Magic on the Dead Chapter 89

As they swallowed the hot porridge without even a fan, sweat soon trickled down both of their temples. Beyond the veranda, the cicadas chirped relentlessly, chirp—chirp—.

Gulp, gulp. Hajin, having emptied a bowl of porridge and two cups of juice in an instant, looked around before pointing a finger at the wall clock.

“I think that clock is broken.”

Eden turned his head in the direction he was pointing.

“Broken?”

“Look. The hour hand is pointing to three o’clock.”

And he replied nonchalantly to Hajin’s added explanation.

“It is three o’clock. Did you come out of your room without looking at a clock?”

“…Pardon?”

Hajin wiped the juice from around his mouth with a completely bewildered expression. If it really was three in the afternoon, it meant that even if they left right away, they would only be able to travel for a mere five hours.

“But why didn’t you wake me up? Aren’t we super late?”

“I didn’t plan on moving today anyway, so I just let you be.”

Resting for another day? His pupils, filled with anxiety, shook ceaselessly.

Eden, as if he had expected his reaction, brought out the answer he had prepared.

“It’s not because of you, Mr. Do Hajin. This time, I’m not feeling well.”

Of course, it was a lie. Although Hajin’s health seemed to have improved for now, he planned to monitor his condition for one more day because he didn’t know when he might become sick again and his body temperature might fluctuate.

“You’re not feeling well?”

“Yes.”

As if in disbelief, a gaze mixed with worry and suspicion lingered on his face for a while.

“You look perfectly fine for someone who’s not feeling well. You don’t have to lie for my sake.”

Being quick-witted is a curse in itself.

“I’m human too. I can certainly get sick.”

“What’s wrong, and where does it hurt?”

“I have a fever, and I feel cold.”

He then leaned his upper body closer to Hajin and added.

“I think I caught it from kissing you, Mr. Do Hajin.”

“Pffft—!”

Caught by the unexpected attack, Hajin spat out the juice he had been holding in his mouth.

“…”

A brief silence followed.

Eden closed his eyes, feeling the sensation of juice dripping down his chin, and let out a hollow laugh.

Drip… drip…

Gasp. A sound of someone sucking in a breath was heard, and the table was pushed aside with a clatter.

“Oh my god, what do I do? Are you okay?!”

Hajin, who had quickly approached on his knees, found some wet wipes in a corner and wiped Eden’s eyes.

He was flustered enough to be uncharacteristically clumsy, and Eden, who had been silently accepting the awkward touch, slightly turned his head as a sign to stop.

“That’s enough. I’ll wipe it myself, so give them to me.”

“Just a moment, just a little here…”

A stubborn hand quickly swept across his chest, where the juice had splattered.

“From now on, how about you voice your complaints with words?”

Hajin, his forehead turning red at the words he couldn’t tell were a joke or serious, glanced up.

“I’m sorry for spitting out the juice, but I have no complaints about you, Mr. Jung Taegeon.”

“For someone with no complaints, your level of cursing was no joke.”

“…”

“It’s the first time in my life I’ve heard someone say ‘shit’ to my face that many times.”

Hajin stiffened his shoulders and rolled the yellow-stained wet wipe in his hand. He had been so focused on the kiss that he had completely forgotten about yelling curses at him last night. His lips, swollen overnight, twitched, unsure of what to do.

After rolling his eyes as if debating whether to be brazen or to apologize, he finally gave a sulky answer.

“You’re the one who made me curse, Mr. Jung Taegeon.”

Look at this. Eden tilted his head askew at Hajin, who was avoiding his gaze.

“If you make me worry a second time, are you going to hit me?”

“You never know. So be careful.”

Contrary to his face, which was downcast with apology, his retorts were consistently bold, and Eden finally burst out laughing. Ignoring him, who had suddenly erupted in laughter, Hajin cleared the table and stood up. The sound of laughter coming from behind him didn’t cease even as he headed to the kitchen.

He put the dishes in the sink, turned his head, and snapped.

“Stop laughing. Do you have any idea how worried I was yesterday? If there was no medicine, you should have just come back. What were you thinking, not showing up until that late at night? I really thought something terrible had happened to you somewhere.”

He looked so much like a nagging spouse that Eden couldn’t help but shake his head. After laughing with his shoulders shaking for a long while, he suddenly pulled a broken wristwatch from his pocket.

“The watch I was carrying stopped. I only realized it was broken after it got dark.”

“…”

“I thought I could make it back before you woke up, Mr. Do Hajin, but I couldn’t. I didn’t think you would come out looking for me because of me… I’m sorry for disappearing without a word and making you worry.”

Hajin’s mouth clamped shut, seemingly quite embarrassed by the cool apology.

In the meantime, Pie lay down on the summer rug where the table had been cleared, exposing his belly. The dog, drowsy after eating its fill, had its eyes half-closed. Hajin, watching the cute antics with a pleased expression, went over to its side and stroked its velvet-like fur.

“To be honest, I know it wasn’t anyone’s fault. We were just unlucky yesterday. Of course, I’m sorry for cursing… Anyway, I didn’t know you had gone out for medicine, Mr. Jung Taegeon.”

How could he have ever imagined it? Although he had discovered many new aspects of him lately, there was no denying that Jung Taegeon was inherently cold and unaffectionate. Even if he was willing to risk his life for the safety of a comrade, to think that he had really been out looking for medicine until late at night…

Just then, a casual reply reached Hajin’s ears.

“That’s right. Because you didn’t know, you were able to spout things like ‘fucker’ and ‘crazy bastard,’ weren’t you?”

“Ah, come on… I said I’m sorry.”

Hajin shot a sullen glance at the mischievous Eden and fidgeted with the cap of the half-empty orange juice bottle. After fiddling with it for a while, he opened his mouth hesitantly.

“I’d prefer if we didn’t separate, if possible, until we meet up with the others. Our principle is to work in a team of two, isn’t it?”

“Should I take that to mean you want to stick close together?”

The point seemed a bit off, but Hajin reluctantly nodded his head.

“Yes, because we can’t let things get dangerous again like yesterday.”

“Hmm, alright.”

“By the way, do you have any ointment left?”

“I’ve used almost all of it… Are you hurt somewhere?”

That couldn’t be right. Eden tilted his head, recalling Hajin’s naked body from last night. He had a bruise on his right shoulder blade, probably from falling while fighting a zombie, but there were definitely no scratches or injuries on his skin.

“Hurry up and give me the ointment.”

At the insistent gesture, he finally got up from his seat, found the dried-up ointment, and handed it over. Hajin took the medicine and immediately pulled Eden’s arm, leading him to the bedroom.

“What is it?”

“Your neck, Mr. Jung Taegeon. You got a wound there yesterday.”

Hajin quickly sat Eden down on the bed and diligently squeezed the ointment tube that wouldn’t yield anything.

“All done. Turn your head a bit.”

Eden tilted his neck to the side like a well-behaved child. In the full-length mirror opposite him, he could see Do Hajin examining his neck in a single glance. His lips were slightly parted in concentration.

The touch of the hand spreading the ointment on his nape was quite light and delicate, and a satisfied smile spread across Eden’s lips.

“The wound is deeper than I thought. It would be good to apply it for a few more days, but we’ve used up all the ointment… Hmm, I’ll see if I can find a bandage.”

Hajin placed the ointment on the bedside table and turned his body. Eden impulsively grabbed the wrist of the man who was about to leave.

At the sudden physical contact, Hajin’s relaxed fingers curled inward for a moment. …Why? His eyes asked the question, and he had the face of a herbivore caught in a net.

As they stayed like that for a while, blue sparks crackled where their skin touched.

Hajin’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down.

“Mr. Do Hajin.”

In contrast, Eden’s voice as he called his name was no different from that of a hunter who had starved for days.

“By any chance, what do you remember from yesterday?”

What do I remember…?

“What do you mean, what do I remember?”

“You don’t remember anything beyond the kiss?”

Hajin’s brain felt numb from the direct uppercut. It was hazy, but as far as he could remember, they had never progressed beyond kissing.

“I don’t know.”

It was an honest answer. Eden narrowed his brows, his expression displeased. Soon, a blunt sentence flowed from his mouth.

“So you’re saying you don’t remember rubbing your dick against me while clinging to me.”

“…Pardon?”

Clinging and rubbing what? Hajin was genuinely bewildered by the nasty accusation, a strange mix of truth and lies. Eden didn’t miss the chance and pulled his body closer to his own.

“Where did you learn the habit of getting off by yourself and then passing out?”

It was a light tone, but Hajin stiffened his body, realizing it contained a subtle sincerity.

He admitted that he, too, had been aroused by Eden’s blatant expressions of desire recently. But no matter how much that was the case, for him to have done something as shameless as pushing his genitals against him while he was sick…

…Did I? Really?

The more he thought and pondered, the more he felt like he was getting lost in a labyrinth. But what he clearly remembered last was only the rough movement of his tongue, violently entering and exiting his mouth.

Just as he was blinking blankly, Eden stood up from his seat. Despite his not-so-short stature, Hajin’s chin inevitably tilted upward.

Eden’s eyes momentarily took on a serious glint. As he lowered his head, his lips came so close to Hajin’s brow that they were about to touch.

The density of the air increased in an instant, as if someone had compressed it. The two of them, conscious of each other’s now quite labored breathing, held their gazes tenaciously.

Hajin, feeling his heart beat more vigorously than ever, swallowed the lump of saliva that had formed like a hard bead. Gulp.