By Zephyria 
The cohabitation that had begun semi-forcibly was now in its second week. Staying at Kwon Young-je’s house had settled into a natural, everyday routine.
Since it was a place he had frequented from the start, he had plenty of clothes to change into. He had even brought over trivial items like phone chargers, so there was no inconvenience in living there. There was just one problem.
“Get up already, move a little.”
Kwon Young-je had been annoyingly persistent since Sunday morning. Why did he have to be so fussy?
Not only had he woken up at the crack of dawn on a holiday without an alarm, but he had also gone out to exercise. The man was out of his mind.
Hui-won, lying face down, only glanced up with his eyes.
“…Can’t you just leave me alone?”
“Why are you so lazy?”
Kwon Young-je retorted as if he couldn’t understand. After eating breakfast, Hui-won had said he’d just lie down for a bit, but he had already maintained the same posture for an hour. He really hadn’t moved a muscle, just breathing. While sharp and quick at work, when resting, he was no different from a sloth.
Kim Hui-won’s laziness had recently reached its peak. Even if it was a holiday, he would often fall asleep the moment his head hit the pillow. Like someone suffering from spring lethargy. Of course, he himself didn’t admit it.
“I’m perfectly normal. It’s you, Executive Director, who’s strange.”
“So you’re just going to keep lying there. Do you know what time it is?”
“Eleven o’clock.”
Hui-won retorted without backing down an inch. Firmly refusing to leave the bed, he instead held out the quokka doll.
Kwon Young-je snatched the offered doll and flung it away. Hui-won’s proxy drew a parabola through the air. The sight of it hitting the wall and tumbling noisily across the floor was unsightly. Hui-won frowned.
“You said you brought it because it resembled me, and now you’re tossing it around.”
“Should I just leave you and cuddle with a doll or something?”
“Leisurely rest is also necessary sometimes.”
He sighed deeply and squirmed. It wasn’t an excuse; he really needed rest. Having dealt with a certain large appendage all night, he was complaining that every nook and cranny of his body ached.
To manage his condition, they tried to avoid mixing bodies on weekdays, so by the weekend, it was almost as if he was being devoured. The one doing the pounding might be satisfied, but the one being pounded was on the verge of becoming a rag. Hui-won groaned and squirmed his sore body.
“Don’t even think about making me exercise. Have some conscience.”
“Kim Hui-won’s attitude is quite insolent.”
“Ugh, fine, I get it, so come here and lie down for a bit.”
Hui-won patted the spot beside him. Kwon Young-je, who had been standing and sharpening his gaze, let out a faint laugh and reluctantly sat on the edge of the bed. Even then, he absolutely refused to lie down.
He reached out and wrapped his hand around Hui-won’s waist. Having done it once, he now massaged without hesitation.
As the palm applying pressure softly pressed against his waist, Hui-won let out a pained moan and buried his head in the pillow. It happened to be exactly where he was aching and sore, so his massage was nothing but welcome.
“Living the good life, Kim Hui-won.”
“You were the one living the good life last night, Mr. Kwon Young-je.”
“Straighten your legs and lie down properly. You’ll hurt your back otherwise.”
Hui-won stretched his legs straight as instructed. His lower body, clad only in drawers underwear, extended slenderly. By now, there was nothing to be shy about being in just his underwear in front of Kwon Young-je.
Though it was more like a cat kneading than a proper massage, his body grew languid with each touch. Hui-won rested his chin on his arm and stole a glance sideways.
Kwon Young-je in comfortable loungewear still didn’t look familiar no matter how many times he saw him. The naturally disheveled hair, the face devoid of tension—it all felt unreal.
“Can I ask you something?”
“What is it?”
“When Kim Seok-jun asked you to introduce me before, why did you lie?”
He abruptly removed his hand from Hui-won’s waist. Hui-won quickly turned over and lay on his back, waiting for Kwon Young-je’s answer. Judging by his stubbornly sealed lips, he didn’t seem likely to give an answer easily.
Hui-won’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“You already liked me back then, didn’t you? When exactly did you realize it?”
“Are you going to keep talking nonsense?”
“You can tell me that much. It’s all in the past now, what’s there to be embarrassed about?”
“……”
“Are you embarrassed?”
The gaze directed at him grew sharper than before. However, Hui-won, completely unfazed, smiled with his eyes. If it were Executive Director Kwon acting like this, he’d have to be careful, but this was Kwon Young-je now. They were dating; something like this could be brushed off lightly.
“Ah… Kwon Young-je, you’re more adorable than I thought.”
“Seeing you joke around at all times, it seems you still have some life left in you.”
He grabbed Hui-won’s pelvis firmly. When he bit his side, Hui-won shrieked and curled up like a pill bug. It tickled more than it hurt. He also had to hastily block the hand that instantly tried to pull down his underwear.
“Ah, wait. Seriously, no. I haven’t even… cleaned up back there!”
“Perfect. No need to waste time.”
In the fierce struggle, the underwear was pulled down almost to his buttocks. Hui-won strained to push his wrist away, but weakened from laughter, he couldn’t overpower Kwon Young-je at all.
Just then, the ringing phone bell interrupted the lewd play. As Kwon Young-je reached out and picked up the phone from the nightstand, Hui-won also tilted his head to check the caller.
Lee Ha-jin. The moment he saw the name on the screen, his raised lips stiffened.
Kwon Young-je, phone in hand, silently stared only at Hui-won’s face. Having just witnessed the change in expression, he had already seen right through Hui-won’s thoughts.
“Should I answer?”
“Don’t.”
Hui-won replied without hesitation. At least while the two of them were together, Lee Ha-jin’s intrusion was absolutely not welcome.
Upon hearing the answer, Kwon Young-je immediately rejected the call and then proceeded to block the number. Seeing him unhesitatingly cut off a long-standing connection, Hui-won couldn’t help but be slightly taken aback.
“You didn’t have to go as far as blocking him.”
“I don’t like it. Me being in contact with Lee Ha-jin.”
“……”
“It’s the same. I can’t stand seeing you chattering with some other guy besides me either.”
His lips sealed shut in the face of Kwon Young-je’s jealousy. In fact, he still hadn’t heard any direct expressions like ‘I like you’ from him. He seemed inherently incapable of uttering such ticklish words, but he showed no restraint in revealing his possessiveness and jealousy toward Hui-won. It was a peculiar way of expressing affection.
Ding-dong—
Suddenly, the doorbell rang. The sound of a doorbell ringing in this house was an extremely unusual event.
“Were you expecting someone?”
“No way.”
Kwon Young-je immediately got up and left the bedroom. Meanwhile, Hui-won also picked up the pants that had fallen on the floor and put them on. There was no rush, so he roughly ran his hand through his disheveled hair and leisurely followed Kwon Young-je out.
He was standing in front of the living room wall, glaring at the wall pad screen. Who on earth could it be to make his expression like that?
Hui-won stuck close behind Kwon Young-je, naturally wrapping his arms around his waist. Tilting his head as if they were one body, he caught a glimpse of the screen over the angular shoulder.
“Who is it? Don’t tell me it’s a salesman or… Aaah!”
The moment Hui-won saw Madam Im Seo-ran filling the screen, he shrieked as if he’d seen a ghost. It was utterly terrifying.
Judging by the background, she was clearly standing outside the front gate. The doorbell rang a couple more times before stopping, and this time, a long phone ringtone sounded. The caller was undoubtedly Madam Im. Kwon Young-je, showing annoyance, ruffled his hair briefly.
“Yes.”
-Where are you? Not at home?
“I’m out. What’s the matter?”
Hui-won held his breath and eavesdropped on the call. Madam Im already knew about the relationship between the two. However, thanks to Kwon Young-je’s firm handling, she was just turning a blind eye and pretending not to know.
What had he said? Something like, if you say unnecessary things to Secretary Kim, he’ll get scared and run away? Anyway, it was a similar nuance. Thanks to that, Madam Im had cut off phone calls and visits to the company and was quietly lying low.
He had been reassured since there was no reason to meet her, but who would have thought he’d encounter Madam Im here? Moreover, the situation was even more troublesome now. Anyone who saw him would think he was someone living off this house. He thought Kwon Young-je would handle it somehow, but he still felt uneasy. Hui-won, his gaze fixed on the wall pad screen, began to cautiously back away.
-I’m in front of your house. I have something to deliver. I’ll just leave it and go, so you know.
“Leave it in front of the gate.”
-No, it’s something precious. What if it gets lost?
Madam Im disappeared from the screen. She had stubbornly crossed the gate. At this rate, it was only a matter of time before she barged into the house.
Hui-won quickly looked for a place to hide. The thought that Madam Im would appear any moment made him blind with panic.
The bedroom? If he got caught there, there’d be no excuse. The bathroom wasn’t safe either. The study, again, only the study!
As he ran toward the study, Hui-won remembered his shoes left by the entrance and hastily changed direction. The moment he grabbed his shoes, he heard the sound of the door lock code being entered right in front of him.
Damn it. Hui-won flung open the nearest door he could find. He squeezed into the roughly one-pyeong-sized pantry space and hid his body. All of that happened in just over a minute.