By Zephyria 
Late at night, after finishing his daily routine, Jae-gyeom flopped onto his bed and stared at the ceiling.
He had spent the entire day avoiding Yoon Tae-hee.
When Tae-hee asked if he wanted to go to the gym together, Jae-gyeom declined, claiming he had to study. He even skipped their daily night walks, using the excuse that he wanted to rest because of muscle pain. Upon hearing that he wouldn’t go, Yoon Tae-hee simply nodded and said, “Okay,” without further comment.
After spending the day holed up in his room pretending to study with various excuses, Jae-gyeom was fortunately able to blend back in quietly when Jeong-ju and Yu Nam-saeng returned in the evening.
“Sigh.”
Lying with his hands interlaced behind his head, Jae-gyeom let out a sigh. It wasn’t that he wanted to avoid him for the sake of avoiding him. He was fleeing from the crisis of his “thing” reacting once again.
At some point, whenever he looked at Yoon Tae-hee, his gaze would unconsciously drift toward the man’s forearms, shoulders, or straight fingers. After staring for a while, he would strangely feel an impulse—a desire to hit him, to tease him physically, or to bite him hard.
Until now, Jae-gyeom had interpreted these impulses simply. As playfulness stemming from intimacy, or perhaps a sort of mischievous spite… But it felt as if the nature of these impulses had changed overnight.
Like something that had been quiet until it reached its boiling point, the impulses he had considered purely superficial suddenly began to move through his bloodstream. They were clearly heading somewhere.
The destination of those impulses was none other than his lower abdomen.
Even though he hadn’t touched himself, blood rushed to his groin. Only after experiencing the predicted sensation that he would surely get an erection did Jae-gyeom belatedly realize the true identity of the impulse. It was sexual desire. It was the first time in his life he had felt such active sexual desire toward a specific person.
Jae-gyeom found this version of himself completely foreign.
Even today, it wasn’t as if Yoon Tae-hee had touched him in some erotic way; it was just a situation where he was helping him stretch, yet Jae-gyeom felt beyond embarrassed—he felt absurd for reacting to it. And if there was another problem, it was that unlike him, the current Yoon Tae-hee was as nonchalant as could be.
Previously, Tae-hee had made him blush by asking how someone could carelessly strip in front of a sodomite, but now, he would show off his bare body at the gym without a second thought. In contrast to Jae-gyeom, who was hyper-aware of everything, Yoon Tae-hee seemed completely undisturbed, as if he weren’t conscious of those things at all.
‘I imagine rolling around with you like dogs every single night.’
He had even said things like that, so why was his reaction so composed?
Even if they were keeping their distance for the sake of appearances, considering who Yoon Tae-hee was, he could have created plenty of opportunities for skinship. If he had set his mind to it, they could have done it during their night walks, while alone in the car, or even had a secret rendezvous(?) in their respective rooms while the rest of the family was asleep.
Should I just be honest and talk to him?
Jae-gyeom sank into thought.
He pondered for a moment, but he didn’t have the courage yet. The very act of asking such a question felt like giving up a move in a game, and a wave of awkwardness washed over him at the thought of exposing his inner feelings so clearly.
What on earth should I do in a situation like this…?
Tossing and turning under his covers, Jae-gyeom finally managed to fall asleep after a long while.
The next day, Monday.
Jae-gyeom started his day as usual.
Perhaps because he had rested for three days straight, Yoon Tae-hee kept complaining that he didn’t want to go to work, lounging around like blanched spinach. Since he showed no sign of waking up even after 7:00, Jae-gyeom nagged him awake and pushed him into the bathroom to wash up quickly. Then, as always, he put his heart and soul into frying eggs, made soy sauce egg rice, and ate breakfast with Yu Nam-saeng.
“Have a good day.”
“Have a good day, Young Master.”
Regardless, Jae-gyeom successfully saw off Yoon Tae-hee as he left for work. He avoided eye contact a few times and pretended not to notice when their fingertips brushed, but otherwise, he acted as if nothing had happened.
“I’m leaving.”
Jae-gyeom watched Yoon Tae-hee’s back as he stepped out the front door, then turned away. It was just as he returned to the dining table to clear the empty dishes and start the washing up. His phone rang.
Jae-gyeom peeked over to check the phone.
The caller was Yoon Tae-hee.
Jae-gyeom felt puzzled that the guy who had just left was calling him. As soon as he answered, he asked, “Why?” and Yoon Tae-hee replied.
— Could you bring me my car keys? They’re on my dresser.
Jae-gyeom clicked his tongue. Clumsy as always. He had resisted going to work and then left as if being chased, only to leave his keys behind.
Jae-gyeom replied that he would and immediately hung up. He went to Yoon Tae-hee’s room, grabbed the keys, and stepped outside the front door.
Opening the main gate and looking around, he saw Yoon Tae-hee standing still, leaning his back against the wall.
“Here.”
Jae-gyeom approached Yoon Tae-hee and handed him the keys. However, Yoon Tae-hee didn’t take them; instead, he kept his hands in his pockets and stared intently at Jae-gyeom. Then, he suddenly grabbed Jae-gyeom’s wrist and pulled him.
What’s this?
Pulled by the sudden force, Jae-gyeom found his back pressed against the wall. Just as he looked up at Yoon Tae-hee with a bewildered expression, Yoon Tae-hee cupped Jae-gyeom’s cheeks with both hands and pulled his face in for a kiss. Jae-gyeom’s shoulders flinched at the unrefined, rough action.
The unannounced kiss was sudden.
In his surprise, he almost reflexively pushed Yoon Tae-hee away. The only reason he couldn’t was that Yoon Tae-hee was gripping his wrist with strong force. A warm, wet tongue slid right in, instantly beginning to ravage the depths of his mouth. The sensation of tongue intertwining with tongue was vivid. Hot breaths mingled wildly.
“Ugh…”
Jae-gyeom was led along, helplessly accepting Yoon Tae-hee’s kiss. It was a kiss so erotic that his legs went weak and the hair on his neck stood on end.
At one point, Yoon Tae-hee’s tongue scraped the roof of his mouth.
“Ugh, hng…”
Just as Jae-gyeom’s eyes trembled with a moan, Yoon Tae-hee abruptly pulled his lips away and spoke in a slightly strained voice.
“Why are you avoiding me?”
“…What?”
At the contextless question, Jae-gyeom, who was catching his breath, paused. With their noses still touching, Yoon Tae-hee looked down and asked.
“Why did you avoid me?”
It seemed Yoon Tae-hee had noticed long ago that Jae-gyeom was avoiding him. Hit right where it hurt, Jae-gyeom looked down and answered incoherently.
“A-avoiding what? When did I…”
“You’ve been keeping your distance since yesterday.”
“W-why would I keep my distance? I didn’t.”
“Liar. You’re avoiding me even now.”
Under the continued interrogation, Jae-gyeom couldn’t deny it any further and shut his mouth. Then, Yoon Tae-hee grabbed Jae-gyeom’s chin with one hand and forced him to look at him.
“Did I bore you?”
Jae-gyeom frowned slightly. What was he talking about all of a sudden? Just as he was about to ask what he meant, Yoon Tae-hee added a breath ahead.
“Or, did you think about it again and decide this isn’t right?”
Jae-gyeom had no idea why Yoon Tae-hee was saying such things.
Right then, Yoon Tae-hee slid his thigh between Jae-gyeom’s legs. A firm, thick thigh entered between his groin and pressed firmly against the center. Jae-gyeom’s shoulders jumped at the stimulation.
“Hey!”
Simultaneously, Yoon Tae-hee tilted his head and sucked on Jae-gyeom’s neck.
“W-what are you doing! What if someone sees, you bastard!”
Startled by the bold action, Jae-gyeom was so flustered that he raised his voice while trying to stop him. As he grabbed Yoon Tae-hee’s shoulders to push him away, Yoon Tae-hee asked in a low voice.
“Are you going to keep avoiding me?”
“Fine, I get it! I won’t avoid you.”
Overpowered by the momentum, Jae-gyeom finally admitted it as if pushed.
“…”
Yoon Tae-hee remained silent for a moment, narrowing his eyes as he peered into Jae-gyeom’s face before speaking.
“If you avoid me, you’ll be punished.”
His darkly gleaming eyes were somehow chilling. The moment he saw those eyes, Jae-gyeom belatedly realized. Although he hadn’t shown it in front of the family, Yoon Tae-hee had actually been in a foul mood all along.
“Anyway, I get it, so let’s talk after you get back.”
Jae-gyeom wiped his lips, trying his best to feign composure.
“I won’t avoid you anymore, so just go. You’re late.”
Perhaps because he had admitted it, Yoon Tae-hee fortunately let him go relatively easily.
“Yeah. I’ll be back.”
As he spoke, a large hand came to the back of Jae-gyeom’s head, gripping his hair once as if rumpling it, before letting go.
And so, Jae-gyeom, left half-dazed, watched Yoon Tae-hee’s car drive away. Then it suddenly occurred to him that Yoon Tae-hee might have left his keys on purpose to avoid the eyes of the family.
Standing blankly, Jae-gyeom rubbed his face with his hands as if scrubbing his eyes. His breath was still trembling. His heart was fluttering and wouldn’t settle down.
It felt like it had been a long time since he’d seen him act like such a crazy person. Then again, that was the kind of guy he was. A guy who acted however he wanted when things didn’t go his way.
Jae-gyeom sighed and crouched down. For some reason, his crotch felt hot.
“…Ah.”
The kiss, the first in a long time, had been stimulating enough to suck the soul right out of him.
That night, after the family had all fallen asleep.
Instead of going for a night walk, Jae-gyeom headed to the second floor.
Upon reaching Yoon Tae-hee’s door, he took a deep breath and knocked very softly. As if he had been waiting, the door opened. Yoon Tae-hee was leaning against the doorframe, looking down at Jae-gyeom.
“Come in.”
Jae-gyeom entered the room and closed the door.
When their eyes met, Jae-gyeom scratched his forehead and looked down to hide his awkwardness.
“…”
“…”
After Yoon Tae-hee returned from work, the two had spent a normally ordinary day. They exchanged greetings, asking if the other had a good day as if nothing had happened, and had a mundane conversation about whether anything special had occurred while sitting huddled together for dinner with Jeong-ju and Yu Nam-saeng.
While they treated each other naturally in front of the family, a subtle current that only the two of them knew about flowed between them. As if by agreement, neither of them went for a night walk.
Yoon Tae-hee sat on the edge of the bed and got straight to the point.
“So, why were you avoiding me?”
Instead of sitting next to Yoon Tae-hee, Jae-gyeom plopped his backside down on the floor and looked up at him. Yoon Tae-hee waited patiently for Jae-gyeom to speak.
“Well…”
His lips twitching, Jae-gyeom awkwardly started.
“I’m sorry about yesterday and this morning.”
“Not an apology. I’m curious about the reason.”
At this moment, Jae-gyeom suddenly recalled Sesi-girl’s advice.
‘Having a sincere and honest conversation is a hundred times more helpful for the relationship afterward.’
Yes, he thought it would be better to just speak candidly this time.
“…”
So, after hesitating for a long while, Jae-gyeom decided to just be honest.
“It’s because I thought my dick was going to get hard.”
Following those words, a brief silence fell.