Even when Jaehwi suggested watching movies together, going shopping, and seeing the aurora together, Raon couldn’t smile comfortably. Because Jaehwi was someone who seemed to get close one moment, then drew a line and distanced himself infinitely far away the next.
Even after saying such positive things, there was no telling what conditions he might attach. Because Jaehwi consistently disliked him entering dungeons. Raon waited for words related to the dungeon entries that would surely follow. From the time they contracted with MK Center, Jaehwi had said he wouldn’t wear an Esper watch, and even now both his wrists were empty.
If he at least wore a watch, they could check his condition in real-time and provide appropriate care, but now they could only trust his word. The only check was the one done after receiving guiding in the guiding room every day.
He wanted to go to dungeons together, but seeing what happened today, even he couldn’t rashly insist on following along. Then how about at least recommending he wear a watch? He could wait outside the dungeon and only enter when it was a dangerous situation. He was willing to compromise that much.
“If you wear a watch…”
“If it doesn’t cause problems with hyung’s work, I’ll understand accompanying…”
They both opened their mouths simultaneously, and Raon stopped speaking first. But soon Jaehwi also didn’t finish his sentence properly. Seeing wrinkles form again on his brow, Raon stood up. Instead of sitting across from him, he sat next to him and placed his hand on Jaehwi’s forehead.
“Like you said, I won’t be able to follow you to every dungeon. When I can’t, please at least wear a watch. Isn’t this fair?”
“I believe you regressed.”
“Hm? No. Don’t believe it. I’ve had so much work lately that I’ve been out of it, so dreams and reality…”
“Do you like me?”
As the wrinkles that had formed on Jaehwi’s forehead disappeared and Raon was lowering his hand, he let out a short sigh at the clean, straightforward question.
“I like you.”
I like you. There was a time he regretted not being able to say he loved him, and he couldn’t miss this opportunity now either.
“Do you love me?”
“I love you.”
Unlike the brief silence that followed the question of whether he liked him, this time he answered simultaneously with Jaehwi’s question. Then the corners of Jaehwi’s mouth rose gently.
“Let’s sleep together.”
This time it wasn’t a question. Was it his imagination that the black eyes looking straight at him appeared golden in the light? And shortly after, Raon released the word “Yeah” from his mouth.
* * *
It’s not even the first time. Wow, what do I do about this.
Since they were both covered in dust and a mess, washing up was natural, and as soon as they entered the house, Raon pushed Jaehwi into the guest room bathroom. And he himself washed up cleanly in the main room bathroom, and while doing so, prepared a bit too…
But is this right? It should be, right? Or well, what can be done about that either.
Tearing at his hair while looking in the mirror wouldn’t give him answers, and as Raon alternated between looking at the mirror and the bathroom door, he tightened the tie of his shower gown and went outside. Because staying in the bathroom alone worrying and dragging out time would give the same answer anyway, and would only make Jaehwi wait.
“So.”
‘I wanted to come out.’
“This is totally crazy.”
Although they weren’t exactly in some soft, sweet relationship where he’d confess his shy feelings, at the cursing from Jaehwi that he heard as soon as he left the bathroom, Raon hesitated and stopped walking.
‘Human.’
The golem cradled in Bbobbo’s arms like a real doll, Bbobbo flying at Jaehwi’s eye level while holding that golem, and Jaehwi in neat indoor clothes—all three looked at Raon simultaneously.
‘Human. This human is scary. I want to talk with you.’
The golem calmly saying it wanted to talk with him, Bbobbo yawning widely as if wanting to quickly escape this situation and sleep comfortably. And the beer can held in Jaehwi’s hand.
I was the only one being serious. Realizing that his head had been full of flowers when he came out wearing only a gown over his bare body without even putting on underwear despite having brought indoor clothes in with him, Raon turned his body and went back into the bathroom.
When he came out having changed into indoor clothes with such complex feelings, Jaehwi was alone in the living room, left all by himself.
“Where did the kids go?”
“I don’t know. Bbobbo carried them off. Do you want to drink too, hyung? Should I bring you some?”
At the words of Jaehwi, who tilted his head back and emptied the remaining beer in one go, Raon passed by him and headed to the kitchen.
“Don’t follow me, stay there. Want more beer?”
When Raon, who had quickly spoken as something large started following him, returned with two beer cans, Jaehwi had turned on the TV and was skillfully searching for a movie.
“Have you been watching movies in the meantime?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because I didn’t want to.”
Sitting next to Jaehwi, who was comfortably seated on the soft sofa, Raon took the remote control from his hand. After excluding things that were neither heavy nor light, ticklish romances, or things that were noisy or forcibly pulled out horror, what remained was animation.
Having put on an animated film he watched a lot when he was young, Raon leaned his body against Jaehwi, who was silently drinking beer while watching TV.
With one movement of his arm, at his action of trapping him in an embrace that was much larger and firmer than himself and even had higher body temperature, Raon also moved his body comfortably. While cute characters filled the screen, their beers steadily decreased.
“Last time it was a family movie, and this time it’s animation?”
“When both body and mind are heavy like today, this is just right.”
“Do you watch alone often?”
“Sometimes.”
“The golem didn’t hurt you, did it?”
Raon, who had been setting down his empty beer can, looked at Jaehwi, who lightly grasped his wrist.
“There was this really vast meadow and there was a rock. So I approached it and it was him. He suddenly said he wanted to get out, and I was so flustered.”
“So?”
“I was conflicted. Think about the value of that dungeon. If a dungeon like that just keeps regenerating, MK will significantly reduce having to buy necessary materials at auction houses from now on, plus we can upgrade your protective gear even more.”
Not paying attention to Jaehwi rolling up the sleeve covering the back of his hand, Raon recalled what had happened a moment ago.
“I was worrying about that and talking, when suddenly lightning started striking in the blue sky. At that moment, oh no. You’re outside. I thought.”
“You disappeared like that in front of me, and you forgot about me?”
At the ticklish sensation of Jaehwi’s thumb, who gently held his hand, caressing the inside of his wrist, Raon laughed softly.
“So while I was saying things like I’d think about bringing him out if he could become as small as Bbobbo, you… Should I say dungeon within a dungeon? Anyway, you destroyed that place…”
While explaining the situation with a smile, Raon reflexively clenched his fist at Jaehwi’s action of pressing his lips to his wrist.
“The golem aside. What about that bastard Kim Seowoo?”
Jaehwi, who had lowered his head to press his lips to his wrist and thus naturally wasn’t looking at him, murmured without removing his lips from the wrist. The fingertips tingled at the particular soft fullness of lips being transmitted along the tender flesh of the inner wrist.
“You say you’ll be my Guide, yet you guide other Espers?”
If you’re going to talk, remove your lips a bit, uh. Conversation is when people look at each other’s eyes while talking…
After the fingertips first, then where the lips had touched, this time his tongue touched there. Unable to answer readily, Raon only then realized that the color of the wrist Jaehwi was licking at now was different from usual.
He hadn’t particularly paid attention when washing either, but it seemed to be a bruise that formed when Kim Seowoo, who had briefly almost lost his reason while receiving guiding, had grabbed his wrist.
“You weren’t there.”
“If I’m not there, you’ll guide other Espers?”
“I won’t go to dungeons where you’re not.”
“You went today.”
As Jaehwi’s lips descended along the bruise mark, Raon, feeling embarrassed, tried to pull his hand away.
“You were late.”
“……”
Strength entered Jaehwi’s hand that had been loosely holding him until now, and Raon, who met the gaze of Jaehwi who had been concentrating on his wrist, quickly lowered his eyes.
“Why do you think the Guide-Esper law was created? No one knows what an Esper crazed with guiding might do. Plus with hyung’s energy…”
Although his tone clearly seemed to be explaining gently, goosebumps rose on Raon’s body as he read a reddish tint in his eyes that had been consistently black.
“Guiding. You’ll only do it for me, right?”
A soft and sweet voice lingered by his ear.
“Hyung is mine. You said you’d be mine first.”
This time he completely watched a faint smile seep into his neat face.
“You said you like me and love me.”
He had thought he was already sufficiently fallen for him. At those eyes, voice, and face that bewitched him, Raon couldn’t even comfortably swallow the saliva pooling in his mouth.
“Giving and receiving energy, looking into hyung’s eyes like this, holding hyung, kissing hyung—only I can do these things, right?”
That’s right. Only you can do it—he wanted to answer quickly, but his lips wouldn’t part.
“Shall we go to sleep now?”
Jaehwi’s forehead, who smiled brightly, touched Raon’s frozen forehead. Whether by his own will or by Jaehwi’s movement, Raon’s head moved minutely up and down.
