“Didn’t you follow me because you were thirsty?”
He said that knowing everything. It wasn’t his usual malicious teasing. To tell the truth, it was consideration rarely seen from Yeon Taeju.
Because he didn’t want Seok Iseo to completely expose himself. He hoped he wouldn’t bring up the words that he liked him. That he wouldn’t follow him around for no reason, and wouldn’t become desperate to share the same time with him.
Later, when he got everything he wanted and left, he hoped Seok Iseo wouldn’t suffer too much.
“Ah, yeah.”
“Your hair isn’t even fully dry.”
He swept through Iseo’s hair as he slowly swallowed water. The damp hair wrapped around his fingers like water plants. His shoulders were wet with water droplets that had dripped from his hair.
“Water’s dripping.”
“Ah, really?”
“Should I dry your hair?”
Yet even this action was deception. What was he going to do after seducing him further?
Taeju drew the smile he was best at making. It was a smile for showing off, a smile he made when he wanted to hold someone’s gaze on himself.
He raised the corners of his mouth and curved his eyes. A hundred out of a hundred all liked it. It wasn’t particularly because he was outstandingly handsome or had a fatal atmosphere. He just clearly knew how his body and face looked to others and used it.
“Yeah.”
Iseo slid his gaze to look somewhere on the floor. Taeju tilted his head slightly toward Iseo then straightened it. There might be watching eyes to kiss here.
Iseo followed behind him grumbling again.
How could he have known when he came here that Seok Iseo would follow him like a baby duck? Taeju opened his room door.
“Come in.”
He freely went in and out of Iseo’s room, but Iseo didn’t. As if there was an invisible barrier for him, he generally didn’t enter his room. He guessed the reason for that too, but didn’t interrogate or dig into it.
“Yeah.”
Taeju sat Iseo on the rug and sat behind him. Iseo entered between Taeju’s long outstretched legs.
“Your room smells like you.”
Taeju silently only raised the corners of his mouth. When there was no answer, as if curious about his reaction, Iseo moved his neck to turn around. Taeju grabbed the back of his head and stopped him from moving. When he turned on the hair dryer, the noise instantly filled the room.
The entire house smelled like Seok Iseo. He could have told him that. But he didn’t want to.
He combed Iseo’s thin hair with his fingers. The hair that had been soaked in water blew in the hot air. He felt drowsy. Taeju leaned his back against the bed side and moved his arm languidly.
“Taeju-ya.”
Iseo seemed to say something. Taeju didn’t answer and didn’t stop drying his hair. When there was no answer, Iseo called his name once more then closed his mouth.
When he returned, what would Seok Iseo do in this place? Would he feed the fish and draw pictures in the workshop as before? Perhaps occasionally he might go out to the sea and wet his body. Would he think of him each time?
His mood became subtle. That Seok Iseo, imbued with traces of him, would spend time alone in a space without him. It was a feeling hard to describe—pitiful yet ridiculous.
Taeju gradually released strength from the hand holding the hair dryer. The sound of hot air pouring out was loud. He brushed a few more times, but those fingertips were dull. Slowly strength left his hand. When he lowered his hand to the floor, the hair dryer fell to the floor with a loud sound.
Iseo tried to turn around again. Taeju grabbed his head again and prevented him from turning around. He didn’t know what expression he was making right now. He didn’t want to show it. He didn’t want to plant another fantasy in Seok Iseo by making too pitiful a face, and he didn’t want to hinder receiving financial help by making too cold a face.
Taeju rubbed his lips on Iseo’s nape as if making an excuse. The cool skin consoled his gloomy mood. Gloomy mood? Taeju asked himself. Was he depressed? Why? There was nothing bad about it. Precisely, there was nothing bad until Seok Iseo waited in front of his room door.
“Hyung.”
The voice buried in the hair dryer noise was pushed away in the air.
“Don’t make it so obviously visible.”
He didn’t know if Iseo heard his voice or not. He’d just rolled it small inside his mouth like talking to himself.
Iseo turned his shoulder. Their faces finally faced each other. Iseo widened his eyes and looked at him. Taeju kissed those eyes too.
“What’s wrong?”
“What?”
“Why while drying my hair…?”
Asking about the meaning of suddenly stopping his actions, Iseo turned off the hair dryer that was running on its own. In an instant, the room became quiet. With the noise that had been striking his ears gone, his eardrums tingled.
“Tomorrow let’s do clay shooting.”
“Ah.”
“Hyung probably can’t do it. I’ll help you with your posture.”
He nodded, lowering his head crookedly. The reason for averting his gaze was because he was embarrassed, and the reason for lowering his head was because he wasn’t confident. Iseo’s fingertips crawled over his thigh. At the ticklish feeling like an ant crawling, goosebumps rose over his scalp.
“What did you say earlier?”
“When?”
“While drying my hair.”
“Ah, earlier.”
He grabbed the hand stealthily crawling over his thigh. The face that had been facing the floor rose up.
“Just, it was nothing. More than that, I’m languid.”
Taeju whispered while combing Iseo’s not-quite-dry hair. His voice sank. His eyelids moved slowly. Iseo’s clear gaze licked all over his face.
“Sleepy?”
“A little.”
“Then sleep a bit.”
Iseo sprang up from where he’d been sitting and reached out his hand toward Taeju. Before thinking, he grabbed Iseo’s hand. Then Iseo made a groaning sound and lifted Taeju’s body up.
“I’ll wake you when it’s time for dinner later.”
Iseo, who’d pushed Taeju to sit on the bed, said in a soft tone. It was like the tone of pacifying a younger sibling. Taeju looked up at Iseo intently.
“What about hyung?”
“Hm?”
“You’re going to leave?”
Iseo nodded with a face that said he was asking something obvious. Taeju pulled the hand he was holding and pulled him down onto the bed.
“Isn’t hyung sleepy?”
“Yeah, I was going to go downstairs…”
“Then put me to sleep.”
“What?”
“I said put me to sleep. Stay next to me until I fall asleep.”
Iseo’s face became subtle. The area around his cheeks flushed, burning a pleasant red. As if he didn’t want to be apart for even a moment. Taeju lifted the thin blanket, recalling what Iseo had said.
Did he grab him intending to really do as Iseo said, or did he just grab him because he himself wanted to? For a moment, he was confused.
“Hm?”
When he wrapped his arm around Iseo’s shoulder and forcibly laid him down, he lay down neatly. Taeju lay down toward Iseo and hugged his chest.
“Okay.”
“Don’t secretly take my pants off thinking I fell asleep.”
“You think I’m you?”
Taeju’s face, buried almost halfway in the pillow, laughed. The laughter that came out while scraping his throat low was husky.
“I’ll let kissing slide.”
This time, words of denial didn’t come out immediately. Taeju giggled while closing his eyes.
“So you are going to kiss me?”
“I’m not…!”
He flinched slightly and turned to lie facing him. Taeju still kept his eyes closed and waited for Iseo to lie comfortably on his side, then wrapped his arms around his waist.
“If you want to suck my dick, wake me up anytime.”
The body held in his arms moved restlessly as if it had a lot to say. Taeju laughed with his eyes still closed.
“Sleep well.”
Iseo quieted down. Taeju knew he was looking at him.
