By Zephyria Eui-jae froze, clutching the gas mask. He had only intended to tease him a little, but he hadn’t expected this kind of reaction.
Is it really something to be this embarrassed about? No, is Lee Sa-young even embarrassed in the first place? Strangely, his fingertips tingled, and he flinched without realizing it.
“…….”
Sa-young breathed roughly for a moment, then snatched the Gas mask away. Just before his red face disappeared behind the Gas mask, Eui-jae hurriedly grabbed his hand. A low voice, as if gritting his teeth, said.
“Get rid of it.”
“Hey, wait a minute. Just stay still.”
“Hand. Get rid of it.”
“No, why are you trying to put it back on?”
“What’s it to you? I’m… going to wear it.”
His chest heaved greatly beneath his coat. Lee Sa-young was now seething, unable to contain his anger. The face, half-hidden by the Gas mask, grew increasingly red.
On the face before him, unlike the young Lee Sa-young on the screen, there was no trace of boyishness. The sharp cheeks and jawline, the deepened eyes, all belonged to a fully grown man.
Meanwhile, the interview between the reporter and the young Lee Sa-young continued.
―Is this a declaration that you will establish your own independent power?
―Yes.
―We’re curious about why you didn’t choose the Samra Guild!
―Just because.
―Do you have any resolutions for the future?
―Is that necessary?
Huh, the reporters exclaimed. Eui-jae also let out a small “Oh,” in admiration. The hand clutching the Gas mask tightened its grip. Sa-young muttered a low curse.
“Shit….”
“…Kuh.”
“Is that so funny right now?”
“…Ah, no?”
“I can’t understand it, really.”
Sa-young muttered sharply. The young Lee Sa-young on the screen was spouting increasingly astonishing words. It was hard to believe the audacity and impudence of an eighteen-year-old.
Eui-jae stopped struggling with Sa-young and stared at the screen as if possessed. He couldn’t help it, because Lee Sa-young had a knack for attracting people’s attention. For better or worse.
―Haa….
The way he rested his elbow on the podium and propped up his chin with a bored expression, the way he sighed audibly as if he wanted everyone to hear. The funny thing was that each of those actions was as stylish as a scene from a movie.
Whether it was because of his neatly combed hair, the suit tailored to fit his body perfectly, or his long eyelashes, languid purple eyes, or slightly parted, full lips….
‘Gasp.’
Why am I looking so closely? Eui-jae suddenly came to his senses. And he realized something new.
Lee Sa-young had been consistently impudent, from the time he was lying wrapped in bandages until now! Maybe other people knew it too. This personality of Lee Sa-young.
In the end, he couldn’t resist the question that welled up inside him.
“You… you’ve never had a controversy over your attitude?”
The hand clutching the Gas mask slowly lost its strength. Eui-jae didn’t miss the opportunity and snatched the Gas mask away, throwing it into a corner. But Sa-young didn’t get angry at that; he just looked at him with a dumbfounded expression. Although his face was still red.
“…Shit, is that what Hyung is curious about right now?”
“No…. Wouldn’t you usually get cursed at for that? Was it okay?”
“What’s wrong with Hyung, anyway?”
“I’m curious.”
“Get rid of that damn curiosity.”
“You’re getting informal again.”
“Ha, that honorific speech.”
Sa-young gritted his teeth. Snap, the sound of his knuckles cracking still echoed from his hand. Judging by his sulky expression and tense body, it seemed like he would crawl to pick up the Gas mask even if he had to. Eui-jae changed the subject for no reason.
“You didn’t wear a Gas mask back then?”
“…….”
“Ah, why. You can answer this, can’t you?”
“…I didn’t, yo.”
“Why?”
“…They said it would be better not to wear one when I first appeared.”
Well, you can’t ignore the favorability you get from first impressions. Although the Gas mask is intense, it’s not an item that wins people’s favor, so if he appeared in that outfit, they’d think, “What kind of crazy bastard is that?” Just like when he first encountered Lee Sa-young in the back alley.
“Good job.”
“…….”
Eui-jae glanced at the screen. The young Lee Sa-young, who seemed to be on the border between boy and young man, was answering relatively diligently, even with a bored expression. Of course, the content of his answers wasn’t diligent at all.
It would have been quite fun to see it in person.
“I didn’t get to see this with my own eyes, me.”
Perhaps it was only natural. But the reason that regret came out of his mouth was perhaps because Cha Eui-jae wanted to see the trajectory of Lee Sa-young, who had gone through hardships he didn’t know about while he was wandering through the West Sea Rift.
He was curious. What had happened to him. What he had gone through. What he had been thinking. He wanted to know everything, not just this fragmentary information.
“Too bad….”
It was strangely regrettable. That he wasn’t in Lee Sa-young’s trajectory.
Was it because he wanted to see more of the young Lee Sa-young? The strength in his hands, which had been holding Lee Sa-young until now, was released. And Sa-young didn’t miss that gap.
“Huh?”
Suddenly, he felt a strong force on his arm, and his vision spun around. Eui-jae instinctively tensed his body to prepare for a fall, but there was no need to take action. Because a large hand was already supporting the back of his neck.
That large hand carefully placed Eui-jae’s head on the soft beanbag. Before he knew it, Cha Eui-jae was lying down with the beanbag as a pillow, and Lee Sa-young was on top of him. He felt a heavy weight on his body. Eui-jae blinked. Sa-young’s shadowed face was red.
“Why all of a sudden….”
Next, his hand reached for the remote control and turned off the beam projector. Click. The light gradually faded, and his flushed face also hid in the darkness. Perfect darkness came.
“…….”
Small breaths gradually approached. The sound of the long coat swaying and rubbing, the sound of the fabric rustling. Sa-young’s hand settled on Eui-jae’s stomach. Perhaps because he held his breath for a moment, his stomach tensed up on its own.
The hand that had been pressing down on his stomach moved slightly, unbuttoning the tightly fastened suit jacket. And then it moved up a little, grabbing the knot of his tie.
Fingers dug between the knots. Eui-jae grabbed the beanbag above his head for no reason. Rustle, the beanbag was crumpled messily.
“Lee Sa-young….”
“…Stay still.”
Swish, the tie was gently loosened. The sensation of the tie, wrapped around the collar of his shirt, tickling his neck as it slipped out was vivid. Why is he doing this, all of a sudden. Before he had time to collect his tense body, a leather-gloved hand groped at his shirt collar. Then, it began to unbutton the shirt buttons that were fastened to the very top, click, click.
When a couple of buttons had been undone, Eui-jae finally came to his senses and hurriedly grabbed the glove.
“Hey, why are you undoing this. Why are you doing this all of a sudden?”
“I told you to stay still….”
Lee Sa-young muttered irritably. Who should be annoyed, doing this right now. Eui-jae was dumbfounded.
At that moment, he felt a warm sensation on his fingertips, and soon a sharp pain followed. Eui-jae stiffened his body. It was Lee Sa-young, biting his finger. Lee Sa-young was chewing on his finger.
‘Are you a dog?’
Eui-jae swallowed the words that rose to his throat. Honestly, Cha Eui-jae had a history of biting Lee Sa-young’s finger, so he wasn’t in a position to say anything.
Then, something wet and soft licked his finger. Eui-jae swallowed a scream. Lee Sa-young was not only biting his finger, but also licking it. His knuckles bent on their own. Eui-jae stammered.
“Why, why are you doing this.”
Someday, I’ll have to dissect his brain and analyze Lee Sa-young’s thought process. Ah, he couldn’t follow the flow of consciousness at all. Every time his tongue licked his finger, he felt ticklish and his body shrank. Sa-young bit his finger hard one last time and released his hand. Eui-jae hurriedly retrieved his hand.
“Turn the beam projector back on quickly.”
“…Hyung is really something.”
He could feel Lee Sa-young’s face getting closer. Eui-jae tried to lift his upper body by supporting himself on the floor with his elbows, but stopped. Lips landed on the black mask, which had no flaws or decorations and revealed no expression.
The lips that landed above the eyes of the mask gradually moved down and stopped near the mouth. Eui-jae held his breath. Even though he couldn’t feel the sensation, he knew that he was being kissed.
“You talk too much….”
“…….”
A leather-gloved finger wedged between his chin and the mask. Click, the mask was lifted slightly without much resistance. Black fingertips gently caressed the chin and lips revealed beneath it. A slightly cracked voice asked.
“Do you remember? Back then. When I lifted the mask a little and let you touch my face.”
Eui-jae swallowed involuntarily. A thumb pressed down hard on his lower lip.
“You don’t know that I couldn’t sleep that night.”
“…….”
“I was so curious about what your face looked like under the mask….”
The hand that was caressing his face now was completely different from the hand of the boy who had touched his face back then.
“I’m….”
The mask, which had been lifted only at the bottom, was completely removed. Clatter, the sound of the mask falling to the floor was clear.
“I like that we’re special.”
This hand was much larger and firmer than the hand in his memory, and above all….
“More than any other Lee Sa-young and Cha Eui-jae.”
It was affectionate.
If the time of emptiness made us who we are now.
If loss made us.
Warm body temperature covered his lips like a wave. Cha Eui-jae closed his eyes and accepted the warmth.