By Zephyria 
Swallowing the aching emotion, as he pushed his tongue between the parted lips, the warm tip of the other’s tongue soon entwined with his. They moistened each other’s lips and sucked gently, filling the starved heart. Though wet tongues moved back and forth, there was not a single overtly suggestive feeling. It was more like a kiss that caressed the other.
While the wet, frictional sound spread, Kwon Young-je pulled Hui-won into his arms, full and tight, and received compensation for all he had endured until now. The arm wrapped around his waist stealthily crept up Hui-won’s back and tightly grasped his long nape. So that in this moment, he couldn’t escape from his embrace. Holding the other captive, he continued the slow, persistent kiss.
Their entangled bodies slowly tilted. The sofa was so narrow it felt like they might fall off the side any moment, but heedless, they overlapped their bodies. Chu-chu, the sound of sucking flesh persistently tickled their ears.
“…….”
Suddenly, he lowered his head and stared intently down at Hui-won’s face. Then he softly overlapped their lips again. He repeated this action several times. As if it were true that he came because he missed him, he was clearly imprinting it in his eyes.
“…Aren’t you tired?”
Hui-won mumbled with their lips still touching. Each time he spoke, his moist breath seeped into Kwon Young-je’s lips.
“Not really.”
“You don’t sleep well on planes either. What if you collapse from overwork again?”
“Who told you that?”
At the long-unheard interrogation, Hui-won just smiled weakly. He also spread his arms and wrapped them around Kwon Young-je’s back. The rustling, crumpling sound of the summer shirt fabric and Kwon Young-je’s scent felt ambiguous, like a dream or reality. In fact, it would be fine even if it were a dream.
Compared to his solid build, his lips were soft. Hui-won pressed firmly on the pliant lips as if stamping a seal and carefully sucked the lower lip. The feeling of the wet flesh rubbing together was so pleasant it made him sigh. The slight ache in his chest made him think, at least his feelings for him hadn’t changed.
After the brief reunion ended, Kwon Young-je left for the airport again. Right before parting with him, Hui-won conveyed a few admonitions.
He told him never to abandon the company and come again, and if he was going to come, to come after discussing it. For Kwon Young-je’s reputation as well, he needed to curb impulsive actions.
‘Then when can we see each other again?’
‘Well, maybe during Chuseok… Anyway, you can’t interfere with work.’
‘That’s harsh.’
Unexpectedly, he readily accepted the suggestion. Right before getting into the taxi, he left a light kiss and suddenly departed. Thanks to that, only the one left behind was sinking into a somewhat dreamlike mood.
Hui-won curled his lips and unnecessarily checked his surroundings. Fortunately, it was quiet with no one watching. Only Alberto, who had been out in the neighbor’s yard, watched Hui-won’s affectionate act and barked loudly, Woof!
“Hey… pretend you didn’t see.”
Suppressing his awkward feelings, he returned home. Even though he had only stayed for a short while, the house was filled with Kwon Young-je’s pheromone. At this rate, it seemed he’d only be thinking of Kwon Young-je for a while.
The first thing Hui-won did after seeing Kwon Young-je off was to check the calendar. Wondering when Chuseok was, he checked and found it was in early October, no less.
Since all the public holidays were clustered around that time, if he used his annual leave well, it promised to be a decently long vacation, but he had to wait a full three months for that day to arrive.
“Sigh, did I act tough for no reason?”
Hui-won slumped onto the sofa and regretted his loose tongue. At this moment, as if possessed by an office worker who had to endure without holidays, he wilted.
He didn’t understand why that guy Kwon Young-je had to show off his handsome face and unsettle people’s hearts.
How long had it been since they parted, and he already missed him again. Hui-won had to soothe his bewildered feelings for quite a while.
After that, he continued living the same daily life. Even though he now knew the circumstances, Hui-won didn’t change much.
He didn’t refuse when Nancy baked bread for him, and even though he knew the grandmother next door’s hip joint was fine, he took on Alberto’s walks as usual.
But strangely, motivation didn’t come easily. After Kwon Young-je returned, or more precisely, after realizing the day he could meet him was still far off, Hui-won suddenly lost energy.
If it was going to be like this, couldn’t he just go to Korea? He had briefly considered it but soon dismissed the thought.
His desire to be with Kwon Young-je was as strong as a chimney, but if he were by his side, it was obvious he would rely on him. What was the reason for coming to Boston? It was to stand up after being hurt, but Hui-won still felt he himself was lacking. At least when he could show a confident appearance before him, he thought he would be able to make the decision to return to Korea.
In the evening, he had a drinking session with Eric. Perhaps because it was Friday, the pub in the downtown area was bustling with people and overflowing with liveliness. Settling into a wide-open terrace seat and quenching his thirst with a cold bottle of beer, his dampened mood also began to lift bit by bit.
“He… told me not to let you drink too much.”
Eric, sitting on the opposite metal chair, subtly conveyed Kwon Young-je’s admonition. After his identity was discovered, his speech and attitude had both become extremely deferential.
“Not even hiding it now? Did you decide to just go fully open?”
Hui-won laughed and tilted the beer bottle. Of the five-pack of beer in the ice bucket, he was only just finishing the first one. What’s so excessive about five bottles of beer between two guys? He had a lot to worry about.
“Wouldn’t it be weird to hide it after being found out?”
“Well, was there anything else?”
“To definitely escort you home…”
“Really, treating me like a complete lady.”
Hui-won snorted and brought the beer bottle to his lips. Perhaps because it was kept in ice water, the alcohol flowing down his throat was chillingly cold, making his mind sharp. Thanks to that, his flushed insides cooled down.
“Um… would it be okay to take just one photo?”
“Why?”
“The Vice President asked me to send one.”
Fine, go ahead. Hui-won, half-resigned, fluttered his hand dismissively. The moment permission was given, Eric carefully took a photo. His face, concentrated with even his eyebrows and forehead furrowed, looked serious as if he were taking an artistic photograph.
“You’re really a programmer, right?”
“No, I’m a private bodyguard.”
No wonder… his physique seemed different. Moreover, just looking at his upright posture, you couldn’t find the turtle neck that’s a programmer’s basic trait. The job setting was wrong from the start.
“You do live here, right?”
“My original residence is Portland. It’s two hours away by car from here. I’m only staying temporarily for the duration of the bodyguard assignment.”
“Then… except for your name and age, everything is fake?”
“My girlfriend is real! We’re living together!”
Eric jumped up and put effort into his defense. It seemed he had gotten quite an earful from Kwon Young-je over the last incident. He said he planned to get married this year and, without being asked, even showed a couple photo they took together.
Eric’s girlfriend was a typical Korean-American style Asian woman. Hui-won raised an eyebrow and replied, “I see.”
“She’s pretty. You suit each other well.”
“Right. She’s even prettier in person.”
“Are the wedding preparations going well?”
The conversation, which had been cautious, smoothly continued once marriage became the topic. A young man about to get married had worries overflowing like a fountain. As he enthusiastically poured out his worries, the beer bottles in the ice bucket soon emptied, leading to ordering another set.
Kim Hui-won was quite a good person to confide in. Not only did he listen attentively, but he also added his opinions at appropriate points, making it enjoyable to talk. Moreover, his gentle demeanor naturally made people feel comfortable. Perhaps because of that, Eric forgot the client’s admonition and chattered on about his story as if talking to a close neighborhood hyung.
“I want to take my time and prepare slowly, but my girlfriend seems to want to have the wedding before her belly gets big.”
“Hmm… if that’s the reason, you should do it quickly.”
“Yes. She’s three months pregnant now, and the speed her belly is growing is incredible… Gasp, I’m sorry. Uh, how could I make such a mistake…”
Eric, who had naturally revealed the pregnancy fact, flinched as if struck by lightning. He had forgotten that talk about children and pregnancy was taboo in front of him. But there was no way to take back the words already spilled.
“I’m, I’m sorry. I… was so thoughtless.”
So startled his face turned pale, he stammered.
Hui-won scratched his eyebrow and smiled awkwardly. Seeing the person who had been chattering excitedly just moments ago become intimidated before him made him, in turn, not know what to do with himself.
“I’m really fine.”
“…I heard you had a very hard time.”
“There was such a time. Now… it’s all in the past.”
Hui-won took a long swig of beer. Right. There were days when it hurt so much he thought he would die, but now he was calmly facing the past. The deeply sunken wound was slowly, bit by bit, healing.
“…….”
It took so long to get to this point. Both Kwon Young-je and he had suffered a lot.
Hui-won smiled weakly and pushed the beer bottle toward Eric. Eric, acting timidly, lightly clinked the bottle necks.
“What’s the gender?”
“Uh… it’s a daughter.”
“I see.”
Hui-won briefly stroked the wood grain on the table with his index finger. Within the faintly spread smile, a very brief, faint emotion passed by.
“Yeoro was a daughter too. Ah, Yeoro is the fetal name. I wonder if Americans give fetal names.”
“…….”
“I thought she’d be quiet because she was a daughter, but her temper was so fierce even when she was in the womb, she was exactly like the Vice President.”
“Can you… feel that?”
“Try stroking her belly when you go home today. She reacts more when her dad touches her.”
“Would she like it if you gave her a fetal name too?”
“She’d probably like it more, right? It’s good for emotional bonding.”
Hui-won brought up Yeoro for the first time in a very long while. He didn’t know how long it had been since he talked about it in daily life, not in counseling. The talk about the child flowed out smoothly, to the point of making his previous careful concealment seem pointless.
It wasn’t as painful as he thought… just a little sad.