By Zephyria 
“You were awake, so why pretend to be asleep?”
“Because someone was talking to me without any manners. I figured if I was going to go back to sleep, I might as well beat you up first.”
“Did you wake up because you felt it?”
He rested his hand firmly on the thigh area hidden by the thick blanket. At that, Min-ho raised his voice as if he were genuinely wronged.
“You crazy bastard, feel what? I can’t feel a thing below my waist right now.”
Seeing the slightly cracked, husky voice and the puffy eyes from a deep sleep, Gyu-oh couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
“Isn’t it great that you don’t have to go to work thanks to that?”
“…Fine. Think whatever you want.”
Hyung had definitely said with his own mouth to rest and not go to work. And since he might head back to the company saying he was bored, Gyu-oh had simply strived for Hyung’s perfect deep sleep and holiday.
“Now get up. Let’s eat num-nums.”
Chu. He gave a peck on the cheek and moved away. Seeing the puffy face, laughter kept leaking out. This was a man who usually lived with dark circles and bloodshot eyes. To see him sprawled out like a warm piece of glutinous rice cake… it was clear that Won Gyu-oh had achieved something great.
Min-ho slowly sat up and looked around. Sensing he was looking for clothes to wear, Gyu-oh handed him a t-shirt placed to one side. It was a bit too large for Gyu-oh as well, so he only wore it occasionally when exercising, but he thought it would be quite a sight on Min-ho.
“You crazy bastard. Instead of food, go eat some Job’s tears tea.”
Min-ho, who had put on the clothes so carelessly that his hair was all messed up, clunkily stepped off the bed. His legs stretching below the bed were also full of hematomas. There was even a blue bruise on his knee. Staring at the moderately muscular legs, Gyu-oh licked his lips and twitched an eyebrow.
“Why Job’s tears tea?”
“Just eat it if I tell you to. I’ll go to the mart later and sweep them all up.”
The long hem of the t-shirt barely covered his lower half. If he leaned over slightly or walked fast, his buttocks and the diagonally drooping part below would be clearly exposed. The smell of pizza clearly didn’t reach the bedroom, but Gyu-oh had to smack his lips because he was constantly salivating.
“Hyung. Having a lover with a high sex drive is a blessing, you know? Ask your friends. They’ll all give the same answer.”
“I’ve lived a bad life, so I don’t need much of a blessing.”
“Eh, where else can you find a person as kind as you?”
Gyu-oh suddenly hugged Min-ho, who was awkwardly leaving the room with his hands on his hips. Before he could even stagger, Gyu-oh gripped him firmly, lifted him up, and headed toward the dining table. Perhaps he really had been drained of all his strength; Min-ho was carried obediently, limp.
“And they say that’s temporary. Something like Job’s tears tea can’t intimidate my dick.”
He sat him down at the table where the golden-brown pizza was placed and hugged him tightly from behind once more. He rubbed his cheek against the warm cheek, enjoying the body temperature. Despite the embarrassing skinship, Min-ho no longer pushed him away. He simply raised a weak hand to tap Gyu-oh’s opposite cheek and then withdrew.
“You’re the one who can be intimidated.”
As Gyu-oh giggled, his shoulders shaking, Min-ho also let out a small laugh. Perhaps because their body temperatures were linked, the laughter seemed to be contagious.
It was a rare, relaxed, and pleasant afternoon. Just as Gyu-oh planned, they finished a whole pizza, stuck their bodies together again to sweat, and then came out after a refreshing wash.
Just as they were about to curl up under the blanket and watch a movie since it was too early for dinner, a doorbell rang, breaking the peaceful atmosphere. Gyu-oh instinctively knew that his leisurely time with Min-ho had come to an end.
And unfortunately, that prediction did not miss.
“No, you guys should be the ones doing this kind of exotic date.”
“I just wanted to share the good things.”
The people Gyu-oh encountered at the auction house, where he had been summoned without knowing why, were Mu-gyeong and Hong-ju. From a quick glance at the situation, it seemed they had been on a date but were sent to bid on an item instead. A reasonable suspicion arose that they had spitefully called him in as well.
“The probability is higher if there are more people, after all.”
Meanwhile, Min-ho quickly agreed and even nodded. His touch as he straightened his crooked tie was calm. It was a completely different temperature from Gyu-oh, who had been excited by the thought of cuddling up to watch a movie, eating a filling dinner, and then spending a passionate night together.
Gyu-oh swept the inside of his cheek with his tongue and pressed close to Min-ho’s side. Then, bringing his lips to Min-ho’s ear, he whispered just loud enough for Hyung to hear.
“Cha Min-ho, whose side are you taking right now?”
“There are no sides in work.”
A disinterested voice followed. Gyu-oh felt like ignoring the auction and just cutting the power to make a mess of everything, but his heart melted at the gentle touch covering the back of his hand.
“……Good grief.”
The aegyo of it all. The fingers that had dug into his palm tapped his skin lightly before pulling away. This was Cha Min-ho’s way of soothing him. In the past, he had expressed it by patting his shoulder, but now that they were lovers, the skinship had deepened.
Gyu-oh stared silently at the palm where Min-ho’s touch had lingered and then curled his hand into a fist. Fine, it’s not like Cha Min-ho is going to wander off just because a few hours were stolen. He let out a silly giggle and matched his pace.
Inside the auction house, they had to sit according to their assigned numbers, and by chance, Gyu-oh ended up sitting right next to Hong-ju. Even though they were only separated by a couple of seats, Gyu-oh’s face felt prickly because of someone staring at him with a sour expression.
“Oof. Mr. Seong’s gaze is hot, so hot.”
……I wonder if Min-ho Hyung is feeling jealous in this situation? He peeked forward with an expectant look. Min-ho, sitting several rows ahead, had his head bowed low, perhaps checking his phone. He showed no sign of looking back.
“…….”
Of course. Why would that indifferent human look at me longingly or be jealous? It was annoying, but he didn’t hate him for it. After all, the way he was obsessed with work was often quite sexy. Feeling a sudden warmth in his chest, Gyu-oh cleared his throat and straightened his posture.
Buzz. Just then, the phone in his pocket vibrated briefly. Since the auction hadn’t officially started yet, he stole a glance at the screen.
[♥Cha Cha Cha♥ : Let’s eat dinner just the two of us later]
“Crazy.”
Hyung wanted to be alone with me too? I wasn’t the only one who felt like our happy vacation was being interrupted. A message suggesting hamburgers followed shortly after. Ha, the problem was that Hyung knew him far too well. How did he know exactly when he’d be craving a burger?
[Follow me to the restroom for a bit and let’s have a deep kiss]
Gyu-oh beamed unconsciously as he sent a reply filled with affection.
“Why are you laughing?”
He snapped back to reality at the sound of a curious question from beside him. Gyu-oh, who had been covering his mouth to stifle a laugh, shifted his eyes. The other man was clearly younger than him, so why did he look so mature right now? It seemed that look in his eyes was the cause…
“Hong-ju-ssi, you’re looking at me… like I’m some immature younger brother? Or is it just my imagination?”
“……It is your imagination.”
The corners of his mouth, forced upward, trembled slightly. In the past, he used to act like a neighborhood kid following an admired Hyung with sparkling eyes, but lately, he openly treated Gyu-oh like a younger brother. He really was a transparent person.
Gyu-oh felt like his pride would be wounded if he said, ‘I was laughing because I was flirting with Min-ho Hyung,’ so he made up a vague excuse. Well, it was basically the same thing.
“There’s a puppy I’ve been eyeing lately. I was looking at a puppy.”
“On YouTube?”
The body that had been pressed against the backrest tilted slightly toward him. Only then did he show interest. Gyu-oh quickly opened the app and went to a channel he watched often. Since there was a channel he had wanted to show Hong-ju anyway, his reaction was fast.
He played a vlog of a puppy traveling to New York and glanced around. The chaotic surroundings were gradually settling down. It seemed the auction was about to begin. They leaned in, shoulders touching, to look at the phone together.
“It’s a mixed breed. Ah, so cute.”
“Right? Let’s let this one into our hearts too.”
Hong-ju nodded with a faint smile. Since they had a relationship of sharing channels featuring cute animals, offering the phone was effortless.
However, he didn’t expect a reply from Min-ho to arrive at that exact moment. Though it was just a preview, the blunt message was written in a way that there was no mistaking who sent it.
[♥Cha Cha Cha♥ : Reduce the skinship in public]
Hong-ju’s eyes rolled toward him.
“…….”
Was he caught? Would he believe it if he said it was just a normal exchange of messages? Is it okay to be caught like this? Hyung probably wouldn’t like it. It seemed Mu-gyeong Hyung had noticed on his own, but he’d need permission to tell Hong-ju-ssi. He couldn’t exactly tell him to forget what he’d already seen…
The situation was slightly awkward, but dealing with things brazenly was Gyu-oh’s specialty. He placed his index finger in front of his lips and made a small “shh” sound. Winking one eye, Gyu-oh reached out with his large hand and covered the phone screen.
“That’s enough now. Using a phone in the dark ruins your eyesight.”
He took the phone back and quickly typed on the keypad. As he sent a reply filled with hearts, the lights in the hall began to go out one by one. The surroundings darkened, and the spotlight brightly illuminated the podium. Feeling a silent gaze lingering on him, he leaned back against the seat.
“It’s okay. I already knew.”
The voice that drifted in just before the darkness enveloped them was utterly calm. A small pat on the arm followed, as if telling him not to be flustered.
“…….”
Ah, right. Hong-ju-ssi’s intuition is incredibly fast, isn’t it? Acting like this makes him feel like a real Hyung.
For a moment, Gyu-oh almost burst out laughing, but he bit his lower lip and barely managed to hold it in.