Irresponsibility Chapter 4.9

“Did your stomach hurt after drinking beer before?”

His voice had also become serious, so Joo Yeoun’s eyes widened and he shook his head.

“No. S, soju’s alcohol content is h, high, so.”

“Aaah.”

Baek Geonhyuk, who had nodded his head, said breezily.

“Right. It’s better to just drink beer. If you drink too much, you’ll just suffer the next day.”

“Yeah….”

As he answered, Joo Yeoun darted his eyes slightly. At that, Baek Geonhyuk added casually.

“I don’t drink much either.”

Who said anything?

They finished the entire bottle of draft beer and ate both whole chickens. Of course, Baek Geonhyuk ate most of it, but Joo Yeoun also ate so much that his stomach was bloated. After brushing his teeth while holding his full stomach, Baek Geonhyuk said.

“Sit on the sofa. You have to do a hot pack today.”

“…I, I can do it tomorrow, right?”

“You have to do it tomorrow, too.”

At the firm voice that came back, Joo Yeoun had no choice but to sit on the sofa. And he followed with his eyes as Baek Geonhyuk moved around the kitchen, cleaning up.

He finished cleaning up quickly, then went to the bathroom and came out. When he, holding a dry towel, sat on the sofa with a thump, Joo Yeoun’s body tilted.

“Hand.”

When he held out his hand, he carefully wrapped it in the towel. Joo Yeoun silently followed the movement of that large hand.

Baek Geonhyuk was consistently careful and gentle with him.

There was a time when he felt reassured by his actions and had his safety confirmed, but these days, it was a little different. Every time Baek Geonhyuk was nice to him, he often felt uncomfortable.

Baek Geonhyuk is really, unnecessarily nice to him. It seems that this kind of kindness wouldn’t be included in the act of taking responsibility.

Isn’t there no need for him to be this nice to me? Baek Geonhyuk says it’s his fault, but when you think about it, that’s not really the case either, and he would be fulfilling his responsibility just by protecting him.

Looking at his hand wrapped in the hot pack, Joo Yeoun slowly blinked his eyes. At that moment, he felt a touch on the back of his head. When he lifted his head, Baek Geonhyuk was looking at his face intently.

“You’re a little red.”

“…Because I drank after a l, long time.”

“Yeah,” Baek Geonhyuk rumbled in his throat and slowly withdrew his gaze. The large hand covering the back of his head also lightly stroked his hair and moved away.

Joo Yeoun looked at Baek Geonhyuk’s side profile. There was a time when he was scared just by glancing at his strong jawline or prominent Adam’s apple, but today his heart felt strange. Could it be because of the beer? He felt melancholic, and he became afraid for a different reason.

Looking back on his memories, Baek Geonhyuk had always, in his own way, done his best to be good to him. Honestly, when his own mind wasn’t sound, it must have been very difficult and overwhelming for him.

His gaze suddenly fell on his broad shoulders. Crackle, it was as if he could hear the sound of something breaking, so Joo Yeoun squeezed his eyes shut and then opened them. And looking back and forth between Baek Geonhyuk’s shoulders and face, his lips parted.

“G, Geonhyuk-ah.”

When he managed to start, Baek Geonhyuk turned his head. A memory from long ago overlapped with it. The time when he thought he was like a monster.

“Did you get hurt when I th, threw the cup before?”

“…Huh?”

Perhaps because it was an out-of-the-blue question, his response was slow.

When I tried to run away and threw the cup. As he hesitantly added an explanation, a low voice came back, “No.”

Looking up at the gentle face, Joo Yeoun opened his mouth again. A voice like a whisper flowed out.

“I’m sorry.”

“……”

Baek Geonhyuk stared at Joo Yeoun intently. At the end of his long gaze, his eyes slowly curved. In the smile that resembled a sigh, something seemed to overflow from their met eyes.

Yeoun’s fingers inside the warm bundle of cloth flinched slightly.