Gutter Chapter 21.3 - Gutter Extra

The subordinates did not even look back as they passed through the living room hallway and swarmed out of the house. Thump, after confirming the front door was shut, Yeonjo turned his head and stared at Boss Gu again.

He was so drunk that he was sprawled out on the sofa, not even stirring amidst all this commotion. Yeonjo wanted to put him in bed if he could have his way, but there was no way Yeonjo could lift Boss Gu on his own when it took three grown men to move him with difficulty.

Yeonjo had no choice but to take off his socks and gloves so he could at least sleep comfortably on the sofa. They could talk tomorrow morning, it would not be too late.

Because he was so tall, his feet stuck out from the sofa. After taking the socks off his feet, he had just returned to his upper body and was about to remove the leather gloves.

“What bastard is it.”

Although he had tried to move carefully so as not to wake him, Boss Gu snatched Yeonjo’s wrist. His voice came out raspy, not yet free from the effects of the alcohol.

As if he had never been asleep, a clear light glinted in his pitch black eyes.

“Uh… you’re awake? You looked uncomfortable, so I was just trying to take this off for you.”

When a startled Yeonjo mumbled an excuse, he realized the wrist he was gripping was Yeonjo’s and quickly released his hold.

“Shit, is this a dream….”

Looking dizzy, Boss Gu shook his head from side to side and sat up. Then, as if he had never acted so roughly, he gently covered Yeonjo’s cheek with his rough hand.

Yeonjo, who had been about to nag him about why he had drunk so much, drew in a sharp breath. The touch caressing his cheek was so deliberate and ticklish that he somehow found himself at a loss for words.

Their eyes met for a moment, and then Boss Gu’s expression twisted as if he had seen something unpleasant.

“Fucking pretty even in a dream, for no reason. There was no need to look like this.”

At the muttering that sounded like it was meant for himself, Yeonjo blinked. He only looked fine on the outside; it was certain he was still completely drunk. It must have been bad for him to have been carried in, unable to even support his own body. Besides, every time he spoke, the smell of alcohol wafted through the air.

But the content of his words was something else. No need to look like this. Did he mean he should have been ugly or something?

For now, it was a relief that he was not physically hurt. But it bothered him that a man who rarely got drunk had drunk this much. It was clear he had not been able to let the doctor’s words from the hospital yesterday go and had taken them to heart.

“Am I that pretty?”

It was something he had heard to the point of being sick of it his whole life, but when Boss Gu said the same words, it made every corner of his stomach tingle, as if a ball of yarn was rolling around inside. The feeling was even stranger because it was hard to say exactly where it tickled.

“Don’t be fresh.”

Boss Gu clicked his tongue, cutting off Yeonjo’s playful words. However, his hand showed no sign of leaving Yeonjo. The rough hand had now moved down from the white face and was stroking his shoulder. Since he had had almost no physical contact like this with him recently, Yeonjo’s body flinched.

Stimulated by even that small movement, Boss Gu’s chest rose and fell heavily. After staring at Yeonjo with a tenacious gaze, he soon pushed the lean body he had been fondling down onto the sofa and climbed on top. He urgently pulled up his clothes to take off his shirt.

“Ah.”

The moment his calloused bare hand slipped under the clothes and touched his waist and stomach, Yeonjo let out an unconscious moan.

At the same time, as if he had been burned, Boss Gu flinched in surprise and pulled his hand away. Soon realizing his actions had been too rough, he hastily ran a hand through his hair.

Hesitating for a moment, he began to trace Yeonjo’s chest and stomach, which had been exposed as his shirt was rolled up, very slowly and carefully with his fingertips.

“Fucking feels real.”

He murmured as if in awe at the texture of the skin, which was so smooth it gave him goosebumps. It seemed he had not shaken off his drunkenness and was convinced that all of this was a dream.

“If it’s a dream….”

Lying beneath him and staring up at him, Yeonjo’s full lips parted. Then he placed his own hand on Boss Gu’s arm. He could vividly feel the thick, veiny forearm twitch.

“If it’s a dream, what.”

He pressed in a low voice, as if bothered by Yeonjo’s unfinished sentence.

“It means you don’t have to be so careful, since it’s not real.”

“…”

As if he had heard a foreign language, Boss Gu tilted his head and froze for a few seconds.

“What’s wrong?”

“I.”

“…”

“I don’t want you to be in pain anymore, not even in a dream.”

He spoke with some difficulty, as if he were barely spitting out a fishbone stuck in his throat. And his heavy confession pierced through Yeonjo’s chest like a tear and lodged itself in his solar plexus.

Ah. How could I not love you.

Yeonjo closed his eyes, wrapped his arms around Boss Gu’s neck, and showered him with kisses. His breath, tinged with the scent of alcohol, was so hot and ecstatic it felt as if it would melt all of Yeonjo’s lungs, which had been cold and stiff. The weight he offered, and the clumsy movements of turning his face from side to side to keep from pushing too hard. There was nothing that was not lovable.

“Hheut, haaah.”

“How can this be. It’s like it’s real.”

Thinking Yeonjo seemed overwhelmed, Boss Gu pulled his lips away for a moment and muttered in a hollow voice. It seemed he was not likely to sober up until tomorrow.

As Yeonjo was debating whether to point out that this situation was real or to let him continue to be mistaken, something touched his knee.

“Ah.”

It was Boss Gu’s dick, already magnificently erect inside his pants. As he felt the hard thing even twitch, Yeonjo’s face instantly turned red.

It had already been almost a month since the two had had proper sex. They had not had penetrative sex once since Yeonjo had collapsed and been hospitalized.

At first, Yeonjo had been busy recuperating and had no time to think about such things, but as his coughing subsided and his on and off fever went down, his condition recovered, and he belatedly realized that Boss Gu had been consciously avoiding sleeping with him.

But his body was much better now, and he no longer collapsed suddenly or had respiratory attacks. At this point, wouldn’t it be okay to do it? Yeonjo looked up at Boss Gu’s face, flushed with excitement, and swallowed dryly.

The usual Cha Yeonjo would not have been this forward, but Boss Gu was drunk and even mistook everything happening now as a dream. Moreover, the possibility that the intoxicated man would remember this moment when he sobered up tomorrow was extremely slim. For now, his desire for him outweighed his shyness. He even felt regret for the time they had spent not being intimate due to his health.

Once his thoughts reached that point, Yeonjo boldly rubbed Boss Gu’s lower body with his knee. At the stimulation with its obvious intention, he growled like a beast and stopped Yeonjo.

“Why?”

Yeonjo asked, as if he could not understand.

“We shouldn’t.”

“…Because you don’t want to?”

“As if.”

“Then why not.”

“If we start like this, I won’t be able to control myself.”

“Then you don’t have to… control yourself.”

“…”

“Hm?”

“…Cha Yeonjo.”

Even as he groaned Yeonjo’s name, Boss Gu, without a shred of hesitation, pushed away Yeonjo who was wrapping his arms around his neck and trying to pull him in deeper.

He had thought Boss Gu would go along with it if he pretended not to know, but that was far from the case. At his firm attitude, Yeonjo urgently grabbed him. And he quickly racked his brain.

“I, I heard before… that there’s a way to do it with your feet.”

Figuring he would go straight to the bathroom to wash up if he let him go meekly, Yeonjo babbled whatever came to mind. He happened to remember some dirty jokes that male customers at the horse riding club where he used to work had made.

“This is strange. Cha Yeonjo, there’s no way he would say something like this.”

Boss Gu, who immediately understood the meaning of Yeonjo’s words, froze with his body still in the motion of sitting up and spoke to himself. He looked confused, like someone who had heard something he should not have.

In fact, Yeonjo did not know the exact meaning of the words he had uttered, so he could not even guess what kind of dark thoughts he was having.

“It’s because it’s a dream.”

Yeonjo insisted blindly and pulled Boss Gu again. Boss Gu, who seemed to be conflicted for a moment, eventually let himself be gently led by Yeonjo’s touch.

“Ha.”

As if deciding to give up on restraint, he positioned Yeonjo between his legs and lay him down. Then, as if it were cumbersome, he began to take off his own shirt. Due to his intoxication, his hands were clumsier than usual as he undid the shirt buttons, but he did not struggle for long.

Soon, the man’s firm and thick upper body was revealed. Tossing the removed shirt to the floor, he next pulled off Yeonjo’s pajama pants in one swift motion. His underwear came down with them, and in an instant, Yeonjo was left bare from the waist down.

“Put your feet together.”

“Huh?”

Boss Gu took out some gel from the drawer of the table right in front of the sofa. Yeonjo watched his movements with his eyes, wondering. How did that get here? Come to think of it, I think we did it on the living room sofa a few times before….

Opening the cap of the gel, Boss Gu grabbed Yeonjo’s ankles with one hand and held them neatly together. Then he squeezed the gel onto the arches of his feet.

“…It’s cold.”

Startled by the sudden sensation, Yeonjo curled his toes. The solid form of the gel covered the soles and tops of his feet. Boss Gu, who had in the meantime only unzipped his pants and taken out his dick, placed the thick shaft between Yeonjo’s neat feet and began to rub.

“Eut….”

He had roughly expected it, but so this is how it was done. Yeonjo felt the ticklish sensation rising from the soles of his feet and looked up at Boss Gu.

He threw the gel tube onto the floor and began to move his hips. As the hot, heavy dick rubbed against the skin a few times, the gel, which had been solid like jelly, warmed up and turned into liquid.

Then, Boss Gu’s rather slow hip movements quickened, as if there was nothing holding him back anymore. All his movements were as natural as flowing water. This unconventional act seemed familiar to him.

Watching the process, Yeonjo felt strange. While he was happy that he was aroused by him, the fact that he was so skilled twisted his insides on the other hand.

“Ah!”

“Hoo….”

The other thoughts lasted only for a moment; as Boss Gu’s movements began to get seriously rough, the unpleasant feelings quickly evaporated.

Having a dick between his feet and rubbing it felt similar to, yet different from, using his hands. Although there was no space for insertion, Boss Gu moved his hips as sensually and unrestrainedly as when he was shoving into his hole. Each time the thick, long dick slid in and out between his sticky, wet soles, a squelching sound, like one that might come from a mouth or an asshole, spread out.

Squelch, thwack, squelch, thwack.

The explicit sounds of friction seemed to echo so loudly that Yeonjo bit his lower lip in embarrassment. Whenever Yeonjo fidgeted, unable to maintain the position of his legs held neatly together, Boss Gu would grip his ankles firmly and create a shape that made it easier to thrust.

“Your feet properly, hoo, together.”

Using a part of the body that did not originally exist for such a purpose for pleasure brought about a bizarre excitement. Boss Gu was using his feet, which were already as slick as could be, completely like a tool to relieve his sexual desire.

Yeonjo stared blankly at his face, stained with lust. Not just his face, but his entire body was thrashing with excitement. The way his firmly defined muscles intertwined and writhed organically was indescribably sensual. Just watching him made his lower abdomen tingle.

The slick and ticklish stimulation traveled up from the soles of his feet, which were constantly rubbing against the large dick, past his ankles and calves. At some point, Yeonjo realized that his own lower half was also erect and flinched his hips.

When Yeonjo curled his toes and stimulated the surface of the dick’s shaft as if scratching it, Boss Gu let out a groan that sounded as if it were being ground out between his teeth.

“Kht, hoo-ooh….”

At that moment, slamming in the dick that had been pulled back, Boss Gu reached his climax. Since he had been abstinent since Yeonjo got sick, a much stickier and thicker semen than usual shot up, splattering onto Yeonjo’s chest and the tip of his chin.

“Haah, haah.”

The milky white fluid, which gushed out in several spurts, gushed down, drenching his white insteps and ankles.

Boss Gu savored the throbbing tremor that spread up his spine and, after finishing his ejaculation, rubbed his spent dick against Yeonjo’s soft soles. Every time he crushed the peach-colored heels and the round, neat toes with the shaft of his dick, the way he flinched looked trivial and funny. Every single reaction was so like Cha Yeonjo, even in a dream, Boss Gu thought.

“Haah, shit…. Cha Yeonjo. …Cha Yeonjo, Cha Yeonjo.”

His eyes, more relaxed than usual due to the alcohol, he repeated Yeonjo’s name several times.

Yeonjo seduced him by rubbing his crotch suggestively with his own feet, which were slick with cum.

“Now, put it in.”

“…”

“Hm? Hurry.”

Despite having just ejaculated, his dick still maintained its hardness and was twitching on its own. At the audacious stimulation, Boss Gu let out a beastly sound from between his teeth and nuzzled Yeonjo’s nape and shoulder with his lips.

“Fuck, this is all your fault.”

Spitting out a curse, as if he could not hold back any longer, he stripped off Yeonjo’s remaining clothes. With this, Yeonjo’s pale, naked body was completely revealed. Boss Gu stared, mesmerized, at Yeonjo lying beneath him.

“Tell me if it hurts.”

“I will.”

“No. Punch me. Bite my neck and tear it off. Or kick my fucking dick.”

Did he really have to express pain in such a terrifying way? Yeonjo was flustered by Boss Gu’s demand.

“Why do I have to do that?”

“Because it’s a dream, I might not hear you.”

For a reason to kick his fucking dick if it hurt, it was rather cute. The fact that he still believed this was all happening in a dream was also cute. Others might call it a perverse taste, but anyway, Gu Muncheon was, now as then, a being so cute he wouldn’t mind putting him in his eye.

“Since it’s a dream, you can do whatever you want instead.”

Yeonjo placed a hand on his firm chest. However, despite Yeonjo’s plausible persuasion, he did not look pleased at all. He held Yeonjo’s small chin and met his eyes.

“I told you. I don’t ever want to hurt you again.”

“…”

His gaze was as sharp as if it had been honed, to the point one might wonder if he was really drunk. For a moment, Yeonjo could not find his words and just moved his lips.

“It will all be over when you wake up anyway.”

“Right.”

“…”

“Then you should have at least shown up looking sturdy in the dream. Shit, you’re frail here too.”

He grumbled, scanning Yeonjo’s thin arms and wrists with displeasure.

“My goodness. Is that such a big complaint? How did you hold back from saying that all this time.”

It was so absurd that a hollow laugh escaped him on its own. He had always been curious about what was inside Boss Gu’s head because he never spoke at length about what he was thinking. It was natural, but he preferred a sturdy Cha Yeonjo.

Taking this opportunity, Yeonjo decided to question him further.

“Alright. From now on, I’ll come to your dreams healthier.”

“And gain some weight.”

“Okay. I’ll gain weight too.”

Yeonjo replied with a smile on his face. But contrary to Yeonjo’s expression, Boss Gu’s eyes were rigid and shaking with anxiety.

“What are you thinking about? Tell me more.”

Gu Muncheon, I want to know what you are thinking. I want to pick up even the paltry fragments of your emotions that have sunk to the deep bottom and absorb them all.

“Cha Yeonjo, I.”

His adam’s apple bobbed as he gently traced the upturned corners of Yeonjo’s lips with his fingertips.

“…I don’t want to be hated by you, hyung.”

I don’t want to be hated by you, hyung. Even if it is a dream.

Boss Gu whispered, his voice hoarse and barely audible. His desperate inner thoughts came through so clearly that Yeonjo’s breath caught in his throat.

“Why would I… why would I hate you.”

Yeonjo added belatedly, cupping Boss Gu’s face. The ink black eyes, deeply tinged with uncertainty, were, as always, solely filled with Cha Yeonjo.

“I’m anxious that there will be nothing left but for you to be disappointed in me. If the memories of the days I hurt you don’t disappear.”

“…”

“So if you say you’ll leave me again…. Then I.”

Just like when Yeonjo had hyperventilated, his chest rose and fell ceaselessly as he spoke.

“No. That will never happen.”

Yeonjo said, looking directly into the black eyes that were trembling precariously.

“I don’t know.”

“Listen to me, baby.”

“…”

“I will never leave you again. I promise.”

Yeonjo’s firm voice brought back a scene that had been seared into Boss Gu’s mind a very long time ago.

‘Baby, look at hyung. Not being able to speak well isn’t your fault.’

‘…I, I don’t know….’

‘Baby.’

‘…’

‘It’s not your fault. Understand?’

It was exactly the same as then.

Cha Yeonjo’s eyes sparkled with a chillingly elegant light, his voice was clear without a speck of falsehood, and he was so uprightly beautiful that it made his desolate heart ripple.

Rags, Boss Gu was happy yet sad about that fact. Because the more Yeonjo shone, the more clearly his own ugliness protruded. He could not be sure if a person as noble as Cha Yeonjo would want to stay by his side for his entire life. Could Cha Yeonjo truly forgive the man who had held onto his weak body and dragged him into a deeper mire?

Even with Cha Yeonjo right in front of him, he was never able to have enough and was always thirsty. Always, always, always.

Knowing it hurt his heart to look at him, Boss Gu could not stop staring blankly into Yeonjo’s eyes. Even though he knew it was a fantasy created by the alcohol he had been pouring down since the afternoon, the Cha Yeonjo before him was so clear it was hard to believe it was a dream.

“Fuck, why are you so vivid, you. …Why, even in a dream, are you.”

And his lust for Cha Yeonjo knew no end.

As if he knew Boss Gu’s heart, Yeonjo pressed his lips against his. It was a kiss so fresh it made his consciousness grow faint. Boss Gu could not resist and pulled Yeonjo into his arms, kissing him desperately.

“Haah… chupt, ha-eut.”

“Hoo.”

“Hoo.”

So that Yeonjo would not get out of breath, Boss Gu pulled his lips away first before his breathing became ragged. At that, Yeonjo wrapped his arms tightly around his neck and whispered in his ear.

“Put it in.”

“…”

“I want to do it.”

“…It’s still too much for your body. I’ll use my mouth instead.”

Boss Gu spoke in a tone as if he were reasoning with him and detached the thin arms wrapped around his neck. But this time, Yeonjo did not give up easily either.

“I don’t want that. Fill me with yours.”

“…”

At his stubborn attitude, a flash of conflict crossed Boss Gu’s eyes. A thick vein stood out on the column of his neck as he exhaled a ragged breath.

🚬

When it snowed in winter, the children at the orphanage would take sides and have snowball fights or roll snow to build snowmen. They would bring buttons that had fallen off their coats, blunted crayons, and other things from their respective rooms to make faces for the snowmen.

On days when the snow fell so hard that it made a crunching sound with every step, the orphanage would be boisterous from morning till evening.

The boy, who had no group of friends to play with even within the orphanage for the reason that he stuttered and his actions were clumsy for his age, would endlessly watch the children running and playing outside the window with envious eyes.

Yeonjo had a lot of overdue homework, and with exams approaching, he did not have the time to join the younger children and play with that boy. Above all, Yeonjo’s homeroom teacher at the time made a habit of shaming students by making them stand in the hallway and shouting at them if they did not do their homework properly. Although no one said it out loud, it was an open secret among the students that he was especially harsh on the children from the orphanage. Because of that, Yeonjo wanted to do his homework perfectly no matter what.

Of all times, for it to snow on a day when he had so much homework piled up. Yeonjo, blaming the thoughtlessly ill-timed weather, sat at his desk and gazed out the window where thick snowflakes were falling heavily.

Then he shifted his gaze to the back of the head of the boy who was sitting right in front of the window, stuck to it like a cicada. Looking at the small, round back of his head, Yeonjo swallowed a sigh.

He must want to go out and touch the snow like the other children, but that boy did not pester Yeonjo to play with him, nor did he ever bother him. It was as if he needed nothing as long as he was in the same space as Yeonjo, calm and quiet. Just like always.

This situation was sometimes bothersome and tiresome. He wished the boy would go play somewhere else so as not to get on his nerves. Contrary to Yeonjo’s wish, the boy never left Yeonjo’s side.

So Yeonjo felt terribly sorry for him. It would be nice if the child could make friends too. But for one, the other children were reluctant to approach him first, and the biggest problem was that the boy himself had absolutely no interest in anyone other than Yeonjo.

‘Baby. Do you want to go out and build a snowman?’

‘Hy, hyung.’

It was around the time his homework was almost finished. Yeonjo put down his mechanical pencil on the half-solved workbook and casually asked the boy who was stuck to the window. He still had more to do, but it seemed like the sun would set soon if he waited. Even though it was early, being winter, the outside was slowly beginning to darken.

‘Di, did you fi, finish your ho, homework?’

The boy turned around and trotted over to Yeonjo to ask.

‘Yeah.’

Yeonjo lied. At that, with a noticeably brightened expression, the boy took out Yeonjo’s coat hanging on the coat rack.

‘Hy, hyung. Pu, put on wa, warm clothes.’

‘I can take care of myself, so you just make sure you’re dressed warmly.’

Yeonjo opened the drawer of the old, creaking wardrobe and took out a thick set of clothes for the boy to wear.

He meticulously put on his thermal underwear, made him wear two pairs of socks, and put a puffy t-shirt, which was lined with a soft fabric on the inside, over his body. The boy obediently raised his short arms to help Yeonjo dress him.

‘Ye, Yeonjo hyung.’

‘Yeah.’

‘Hy, hyung, ha, have you e, ever ma, made a sno, snowman?’

‘I have. When I was little.’

‘Re, really?’

The boy, whose body had become round from the thick layers of clothes, sparkled his eyes.

‘Th, th, then how do, do snowmen wa, walk? A, after we ma, make it, can, can we br, bring it to our roo, room?’

The excited boy, unlike his usual self, poured out a torrent of questions. The child, who was much smaller and more petite than him, fidgeted with his hands nonstop. Yeonjo, who was putting gloves on those hands, smiled in a difficult position.

‘You can’t bring it to the room.’

‘Wh, why?’

The child’s voice quickly became sullen.

‘I, it would be ni, nice if the sno, snowman ca, came to the roo, room with us…. And sle, slept, too.’

‘Snowmen are made of snow, so if you bring them into the room, they’ll melt right away.’

‘Wo, won’t it be co, co, cold if it’s ou, outside?’

‘It will probably like being outside more.’

Yeonjo buttoned up the last toggle of his duffle coat. By the time he went outside with the boy, the area was already empty. The children who had been running around and shouting for a long time seemed to have gone back tired, as only footprints and messy traces remained here and there.

The two of them paid no mind and diligently built a snowman with the remaining snow in the orphanage’s front yard. The boy, who was wearing a scarf on top of his gloves, walked with a waddle like a penguin, probably because Yeonjo had dressed him so thickly. Still, commendably, he did not fall and was good at rolling the snow to make it bigger.

From behind, Yeonjo watched proudly as the boy grunted and rolled the snow. There was not much snow left, so they could not make a huge snowman, but they made a fairly human-like face with the buttons and plastic they had brought.

Once the snowman was complete, the boy seemed to want to take the lumpy white mass back to the room with him. However, he did not express his wishes out loud. The boy never insisted if Yeonjo said no.

After looking at the lone snowman for a long time with eyes dripping with disappointment, the boy took Yeonjo’s hand and returned to the room.

‘Th, the sno, snowman is pi, pitiful….’

The boy mumbled gloomily as he changed into his pajamas.

‘Be, because i, it’s sa, sad to be a, alone.’

Yeonjo, who was spreading out the snow-covered clothes on one side to dry, turned to look at the boy.

‘Are you sad right now too, baby?’

Yeonjo asked, touching the boy’s cheeks, which were flushed from the cold. The boy shook his head bravely.

‘Rags i, is wi, with Yeonjo hy, hyung, so I, I, I’m not sad a, at all.’

‘…’

Yeonjo could not say anything. It felt as suffocating as if someone had shoved a handful of snow down his throat. It was a heavy and bleak night.

The little child himself lay down in his bed without a care, so why his own throat felt so choked up, he did not know.

Tired from moving around outside for a long time, the boy fell asleep as soon as he lay down. Yeonjo was in a difficult position as he still had homework to do. But since the boy had fallen asleep holding his index finger tightly, he thought the child would wake up if he went back to his desk.

Yeonjo had no choice but to postpone his homework and relax his body. His body was warm under the layers of blankets, and the sound of the boy’s soft, even breathing echoed regularly.

The snow fell all night, and the orphanage, covered in darkness, was silent. It felt as empty as if even the loneliness had been taken away by the night.

Yeonjo, looking at the boy’s delicate features with drowsy eyes, soon drifted off to sleep.

🚬

When he opened his eyes, his vision was blurry and scattered. A few seconds later, as his focus sharpened, the small, fragile boy was gone, and he saw the figure of Boss Gu, with his distinct and thick features, his eyes closed.

For a moment, Yeonjo could not properly grasp reality and blinked his eyes several times.

Ah, I was dreaming.

The situation registered a beat later. It had been a really long time since his orphanage days had appeared in a dream. Yeonjo retraced the boy’s appearance from the dream in his mind. Then he compared it to the sleeping face of Gu Muncheon in front of him.

He always felt this, but the boy and the usual Gu Muncheon were completely different people, to the point where it was difficult to find any resemblance. As an exception, when all his facial muscles were relaxed in sleep, he could find some similarities in a few places.

The small face of the boy breathing evenly and softly, and the real Boss Gu in front of him, overlapped, albeit faintly. For such a small child to have grown so much was something to be proud of as a guardian.

The problem was that the boy, …no, Boss Gu, was currently lying in bed completely naked.

Naturally, the acts he had performed with him last night came to mind, and intertwined with the image of the boy he had seen in his dream, an indescribable guilt washed over him. Although, in his drunken state, he had stubbornly insisted he did not want to hurt him and they had not been able to finish the act until the end, it seemed they had done every possible sexual act except for penetration.

What have I done? …Is it okay for me to do this with him? Of all things, the image of the boy from his dream was too vivid today.

Yeonjo swallowed a silent scream and rolled his eyes. Especially since he had just woken up and his mind was groggy, his mood was fluctuating wildly.

For now, Yeonjo decided to go outside the bedroom to calm his churning insides. The longer he stayed here, the deeper his guilt would become.

“What is it.”

As he was about to get out of bed, holding his back which was stiff and sore from rolling around naked on the sofa and bed for the first time in a long while, Boss Gu, who had woken up in the meantime, grabbed Yeonjo and pulled him into his arms. In an instant, he was held in the arms of the completely naked man, unable to move a muscle.

“Let go. I’m going out.”

“Where are you going.”

As Yeonjo squirmed, Boss Gu let out a small laugh. Then, as if he had been struck by lightning, he suddenly shot up.

His eyes wide open, he swiftly scanned his own naked state and Yeonjo’s body, which was covered in red marks here and there. Having grasped the situation, his face contorted as if he were suffering from a terrible headache, and he let out a ragged breath.

“No way. Did I force you yesterday?”

He asked, forcing out each word as if he were chewing on them.

Forced him? Did he mean sex? After making him wait all night with that nonsense about not being able to do penetration. Hearing such an out-of-the-blue statement after a good night’s sleep, Yeonjo was extremely flustered.

“Did you force me?”

Yeonjo blinked his eyes in bewilderment. Of course, there was no coercion in any of the acts that had happened yesterday. However, contrary to Yeonjo’s wish for sex, Boss Gu had insisted only on petting for the absurd reason that he was not confident he could control his strength.

“Do you really not remember anything?”

At Yeonjo’s question, Boss Gu swallowed dryly and bitterly several times.

“Tell me honestly. I came in drunk yesterday and… did I force you down?”

For someone who thought he was the perpetrator, his complexion was deathly pale, as if he were about to collapse. It was the first time Yeonjo had seen Boss Gu make such an agonized expression, so his own mind went blank and he could not find an appropriate response.

Even though the petting after a long time had been a bit overwhelming, it had definitely been good. He thought he would have felt good too, just like him…. He must have been severely drunk, saying he drank a lot.

“It wasn’t forced.”

Yeonjo cleared his throat and explained calmly.

“Really?”

Boss Gu, as if he could not believe it, stared at Yeonjo’s body, which was swollen and red all over.

“Yes. I asked for it… so we did it.”

“But why the fuck is your body in this state.”

Feeling somehow ashamed of his own appearance, Yeonjo discreetly covered his body with the blanket.

“That’s because you spent hours just biting and sucking.”

“…”

To emphasize that there had been no act of penetration, Yeonjo put particular stress on ‘just biting and sucking’.

“It was absolutely not forced. I didn’t dislike it either. I liked it. So don’t think strange thoughts.”

“Haah….”

As if relieved only after hearing Yeonjo’s calm explanation, Boss Gu slumped down onto the bed. He covered his face and washed it with his dry hands, composing his shocked insides for a few seconds.

Yeonjo looked at him with a gaze mixed with pity and interest, and then pulled his arm towards him. Boss Gu, who had not been putting any strength into his body, slid smoothly in the direction Yeonjo led.

He leaned against the head of the bed where Yeonjo was sitting and buried his face in Yeonjo’s solar plexus, being held quietly.

“You should have drunk in moderation. We did a lot of things yesterday, you probably won’t remember any of it.”

When Yeonjo spoke teasingly, his mouth hardened.

“It’s not like I don’t remember at all.”

“Well, that’s a relief.”

Chuckling, Yeonjo gently caressed Boss Gu’s face. He touched his sharp eyes, the distinct angle of his nose, and his firm jaw in turn. It was quite fascinating to see glimpses of his old baby self from time to time. If you looked closely, there were cute parts remaining that made you want to poke them.

“Why did you drink so much? Doesn’t your head hurt?”

Boss Gu still did not relax his stiff expression, but he let Yeonjo fiddle with his face.

“Should I make you some honey water?”

“Forget it. You take care of yourself.”

Even as he spoke so bluntly, Boss Gu did not let go of Yeonjo’s waist which he was hugging. Half-lying down and held by Yeonjo, his sensual back was fully exposed, twitching before his eyes.

The small scratches and marks he had made with his fingernails last night were embedded in the huge dragon tattoo and bronze skin, looking intensely provocative. To be having such trashy thoughts even after seeing the large burn scar on his back. Moreover, having dreamt of his orphanage days of all things, Yeonjo felt an extreme pang of conscience, as if he were a suspect who had secretly committed a crime.

“Your heart is beating fast.”

Boss Gu, who had keenly noticed Yeonjo’s change, lifted his head. Yeonjo blushed, feeling as if his sinister thoughts had been caught.

“Are you in pain again?”

“No, it’s not that.”

“You are in pain. As expected, yesterday was too much….”

“I told you it’s not that.”

The idiom ‘same bed, different dreams’ must have been created for a situation exactly like this one. How could their ways of thinking be so different.

Still, feeling relieved that Boss Gu could not see into his heart, Yeonjo kissed his lips as if stamping them.

Peck, peck, peck. At that, Boss Gu stopped what he was saying.

“Are you not going to work today?”

“I can go in late.”

The subordinates will hate that. Yeonjo thought to himself and smiled. Still, since Boss Gu was going in late, they had more time to be together, which was enjoyable for Yeonjo.

“Let’s eat now. I’m hungry.”

At Yeonjo’s words that he was hungry, he no longer lingered and got up. Boss Gu picked up a bottle of water on the bedroom table and drank, and Yeonjo followed him, pulling back the blanket he was under.

“…”

“What.”

Wondering about Yeonjo, who had suddenly frozen without getting out of bed, Boss Gu put down the water bottle. He moved closer to Yeonjo and checked his complexion.

“Do you feel sick?”

“…No.”

Yeonjo belatedly noticed the semen that had dried densely and transparently on his skin. Not just on his stomach and chest, but especially from his armpits, where Boss Gu had rubbed his dick, to the soles of his feet and his ankles….

Seeing the traces left on his body with his own eyes, the memory of tumbling around messily with Boss Gu last night came back vividly. He had definitely put his massive dick between his armpits and moved his hips roughly as if he were putting it in his ass. It was a shocking day where he learned that each part of the body could be used for various purposes.

“I should wash up first before eating.”

Yeonjo said, his voice tinged with a sense of unfairness. He felt like he was a mess while Boss Gu was relatively fine. Compared to him, whose whole body ached, Boss Gu, despite having come home after drinking so much, showed no signs of a common hangover or even muscle aches. Wasn’t this too unfair?

“I’ll wash you.”

Boss Gu lifted his body in a flash as if holding a child. He went straight into the bathroom, sat Yeonjo down, and then drew warm water. Since he had washed him quite often while living together, this situation was quite familiar to Yeonjo.

Boss Gu now knew how to get the water temperature just right for Yeonjo. He dissolved a bath bomb with a fresh scent that did not match his large build and gently rubbed Yeonjo’s rice-cake-like skin. His touch was still clumsy, but he did not mind and always washed Yeonjo as meticulously as possible.

This time, his gaze lingered on Yeonjo’s feet for an unusually long time. Yeonjo, who was soaking his body deeply in the warm water, looked up at Boss Gu with curiosity.

“Is there something on them?”

He shook his head. Instead, he said something unexpectedly corny.

“Even the shape of your feet is pretty.”

His voice was as indifferent as if he were asking for a cigarette.

“There’s no such thing.”

“It’s right here.”

“Don’t say weird things.”

Yeonjo, flustered, hid his feet under the water. Then he splashed water at Boss Gu who was outside the tub. The white shirt he had casually thrown on began to get wet. Under the foam, Yeonjo wiggled the toes that Boss Gu had been fiddling with his hands for a long time.

Suddenly, the dream he had during the night came to mind.

“You were in my dream today.”

At that, Boss Gu shrugged his shoulders.

“I must have been whining and stuttering again.”

“No.”

“Then.”

He was pretending not to be, but he was curious about how he had appeared in the dream. Yeonjo, with a smile on his face, explained as he remembered.

“It was a day when it snowed.”

Other dreams were forgotten quickly, but those related to the boy always remained vivid for a long time even after waking up.

“I dressed you in so many clothes that you waddled every time you walked. Like a penguin.”

“I probably fell ungracefully, didn’t I?”

Boss Gu clicked his tongue as if he knew it all.

“You didn’t fall, you walked just fine.”

“Hmm.”

He did not seem to believe him. Yeonjo glared at him and added.

“It’s true. Ah, back then, your hands and feet were small too, so it was cute when you wiggled. But now….”

“Now?”

Yeonjo’s smoothly curved eyes stared intently at Boss Gu’s linear face. He looked much colder when he was awake than when he was asleep.

“Actually, you’re still cute now.”

“First time I’m hearing that.”

“I wonder if it sounds like an insult to a grown man.”

“Not at all.”

Boss Gu leaned his body towards the bathtub and captured Yeonjo’s lips. The two naturally entangled their wet bodies, chasing and stealing, and having their breaths stolen. Only the splashing sound of water and the wet, overlapping sound of lips filled the bathroom.

🚬

Yeonjo’s recovery was slow. Even with plenty of rest and consistent medication, there were many days he woke up in his sleep because he had trouble breathing, and if he walked for even a little while, he would become breathless and unable to move for a long time. Once in a while, when he thought he was getting better, a fever would rise and he would throw up.

Still, he consistently went to the hospital, took walks, and made sure to eat his meals at set times. On days when his condition was good, he diligently went out for walks with Boss Gu, and on days when he felt too suffocated, they would go for a drive to the outskirts and sleep over at a hotel.

By the time he had been focusing on recuperating like that for nearly three months, the symptom of his breath running short for no reason had almost disappeared, and he no longer had sudden fevers. He was fine all day even after going out to buy groceries on his own.

Although he had not fully recovered compared to before, his condition had certainly improved a lot compared to right after he had collapsed.

Yeonjo decided that he should slowly start preparing to return to work at the resort. The doctor he had met a few days ago had advised that it was still a time to rest, but he could not just rest at home forever. Boss Gu was also adjusting his commute times無理 to accommodate him.

No matter how much consideration the resort gave him, they probably would not have wanted his leave of absence to be this long. If they would just allow it, Yeonjo wanted to return to work as early as next week.

Since he would be staying in the dormitory during the weekdays, shouldn’t he pack his things in advance? Then what should he pack first?

It seemed that three months had been a long time, as he was flustered that the things he needed when he stayed at the dormitory did not immediately come to mind. First, he should pack his clothes, Yeonjo thought.

“Where are you going?”

While Yeonjo had taken out a large suitcase into the living room and was folding clothes he had brought from the dressing room, Boss Gu came home. He approached, looking back and forth between Yeonjo and the suitcase placed next to him.

“You’re home early?”

“Why is this out.”

“Ah. It’s about time I went back to the resort.”

“The resort?”

As if asking what he meant, Boss Gu’s voice lowered.

“Bright Resort…. I was on leave of absence.”

“You’re going to work again?”

Seeing Boss Gu’s brow furrow at once, Yeonjo thought, oops. Boss Gu did not like him working at the resort. He had always considered it a thorn in his side, but after Yeonjo collapsed, he seemed to regard it as an even more forbidden deviation.

But with all his limbs this healthy, he couldn’t just play and eat at home for the rest of his life, could he? Yeonjo had never thought of quitting his job unless he was fired, so he could not figure out how to deal with Boss Gu’s hostile reaction.

“I can’t just rest forever. Not right away, but maybe around next week at the earliest….”

“Why.”

“Huh?”

“Do you really need to work? Your health isn’t good, so it would be good to take a long break while you’re at it.”

“What do you mean, do I… need to work? It’s still my workplace. And I decided to take a leave of absence, how can I suddenly quit.”

To Yeonjo, a leave of absence literally meant taking a temporary break until his health improved, but Boss Gu seemed to have understood it as quitting his job for good.

“It’s not like I can’t bring you money, so why do you want to work? Is the money I give you not enough?”

The topic suddenly jumped from the introduction to the conclusion, changing rapidly. When Boss Gu said something unexpected, Yeonjo stammered.

“…What does you earning a lot of money have to do with… me working?”

“Why does it not have anything to do with it. You can rest comfortably using the money I earn. How much can you even make from that paltry resort salary.”

“…”

At Boss Gu’s uninhibited words, he could not think of anything more to say. He could not even figure out where to start refuting.

“Are you saying I should just stay at home because you make a lot of money?”

“Yes. What are you going to do going out when you’re not well? What if you collapse again trying to earn pocket change?”

“…”

“Why are you trying to go back to a place that runs just fine without you anyway?”

He spoke as if Yeonjo were being needlessly stubborn to earn some pocket change. At the same time, Yeonjo’s mind went completely blank.

“…”

“…”

Silence fell between the two. Yeonjo did not know how to continue the conversation and just let his gaze wander aimlessly.

Why did he have to go back? Yeonjo clenched his fists tightly.

Boss Gu did not understand in the slightest what the kindness the resort had shown meant to Yeonjo, who had wandered his whole life without a sense of belonging.

“Why, you ask. Because President Im recommended it and… the CEO is… a good person. They are both really important people to me….”

Yeonjo’s throat choked up and he could not finish his sentence. Even if he explained earnestly, it did not seem like he would understand anyway. He was probably saying it out of concern, but his stomach churned because of his attitude that did not seem to consider his position or situation in the slightest.

“Don’t work. You can’t.”

Seeing him drive in a nail like that, Boss Gu did not even seem to have the sincerity to try and coordinate their opinions. Yeonjo’s chest ached with a wave of disappointment.

“Cha Yeonjo!”

When Yeonjo did not answer and silently packed his things, Boss Gu placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Don’t touch me.”

“Didn’t you hear me? I said I won’t allow it.”

Allow? What did he mean, allow? He could not believe that such words had come out of his mouth.

Due to shock and agitation, Yeonjo’s heart rate shot up in an instant, and it took less than a minute for him to become short of breath.

“And you still want to go to work in this state?”

Supporting Yeonjo who was clutching his chest, Boss Gu asked back coldly.

“If you hadn’t spoken like that, haah, from the beginning, I would have been fine!”

“Cha Yeonjo.”

“Let go of me….”

Seeing Yeonjo, pale and pushing him away, the corners of Boss Gu’s eyes shot up fiercely.

“What’s the problem with telling you to just use the money I bring home. You want me to send you back to that boondocks when you could collapse again at any moment? Why should I.”

He could not understand Yeonjo, who was trying to go back to the resort even at the expense of his health.

Boss Gu did not even want to recall how agonizing the two days were when Yeonjo was taken to the hospital and did not open his eyes. Every time he saw Yeonjo lying in the hospital bed, his eyes closed and as still as a dead person, he had to suffer from a terrible feeling like he was being strangled.

Such a situation should never happen again. If there was any factor that could cause such a situation, he was determined to eliminate it by any means necessary.

And yet, for Yeonjo to say he was walking into the same situation on his own two feet, it was only natural for him to be bursting with frustration.

What was he planning to do if he had an attack while staying in a dormitory in the boondocks where his gaze could not reach, when he had just started to recover. The more he recalled the miserable feeling he had felt at the hospital, the more it felt like he was being pushed to the edge of a cliff.

“What if you go out and collapse again? What if your health gets worse here?”

“I’ll have to be careful so that doesn’t happen.”

“Fuck, don’t talk so irresponsibly like that!”

Boss Gu’s upper body heaved, agitated just by imagining the worst-case emergency. He could not overcome his rising anger and slammed his fist on the dining table in front of him. Thump!

“…”

Yeonjo, who was right in front of him, flinched his shoulders at the dull thud. The force of the blow was so strong that the sturdy dining table was faintly shaking from the impact.

Yeonjo’s already unstable breathing began to fluctuate even more. From the trauma he had experienced before, his body, from his back to his waist, stiffened. Not even realizing that the luggage he was holding had tumbled to the floor, Yeonjo stepped back to get away from Boss Gu.

“Haah….”

“This was…, I didn’t mean to.”

When Yeonjo became noticeably anxious, Boss Gu hurriedly unclenched the fist he was holding tightly. At the same time, something fell from his hand to the floor with a clatter.

It was the couple ring that Yeonjo had gifted him. It had broken into two pieces from the impact of hitting the table.

Yeonjo, his legs stiff with shock, barely managed to move and went into the bedroom. He took out his inhaler, took a dose of the medicine, and slowly evened out his breathing, and his unstable breathing gradually began to return to normal. Nevertheless, his lungs still stung, so he closed his eyes and tried to relax his tense body.

It was a strange thing. Although his head recognized that Boss Gu had not clenched his fist to threaten him, his heart began to beat fast, and in an instant, his solar plexus tightened.

Yeonjo leaned against the wall and barely supported his body. No matter how slowly he inhaled and exhaled, his eyelids trembled and he felt nauseous and heavy, as if he were carsick.

“Haah, haah….”

As the severe pressure, like being in a coffin, continued, Yeonjo judged that it might be better to go outside for a little while than to stay at home. For now, he wanted to cool down his overheated emotions and head somehow. Yeonjo, gripping his inhaler tightly, headed straight for the front door.

Boss Gu, who had been standing by Yeonjo’s side anxiously, reflexively tried to follow him out.

“Don’t come.”

“Where are you going at this hour.”

Knowing that he was saying it out of worry, Yeonjo swallowed dryly and conveyed his intentions as calmly as possible.

“Right now, I think I need… some time alone. Don’t follow me.”

Yeonjo hastily put on his shoes and stepped back. His face was so deathly pale, as if he were looking at a ruffian, that Boss Gu could not possibly ignore his words and chase after him.

Without even having a chance to ask where he was going, when he would be back, or if he was okay, Yeonjo left the house. Without even looking back.

🚬

Yeonjo ran his fingers through his hair messily and looked up at the faintly starry sky. He knew that the night air was close to poison for someone with a weak respiratory system like him, but perhaps it was just a feeling, but when he came outside, his insides felt wide open and refreshed.

Having left the villa building, Yeonjo walked through the alley and calmly replayed what had just happened. There was a problem with the way Boss Gu spoke, but his words had stemmed from worry, and most of his claims were indeed true.

Perhaps wanting to work at the resort again was in itself his greed. In a situation where he did not know when his health might worsen again, working normally while jostling with people was unreasonable.

If he had consulted with Boss Gu before packing his bags, couldn’t they have had a slightly smoother conversation? It felt like he had missed the opportunity to persuade him by getting agitated along with him at his tone that seemed to belittle his work. He could forgive him since he was still young, but he himself should not have spoken only emotionally. He felt heavy-hearted for not being mature.

Moreover, hadn’t Boss Gu stuck by his side for the past few months and volunteered to take care of him? Knowing better than anyone how much he worried about him and how anxious he was about his health, he regretted his own childish reaction just a moment ago.

“How far have I walked.”

Yeonjo, who had been walking aimlessly through the alley, belatedly realized that he had come too far from home. When he checked the time, it had already been 20 minutes since he left the house.

By now, his churning insides had calmed down, and his resentment and anger towards Boss Gu had also disappeared. This time, he would not get agitated and would go back home and try to talk calmly again, Yeonjo resolved.

If, even after persuasion, he was firmly against him working… it would be disappointing and upsetting, but he intended to follow Boss Gu’s opinion as much as possible.

Not even 10 minutes had passed since he had organized his thoughts like that, when Yeonjo once again encountered an absurd situation.

“Gu Muncheon?”

The house he had hurriedly returned to in an attempt to talk was empty. The bedroom was empty, and on the living room dining table, the fragments of the ring that Boss Gu had broken a little while ago lay forlornly.

“Ha…. What the.”

No way… did he leave the house because he was angry?

Yeonjo, with a disbelieving expression, checked the shoe rack he had just passed. The shoes that Boss Gu usually wore were gone.

“Did he really leave? Really?”

The anger that had subsided flared up again. Yeonjo burst into a series of hollow laughs in disbelief.

Leaving the house? Without a word? Just like that? What in the world did he have to be angry about? As for himself, he had gone out to cool his head because he felt suffocated and dizzy, but why Gu Muncheon?

It was the first time a conflict had escalated in this way since he had started living with him, so Yeonjo was just bewildered by the current situation.

If he had gone out for work because something urgent came up, he would have at least contacted him, but there were no notifications on his phone. Yeonjo gave up looking for Boss Gu after searching the rooms and returned to the living room. The broken ring lying forlornly on the dining table was grating on his nerves, and a surge of irritation washed over him.

Gu Muncheon leaving the house. What did he do right? If anyone should leave, it should be me, why him? He was the one who made the harsh remark about what I would do with the pocket change I earn.

Where did he go at this time of night without a word. Apart from being angry, he was worried, so Yeonjo called Boss Gu. Whether his phone was turned off, or if he had deliberately ended the call, the connection was cut off immediately.

Deciding to wait for a call for now, Yeonjo sat on the living room sofa and killed time. But even after 30 minutes, and even after an hour, there was no news from Boss Gu.

“…”

Completely forgetting his resolution to try and have a mature conversation, Yeonjo was engulfed in an even greater anger than before.

After checking the clock one last time, Yeonjo could not suppress his flaring temper and shot up from his seat. He had not the slightest intention of waiting here forever for the runaway to return.

Grabbing his inhaler and car keys and putting on his outerwear, Yeonjo went straight out of the house. Even though the lights were brightly lit throughout the villa building, the thought that Boss Gu was not inside made it feel somehow more deserted than usual.

He had come down to the parking lot in a fit of pique and gotten into the car, but he could not think of a destination. It was already late at night, and he had not gone out far on his own recently, so there was no suitable place to go.

But he did not want to go back home like this either.

“…”

After gripping the steering wheel and staring ahead for a moment, Yeonjo started the engine without a second thought. If there was no place to go, he could just make one. When he entered a familiar address into the navigation system, it soon began to give directions. Yeonjo, without hesitation, stepped on the accelerator and left the parking lot.

On the street lit by streetlights, there were few cars or people, so there was nothing to hold him back. The night wind poured in relentlessly through the crack of the open car window. Seeing the scenery change rapidly, his heavy heart emptied and a strange sense of liberation came over him.

The unusually blue moonlight shone palely on Yeonjo’s face as he held the steering wheel.

🚬

As he entered a narrow alley, the car shook a few times. Since it was the countryside, there were many rocks around, so the road was rough. Yeonjo leaned his body as far forward as possible, scanned his surroundings, and drove slowly.

In this neighborhood, the streetlights were so sparse that it was dark all around even with the headlights on.

“Is this the right place…?”

Muttering anxiously, Yeonjo swallowed a sigh. He had never driven here himself at such a late hour before, so the surrounding scenery looked unfamiliar.

Could he have taken a wrong turn? The navigation was saying this was the right place, but it was common for maps not to be updated in time as soon as you left the city, so he was even more anxious. Moreover, since there were so few people around, he could not let his guard down for a moment, fearing something might suddenly pop out.

Ah, I should have just stayed at home. He suddenly missed Boss Gu. If he were next to him, he would not have blinked an eye no matter how long this dark and rough road continued. People’s hearts are so fickle.

The saying that you suffer when you leave home was not for nothing. Yeonjo gnawed on his lower lip and slowly pressed the accelerator, relying on the narrow view of the headlights.

On the other hand, he felt pathetic for thinking about that damn guy who had run away without a word even after coming all this way, and he felt self-loathing.

“Oh, there it is.”

Yeonjo, who had been driving at a snail’s pace, found a familiar building and sign and felt a deep sense of relief. The sign that said ‘Happiness Dabang’ had never been more welcome.

Parking the car next to the dabang building, Yeonjo belatedly checked the time. 4:37 AM. He still had to wait a long time for the dabang to open.

Except for the light of a streetlight flickering precariously in the distance, it was all darkness, but thinking that it was a familiar neighborhood, it was not that scary. There was no way there would be a ruffian or anything like that here, and the car doors were locked.

As his tense heart loosened, drowsiness washed over him. Since he had to wait for a few hours for the dabang owner to come anyway, it would be good to get some sleep in the meantime. He was tired as it was already well past his usual bedtime.

Yeonjo reclined the driver’s seat and pulled his outerwear tightly around him. Although it was not as comfortable as the bed at home, the car seat, which was worth its price, was cozy without a single sore spot.

He did not know what he wanted to do by coming all the way here without a plan, but he decided to think about such complicated things after he woke up. Yeonjo took out the inhaler he had brought, took a long breath, and then lay down in a comfortable position.

As soon as he closed his eyes, his consciousness quickly sank.

🚬

Knock, knock,

…

Knock, knock, knock.

At the sound of knocking on the car window, a fine crack appeared on Yeonjo’s smooth forehead.

“Oppa! It’s Yeonjo oppa, right?”

Following that, a cheerful voice flowed in through the slightly open gap in the window. A few seconds later, Yeonjo’s eyes, which had been deeply asleep, slowly opened.

“Oppa? Are you sleeping? Are you awake?”

The first thing Yeonjo saw as soon as he woke up was Lee Yeonsu’s face, stuck uncomfortably close to the driver’s side window.

“Ah, you scared me!”

Startled, Yeonjo hurriedly rolled down the window.

“Yeonsu….”

“Wow! It’s really Yeonjo oppa! Why are you here? I was surprised to see a super expensive-looking car in front of the dabang all of a sudden! Were you supposed to meet my mom today? What brings you here? Did you just come to hang out?”

As a barrage of questions poured in at once, Yeonjo could not answer immediately and blinked his eyes blankly. When he looked at the clock, it was exactly the time for the dabang to open. The sun was already high in the sky, and the familiar scenery of the neighborhood unfolded.

He had wondered if he would be able to sleep well in a different bed, but he had managed to sleep soundly without waking up once.

“I just had some time, so I came by. Have you been well?”

Yeonjo said, tidying his hair awkwardly and smiling.

“Of course! But you came so suddenly like this? Anyway, it’s good to see you, oppa!”

Seeing Yeonjo get out of the car, Lee Yeonsu clapped her hands. Yeonjo cleared his hoarse throat and looked around.

“By the way, where’s the owner? What about your school?”

“Ah! It’s the school’s founding anniversary today, so I don’t have school. My mom went to get a perm, so I’m opening the dabang just for today. Did you have breakfast, oppa?”

Fortunately, Lee Yeonsu did not ask why he was in front of the dabang at the crack of dawn, or why he had suddenly appeared without any contact. She just seemed happy to see him after a long time. Yeonjo was grateful for Lee Yeonsu’s simplicity and innocence.

“No, not yet….”

“Tell me what you want to eat, and I’ll make you anything!”

Lee Yeonsu jingled the dabang keys she had taken out of her pocket. Then, shuddering at the thought that she would be dead if her mom found out she did not open on time, she scurried into the building.

Following her retreating back, Yeonjo also went up to the dabang in a daze. Seeing the familiar interior of the empty dabang, a smile spread across his lips without him realizing it.

🚬

“How is it? It’s delicious, right?”

Lee Yeonsu sat across from him and leaned her head out so far it was burdensome, waiting for Yeonjo’s taste evaluation. The menu was pork belly and kimchi stir-fry. When Yeonjo had steadfastly refused breakfast, saying he did not have to eat, Lee Yeonsu had insisted on at least warming up some leftovers from yesterday and had brought it over on her own. It was a bit much for breakfast, but it was much more delicious than what you would get at most restaurants.