The dressing room was quite spacious. There was a large mirror in the front and a small sofa on one side. The employee left the room only after carefully hanging the clothes to wear on the hooks on the wall. It was a set of a navy blue suit jacket, shirt, and pants.
Jaegyeom, who was left alone, looked in the mirror and scratched his head when suddenly the dressing room door opened and Yoon Taehee came in. “What?” Jaegyeom asked. Yoon Taehee waved what he was holding in his hand; a pair of black shoes and a tie with polka dots. The corners of Yoon Taehee’s mouth twitched upward.
“While you’re at it, put these on properly.”
“Leave it there and get out.”
Without hesitation, Jaegyeom took off the sweatshirt he was wearing. Yoon Taehee, who was about to put down the shoes and tie on the sofa, stopped. His gaze fell on Jaegyeom’s shirtless upper body.
“Do you exercise?”
Yoon Taehee, who had been quiet, suddenly opened his mouth. Although Jaegyeom always had a lethargic and gloomy face, his body had steadily built up fine muscles. His body line looked slender even at first glance. He seemed to be moderately thin, but still felt strong.
“No, I don’t.”
Jaegyeom picked up the shirt hanging on the wall. He started unbuttoning the shirt. Before he realized it, Yoon Taehee was sitting on the sofa with his legs crossed. He was holding the tie and shoes, and in his other hand he rested his chin at an angle. As Jaegyeom slipped his arms through the shirt, he glanced at Yoon Taehee as if to question why he wasn’t going out.
“You don’t even exercise, but you’re in good shape…”
With no intention of leaving, Yoon Taehee muttered to himself.
Jaegyeom had already finished putting on his shirt and then unbuckled his jeans. When he pulled down his baggy pants, black drawers were revealed. Yoon Taehee asked again.
“Does he choose your underwear too?”
“Jeongju? Mhm.”
Jaegyeom nodded while putting on the suit pants. It was no different from wearing a school uniform, so putting it on went smoothly even though it was his first time wearing it.
“There is a big scar on your side.”
Jaegyeom, who was zipping up his pants, looked at the reflections on the huge mirror in front of him. His eyes met Yoon Taehee’s in the mirror. He was looking at him with an expressionless face.
“The ginseng child, can’t he get rid of your scars?”
“He can get rid of them, but this one won’t go away.”
Mesani was able to heal all of his scars, even those that were freshly formed so Jaegyeom had clean skin despite the rough treatment he gave his body. The only scar left was the one on his side. He had no idea why this one didn’t go away.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“How did you get hurt?”
“P uba rajyyfv klat j xclof yfobgf.”
“… Ds ktb?”
“Ds ws wjrafg.”
Lf jrxfv fnfc atbeut tf xcfk kts. Ct. Tbbc Kjftff cbalmfv la j yfja ijaf yea tf gfmjiifv tjnlcu j uilwqrf bo atlr rmjg lc j ogjuwfca bo atf qjra mgfjafv ys Vjfgb. Qjrc’a tf yiffvlcu jcv islcu vbkc? Lf tjv yffc rajyyfv lc atf rlvf, ktlmt tf jigfjvs xcfk, yea la kjr ragjcuf ab rff atf wjgx lc qfgrbc.
“…”
Yoon Taehee was silent for a while.
“It must have hurt a lot.”
At the words that finally came out after a long time, Jaegyeom’s hand, which was picking up the suit jacket, paused briefly. Of course it hurt a lot, it was so painful that he thought he might as well be dead.
“Huh? Oh…”
While they were exchanging words, Jaegyeom finished putting on his suit. Although it was a ready-made suit, it fit him like a glove, as if it were tailored to the body. He looked much more mature than when he wore the yellow sweatshirt. Yoon Taehee stood up as if he had been waiting, and neatly placed the new shoes at Jaegyeom’s feet.
“Stand still. Your suit will be wrinkled, so I’ll put it on for you.”
Yoon Taehee bent down on one knee and untied the laces of the glossy black shoes. After hesitating for a moment, Jaegyeom slipped his foot into the shoe. The mushroom character drawn on the sock caught Yoon Taehee’s eye and a dimple formed on his cheeks when he noticed the fly in the ointment.
“I should have picked out socks for you too, but I forgot.”
Yoon Taehee slipped his finger in, checking to see if there was room.
Jaegyeom gritted his teeth as his finger stuck near his heel and tickled. The same was true for Yoon Taehee’s hand that occasionally touched his ankle. Jaegyeom slightly lowered his head. The top of Yoon Taehee’s head was visible as he knelt over his knees. He lowered his gaze a little more. Yoon Taehee’s back muscles were clearly outlined above his tightly pulled black shirt. The curves moved.
After carefully tying his shoelaces, Yoon Taehee helped him up.
“Then, lastly, a tie.”
He reached out his hand and straightened the collar of Jaegyeom’s shirt. The other man flinched and clenched his jaw at the sudden touch. “You need to lift your chin.” Yoon Taehee smiled and wrapped the tie around Jaegyeom’s neck. “Does it tickle? I didn’t seem like it last time.” It was just as Yoon Taehee said. On the day, when he tied his tie behind a tree, it was fine, but today it somehow felt very itchy.
“Turn it around, raise the narrow hem, and make a loop…”
Just like that time, Yoon Taehee lightly tapped Jaegyeom’s chest. Jaegyeom looked down and looked at his neatly tied tie as Yoon Taehee pulled the hem of his suit and straightened his clothes.
“Are you done?”
Jaegyeom checked his clothes indifferently while Yoon Taehee took a step or two back.
“Hm. It’s done.”
Yoon Taehee scrutinized Jaegyeom carefully as if appreciating a well-made piece of work. He looked at the boy standing in front of him from head to toe. Finally, a peculiar feeling of satisfaction arose. He felt strangely full.
Everything in sight was of his choosing.
You, even you…
As he thought that, his fingertips tingled.
He thought it couldn’t be more perfect than this. An uncontrollable chill ran down his spine. It was a feeling he felt for the first time in his life. He couldn’t believe the sight before his eyes. The boy was in front of him. An immortal boy was standing. Standing looking at him. Wearing the clothes he chose from head to toe…
Yoon Taehee slowly stretched out his arms. He lifted his index finger and carefully stroked Jaegyeom’s forehead. HIs fingertips moved in a straight line along his crooked bangs, making Jaegyeom make a face and try to pull his head away.
“Do you know that feeling?”
Yoon Taehee opened up in a low voice.
“I feel like the world is being kind to me.”
Every unexpected moment was followed by a serendipitous opportunity. Even if he stumbled and fell, and the process was not smooth, the conclusion he wanted was always waiting for him at the end. Of course, it could have been due to his personality being more stubborn and persistent than others.
Maybe that was why Yoon Taehee never missed any opportunity he got, they were definitely within his control. However, the point that made him preoccupied was at a more fundamental level. The question was, where did that opportunity come from?
“I opened the library door as usual and you were standing there. Without even thinking about it, I looked out the window and saw you running around the playground in your gym clothes. I came with a tie just in case, and you happened to not have a tie. I thought we should make time to hang out together, and you happened to be doing community service.”
Yoon Taehee quietly looked at Jaegyeom’s face.
“It felt like the world was giving me a hint.”
Jaegyeom stared back at Yoon Taehee with still eyes.
“It’s you. To follow you…”
Yoon Taehee had felt that way sometimes. It felt like all the milestones in the world were pointing in his direction. That strange and creepy feeling, as if a force was pushing his back, just like a favorable wind inevitably blowing when unfurling a sail.
“That’s why I sometimes have doubts.”
Yoon Taehee’s eyes darkened.
“Maybe I’m being tricked. It’s strange that no matter how different things are, in the end they all turn out the way I want them to. Maybe this is all a trap, and the world is luring me to my doom…”
At that time, Jaegyeom, who had been silent, opened his mouth.
“It doesn’t seem strange at all.”
Jaegyeom said, lightly pushing away the hand hovering over his forehead.
“To me, the world is malicious for no reason.”
Yoon Taehee asked him if he knew what it felt like to be shown kindness by the world. The answer was no, he didn’t know. No matter how much explanation he gave, he would never be able to understand, for the two of them were on opposite ends of the spectrum.
“Then on the other hand, it could be possible to be kind to someone without any reason.”
Jaegyeom scratched his forehead and added indifferently.
“Even if something goes wrong, you won’t be doomed.”
Yoon Taehee asked slowly in response to his assertive words.
“… Why do you think so?”
“Because you have me.”
At that moment, Yoon Taehee paused at the simple answer.
“I risked my life. But no matter what I do, I won’t die. Even if the world falls apart, I’ll still be alive. I will sacrifice my eternal life so that I can let you win.”
A thud sounded from somewhere. But it sounded only in Yoon Taehee’s ears. It was like life and death on a completely different level. He did not say this lightly, Jaegyeom was sincere. Unwavering, clear eyes were staring at Yoon Taehee. Suddenly his vision felt like it was distorted and his heart was beating wildly.
Yoon Taehee closed his eyes tightly without realizing it.
Ah.
It was a terrible feeling of dizziness that made him feel like he had no choice but to fall.
omggg idk why but i keep imagining them in chibi form speaking serious words TvT
“It felt like the world was giving me a hint. It’s you. To follow you” Hello???? I’m on the floor.
“I will sacrifice my eternal life so I can let you win.” Yeah, I would’ve fainted too