By Zephyria 
The first thing he saw upon opening his eyes was the smooth line of a man’s collarbone. Having fallen asleep as if he had fainted, Hui-won hadn’t even felt the discomfort of Kwon Young-je’s restraints. Hui-won stirred and crawled out of his embrace. The moment he sat up, a dull pain followed without fail.
“Ah… sightseeing, my foot.”
He burst into laughter at the state of his battered body. Wearing nothing but a pair of pants, Hui-won headed toward the bathroom. He didn’t have the energy to pick up the clothes scattered across the floor.
His reflection in the mirror was beyond words. His eyes were swollen, and his neck was covered in bruises, making him look like someone suffering from a skin disease. Yesterday was a bit intense… Hui-won chuckled airily and put a toothbrush in his mouth.
As he brushed his teeth, he tapped his stiff lower back. Every time he hit his lower back, semen leaked out of his backside. It was a sight to behold.
Hui-won filled the bathtub with warm water and finished brushing his teeth. Despite his diligence, his movements were sluggish.
As he was rinsing with water, the bathroom door opened. Kwon Young-je, who had woken up late, stood leaning against the doorframe. He still looked full of sleep.
“Why didn’t you wake me?”
“You were sleeping so well. Do you want to bathe?”
“Yeah.”
He approached slowly and stood in front of the sink. His bare upper body was equally a mess. Hui-won gasped when he saw the bite marks on his shoulder. He had no memory of doing that.
“…You should put some medicine on this.”
“Why bother. It’ll be covered once I put on clothes anyway.”
“Does it not hurt?”
“What about you?”
He asked nonchalantly while squeezing out a generous amount of toothpaste. In terms of physical condition, Hui-won was in worse shape. The bruises on his skin alone made it look as if he had been beaten severely.
“Every single part of me aches.”
“I did poke around a lot.”
“…….”
“So, do you want me to poke around more today, or not?”
Kwon Young-je uttered such vulgar words with a clean, handsome face. Did he not know that doing that only stimulated the listener more?
Hui-won opened his eyes wide in silence. Of course, the change was minimal due to his swollen eyelids.
“Young-je. People have things called dignity.”
“Who’s listening?”
He spat white foam into the sink. Then, he gargled and finished washing his face. Having finished cleansing, Kwon Young-je pushed his clean face closer.
“Do I have to maintain my dignity even in front of my husband?”
“…Not exactly, but.”
“I’ve been starving for so long I’m on the verge of death.”
“I think you ate plenty of me yesterday.”
“I’m far from full.”
A cool scent of menthol wafted from the lips approaching him. Soon, their lips met, and a cold tongue crawled inside.
Hui-won held his cheeks and willingly offered his flesh. What could he do when Kwon Young-je said he was hungry? He had no choice but to let him bite and suck as much as he wanted. Meanwhile, the bathtub filled with water, and the scent of bergamot wavered in the air along with the thick steam. He had no intention of resisting such a deliberate temptation.
They spent two days lounging at home, and for the rest of the holiday, they began wandering outside to execute the plans they had put off.
They bought random tickets at a booth to watch a movie, and at night, they walked around the Charles River holding hands like any other couple. They visited famous restaurants and spent some days drinking deeply at pubs.
They couldn’t ride the amphibious vehicle due to Kwon Young-je’s opposition, but instead, they went to the stadium to watch a Boston Red Sox game. Wearing caps with the logo, they drank beer together and cheered to their heart’s content.
Throughout the game, Kwon Young-je smiled while looking at Hui-won. In reality, he was more focused on watching Hui-won’s reactions than the baseball game itself.
Feeling the gaze, Hui-won glanced sideways. Kwon Young-je’s upper body was completely turned toward him, and he was even resting his head on his hand.
“What?”
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen you smile like that.”
Kwon Young-je, who said that, had a wonderful smile hanging on his own lips.
“I’ve always liked watching baseball in person. I just didn’t have the time to go.”
“Should I create a team for you?”
“Do you have so much money you don’t know what to do with it? Why not just buy a private jet while you’re at it?”
“I’m seriously considering that.”
Hui-won laughed as if he were appalled. Then, telling him to just watch the game, he gently pushed Kwon Young-je’s face back forward.
“Mr. Kwon Young-je, you aren’t at that level yet. If you’re a Vice President, act like a Vice President.”
To that, Kwon Young-je only gave a silly smile. When his gaze returned to the front, the words ‘KISS CAM’ began to flash on the giant electronic scoreboard.
The camera captured couples in the stands. As the relay of kisses continued, the cheers grew louder. Hui-won was genuinely impressed by the unrestrained skinship.
“Wow… it’s definitely more intense since it’s America.”
“Do you want to?”
“Ugh, not in front of a camera.”
No sooner had Hui-won frowned than his face appeared on the scoreboard. Since they were the first male-male couple to be caught, the cheers reached a climax.
Hui-won laughed awkwardly. He pressed his brow and shook his head, but the camera persistently captured the two of them. Glancing at the scoreboard, he saw Kwon Young-je smiling openly. Dressed in a shirt and slacks with his hair swept back, he looked sexy even on the low-resolution screen.
“Shouldn’t we meet the expectations?”
“Are you crazy? This is being broadcast to Korea too.”
“So what, let them watch.”
Kwon Young-je pulled the back of Hui-won’s head and kissed him deeply. The deep kiss shared by two handsome men was so intense that their tongues were visible, and the crowd was in a frenzy over the unprecedented eye candy.
After being sucked until his tongue felt numb, Hui-won returned to his seat and pulled his cap down low. He covered the lower half of his face, which the hat couldn’t hide, with his palm, but his ears and neck were flushed bright red.
Kwon Young-je toyed with Hui-won’s reddened earlobe. It felt good to touch—warm and soft.
“Why are you so shy?”
“…It’s embarrassing.”
He laughed and wrapped his arm around Hui-won’s shoulder. He kissed everywhere he could reach—ears, cheeks, and lips.
Time flew by, and it was already the last day of the business trip. They packed their bags early, had a simple lunch, and went out to a nearby park for some fresh air.
They settled on a shaded grassy area and spent a leisurely time. Kwon Young-je quietly read a book beside him, and Hui-won took in the peaceful scenery while drinking chilled wine. As summer seemed to be passing, the blowing breeze was cool.
Puppies running on the grass, a child kicking a ball back and forth with his father, and couples lying down to soak up the sun. Nothing he saw was bothersome. Hui-won leaned his head against a cool tree trunk. The leisurely atmosphere made his whole body feel languid.
While enjoying the slowly flowing time, he heard a small presence beside him. A baby who had just started walking was toddling toward them.
‘Paaa—.’
The child walked precariously and flopped onto Hui-won’s lap. Startled, Hui-won quickly picked the child up.
[Are you okay?]
The baby’s hair was a deep dark brown. The slightly curly hair was glossy and smelled like cotton candy. He slid his hands under the armpits and lifted the small body up. Looking at the face, it was unmistakably a baby of himself and Kwon Young-je.
It’s Yeoro.
Hui-won recognized it immediately. Yeoro had appeared in his dream again.
‘Yeoro.’
‘Appa!’
Yeoro babbled with a small mouth. Chubby hands, the size of maple leaves, patted Hui-won’s cheeks. Hui-won slowly engraved the baby’s face into his memory. He kept looking, unable to believe it.
‘Our baby is so… beautiful.’
Hui-won kissed the rounded forehead and hugged Yeoro tightly. The baby was so small that he couldn’t even apply strength. While gently stroking the back, tears dripped from his eyes.
‘Thank you. For showing me your face.’
My baby, whom I missed so much. The baby whose face I didn’t know, so I couldn’t even draw. Our Yeoro, whom I had to let go without even holding in my arms.
‘Stay well. Daddy will definitely come to meet you later. Okay?’
Instead of saying sorry, he gave a promise to meet next time. He didn’t know when it would be… but that they would definitely meet again and be together.
Hui-won kissed the baby’s small hand several times. Yeoro squirmed and burrowed into Hui-won’s embrace. When the baby curled up just as they had been in the womb and clung tightly to Hui-won’s flat lower abdomen, Hui-won quietly swallowed his tears. At the moment he was savoring the happiness that would soon vanish, someone shook his shoulder hard.
Opening his eyes, he saw a startled Kwon Young-je looking down at him. He had even thrown aside the book he was reading. Spilled wine was soaking his knee, but he was preoccupied with worrying about Hui-won.
“What’s wrong?”
Hui-won slowly straightened his head. The remnants of emotion remained, and the tears wouldn’t stop.
“I had a dream… Yeoro appeared.”
“…….”
“They were so beautiful and lovely.”
He then wiped his tears clean with his T-shirt sleeve. He spoke with a smile to the worried Kwon Young-je.
“I’m the only one who saw them. Jealous, aren’t you?”
“They’ve appeared in my dreams too.”
“Really?”
They talked about the appearance of the child each had seen. Surprisingly, the characteristics matched perfectly.
“What a filial daughter, our girl.”
“…Are you okay?”
“Yeah. I’m really okay now.”
Hui-won sniffled and laughed. The long sigh he let out trembled slightly, but he wasn’t sad.
He felt he could truly let Yeoro go now.
“Do you… have any thought of having a child again?”
“It would be great if it happens, and if not, there’s nothing we can do.”
He sat close beside him and cradled Hui-won’s head.
“First, we need to be happy. That way, even if we have a child, we can take care of them firmly.”
Kwon Young-je always gave the wise answer. Hui-won replied with a nod.
He was glad that the person he would spend his life with was him. He decided that he would no longer hide anything from him. Because being a married couple means sharing and overcoming hardships together.
The wedding ring, which he had never taken off even in painful moments, sparkled in the sunlight. Suddenly, the vow they made when exchanging rings came to mind.
In joy and in sorrow, I will spend all my future days with you.
Perhaps hearing him mutter softly, Kwon Young-je slowly rubbed his wet cheek. A kiss that finalized the vow followed.