Kwon Jae-jin lifted his body, which had been leaning against Seo Ui-woo. He moved to the edge of the sofa, putting a little distance between them as he sat down.
“Jae-jin, are you okay?”
“Ah, it’s just that the position was uncomfortable.”
“Was it?”
Seo Ui-woo moved back beside Kwon Jae-jin, ignoring his words about discomfort. He hugged Jae-jin and buried his head in his neck, rubbing his cheek against him like a display of affection. It was a funny sight, two grown men hugging each other at the corner of the spacious sofa.
Kwon Jae-jin let out a light sigh and pushed Seo Ui-woo’s head with the palm of his hand.
“……There’s no need to stick to each other like this all the time. We’re on top of our guiding duties every single day without fail.”
“Ah, still…”
“Still what?”
Seo Ui-woo stuck out his tongue and licked the palm that was pushing his face away. He kissed it, made a popping sound, and then playfully bit his fingers. He whispered seductively.
“You know, I want to be close to you, Jae-jin. Does that annoy you?”
“Yes, it’s quite bothersome right now.”
“Um… Your attitude has changed suddenly. It’s like you’re drawing a line.”
Seo Ui-woo tenderly pressed his lips against Kwon Jae-jin’s knuckles, as if trying to read his true feelings.
Between the straight fingers, Seo Ui-woo’s face was glimpsed fleetingly.
His cheeks were flushed pink as if he were a boy experiencing his first love, but his downcast gray eyes were fierce.
The shimmering, feral gaze was one of a person who had seen countless lives taken—a gaze that could only belong to someone accustomed to killing. Cold and unfeeling. Quick to judge and intuitively able to reach the right conclusions.
“Hey, Jae-jin. Perhaps… you’re thinking of that person?”
“……”
“That, the one who’s your lover?”
Kwon Jae-jin gave no reaction, but Seo Ui-woo was certain of the answer. He chuckled and tugged at Jae-jin’s elbow.
Kwon Jae-jin pushed Seo Ui-woo away again, but Seo stubbornly pulled him into a tight embrace.
“What, all of a sudden comparing me? The way you so casually touch and cling to my body. You must have been really close with that person in the past?”
“……What are you trying to do now? Let go, Seo Ui-woo.”
Kwon Jae-jin spoke in an annoyed tone. He didn’t have time to soften his words.
“Just. It’s nothing.”
Seo Ui-woo embraced Kwon Jae-jin tightly for five seconds with a smiling face.
“One. Two. Three…”
“Seo Ui-woo, what on earth are you doing? I said let go.”
“Four, five…”
“Why are you doing this… Are you playing with me?”
“Ha-ha, yes. It’s a prank. You said I was bothersome, so I wanted to really annoy you for once.”
Seo Ui-woo loosened his grasp. Kwon Jae-jin freed himself from his arms and got up from the sofa, standing at a distance.
“I don’t find such pranks funny.”
Having picked up his tablet, Kwon Jae-jin stopped in his tracks as he was about to enter his bedroom, then turned towards the elevator leading to the second floor. Realizing he couldn’t escape to the moons of Saturn, he figured he might as well sort through the stuff piled up in the second-floor room for a reality escape.
“Jae-jin, where are you going?”
“To my room.”
“Are you not watching TV anymore?”
“Yes, if you aren’t going to watch it either, just turn it off.”
“I want to watch it with you… I won’t play pranks anymore, so shall we watch together?”
“No, thank you. I wasn’t particularly interested in the program anyway. I’ll open the packages that have been piling up in my room.”
“Then how about I help you with that? I’m quite quick at opening boxes.”
“That’s okay. I’ll do it by myself.”
“Jae-jin.”
“What is it now, huh?”
Seo Ui-woo’s insistent questioning was annoying, and Kwon Jae-jin growled as he turned around. Seo Ui-woo was staring at him with a blank expression, his cold gaze seeming momentarily chilling, but it quickly softened, almost as if it were an illusion.
“Jae-jin, you’re my guide, right?”
“…Yes? Yes.”
“Good. I’m happy.”
“……”
“I really like it.”
With that brief response, Seo Ui-woo picked up the remote and changed the channel.
✧˚·̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥·̩̩̥͙✧·̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥˚·̩̩̥͙✧ 𝑔𝓇𝒶𝓋𝒾𝓉𝓎𝓃𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁𝓈 ✧˚·̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥·̩̩̥͙✧·̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥˚·̩̩̥͙✧
