“Want to have a cocktail?”
This bastard was still here, damn. The man pushed a light blue cocktail toward Eunchan, having ordered it at some point.
“No thanks.”
After coldly refusing, Eunchan drained the rest of his whiskey down to the bottom. He’d drunk his fill of expensive alcohol for the first time in a while. Eunchan took a picture of the empty bottle, thinking he’d brag to Hyungsik and the boss.
“You’re playing really hard to get.”
At the words that suddenly pierced his ears, Eunchan turned his head to look at the man.
“What did you say?”
“You’re bouncing me off so hard~ It’s not like I’m trying to do something with you, I’m just saying let’s drink together.”
The man shrugged his shoulders and sneered.
“Fuck off. What are you talking about, you crazy bastard?”
If this weren’t someone else’s business, he might have punched him. Eunchan gritted his teeth while holding back his rising anger.
“Well, that’s okay though. I like taming kids like you.”
I should just leave. Those kinds of crazy bastards couldn’t be reasoned with, so avoiding them was the best policy. Eunchan gave up on the alcohol and stood up from his seat. However, unable to maintain his balance with his spinning vision, he fell over with the chair.
At the crashing sound, several people looked at Eunchan. The man skillfully grabbed the limp Eunchan’s waist and supported him.
“See, I told you to drink in moderation.”
The man pretended to be Eunchan’s companion and made people’s gazes turn away again.
“You’re kind of heavy.”
The man who had draped Eunchan’s arm over his shoulder groaned while bearing the weight and whispered. He had to take him to a nearby motel like this, but he wasn’t sure if he could make it.
While the man was attempting the kidnapping, Eunchan started laughing out loud. Laughter came out naturally with the surging euphoria. Also, he couldn’t control his body, so excited as if riding a fun roller coaster. It felt like he was floating and walking on clouds. The dim interior of the shop spun round and round, transforming into a sparkling universe. The mirror ball lighting spread out before his eyes like the Milky Way. Eunchan, in high spirits, hugged the man supporting him tightly with strength.
“Let’s plant more roses!”
Let’s plant butterflies in the garden, plant mountains, and plant the ocean too! Eunchan spread his arms wide and danced.
“Maybe he’s the type the drug works well on, he’s completely gone.”
It was only mixed in a little with the alcohol, but the effect was good. Let’s hurry to the motel. As the man tried to embrace Eunchan in his arms again, someone grabbed his wrist.
“What?”
At the sudden interruption, the man frowned and turned his head. There stood a man as beautiful as an angel, someone he’d never seen in his life. For a moment, the man lost his senses and stared at him.
“What did you make Eunchan take?”
“Ah, hello? Did you come alone?”
If he let him go, he’d regret it for the rest of his life. The man forgot about Eunchan and hit on the new person. However, what came back was pain. Miro struck the man’s head with an empty wine bottle from the table. The man groaned and collapsed to the floor along with shattered glass fragments.
And people’s screams followed. Eunchan staggered and sat down next to the collapsed man, asking if he was sleeping.
“What, are you sleeping?”
“E-Eunchan, what did you take?”
Miro easily lifted Eunchan up and then checked his complexion. Even when he put his nose close to his mouth, he only smelled alcohol. He didn’t want to leave Eunchan here any longer. Showing Eunchan to so many people was also irritating.
“Jang Miro!”
Eunchan grabbed Miro’s welcome face with both hands and shouted his name. You came to play in space too!
“Yees, it’s Miro.”
After covering Eunchan’s head with the jacket he’d brought, Miro lifted him up and held him in his arms, then slowly walked outside step by step. The bartender who had been watching tried to hurriedly stop Miro, but one of the men who had come in with Miro blocked him.
“Let’s discuss compensation with me.”
He was an employee Miro had brought to handle the aftermath.
Even after returning home, Eunchan couldn’t hide his excitement. All throughout crossing the garden, Eunchan clapped, telling Miro that the trees were dancing and fairies were singing. Miro carefully set Eunchan down on the bed and meticulously examined him, opening his mouth to even press on his teeth to see if he was hurt anywhere.
“Eunchan drank too, too much.”
Even though he’d promised to come back quickly, Eunchan broke too many promises.
“Pretty.”
However, Eunchan’s ears didn’t catch Miro’s complaints at all. Eunchan, completely captivated by Miro’s face, touched his cheek with his fingertips. How could a person look like that? His entire face glowed as if sprinkled with glitter.
“Am I pretty?”
Like the protagonist of a famous ghost story, Miro asked Eunchan shyly.
“Yeah, super pretty.”
Miro was close to a gorgeous beauty. The curves revealed under the moonlight were perfect. Flawlessly clean and white skin, a neat forehead, a straight nose bridge. His long, narrow eyes were closer to a fox than a snake. While caressing his round, curving eye shape, Eunchan unknowingly let out a breath.
“Eunchan is pretty too.”
Eunchan’s gaze looking up at him was ecstatic. Miro kissed Eunchan’s forehead and cheeks, acting cute and asking to be called prettier.
“What if someone takes you away?”
He’d been in such a good mood and excited until just a moment ago, but now Eunchan started to worry. If you’re this pretty, there must be many people who covet you, so what should I do?
“Who’s taking Eunchan away?”
“No, I mean you. What if someone takes you away because you’re pretty?”
Miro ended up laughing at Eunchan’s cute drunken rambling. Even though he’d come after smashing the head of the man who touched Eunchan, his frustration hadn’t been resolved yet, but Eunchan easily smoothed over his mood.
“Mm, Eunchan just has to keep me well.”
Don’t leave me alone, always together. That’s the most important thing, Miro emphasized. Eunchan nodded his head diligently.
“Okay, together…….”
Eunchan rubbed his eyes as if sleepy. Miro opened his embrace and pushed Eunchan inside it. After giving him an arm pillow and hugging his back, only then did a satisfied breath burst out.
“Eunchan, sleep well. And you can’t lie to me…….”
Doing it occasionally was okay, but like today, eating with young men and even drinking was hard to endure. Miro buried his head in sleeping Eunchan’s hair. He just wanted to be trapped in this house together instead. Making it so he can’t go anywhere, making it so he can’t live without me……. Just thinking about it made his heart race excitedly.
But then he might hate me forever. Miro, who hated the idea of being hated by Eunchan even if he died, closed his eyes while suppressing his rising greed. It wasn’t time yet.
‘Hyung, why can’t you leave here?’
It would be nice if we could climb mountains together and go to school. Eunchan asked his hyung while playing with dirt.
‘Th-that’s a secret.’
When you grow up later, when you become an adult bigger than me, I’ll tell you. Hyung smiled while patting little Eunchan’s head.
How much more do I have to grow here? I’m almost twenty-seven this year. Even in his dream, Eunchan looked at hyung with suspicion.
Eunchan woke up from sleep clutching his head that felt like it would split. Miro had already gotten up, as the spot next to him was empty. Instead, in Eunchan’s arms was a rabbit doll wearing the same pajamas as himself.
“My head hurts.”
If he, who was strong with alcohol, collapsed like this, something must have definitely been mixed in the alcohol. Moreover, his film had cut off from after that point, so he didn’t remember what happened after at all. He’d only avoided the cocktail that was offered, but who knew they’d put drugs in the glass he was drinking from? Still, it was fortunate that he seemed to have safely returned home in the midst of that. If it had been some motel, he probably would have bitten his tongue and died.
“Eunchan, are you awake?”
“Ah, yes.”
Miro entered the room holding a cup in his hand, as if he’d gone to fetch water. Eunchan sat leaning against the headboard and received the cup Miro handed him.
“It’s honey water.”
“……Thank you.”
It was embarrassing that he’d promised to come back quickly but then came home drunk. While drinking the warm honey tea, Eunchan worried whether Miro might be angry.
“Yesterday, how did I get back?”
No matter how drunk he got, he never drank to the point of unconsciousness, but this time his memory had been completely cut off from after drinking the remaining alcohol, so he didn’t even know how he’d gotten home.
“Yeah, I went to pick you up.”
“Really? I’m sorry, and thank you…….”
Had he told him to come pick him up by phone? Feeling like he’d inconvenienced someone, Eunchan repeated apologies and thanks like a parrot.
“Eunchan, you c-can’t drink alcohol. Okay?”
“I don’t drink that often. Yesterday was just a bit strange.”
Placing the empty cup on the table, Eunchan returned the doll to Miro, who was sitting by the bed.
“Yesterday, E-Eunchan was hugging and b-being with a strange man.”
“……Me?”
“Yeah.”
That couldn’t be……. However, because of Miro’s so firm attitude, Eunchan had no choice but to believe those words. If he said it seemed like he’d done that while drugged, Miro would probably worry greatly, so he didn’t want to reveal the truth.
“I’ll be careful next time.”
“Only drink with me, alcohol.”
Miro held out the rabbit doll’s arm and urged him to make a promise. At that cute appearance, Eunchan smiled and nodded his head, but soon the headache made him furrow his brow again.
