By Zephyria 
“Go to sleep first. I’ll wash up and come back.”
Gyu-oh brushed past him as he stood blankly. The scent of the cool dawn air, which had not yet subsided, tickled the tip of his nose. Watching the back of the man as he familiarly gathered his clothes and entered the bathroom, Min-ho muttered softly.
“……Shouldn’t you ask if it’s okay to sleep first?”
And what’s with that couple-like comment about washing up and coming back? He shook his head and clicked his tongue. Then, he tidied the bedding in the guest room where the guy would stay. It was a bit chilly because it had been empty for a long time, but since he was a guy with a lot of heat, he wouldn’t be cold.
With that, he headed to the bedroom and lay down. He was tired, but sleep did not come easily. Perhaps because of that, a slight headache followed, and his eyes felt feverish. Beyond the closed door, he could occasionally feel Gyu-oh’s presence. The noise that had entered the house, which had been silent for a while, wasn’t uncomfortable.
The moment he focused on that presence, the door swung open again. The light pouring in from the living room illuminated Min-ho’s pitch-dark space.
“What.”
“What do you mean ‘what’. It’s just the exhausted and tired Won Gyu-oh. Ah, I’m so sleepy.”
A large, black silhouette closed the distance without hesitation and flopped down beside the bed. The bed swayed slightly from the impact, and a fresh scent of shampoo wafted in.
“I’m so sleepy. I really thought I was going to die because I was so damn sleepy.”
“……You’re sleeping here?”
“Mm-hmm. I just met some scary gangster bastards, so I’m scared to sleep alone.”
He even trembled his shoulders while lying face down. As Min-ho slowly tried to raise his body, a heavy arm landed on his shoulder as if blocking his path.
“Where are you going.”
The guy, who for a while had been startled even by a touch of a fingertip, was acting without reservation again. While it was good that he was back to his old self, this time it became a bit troublesome for Min-ho.
“……Sleep comfortably. I’ll go to the other room.”
“I told you I’m scared to sleep alonenn.”
Because he was mumbling with his face buried deep in the blanket, his pronunciation wasn’t clear, but it was certain that he was talking nonsense. Moreover, because he pressed down on the shoulder with force, the body that had been awkwardly halfway up was buried back into the bed.
“What do you mean you’re scared. How old are you to be like this.”
And when it comes to gangsters, he was worse than most. Despite the sharp scolding, Gyu-oh was completely unfazed.
“Why, I’m the younger brother. Give me a break.”
Not content with just resting his arm, he wrapped his arm tightly around the shoulder. Min-ho froze for a moment at the body temperature entwining him.
This is…… too close. He knew he was the clingy type, but he didn’t think he acted this without boundaries. No, maybe I’m just too conscious of it. Come to think of it, he was a guy who would grab his hand or press their cheeks together at any given time. It seems… the fact that it’s on a bed is the problem.
“Hyung, do you know? When you’re too sleepy, you can’t fall asleep.”
“…….”
“That’s how I am right now. Ah, those gangster punks talk so much and act so tough. My energy was completely sucked out just enduring that.”
Gyu-oh’s voice trailed off as he continued to rub his face against the blanket. Min-ho didn’t respond and just listened. He held his breath and waited for Gyu-oh to fall asleep. He vowed that he would then quietly leave the spot.
“Still, I think if I stall for a few more days, there’ll be some gain. Wouldn’t it be faster if I just beat them up?”
“……That’s not allowed.”
“Exactly. That’s why I’m enduring this exhaustion.”
Gyu-oh, who quickly changed his words, laughed, his shoulders shaking while lying face down. That vibration transferred directly to Min-ho. Strangely, it felt as if he were ticklish starting from the shoulder where Gyu-oh’s arm rested. As he focused on the inexplicable sensation, his consciousness gradually blurred.
“Is your meeting with Son Pro tomorrow, Hyung?”
“Yeah. Tomorrow, together with the Executive Director.”
“Glad to hear that.”
His plan to wait for Gyu-oh to fall asleep was ruined. Instead, the low voice stabilized Min-ho. Much faster than a musical piece mixed with the sound of rain. Falling into a deep sleep happened in an instant.
He had slept so soundly that he almost didn’t realize he had fallen asleep, let alone had a dream. When he suddenly opened his eyes, dim light was pouring into the room that had been pitch black. The moment he blinked his stiff eyes a few more times, a delinquent face suddenly filled his vision.
“Ah, you scared me.”
Gyu-oh, lying on his side, was staring down at him with his head propped up by his arm. In those calm, black pupils, not a trace of sleep remained. Even though he was staring with a sharp gaze, he was simply observing him in silence.
“You sleep well.”
Feeling awkwardly embarrassed, Min-ho cleared his throat and raised his voice.
“……People sleep at night. Why are you watching someone sleep like that? You startled me.”
Perhaps because he saw Won Gyu-oh’s face as soon as he opened his eyes, his heart raced so fast that even the lingering drowsiness evaporated. Thump, thump—the pulse continued to ring in his ears like tinnitus. He pressed his left chest firmly with his palm so it wouldn’t be noticed.
“I was startled too, you know?”
“Why were you?”
“Because I saw a new side of Cha Min-ho today.”
A serious and low voice followed. His heart sank, and he couldn’t manage his expression. He couldn’t even guess what words would follow. Had he made another mistake? He hadn’t drunk today, and he wasn’t sick.
“……What kind of useless talk are you trying to say. Move.”
He didn’t want to show his flustered state, but the end of his sentence trembled slightly. Was it because they were so close that a slight turn of the body would make them touch? The sound of Gyu-oh’s lips parting and closing, and the sound of a small, sigh-mixed breath, were excessively clear. An ominous feeling crept in at the delinquent face that lacked even a hint of a smile. The gaze looking down at him was still persistent.
“Hyung also……”
“…….”
Gyu-oh, trailing off, slowly lowered his eyes. His eyes, cheeks, the bridge of his nose. The path the black pupils scanned was felt explicitly.
Please, let it be that nothing happened. Please don’t let it become any more awkward. Please don’t let me lose a good younger brother.
Watching Gyu-oh’s lips slowly part, Min-ho prayed to every god he didn’t even believe in.
“You’ve become a total old man, huh? You snore.”
“……What?”
“I think you slept damn deeply. I’m telling you, you were snoring.”
Min-ho, who had been blinking stupidly, furrowed his brow sharply. At the same time, the tension that had been pulled taut snapped. Ah, fuck, I worried for nothing. I knew it. He bolted upright and roughly swept back his messy hair.
“What the fuck, I snore?”
He’s saying I snore again, just like last time. Not wanting to be falsely accused even now, he snapped back. At that, Gyu-oh, who had been lying on his side, slowly raised his body. As he did, he began to mutter to himself as if for Min-ho to hear.
“I heard it. The sound of a drill was piercing my ears, definitely.”
“Stop talking nonsense and get ready for work.”
I was unnecessarily tense since this morning. Now that relief had washed over me, my movements became naturally bolder. I gave Gyu-oh’s thigh a light smack—not enough to hurt—and climbed out of bed. I moved hurriedly, pretending to tidy up the bedding.
“…….”
I hope he didn’t notice the anxious look on my face earlier. Even if the sun was starting to rise, he shouldn’t have been able to read such a subtle change in expression. I stole a glance at Gyu-oh while squaring up the pillows. Once again, our eyes met instantly. The dark pupils, which had been deeply sunken, were now shimmering with interest. That look definitely meant he had caught onto something.
“You remember snoring, don’t you? Where do you think you’re going with that denial?”
“……Sigh.”
Min-ho brushed back his hair and let out a deep sigh. Right, Won Gyu-oh is always this bright and cheerful. The problem is just me, constantly worrying for no reason even when dealing with a guy like him. Carrying my complicated emotions, I slapped Gyu-oh on the back a couple of times.
“You brat. You’re just asking for a beating this morning.”
“Aah.”
Leaving behind Gyu-oh, who was overreacting despite the lack of force, I headed straight for the bathroom. Because of the distance from the bedroom, I didn’t end up hearing Gyu-oh let out a small sigh behind my back.
* * *
Gyu-oh had been frantically busy for the past few days. He had to find something out quickly so that Min-ho wouldn’t have any reason to stall for time by meeting Son Pro. During the day, he tracked Son Pro’s movements, and in the evening, he scraped together information, even pressuring the guys who had gone to the private investigators.
And in the dead of night, he would return to the house where Min-ho was. Even when he had a couple of hours to close his eyes, it was the same. If anyone asked why he kept frequenting Min-ho’s house instead of his own comfortable home… he would simply answer that he was worried.
“……When did you leave?”
For the past few days, whenever he returned late at night, Min-ho was always asleep. Even though the Rain-Sound Mixed Musical Piece that was always playing wasn’t turned on, he seemed to be sleeping well. Seeing that there were no empty liquor bottles, he wasn’t relying on alcohol, and he didn’t seem to have the leisure to meet anyone else.
From what he had observed over the last few days, Min-ho hadn’t been having nightmares and had been sleeping for quite a long time. And he always left for work quietly on his own before Gyu-oh woke up. Gyu-oh wasn’t a heavy sleeper, so he usually would have heard him leaving. Lately, however, he hadn’t felt any sign of him at all.
“……His schedule is pretty tight, after all.”
A suspicion bloomed that Min-ho might be intentionally slipping out quietly, but he quickly shook it off. There’s no way Hyung would avoid me. He probably just didn’t hear me because he was tired. He convinced himself of that.