TWELVE 6

After finishing my shower, I was about to walk straight out of the bathroom out of habit when I recalled the fact that Gi Seoin was in the house. Then I even realized that I hadn’t brought a fresh pair of pajamas to change into.

This is driving me crazy…

It felt gross to put the clothes I’d been wearing back on, and I was embarrassed to walk out bare-bodied.

After agonizing over it, I came up with a plan to wrap a towel around myself and run out quickly to put on new clothes. Anyway, Gi Seoin would likely be looking at work on his tablet or heading straight to the bathroom to wash up.

However, the plan went awry from the very first step. The towel was so small that no matter how well I tried to tie it around my lower body, it kept loosening and falling off. In the end, I had to hold the towel in my hand and just roughly cover my front. I feel like a pervert.

Swallowing hard, I cautiously opened the bathroom door.

Gi Seoin was not visible in the living room.

He wouldn’t have any reason to enter the room my great-aunt used, so the only place Gi Seoin could be was my room where we were going to sleep. The problem was that my dresser was in there, so if I wanted to change clothes, I had no choice but to expose at least a full-frontal view of my back.

Ah, whatever. Why am I having these thoughts between two men who both have penises? Once you start thinking something is embarrassing, even things that aren’t embarrassing become so. I decided to be confident. What I have, Gi Seoin has too. It wasn’t anything new, nor was there a reason to hesitate.

Once I changed my mindset, my steps heading out became lighter.

And the moment I encountered Gi Seoin in my room, I lamented my imprudence.

The fellow was sitting on my blanket instead of his own spot looking at his tablet, and as I approached the room, he looked at me.

From the very top of my head… to the tips of my toes, slowly. Perhaps even meticulously…

“Ahem, ahem! You can wash up now.”

I turned my gaze away from Gi Seoin and walked toward the dresser. The confidence I’d decided to have was nowhere to be found. My hands were tightly clutching the towel, covering my front.

Gi Seoin’s gaze felt vividly tactile against my skin.

Wondering if it was an illusion, I turned my head. As expected, Gi Seoin remained staring at me. Should I say he was spectating?

“Gi Seoin, aren’t you going to wash up?”

The guy openly scanned me. That gaze was as persistent as if gold dust were embedded in my skin.

“…What are you looking at so much? Did I miss a spot washing?”

At this point, I wondered if there was soap suds on my body, so I checked my shoulders and back. It was perfectly clean. If I had to find something stuck there, it was only the water droplets falling from my hair.

“Is it a show, you jerk?”

“…”

Since he just kept watching quietly when there was nothing special, I started to feel a bit awkward.

“Hey, Gi Se…”

Thud.

Gi Seoin, who had put down his tablet, finally stood up. The uncomfortable gaze also dropped away from me.

“I’ll wash up.”

After spitting out just that one sentence, Gi Seoin left the room.

“What was that…”

A mix of half-embarrassment and half-relief was exhaled in a monologue.

I only moved to put on my clothes after the sound of water began to be heard from the bathroom. It was because I was anxious that Gi Seoin might suddenly return to the room.

I went out to the living room and sat in front of the fan. While drying my wet hair, all my nerves were directed toward the bathroom. I couldn’t read Gi Seoin’s presence. Only the unending sound of water tangled with the sound of the old fan spinning.

Once my hair was mostly dry, I returned to my room. I lay down in my spot, and my fingertips brushed against Gi Seoin’s tablet.

“Why is he looking at it here instead of his own fluffy spot?”

I moved the tablet to the head of his bedding and turned over.

Normally, I would have fallen asleep the moment my head touched the pillow. Even though my eyelids were clearly being pushed down by fatigue, sleep wouldn’t come. Is it because it’s hot? I tossed and turned, sticking my legs out from under the blanket.

“…”

In the midst of that, Gi Seoin appeared. Suddenly, without a sound.

My eyes were like sponges, and Gi Seoin’s body was like water. It means his silhouette was instantly absorbed into my eyes before I could do anything about it.

I unintentionally witnessed him in the nude. No, to be strictly precise, he was wearing underwear, so he wasn’t completely naked.

Since I’d seen it anyway, I figured I might as well admire it properly. It would be funny to turn my eyes away now, too.

And I realized the truth that having a penis doesn’t mean every man’s body is the same.

When I work at the site and take off my clothes because it’s hot, the misters whistle and shower me with all sorts of praise, saying things like, ‘I was like that when I was young too,’ or ‘He’s perfect son-in-law material,’ but Gi Seoin was on another dimension.

I think if the site misters saw his body, they would probably just stand there with their mouths open, staring. Because it’s a physique that doesn’t even need praise. Forget the misters, it would be the same for men and women of all ages.

With that face and that body. At this point, Gi Seoin’s mere existence was at the level of violating other people’s human rights.

“The guy who has everything… I’m jealous.”

“What did you say?”

The guy, who had been drying his hair with a towel, stopped his hands and asked. I stuck my hand out from the blanket and gave a thumbs-up.

“I said Gi Seoin is impressive!”

“Suddenly?”

“Your body couldn’t have been made suddenly. So you being impressive isn’t sudden either.”

Gi Seoin smiled with eyes that seemed to say, ‘What are you talking about?’ It occurred to me anew that the world isn’t entirely a bleak place, seeing as a guy like him avoids dating. If he jumped into the dating market, there would be a whole truckload of men crying.

“Where is the dryer?”

Gi Seoin asked.

“Huh? Where would something like that be in our house?”

Even in the middle of winter, I dry my hair with a fan or let it air dry.

“You want to dry your hair? Come over here.”

I’ll just have to show off the skills of a human spin-dryer.

I sat Gi Seoin, who followed me out to the living room, in front of the fan. I turned the fan on to high and snatched the towel from him. I should dry the water pooled on the nape of his neck first.

“Gi Seoin, your neck is really long. A giraffe would ask to be your friend.”

“…”

“Now, put some strength in your neck. Don’t misunderstand, I’m not hitting you.”

After finishing my warning, I wrapped Gi Seoin’s head with the towel and rubbed quickly and vigorously.

It must have been uncomfortable, but he stayed quiet and received the handmade drying treatment.

“Customer, it’s almost done. Let me check.”

After confirming the back of his head was well-dried, I moved to sit opposite him. The bangs were dried well too, but…

“Puhaha. This is the first time I’ve seen Gi Seoin’s hair so disheveled.”

Because I’d focused only on drying, Gi Seoin’s hair was messy in every direction.

“This style isn’t bad either? Take this chance to change it. Like a delinquent lawyer vibe.”

I wanted to tease him more, but before Gi Seoin, who likes a tidy appearance, could get in a bad mood, I combed through his hair with my fingers.

I’d felt it while drying his hair, too, but the scent coming from Gi Seoin was very good.

“What shampoo did you use?”

“Yours.”

“Hmm, I don’t think so.”

Unable to believe it, I pressed my nose to the crown of his head. No matter how much I sniffed, this was not my shampoo. The one I keep at home is just the cheapest shampoo sold at the mart, but a luxurious floral scent was coming from Gi Seoin.

“Did you really use mine?”

“Why?”

“Because it smells so good. When I use it, it doesn’t smell like this.”

“No, you smell like that too.”

I guess I couldn’t smell my own shampoo, just as a monk can’t shave his own head.

“I…”

Just as I was about to say let’s go to sleep now, Gi Seoin spoke.

“I used your soap too.”

“Oh, really?”

I tried sniffing his shoulder blade. The soap also had a different scent than when I used it.

“It’s strange. It doesn’t seem like mine.”

“It is yours.”

Gi Seoin answered and rubbed the shoulder blade where my nose had touched. He somehow looked dissatisfied.

Don’t tell me, is it because I put my nose there after he washed up so cleanly?

“Hey, don’t worry. I didn’t get any snot on you.”

“It’s not that.”

“I’ll wipe it for you, Prince.”

I lightly rubbed his shoulder blade with the towel. Gi Seoin’s eyebrows flickered, and then he just stood up.

“Are you going to sleep?”

“…Yeah.”

Look at that, look at that. He definitely got in a bad mood. Seriously, there was no other picky prince like him.

The prince, who arrived at the room first, was lying down covered with a blanket. I also went into my spot next to the prince. I covered myself with the blanket up to my shoulders, then one by one, I stuck a leg and an arm out because it felt stuffy.

“Seoin, are you sleeping?”

Gi Seoin, who was lying as neatly as Sleeping Beauty, remained motionless with his eyes closed. To think he’s already asleep; it seems it wasn’t a lie that he’s become less sensitive about his sleeping environment as he’s gotten older.

“Seoin.”

“…”

“Good night.”

Since I hadn’t been in the right state of mind when there was only one previous opportunity, this was the first time in 18 years I was seeing Gi Seoin’s sleeping face. I felt an urge to watch him, so I turned onto my side toward him.

Don’t people often say children are like angels when they sleep? Gi Seoin was similar. Is it because his eyelashes are long? This guy has long arms and legs, a long neck, and even his eyelashes are long. How can he look like that? I wanted to try touching them. If I touch them, he’ll wake…

“Ah, you startled me!”

Gi Seoin, who suddenly snapped his eyes open, looked back at me.

“Woo Seungkyung, aren’t you sleeping?”

“No, I was going to… Were you not sleeping?”

Gi Seoin opened his lips slightly as if to answer, then closed them again and turned his body toward me. Gi Seoin, who propped his forearm between the pillow and his head, opened his mouth again.

“I think I’m going to have a nightmare.”

“Gasp. Do you just, like, get a feeling?”

“A little.”

“What should I do? Should I play a song? Doesn’t playing something like the Heart Sutra make ghosts run away? Wouldn’t a nightmare be similar?”

“It’s no use.”

“Have you tried it? Hmm… then is there no other way.”

I thought about picking up my phone to search for ways not to have nightmares.

However, Gi Seoin raised his upper body and placed his pillow right next to mine. He lay down pressed close to my body.

“It’s okay like this.”

“…What am I, a dreamcatcher?”

Ah… I told him I have bad sleeping habits; did he forget.

“I might end up hitting you while I sleep.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“I could stretch out an arm and press on your neck, and you might be discovered as a cold ‘something’ the next day. Would it really not matter?”

“A little…”

Gi Seoin tossed and turned while trailing off, then wrapped one arm around my shoulder and back as if embracing me.

“Let’s just be quiet and sleep, Seungkyung.”

“…”

What a shameful thing this is between grown men.

And it’s hot.

It’s hot, but I can’t just kick it away like a blanket. How am I supposed to sleep like this?

“…Hey, I’m hot.”

“…”

“And your arm is really heavy.”

“Endure it.”

“No, I can’t sleep like this.”

“I’m having a nightmare, remember.”

Oh, brother.

“So you endure it.”

Seriously, why is Gi Seoin acting like this today?

Did I believe we were friends all by myself for 18 years, and Gi Seoin only decided to accept me as a true friend today? Is that why he’s revealing his true self that he’s hidden until now?

If it wasn’t that, it couldn’t be explained.

In any case, sleeping comfortably was out of the question. I aimed for the moment Gi Seoin would fall fast asleep. That way, I would at least be able to put his arm down…

But when I regained my senses, it was already morning. Gi Seoin was not in the spot next to me.