# Chapter 25
Jaehwi slightly shrugged his shoulders at Jay’s actions as he pushed past Jaehwi’s shoulder and entered, glaring as if he would tear him apart on the spot. While shaking his still-wet hair with one hand, he took out a bottle of cold water from the refrigerator.
“It would be better not to open that door. He just fell asleep not long ago.”
Even so, he didn’t forget to warn Jay who was trying to open the bedroom door.
“Why is the Young Master here?”
Emptying the 500mL water bottle in one go while standing still, Jaehwi pointed with his eyes to the file placed on the table. If it hadn’t been for Jay’s phone call, he wouldn’t have gotten up either. Just watching Raon, who had fallen asleep chattering in his arms all night, he had lost track of time.
But once Raon’s phone started ringing, it kept ringing endlessly, and Jaehwi had gotten up first for fear that Raon might wake up.
“Did you forget what I told you?”
Jaehwi snickered at Jay’s warning-laden remark.
“Do as you like. I’ll do as I like too. Whether hyung meets someone else or whatever happens in the future, if that’s the future you’ve prepared, then proceed with it.”
There was no need to tell anyone about what was happening between him and Raon. If the other person misunderstood, they could misunderstand as they wished, and if they accepted it as it was, he would leave it at that too.
“Mr. Min Jaehwi.”
“What about Kang Raon’s will? It’s not my life, not your life—Kang Raon’s life is one where he chooses and gets what he wants, not what we want. So don’t lecture me. At least I won’t overturn what you’ve planned. Well, I’m going to see if hyung is awake, so—”
In the middle of speaking, Jaehwi slightly raised one eyebrow and headed to the bedroom with a glass of lukewarm water. Raon, who had been sleeping motionless, literally like the dead, was now tossing and turning.
After placing the water glass on the bedside table, Jaehwi sat on the bed and gently stroked Raon’s hair.
“Raon hyung.”
Jaehwi smiled softly at Raon’s actions as he blinked slowly, still seemingly wandering in his sleep, and leaned down to kiss his soft cheek.
“……”
As the lips that had touched his cheek misbehaved and lingered around his puffy eyelids, nose tip, and forehead, Raon made a displeased expression and moved his lips.
But the sounds coming from his throat couldn’t form a combination of words and scattered in the air.
“Drink some water.”
Just let me sleep a little longer. Raon’s movements stopped as he pulled up the blanket, trying to avoid the touch that kept disturbing and trying to wake him. Then, opening his eyes wide, Raon was literally startled by Jaehwi’s face right in front of him.
“Why are you so surprised? Your bodyguard is outside.”
Sitting up, Raon snatched the water glass from Jaehwi’s hand and drank the water first, as Jaehwi spoke nonchalantly while waving the glass.
“What time is it?”
“10:08.”
“Are you crazy? You should have woken me up.”
Though knowing full well that Raon’s tone was clearly grumbling and full of complaints, Jaehwi was still sitting on the bed, looking at him.
It felt like going back to the past. Everything was the same, from his hair sprawling in all directions to him sitting defenseless on the bed without even properly opening his eyes.
“How could I wake you up when you were sleeping so well?”
“Stop talking and get out.”
Jaehwi couldn’t help but smile at Raon’s actions as his voice trailed off and he hit Jaehwi with his powerless arm.
Nothing special had happened.
Last night, as if surrendering completely, Raon had removed his slippers by himself.
They had entered the bedroom together, and both had taken off what they were wearing over their pajamas. Raon had lain down first, and Jaehwi had buried his face in Raon’s upper body. In one ear, he could hear Raon’s heartbeat, and the other ear was covered by Raon’s soft, warm hand.
Raon had brought up his recent trip to the hot springs, and Jaehwi, holding him tight, had listened attentively to his voice. Then he had literally fallen asleep. That was all.
The corners of Jaehwi’s mouth crept up as he found Raon’s appearance—covering his face with both hands while sitting without even looking at him—too cute. He wanted to hug him and bury his face in his chest right away, but he felt he would be scolded harshly by Raon if he did.
“Young Master.”
Raon quickly raised his head at the familiar voice that came with a knock. He truly wasn’t thinking rationally at all, as if something had happened to his brain. Jay’s schedule included waking him up in the morning and going to work together.
Of course, Jay wouldn’t have been able to contact him, and so he would have been looking for him. So perhaps it was natural that Jay was here now, where he was.
“Wait… wait a moment!”
Raon, who had answered hurriedly, felt his body. At least he was dressed, and he ran his fingers through his hair that was sticking out in all directions, following his puffy face.
He had just hugged Jaehwi, covered his ears, and fallen asleep while talking like when he was young, but why did it feel like they had crossed a line that shouldn’t have been crossed?
“Min Jaehwi.”
“Yes, hyung.”
As Raon’s eyes met with Jaehwi, who was still sitting on the bed, he sighed at Jaehwi’s neat appearance, unlike his own.
“Wake me up from now on.”
When Jaehwi didn’t answer, Raon’s eye corners rose.
“Should we not sleep together?”
“…You can just wake me up.”
Although it seemed like he was answering reluctantly, once Raon heard the words he wanted to hear from Jaehwi’s mouth, he left the bed and went out to the living room.
“Jay. What was the schedule for this morning?”
“The 10 AM meeting today has been rescheduled for tomorrow afternoon for now.”
“I’ll get ready and come out.”
Raon, who had entered the bathroom, turned his head while massaging his nape. It felt like he had slept properly for the first time in a very long while. Since he was already late, Raon took his time showering without rushing, and after finishing his preparations for work, he looked back and forth between the two people waiting for him.
It was natural for Jay to go to work with him, but Raon’s eyes were full of questions toward Jaehwi, who had finished preparing to go out, dressed all in black from head to toe again today.
“I have to go choose my guide as you ordered, hyung. You told me to be a good, obedient brother. You said you’d cover my ears, but then you use me as a body pillow. Hyung, do you know how heavy a person’s head is? I thought my shoulders and arms would fall off.”
Raon’s eyes grew larger and larger at Jaehwi’s words as he waved the file he had brought the night before in one hand. Raon’s wandering eyes landed not on Jaehwi but on Jay, who had paused beside him.
“Can’t you speak properly?”
“Ah! Why are you hitting me? What did I do wrong?”
As Raon was hitting Jaehwi’s arm, he withdrew his hand, feeling like his hand hurt more than the guy who was shouting that it hurt.
“Then… Did you do well? Was that good? When did you wake up?”
“I didn’t sleep.”
“What? What were you doing without sleeping? If that’s the case, you should have at least woken me up in time for work.”
“How could I sleep with hyung in my arms?”
Raon, who had been talking with Jaehwi in a small voice while heading toward the elevator, closed his mouth as his heart grew heavier the longer the conversation continued. He wondered if Jaehwi had always been this slick, but when he recalled how Jaehwi had hugged him and called his name freely the first time they met, Raon shook his head.
It seemed that someone around his age would suit the energetic, curious, and physically abundant Jaehwi better. He had to completely exclude his own fluctuating emotions.
* * *
[Aren’t you coming down?]
Raon answered casually with “Yeah” to a phone call that came during work. He had to review the list of guides and espers who had applied this year and directly check those who had completed contracts. Though it might appear to others that he was a parachute team leader who just came down to eat and play, Raon had his own standards.
Because of Jaehwi, who clung to his side singing about being hungry, he had ended up eating brunch and could only go to work at 1 PM, but this was the first time such a thing had happened since he had been working.
“He’s doing a compatibility test.”
Raon’s eyebrow moved slightly at Hyukjin’s words, and the file he had been looking at was tossed aside.
[Kang Raon!]
“If you’ve said everything you wanted to say, hang up. If I don’t finish this today, I’ll have to work overtime.”
Picking up a new file, Raon noticed the lemon water on the desk tasted sourer than usual, so he called Jay and handed over the glass of lemon water. It seemed like Hyukjin was still saying something, but since nothing would change if he went, Raon hung up.
Then, after receiving the fresh lemon water that Jay had made, he went to the window to look outside. They would probably know what they were doing—a guide with a similar grade or one who scores higher in the compatibility test, or a guide that Jaehwi prefers would become his exclusive guide.
Taking a sip of the cool lemon water, Raon frowned and handed the glass back to Jay. Then, taking out a cardigan from the wardrobe on one side of the office, he put it on and headed outside.
