Jiseok’s indifferent expression hid his amusement at Dongha’s desperate offer. If Dongha kept his word, the hole would be fixed soon, and until then, he’d have a free housekeeper. And a noisy neighbor who’d stay quiet out of guilt. But he couldn’t agree too easily.
“Hmm. I don’t know…”
As Jiseok stepped back, Dongha clung to his arm, following him into his unit. Jiseok looked down at Dongha, who was now more inside his place, still clinging to him.
“Just try it once! I’ll clean and do everything for you right now! I’m a good cook!”
Jiseok hid the smile tugging at his lips and shot Dongha a suspicious look.
“Well, if you insist…”
At the vague approval, Dongha’s gloomy face lit up. Jiseok found himself smiling back at Dongha’s bright grin—something he’d never seen before.
“Then I’ll go over right now!”
Dongha let go of Jiseok’s arm and tried to pull himself back through the hole. But something caught. Strange. His hips were stuck.
“Huh?”
Dongha’s voice made Jiseok look down at him. Feeling Jiseok’s gaze, Dongha tried to move, but his body wouldn’t budge. He’d managed to squeeze in, but getting out was another story.
“Uh, Jiseok…”
Jiseok clicked his tongue at Dongha’s sudden change in tone and awkward posture. Changed his mind already? He’d never liked this hot-headed neighbor, and he wasn’t about to indulge him now. Ignoring Dongha’s pleading eyes, Jiseok picked up his phone from the floor. He checked if it was still working after the drop.
“I’ll call him if you don’t like it.”
“No! I mean—please, just push me!”
“Huh?”
Jiseok genuinely didn’t understand. He looked back at Dongha, who was laughing awkwardly. Even after seeing the embarrassed smile, he still didn’t get it. Push? What does that mean?
“Uh… I think I’m stuck.”
Only then did Jiseok realize what Dongha meant. Ah. Stuck in the hole, so he wants me to push him out? Quite the predicament. He sighed and set his phone down on the floor. After roughly pushing aside the debris from the broken wall, he grabbed Dongha’s shoulders. Dongha, embarrassed, avoided eye contact and tried to pull himself back, but his body wouldn’t move. Jiseok pushed in sync with Dongha’s efforts.
“Ah! Ouch!”
At the sudden scream, Jiseok jerked his hands away. Dongha looked up at him, eyes watering, cheeks flushed, lips pressed tightly together. The sight made Jiseok instinctively step back. His irritation strangely faded, replaced by pity.
“Uh… Are you okay?”
“No, it hurts. I think I’m really stuck.”
Jiseok sighed and reached out to gently probe Dongha’s waist, where it was caught. Dongha flinched at the touch. Jiseok’s fingers traced the thin T-shirt over Dongha’s waistline, feeling the narrow waist and the wider pelvis beneath. His pelvis is wider than his waist, making him look slimmer. As he continued to explore the area, Dongha’s body trembled slightly.
“Ow! That hurts!”
But Jiseok didn’t think it was a reaction to pain. He smirked and pulled his hand away.
“How did you even get through this narrow hole? Your pelvis is stuck. Does it hurt a lot?”
“If I don’t move… it’s, uh, not too bad. At least the T-shirt is protecting my skin from scraping.”
Jiseok looked down at Dongha, who was answering meekly, and hummed thoughtfully. The wall was sturdier than he’d thought. Should he break more of it? But that might hurt Dongha. There had to be a way out—the hole was big enough for him to get in, so he should be able to get out.
“Should we try pushing again?”
“Huh?”
“Just bear with it for a second.”
Jiseok grabbed Dongha’s shoulders and pushed hard.
“Aaaah!”
After a few seconds of pushing, Jiseok stopped when he felt arms wrap tightly around his waist. Dongha was clinging to him desperately.
“Please, stop! It hurts!”
The trembling arms around his waist made Jiseok pause. Looking down at the flushed face and the delicate nape of Dongha’s neck, he felt a strange warmth in his lower abdomen. His hand gently patted Dongha’s shoulder.
“I’m sorry. I’ll stop.”
At the soft apology, Dongha’s grip loosened. Jiseok felt a strange pang of disappointment as he reached around to stroke Dongha’s lower back. Dongha flinched at the touch.
“Uh, just… hold on…”
Startled, Dongha reached out to grab Jiseok’s shoulder. His flushed cheeks were endearing. Jiseok’s hand slid down Dongha’s back, and as he murmured about grabbing him to push, Dongha clung to Jiseok’s waist again.
“Please, stop! I said it hurts!”
Jiseok barely suppressed a laugh and patted Dongha’s back again. He admitted his teasing had gone too far and wiped the smirk off his face.
“I understand. Let’s find another way.”
Dongha released Jiseok’s waist and slumped against the wall for support. He looked exhausted. Jiseok glanced around the living room and pushed a small two-seater sofa toward the wall. Positioning the backrest against the hole, Dongha eagerly pressed his chest against it, using it for leverage.
“Phew, thanks. My back really hurts.”
Jiseok, perched on the edge of the sofa, waved his phone in front of Dongha.
“Should I call him or not?”
“Absolutely not!”
“Then you’re just going to stay like this?”
Dongha thought for a moment, then suddenly lifted his head.
“Call a repair service! Not the superintendent! We’ll have to fix it anyway. Maybe they’ll know how to help!”
Jiseok swallowed his doubt about whether they could secretly repair it. If a repair van parked in front of the villa or any loud noises were made, Yiwoo would come running. But Dongha’s desperate plea made him want to try. He pulled out his phone and started searching for nearby services.
First company—no answer. Second—too busy. Third—also busy. Fourth—available Sunday afternoon.
Dongha, eavesdropping on the call, urged Jiseok to book an appointment for tomorrow afternoon. Only after hanging up did they both realize—did that mean Dongha had to stay stuck until then? They stared at each other, then sighed in unison.
***
“I don’t even know who’s the housekeeper now.”
Jiseok grumbled as he handed over a plate. On it was a yellow omelet rice drizzled with ketchup in a zigzag pattern.
“Wow, it looks delicious!”
“Can you even digest it stuck like that?”
“My pelvis is stuck, not my stomach.”
Dongha scooped up a large spoonful and grinned. He’d been embarrassed to admit he was hungry, but the sight of the appetizing food made him forget everything. Watching him eat heartily, Jiseok smiled slightly. The dimple that appeared caught his eye. If their first meeting hadn’t been such a disaster, he might have noticed the dimple sooner.
“Wow, this is really good! You cook amazing, Jiseok!”
“It’s nothing special.”
Jiseok downplayed it, but he didn’t dislike the compliment. He brought his own plate and sat next to Dongha. By the time Jiseok had eaten half, Dongha had already finished his. He set the plate down on the sofa with a clatter and licked his lips. Glancing sideways at Jiseok, he looked away again. Jiseok, feeling Dongha’s gaze, took another bite. Dongha kept stealing glances.
“Still hungry?”
“Uh… no…”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
