“Come on, drink it.”
Sung Yohan took the cup. After taking a sip, his eyes widened.
“It’s delicious.”
“Of course it’s delicious. What kind of honey is this? Down it in one shot. Yeah. Empty it all.”
Sung Yohan emptied the remaining honey water in one gulp as Igyeol said. Then, as he set down the empty cup, he naturally snatched Igyeol’s hand.
Grab—
“Huh? Hey!”
“The service is excellent. Honey water and a hand massage.”
“Who said anything about a massage? Let go of this?”
Igyeol tried to pull his hand away, but Sung Yohan’s grip strength was beyond imagination. He looked delicate and handsome like a flower on the outside, but his strength was like an ox. Igyeol’s face reddened as he exerted force, but it didn’t budge.
“Just a moment. Just 5 minutes. No, just 10 minutes.”
Sung Yohan closed his eyes and brought Igyeol’s hand to his cheek.
“Haah…”
A deep sigh of relief. Holy Power was draining out through Igyeol’s hand. At the same time, the demonic energy inside Igyeol’s body also calmed down.
‘Damn it. It does feel good.’
Igyeol didn’t want to admit it, but when he was in contact with Sung Yohan, he felt a sensation other than pain. Something fuzzy, as if the demonic energy was being completely washed away, a dizzying sensation rising tinglingly from his spine…….
Igyeol let out a small sigh.
“……Hey, 10 minutes have passed.”
“Just a little more.”
“……It’s been 30 minutes, you know?”
“Just a bit more….”
Sung Yohan practically lay down on the sofa and pulled Igyeol closer. Igyeol sat awkwardly perched on the chair, held captive by Sung Yohan’s hand.
[Curse Alleviated]
[Curse Alleviated]
[Curse Alleviated]
The system’s notification sounds kept ringing continuously. Igyeol smacked his lips. His physical condition was gradually improving. Should I just… leave this be? The second hand of the health clinic’s clock ticked away. The night deepened, and the breathing of the two men gradually became more regular.
Eventually, Igyeol couldn’t overcome the drowsiness washing over him and fell asleep leaning on the chair.
***
The next morning.
Chirp chirp—!
The sound of sparrows noisily woke the morning. White sunlight noisily seeped in through the cracks of the old health clinic’s door.
Ding-a-ling—!
“Owner Moon! Are you open?”
Along with a lively voice, the health clinic door opened. It was diligent Grandma Chunja.
“Oh my, the medicine I bought yesterday worked so well… Huh?”
Grandma Chunja stopped short as she was about to enter the shop. In the middle of the health clinic where morning sunlight slanted in. Two grown men were tangled together on the narrow two-seater sofa.
There was the black-haired man sitting on the sofa and Igyeol sitting right next to him with a chair pulled close. The two men’s faces were so handsome like a picture that Grandma Chunja’s eyes were dazzled by the holy light and she blinked slightly, but anyway, that wasn’t the important thing right now.
The black-haired man was leaning deeply into the sofa with his upper body tilted toward Igyeol, and Igyeol was conversely tilted toward the man. The problem was the two men’s hands. Those hands, with fingers interlaced, carefully gathered on the black-haired man’s chest. And the subtle composition of their heads almost touching, almost not.
“……Oh my.”
Grandma Chunja’s eyes widened.
“What in the world is this….”
Then, the black-haired man Sung Yohan, sensing a presence, groggily opened his eyes.
“Mm….”
He stared blankly for a moment at the obstructive gray hair before his eyes, then realized whose head he’d been leaning against and raised his head. Then his eyes met with Grandma Chunja standing at the door.
“……”
“……”
Silence.
Sung Yohan very calmly assessed the situation. His hand was still firmly gripping Igyeol’s hand, and Igyeol was…… still in a sleeping state, apparently not yet awake.
“Oh my goodness, my word.”
Grandma Chunja covered her mouth with a flushed face.
“Did I… come too early? I know young people are full of vigor, but you should lock the door when doing that….”
“No, Grandmother. You misunderstand.”
Sung Yohan tried to get up urgently, but Igyeol flinched and moved his body leaning on the sofa.
“Mmm….”
“……”
Sung Yohan froze in place. He couldn’t bring himself to wake Igyeol. Grandma Chunja smiled contentedly (?) and slowly backed away.
“No, no. Sorry for interrupting. Continue what you were doing. I’ll come back later.”
Rattle. Bang. The door closed.
“……Ha.”
Sung Yohan stared blankly at the sleeping Igyeol then dry-washed his face. The situation from a moment ago didn’t feel quite real. So right now……
South Korea’s number one ranked Sung Yohan fell asleep holding a man’s hand at a health clinic?
If anyone had seen it, not only would it be number one on Huntranet’s real-time search, but the Hunter Association news would be plastered with the title ‘S-rank Sung Yohan, Is He Dating?’
“Haah…”
Sung Yohan eventually let out a sigh and buried his face deeply in his other hand that wasn’t holding Igyeol’s hand.
***
When Igyeol opened his eyes, there was no one on the narrow sofa. Igyeol, who had been sitting on the chair, was instead sitting comfortably leaning on the sofa. Igyeol looked at the empty seat and felt a strange emptiness along with a sigh of relief.
‘What, he moved me over before leaving?’
…If he’d touched my body, I definitely would have woken up. It’s strange that I didn’t wake up. Well, we were holding hands too.
“He finally left, I guess. Tenacious bastard.”
Igyeol let out a relieved sigh and stretched. Anyway, since he left, it’s all over now. Igyeol opened the health clinic door and went outside.
Just as he was about to breathe in the refreshing morning air, an unbelievable scene entered his field of vision.
Next to the shop, a man was sitting on a long bench making a phone call. It was Sung Yohan standing with his back to the morning sunlight. With his shirt sleeves rolled up, talking on the phone with a serious expression—even though it was early morning, it was like a pictorial. Igyeol stopped with a start and stood there with his mouth hanging open. He, he didn’t leave?
“……Adjust the schedule. I can’t go right now.”
Sung Yohan noticed Igyeol had come out and hung up the phone. Then he greeted him with a very fresh face.
“You’re awake?”
“……What. You still haven’t left?”
Igyeol let out a hollow laugh in disbelief.
“Why are you still here like this? Don’t you have a home?”
“Of course I do.”
Sung Yohan put his phone in his pocket and approached Igyeol.
“Earlier this morning, a grandmother came by.”
“……Grandmother?”
Igyeol’s spine went cold. There was only one person in this neighborhood who would knock on the health clinic door before 7 AM.
“She was pushing a baby stroller. She saw us sleeping holding hands. She smiled very… contentedly.”
“……Gasp!”
Igyeol covered his mouth. N-n-n-no way….
“Gr-Grandma Chunja?!”
Igyeol’s face turned ashen. Who was Grandma Chunja? Miyang-dong’s loudspeaker, a walking tabloid, human SNS. If she saw it, the game was over. By this evening, not only the town hall but even the senior center in the next neighborhood would be spreading the rumor ‘The bachelor at Jangchun Health Clinic set up house with a man’ as if it were fact.
“Aaagh! Crazy, seriously!”
Igyeol clutched his head and screamed.
“This is all because of you! That’s why I told you to leave!”
“Is it my fault? You should have locked the door properly.”
“Look at this one with only his mouth alive, talking back so clearly!”
Igyeol turned the arrow of anger toward Sung Yohan.
“Hey! Get lost quickly! Get lost right now! Disappear from my sight!”
Igyeol pushed Sung Yohan’s back. The back touching his palm was firm. Igyeol grunted and exerted force to push him away. But this guy didn’t budge at all, so Igyeol was inwardly flustered. What, is he a rock?
“I’m not leaving. I haven’t fully recovered yet.”
“You look perfectly fine though? Leave quickly.”
Sung Yohan stood firm like a rock and retorted.
“I don’t want to. I’m staying here today.”
“You crazy bastard! Aren’t you a Guild Leader! Aren’t you South Korea’s number one ranked! Aren’t you busy? Don’t you have a schedule?”
“I’m busy. My phone is blowing up.”
“Then leave! Go work! Go protect the country!”
“I can’t.”
Sung Yohan turned around to look down at Igyeol.
“I can’t because I haven’t received enough treatment. If I leave now, I think I’ll be sick again.”
“You’re threatening me, this bastard….”
Igyeol was so dumbfounded he was speechless. His complexion was bright and his eyes were sparkling—where exactly was he hurting?
“I’m seriously going to report you?”
“Please report me. Anyway, even the Police Commissioner will come running with one phone call from me.”
“……Argh!”
Igyeol huffed and puffed in frustration, but well, it was a fact so he couldn’t refute it. Eventually, he gave up on his own and let go.
“Fine… do whatever you want. Sue me, seriously.”
Igyeol eventually gave up and trudged back inside the health clinic. The strength left his eyes as he glanced back. Sung Yohan chuckled. It meant to do as he pleased.
