Jun-wan leaning against the wall examined Yu-shin’s sleeping face with his head tilted obliquely. Yu-shin’s cheeks were completely reddish, cooked by the hot water.
His gaze gradually moved downward. The bathwater that should have been originally cloudy had become transparent with all the bath salts dissolved. His entire body could be seen through it.
“……”
He already knew he was thin. There was no need to be shy about seeing his naked body anew. Wasn’t it the same male body no matter where you looked? There were no curves filled with fat, and the thin body had distinct masculinity.
Instead, the body lines were pretty. That was an undeniable fact. Kim Yu-shin had a body that matched that face exactly. His ivory-tinted skin and the proportions that made his thin physique aesthetically stand out were worth highlighting as advantages.
Even his nipples were the color of ripe fruit. The flesh that had deepened in color submerged in warm water looked like it would taste sweet if bitten. For no particular reason, Jun-wan couldn’t take his eyes off Yu-shin’s nipples. When he’d been staring for quite a while, the closed eyelids opened smoothly.
Yu-shin blinked sleepy eyes.
“…What are you doing there?”
“You didn’t answer when I called.”
Jun-wan lightly spoke about the reason for his intrusion. He cut off interest and straightened his tilted head upright. It was behavior showing no guilt whatsoever.
Yu-shin also slowly rubbed his wet face. Having slept deeply submerged in warm water, his fingertips were wrinkled and swollen from the water. He pressed on the bathtub railing and stood up as is.
Though he was careful, his vision spun. The moment his knees were about to buckle, Jun-wan caught him right away. Thanks to that, his left arm was fully submerged in the bathtub. Having been in hot water, the waist wrapped by his arm was entirely warm.
Yu-shin barely stood up with his support. Still with a dazed face, he looked up and asked Jun-wan,
“…Clothes?”
“Am I Kim Yu-shin’s nanny?”
“Then at least get me a towel.”
It was a demand as if it were perfectly natural. Jun-wan was dumbfounded, but opened the storage and took out a thick towel. Meanwhile, Yu-shin who had come out of the bathtub wiped the moisture on his body with the received towel.
Even without looking, he could feel the gaze. Yu-shin, who had bent his waist deeply to wipe his calves, noticed the persistent gaze was sweeping over his naked body. He deliberately let out a small laugh.
“Aren’t you staring too blatantly?”
“In case you fall again.”
“I’m all undressed, so it’s embarrassing.”
“I have the same thing attached to me too.”
At that, Yu-shin laughed out loud.
“Ah, right. The gaze was so fervent I wondered for a moment.”
After throwing out a frivolous joke, he thoroughly wiped the moisture from between his legs, his flat belly skin, and his arms. He even had the leisure to meticulously apply body lotion.
Jun-wan monitored Yu-shin with his hands stuck in his pants pockets. It was still observation stemming from worry. However, the places his eyes went were rather private parts, even by his own thinking.
How can only the buttocks be plump when he’s this thin? The curves drawn by the white buttocks were unexpectedly enough to stare at endlessly. Though in fact they were just the same body part everyone had. The prettily raised buttock flesh aroused an urge to touch them for no reason.
“……”
As the gaze continued persistently, Yu-shin secretly swallowed.
Though I resolved absolutely not to have impure thoughts, Park Jun-wan isn’t helping.
Conscious of his gaze, his waist stiffened and the hand spreading lotion also noticeably fumbled. It was fortunate at least that his face was red from bathing. He acted as nonchalant as possible lest it be discovered he was nervous alone. Yu-shin wrapped the damp towel around his waist and strode out of the bathroom.
He got another earful for not bringing his ring. They sat together at the dining table and scooped up reheated porridge. While Jun-wan did the dishes, Yu-shin dried his wet hair fluffy. Afterwards they met on the terrace and enjoyed a brief leisure time.
Summer was sultry even at night. Instead, the grassy scent rising from the garden was at its peak. The chirping of cicadas from somewhere also added to the seasonal ambiance.
Yu-shin propped his chin and tilted his head sideways. Finding it more and more amazing that Jun-wan was drinking coffee at this late hour, he couldn’t take his eyes off him.
“Doesn’t drinking coffee at night keep you from sleeping?”
Jun-wan ostentatiously took a sip of the completely cold coffee.
“When it becomes chronic, it doesn’t matter.”
“Let me have just one sip too.”
“Kim Yu-shin should eat the plums.”
He gestured at the plate of plums he’d made the effort to peel. Yu-shin firmly stabbed a fruit with a dessert fork and held it out to Jun-wan. Though he held out his palm as if to make an equal exchange, Jun-wan didn’t even glance at it.
Eventually he straightened his body and put the plum in his own mouth.
“You’re so stingy. You can’t even share a single bean.”
“Who do you think will suffer more if you drink coffee and toss and turn all night?”
“Park Jun-wan.”
Too bad you’re a light sleeper, Yu-shin said in a pitying tone. Jun-wan scoffed, but honestly agreed. If Yu-shin couldn’t sleep, the one who suffered more was himself.
As the nights sleeping in one bed increased, being together became natural and they learned each other’s habits. Though they were still mostly lacking to be called a married couple, these days they were becoming quite familiar with each other. Wouldn’t things continue to flow smoothly from now on?
As long as he didn’t make mistakes.
The flow of his thoughts naturally mulled over the previous mistake. Since Yu-shin had firmly said never to talk about it again, he didn’t bring it up. However, that didn’t mean he could cut off his thoughts about it.
Fortunately, Kim Yu-shin seemed to have completely shaken off the resentment from that day. He was originally the type to not hold grudges anyway. Even if a scoundrel stole his first kiss, even if he was angry enough to burst with frustration, he was someone who didn’t hold onto negative emotions for long and quickly shook them off.
A young master who grew up receiving much love. A person so clear without a speck of dust that he seemed to have no worries in life. That was the Kim Yu-shin that Jun-wan thought of.
Had he ever experienced hardship in his life? He thought pain and suffering were words that didn’t suit Yu-shin.
Meow—
Along with a small cry, a rustling presence was heard from a corner of the garden. The beast that stuck its head in again this time also strode along as if it were its own home.
“Oh, Shasha!”
Yu-shin recognized it at once. Shasha—it was too luxurious a name for a stray cat, so Jun-wan let out a chuckle.
“You even gave it a name?”
“No, everyone calls it that, don’t they? Shasha, want some churu? Churu.”
Yu-shin took out cat treats from the deck box under the table. But the cat ignored it. It had clearly already eaten heartily at another house. Its swaying belly proved this.
“Park Jun-wan, you know what? I can speak cat language.”
Jun-wan glanced at him as if to say what nonsense was that.
“Watch closely.”
Yu-shin bent his waist and made a meow— sound. After repeating it a couple of times, the cat trotted over.
The cat that had been wandering around for a while sizing things up jumped onto his lap when Yu-shin said nyao—.
“See? I’m a person who talks to cats.”
Yu-shin wiggled his eyebrows. With a thoroughly proud expression, he held the fat cat in both arms.
In contrast, Jun-wan looked completely unconvinced. It probably followed because you usually give it treats, and that one is obviously a people-cat. The type that would roll over and show its belly to anyone.
“Don’t do that anywhere else. People will think you’ve gotten heatstroke.”
“You won’t acknowledge it.”
Even at the harsh criticism, Yu-shin’s face showed no damage as he made eye contact with the cat. Along with an unidentifiable meowing sound that he still believed was cat language, he kneaded the cat’s front paws and gently scratched its chin and round head.
The purring sound of the beast definitely sounded pleasant. Yu-shin’s face as he played with the completely sprawled cat also looked happy.
More precisely, refreshing. His beautifully folded eye corners and the cheeks that rose plumply with a smile were extremely pretty. Even in the humid summer temperature, Kim Yu-shin alone was laughing refreshingly.
He couldn’t take his eyes off that face. He had seen Kim Yu-shin’s face to the point of being sick of it, yet it was absurd that he was suddenly entranced. Jun-wan soothed his mouth with bitter coffee, then slowly stood up.
“How long are you going to stay out here?”
“Hmm, ten more minutes? If you’re hot, go in first. I’ll clean up the dishes.”
Before taking a step, Jun-wan shot a narrowly squinted glance. Yu-shin’s clothes, busy playing with the cat, were covered in brown fur.
“Brush off all the cat hair before coming into bed.”
“Okay, okay.”
“And definitely wash your hands.”
“Yes! Teacher!”
Yu-shin responded while holding the cat and waving its front paws up and down. His face still had a completely fresh smile.
How cute.
Jun-wan turned around while clenching his molars tightly. How should he explain this feeling? The silly behavior was cute and irritating. Kim Yu-shin, who was like a child, was pathetic yet cute.
They say if something’s cute, that’s the end of it—but that would only apply to the opposite sex. What was even more incomprehensible was himself, who had never felt that something of the opposite sex was cute.
Jun-wan sighed and swept back his sweat-dampened hair. Did I get heatstroke?
It was a moment when a cold shower was desperately needed. It was certain that his head had been cooked by the humid heat of the summer night.
***
After work, he drove the car to the front of the house to pick up Yu-shin. At exactly 7 o’clock as promised, Yu-shin and Chief Manager Min were already outside the gate waiting for him.
Jun-wan, who got out of the driver’s seat, and Chief Manager Min exchanged formal greetings. Perhaps because it was the day they were going to Jun-wan’s family home, Yu-shin was dressed more neatly than usual.
“Jun-wan, please open the trunk. I need to load the luggage.”
There seemed to be at least five or six paper bags lined up on the ground. Before carrying the luggage, Jun-wan looked into the contents as if inspecting them.
