LFG 149

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Ttchok-.

Short and light.

But just because the action was fleeting didn’t mean the meaning was lightened as well. Of course. To someone who hadn’t even expected it in the first place, it was a special moment that was more than enough to overwhelm him.

The sound of wet lips rubbing together, skin sharing warmth.

“Haa…….”

When the kiss ended, Ahn Seo-myeong’s eyes gradually widened and grew as large as a full moon.

Is this really real? His eyes seemed to ask, his face showing disbelief.

But soon, intense joy spread through his dark pupils. They sparkled and shone, beautiful like obsidian. That was how Ahn Seo-myeong looked in that moment, like a child who had received a surprise gift he had wanted so much on an ordinary day that wasn’t his birthday or Christmas. He looked at Ki Jae-eon with flushed cheeks.

“Hyung……!”

His breathing was uneven, and his shoulders trembled very slightly.

Touched, touched, and touched again!

He looked just like someone who had received the proposal of a lifetime.

“Ah, eu, geueu…….”

On the other hand, Ki Jae-eon’s face, after parting his lips, was entirely flushed like a tomato. Even the bridge of his nose and the tips of his ears were red. Even if you stripped him naked and looked at his whole body, it probably wouldn’t be any different.

‘Wh, what did I just do?’

Ki Jae-eon belatedly came to his senses.

He couldn’t figure out why he had committed such an act, and even his fingertips trembled.

Just…….

Because he regretted the distance that kid had retreated.

Because he felt sad at the moment of not touching.

Because he liked the eyes that met his, the voice, the scent.

It was an unlike impulse, but he didn’t regret it.

Even more so when he saw how happy he was.

That’s why it was shocking.

Yes, that’s right.

Even with the excuse of alcohol, all of this was a choice made by his own will.

‘I wanted to ki-, kiss Ahn Seo-myeong……?’

He hadn’t even calmed his fluster.

The air was still hot, and the two men’s breaths were mixing in the same rhythm.

“Jae-eon hyung.”

Ahn Seo-myeong called his name softly.

The affectionate voice was like creating a formless shape and groping his body.

“……Hyung.”

His heart was pounding more and more violently.

Was it going to jump out of his mouth? He was worried it might.

“Jae-eon-ah.”

“……!”

Startled by the sudden use of informal speech, he stared at him, and Ahn Seo-myeong instantly covered his lips, saying, “Why don’t you like that?” A heat-filled mass of flesh forced its way into his naturally opening mouth. Eung, eung…. As a short groan escaped, a wet sound immediately followed. The rough yet soft mass filled his mouth without a gap, brushing against his teeth, and when it tickled the roof of his mouth, he even felt the sensation of stars bursting before his eyes. Haa, tchup, eung……. After rubbing against each other for a long time, their lips parted with a regretful, wet sound.

“…….”

“…….”

Under the yellow light bulb, the two men’s flushed faces were revealed. Haa, ha. They were catching their breath. Ki Jae-eon, who regained his senses first, gasped! and shook his shoulders. He frantically moved his hands up and down, flustered like an idiot.

“Ah, ah…… Th, that is-.”

“…….”

“So…….”

Stammering, he made an effort to change the subject with clumsy gestures.

“That’s right! Ju-won hyung, you know…! I think he has a crush on someone.”

That was all he could come up with.

It was too out of the blue.

And didn’t fit the situation at all.

But for Ki Jae-eon, that was the best choice he could make. In the first place, he wasn’t good with words, so that was the only way he could defuse this awkward situation, which could easily flow in a strange direction.

“I, I don’t know wh, who it is either. He just said she’s a really pretty and nice person. Is it going…… well? Ah, or is he going to go through agony? But maybe this is a se, secret? I’m…… experiencing this for the first time. It’s a secret even between friends, right? Ah, that’s right. I’m, I’m sorry. Just forget about it.”

His embarrassment had gone too far, and he probably didn’t even know what he looked like or what he was saying.

“Hyung.”

Just then, Ahn Seo-myeong quietly reached out and gently wrapped his hand around Ki Jae-eon’s wrist.

It wasn’t rough, but it wasn’t overly gentle either; it was just the right amount of strength.

“Something happened to me for the first time too.”

The moment those words entered his ears, Ki Jae-eon’s face flushed even hotter. He didn’t think it was possible to get any redder, but surprisingly, it was.

“Eum….”

Ahn Seo-myeong lifted the captured wrist and lightly kissed it. Ttchok-. Lips containing a slight dampness pressed down as if stamping a seal. Heat seeped into his skin.

“The person I like is also a very pretty and nice person.”

This time, his breath landed on his wrist.

Tingling, it felt like tickling his heart with a feather.

“No. She’s going to be even prettier.”

Ahn Seo-myeong smiled brightly.

It was a peaceful and confident smile, as if he didn’t want to hide it from anyone.

“Ah, this isn’t a secret, though.”

Even after finishing his words, he smiled for a while.

Then he slowly continued,

“I don’t fully understand what you’re so worried and anxious about, hyung. But I think I have a vague idea. That’s what my grandmother said. She said that when people have something they want to say too much, it’s like having a thorn stuck in their throat. In those cases, actions come before words. So what you just did…… I think, thank you.”

It was as if Ahn Seo-myeong was saying that he could understand Ki Jae-eon’s heart, which Ki Jae-eon himself didn’t even know, as well as he could. At that somewhat presumptuous yet surprisingly reassuring certainty, Ki Jae-eon couldn’t say anything. His throat just felt hot.

“Hyung, me.”

Ahn Seo-myeong turned his shoulders slightly. Then, he pointed to the Cursed Womb Cave placed in the center of the annex with his thumb.

“I’m working hard.”

Because he had a goal he had to achieve. After finishing his words, his gaze turned to the window. Following his fluid movement, Ki Jae-eon also turned his head. A long Eun-ha was spread out in the night sky. Like finely ground pearl powder sprinkled on a beautiful ink painting, a river of sparkling light flowed smoothly.

It was so beautiful that he was at a loss for words.

“See you again. Even if one year, two years…… ten years pass, we’ll be watching this sky together.”

At Ahn Seo-myeong’s soliloquy, the inside of his throat tingled. It was probably just an ordinary phrase of seeing each other again, but strangely, tears welled up. But it wasn’t a sad feeling.

Rather, it was the impulse to hug someone tightly. The desire to embrace this moment as a whole and put it in his arms. Things that couldn’t be explained in words pounded in his chest.

“I’ll prove it, I’ll definitely do it.”

Ahn Seo-myeong said in a low voice.

“Instead of a bouquet of flowers, I’ll give you a different future as a gift, hyung.”

The next few days were surprisingly ordinary.

The children laughed as always, bickered in small ways, and quickly made up. Peace was subtle, but definitely present.

That didn’t mean everything was light.

Rather, Ki Jae-eon woke up earlier, moved more, and prayed more deeply.

It was because the clearer his happiness became, the stronger his determination to protect it grew.

In the process, he suddenly realized one thing.

He really didn’t want to die anymore.

They say people with a lot to lose are afraid of death? Experiencing it firsthand made him nod in agreement.

The more trivial and precious things he held in his hands, the more afraid he became of leaving.

‘I want to live.’

The words grew in his heart.

‘I want to survive with everyone.’

After those words, a smile he didn’t even know he had appeared.

‘Then that means I have a lot to lose.’

He stretched lightly.

He liked the feeling of his stiff muscles loosening.

Just then, the cell phone on his desk vibrated, woong-. Who is it? Tilting his head, the name [Father] was displayed on the screen. His hand stopped for a brief moment. But unlike before, he pressed the call button right away with a light heart.

“Yes, Father.”

A dignified voice was heard from beyond.

Starting with simple greetings, weather talk, nagging about whether he had eaten, fragments of trivial daily life came and went.

They were trivial questions that were unlike his father from before. But he didn’t dislike the change. Rather, he was grateful.

The weather is nice today. I ate a little while ago, what about you, Father? Yes, Mother sent a package. Ki Jae-eon answered each one diligently.

Just as the long yet short conversation was about to end, his father hesitated for a moment, took a breath, and then made a small request.

“Yeonjeong?”

“Yes, it’s become troublesome.”

A heavy sigh was heard from the other end.

In fact, it was understandable.

Because the request his father mentioned was related to the Salpuri dance. For example, something like the Nakheo seen at the .

Then you might wonder why he suddenly mentioned the Salpuri dance here.

The reason was in the Sacheonseonji Gate.

“I found the last tree. But that Mountain Spirit is so stubborn…….”

That’s right.

The owner of the last tree to activate the Sacheonseonji Gate was acting stubborn and throwing a tantrum.

Unlike the other Mountain Spirits who easily granted the mountain’s Spiritualities, whether it was luck or not, this Mountain Spirit was demanding too much.

From basic spirit rituals to forcing them to pray day and night…… Now he was even asking them to perform a cute act!

But as the thirsty dig a well, what could they do?

If they were told to do it, they had to do it.

If they were told to dance, they had to dance.

However, the problem was…….

“To think that what he wants is Yeonjeong.”

The Salpuri dance that the Mountain Spirit wanted was .

Unlike Nakheo, which contained the aggressive meaning of punishing evil, Yeonjeong was a dance that contained the tragic story of a man and woman who could not be together.

The harmony of the two people dancing and their sorrowful gestures were the essence of the dance.

“Above all, I need a partner…… As you know, your mother can’t move right now because of my absence.”

Then the only people left were Ki Jae-eon and Ki Jae-ha.

It would be difficult to say to his sons, “Let’s dance Yeonjeong together, Father!”

Well, asking them to dance a dance of impossible love with their father, what kind of messed-up family tree was that?

Then the remaining help was the main office, but he couldn’t just call a girl who was the age of his children and ask her to do it.

Understanding the meaning, Ki Jae-eon nodded while holding the phone.

“I’ll do it.”

“I’m sorry to ask you after telling you to do your job.”

“It’s okay. We’re fa… family.”

Ki Jae-eon adjusted his grip on the phone and said.

“……Okay, then I’ll wait for your call.”

Just before he finished the call like that.

“Ah, Father!”

Ki Jae-eon hurriedly called him.

“…….”

“Take care of your meals. ……Don’t overdo it too much.”

After saying the words, he felt somehow embarrassed.

“I’ll, I’ll hang up.”

He swallowed hard and tried to press the end button. But.

“My son too.”

The most pleasant greeting in the world was heard.

My son.

Ki Jae-eon looked down at the phone with a soft gaze and chuckled briefly.

From the morning, a sweet taste spread inside his cheeks. It was more like a castella cake with a lot of sugar than candy.

It was definitely a happiness that made him forget death.

“Eum…… But.”

As soon as he hung up, a new worry arose.

[Yeonjeong]

Regardless of whether it was possible or not, he hesitated to ask his female colleagues because it was a dance that required quite a bit of intimate contact.

‘No matter how close we are, it’s only natural that they’d hate it if I touched them carelessly.’

His worries deepened.

Then what other options were there?

An idea popped up.

“……Uh?”

A yellow light bulb turned on brightly above his head, tting-.