Chapter 156
Swoosh-.
Hyeon-woo began thoroughly wetting Tae-geon’s hair as he leaned his head out of the bathtub. With practiced movements, he lathered, rinsed, and then pressed a towel against the wet hair to squeeze out the water before patting Tae-geon’s shoulder. At this signal to get out, Tae-geon stepped out of the tub.
The sound of body wash being pumped was followed by the noise of a shower puff being lathered. As the warmth approached his shoulder, Tae-geon’s body stiffened slightly.
While Tae-geon was flustered by the tingling sensation rising from his lower abdomen, Hyeon-woo’s hands, unaware of this, continued to move, working their way into the sensitive area under his arms.
The shower puff that had been rubbing his chest and ribs brushed against his waist and moved towards his back. As the hands that had been moving across his broad back and shoulder blades were about to return to the front, Tae-geon suddenly grabbed Hyeon-woo’s wrist.
“Huh?”
“…That’s enough…”
Confused by the sudden restraint, Hyeon-woo looked up and noticed that Tae-geon’s cheeks and earlobes, half-turned away from him, had turned red.
“…!”
Startled, Hyeon-woo quickly averted his gaze, his own face turning red in response. Those were the areas that usually flushed when Tae-geon was sexually aroused.
This had never happened before…
As Hyeon-woo stood awkwardly, unable to move his hand held by Tae-geon, he heard a voice that seemed to be suppressing something:
“…Let’s stop the bath assistance from now on.”
“……”
“You may leave.”
It was what he had wished for. Hyeon-woo quickly handed the shower puff to Tae-geon’s empty hand and swiftly left the bathroom. Soon after, he thought he heard Tae-geon’s labored breathing from beyond the door, causing him to hurriedly move away.
After what seemed like too long a time for just applying soap, the sound of water streaming from the shower was finally heard. After a while, Tae-geon came out of the bathroom. Hyeon-woo handed him a new robe before entering the bathroom to clean up.
As he was tidying up the foam-covered floor and putting the bath items back in their places, Hyeon-woo suddenly winced at a stinging sensation on his skin. It was due to Tae-geon’s intense pheromones that filled the bathroom.
If it had been a normal scent, he might not have even noticed it, but the pheromones carrying a specific meaning invading his pores made Hyeon-woo’s face flush. He could all too clearly imagine what Tae-geon might have done alone in here after he left.
Without a bonded partner, Tae-geon couldn’t fully satisfy his urges, so despite emitting such intense pheromones, he had no choice but to resort to cold water. Imagining Tae-geon’s pitiful state, Hyeon-woo shook his head vigorously. After barely pushing away these thoughts, he focused again on cleaning the bathroom.
After finishing the cleanup and stepping out, he saw Tae-geon’s back as he lay sideways in the armchair bathed in sunlight. Even though he must have heard Hyeon-woo come out, he didn’t move at all.
Is he asleep? Hyeon-woo approached quietly, trying not to wake him, but Tae-geon wasn’t asleep. His eyes, gazing into the distance as if lost in thought, seemed somehow complex.
Not wanting to disturb him, Hyeon-woo was about to quietly step back when he noticed Tae-geon’s hair was still wet. He slightly furrowed his brow.
If he catches another cold like this, who’s going to suffer?
“Shall I dry your hair?”
Tae-geon slowly nodded without turning around.
Hyeon-woo combed through Tae-geon’s hair, drying it evenly as it fluttered in the warm air from the dryer. The old window rattled noisily in the strong wind.
Although the mansion was impeccably maintained, whenever Hyeon-woo felt these inevitable gaps of time, he couldn’t help but feel a bit melancholic. Even this mansion, which seemed frozen in time, couldn’t escape the flow of years. Lost in thought, Hyeon-woo heard Tae-geon’s low voice:
“…The wind seems strong.”
Changing the direction of the dryer, Hyeon-woo replied, “It’s winter, after all.”
“Spring must be far off.”
“Yes, it’s only mid-December.”
To be more precise, it wasn’t even quite mid-December yet.
As Hyeon-woo absently followed Tae-geon’s gaze out the window, his eyes suddenly widened in surprise at something he saw.
Seeing the camellia tree with its red buds blooming in one corner of the garden, he suddenly remembered. It had been Tae-geon’s birthday a few days ago. No one in the mansion had celebrated the young master’s birthday, and he too had completely forgotten.
Hyeon-woo’s eyes moistened as he stared at the camellia tree with its flower buds. The sight of it stubbornly blooming despite being covered in snow in the biting cold felt poignant and pitiful.
That red camellia was Tae-geon’s birth flower.
How had he spent his time alone, trapped in this place where he couldn’t distinguish seasons, time, or even day and night? Just as the mansion, which seemed to have stopped in time, wasn’t free from the passage of years, the same must have been true for Tae-geon’s time. The same days must have repeated endlessly, flowing by without pause.
Why had he wasted so much time like this? What was the reason for choosing this kind of life?
Hyeon-woo shifted his gaze from the window to Tae-geon. The emotionless voice with which Tae-geon had asked if spring was far off echoed in his mind.
“…What would you like to do when spring comes?”
“I wonder.”
Tae-geon’s dismissive response, as if even thinking about it was bothersome, made Hyeon-woo impulsively retort:
“Shall we go for a walk together?”
Surprised, Tae-geon quickly turned to look at Hyeon-woo. Hyeon-woo, realizing what he had blurted out, covered his mouth with a gasp, but once spoken, the words couldn’t be taken back.
Tae-geon’s face, which had been flushed and moving his lips, soon darkened.
“……”
Swallowing whatever he was about to say, Tae-geon turned his head sideways, a bitter smile forming at the corner of his mouth. That smile, which somehow felt self-deprecating, made Hyeon-woo feel concerned. It looked as if Tae-geon was forcibly swallowing something, as if resigned, or rather, wanting to be resigned.
Usually, Hyeon-woo would have ignored it, but for some reason, he didn’t feel like doing so this time. He quickly added:
“Let’s go for a walk, together. When spring comes.”
“…When spring comes…”
Tae-geon’s voice, quietly repeating Hyeon-woo’s words, sounded hollow, like a longing for an earnest but futile wish.
At that moment, an unbearable sensation overwhelmed Hyeon-woo, making him feel nauseated. It felt as if something indescribable was pressing down on his chest.
Was it the weight of the promise?
Of the many promises he had made with Tae-geon in childhood, not a single one had been properly kept. The guilt felt like a large stone blocking his solar plexus. The weight of another promise just made on top of that felt like it was pressing down on his entire body.
Hyeon-woo’s hand holding the dryer trembled slightly.
“It’s all dry now.”
Hyeon-woo turned off the dryer. Noticing Hyeon-woo’s intention to leave quickly, Tae-geon hurriedly blurted out:
“A book…!”
“…?”
Not quite understanding the sudden request, Hyeon-woo looked at Tae-geon with a puzzled expression, waiting for his next words.
“Won’t you read me a book?”
“……”
Surprised by the unexpected request, Hyeon-woo blinked at Tae-geon. Then he thought, yes, this might be better.
Rather than watching Tae-geon stare blankly into space all the time and feeling worried, reading a book to him might ease his own mind as well.
He looked around the room. But of course, there was no chance of finding books suitable for a blind person like Tae-geon. In this bleak and desolate space without even a vase, lamp, or picture frame, there was only a long dining table, a curtained bed, and an armchair with armrests.
While he understood intellectually that they avoided bringing in anything that could harm the young master during his seizures, it still made him uncomfortable. Wasn’t it because he disliked the desolate atmosphere here that he had persuaded the butler to order an armchair with his own money?
Unable to find anything suitable to read, Hyeon-woo cautiously spoke up:
“I have more interesting books among my own. Would it be alright if I quickly go to my room?”
Tae-geon nodded.
Hyeon-woo left Tae-geon’s room, recalling the titles of the few books he had brought from home.
*
He took out all the books he had on his desk. After setting aside self-help books, finance, and childcare-related books, there was only one left. With no other choice, Hyeon-woo picked up a philosopher’s memoir that he had brought to read when he couldn’t sleep.
Opening the first page, the dense reflections that started from the preface were already boring.
…He seemed to be looking forward to it…
Hyeon-woo’s shoulders felt heavy as he turned back, carrying the book in his arms.
Pulling a dining chair close to the armchair where Tae-geon was lying, Hyeon-woo sat down and began to read the contents of the book.
Contrary to his worry that Tae-geon might criticize him for bringing such a boring book, Tae-geon focused intently on his voice throughout, without showing any sign of boredom. This made Hyeon-woo feel rather embarrassed, and he was about to clear his throat unnecessarily when Tae-geon let out a soft chuckle.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
