By Zephyria 
Eun-ha woke up dimly to the sound of noise and sunlight. After staring blankly at the TV screen where some drama was airing, he clumsily sat up on the sofa. It seemed he had dozed off.
It was late afternoon, after work. Stretching lightly, Eun-ha blinked slowly. He sat in a daze for a while as if gathering his senses before standing up. He strolled toward the bathroom, but changed course upon noticing something left on the island table. Approaching it, he saw a Post-it note.
[I packed dinner and put it in the fridge.]
Below that, there was a message asking him to eat and then get in touch.
At the end of the sentences, written in neat handwriting, five hearts were cheerfully drawn.
How cute. With a small smirk, Eun-ha headed for the refrigerator. Opening it, he saw sushi containers neatly arranged inside. He didn’t know when the other had prepared all this before leaving. In fact, he had been with Eun-ha until he fell asleep. As usual, they had eaten together around noon, spent some leisurely time…
And then, before they knew it, they were stripping each other’s clothes off.
They had fucked in the bright daylight as if it were the dead of night. How many times had they done it…? Regardless, after rolling around like that, he had tended to the exhausted Eun-ha, washed up together, done it one more time, and then—while Eun-ha lay sprawled on the sofa and fell asleep—he had tidied up the disaster of a house, packed food, and then gone out.
‘How diligent…’
The boy had said he had plans with high school friends today. That he might have dinner and perhaps some drinks, so he would likely be late.
Looking at him, he seemed leisurely, yet his schedule was secretly filled with meetings with acquaintances here and there. Truly, there were many people seeking him out. His always harmonious family, and the people around him with whom he kept steady contact.
Of course, those appointments only happened because Yeon-jun readily agreed to them. He was the type to radiate energy outward and recharge from the outside. Unlike Eun-ha, whose total daily energy was extremely limited and who possessed a more static form of sociability. To put it in a metaphor, he was exactly the type of personality that fit well with Eun-ha’s friends.
Checking the time, Eun-ha decided to eat first. It wasn’t six o’clock yet. It was early for dinner, but since he had other planned tasks for the day, he decided to get it over with quickly.
Finishing his meal by leaving a couple of pieces of sushi, he washed up briefly and headed to the dressing room in the bedroom. He was in the middle of undressing to change into outdoor clothes. His gaze was instinctively drawn to the naked form reflected in the mirror.
His entire body was mottled with red bruises. Like someone who had been caught in a swarm of insects. It wasn’t a particularly pleasant sight, but it was a reasonably satisfying set of marks.
Since that first day they had mixed their bodies to the absolute limit, holding onto a Yeon-jun who was cultivating a level of restraint he had never desired, they had fucked every time their eyes met for the past few days. Regardless of time or place, several times, countless times.
And in the process, Yeon-jun gradually lost the rules he had set for himself. Whenever he would suddenly tense his body or pause, trying to refocus his blurred gaze in an attempt to exercise self-control, Eun-ha would wrap his arms around his neck. Pulling him in, he demanded that he not stop. Good. Yeon-jun. Do it more, more… Harder.
Then, he could see the pupils they shared being rapidly eroded. Soon after, the penetration would become rough. The feeling of watching him peel away layers of his tightly wound caution to desire him was quite amusing. The more raw his true intentions were conveyed, the more a thrill raced down Eun-ha’s spine. It was Eun-ha’s chronic habit to paradoxically feel a sense of stability in aggressive sex. The more his limbs were hastily grabbed and tightly bound, the more his heart felt tightly filled, as if he were receiving an immense amount of love. It was a taste that was, in a way, masochistic.
As if vaguely noticing that inner self which stood a step away from the norm, Yeon-jun was always exhausted after their chaotic sex ended. He would show feelings of apology with eyes that flickered like someone who had committed a grave mistake. Not quite understanding that, when Eun-ha once snapped and asked what he was sorry for, Yeon-jun wrapped him tightly in a blanket as if wrapping a parcel and mumbled while hugging him tight like a doll.
“I don’t want to make it hard for you.”
“It’s not hard.”
“Who would believe that when you’re in this state? You have a history, Hyung.”
“I’m serious. I loved it.”
“…”
He was sincere. Yeon-jun paused at the nonchalant voice. Like someone who had heard something incredibly embarrassing. Eun-ha saw his ears slowly turning red, as always.
A moment of silence followed. Eun-ha stared intently at Yeon-jun, but at some point, he was stopped from looking. The boy covered Eun-ha’s eyes with his large palm as if he couldn’t bear it.
“Don’t look at me like that. I’m really not going to do it anymore.”
“I wasn’t planning on doing it more.”
“Hyung just now again… No. Anyway.”
“…”
“Hyung doesn’t say it’s hard even when it is.”
A sigh, sounding as if he were plagued by endless worry and contemplation, landed by his ear. Arms loosely wrapped around his waist.
“Honestly, I like it, Hyung. Doing it like this.”
It seemed likely. He actually looked that way. He had a strong sexual drive. Being twenty and fully grown, and an extroverted, energetic type in many ways, it was only natural.
“But I hate the idea that I’m the only one who likes it.”
“…”
“It’s not that I desperately crave this kind of act. I just… I’m happy enough just holding Hyung like this.”
“Ah. So we don’t necessarily have to have sex?”
“…I didn’t say we shouldn’t do it at all.”
“Ah. So we still have to do it.”
“Seriously. Hyung.”
For a moment, a reproachful gaze met him. At that look, which seemed to ask why he was teasing him, Eun-ha felt completely pierced and shut his mouth in the posture of someone surrendering.
Sighing deeply once more, Yeon-jun rested his forehead on the crown of Eun-ha’s head.
A soft voice reached him.
“Don’t be like that with me.”
‘With me.’ Eun-ha thought it was a rather ticklish modifier.
“If it’s hard, tell me it’s hard.”
“…”
“Even if it’s not in this kind of situation.”
“…You really can’t pronounce the word ‘sex,’ can you?”
He was someone who always felt awkward bringing up sexual vocabulary. When Eun-ha pointed it out like a joke, the startled Yeon-jun quickly made the prickly expression he always wore when being teased. Eun-ha’s eyes lit up with vitality, like someone who had found an interesting lead.
“Are you really a child?”
“…Is it fun to tease me?”
Falling for the prank instantly, Yeon-jun looked at Eun-ha resentfully with a flushed face. Eun-ha didn’t bother hiding the mindless laughter that leaked out, giggling, and then, as if truly enjoying himself, he took in Yeon-jun with eyes full of mirth before suddenly twisting his upper body to rise. He tilted his head, positioning himself to lean slightly over Yeon-jun. He pressed his lips against the other’s. It was an impulsive kiss. And it was a kiss so fragile it was almost ticklish.
As he pressed down lightly and pulled away, Yeon-jun was looking up at him from close range with slightly clouded eyes. Like someone who had been hit by an unexpected surprise attack. Dazed.
Eun-ha quietly observed that face—perfectly handsome no matter where he looked, though slightly loosened—and then lowered his head once more. He gave a loud mwah kiss to the defenseless man and then pulled back.
Now completely blank eyes wandered over Eun-ha’s face. It was the face of someone whose emotions had been triggered by something close to a shock.
Or a face that stared with extreme unfamiliarity and strangeness at a person who had undergone an unbelievable change, unable to believe it.
He knew. Eun-ha knew too. That he was currently expressing affection very explicitly. That he was making an expression he would have absolutely never made before.
Feeling embarrassed belatedly, he dove into the other’s embrace, leaving the stunned reaction behind. He buried his head in the chest and hugged the waist. This, too, came as a tremendous new stimulus to Yeon-jun. After being frozen for a moment, he awkwardly hugged the body in his arms and murmured.
“Hyung… just now, you really seemed like someone who likes me.”
“Not ‘seemed like,’ that’s exactly what it is.”