Jion’s heartfelt prayer went unanswered. Seonwoo Jin was already immersed in the act of love they’d shared for the first time, brimming with the desire to voluntarily wait on Jion, humor him, and act like a male lead from a romance novel.
“Eat slowly.”
“Yeah, thanks…….”
Jion buried his face in his soup and rice to hide his awkwardness at Seonwoo Jin’s insane kindness. Seonwoo Jin had been watching Jion take his first spoonful with satisfaction when he suddenly turned and left the room.
Huh, what?
He’d naturally assumed Seonwoo Jin would stay by his side while he ate, but he left faster than expected. At least I can eat my meal in peace. Jion tried to leisurely cool his soup and eat, but his plan went awry.
“I should eat too.”
Seonwoo Jin had brought in his own meal on a tray. Before Jion could even be flustered, he plopped down in the space between the beds, spread out his soup and rice without a table, and picked up his spoon. What is he doing sitting on the floor like some beggar? Jion asked in bewilderment.
“Why, why are you eating there?”
“Hm? I can’t eat alone. Let’s eat together.”
“No, that’s not what I mean—why on the floor…….”
“Ah.”
Seonwoo Jin answered with a grin.
“The table’s small. You eat comfortably. I just need to be with you.”
At Seonwoo Jin’s innocent answer, Jion sighed inwardly.
Was he always this considerate, sweet, and cutely behaved? If he treats everyone he’s flirted with, dated, or slept with even once like this, I can see why his scandals never ended…….
Just moments ago he’d thought Seonwoo Jin looked like a beggar, yet Jion—unaware he was wearing rose-colored glasses—praised Seonwoo Jin’s kindness. Maybe this is the magic that happens between people who’ve slept together. In any case, though he wasn’t sure what exactly touched him, Jion found himself moved by Seonwoo Jin and unconsciously glanced at him sitting below the bed while eating.
Quietly scooping up soup, blowing on it, bringing the spoon to his lips, then slightly frowning because it was hot…… frowning…… frowning…….
“Crazy…….”
Jion muttered softly. Why does he have his eyes open like that? Jion was mesmerized by Seonwoo Jin’s frown, which reminded him of last night.
Last night too, with that expression, straddling me, biting his lips tight and looking down at me…….
Just as Seonwoo Jin was excited about last night, Jion too had all his thoughts focused on it, associating all of Seonwoo Jin’s actions with the previous night. Even finding it sexy when he frowned because the soup was hot meant he was in worse shape than Seonwoo Jin.
However, because Jion believed he was extremely cool-headed and rational, wasn’t swayed by Seonwoo Jin’s looks and charm, and had no feelings for him beyond ‘problem major student who needs intensive management,’ this cognitive dissonance brought him much difficulty.
“……Jion-ah? Aren’t you eating? Doesn’t it taste good?”
“Huh? Huh?”
“Why aren’t you eating…….”
Having no idea what Jion was thinking while spacing out, Seonwoo Jin worried about Jion, who had frozen with his spoon in hand. Jion belatedly came to his senses and waved his hand.
“Ah, ah. It’s hot, it’s hot. I was letting it cool.”
“Is it that hot?”
Seonwoo Jin, who had already finished his meal in no time, climbed onto the bed with a worried expression and snatched the spoon from Jion’s hand.
“I’ll cool it for you. Ah, say ah.”
“Aaah…….”
After blowing on it to cool it, Seonwoo Jin held the spoon of rice in front of Jion’s lips. Usually it’s Seonwoo Jin who acts spoiled…… Somehow it feels like their usual roles have switched, Jion thought, yet reflexively opened his lips to accept Seonwoo Jin’s service.
“……That’s right.”
And just as Jion had fallen into temptation and anguish from Seonwoo Jin’s single frown while eating, Seonwoo Jin too was captivated watching Jion’s lips, moistened with soup broth, open and close. While feeding Jion, Seonwoo Jin unconsciously swallowed dry saliva. Naturally, he was thinking inappropriate thoughts.
Opening slowly with an “ah,” then pressing tightly shut as if enduring pain…… then when told to open again, those moist red lips opening gently…….
Watching Jion’s lips move, Seonwoo Jin felt something so stimulating his spine tingled. It was fortunate there was still half the meal left—otherwise he would have immediately set the table on the floor and pounced on him asking to do it one more time, it was that seductive.
Though Jion would absolutely deny it, what both of them were doing was almost identical. The one way Seonwoo Jin was slightly better than Jion was that while being honest about his feelings, he also knew how to hold himself back and read the room in case he might earn the other person’s dislike.
Always starving for affection, Seonwoo Jin—like someone deprived of love—simultaneously showed the duality of eagerly biting onto and sucking up affection shown to him while anxiously worrying about losing it, not knowing what to do. This was precisely one of those moments.
“So…… how is it?”
“Hm? Uh…… mm…… it’s good…….”
“That’s a relief…….”
With his extreme ability to read the room and gauge the atmosphere—activated only toward the person he wanted to be loved by—Seonwoo Jin noticed that from the moment Jion woke up this morning until now, he’d been subtly uncomfortable around him. Though he didn’t realize it at first, anxiety began creeping up in Seonwoo Jin from how Jion subtly avoided eye contact, trailed off while speaking, and avoided any mention of yesterday’s events.
“I’m done.”
“Thanks for feeding me.”
“No, for something like this…….”
Seonwoo Jin tried to add “between us,” but shut his mouth, unable to finish in case Jion found those words burdensome. It was a good choice. The moment he uttered those seemingly insignificant words that could be interpreted in various ways, Jion would surely react like sodium hitting water.
It was a wise decision. Just sitting face to face looking at each other, these inexperienced young men who’d just accomplished their first deed last night were on the verge of experiencing intense physical reactions. If there hadn’t been a meal table between them, whether their lips collided or their lower bodies rubbed together, some accident would have happened—but fortunately, the electronic beeping from the entrance cooled the heat slowly rising between them.
—Beep beep beep beep beep beep.
It was the sound of the six-digit number set as BNCZ’s debut date being pressed in sequence. At that sound, both snapped to their senses. Seonwoo Jin hurriedly grabbed Jion’s table and got off the bed, while Jion slid under the covers like he was sliding into home base.
“Guys, I’m here.”
“Oh, oh! Geon-i hyung!”
Fortunately, the one who opened the door and entered was the oblivious Ryu Geon. Jion was relieved it wasn’t Jinyeong who’d returned early. If it had been perceptive Jinyeong, he would have immediately noticed the subtle atmosphere between the two and given them an awkward interrogation asking what they’d done.
But Ryu Geon—sincere, solid, and devoted only to the task at hand like a simpleton—lacked the ability to read the subtle, heated atmosphere between men who’d been intimate. His highest level of perception was seeing Seonwoo Jin coming out of the room carrying the meal table and mouthing ‘Did you two make up?’ When Seonwoo Jin nodded emphatically, he showed a relieved smile.
While lightly rinsing the table Jion had used and the dishes he’d used and putting them in the dishwasher, Seonwoo Jin asked Ryu Geon, who seemed somewhat gloomy:
“Why are you here already? You have one more day of leave.”
“Ah, well…….”
Just as Ryu Geon was about to answer, Jion came waddling out of the room. Seonwoo Jin quickly approached Jion, put his arm around his waist, offered his arm for support, and escorted him to where Ryu Geon was. Though it was even more intense skinship than before, Ryu Geon, whose heart was heavy, didn’t notice such clinginess and sighed gloomily.
“……Grandmother’s gotten a lot worse…….”
“Ah…….”
Hearing Ryu Geon’s words, both sighed lightly. Ryu Geon was extremely attached to the grandmother who raised him. Remembering how he’d worried about leaving his grandmother alone even when he enlisted right after their disbandment, Jion’s heart felt heavy too.
Before the regression, Ryu Geon’s grandmother had passed away before Ryu Geon was discharged, and Jion remembered hastily attending the funeral. The cause had been complications from a fall. He remembered Ryu Geon expressing regret that despite knowing the care was inadequate because he didn’t have enough money, he’d placed her in a facility where hospital costs were cheaper. Recalling Ryu Geon with a buzz cut sobbing, Jion’s heart ached and he patted his shoulder in comfort.
“Let’s succeed quickly and move her to a better hospital that’s closer.”
“Yeah…… we should.”
“Cheer up.”
While comforting Ryu Geon, Jion shot a look at Seonwoo Jin. It was a pressuring look telling him to hurry up and comfort Ryu Geon too. However, contrary to what Jion expected—that Seonwoo Jin would be grumbling about having their alone time stolen by Ryu Geon’s sudden return—Seonwoo Jin was looking at Ryu Geon with mature and composed eyes. And then Seonwoo Jin made an unexpected suggestion.
“……Should the three of us go out and have fun today?”
