“I think the movie is about to start, Soohyun-ssi. I wonder if it’ll be fun.”
“Since it’s been a very long time, anything will be fun.”
Looking at the screen outside the car window, Soohyun smiled faintly. He never thought he’d be able to watch a movie at a theater, but there was this method of watching inside the car. It was a luxury he couldn’t have enjoyed if not for Seojun.
“I like romantic comedies. So I watch them often when I rest.”
[Romance by Chance]
When the movie started, Soohyun’s gaze fixed on the screen outside the car window. Seojun adjusted the position and angle of the passenger seat so Soohyun could watch comfortably.
“You have to lean back a bit to be comfortable. Is that okay?”
“Yes.”
Soohyun didn’t say anything throughout the movie. He laughed a bit at funny scenes and made sad expressions at slightly sad scenes, immersed in the movie. But Seojun was different. During the roughly two-hour screening time, what Seojun watched wasn’t the screen but Soohyun.
Because his constantly changing expressions were novel, because he liked the diverse pictures drawn on his face that had always seemed emotionless, he couldn’t focus on the movie at all.
“Soohyun-ssi.”
“Yes?”
Soohyun’s eyes remained fixed on the screen.
“I actually have a confession to make.”
At Seojun’s words, Soohyun turned his head. Though it was dim in the car so he couldn’t see Seojun’s expression and eyes well, he could feel his desperate gaze.
“A confession…?”
“I’ve seen this movie.”
Seojun smiled sheepishly. Because he noticed Soohyun was looking at him with eyes wide open and a quite puzzled face.
“Then you’re watching a movie you’ve seen again because of me…? I’m sorry….”
“No! Because you liked it, Soohyun-ssi. It was so… really so good. I found it fun just watching you, Soohyun-ssi.”
“What do you mean fun….”
The moment Soohyun realized that Seojun had been watching him while he was distracted watching the movie, his cheeks heated up as if sitting by a fire.
“You were a person with such diverse expressions. Our Soohyun-ssi.”
“Our…?”
“Yes. Our Soohyun-ssi.”
Thump- thump- thump- thump-
His heart beat randomly again. There had been only one person in Soohyun’s life who had said “our Soohyun.”
‘Our Soohyun….’
“Choi Seojun-ssi… how….”
“Yes?”
He couldn’t deny it anymore. He was being swayed by Seojun. How could he not be swayed by him, so kind, saying the words that the person he longed for had said? That Soohyun could spend today safely without incident was all thanks to Seojun. The car, the vacation home, and the theater too.
For today with Soohyun, Seojun had carefully examined everything from documentaries about panic disorder to YouTube videos, and planned so Soohyun would have to meet other people as little as possible.
“To do this much for me….”
“Soohyun-ssi.”
Seojun held Soohyun’s hand. His coldly cooled hand was trembling. What was this person, this beautiful person named Lee Soohyun, so afraid of? What had made this person shrink so much? And why had he lost his heart to such a difficult person?
“I hope my sincerity can be conveyed through things like this.”
“……”
“The heart that fell in 3 seconds… even if I say that, it’s never light.”
Seojun pulled Soohyun’s hand and placed it near his chest. The rapidly beating heartbeat was transmitted through Soohyun’s palm.
“I wanted to seem relaxed. But I was actually really nervous today. In case you… didn’t like it much, Soohyun-ssi.”
“Choi Seojun-ssi, I….”
“But you seemed to like it, Soohyun-ssi, so I’m so happy today. I’m happy to the extent that it’s hard to express.”
Soohyun’s gaze reached Seojun. The corners of Seojun’s eyes sparkled. He was still such an incomprehensible person. He had despised and even ridiculed him…. From some point, he reached out his hand toward the cowering him. To him who kept shaking his head again and again, he persistently reached out his hand and patted his shoulder.
Soohyun reached out his hand and gently stroked the corners of Seojun’s eyes. Seojun held Soohyun’s hand, rubbed it against his cheek, and left a cotton candy-like kiss in the center of his palm.
“Can we go to that vacation home from earlier instead of going home today?”
“What?”
“At night… I think it would be better to sleep over and go rather than going… If you don’t want to, we can just…”
“Yes, let’s do that.”
Seojun’s head jerked up.
“Really? Is it really okay?”
“It’s quite late… and you must be tired too, Choi Seojun-ssi. So it’s better to sleep over and go…”
“Yes! Good! Then I’ll leave right away!”
* * *
As soon as they arrived at Seojun’s vacation home and opened the front door to enter, the two embraced and pressed their lips together as if they’d made a promise. Seojun lifted Soohyun’s body and headed to the bedroom, and Soohyun naturally wrapped his arms around his neck.
“Soohyun-ssi, is it… okay?”
“What do you mean…?”
“I mean, right now… I’m… well…”
Seojun laid Soohyun on the bed. And as if to check Soohyun’s condition, he groped his body and fiddled with his face.
“Whether it’s… okay to do it.”
It was the first time having pheromone care—no, relations—since Soohyun moved into Seojun’s house. Soohyun looked at Seojun’s face and opened his mouth.
“We should wash…”
“I’m too impatient… Then wash first. Haha… hahaha….”
Seojun sat up. Soohyun looked at Seojun’s back and called him.
“Choi Seojun-ssi.”
“Yes?”
“…It seems like there’s only one bathroom here.”
“Yes, that’s right. Right here…”
Soohyun hesitated for a moment. Seojun turned his steps and approached Soohyun again, holding his hand.
“If there’s anything uncomfortable, please tell me…?”
“Ah… no.”
Soohyun couldn’t believe what he’d been about to say just moments ago and fled into the bathroom.
<To be continued in Volume 2>
