#95
Suddenly, Hyun-oh became curious about how Eunsol had saved his number in his phone. Whether he had saved it as “Mr. Hyun-oh” like he called him, or as “Han Hyun-oh.”
Hyun-oh had initially saved Eunsol’s number as “Lee Eunsol,” but recently changed it to “Eunsoli.”
Even Kang Ye-ryeong’s number was saved as “Kang Ye-ryeong,” making Eunsol the only person whose name he saved without the surname.
It wasn’t something he had deliberately planned. After Eunsol left, he habitually opened his phone and went over and over the numerous messages Eunsol had sent him.
It was to ensure he wouldn’t forget the wrongdoings he had committed.
He suddenly felt unbearably ashamed for having saved his name as “Lee Eunsol” just like everyone else.
Though no one knew, Hyun-oh secretly hoped that Eunsol would notice the change in how his name was saved.
He wanted Eunsol to know through this small gesture that his feelings had changed.
“Um, how?”
After hearing Hyun-oh’s words, Eunsol blinked in confusion and asked him for the correct answer. Using casual terms of address seemed so distant for Eunsol.
And he didn’t call Hyun-oh by the stiff title “Mr. Lee Eunsol” as Hyun-oh did to him. He readily called him “Mr. Hyun-oh.”
It was questionable whether there was an even more comfortable way to address him from here.
“Calling me ‘hyung’ would be too shameless.”
Hyun-oh also felt like he’d been hit on the head by Eunsol’s question. Considering the age difference between him and Eunsol, “hyung” would be like robbery.
Rather, ‘uncle’… He cut off his endless train of thought as if using scissors.
“By the way, how did you save my number in your phone?”
So he decided to satisfy his curiosity since it had come to this. Eunsol had surely saved his name as he wished, thinking no one would look at his phone.
Eunsol had taken his phone when he left the house. Though he didn’t use it, keeping it turned off.
The phone had long been discarded after being caught in the explosion. Instead, Hyun-oh had bought Eunsol the same model and handed it to him. Eunsol had transferred the data from his old phone to the new one through the cloud.
“Well, that…”
Eunsol rolled his large eyes unnaturally, obviously giving himself away. Seeing this reaction, Hyun-oh swallowed.
Though he had asked lightly, upon seeing Eunsol’s reaction, he became genuinely curious.
His gaze naturally went to the phone sitting alone on the sofa. The black screen reflected nothing, but his gaze was so intense as if staring through it would reveal his saved number inside.
“I’d like you to tell me.”
Taking advantage of Eunsol’s weakened grip, Hyun-oh placed the snack basket back on the table and knelt on one knee.
Finding himself suddenly face to face with Hyun-oh at close proximity, Eunsol’s cheeks turned bright red.
“…It’s a bit embarrassing.”
Despite his timid mumbling, Hyun-oh showed no signs of giving up. He reached out and took Eunsol’s fidgeting hands in his own.
“You can look at mine too.”
Hyun-oh even took out his phone from his pocket, unlocked it, and held it out to Eunsol.
Seemingly curious as well, Eunsol moved his fingers while glancing at Hyun-oh.
Before he could even finish typing his number, a name appeared on the screen.
“Change it however you want.”
Hyun-oh didn’t stop there and asked for Eunsol’s opinion. His eyes were filled with the determination to execute whatever Eunsol said.
“Then…”
It seemed he had something in mind. Eunsol carefully pressed the button to edit the name.
Hyun-oh pressed his lips to Eunsol’s forehead as if telling him not to be self-conscious. Eunsol bit his lip hard as if resolving himself and quickly moved his fingers.
Hyun-oh’s lips curved into a smooth arc at the newly completed saved name.
[Beloved Eunsoli]
This was the name Eunsol had modified. His face, glancing around as he wanted to write the expression “beloved,” was unbearably lovely.
“Mmph…”
Hyun-oh surrendered to the impulse. He wrapped his hand around the back of Eunsol’s neck, lowered his head, and captured his soft lips.
Suddenly finding himself being kissed, Eunsol tightly gripped Hyun-oh’s phone in his hand.
The kiss only subsided after Eunsol’s lips were fully swollen. After kissing his glistening lips several times with smacking sounds, Hyun-oh subtly reached out his hand.
“May I look?”
He had no intention of prying into his spouse’s privacy. In fact, it was possible because Eunsol only privately communicated with Kang Ye-ryeong and Ryu Jeong-woo.
If Eunsol had relationships with people he didn’t know well, branching out like twigs, he wouldn’t know when his feelings might change.
“…Yes.”
Though it was embarrassing, Hyun-oh had already shared his own contacts and allowed Eunsol to change the saved name as he wished. Eunsol realized he had no grounds for refusal.
Hyun-oh entered the sparse address book. There was no need to input a number.
Eunsol’s address book only contained Kang Ye-ryeong, Ryu Jeong-woo, Kim Myungjun, Song Do-ye, and the secretarial office contact.
Hyun-oh’s eyes quickly scanned through the names.
‘Mother, Jeong-woo hyung, Manager Kim, Secretary Song, Secretarial Office.’
A sense of satisfaction stealthily bloomed in a corner of his heart at the unremarkable titles.
‘…Husband-nim.’
But the moment he saw the name under which his number was saved, his expression stiffened.
Not just “husband,” but “husband-nim.”
It was a bizarrely formal honorific. Imagining how Eunsol must have felt when saving this number, his chest ached as if punched in the solar plexus.
“What should I change it to…?”
Seeming concerned about Hyun-oh’s stiffened expression, Eunsol fidgeted as he spoke.
“How about ‘honey’ instead of this?”
“What?”
For a moment, he thought his ears had malfunctioned. Eunsol’s eyes widened at the term that sprang from Hyun-oh’s lips.
‘Honey.’
It was a term of address he couldn’t have imagined. Of course, he knew that affectionate couples called each other that, but just imagining himself calling Hyun-oh by that term made his earlobes burn hot.
“‘Beloved honey’ seems fitting.”
Hyun-oh had no intention of taking back the impulsively suggested term. Since “hyung” was too shameless, “honey” seemed perfect.
Not just the name saved in the phone, but also how Eunsol actually addressed him.
“Ah…”
With a bright red face, Eunsol barely managed to nod. His fingertips trembled so much that it took several backspaces before he could complete the saved name Hyun-oh wanted.
“Honey.”
“Hik!”
At the term of address that fell on his head without warning, Eunsol jumped in his seat like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
“I want to hear it too.”
Hyun-oh decided to be completely brazen. As a price for ignoring and hiding his honest feelings, he had almost lost the person in front of him and their baby.
The burnt smell from the day of the accident still lingered around Hyun-oh. It might never be forgotten for the rest of his life.
Whenever the afterimage of that day arose, Hyun-oh urged himself to disarm everything in front of the person he loved.
The pheromones he had tightly suppressed from leaking out, and the unfamiliar expressions of affection.
Eunsol’s eyes trembled uncontrollably at the heavy yet refreshing pheromones gradually flowing from Hyun-oh.
“Eunsol.”
Holding both of Eunsol’s hands, he lowered his head as if ready to cram his large body into a small space to meet Eunsol’s eyes that kept trying to avoid his gaze.
Unable to bear the intense gaze felt from so close, Eunsol squeezed his eyes shut.
Even with his vision blocked, he could still feel the intense gaze on his face.
Unable to withstand the pressure, he finally moved his lips. His vocal cords tightened like during the time he couldn’t speak due to shock.
“H-honey…”
But he succeeded. It was as small as the sound of an ant crawling, but there were only the two of them in the study, and no other noise whatsoever.
Moreover, Hyun-oh was sticking close to Eunsol’s side, making it harder to miss.
Hyun-oh’s heart beat helplessly at the sweet term of address wrapped in Eunsol’s voice. Hyun-oh realized there was only one word that could express what he was feeling now.
“I love you, Eunsol.”
His first confession wasn’t as embarrassing as he had thought. The surprised face hearing his confession was so pleasing that he wanted to tell him several more times until he got tired of it.
“Thank you so much for giving me another chance. If it weren’t for you… I would have continued living without realizing what was truly precious.”
Even if others envied his life, it was clear he would have lived like an empty shell until his dying day, without feeling the emotion of truly loving someone.
Hyun-oh wanted to turn back time to the moment he proposed the contract marriage to Eunsol.
How wonderful it would be if he could hold the frightened Eunsol in his arms from the moment they first met and whisper that everything would be alright.
“From now on, I will always put the child to be born and you first.”
As he carefully caressed the tearful eyes with his thumb, tears that couldn’t be held back streamed down the clear cheeks.
He cupped both cheeks preciously and kissed him. The kiss permeated with tears tasted sweeter and more poignant than usual.
Eunsol stretched out his arms and wrapped them around Hyun-oh’s neck. As Eunsol shyly opened his mouth and met his lips, Hyun-oh’s eyes also slowly closed.
The pleasant beating of his heart seemed to have transferred to his lips. Eunsol, with his eyes closed, fully accepted Hyun-oh’s breath.
‘…I’m happy. So much that if this is a dream, I never want to wake up.’
His heart was full, wishing the kiss shared while looking into each other’s hearts could last forever.
As Eunsol’s breathing gradually quickened, Hyun-oh tilted his head to the side. Taking advantage of the brief gap, Eunsol brought his lips to Hyun-oh’s earlobe.
“I… love you too.”
When he first realized his feelings towards him in the past, he never thought there would come a day when he could express his heart.
But now, tears of happiness welled up because he could return the confession.
A smile brighter than ever bloomed like a fully opened flower on the face that had always been tearful with sadness.
Following Eunsol’s rounded eyes, a full smile also bloomed on Hyun-oh’s face.
The eyes of the lovers with the same heart, looking at each other, were alike. Like the heavy snowflakes that had embroidered the black sky on the day their destiny first touched, it was a pure love without a single blemish.
[THE END]
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
