Unlike how tense he’d been, the meal with Evan’s family flowed harmoniously thanks to adorable Katie. Kate, who had fallen asleep just in time for the meal, woke up around the time dinner was ending.
And…….
As soon as she opened her eyes, Katie rejected both the nanny who had accompanied her and even her mom, and sat herself down on Siwoo’s lap as if it were her original spot.
Even though it was Siwoo’s first time holding a baby and his embrace would be uncomfortable, not to mention his actions were quite clumsy, Katie finished an entire bowl of baby food in Siwoo’s arms.
“Katie, come here.”
When Grandma and Mom called her name and reached out their hands, Katie shook her little head back and forth, then pouted her lips.
Regardless of Siwoo’s awkward situation—having spilled about half the baby food on the bib and Katie’s clothes due to his clumsy hand movements and Katie’s antics—Katie raised her hand and touched Siwoo’s cheek. Then she stared straight into Siwoo’s eyes with her big round eyes.
Like an adorable kitten.
At the sight of her blinking her eyes and grinning bashfully as if telling Siwoo to definitely keep her with him, Siwoo couldn’t help but smile along with her.
To think that babies were such lovable beings…….
“No. Even if you look at me like that, no. Siwoo is mine.”
Siwoo’s head, which had been making eye contact with the baby, turned toward Evan sitting next to him. Evan, who declared this with a very firm expression, stretched out one arm and wrapped it around Siwoo’s shoulder.
Thwack-.
Even though Siwoo was clearly the one holding her and smiling at her, when Evan’s large hand landed firmly on Siwoo’s shoulder, Katie, with her lips pressed together, smacked Evan’s hand with her tiny hand. Then she began complaining toward Evan with a disgruntled expression and voice.
“No. Siwoo is going home with me and sleeping with me. You have to go with Mom and Dad.”
While it was true, Siwoo, who had been looking at Evan in disbelief as he fought with a mere 10-month-old baby while casually saying things that would make everyone misunderstand, reached out and covered his mouth.
“Katie, shall we have this?”
When the family members who had been cheerfully exchanging various conversations turned their attention this way, Siwoo quickly picked up Katie’s pink bottle. Whether Siwoo’s distraction tactic worked since she was still a young child, Katie grabbed the bottle Siwoo handed her with both hands and put the straw in her mouth.
‘Don’t.’
Siwoo glared at Evan and gave him a warning with just his lips, then carefully removed the bib around Katie’s neck. Contrary to everyone’s expectations, since Katie only followed Siwoo, the family had already asked for Siwoo’s understanding.
Moreover, Siwoo, who didn’t dislike the baby who was as cute as a doll and followed him well, actually preferred playing with Katie more.
At first, everyone had exchanged greetings in Korean, but at some point, they were naturally conversing in English. When he focused and listened for a moment, most of it seemed to be about family-related matters.
“You’re good with the baby.”
Siwoo, who had received the wet wipe handed to him by the nanny who was now beside him, smiled softly as he started wiping Katie’s mouth.
“Am I doing well? This is my first time being with a baby like this, so honestly I don’t even know if Katie is comfortable or not.”
“Her hands too.”
When Siwoo, who had only wiped her mouth and put down the wet wipe, received a new wet wipe from the nanny who spoke, he grabbed her tiny hand like a fernbrake and carefully wiped each finger one by one.
“Hm? What should I do for you?”
After finishing the baby food and cleaning up, Katie, who had stood up from Siwoo’s lap, wrapped both arms around Siwoo’s neck again and hugged him tightly.
She meant that now that she’d finished eating, she wanted him to get up and play with her again, but Siwoo, who didn’t immediately understand that, only patted Katie’s back.
“Kid, if you do this, there’s no gift next time.”
For Evan, watching a young baby under three years old was nothing. During his regressions, young nieces and nephews kept being born. Although he hadn’t seen them grow beyond three years old, he knew exactly what Katie wanted right now.
Evan got up from his seat and lifted Katie from Siwoo’s arms before Katie could even express her dislike. And when he skillfully gave her a piggyback ride, Katie immediately grabbed Evan’s hair.
Where did the Katie who just said it had to be Siwoo go?
Katie’s face was filled with joy as she let out clear laughter again, grabbing and pulling Evan’s clean hair every which way and making a mess of it.
After the time that could have been either a family meal or childcare experience ended, Siwoo, who had returned home, flopped face-down on the sofa without even washing up.
The words his mother had said while hugging him tightly and kissing his cheek when they said their final goodbye were floating around chaotically in his head.
‘I hope we can have dinner together at the end of next year too. When you’re active, it’ll be physically demanding and exhausting, but to handle that guy on top of it……. When you go to Korea, go to a Korean medicine clinic and get better medicine. I’ll talk to them about it. If you accept everything, there’ll be no end to it, so you should scold him appropriately. Got it?’
‘Yes?’
‘Welcome to our family. Ah! Did I drink the kimchi soup too early?’
The image of his mother, who had smiled and even patted his shoulder at the end, kept floating before his eyes.
If he connected what she had said when they greeted each other before mealtime with what she said at the end, his family already knew everything about his relationship with Evan. And no matter how he looked at it, these were words permitting their relationship.
Honestly, Evan alone was overwhelming enough that he didn’t have the capacity to think about his family too. He couldn’t see that far into the future. When he recalled Evan playing with Katie even while getting his hair pulled out, he felt strange. It wasn’t happiness and it wasn’t sadness—it was truly just strange.
Dating, marriage, babies, family.
These were things he’d never once thought about. Of course, he’d thought about dating, but beyond that was completely removed from him.
“Wahhh!”
Siwoo, who had been lying face-down on the sofa just blinking his eyes, was startled by the hands that lifted him up. He was even more surprised by the action of being lifted up like a princess, not just being helped to stand.
“Hey! What? Put me down.”
“No.”
“What do you mean no? Put me down. I’m going to wash up and sleep now.”
“I know.”
“If you know, put me down.”
Siwoo, who had been forcibly moved while held in Evan’s arms, let out a hollow laugh when he saw that the place Evan put him down was the bathroom. He could just tell him to go wash up, so why did he need to go this far?
Siwoo, who had been about to take off his clothes to wash, looked up at Evan, who was still standing there. When their eyes met, he gestured with his chin for him to leave.
At the same time, Evan’s eyebrows, which had been blank, twitched and moved, and in an instant, the top he’d been wearing disappeared.
“What are you doing?”
“I can’t wash while wearing clothes.”
Right, no one washes while wearing clothes. But why are you taking off your clothes here?
Siwoo, who had suddenly come face to face with Evan’s upper body that boasted solid muscles, hesitated and stepped back, then turned his head elsewhere.
“Ah……. Okay.”
If you want to wash here, say so. Then I’ll go to another bathroom…….
Evan caught the waist of Siwoo, who had been trying to escape the bathroom by sidling away without looking at him. Then he was lifted up and seated on the wide marble sink.
As if he wouldn’t give him any chance to escape at all, when Evan came between his legs and met his gaze, this time Siwoo lowered his eyes.
“Where are you trying to go? You don’t like it, Coco.”
If I don’t like it, why are you approaching me? When he thrust that handsome face toward him, Siwoo grabbed his shoulders with both hands.
“What?”
“You didn’t pay attention to me today.”
“…….”
Why wouldn’t I pay attention to you? How much did we do today?
The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was your face, we sat facing each other and ate while looking at each other’s faces, we went shopping together. Even just now while riding in the car on the way back, we kept making eye contact while playing with each other’s hands.
“During the meal, you only held Katie. You only fed Katie. You only smiled at Katie. Huh? How could you do that? And you didn’t even let me talk.”
As expected of a rapper. Evan’s hands, which complained without giving Siwoo time to answer, familiarly burrowed inside Siwoo’s knit.
“Katie is…… a baby.”
Unlike his expression full of dissatisfaction and blunt tone, Evan’s touch was persistent. When he pressed his lips to the sensitive area behind Siwoo’s ear and released his pheromones without hiding them, Siwoo’s voice trembled.
“Hold me longer than Katie. You promised to do that.”
Although he didn’t persistently bite or suck with his lips like before, at the feeling of his moist lips being crushed on his skin, Siwoo cupped Evan’s cheek to make him look at him.
“Holding you longer than Katie isn’t a problem, but this kind of thing wasn’t included. Deals should be clear.”
He was clearly saying words of rejection, but Siwoo’s lips, which had formed a smile, sought out Evan’s lips. There was no reason to hesitate since he knew what Evan wanted right now.
He had thought he was just joking, but Evan was really jealous of Katie.
If the reason he brought him to the bathroom wasn’t purely just to wash up.
Siwoo’s hand that had been holding his bare shoulder slowly moved along Evan’s body. Touching his hot, firm skin was a pleasant thing.
How it got so hot at his touch, how Evan’s breathing became disheveled, how his heartbeat quickened—all of it was enjoyable now.
From the moment he decided to let go of his fear of the unknowable future and accept him, there was no hesitation. Instead, he expressed and enjoyed everything as if this moment were the last.
“A deal? What are the terms of that deal?”
In the brief moment their lips parted, even Siwoo’s knit fell to the floor.
“You want me to cherish you more than Katie?”
Siwoo’s head tilted slightly to the side as he looked at Evan. At Siwoo’s gaze full of playfulness, Evan laughed softly.
Who’s cherishing whom right now?
Instead of answering, Evan nodded his head as if to say go ahead and try.
Siwoo bit his lower lip slightly while keeping his eyes on Evan, who was looking at him with an arrogant expression.
Siwoo’s two hands reached Evan’s buckle, and with a click, the buckle came undone.
Next, the button was undone, and with a zipping sound, the zipper was lowered too.
Siwoo’s white, small hand carefully burrowed inside Evan’s underwear.
“I’ll cherish you, so you have to listen well now.”
The time they could share together in England was gradually decreasing.
Since he’d always only received, this time he wanted to boldly approach him.
Siwoo, who wrapped his hand around the hot, hard thing filled with heat, sighed softly at the overwhelming size he felt every time and moistened his dry lips with the tip of his tongue.
“Ah……. Kim Siwoo, really.”
At the same time Evan’s expression, which had been leisurely just a moment ago, hardened, a rough voice that had completely sunk came from his mouth as he ran one hand down his own face.
