In the end, he stayed up all night.
Evan’s gaze, which had been watching the darkness retreat and the sky brighten, shifted to the one sleeping beautifully in his arms. In the silent room, only Siwoo’s even breathing and the plum scent full of tranquility existed.
Siwoo’s body, which had been moving little by little to find a comfortable position, was now more than half draped over Evan. Using his chest and shoulder area as a pillow instead of his arm, he hugged Evan tightly with his arms and legs. Although he knew it was time to get up soon, Evan didn’t want to break this moment.
Evan raised his hand to stroke Siwoo’s small head. Hair slipped through between his fingers. This time, he folded his right arm to wrap around Siwoo’s upper body and lowered his head to place his lips on Siwoo’s forehead.
Siwoo’s soft, warm breath scattered around his chest. The warmth he conveyed blew away his fatigue from staying up all night.
In a moment, what should he do when Siwoo wakes up? Everything approached him overwhelmingly when he tried to explain not only what happened at dawn but also being like this in his room.
Should he start explaining from when he suddenly fell asleep? On one hand, the sleep inducer Siwoo had taken bothered him. Since when had he suffered from insomnia? Seeing that the fairly large pill bottle was almost empty, it seemed he had been taking it long-term.
Evan drew and redrew Siwoo’s face with his eyes as it gradually became clearer as the light slowly pushed away the darkness. He ate quite well when dining with him so he didn’t know, but come to think of it, it seemed his cheek flesh had decreased a bit. He had tried to pay attention in his own way, but it seemed he needed to pay a little more attention to what he ate.
Looking at Siwoo’s face like this naturally reminded him of the old Siwoo. He’s a bit more youthful now than the face he knew. When his upturned eye corners shot him a glance, he sometimes looked like a fox, but seeing him sleep like this, he was just gentle. Seeing his lips slightly protruding with his cheek pushed to one side made him laugh for no reason.
He wanted to touch him. But Evan’s hand, unable to rashly touch Siwoo, hovered in the air. Soon Evan’s gaze stopped at the ring on his pinky finger.
Should revealing that he’s a regressor come first? Or should telling Siwoo, telling him that he’s a hidden omega, come first? It seemed like telling him he’s a hidden omega, which is medically verifiable, should come first.
But when, and how?
Everything needs time. But how much time is given to him?
As much as every minute and second was precious, every minute and second was valuable. Last time and this time might have been lucky. Because they met like this. And there were plenty of opportunities to get close.
If they meet in completely different places at different ages, how would he approach him?
How much time would it take to become this intimate again? Practically, this time they became much closer in a shorter time than last time. It seemed the trust relationship already built as group members shortened the time.
Anyway, they shared rings like this, and slept together. Even without making appointments, they saw each other’s faces every day, ate meals together, and spent a lot of time together. They could embrace like this, kiss. They exchanged glances frequently.
When there were cameras or many people around, Siwoo was particularly sharp and distant, but such things weren’t important.
Is this what they mean when they say being happy yet sad? He built a castle on sand. Not knowing when it would collapse. A sandcastle that would easily disappear even with small waves. This precariousness like walking a tightrope.
Even though he knew he shouldn’t be hasty, only his heart kept moving ahead. All kinds of thoughts circled in Evan’s head all night. The thoughts were incoherent, coming up randomly and then disappearing. But none of them had an answer.
I’m this noisy inside, and you’re just sleeping?
I feel like I’m going crazy with my heart pounding and heat boiling like this, and you can sleep comfortably?
Evan’s hand, filled with impure thoughts, eventually slowly moved toward Siwoo. He has to wake him up anyway. He found a childish excuse.
“……I’ll wake him up…… I’ll come back here.”
The door suddenly opened without a knock and Chan’s voice was heard, then at the sound of the door hastily closing, Evan’s brow furrowed. And a dissatisfied tongue click followed between his lips.
At the same time, Siwoo’s movements, who had been sleeping until just now, grew larger.
He had forgotten. With Siwoo, he truly forgot many things.
Only now did he remember that they were scheduled to film a music video release reaction today. Like new artists releasing their 2nd album commonly do, they had decided to lightly capture scenes from waking up in the morning to preparing for broadcasts.
Chan, the most diligent and early-rising member of the team, was supposed to go around the rooms waking them up. They said he would wake them in the order of Evan, Sangjun, Yechan, and Siwoo. At least it’s fortunate it was the perceptive Chan; if it had been Yechan…….
Evan, who had swept his hair back with his hand, now had to meet eyes with Siwoo, who was looking at him.
Their gazes were entangled for a moment, but Siwoo’s large eyes were busy looking at different places each time they blinked slowly. A smile formed again at the sight of him seeming to grasp the situation.
Couldn’t he really quit being a celebrity or something? Or at least date publicly.
Evan’s index finger eventually couldn’t hold back and lightly touched Siwoo’s chin to make him look up at him.
“……Hi.”
Although he hadn’t fallen asleep, a husky voice flowed from Evan’s mouth.
At the same time, Siwoo’s eyes widened and his body, which had been stuck close until just now, quickly moved away. It didn’t take much time for his white face to turn red and even the tips of his ears to redden.
“What the…… Did you two sleep together last night? Siwoo, quickly go to your room and pretend to sleep. I wondered why Chan kept acting strange. He’s waking up Yechan now, so Siwoo’s turn is next, right?”
Sitting on the bed, Siwoo stared blankly at the door. At Sangjun’s words, who looked like he had just woken up, Siwoo’s head turned rapidly again.
Black & white.
A room without clutter, with nothing out of place.
Seeing Evan still lying in bed, Siwoo got up as he was and ran to his room.
Seeing the blanket he had bundled up and left when he went out to the living room because he couldn’t sleep last night and tossed and turned, it hit him more that he had slept in Evan’s room. First, Siwoo, who properly spread the blanket and got inside, pulled the blanket over his head. His heart pounded crazily.
He couldn’t sleep so he took a sleep inducer, then Evan came, and he ate plums too.
So we kissed and then I slept.
I fell asleep.
Siwoo firmly covered his mouth with one hand.
How could he sleep in that situation? No wonder he didn’t want to take the sleep inducer.
Siwoo, recalling last night’s events, hurriedly reached out to snatch the cell phone next to the table and tucked his hand into the blanket.
8:12 AM.
When was the last time he slept so deeply without waking up even once?
It was perfect sleep without even dreaming. When he fell asleep and woke up after taking sleep inducers or sleeping pills, he didn’t feel that good. Although he fell asleep pressed down by the medicine’s power, he kept tossing and turning, and what remained in the end was heavy fatigue.
But now, honestly, his head was clearer and his body lighter than ever. No, how could he, with the person he likes next to him. Moreover, when the situation when he first opened his eyes came to mind, a groaning sound flowed from Siwoo’s mouth.
His sleeping habit of hugging something.
That’s why Siwoo’s bed was full of cushions and pillows of all sizes. Although he used a king-size bed alone, there wasn’t actually that much space for him to sleep.
Even on top of this bed now, it was full of fluffy dolls and cushions.
Gratitude toward Sangjun hyung suddenly rushed over him. If he hadn’t come in, what would it have been like with Evan by now? Siwoo, whose chest became ticklish, vigorously scratched his left chest with his right hand.
“Siwoo-ya……”
At Chan’s voice, Siwoo’s actions of pulling his hair, touching his lips, and tapping his chest alone under the blanket stopped. He hastily closed his blinking eyes. I forgot again, the filming.
Anyway, right now he had to film waking up from sleep.
“Kim Siwoo. You need to wake up.”
Chan’s soft, low voice continued. Seeing one side of the bed become heavy, he probably sat on the edge of the bed. The sound of the blanket rustling was heard, and the blanket that had been pulled over his head slowly came down.
Siwoo, who quickly raised one arm and placed it over his eyes, stuck out his tongue slightly to moisten his parched lips and swallowed the saliva pooled in his mouth.
“……Hyung.”
As the blanket came down, he deliberately dragged out his words and tossed his body to lie face down. While doing so, he didn’t forget to pull the cushion he grabbed into his arms and bury his face in it. He had done this kind of filming countless times. Things like introducing the dorm or members waking each other up to somehow gain popularity in the early days of debut.
That’s why he knew exactly what fans liked. You shouldn’t get up right away when woken up, and you shouldn’t show too clean an appearance. And you shouldn’t show that you knew about the filming, nor should you artificially show the waking up scene.
It was one of the filmings that seemed easiest but was tricky.
“Get up. We have our music video reaction today, you know. You need to hurry.”
He felt Chan’s hand patting and stroking his back.
“……Just…… a little.”
Burying his face in the cushion, Siwoo mumbled.
“Hurry and wash up.”
As if signaling the end of filming, Chan lightly tapped Siwoo’s buttocks a few times and left the room, and soon the sound of the door closing followed.
“Haa……”
A long sigh flowed from Siwoo’s mouth, his face buried in the cushion.
He slept well and woke up, so his body and mind were truly comfortable, but his heart was heavy. How am I really supposed to look at Evan’s face? Moreover, plums came to mind. Why would he suddenly bring plums? Furthermore, the taste of the plums was a taste he knew all too well.
It was definitely different from the plum taste you could easily see anywhere.
Many thoughts filled his head again, but Siwoo, who had no more time to dawdle, staggered up from his spot. He didn’t even have time to do his usual stretching. Siwoo, who went straight into the bathroom and took off his clothes, entered the booth and immediately put toothpaste on his toothbrush, put it in his mouth, and turned on the water.
“Uuuuh……”
Suddenly hit by cold water, Siwoo quickly moved to the side and adjusted the water temperature.
