Upon arriving home, Kwon Taejung immediately seated Yigyeom on the sofa and gave him digestive medicine along with warm water. Merely watching him hold the cup with both hands and sip warm water gently felt heart-wrenching, as if his heart was crumbling.
“If you continue to feel unwell, don’t hesitate to tell me, okay?”
“Yes, I will. I’ll be fine now.”
“Sorry. I should have taken better care of you.”
Yigyeom, who was about to say no to Kwon Taejung’s apology, felt tears welling up and only managed to lift his head after a struggle. Seeing Kwon Taejung, who couldn’t sit on the sofa and instead sat on the sofa with his legs folded, looking at him with a worried face, made Yigyeom’s heart ache.
“…….”
Yigyeom opened his arms and embraced Kwon Taejung’s neck, feeling the warmth wrapping around him. Thoughts of Kwon Taejung not feeling sorry for him even a bit filled his mind.
“Shall we go to the room? Do you want to lie down? No, lying down might not be good. Wouldn’t the bed be more comfortable even though you are waiting?”
Nodding with his face against the shoulder, Yigyeom felt his body being lifted. Kwon Taejung lifted Yigyeom while still hugging him and headed towards the bedroom.
“I’ll go wash up first.”
“Is it okay? Should I help you wash?”
“…N-no, I can do it myself.”
Although he could feel a bit weak, it wasn’t to the extent that he couldn’t wash himself. Sitting on the bed, Yigyeom looked at Kwon Taejung and carefully stood up to get a change of clothes. He had already prepared comfortable pajamas – a loose shirt and pants – and also discreetly placed underwear in between them.
“Well, I should wash quickly while you’re washing. That way, we won’t be apart for too long.”
Seeing Kwon Taejung smiling and entering the bathroom, Yigyeom, in the meantime, loosened his tie that was strangling him a bit. Although he knew that washing together would reduce the time they were apart, strangely, his feet wouldn’t move.
“…….”
Sitting quietly in the room without Yigyeom, memories of Yigyeom’s nervous moments when meeting his Noona and Hyung came to mind. The way he stood upright without leaning back into the chair, the way his eyes widened in concentration when asked a question, and the face that looked at him with fear after answering – recalling all of this made him feel uneasy.
Did I rush too much? I should have advised against going to that department store that day. Or was it better to just have a simple tea time with my Noona… Various thoughts swirled in his head until he heard a sound from the corridor leading to the bathroom. Kwon Taejung smiled when he saw Yigyeom entering the room.
“I was going to wash up, but I couldn’t leave the room.”
“…….”
“What should I do, Yigyeom? I can’t be separated from you. Come here. Hug me.”
Approaching Kwon Taejung, who opened his arms wide, Yigyeom hugged him tightly. As if not letting go of the freshly washed and warm Yigyeom, Kwon Taejung held him tightly, placing kisses all over his neck, cheeks, chin, and ears.
“How’s your stomach feeling? Isn’t it too painful?”
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.
“Yes, it feels a bit better than before. I’ll be completely fine after sleeping.”
“Ofa’r riffq delmxis, atfc. P’ii kjrt eq jcv yf gluta yjmx. P’ii qea sbe ab riffq.”
“Tfr… P’ii yf tfgf.”
“Tfjt, vbc’a ub ojg.”
Vwlilcu ja Bkbc Kjfpecu’r kbgvr, Tlusfbw cbvvfv. Ojafis, atf wbgf qtsrlmjiis vlrajca tf kjr ogbw Bkbc Kjfpecu, atf wbgf ecfjrs jcv ygfjatifrr tf ofia. Vb, ktfcfnfg tf ojmfv j rlaejalbc ktfgf tf kjr qtsrlmjiis mibrf ab Bkbc Kjfpecu, la yfmjwf j rbegmf bo mbwobga jcv fzmlafwfca.
Just before washing, Kwon Taejung playfully kissed Yigyeom, who was warm and moist, and then checked his phone when he felt a vibration. Smiling, he handed the phone to Yigyeom.
“Take a look at this.”
Gazing in the direction of the bathroom where Kwon Taejung headed, Yigyeom’s eyes fell on the phone screen.
[Noona: I had a great time today. Thank you again for joining us, Yigyeom. Please convey my gratitude to him]
[Noona: He was so gentle and handsome. It was really nice after a long time. Kijung enjoyed today too.]
[Noona: We were nervous too, but I’m sure Yigyeom was even more so. Take good care of him, and since he’s still young, don’t forget to pay extra attention.]
[Noona: Our youngest will do well, of course.]
[Noona: You’ve worked hard too. Rest well.]
Yigyeom smiled faintly as he read each message filled with warmth. He thought of Kwon Taejung’s family as really good people, but being seen so favorably by them and receiving such affectionate messages consistently from behind felt heartwarming.
Just like how I think of Kwon Taejung’s family as good people, I wanted to be a good person to Kwon Taejung’s family as well. Truly… such wonderful people.
Yigyeom read the messages from Kwon Taejung’s Noona to Kwon Taejung over and over again. The more he read, the better he felt, and it became a source of comfort until Kwon Taejung finished washing up and came to sit beside him. He absorbed the affectionate words with his eyes.
“Are you still looking at it?”
“…She seems like such a wonderful person. Even though she kept taking care of me earlier, she’s still speaking so warmly now…”
“Our Noona is like an angel by nature. But she’s really scary when she’s working. Dad can’t beat her either. She’s the best at her job.”
Kwon Taejung chuckled while watching Yigyeom carefully read the messages again. He hoped that showing him these messages, which compensated for any inadequacy at the family gathering, would have a positive effect.
“Stop looking and look at me now. Yigyeom.”
Startled by the voice that permeated his ear, Yigyeom handed the phone to Kwon Taejung and lifted his head to meet his eyes. Kwon Taejung embraced Yigyeom and laid him on the bed.
“I’ve never tried lying down at this hour when I was working at the company. It feels new. It’s nice too.”
“Were you very busy?”
“Yeah, quite busy. I’m not the type to just give orders and leave it to others like my Noona and Hyung. I need to see and solve things myself to feel satisfied. Well… the type who works hard after buying something?”
Even with a slight movement, the body wash scent Kwon Taejung used earlier when Yigyeom was bathing lingered. Combined with the slightly loosened pheromone fragrance of the night, it felt so pleasant. Yigyeom tilted his body slightly, burying his face in Kwon Taejung’s chest.
“After the demolition… are you going straight back to the company?”
“Yeah, probably. Oh, by the way, there’s not much time left until the demolition.”
Time spent with Yigyeom, infused with warm emotions, passed so quickly that it felt like a day was passing too fast. Kwon Taejung suddenly recalled the approaching demolition scheduled in about ten days.
“Let’s drop by next week. We need to take care of some things.”
“…Sure. Chief.”
“Yeah?”
“Can I bring the grandfather’s belongings and pictures from that house here?”
“Of course. Naturally. Anything that you need and cherish, bring it here. Even if you want to move the entire house and preserve it somewhere else, I’ll do it.”
In response to this extreme yet clear expression of affection, Yigyeom smiled, slightly leaned back, and met his gaze again. There were still moments when being with Kwon Taejung felt like a dream.
Approaching first, Yigyeom lightly pressed his lips against Kwon Taejung’s, then pressed his lips firmly again over the still lips, which Kwon Taejung was silently gazing upon. As their lips met, Kwon Taejung completely let out a broken breath, softly enveloping Yigyeom’s lips. When his tongue entered deeply, stirring, a moan echoed.
After teasingly playing with his tongue, gently sucking, Yigyeom embraced him even tighter. Slipping his hand inside the T-shirt, he caressed Kwon Taejung’s waist, feeling the rising warmth. Kwon Taejung, while gently nibbling the tip of Yigyeom’s tongue, slowly moved his hand, pleasingly touching various parts of his body.
“Ha… This is so good. What if I just quit my job and the company?”
With collected breaths, Yigyeom, who was embracing him, raised his hand and gently stroked Kwon Taejung’s hair.
“I like this too.”
“…”
“Chief… I really like you.”
His heart swelled at the voice resonating from his embrace. Unable to hide his overwhelmed feelings, Kwon Taejung laughed. How could he hide this? It was a moment when the love that everyone who couldn’t express their feelings alone had stored in their hearts felt truly great. Kwon Taejung tilted his head and brought his ear to Yigyeom’s lips.
“Tell me more, more.”
Unable to conceal his excited heart, Yigyeom placed his lips on Kwon Taejung’s ear, gathered both hands, and covered the area around the ear. To ensure that the sound could not leak at all and to make it directly accessible to Kwon Taejung. So that only Kwon Taejung could hear his confession.
“I… like you, Chief.”
Expressing one’s feelings was not an easy task, but after voicing it with full emotions, there was a feeling of even greater fullness. Yigyeom raised his head, looked at Kwon Taejung, and smiled, meeting his eyes.
“…”
“…”
Kwon Taejung was happy. That was all that mattered. No matter what emotions may surge, the feeling that Kwon Taejung made him happy did not waver even a bit.
“I like you too. Yigyeom, I might go crazy because I like you so much. Can I live in my right mind?”
Yigyeom, who clasped Kwon Taejung’s face with both hands, silently nodded, his serious expression. In response, Kwon Taejung, with a smile amid his groaning, fully embraced Yigyeom.
The large body crumbled, completely embracing Yigyeom’s small body. The feeling of Yigyeom’s arms winding around him made his heart swell even more.
In the place where their overwhelming emotions intertwined, no additional words were necessary. It was only about silently embracing what they wanted most and feeling the endless emotions, the love, conveyed through body temperature, touches, warm breath, and the palpitations of their hearts meeting.
* * *
Yigyeom, who suddenly opened his eyes in the early morning, gazed at Kwon Taejung’s peacefully sleeping face. Even these days, Kwon Taejung always provided an arm pillow before going to sleep. Thus, he could sleep warmly, not falling off, securely embraced in those arms all night.
“…”
Gently brushing aside the slightly disheveled bangs without waking him, Yigyeom stared at the handsome face of the peacefully sleeping Kwon Taejung for quite some time. Occasionally, he found himself spending a long time just looking at his face. How could someone like that like me? That thought always went that far.
While it was better not to compare when they shared the same feelings, he had nothing that could be better through comparison. Knowing that very well, Yigyeom was always thankful to Kwon Taejung. Being filled with love for someone who had nothing and receiving the only thing he could wholeheartedly give, his heart was always overflowing with gratitude.
‘Yigyeom, I might go crazy because I like you so much.’
He wanted to become someone who suited Kwon Taejung a bit more. Although he couldn’t change many things immediately, he felt a desire to make efforts and achieve something, even if only a little.
For that, he needed to resolve the debts right in front of him first. It seemed better to work hard to pay off the debts and avoid getting involved with people like Gudae-beom.
He felt like finding another part-time job as soon as tomorrow would be a good idea. Now that the demolition was nearing, Kwon Taejung would go back to work at the company. Working diligently from morning to evening and spending time with Kwon Taejung in the evening sounded like a good plan.
If he worked hard like that throughout the week, the debt would gradually decrease. Even though it might take a while, he was determined to make an effort. Absolutely.
Even as Yigyeom slept, he continued to watch Kwon Taejung, who wouldn’t let go of his body. Then, moving closer to the original position they were in, Yigyeom laughed softly and leaned against Kwon Taejung’s back. Kwon Taejung, who had slightly shifted in his sleep, pulled Yigyeom even closer and embraced him more deeply.
“Is there anywhere uncomfortable?”
His heartbeat quickened at the voice, lower than usual due to sleep. Yigyeom shook his head and, as if encouraging Kwon Taejung to sleep again, gently patted his back.
“…”
Smiling at Kwon Taejung’s even breaths, Yigyeom let his body relax, and, with the rhythmic sound of Kwon Taejung’s steady breathing in his ear, he closed his eyes.
It was a tender dawn that seemed to never end.
The sweetness…. The fluff… A masterclass in fluff.
Too sweet!