed, had lifted his upper body and pulled me into an embrace as I tried to move away.
My shirt was caught at the back, and I lost my balance, falling backward. If not for the firm body supporting me, I would have sunk straight into the bed. Instead, I ended up leaning my entire weight against him.
Remembering that I wasn’t exactly light, I grew anxious about whether he could handle my weight.
When I tried to twist my upper body to check on him, the arms wrapped around me tightened.
If I hadn’t noticed the veins standing out along the forearm crossing my chest, my mind would’ve gone blank with worry.
“…Where are you going?”
“Where do you think? You need to change. If you sleep in wet clothes, you’ll catch a cold.”
Was I the only one suffocating under the thickening atmosphere?
Strangely, I didn’t have the courage to turn my head. He was the one who was sick, and I had every reason to check on him. But the low voice that settled by my ear rooted me in place. I felt captured, unable to move even a finger.
Something in Min Siheon’s mood had changed without words.
His damp hair spilled over my shoulder. More precisely, he lowered his head and buried his lips at the nape of my neck.
The wet shirt clinging to my skin was nudged down slightly by his mouth. Like a baby burrowing into its mother’s embrace, his lips touched the exposed skin.
“Hey, hey…!”
Even when I tried to stop him, Min Siheon didn’t halt. It was hard to believe this was the same guy who’d been gagging at the bar; his hold was solid and firm.
I tried to push him away, brushing against the rustling summer bedding with my feet. Maybe that displeased him. Min Siheon opened his mouth and bit hard along the line connecting my neck and shoulder.
“…Ugh!”
The sharp pain made me jerk my head back. If it had just been pain, that would’ve been fine—but something more, something strange, shot up my spine and flustered me.
Cha Jungwoo, you crazy bastard. Self-disgust surged through me, and I desperately wanted to break free.
If not for what Min Siheon did next, I would have.
“Ah— you….”
Against my sweat-sticky skin came a thick, soft sensation. From between the teeth that had bitten into my shoulder, Min Siheon’s tongue slid out and licked over the bite mark.
Hotter than body temperature, that flesh traced between the indentations his teeth had left. Now I was sweating just as much as he had been in the taxi.
If there were a mirror in front of me, I was certain I’d see a face flushed red.
Thinking this was getting dangerous, I decided to calm Min Siheon down first.
Forcing my strained voice steady, I spoke, gently patting the arm wrapped around my chest.
“You’re sick…. Later. Okay?”
But Min Siheon didn’t seem to have any intention of stopping here.
Why was he suddenly acting like this? I had no idea.
