#052
Eunseok, accustomed to military culture, was used to eating quickly. However, he deliberately moved his spoon slowly, savoring each dish. Choi Hanseo, whom he observed while eating, looked relaxed and at ease even while dining. The fact that even his eating habits appeared attractive meant that Eunseok was clearly starting to fall for this man.
“How is it? Does it suit your taste?”
Choi Hanseo asked when their eyes met.
“It’s amazing,”
Eunseok nodded, giving a thumbs up. Choi Hanseo’s eyes crinkled as he laughed softly, seeming pleased.
They finished their meal almost simultaneously. It was likely that Choi Hanseo had matched his pace to Eunseok’s.
“I’ll do the dishes,”
Eunseok said as he stood up.
As he carried the empty bowls to the sink one by one, Choi Hanseo helped him.
Having developed a habit of rarely leaving food, the side dish bowls were almost completely empty. The sink was surprisingly well-equipped with rubber gloves and dishwashing supplies. It seemed he was capable of doing these things despite looking like someone who wouldn’t touch water.
Just as Eunseok started washing dishes with rubber gloves on, he felt a presence behind him, and a strong arm wrapped around his waist. Choi Hanseo’s chin rested on his shoulder.
“Don’t disturb me,”
Eunseok said stiffly, feeling awkward about being embraced from behind. But Choi Hanseo paid no attention and buried his nose in Eunseok’s nape, inhaling his scent.
“You’ve washed up?”
Choi Hanseo’s words made Eunseok instantly embarrassed. He worried it might seem like he had deliberately washed up for this situation. But thinking about it, he had indeed washed up in preparation for such a scenario.
“Is it a cotton scent? It smells nice. Do you like these kinds of scents?”
Choi Hanseo asked, nuzzling Eunseok’s nape.
“I just used what was there,”
Eunseok replied, pretending to be nonchalant as he continued washing dishes. But every time warm breath and lips touched his nape, his back tingled.
“It tickles. Stop bothering me and step back,”
Eunseok said, shrugging his shoulders to push Choi Hanseo away. Choi Hanseo tightened his grip around Eunseok’s waist as if refusing to let go. Choi Hanseo’s scent made Eunseok’s head spin. The muscular body pressed against his back exuded intense masculinity.
After lingering for a moment, Choi Hanseo stepped away. Then he started helping with the dishes. Eunseok glanced at Choi Hanseo, who was washing dishes skillfully.
“That’s unexpected.”
“What is?”
“I didn’t think you’d do things like this.”
Choi Hanseo smiled faintly at Eunseok’s words. Whether it was only when he was with Eunseok or if it was his nature, he smiled surprisingly often.
“I don’t usually do this. There’s someone who takes care of household chores. I’m just doing this to impress you. A man who cooks delicious meals is attractive, right?”
“I’m terrible at cooking though.”
“You don’t need to cook, Eunseok. You’re plenty attractive without it.”
“…You’re quite… smooth with your words.”
Eunseok rephrased his thought that Choi Hanseo was good at flirting.
After finishing the dishes, Choi Hanseo made coffee. They naturally went to sit side by side on the sofa. Perhaps because they had already become that kind of relationship, all of Eunseok’s attention was focused on Choi Hanseo sitting next to him. Eunseok tried not to be too conscious of it, but it wasn’t easy.
“What happened to the mana stone?”
Eunseok brought up the mana stone to change the atmosphere. Of course, he was also curious about it.
“For now, we’ve handed it over to the Ability Management Bureau. There’s no need for our guild to rack our brains over it.”
“Do you think someone deliberately placed it there?”
“We should consider that possibility highly. It’s unlikely it rolled there on its own.”
At Choi Hanseo’s answer, Eunseok fiddled with his coffee cup.
If someone had placed the mana stone there to intentionally induce mutations, it would be tantamount to an act of terrorism. It was fortunate that the military and hunters had collaborated to deal with the mutants. If they had scattered down the mountain, civilians would have suffered great damage.
“If that’s the case, it doesn’t seem like this will end with just this one incident.”
“That’s for the Ability Management Bureau to think about.”
Choi Hanseo, speaking as if not considering the aftermath, subtly spread his legs. Their thighs naturally touched. The sensation of the firm, muscular thigh made Eunseok’s back stiffen as he involuntarily recalled yesterday’s events. He drank coffee to wet his suddenly dry throat, but the thirst didn’t disappear.
Darkness had already fallen outside. If he stayed longer, it was obvious where the atmosphere would lead.
“The dinner was great. I should get going now.”
Eunseok quickly finished his coffee and stood up. But before he could fully rise, his wrist was caught.
“What’s the rush?”
“I’ve had dinner and coffee, so I should go now. Do you have any other business?”
“I do. Plenty of it.”
The hand holding his wrist slowly caressed his forearm. It was a meaningful touch.
“Let’s have a drink together. What kind of alcohol do you like?”
Eunseok, who had been contemplating whether to shake this off and leave, was tempted by the mention of alcohol. Come to think of it, it had been quite a while since he’d had a drink.
“Do you have beer?”
When Eunseok asked, his interest piqued, Choi Hanseo got up and brought two cans of beer.
Eunseok opened the beer and immediately gulped it down. The cool beer sliding down his throat instantly quenched his thirst.
“You’re not even going to cheers with me?”
Choi Hanseo grumbled, belatedly clinking his beer can against Eunseok’s. Eunseok inadvertently smiled at this uncharacteristic behavior.
“Were you always like this?”
Although it was unlikely he’d get drunk from a few sips of beer, the alcohol loosened his tension a bit, and the question naturally came out.
“Like what?”
“You seem to know how to be friendly, more than I expected. For a while at first, you didn’t seem like that at all.”
At Eunseok’s words, Choi Hanseo brought the beer can to his mouth and took a big gulp.
“How did I seem at first?”
At Choi Hanseo’s question, Eunseok recalled their initial encounters.
“Enigmatic… inhuman… like someone who wouldn’t speak more than ten words a day, and so impenetrable that not even a needle could pierce through. Something like that?”
Choi Hanseo laughed softly at Eunseok’s words, showing no signs of offense. Then he asked with smiling eyes,
“So do I seem more human now?”
“Well, a little bit.”
Eunseok answered ambiguously. Although they had shared intense skinship and he had seen various sides of Choi Hanseo, he didn’t feel like he had seen all of him. It still felt like just the tip of the iceberg.
Choi Hanseo placed his hand on Eunseok’s shoulder and leaned his upper body. Then he whispered softly into Eunseok’s ear, as if sharing a secret.
“I’ve shown you even my cock, and I’m not sure what more I need to show to seem human.”
Crunch-.
Instead of reflexively punching Choi Hanseo, Eunseok tightly gripped the beer can in his hand. Cold beer leaked from the crushed can, trickling down his hand.
“Oh dear. Your clothes are all wet. You’ll need to change.”
Instead of being surprised or flustered, Choi Hanseo calmly patted Eunseok’s wet pants. An alarm went off in Eunseok’s head. He immediately stood up.
“I’ll be going now.”
As he turned around, his wrist was caught.
“Let go.”
Eunseok said in a stiff tone.
“Do you dislike me?”
Choi Hanseo asked, firmly holding onto Eunseok’s wrist.
“I never said that.”
“Then why are you running away? We’ve kissed and even rubbed our cocks together. With your personality, you wouldn’t have done that if you disliked it. It’s clear you’ve developed feelings for me, so why are you dragging this out?”
“…It’s not that simple.”
“What’s so difficult about it? If you like it, you like it. If you don’t, you don’t. Isn’t it that simple?”
Eunseok’s throat tightened at Choi Hanseo’s words.
Certainly, there was nothing wrong with what he said. If you like it, you like it. If you don’t, you don’t. Eunseok had always lived simply like that. But this, this was truly difficult. He hadn’t fully adapted to the world of ability users yet, and their unique morals were still hard for Eunseok to adjust to.
A hunter. And a man.
Both factors weighed on his mind, but more than anything, the fact that Choi Hanseo was a man kept putting the brakes on Eunseok’s feelings.
Of course, their intense skinship had been surprisingly good. He felt no discomfort or hesitation about rubbing genitals with another man. These two factors alone made him admit that he was sexually attracted to Choi Hanseo. But… the fact that his partner was a man was too big an obstacle for Eunseok, who had spent years in a macho military environment.
“Tell me. What’s the problem?”
A faint anxiety and frustration were visible in Choi Hanseo’s eyes, which had always seemed relaxed and at ease. Being a hunter by nature, Choi Hanseo seemed to have trouble understanding Eunseok’s struggle.
“…I’ll think about it some more.”
In the end, that vague response was all Eunseok could manage. He was aware that this was unnecessary stalling. But he just couldn’t bring himself to commit to officially getting involved with a man.
The grip on his wrist tightened. It was strong enough to make even Eunseok’s well-trained wrist ache.
“Let go. Holding onto me like this isn’t going to solve anything.”
Eunseok said calmly. At those words, Choi Hanseo finally loosened his grip.
“Thank you for the dinner.”
After a stiff farewell, Eunseok quickly turned around and left Choi Hanseo’s domain, fearing he might be caught again. He was on edge, worried that Choi Hanseo might chase after him and grab him again. And finally, when the elevator doors closed, Eunseok leaned the back of his head against the elevator wall and let out a long sigh, unsure if it was relief or something else.
