-97-
At the familiar laugh he knew so well, Jeonggwan awkwardly turned his head. Despite not hearing any footsteps, Won Junjae was standing there with his hands in his pockets, smiling softly at Jeonggwan.
Knowing Junjae’s personality, he must have been there from the beginning, so Jeonggwan just smiled back without asking. Earlier, he had been too depressed to face Junjae, but now that his mind was calmer, the huge iron wall between them suddenly felt like thin styrofoam that could be easily broken.
He was grateful to Junjae for allowing him to do this alone. If Junjae had forcibly tried to stop him from leaving earlier, it would have been harder to face him now without the chance to strengthen his resolve. Experience really can’t be ignored. Surely Junjae must have had times when he wanted to collapse too, but he became strong by enduring alone like this. Jeonggwan found this mature aspect of Junjae admirable.
Jeonggwan approached Junjae, who took his hands out of his pockets and slightly opened his arms, as if to say, “If you want to hug me, go ahead.”
Jeonggwan gladly complied, running to Junjae and jumping into his arms. Junjae inhaled sharply at the sudden weight, but having been prepared for such gestures since dating Jeonggwan, he quickly engaged his core muscles and caught Jeonggwan securely.
“Did you follow me thinking I’d run away crying?”
“…No.”
“Then why did you follow me like this?”
Junjae bent down and buried his face in Jeonggwan’s neck. As their warm bodies met, it felt like the winter night’s chill was gently melting away.
“Just…”
“If it were me, I would have chased after you saying ‘Where are you going!’, but you didn’t even nag.”
“…”
“You’re really an adult. An adult.”
Perhaps due to the intense hug after overcoming a brief trial, or maybe because of the beautiful illuminated fountain nearby, Jeonggwan felt the atmosphere had become quite romantic. Thinking this was the perfect timing, Jeonggwan tried to pull away from Junjae to take out the ring.
“No, hyung…!”
However, as soon as Jeonggwan’s body separated, Junjae quickly pulled him back into a tight embrace. Not expecting this, Jeonggwan was a bit flustered and patted Junjae’s back, telling him to let go for a moment, but Junjae only hugged him tighter.
“I’m not an adult.”
Then Junjae’s voice, tinged with moisture, was heard.
“It’s not that I didn’t nag, it’s that you…”
What’s this? Is hyung crying? Jeonggwan froze in surprise at Junjae’s slightly trembling voice.
“…I was afraid you’d say you don’t like me anymore.”
Junjae, who until just now had seemed like a tall, silent guardian waiting patiently, suddenly transformed into a large, whining puppy. But it was so cute that Jeonggwan burst into laughter without resistance.
“Are you crying, hyung?”
“…No.”
“I’ll check later, okay?”
As Jeonggwan’s body shook with laughter, Junjae seemed to become embarrassed and buried his face deeper into Jeonggwan’s neck, tightening his arms around him. It was a silent pressure to stop laughing, but even this movement was so adorably pathetic that Jeonggwan only laughed harder.
“Sometimes you’re really like an adult, hyung, but sometimes you’re like a child.”
“…”
“But that’s so cute.”
“…Is that good?”
At Junjae’s uncertain question, Jeonggwan wrapped his arms around Junjae’s back as if to reassure him. Jeonggwan used to think that everyone over thirty was automatically an adult. That’s why he thought everything Junjae did was cool because he was an adult, but in fact, that was just an excuse. Even if Junjae had been younger, or a foreigner, Jeonggwan would have liked everything he did simply because it was Junjae.
“Very. I like it so much.”
And we decided to call this love blindness.
* * *
Having missed the timing to give the ring, Jeonggwan thought he’d create the right atmosphere later and went up to the hotel room with Junjae. True to its reputation for great views, as soon as they entered the room, the Seoul palace visible through the floor-to-ceiling windows was beautiful. Speaking of palaces, I want to eat bulgogi. Jeonggwan immediately picked up the room service menu without taking time to enjoy the scenery.
“Hyung, I just realized.”
“Hm?”
“I think I was sensitive earlier because I was hungry.”
“…You were hungry?”
“Yeah. Check if my back and stomach are touching.”
Jeonggwan lifted his jacket to show his waist, but his stomach and back were still far apart. However, Junjae, seemingly shocked by the fact that Jeonggwan was hungry, nodded seriously while hugging Jeonggwan’s waist.
“No wonder… You’ve gotten thinner.”
“So let’s eat quickly.”
“Eat everything. You can order it all.”
Even with a 12 billion won building, Jeonggwan didn’t have the guts to order all the expensive 5-star hotel dining room service food where a piece of brownie cost 25,000 won, but he momentarily forgot that Junjae could say such things so casually and kindly. Didn’t I just say that Junjae’s wealth was burdensome? Reflecting on his own denseness, Jeonggwan pressed his lips together and shook his head.
“Yes, and please give us that too, and the melon prosciutto. Yes-.”
Jeonggwan, sitting on the bed swinging his feet, ordered seven dishes and hung up the phone. Then he got up to look at the palace he hadn’t fully seen earlier, and the floor felt strangely warm under his bare feet.
“Hyung, I think there’s underfloor heating here.”
“Suite rooms have it so you can sit on the cushions and look at the palace.”
“Wow… That’s so nice. My feet were always cold.”
Seemingly quite impressed by the warm hotel floor he could walk on barefoot, Jeonggwan approached Junjae standing by the window with a pleased expression. As Jeonggwan came, Junjae naturally positioned him in front, then hugged him from behind as they looked outside.
“…It’s beautiful.”
Despite the bright illumination, Gyeongbokgung Palace was serenely beautiful. It made him think he’d really miss this view in France. No, actually, he thought he’d miss looking at the palace like this, embraced by Junjae. Thinking about leaving Korea soon made every little action with Junjae feel significant.
He hadn’t even left yet, but he could already imagine himself crying in a French castle every night, missing Junjae. But at least it was fortunate. That it was a castle. Suddenly, he felt very grateful to Junjae’s father. How thoughtful to provide a castle where he could cry in style.
“Hyung.”
“Yes?”
“You have to come see me at least once a month…”
“I told you I’ll come every weekend.”
“…You say that, but anyway, come often.”
“…I’m serious.”
Even though today was a weekend and he was busy with a business trip, how could he go back and forth to France, a 20-hour round trip, every weekend? In the sky where the internet doesn’t work. Although he didn’t really believe those words, Jeonggwan nodded, saying he understood. They spent a long time like that, silently enjoying the scenery in a back hug.
“But hyung…”
“Yes.”
“It’s getting a bit hot now. Can you let go?”
“…Take off your clothes.”
Omma? Jeonggwan turned to look at Junjae with a “See this?” expression. When did he become so sly and smooth? Trying to undress me so naturally?
“…No, just the outer clothes.”
“Ah-. Just the outer clothes?”
“…”
“Just take off the outer clothes?”
Jeonggwan wrapped his arms around Junjae’s neck with an even more mischievous expression, his eyes sparkling provocatively. He was just caught up in the mood, not actually having the energy to do anything since he was hungry. Moreover, he thought Junjae would shyly say, “You should eat first,” so he acted even bolder, but…
“Ah, wait, hyung…!”
Junjae pinned Jeonggwan against the window and attacked his lips as if to devour him. Then, without separating their lips, he roughly removed Jeonggwan’s jacket and threw it on the floor before lifting Jeonggwan’s buttocks and holding him. Leaning against the window, Jeonggwan liked Junjae’s rough behavior but was also scared the window might break due to his weight, so he hugged Junjae even tighter. This seemed to make Junjae lose more control, as he buried his face in Jeonggwan’s neck and showered him with kisses.
Uh, but this shouldn’t happen.
Jeonggwan was very hungry now, so it was difficult to handle Junjae getting excited while sucking on his neck. He knew that if this continued, he’d be trapped by Junjae for at least two hours.
Ding-dong-. Ding-dong-.
Just then, the room’s doorbell rang loudly, signaling the arrival of room service. Jeonggwan tried to push Junjae away as if he’d found a savior, but Junjae seemed not to hear it at all and was now stroking Jeonggwan’s back, lifting his shirt until his waist was fully exposed.
“No, hyung. I, food…!”
“Ha…”
“No, please…!”
Finally, when Jeonggwan spoke with a slightly annoyed voice, Junjae slowly separated from him. Junjae looked down at Jeonggwan intently, catching his breath as if his reason had momentarily returned, but he seemed like he might turn rough again at any moment.
“Let’s eat first!”
So Jeonggwan escaped from Junjae’s arms, hurriedly pulling down the shirt Junjae had lifted up, and ran towards the door. The food he was about to eat wasn’t just because he was hungry, but the nutrients he needed to survive Junjae later.
