There were several villas, but if he let Woo Ilkyung loose by the sea, he seemed like he’d bark like a puppy again. So Daehoon chose the villa by the river. It was closest to Seoul, and if they drove out, there were famous cafes, so it seemed like Woo Ilkyung would like it.
“Ilkyung-ssi, we’re here.”
The Woo Ilkyung he’d seen this week was listless like a sick chicken. Even if he’d worked overtime, his stamina seemed too weak.
“Ilkyung-ssi, Woo Ilkyung-ssi. Wake up. We’re here.”
“Mmng, I’m sleepy.”
Ilkyung turned his body completely to the other side. Daehoon looked at Ilkyung, then got out of the driver’s seat first. Then he opened the passenger door and unfastened the seatbelt. When he put his hand under the knees and supported below the waist to lift him out of the car, Ilkyung’s eyes snapped open.
“Huh?”
“How can you not know even when I wake you like that?”
“Ah! Please put me down.”
When Daehoon chuckled and put Ilkyung down on the ground, Ilkyung yawned long and stretched. When he raised his hands up, his waist was slightly exposed. His white body glowed under the sunlight just as it had that day.
“Let’s go in.”
When Daehoon said this while taking luggage out of the trunk, Ilkyung rubbed his eyes. Then he gaped his mouth open.
“Wow!”
Daehoon chuckled as he walked ahead carrying the luggage. Woo Ilkyung followed from behind, chattering away.
“This is really great! How does the villa have the river right in front of it? I thought I’d only see things like this in movies. You really are a chaebol! Usually even if there’s a river, isn’t it really far away?”
“Are there fake chaebols? Anyway, I’m glad you like it.”
“If a farewell trip is like this, I’d do it twice.”
When Daehoon stared silently at those words, Ilkyung covered his mouth.
“I’m sorry. I’m still half asleep.”
Daehoon shrugged. When Ilkyung didn’t know what to do, Daehoon bent his upper body and whispered in Ilkyung’s ear.
“You’ve never been on a farewell trip, right?”
“Have you, Director?”
“Do you know what people mainly do on farewell trips? Should we do it properly?”
Ilkyung rolled his large eyes around. He thought this crazy person was trying to do something again.
“Why? Are you scared I’ll do something again?”
“Ah, right! I’m going to kill you!”
Only then did Ilkyung remember. When he met Director Ha, he was going to grab him by the collar and shake him. You tricked me! What? You’ll get an S-rank Esper if I grant your request? You already got one and received a promise and everything?
Ilkyung charged at him and grabbed Daehoon’s collar. But Daehoon was pulled down with a jerk.
“Huh?”
It was rather Woo Ilkyung who was surprised.
“Why? You want to do it already? What should we start with? A kiss?”
Director Ha kissed him just like that.
Wow, this crazy bastard! The three letters ‘crazy bastard’ filled Ilkyung’s head completely. Ilkyung tried to push Ha Daehoon’s shoulders away, but this guy was tall and well-built, so he wasn’t easily pushed. Are you bragging about being tall right now, or what? He pushed while struggling, but Daehoon just wrapped his arm completely around Woo Ilkyung’s waist and pulled him even closer.
“Mmph.”
Their lips rubbed together, then locked perfectly as if blocking his airway. Ilkyung inhaled sharply. He was like a person who’d fallen into water. Ilkyung grabbed Ha Daehoon’s clothes tightly as if they were a lifeline while floundering in the water. It felt like if he let go, he’d drown in the water.
When Daehoon lightly bit his lower lip, Ilkyung slowly opened his mouth. Not missing that opening, Daehoon inserted his tongue. Ilkyung’s flustered tongue retreated, but Daehoon wrapped his other hand that wasn’t holding the waist around the back of Ilkyung’s head and pulled him closer. Ilkyung put more strength into the hand gripping Daehoon’s clothes.
Daehoon tilted his head slightly to the side as if bestowing a favor. Their saliva went back and forth between their locked mouths. Ilkyung squeezed his eyes shut.
Daehoon gently stroked the back of his head. The fluffy Maltese-like hair gently dug between his fingers. He wanted to grip the hair tightly and bend him backward, but he could imagine how this Maltese would bark and make a fuss noisily. Every time he saw this puppy-like thing, bad seeds kept trying to sprout in his heart, so Daehoon suppressed them again and again.
Woo Ilkyung was fun because he reacted to every touch. At first, it was annoying, but after spending a month together, it was quite interesting. It was like looking at a small toy. The kind of toy that moves when you wind it up, creaking and making noisy spring sounds.
Ha Daehoon slightly released his lips. Then through the slightly open gap, Ilkyung exhaled.
“Haah.”
Ilkyung thought he was like someone kissing for the first time. His pride was so hurt that he tried to step back, but Daehoon pulled his waist even closer.
Ilkyung raised his head with a jerk. As soon as he met those bright eyes, Daehoon chuckled.
“How is it? Should we go to the next base?”
“Are, are you crazy?”
“I’m trying to properly show you how to do a farewell trip.”
“That’s, that’s enough! I want to eat.”
“Alright, then.”
Daehoon obediently stepped back. Then he went back inside. Ilkyung stuck close to his back. His face was flushed red, so if he made distance, it would be more obvious. Isn’t there a saying that it’s dark right under the lamp? So it was better to stick right to Director Ha’s back.
“Ah! What if you suddenly stop!”
What he overlooked was that walking so close together meant that when Director Ha suddenly stopped like this, Woo Ilkyung had no choice but to plant his nose into that broad back.
“Why are you sticking so close?”
“Don’t make me talk.”
“Why? Embarrassed again? You’ve already seen everything there is to see, haven’t you?”
Woo Ilkyung’s face burst into flames again. This was what made it even more fun. Woo Ilkyung didn’t know that, which was why he reacted like this every time.
“Stop it, please!”
“Alright. Let’s just drop off the luggage and eat. Before it gets hotter.”
It was early morning, but in truth, it was practically the crack of dawn for Woo Ilkyung. Despite it being Ha Daehoon’s day off, he had shown up in front of his house at 8 AM insisting they leave. Normally it would only take 2 hours to get there, but maybe because it was the weekend, they’d already been stuck for 40 minutes in the section exiting the tollgate. They’d planned to go on a trip, but the traffic was so bad it made him wonder if those damn rebel forces were acting up again. Fortunately, no incident had occurred, but the whole way there was so congested it made him suspect there might have been an accident somewhere.
No matter how much walnut pastries and coffee he’d inhaled at the rest stop, he was hungry. He hadn’t eaten breakfast properly either.
“Come in.”
Daehoon had told the villa manager that one more person besides himself would be coming, so to prepare accordingly. However, he’d asked that no one be there when he arrived. Daehoon didn’t want to show even a strand of Woo Ilkyung’s hair to anyone related to his family. Not only was their relationship as lovers ending now, but Woo Ilkyung still wasn’t gay.
“What are you doing?”
Woo Ilkyung, who had been taking off his shoes at the entrance, stopped dead in his tracks. Then he looked inside, his mouth falling open as he just blinked his eyes. Daehoon tilted his head and stared at Woo Ilkyung before gently closing his dropped jaw with his palm.
“Your jaw’s going to dislocate.”
After adding that one comment, Daehoon went inside. Then he grabbed the wrist of Woo Ilkyung, who was still frozen.
“Come in. It’s going to take a while if we want to eat lunch.”
“Wow, this is really amazing! This is so great!”
Woo Ilkyung’s family was quite well-off too. But they didn’t have a villa like this. The members of Ilkyung’s family would pick nice hotels depending on the travel destination and stay there. Since Ilkyung’s maternal grandfather already lived in the provinces, if they wanted to rest in the countryside, they could just go to their maternal grandfather’s place. But coming here made Ilkyung think it would be nice to have a villa like this. Of course, they’d need someone to manage the villa full-time.
“Do you like it?”
“Yes, it’s really wonderful!”
The ceiling was really high. But one part of the ceiling was made of glass, so if you lay down at night and looked up, it seemed like you’d be able to see a sky pouring with starlight. He was already looking forward to nighttime. Hm? As Ilkyung was thinking that, he shook his head vigorously.
“Why? What were you thinking about now?”
