By Zephyria 
Eyes looking at Woo Tae-hwon. It was a much softer gaze than usual.
“From now on, talk to me a lot.”
“……”
“Let’s go out often, too. Eat delicious food, see good sights.”
“……”
“And rest comfortably in a good place.”
He smiled deeply with his eyes and turned his chin to look at the window. Beyond the large glass window that took up a large part of the living room wall of the suite, there was a forest of buildings lined up. It was a structure that looked down on the splendid city at its feet.
“I know that you’re in an unstable state right now, Tae-hwon, and it wouldn’t be strange if you regained your memories at any time. But even if it’s just for a brief moment before you get your memories back. Let’s spend time like this.”
Kwon Rae-i said calmly and languidly.
Tae-hwon quietly mulled over those words and looked at him. His gaze lingered on his straight jawline. His blue-gray eyes were now staring into the distance.
A moment ago, the moment when they enjoyed the course meal together flashed through his mind. The leisurely meal and the comfortable conversations they had. Focusing on each other’s words, making eye contact, and laughing. Those moments were vivid one by one.
“Are you going to be satisfied with that?”
Tae-hwon muttered quietly.
“Why don’t you just insist.”
“Insist?”
“You’re good at being stubborn. You’re also good at acting recklessly.”
Tae-hwon loosened the tie that was choking his neck. There was a moderate distance between the two of them sitting on the sofa, but he felt a warm warmth as if they had already overlapped their bodies fiercely.
“I’m telling you not to be unnecessarily relaxed… You’ll regret it later.”
‘Like me.’
In fact, this wasn’t a word to him. It was a word to Woo Tae-hwon himself.
To be honest, he was afraid that he would regain his memories if he couldn’t do anything and just lingered like this. He didn’t know when he would return to being thirty-year-old Woo Tae-hwon, so every minute and every second was precious. The fear of losing himself was something he couldn’t easily shake off no matter how hard he tried.
‘I don’t even know what will happen to me now, so I don’t want to leave any regrets.’
“So what I’m saying is… don’t hold back.”
“Tae-hwon.”
“Rae-i, you’ve held back for too long.”
The moment Tae-hwon said that, Kwon Rae-i suddenly turned his face and brought it closer. The gaze that was staring straight ahead was, well… fierce.
He felt an atmosphere that was tense but not unpleasant.
It was unfamiliar but acceptable.
‘……Ah.’
Maybe this is, excitement.
Tae-hwon swallowed his breath and looked at him.
Kwon Rae-i’s face was shining like moonlight. His eyes, which had been like transparent ice, were now melting away like the sunset at dusk. It was definitely a cold blue-gray, but it looked like crimson and pink were mixed together.
It was the face of someone who desperately wanted eternity, but was struggling to hold on to this short moment.
Kwon Rae-i. Woo Tae-hwon.
The two people melted into the scenery of the suite, which was as splendid as a stage, and deeply recognized each other’s existence. It was as if the two had become one person, feeling the same way while being on the same line. It felt like that, at least for now.
It was about desperately clinging to the moment they faced in the face of an uncertain future.
Soon, he slowly frowned. His delicate eyes were distorted, and his jaw became firm.
“Tae-hwon. That sounds like you’re telling me not to hold back and rush in.”
“……”
“You’re giving me permission to run wild as I please, that’s it. If you set the stage like that, I’ll jump in. Of course.”
Kwon Rae-i inhaled roughly and shot up from the sofa. Then, as if trying to calm himself, he strode across the hotel suite in a large circle.
His firm shoulders subtly rose and fell with the movement of his upper body, and the precisely tailored black suit jacket fluttered with his brisk steps. The tie around his neck swayed with his intense breaths.
After circling the room, he stopped in front of the large window overlooking the city. As the streetlights began to turn on one by one, their light painted light and shadow along his sharp profile.
Kwon Rae-i’s lips parted slightly and then clamped shut again. His smooth jawline became more defined with tension, and his tightly closed lips spoke volumes about the intense emotions he was experiencing at this moment.
He slowly turned his head and glared at Tae-hwon.
His solid chest rose and fell slowly with his ragged breaths.
The deep, dark eyes beneath his thick eyebrows flickered like flames. His pupils, a mixture of excitement and impatience, were as dangerous and intense as those of a beast eyeing its prey.
And suddenly, he dredged up the resentment within him and spat it out.
“Then date me.”
He didn’t stop at once, but demanded again.
“I’ll treat you well. I absolutely have to be Tae-hwon’s boyfriend.”
A savage voice. Rough breaths. Sharp eyes. And an overwhelming charisma that emanated instinctively. The quiet air of the hotel room seemed to vibrate with his agitated breathing.
Tae-hwon covered his face with one hand and slowly dragged it down. The expression that brushed against his palm was as distorted as Kwon Rae-i’s.
Tae-hwon replied with difficulty, his brow furrowed in contemplation.
“…Are you sure? Think carefully. After my memories return, it might all feel meaningless.”
“I know.”
“Even with a limited time frame, and an unreliable partner?”
“Even if it’s just for one night, I’m desperate. To be connected with Tae-hwon.”
“Really, is that really okay with you?”
“Yes.”
Kwon Rae-i was resolute. As he had been from the beginning, he didn’t waver in the slightest.
Completely blind and insane.
Mad devotion.
“I don’t need anything else, just date me right now.”
“…Right now?”
“Right this instant.”
Now there was nowhere for Tae-hwon to retreat.
Front, back, sides, top, and bottom, Kwon Rae-i was everywhere. Woo Tae-hwon’s life was filled with Kwon Rae-i. He was weighed down and held captive by him. Woo Tae-hwon’s body and mind were all Kwon Rae-i.
“Date me. Officially.”
There was no escaping, no running away.
Above all, Woo Tae-hwon himself was drawn to him.
“Okay.”
Therefore, Tae-hwon finally agreed to him.
“Let’s date. But, I can’t be held responsible if I don’t meet your expectations.”
“Ha! Not meet them? You’re already exceeding them…”
“What have I even done yet?”
“Shit… Even the unawareness is driving me crazy. Ah.”
Kwon Rae-i let out a sigh-like groan and stared intently at Tae-hwon. He felt as if his gaze was piercing his entire body. A chill ran down his spine.
He slowly exhaled his rough breath, ran his fingers through his hair, sweeping it back from his forehead, and approached. He stopped in front of him with quiet steps and grabbed Tae-hwon’s arm, pulling him up.
“Tae-hwon, so you wanted to shower?”
“Huh?”
“Sorry, but I prefer you not to shower. I don’t have time for that.”
Then, he suddenly pulled Tae-hwon with terrifying force. Supporting his back and waist with his arms, he dragged him, quickly passing through the living room and heading into the deeper room inside the suite.
“Wait, hold on.”
“Don’t stop me. Time is short.”
A spacious bedroom with a neatly made king-size bed.
He didn’t turn on the lights and abruptly entered the dark room, pushing Tae-hwon onto the bed and starting to undress him. With hasty hands, he first threw off his suit jacket and then forcefully pulled and loosened his tie in one swift motion.
“It would be a disaster if your memories came back now, right?”
“No…”
“Why now, huh? If you do that now, I’m going to destroy everything in here.”
“…”
“I’ll smash all the furniture in sight, and then I’ll sit down and cry my eyes out. So hurry up and play along.”
Kwon Rae-i grinned crookedly. Looking down at Tae-hwon with rebellious eyes, he deliberately flaunted as he took off his shirt. He seemed to be completely on fire.
He unbuttoned it one by one from the top, and even that alone had an overwhelming power. His angular shoulders and sharp collarbones, followed by his defined abs, were revealed from beneath the shirt.
Tae-hwon had encouraged him first, and told him not to hold back, but it was just like Kwon Rae-i to rush in without considering the consequences.
“Hmm.”
Tae-hwon blinked twice and glanced up at the ceiling. He cast his gaze at the angular molding for no reason, then mustered unfamiliar courage and replied. It was so hard to overcome his embarrassment.
“Then… I won’t be able to sleep tonight.”
His heart was beating fast. His knees were tingling and his face was flushed.
Foolishly, he seemed to be trembling.
“Don’t worry about the scars. I like it.”
Winter was fading away.