Vol 1 Ch 16

Then, Yeonho, who had been silent for a while, spoke again.

 

“That day, you said something.”

 

“……?”

 

“You said you liked chickens the most out of all the birds…. Why chickens of all things?”

 

He was asking casually, but he wasn’t making eye contact. Matteo, who had stopped his hand, looked at Yeonho.

 

As the lingering gaze grew longer, Yeonho finally couldn’t stand it and raised his head. Matteo’s lips finally relaxed loosely. Still, his voice was firm.

 

“Because they’re cool.”

 

“……What?”

 

“I like them because they’re cool.”

 

Yeonho’s hand also completely stopped. He had a hard time understanding that he liked chickens the most, but the reason made even less sense.

 

His face, which couldn’t believe it, spat out a crumpled voice after a long time.

 

“Chickens…?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“…They can’t even fly?”

 

“They can.”

 

“They can’t fly.”

 

“They can fly. It’s just different from normal flight.”

 

“Do you… know a lot about chickens?”

 

“Does Do Yeonho know them well?”

 

I know them better than you, at least!

 

Yeonho’s lips, unable to answer, twisted. Matteo momentarily curved his eyes mischievously at Yeonho.

 

“Did you know? That chickens are descendants of dinosaurs.”

 

This was a scientifically proven fact. Still, he had no intention of falling for such an obvious trick. Yeonho snorted.

 

“That’s the same for all birds. What are you trying to sell me?”

 

“Still, there aren’t many species where you can really think, ‘Oh, that makes sense.’”

 

“Chickens are like that?”

 

“Haven’t you ever seen them walk? They’re very dignified.”

 

“They walk because they can’t fly.”

 

“They also look cool. Their crests and feather colors are flashy.”

 

“Then you should like birds-of-paradise or peacocks.”

 

“Their beaks are also charming.”

 

“They usually don’t hunt with that beak, they peck at feed.”

 

“…….”

 

“What. Did I say something wrong?”

 

“Anyway. In my eyes, chickens are the coolest.”

 

It was like he wouldn’t accept any objections. Yeonho moved his lips a few more times before stopping as if he was giving up and focused on slurping his ramen again.

 

Even so, his cheeks were unnecessarily flushed. The ramen that was cooling down was now hot.

 

After finishing dinner and exchanging a few more words, it was already ten o’clock. Matteo, who had inadvertently checked the time, straightened his posture as if he was going to get up from his seat.

 

“It’s late.”

 

‘So…? Is he really going to leave?’

 

He reflexively almost asked, but bit his tongue.

 

The reason he had put aside other things and insisted on eating dinner first, and even chose cup ramen, which would be the fastest to finish, was because he needed to fill his stomach first.

 

That way, he wouldn’t run out of energy no matter what he did. The ‘what’ naturally included sexual intentions.

 

However, with the man’s neat attitude today as well, it wasn’t easy to step forward and be clingy. More than anything….

 

─Because they’re cool.

 

The words he had used to praise chickens bothered him. He felt like his toes were curling up for no reason, and his insides felt noisy.

 

At this rate, it was difficult to act like a proper adult with composure.

 

‘Okay. I got his number. Today isn’t the only day, right?’

 

Yeonho, who had changed his mind after thinking about it, looked up at Matteo as if nothing was wrong.

 

“Are you leaving?”

 

“It’s late. You should rest.”

 

He knew it. He was always so considerate. Did this bastard think he was some old geezer?

 

That’s what he thought, but Yeonho, who had put on a poker face again, followed Matteo to the front door.

 

“I’ll contact you soon.”

 

Matteo, who had been about to leave, smiled slightly at these words. ‘Are you really going to contact me this time?’ It was like the words were visible in his eyes. Still, that was all.

 

If it was Seongmin, he would have whined at least twelve times already, asking, ‘When?’ or ‘Can’t I just sleep over?’

 

Yeonho was getting annoyed at the neatness that didn’t even have a special response. Matteo, who was opening the doorknob, suddenly said, “Ah.”

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

He wondered if he had left something behind, but he was empty-handed from the start. Still, his gaze naturally went towards the living room. And as soon as he turned his head again at the trace of nothing, a shadow fell over his head.

 

The next thing he knew, Matteo’s large, empty hand grabbed Yeonho’s waist.

 

Yeonho’s eyes widened at the pulling grip and the body heat that met his, and the unexpected contact. But it was too early to be surprised.

 

The man’s eyes were playful but infinitely serious. Just when he thought his head was getting closer to his face, he already felt a soft touch on his lips.

 

A hot tongue that seemed like it would touch him parted his closed lips and quickly dug inside.

 

Hng…! Yeonho, who reflexively let out a muffled exclamation, opened the rest of his mouth as well. At the same time, the contact became even more intense and deep.

 

The feeling of his tongue, which had freely occupied his mouth, sweeping over his tongue and sucking it gently, and the squelching that filled his ears.

 

Saliva quickly gathered under his tongue, which had been pulled. Matteo’s tongue, which swept over every last bit of it, was unstoppable.

 

Every time the blunt tongues rubbed against each other, his head felt like it was boiling, and the force that pulled and sucked him in soon made the area around his navel tingle.

 

A familiar yet unfamiliar sensation. Yeonho groaned once more.

 

Matteo’s hand, which had been wrapped around his waist, had meanwhile climbed up his back and wrapped around the back of Yeonho’s head as if to grab it.

 

His moans were swallowed behind his throat at the kiss that had forcibly changed the angle.

 

He thought that because he was a guy who moved so elegantly, his kisses would also be like that… He was completely wrong. This wasn’t elegance, but that of a voracious predator.

 

But that’s why it was even more thrilling.

 

Yeonho, unable to stand it any longer, hugged Matteo back as if he was clinging to him, and pushed his tongue into Matteo’s mouth, which was pushing him.

 

No, that’s what he was going to do. If the man, who was one step ahead of him, hadn’t let go of him as if he was pushing him away at that moment, if that had happened.

 

The kiss that had suddenly started was just as sudden in its end.

 

Choop….

 

The lips that had quickly moved away, forming a thin line, and the space between their chests that had widened by more than a hand span.

 

Haa, haa.

 

Beyond his disheveled breathing, Yeonho looked up at Matteo with a dazed look. The man was licking his wet lips. Then, he slowly wiped Yeonho’s lips, which were also soaked, with his thumb.

 

It was clear to anyone that the kiss was over.

 

‘Why…?’

 

The answer to the question he had asked earlier and wanted to ask now could only be heard after that.

 

“I forgot to say hello. You said I should pay the price with my body.”

 

……What?

 

“Thank you for the dinner.”

 

“……!”

 

‘When did I ever kiss you,’ the elegance had returned. As he said, Matteo, with a polite greeting, took another step back and grabbed the doorknob of the front door. Then, the front door opened and closed with a thud.

 

The regular footsteps gradually faded away, and it was some time later that Yeonho, who had been listening to them for a while, let out a series of empty breaths that were different from before.

 

……What is this.

 

Did ‘thank you for the dinner’ really mean… dinner? And not my mouth?

 

No. He didn’t even finish eating this!

 

He was dumbfounded. But what was more dumbfounding was the fact that the kiss, which was shorter than the time it took for cup ramen to cook, was still hopelessly good.

 

Yeonho’s toes, which had been on the floor of the front door because he had been pulled by Matteo, were curled up tightly inside without him even realizing it.

 

***

 

A luxury hotel in a certain area of Seoul. A teacup and light refreshments were placed in front of a man sitting in the VIP lounge, scanning the scenery outside the panoramic window.

 

“Here is your Earl Grey, as you ordered. Is there anything else you need?”

 

Even with the voice dripping with kindness and friendliness, he gave a sign that it was okay with just a nod, and even after the server stepped back, he didn’t pick up the teacup.

 

It had already been four days.

 

He still hadn’t heard from Yeonho.

 

Last time, he could use the excuse that he didn’t know the contact information, but he couldn’t do that this time….

 

‘Did I go too far without permission?’

 

But…… how could I resist kissing him when he was making such a pouty face?

 

Yeonho himself wouldn’t know, but the lips that had protruded forward at the word ‘goodbye,’ not even a chick’s beak, were such that he couldn’t help but kiss them again even when he thought about it.

 

Even so, the reason he had let go of Yeonho at the end was because of his pettiness. His pettiness towards the familiarity that he was being attacked by a man and didn’t even refuse, and acted like the situation wasn’t a big deal.

 

Of course, now that he thought about it, there was no more wasteful thing to do than this. What if he didn’t get another chance like that again?

 

‘……Well. If I don’t get one, I’ll just have to make one.’

 

Tuk, tuk, Matteo, who was already tapping the armrest of his chair, finally picked up the cup as he engraved a short reflection and a long determination. But as soon as he took a sip, his brow furrowed.

 

As expected… it’s not good.

 

In fact, black tea wasn’t his taste to begin with. How could water with weeds be so delicious? Still, the reason he had chosen tea was because there was something he couldn’t stand more than this: Korean-style coffee.

 

On the first day he stayed at the hotel, he had ordered an espresso without knowing anything, and he was so surprised. Except for the fact that it came out in a small cup, it was just bitter water that only had a musty acidity. If his tongue hadn’t frozen like that, he would have at least cursed.

 

Thanks to that, he thought it was better to have something that tasted bad than something terrible, so he had already given up on coffee and was challenging himself with black tea as a last resort, but it was difficult to give it a good score today as well.

 

Tsk. He never thought he would miss Tony in this way….

 

A bitter smile spread across Matteo’s face as he recalled the old butler who always brought him coffee that was perfect for his taste, even if he was a bit clueless.

 

And behind Matteo. Among the servers who had been scrutinizing Matteo from the beginning, a completely different exclamation was bursting out.

 

As expected, he’s cool….

 

The young guest who had been staying in their hotel’s suite room for a while had become their main eye candy from his first appearance.

 

An appearance that was extraordinary at first glance. Neat manners and elegant gestures. The fact that he didn’t have a companion was also a high point.

 

How great was it that they could just enjoy the man without anything getting in the way? Moreover, they had recently gained another exciting fun.

 

‘It’s Earl Grey this time, right?’

 

‘Yes. I’m confident today!’

 

The man’s expression whenever he drank the tea he had ordered. It was about how much of the tea the man would drink.

 

‘What was the one he drank the most of? Was it Assam?’

 

‘Yes. He drank about ⅓ of it, right?’

 

The women, who were still exchanging glances and hand signals without a word, turned their eyes to the young and handsome guest with an even more determined look.

 

They continued exchanging silent glances and signals, then once more turned their solemn faces toward the young, handsome guest.

 

Marteo, who had barely forced down a sip and had been absentmindedly rolling his teacup around as if he had been given poison, happened to tilt the cup again.

 

‘Yes, drink it all!’

 

‘Bottoms up. Bottoms up.’

 

Behind their chants—which didn’t spare a thought for the tea’s temperature—their own throats bobbed instead.

 

Just before the tea reached his lips, Marteo suddenly stopped. His back, which had been lazily sunk into the chair, straightened with a snap. Then, as if he were about to fling the teacup aside, he set it down and hurriedly started rummaging through his pocket.

 

What—what is it? What’s wrong with him?

 

Their eyes rounded. Beyond their confusion, Marteo pulled out his phone. And the moment he checked the screen, the expression that had paused burst wide open.

 

A smile—infinitely delighted—far brighter than the wry one he had shown earlier. The way his eyes curved could have been dangerous for someone’s heart. But it was too soon to be surprised.

 

“Yes.”

 

The moment he answered the call, an unexpected string of Korean flowed from his lips.

 

He had spoken English to them all this time. He could speak Korean?

 

Startled again, they looked at one another, ears perked up. Though all that came out was…

 

“Yes. …Yes.”

 

Just a series of short replies.

 

After a while, Marteo abruptly stood up. His voice on the phone was calm, completely unlike the radiant smile from before, but the way he hurried out of the lounge, barely acknowledging the servers’ farewells, showed none of his usual laid-back manner.

 

Once his figure disappeared from sight, they even forgot their habitual silent hand signals and parted their dazed lips.

 

“What’s going on? Why so suddenly?”

 

“I saw him looking over some documents the other day. Maybe it’s work?”

 

“He smiles like that at a business contact?”

 

“Then maybe a…girlfriend?”

 

A brief silence swept between them. Then they quickly waved their hands.

 

“No way. Who says ‘yes, yes’ like that to a girlfriend? Definitely not that.”

 

“R…right? Yeah. If he had a girlfriend, he wouldn’t have been traveling alone all this time, right?”

 

A bit of selfishness—the universal wish to keep a handsome man, Korean or foreign, as public property. Shoving away the unwelcome idea, they found themselves glancing again in the direction Marteo had disappeared.

 

As if planned, a sigh—different, slightly bitter this time—slipped out in unison.

 

“A new record.”

 

“Seriously. Only one sip today.”

 

From the teacup, pushed aside by someone’s merciless phone call, warm steam still rose in soft curls.