Second plan: Push in without being burdensome.
If he approached it like taming wild animals, he was confident. Yoonjo clenched both fists, recalling memories from his childhood of running around with fawn babies on the back mountain and taking walks with calves.
“You never said you didn’t like it, right? You said to do as I please.”
Yoonjo, who interpreted it exactly as he wanted, fluttered about. The past when he almost shed tears at the rejection-like words that heavily struck him just last night had disappeared far away. To be precise, it had been like that since he saw the macaron cake Seonwoo bought.
First, wondering if Seonwoo was home, he stuck his head out and casually opened the gate at the presence felt inside the house. As soon as he entered the entrance crossing the small garden, Dongtae rushed at Yoonjo. As if he had so much to say, he grumbled and pounded Yoonjo’s waist and bottom with his front paws.
“Dongtae-ya, I’m a bit busy. Just stay beside me for a bit.”
When he pushed him away with his foot, Dongtae grumbled as if feeling wronged, somehow understanding. Yoonjo, who neatly put beer in the refrigerator, shouted toward Seonwoo who would be quietly in the room.
“Hyung! Did you eat lunch?”
No answer came back. However, judging by the fact that there was none of the food he had set on the table, it seemed he had eaten. Yoonjo, who scratched the back of his head, saw that Dongtae’s food bowl was empty and fumbled to take out dog food. Dongtae’s tail standing beside him started wagging crazily.
“Dongtae-ya, let’s eat.”
At that moment, the door burst open.
“He ate. Don’t be fooled.”
“Whoa… Dongtae-ya, did you eat? Why are you pretending you didn’t?”
As if cleverly understanding, Dongtae’s tail wagged slowly. The black eyes that looked up as if reading the situation looked quite pitiful. Sitting down, he roughly stroked Dongtae’s belly and face.
“Then should we go for a walk? Walk?”
At that moment, Dongtae started licking Yoonjo’s face frantically.
“Ah, it tickles. I said it tickles! Dongtae-ya!”
Yoonjo, who was laughing saying it tickled from Dongtae’s hot breath, raised his head at the emptied embrace just as the thick tongue was about to touch his ear. Seonwoo was hugging Dongtae’s body. Now Dongtae flicked his tongue to lick even Seonwoo’s chin.
Who are you sticking your tongue out to right now? Yoonjo, who hurriedly pulled Dongtae from Seonwoo’s embrace, said leisurely.
“I’ll take Dongtae for a walk and come back. Hyung, you rest.”
“Yoonjo-ya, you…”
Yoonjo, who roughly wiped his face with his palm and grabbed Dongtae’s leash, looked puzzled.
“Why?”
“No, nothing. Just in case, Dongtae’s leash… Never mind, it’ll be fine.”
“How bland… Anyway, I’ll be back!”
Dongtae swayed at his feet. Yoonjo, who put the leash on the fluffy body, lightly stroked Dongtae’s head and headed toward the entrance.
The sound of the door closing was heard, and Seonwoo, left alone on the living room floor, pressed hard on his eyes that were getting tired. He wondered how things were turning out this way.
He deliberately spoke harshly. He thought if he reconsidered his situation, he would realize how reckless and childish the thing he was trying to do was.
He was quick-witted and considerate, so he thought he would understand if he said that much. But Ji Yoonjo was more stubborn than Seonwoo thought.
‘You’ll regret it? I’m confused? You’ll regret saying that. Me? I’m fucking good at clinging persistently to one thing.’
Last night, he carefully recalled Yoonjo’s face as he shouted loudly. His face was all contorted as if he would cry any moment, and the area around his eyes was dyed red. Nevertheless, Yoonjo, who didn’t cry in the end and finished what he wanted to say, was like a field so wide open there wasn’t a single wall.
Too honest, and so absurd. Seonwoo wanted to throw a stone at his own contradictory behavior of not accepting but not actively pushing away either. The one who can’t do either is the worst guy. Muttering that, Seonwoo opened the refrigerator to drink water and discovered something he hadn’t seen before and took it out.
“…Ji Yoonjo, you really.”
Laughter leaked out unknowingly. Beer over wine. Blueberry, which he asked if it was delicious. On the label attached to the can was crooked handwriting and a small berry drawn.
Yoonjo’s Super Delicious Blueberry Beer!
The sunlight that squeezed in as soon as he put up a wall meticulously covered Seonwoo without missing even a single small gap.
After the walk ended, Yoonjo grabbed and shook the front of his shirt soaked with sweat. Dongtae seemed tired too, as his panting breath was quite heavy.
Yoonjo, who cleanly washed Dongtae’s feet in the yard, eventually couldn’t stand it and crossed his arms to take off and throw away his top. Only after pouring the water in the basin over his head did he breathe out.
“Phew, I’m alive. Today is really fucking hot.”
Yoonjo, who was watching Dongtae barking beside him, squatted on the ground and rested his chin. He wondered if it was okay to wash him. Because he poured water over himself, his clothes were soaked and the spot where Yoonjo was sitting was getting wet in a circle.
“Dongtae-ya, do you want to wash?”
Dongtae, who had been barking, put both feet into the basin that still had water left, then now sat down as if forcibly fitting his large body. Even so, his bottom stuck out, making a funny sight.
“Okay, wait.”
Yoonjo, who wrung out the water from his top, knocked on the entrance and shouted.
“Seonwoo hyung! Can I wash Dongtae?”
Not long after, the old door opened and Seonwoo came out holding a towel and shampoo.
“Isn’t it funny to ask after you’ve already gotten him wet anyway?”
“Ah, what. Were you listening?”
He’s really handsome when seen under the sunlight. Although the sky was darkening as if the sunset was about to set, it wasn’t enough to hide Seonwoo’s beauty. Yoonjo roughly wiped the moisture flowing on his belly with his palm and wrung out the water from his wet shirt. Seonwoo’s gaze briefly touched Yoonjo’s chest.
“Put the towel nearby. While I’m wet, I’ll wash Dongtae and go in.”
“…Put on some clothes.”
At the words that seemed modest, Yoonjo opened and closed his mouth, then shrugged his shoulders.
“Hyung, isn’t that too late to say? Both you and I have seen it once, so what.”
Yoonjo covered his left chest with his wet clothes while thrusting his body forward fully and slapped his chest with his palm. Because it was wet, the slapping sound was heard particularly sharply.
“Just praise me. This isn’t muscle that formed in a day or two.”
“…Yoonjo-ya.”
“Why do you keep calling my name like that? Making me feel attached. Ah~ Are you already attached?”
Yoonjo, who made a heart with one hand toward Seonwoo, smiled showing his teeth.
“Are the three letters Ji Yoonjo stuck in Ki Seonwoo’s heart?”
“Did you understand what I said yesterday…”
“I understood. I’m not a goldfish. But hyung said to do as I please. So I’m doing it. As I please.”
“You must not know well because you’re young, but it’s not a problem you can decide so hastily.”
“Uh… Hyung. Sorry, but I’m twenty years old. I have my ID…”
Yoonjo, who retorted as if muttering, went down the stairs. He, who turned the faucet to wash Dongtae, looked at Seonwoo still standing alone up there and concluded.
“If you’re nine years younger, you should clap and go around saying you saved the country in a previous life.”
“You really…”
“Think about it. Young, sturdy, I’m really strong and last long.”
Then shouldn’t he treat him even better? Isn’t it really like going all-in on Ki Seonwoo? Yoonjo grumbled as if complaining and started washing Dongtae.
Wondering if he disliked him for being too young, after much consideration, he had searched for things like “boyfriend 9 years younger.” Most of the answers were similar. They said you saved the country in a previous life, it’s a total gain, you absolutely have to treat them well.
“I’m really confident I’ll last long…”
Seonwoo, who had sat on the stairs before he knew it, stared at Yoonjo intently. Yoonjo was conscious of his gaze and touched his ears once in a while. Somehow his back and earlobes seemed hot.
After finishing washing Dongtae and roughly drying his fur, Yoonjo came inside the house to prepare dinner. But surprisingly, dinner was already prepared and Seonwoo was scooping rice in the kitchen, gesturing with his head.
“Sit.”
“Uh… Hyung doesn’t have to do it.”
“I’m not shameless enough to live mooching off meals. Sit down.”
Yoonjo, who obediently sat at the dining table and wiggled his feet, brightened his eyes at the heaping bowl of rice Seonwoo handed him.
“This is… love?”
“Just eat.”
“No, look. Preparing a meal isn’t ordinary, but you made it yourself and piled up rice like this. What else could it be but love?”
“What about what you’re doing?”
“Of course I’m doing it because I like you, hyung.”
He had to push in without being burdensome. He had to. Yoonjo, who chanted it dozens of times in his mind, picked up his spoon. Even saying he liked him shouldn’t be too heavy, naturally. It had to seep in smoothly. Yoonjo, who deeply bowed his head and ate the rice as if inhaling it in an instant, got up from his seat to get another bowl.
“Give it here.”
Seonwoo, who received the rice bowl, made another roundly heaped bowl of rice and put it down in front of Yoonjo. Toward Seonwoo, who was moving his chopsticks with an indifferent face, Yoonjo picked up a side dish and placed it on his spoon.
Seonwoo looked at him with an absurd expression for a moment, then soon lowered his gaze. Although he clearly showed signs of not wanting to deal with it, Yoonjo wasn’t one to yield to that.
“Enjoy your meal.”
“I’m the one who prepared it.”
“I will eat well. Hyung, you eat well too. This is really super delicious.”
Yoonjo, who answered naturally like flowing water, giggled like a silly person and deliciously ate the love Seonwoo prepared. Even if it wasn’t that, it was fine as long as he thought it was right. Someone might have scolded him saying delusion is also a disease, but Yoonjo was certain.
Ki Seonwoo would definitely fall for him.
