Chapter 101 – Side Story

Side Story 1. The Counterweight of Affection

Yoon Ki-hyun had a habit of checking his phone first whenever he had a fever. It was because he still harbored a compulsion that he had to go to work no matter what.

‘I have a fever.’

Even though he was half-asleep having just woken up, he keenly noticed his condition. He couldn’t help it, as the symptoms were too obvious to ignore.

‘Damn body. I thought I was fine for a while, and now it’s acting up again…’

He cursed inwardly. It was due to the unpleasant sensation of his body not listening to him.

His mind knew he should be used to his frequently fickle physical state by now, but adapting was harder than he thought.

Every time, a new place would hurt, making him realize, I didn’t know this part of the body could actually ache. It never gave him a moment to get used to it.

It was while he was groping around his pillow out of habit, suppressing his heightened nerves, that he suddenly felt a warm body temperature along with the sensation of calluses and hard bone. Someone was already holding his hand.

“What are you looking for? Your phone?”

Beyond his blurry vision, he saw the outline of a face backlit by a mood lamp.

The prominent brow bone and sharp bridge of the nose were the first things he noticed. A man [visit our site]our site -->with sharp eyes, but a gaze that looked at him warmly. Yoon Ki-hyun soon realized who was beside him.

‘Ah…’

The moment his foggy mind cleared, a small laugh escaped him.

‘I don’t have to worry about going to work anymore.’

There was no reason to check the time even while sick. Because he didn’t have to do things like go to work.

The ultimate dream of any modern person: being unemployed. Yoon Ki-hyun was living that life. It was all thanks to the guy who had snatched a spot by his side.

“Jeong Si-jun.”

As he called the name, the other man’s eyebrow twitched. Although it moved as if in response, he radiated a sense of dissatisfaction. He clearly didn’t like being called by his full name.

‘Look at him, acting all picky.’

Lately, Jeong Si-jun had been hoping for Ki-hyun to call him by something other than his name.

Cringeworthy terms like honey or darling were the basics, and he threw out any random word, which was quite troublesome. After Ki-hyun finally asked if he was in his right mind, Si-jun shifted toward more common, albeit still embarrassing, pet names that anyone might use.

However, none of them had stuck to Ki-hyun’s tongue so far. In the first place, he had never considered calling Jeong Si-jun by a nickname.

“What time is it now?”

Jeong Si-jun gently released the hand he had been holding. His hand naturally moved toward Yoon Ki-hyun’s forehead. Gently brushing away the cold sweat from the forehead, Jeong Si-jun answered softly.

“It’s a bit past four in the morning.”

The touch was natural and familiar, as if he had done it countless times before. Perhaps that was why, even while hazy with a mild fever, his heart didn’t feel uncomfortable. Yoon Ki-hyun slowly closed his eyes.

‘Maybe I’ll feel better if I rest a bit more.’

It was still difficult for him to objectively assess his own physical condition. There were many times when he thought he was fine, but he wasn’t.

But right now, he had a vague certainty that he would be okay. Even if it were a wrong judgment, Jeong Si-jun would look after him just as he was doing now.

That was a belief based on immense trust.

“Mm…”

The hand that had been searching for the phone fidgeted, having lost its purpose. Interpreting this as a signal to hold his hand, Jeong Si-jun promptly interlaced their fingers.

Feeling the lukewarm temperature at his fingertips, Yoon Ki-hyun felt suddenly awkward and twisted his hand away, using sweat as an excuse.

“…My hands are sweaty right now.”

“Honestly, being shy about something like this.”

Jeong Si-jun smirked with a face that looked like he found it adorable.

At first, there was a time when just looking at that arrogant jerk’s polished face made Ki-hyun’s blood boil.

But as they say, you never know how things will turn out. Now, even when seeing that openly smug face, a different emotion took precedence over anger.

For now, the proportion of relief was greater than the fluttering excitement felt between lovers. That emotion stemmed from the belief that as long as Jeong Si-jun’s affection was directed toward him, he would keep his promise to take responsibility for him.

‘Just trust me and leave everything to me. I bet it won’t be a choice you’ll regret, Hyung.’

Just as he had boasted once, after their official relationship began, Jeong Si-jun solved the financial problems Yoon Ki-hyun had been carrying in one fell swoop.

With the single-minded determination to put his worry-prone lover at ease, he even tidied up various tax issues.

‘Doesn’t it seem like a total lie that same-sex marriage still isn’t legal in a world where awakened people are popping in and out of gates? If we marry, we wouldn’t have to pay gift taxes.’

On the day he settled all of Yoon Ki-hyun’s loans, he had grumbled as if joking. In reality, the additional gift tax was mere pocket change to him. He had simply babbled whatever came to mind to lighten the mood for the flustered Yoon Ki-hyun.

However, Yoon Ki-hyun felt uncomfortable throughout. He was too principled to rationalize it by saying he was simply using a man who was begging to be used.

‘I don’t know if this is right.’

It was a relationship where he couldn’t honestly say he started dating simply because unauthorized unauthorized copycopyhe liked the other person too much. That was how incredibly seductive the ordinary daily life Jeong Si-jun could provide was.

Should he say it was closer to pretending he couldn’t resist when a partner who could not only liberate him from wretched money worries but also satisfy his chronic affection deficiency decided to pursue him?

The process had been somewhat arduous, but Jeong Si-jun had fallen head over heels for Yoon Ki-hyun, and after much deliberation, Yoon Ki-hyun decided that dating Jeong Si-jun wasn’t so bad.

In fact, dating Jeong Si-jun was much better than he had expected. Just having the ordinary daily life he had always vaguely dreamed of continuing every day allowed him to breathe.

Now that he had the luxury to look around, he could be honest with his emotions. Objectively, Jeong Si-jun had a tendency to be a bit annoying, but he wasn’t a bad partner to date.

‘Do you know your face actually turns a bit red when I call you honey?’

‘That’s because it’s cringey.’

‘But you never tell me to absolutely stop calling you that, right? From where I stand, I think you like being called honey too.’

‘What are you talking about. No, I don’t, you brat.’

Rather, he was a partner who poured out more than enough affection to satisfy the thirst born from affection deficiency. Ironically, his childish and one-dimensional way of expressing love was exactly what Yoon Ki-hyun needed most.

“Let me check your temperature again.”

Jeong Si-jun observed Yoon Ki-hyun’s complexion as he groaned softly, then placed a thermometer in his ear.

Yoon Ki-hyun, having just woken up, was warm. It was also hard to gauge unauthorized copyhis temperature accurately because Si-jun visit our sitekept touching him under the pretext of checking the fever.

Yoon Ki-hyun silently offered one ear and just blinked.

At first, he had insisted on doing it himself, but after being handled a few times, he seemed to have learned that it was more comfortable to just let his body be tended to. Besides, the fact that Jeong Si-jun was stepping in to take his temperature meant he actually had a fever, leaving him without the strength to argue.

With a notification sound signaling the end of the measurement, the thermometer was removed from his ear.

“…Hmm. The fever has gone down a bit. I was about to carry you to the hospital if it went up any further.”

Only after checking the temperature did Jeong Si-jun let out a small sigh of relief. He then placed the thermometer on the nightstand and lightly brushed Yoon Ki-hyun’s forehead again.

The sensation of the large palm brushing against his forehead didn’t feel bad. Perhaps it was because the feeling of tenderness reached him directly.

“How does your body feel?”

“Just… a bit lethargic.”

With his answer, Yoon Ki-hyun clumsily pushed himself up. He was thirsty. As he tried to head toward the kitchen, Jeong Si-jun gestured with his chin toward the water bottle. He wore a quite brazen smile, as if he had expected this.

“I’ve got everything ready. Aren’t I just the best?”

Since it was true that he was being helpful, Yoon Ki-hyun nodded silently.

“Take another fever reducer just in case.”

“…Okay.”

It was still unfamiliar to have someone take care of him when he was sick. It was a feeling closer to awkwardness than embarrassment.

He wondered why he was receiving such care for something as simple as a fever, considering he was a grown man with two functioning hands and feet.

However, the sensation of having someone who cared for him by his side wasn’t bad. In fact, he should be worried about whether he was becoming addicted to it.

As he took out a pill and held the glass, Jeong Si-jun tilted the water bottle as if he had been waiting. His actions were incredibly natural, as if they had been agreed upon in advance.

While the cool water filled the glass, Yoon Ki-hyun felt a strange sense of déjà vu. It suddenly occurred to him that he felt as if he had performed this series of actions many times before.

How long had it been since he started living with Jeong Si-jun in a haphazard manner? Perhaps because he had just woken up, his memory was hazy.

‘I should check my memo pad later when I wake up fully.’

Yoon Ki-hyun repeated the task to himself a few times as a reminder and slowly closed his eyes, thinking that he might actually become addicted to being nursed back to health.