Salt Society Chapter 12

The opponent seemed to have no thoughts at all, but Kihyun turned his head away with a start, surprised all by himself. Even though he had quickly averted his eyes, the collarbones embedded like iron pipes in broad shoulders, the thick pectoral muscles, the well-defined abdominal muscles divided into sections, the iliac crest tightened by the waistband of the boxer briefs, and the smooth-looking lower abdomen—waxed because Yeonoh hated having anything bothering him under his uniform since he started fencing—were burned into his vision.

‘Crazy…’

Kihyun bit back a curse. A night of unwanted insomnia was already booked for tonight. Kihyun sighed and walked out of the dressing room, then went into the bedroom, grabbed an extra blanket and pillow, and tossed them onto the sofa. Because he was tired, he really wanted to fall into a deep sleep today.

The sight of that fellow, who rarely even took off his shirt in front of him, standing there naked except for underwear—and Kihyun’s underwear at that—was far too strong a stimulus for him right now.

No matter how plain Kihyun’s sexual appetite usually was, the sight of the person he had feelings for standing there wearing the underwear he normally wore was too intense to endure.

He thought it would be better to just give up the bedroom to that enemy and sleep on the sofa today. After brushing his teeth, Kihyun immediately lay down on the sofa and pulled the blanket over himself.

“What, you said you’d dry my hair.”

“…”

He didn’t answer those words and covered himself with the blanket. He felt both bothered and sick of himself for having to go this far. Kihyun often looked back, wondering if he was happier when he loved Yeonoh all by himself. How was it back then? Were there moments as miserable as this? Even if they had never been in such close contact as to dry each other’s hair, at least the Kihyun of that time didn’t have to spend sleepless nights lying on a sofa to avoid his lover.

“Hey, are you sleeping?”

Cho Yeonoh called him several times as if he found Kihyun’s behavior absurd. Kihyun did not pull back the blanket or get up. It wasn’t that he was trying to pretend to be asleep; he was simply too bothered to answer because he had consumed every bit of energy he could use today.

It was also because he had spent the whole day trying his best not to be swayed by the trashy words that jerk had left behind yesterday. Kihyun wanted to fall asleep just like this. He didn’t want to agonize over anything anymore. It was then.

“…Ah!”

In his surprise, he couldn’t help but let out a reflexive exclamation. Yeonoh had scooped Kihyun up, blanket and all, and lifted him high.

“What are you doing!”

“Why are you trying to sleep on the sofa so pathetically when there’s a bed? It’s a bed hyung worked hard to earn penny by penny to buy for you.”

“Who’s a hyung? Who?”

Yeonoh ignored Kihyun’s indignant retort and headed toward the bedroom while carrying him in the blanket. The way he was even humming was obnoxious. Usually, even in front of Kihyun, he didn’t want to show his severe germaphobia, so he would do other things before going in to shower, but today he seemed to be in a good mood because he had washed as soon as he arrived.

Kihyun exhaled a sigh and looked at Cho Yeonoh with disapproval. Even if he was a dominant Alpha over 190 centimeters tall and had fenced since he was young, there was no way Kihyun, an adult male, wasn’t heavy, yet Yeonoh lifted him easily and moved him with stability, which was also irritating.

However, Kihyun gave up on exerting force, fearing Yeonoh might get hurt if he truly resisted. In the end, he had no choice but to be carried quietly and delivered to the bed.

“Look how pale your face is. Has your stomach been upset all day today too? You should have gotten another checkup at work. That’s why I opened the Family Medicine department at that hospital.”

He didn’t reply to the fellow’s words as he clicked his tongue, tsk, like he was scolding a child. The reason his face was pale was that he was sick of the various situations stemming from Cho Yeonoh. Not wanting to exchange any more words, Kihyun didn’t show his feelings and just lay there with his eyes closed.

“Why are we angry again?”

Yeonoh spoke in a playful tone and lay over Kihyun as if collapsing onto him, hugging his lover once more. Even if the fellow hadn’t pestered him, he was truly tired today. He could feel his body reaching its limit. His body hadn’t even fully recovered from the indigestion, yet his nerves had been sharp the whole time from constantly ruminating over the trashy words Cho Yeonoh had spat out. Having gone to work in such a state, he felt like he was dying. Kihyun spoke as if pleading.

“Please… I’m tired, Cho Yeonoh.”

“Then please sleep, my husband.”

Annoyed by the nonsensical talk, he pulled his arm out from under the blanket and repeatedly thwacked Cho Yeonoh on the forehead—that forehead that was just pretty but made him want to kill him out of spite. Yeonoh, hit by Kihyun who had a stinging touch, said ouch, but still held onto him.

“Don’t give me the cold shoulder. You get angry like that sometimes, but do you know how much it drives me crazy when I ask for the reason and you won’t even tell me?”

The one who was truly going crazy was himself, so who was blaming whom? Kihyun kept his mouth shut, not even wanting to answer.

Before he knew it, he was being held by the guy who had changed into pajamas, and even though they gave off the same body wash scent and the same shampoo scent, he had to suffer all night because the size of their hearts was not the same. He was likely the one most driven crazy by himself, yet the fellow was even shameless.

“Hey, Doctor So. You’re not answering again.”

Cho Yeonoh, who finally hugged him back as if burrowing into his chest, whispers with his lips pressed against the nape of Kihyun’s neck. It was the exact spot where an Alpha bites to bond with an Omega.

“Ha…”

“Huh? You laughed. You laughed just now, didn’t you?”

Cho Yeonoh was right. Kihyun was laughing because he couldn’t help it. He avoided the hand trying to turn his chin so the other could see his smiling face. It wasn’t that the fellow was funny, but that he himself was funny. The fact that his heart would thud and drop over such a trivial thing.

Tonight, too, insomnia would pile up layer by layer on Kihyun’s pillowcase. That was something that couldn’t be helped.

Just as So Kihyun’s will played no part in his loving Cho Yeonoh. Kihyun simply closed his eyes.

⏳

Of course, So Kihyun could not sleep at all. Having fallen into a swamp of untimely insomnia, Kihyun had to feel the fellow—whose body temperature had risen from the alcohol—breathing softly while his arm was wrapped around Kihyun’s waist at a very close distance.

Kihyun, who had to stay awake through the night at a distance close enough to drive away any potential sleep, finally could not hold back his annoyance despite having a personality usually described as easygoing.

“Hey.”

Kihyun, looking irritably at the back of the person fussing about as if to prepare breakfast early, called out to Yeonoh.

Standing in front of the counter, the sound of a kitchen knife hitting the cutting board was loud as if he were making a racket from the morning. Even though he could smell the seasoned meat cooking, he had no appetite. It might be natural. He had almost no memory of sleeping properly for the past few days. Appetite only functions when one is in a normal state.

However, Cho Yeonoh did not look back at Kihyun’s call. He only let out an insincere reply.

“What.”

He was still standing in front of the sink, not even looking at Kihyun, continuing to make something. Kihyun tried to press down on his furrowed brow with his thumb to smooth it out but failed, then continued speaking.

“Go sleep at your own house today, please.”

Even saying that much required patience. To avoid speaking with curses mixed in.

The time they spent as friends had ended, and now they recognized each other as lovers, so he couldn’t just call him “this bastard” or “that bastard” every time. Kihyun was barely enduring his annoyance as it tried to break through his reason. However.

“I don’t want to.”

“Do I look like I’m joking, you son of a bitch?”

That resolution had no choice but to crumble instantly in the face of Cho Yeonoh’s indifferent answer. Because he couldn’t stand that irritating bastard without cursing, he spat the words out as if chewing them. Only then did the fellow look back at Kihyun.

“What are you getting worked up about all by yourself again from the morning?”

“I said go sleep at your house today so I can get some sleep.”

“Why. Is there someone you’re calling over if I go?”

Cho Yeonoh looked at Kihyun as if it were bizarre. He had a face that seemed to ask, “Who else but me would enter your territory?”

At that, Kihyun’s anger reached its peak. After several days of insomnia and unwanted nervous tension, his personality—which usually went with the flow like water or wine—came to a complete halt. Kihyun said with a fiercely furrowed brow.

“Stop talking nonsense and go if I tell you to go. Or I’ll go sleep at your house, so you stay here.”

“…”

Whether he realized it wasn’t a joke only then, Yeonoh blinked his eyes and soon said with a smirk.

“What are you annoyed about again?”

Watching that smile that seemed to dismiss the other’s dissatisfaction as nothing, Kihyun felt like he was going crazy. So Kihyun was originally the type who didn’t have many mood swings. Even if someone cursed at him to his face, he didn’t take it to heart, simply thinking, “If you hate me that much, why don’t you just stop caring about me?” However, there was only one person on Earth that such a Kihyun could not simply overlook.

And isn’t that one person, after making it impossible for him to sleep all night, now wearing Kihyun’s apron and making food without knowing his feelings? Thinking that he couldn’t understand why a chaebol was even good at cooking, Kihyun could not stand this situation where Cho Yeonoh made him look like the only one being difficult.