Compared to how cleanly he deleted it, Yeon Dogyeong answered obediently, wiped his lips, and crumpled the empty sandwich wrapper and threw it into a nearby trash can. He rummaged through the bag again, peeled a sausage, and put it in Joo Seonghan’s hand. Joo Seonghan, who had been diligently chewing the sandwich in his mouth, avoided his gaze and calmly accepted the sausage.
“Hmm…. Did you contact Chief Lee’s personal number?”
“Yes.”
Yeon Dogyeong answered while peeling his share of the sausage wrapper. Team Leader Go stroked his bearded chin.
“Isn’t Chief Lee’s personal number famously expensive? You must be quite close?”
“I found out this time too.”
At Yeon Dogyeong’s answer, Team Leader Go shrugged his shoulders, put down his phone, and looked at Joo Seonghan. Joo Seonghan, who had been keeping his gaze on Team Leader Go’s hand, slightly blocked his lips with the sausage.
“Civilian-ssi, if you have something to say, just say it, why are you looking around like a grasshopper reading the room?”
What kind of grasshopper is a grasshopper reading the room? With a stupid face, Joo Seonghan bit and removed the sausage he was holding in his mouth. As he quickly chewed the food to answer that it was nothing, Team Leader Go waved his hand.
“Ey, eat slowly, slowly. You’ll get indigestion.”
Pat pat. Team Leader Go spoke the words and Yeon Dogyeong patted Joo Seonghan’s back. Somehow it was a bit embarrassing. Joo Seonghan hoped his face wouldn’t redden as he emptied his mouth and took a sip of banana milk. Unlike when he told him to eat slowly, Team Leader Go urged Joo Seonghan with his eyes to hurry up and speak once he finished eating.
“…I have nothing to say.”
“Ey, I think you do. You kept looking at me. More precisely, not at me but at this.”
Team Leader Go tapped the phone placed in front of him. He seemed to have very quick perception. Since he was asking directly, he couldn’t say no, so Joo Seonghan brought up the words he had been pondering.
“I was wondering if I could contact my parents.”
“You can’t.”
Before Team Leader Go could open his mouth, Yeon Dogyeong answered while throwing the empty skewer on the table. Joo Seonghan turned his head and looked at Yeon Dogyeong. He, who had his arm hung on Joo Seonghan’s backrest, continued with a smile.
“I received an order not to let you do that either.”
“……”
“Contact them after erasing your memory.”
The temperature of Joo Seonghan’s tightly closed lips was hotter than usual. They were swollen from tightening around his penis, from sucking him. They breathed so closely, offering each other’s intimate places like that. But with those words just now, it felt like they had instantly become distant.
“Wow, how cold.”
Team Leader Go, who expressed Joo Seonghan’s feelings on his behalf, looked at the clock hanging on the lobby wall and got up from his seat. Seeing him go outside, it seemed like he was going to start the car engine or something. Joo Seonghan, who was left alone with Yeon Dogyeong, lowered his lost gaze toward the sausage in his hand. It seemed to have been delicious, but he didn’t really want to eat it.
“If you don’t want to eat it, give it to me. I’ll throw it away.”
He thought about stubbornly putting it in his mouth, but his mouth was stinging and his hand wouldn’t move easily, so he just sat there motionless. Then Yeon Dogyeong took the sausage from Joo Seonghan’s hand and threw it in the trash can.
“Are you angry?”
“…No.”
“Sure you’re not.”
Yeon Dogyeong moved the arm hung on the backrest and grabbed Joo Seonghan’s lower jaw from over his shoulder. Unable to resist the hand forcibly lifting it, he raised his head. He, who met his eyes, stroked Joo Seonghan’s chin.
“Your lips are red.”
“……”
He, who grinned mischievously as if finding something amusing, lifted Team Leader Go’s phone that he had left behind. While tracing over Joo Seonghan’s Adam’s apple with his hand, he pressed numbers and brought the phone to his ear.
“This is Team Leader Yeon Dogyeong. Can you inform his family that Joo Seonghan-ssi is fine?”
His finger came up to his lips. Joo Seonghan released the strength in his lips and docilely received his touch.
“Ey, why are you making it sound difficult again? You can just lie appropriately like last time.”
Smooch smooch. He made small sounds with his mouth. When he raised his head, he smiled and tilted his head. Not knowing what it meant, he looked at him with a troubled face. He rounded his lips then returned them to normal.
“……”
He understood what it meant, but that was troublesome in its own way. Hurry. He urged with the shape of his mouth. Left once, right once. Joo Seonghan, who turned his head to check the surroundings, quickly leaned his body that kept trying to hesitate and kissed the corner of his mouth. His laughter brushed against his cheek.
“Yes, I know that too. If I thought it was bad, I wouldn’t be asking Chief Lee for such a favor.”
Joo Seonghan, who straightened his body, lowered his head deeply. Not only his face but even his ears became hot.
“Yes. Then I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you.”
He, who ended the call, tapped the phone a few times and put it down on the table. And he stroked the back of Joo Seonghan’s head as if praising him.
What did I just do? Joo Seonghan dug his nails into his palm while belatedly gathering his scattered reason. He could feel Yeon Dogyeong’s stinging gaze as he propped his chin on the table. Without a doubt, he must be smiling. While receiving his gaze and being frozen unable to do this or that, the elevator in the middle of the lobby stopped on the first floor. He quickly raised his head.
“Are you shooting the breeze right now? While someone came out after downing caffeine?”
Woo Yoomin, who was frowning heavily, came out of the elevator. Joo Seonghan thought this was the moment and got up from his seat.
“Wow, you even ate. All that’s left now is to do a good job, right?”
Although she worked hard to pick a fight, Joo Seonghan didn’t frown even once and followed her outside. He even apologized, saying he was sorry for the trouble. Woo Yoomin looked at Joo Seonghan once with an absurd face, and looked once more at Yeon Dogyeong walking leisurely from further behind. Then she spat and got into the car Team Leader Go had started.
“What, why is she so irritated again?”
Team Leader Go, who willingly gave her the driver’s seat, asked Yeon Dogyeong while lighting a cigarette. Yeon Dogyeong opened his mouth with a smiling face.
“She was trying to get an apology from me, but Joo Seonghan-ssi bowed and scraped instead.”
Joo Seonghan stopped his hand while opening the rear door on the passenger side. Team Leader Go, who exhaled cigarette smoke long, clicked his tongue.
“Civilian-ssi, why do such a useless thing….”
“Aren’t you getting in?!”
Woo Yoomin, who rolled down the window, shouted loudly while cutting off Team Leader Go’s words. Joo Seonghan, whose body flinched, threw open the car door. Whether his words were often cut off even normally, Team Leader Go smiled brightly at Joo Seonghan and waved his hand without showing any displeasure. Joo Seonghan, who put one foot in the car, bowed to him and sat in the back seat.
“Team Leader Yeon-nim, are you getting in the back now?”
Woo Yoomin asked. Yeon Dogyeong, who opened the rear door on the driver’s side, answered “Yes” and got in the car. Fuck, she, who muttered profanity quietly, turned the air conditioner on high and vented her anger inappropriately.
“Wake me up when we arrive.”
Yeon Dogyeong said playfully with a face without a hint of drowsiness. Woo Yoomin, who inserted her phone into the holder, sighed. It was full of resignation.
“Yes yes. I will safely escort you to your destination. Please hurry up and sleep, dear guests.”
She, who spoke neatly with rough words, stepped on the accelerator. The car that left the parking lot drove on the unpaved road. Joo Seonghan looked at the bright full moon visible beyond the window for a long time, then closed his eyes. Time passed slowly yet quickly.
***
Beep—
“Ugh, fuck. Those fucking piece of shit bastards. If you’re going to drive like that, at least apologize properly, shit.”
At the loud horn sound and Woo Yoomin’s rough cursing, his brain stirred from sleep. Joo Seonghan forced open his eyes that didn’t want to open. He blinked several times at the vision that wasn’t clear. As his body’s senses gradually began to return, he could feel the cool air conditioner breeze brushing past his skin. Whether he had dreamed a scary dream, the back of his neck was damp. He tried to raise his hand to wipe it, but it didn’t move well. He lowered his head slightly and looked down. Joo Seonghan’s hand was interlaced in a large hand. Tap, tap. A long thumb tapped Joo Seonghan’s hand. Joo Seonghan raised his head.
“The sun rose.”
Yeon Dogyeong, who was looking out the window, said quietly. Joo Seonghan, who had been leaning on his shoulder, looked at the window once with a blank face, looked once at Yeon Dogyeong’s hair that was giving off a light brown color from receiving the sunlight.
Their interlaced hands touching the sunlight were warm. Joo Seonghan moved his gaze following the breaking sunlight. Yeon Dogyeong turned his head toward Joo Seonghan, who was silent. He smiled while closing his eyes. He looked at his smile that seemed like it would smell warm, then closed his eyes again. The hazy feeling he thought would come again moved away contrary to expectation. Then Joo Seonghan’s brain belatedly recognized the current situation.
He fell asleep and when he woke up, he was clinging to Yeon Dogyeong, sleeping with his shoulder as a pillow. It wasn’t that Yeon Dogyeong came to Joo Seonghan’s side. Anyone could see that Joo Seonghan’s body was in the middle of the back seat. He should say sorry and return to his original seat. However, he missed the timing to say sorry. He should have done it when he opened his eyes earlier. Joo Seonghan held his head inwardly.
“How long has it been since you were at the research lab. Hey. Wake up now…. Oh my, look at them sticking together. Team Leader Yeon, you fucked that civilian there, didn’t you?”
Joo Seonghan, who had no choice but to pretend to sleep, unconsciously tensed his body. It was because they were too close. Two men sticking tightly together and holding hands looked strange to anyone. Were they caught? Then would he be pointed at from now on?
