MW 32

Watching him unbutton his shirt, Jaeha, unlike his usual self, wore a flustered expression and tried to stop Yijae.

“Why…… no, it’s cold.”

They say people get brave when they’re drunk, and it seemed to be the case for Yijae. In a flash, Yijae took off his shirt and even tried to take off the white short-sleeved t-shirt he was wearing underneath.

“Then let’s go wash up.”

At this point, it seemed better to just have him change into pajamas. Jaeha grabbed Yijae’s hand and helped him up.

“Yeah, I wanna wash. I wanna waaash…….”

Thankfully, he seemed to have a better sense of balance than before. Jaeha led him into the bathroom, told him he’d bring him a change of underwear and pajamas, and closed the door.

“Hoo…… fuck.”

Leaning his back against the closed door, Jaeha swept a hand over his own flushed face.

“Crazy bastard.”

And through it all, Yijae’s face kept flashing in his mind, driving him crazy. Jaeha recalled Yijae leaning his pale face close, arms outstretched to keep clinging to his chest, and gnawed on his lip.

“This is driving me crazy…….”

He tried not to think about it, but he kept appearing in his thoughts. The slender waist he’d glimpsed while Yijae was making a fuss about taking his clothes off, and the soft skin he’d touched, seemed to be messing with his head.

“Haa…….”

Jaeha finally felt the presence below, hard and erect, and bit the inside of his cheek. It was a night he realized that while it was great to bring Yijae to his home, the aftermath was entirely his to handle.

Inside the bathroom, Yijae stood in front of the mirror and looked at his face. He blinked his eyes open and shut, feeling strange that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t seem to wake up from the dream.

“Why won’t the dream end…….”

He tried rubbing his eyes and pulling his cheeks, but felt no change. Frowning, he tilted his head, wondering, ‘Do you even shower in a dream?’

“Pooh. Smells like alcohol…….”

The pungent smell of alcohol hit his nose, and Yijae reached out and turned on the faucet. He repeatedly splashed his face with the pouring water, apoo apoo, and then took off his damp t-shirt and pants.

“Disgusting…….”

His body, with the bruise on his neck and scars scattered everywhere, both upper and lower, looked disgusting even to him. Just as Yijae was gnawing his lip and turning away from the mirror.

Thud.

“Ah!”

He tripped over his own feet, and his body fell to the floor with a loud noise. The startled Yijae tried to get up, propping himself on the floor, but he must have sprained his wrist when he fell, as his strength gave out.

“Ugh.”

It hurt too much for a dream. Yijae felt a wave of sorrow from the pain in his wrist, his hip, his back, and all over.

“It’s a dream…… why does it hurt…… heuk.”

Sniffling and rubbing his eyes, the door opened with the sound of urgent footsteps.

“Yijae!”

Even if it was a dream, it was too embarrassing. Why did he only show this pathetic side of himself to Jaeha, both in reality and in dreams? Why was the world so cruel only to him? Tears fell.

“Heuk…….”

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

Jaeha helped Yijae, who was sprawled on the floor, to his feet and supported him.

Leading him out of the bathroom, Jaeha sat Yijae down on the sofa and meticulously checked his condition.

“Your knee is…….”

Jaeha’s eyes took in the wounds that were the clear remnants of the abuse Yijae must have endured.

From the broken toenail, the top of his foot that looked like it had been stabbed by something sharp, his legs stained with various colors, his stomach and chest full of scars big and small, and finally, his neck, which looked the worst, as if it were the most recent injury.

Jaeha’s expression hardened as he observed the body that couldn’t be called okay, not even as an empty compliment.

If only he had taken him when he first found Yijae in the warehouse. If he had brought him then, Yijae might have suffered a little less.

A wave of self-blame washed over him at the thought that he couldn’t protect this small, fragile person, even though he knew his situation.

“Your wrist seems a little swollen. Are you okay?”

Yijae shuddered at the cold sensation on his skin. Jaeha, seeing his slightly startled reaction, showed him the ice pack and said.

“It’s not going to hurt. Your wrist looks a little swollen, so I’m putting a compress on it. Ah, wait a minute.”

Jaeha guessed the reason Yijae kept avoiding his eyes, and seeing him in only his underwear, he quirked his lips up slightly and covered him with a blanket.

“What are we going to do, you’ve hurt your pretty hands.”

Jaeha burst into laughter, finding the hands, which were about a finger-joint smaller than his, cute. Looking at his hands brought back memories of placing a handful of chocolates on his palm, and the past days when they communicated through handwriting……. Memories of being with Yijae like that came to mind.

“Ah, the chocolate you like, I have some here…….”

Jaeha, remembering the chocolate he had bought to give Yijae someday, was about to leave his seat for a moment. A white arm shot out and wrapped around his neck.

“Don’t go.”

“……Yijae?”

“It’s my dream, so don’t go……”

Jaeha stared intently into Yijae’s eyes, which were so close their breaths could mingle.

A dream?

The scent of Yijae’s pheromones drifted on the faint breeze. A sweet apple scent. It was a pheromone he had smelled only once before.

“Wait, Yijae.”

Jaeha narrowed his eyes at the arm that was pulling him strongly, as if it wouldn’t let him go.

It was dangerous.

Jaeha held his breath at the sweet body scent he felt beyond the soft skin and tried to push Yijae away.

Judging by the talk of a dream, it seemed Yijae was mistaken about something. Just as Jaeha, with difficulty, pried Yijae’s fingers off and tried to get up from his seat.

Peck.

Yijae pulled Jaeha’s neck towards him and kissed him.

“……I like you.”

Yijae’s face, who had confessed with his cheeks blushing after opening his eyes, was shyly colored. Yijae closed his eyes and kissed Jaeha’s lips once more.

“…….”

“I like you…….”

Jaeha’s eyes darted around as if confused. Every time Jaeha remained still, Yijae would kiss him again and again, confessing.

With a face tinged red like a shyly blooming rose, with a lovely smile. Over and over.

“It’s not a dream, Seo Yijae.”

“……Huh?”

“And I’m going to kiss you. If you don’t want to, say it now.”

As the smiling face approached him, Jaeha took the lead, wrapped his hands around Yijae’s head, and kissed him.

Parting his soft lips and pushing his tongue inside, Jaeha moved his tongue as if he wanted to devour everything about Yijae.

“Eung!”

Jaeha moved gently so as not to startle him, not to let him run away, and tangled his tongue with Yijae’s. As he tickled the roof of his mouth, a faint moan, eu-heut, escaped from Yijae.

Wrapping his arms around the waist of Yijae, who was trying to pull back, Jaeha lowered his head closer and lingered on his lips for a long time.

“Ah, heuu…….”

When he pulled his lips away, he saw Yijae with his eyes wide open in surprise. Jaeha let out a small laugh and placed a short kiss on his reddened lips, like a bird’s kiss.

“I like you.”

Jaeha cupped the cheeks of Yijae, who was blinking with a confused face, and said. This time, he wanted to be the first to confess. Even if Yijae was still drunk and couldn’t recognize him, he wanted to let him know his feelings now.

“I’ve come to like you.”

“……Heut!”

Yijae gasped and covered his mouth, his big eyes darting around. Jaeha stroked his cheek, as if to slowly soothe him who still looked bewildered, and then looked straight into Yijae’s eyes and said.

“It might have been the moment I first met you, or it might have been the moment I saw you again.”

“…….”

“It’s just that, my heart, in every moment I met you, seems to have been heading towards you.”

Jaeha wrapped the blanket, which had fallen off at some point, back around his shoulders and lightly pressed his lips to his round forehead.

“I’ll protect you, I will.”