SMW 7

No, it wasn’t. It was because of me.

Only then did I realize I was still holding Choi Seol’s hand, and I hurriedly scrambled back.

“Sorry, I did it without thinking.”

I should have left out that last part.

I wanted to hold your hand without thinking. Fearing he might misunderstand it in that way, I hid my sinful hands behind my back and gauged his reaction. Choi Seol let out a small chuckle. For a moment, I found myself staring blankly. It was the first time I’d seen him smile today… no, it was a smile that had been rare even ten years ago.

“Han Yeo-reum?”

“…I’ll show you to the bathroom.”

Barely managing to turn around, I hurried deeper into the room, feeling Choi Seol following close behind. My pace quickened instinctively. Because of the connected layout of the rooms, I arrived at the bathroom door after passing through one more room.

“Here it is. It used to be a kitchen with a fireplace, but my grandparents had it converted into a modern bathroom when they were older and had trouble moving around. There are towels and a new toothbrush on the shelf, so go ahead and use them. I’ll find some clothes for you and leave them out front.”

Fortunately, my voice sounded calm. I didn’t forget to wear a kind smile, befitting [stolen content]the homeowner. However, the moment Choi Seol entered the visit our sitebathroom and closed the door, I couldn’t overcome the wave of self-loathing unauthorized copyand collapsed, burying my face in my hands. My forehead felt damp against my palms.

Thanks to the structure of the hanok, I had almost never broken a sweat inside the house, even in the sweltering midsummer. That was how nervous I had been. I tried to tell myself it was just because it was summer, but I soon shook my head.

This was definitely a waver. I had told myself that at my age, there was no way I’d be shaken by a first love from ten years ago, yet I had almost succumbed to a single body temperature, a single smile.

Was it too naive to think I’d be fine? It hadn’t been long since I’d made the firm decision to leave the hospital; it would be problematic to be like this already. Vowing to keep my wits about me, I hurried back to the room to get the clothes.

Since there was a significant difference in our builds just by looking, picking out clothes wasn’t easy. Fortunately, because I preferred comfort while at home, I had quite a few loose t-shirts, but the problem was the pants. None of my summer pants seemed to fit.

Do I need to buy new ones? It wasn’t decided how many days he would stay, but it didn’t seem like he’d be moving tomorrow. When I brought Choi Seol here, I had prepared myself for at least three days. Money was leaking out in every direction. Between the hospital bills and an unexpected month’s worth of living expenses, it was draining fast. Of course, I intended to get it all back, but for the sake of conscience, that would only be possible after he regained his memories.

As I thought about these practical problems, the emotional heart of a moment ago vanished completely. It seemed that at twenty-seven, I lacked the persistence, patience, and romance that a seventeen-year-old possesses when it comes to love. I chuckled at the ridiculous thought, and then a good idea occurred to me. I rummaged through the entire wardrobe, found a pair of pants, and placed them neatly in front of the bathroom door along with a t-shirt and underwear.

“You can wear these, right?”

“….”

“Han Yeo-reum?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah. That’s right.”

Seeing Choi Seol, who had finished bathing and changed into the clothes I gave him, stolen contentI just stood there Read on Read BL Novelswith my mouth agape before belatedly responding.

“This house is in my uncle’s name, so he visits once in a while for maintenance. My uncle left these here to wear during those visits. They aren’t uncomfortable, are they?”

“Not really. In fact, they’re roomy and comfortable.”

“…It seems so.”

It was a modernized hanbok. It wasn’t specifically for summer, but the material was cool and the size was large. I thought they might be too big for Choi Seol, but unexpectedly, they fit him perfectly. Moreover, he looked incredibly good in them. When I wore them, they looked like baggy lounge pants.

A handsome guy looks like a luxury brand no matter what he wears…

How does he pull it off so perfectly? If you changed the era, you’d mistake him for a young master of a noble house. Recalling how my mother said I looked like Dolsoe when I wore them, I felt a tiny bit gloomy.

“I’ve laid out the bedding. You can sleep in that room later.”

I slid the middle door halfway open and pointed to the space beyond.

“And you?”

“Me? I… here?”

I pointed to the bedding spread out in the corner of the room where we were standing. This area was where I kept my wardrobe and miscellaneous items. The [Read on Read BL Novels]place unauthorized copyI gave to Choi Seol was the area I originally used as a bedroom. Because of that, this spot probably looked relatively cramped.

“It’s fine. This was originally two separate rooms that were knocked into one, so there’s plenty of space for one person to sleep here.”

“Can’t we just sleep together?”

Dear God, what did I just hear?

I knew he didn’t mean anything by it. He was probably saying that because he felt bad for taking over someone else’s bedroom. Suggesting we sleep together likely just meant laying the bedding side-by-side in the same room.

Even so. That was absolutely out of the question.

“I snore pretty badly. Actually, this door has no soundproofing at all, so it might be noisy even if you close it.”

“I don’t mind.”

“I mind.”

He was someone I had once harbored feelings for. Furthermore, as a gay man, I needed a certain boundary. That was also out of courtesy to Choi Seol. When I spoke firmly, Choi Seol shut his mouth, looking slightly dissatisfied for a moment. I wavered slightly at that sight, but reaffirming my earlier resolve, I offered a minimum compromise.

“Then let’s sleep with one side of the sliding door open. That way, it’s practically like being in the same room.”

“…Alright.”

Only then did Choi Seol agree and slide into the bedding. As I watched him—a sight that felt unfamiliar—he murmured while lying down.

“It’s warm.”

It was a word that didn’t quite suit the sweltering midsummer heat, but considering Choi Seol’s situation, it was actually reassuring to hear him say it. At any rate, it meant he was comfortable.

“It’s cool at night here even if you just open the window, but I’ll put the fan next to you just in case. Turn it on if you’re hot.”

“….”

“Choi Seol?”

“….”

Since there was no answer, I set the fan down beside him and cautiously approached. His eyes were closed. After a moment, I heard the sound of deep, steady breathing. I was surprised that he could fall asleep so quickly, but seeing his exhausted face made my heart feel heavy. It had been a grueling day. For Choi Seol, it might have been a day as long as ten years. So, let him rest deeply. I could think about the next steps later.

“Meow.”

The sound of a cat’s cry drifted in from somewhere. Hearing it as if it were a lullaby, it seemed that Choi Seol’s drowsiness had rubbed off on me as well. The evening of a midsummer day with long sunlight was still bright. Yet, it felt as though night had already arrived. My eyelids grew heavy. The memory of that day ended there.

The moment I opened my eyes, the chilly air made me frown instinctively. It was dawn again. Living in the countryside, I wondered if I Read on Read BL Novelshad been influenced by the locals’ lifestyle; I was [visit our site]afraid I might actually get used to this. I tried closing my [visit our site]eyes tightly to force myself back to sleep, but before long, my eyes snapped open again.

Something felt off. I felt as if I had forgotten something very important.

Peeking my head out from under the covers, I saw the bedding neatly spread out in the opposite room.

Why is there another set of bedding? I think it’s mine.

Right, I brought Choi Seol here yesterday. But he’s not here?

Was it a dream? I mean, reuniting with a first love who has amnesia right after witnessing an accident for the first time in my life—and the memory stopped at seventeen. Unless it was a dream, it made no sense.

Since a cat appeared, it wasn’t a “dog dream” (nightmare), but maybe a “cat dream”? They say cats are spiritual creatures abroad, so it must have been a good dream. Plus, my first love appeared.

Goodness, I must have been feeling lonely without realizing it. Then again, between two years in the army and one year of country living, I hadn’t dated for three years total, so it was about time I suffered from some frustration.

That’s why it was more disappointing. If it was a dream, it could have been a bit more erotic; why did I act like a nanny taking care of a child? My thoughts had become a bit impure because it was dawn, but figuring that I was just going back to sleep anyway, I crawled back under the covers.

And the moment I closed my eyes, my phone rang.

Frowning, wondering who on earth it could be at this hour, I looked at the screen; it was Hae-sook-i Noona. Come to think of it, I think Noona appeared in my dream yesterday too. Feeling that I’d be struck by divine punishment if I ignored her, I forced myself to press the call button and opened my mouth.

“Hello…”

“Come out. I’m at the front gate.”

I pulled the phone away from my ear and looked at the screen. It was six in the morning.

That damn six o’clock. Did I have some kind of grudge against this hour? Or maybe Noona was that grudge. In the past, she had knocked on my door at this time to create an alibi so she wouldn’t get scolded by the village head after drinking all night, so I decided to ignore her completely.

“I can’t come out…”

“The middle gate is open. I’m coming in after three counts.”

The middle gate is open?

Being an old house, the residence was divided into the sarangchae (men’s quarters) and the anchae (inner quarters). I lived in the anchae, and one had to pass through the middle gate attached to the sarangchae to get here. While it was nice and cozy because it wasn’t visible from the outside, it was quite a hassle to have to run from the inner area to the front gate whenever a delivery or guest arrived. Consequently, I usually left the front gate open and only locked the middle gate to use it like an entrance, so it was strange for it to be open. Left with no choice, I went outside to find Noona, dressed in her police uniform, pacing in front of the wide-open middle gate.

She didn’t look like she was heading to work; had she really come here to act out after drinking?

“Noona, if you’ve been drinking, go home and have some hangover soup…”

“Because of some thief bastard, I couldn’t even leave work on time and had to pull a night shift. Maybe it’s because I couldn’t sleep, but my mind is so sensitive that I’m seeing hallucinations.”

I was wondering if I should unauthorized copykeep putting Read on Read BL Novelsup with this dream-like talk when visit our siteNoona’s words poured out.

“Someone really handsome… no. I’ve rarely thought celebrities were handsome in my entire life, but is he a human or an angel? No, I heard grim reapers are also that handsome. Then maybe he’s a grim reaper. But the point is, it’s a face I’ve seen somewhere before.”

“…And so?”

“What do you mean ‘and so’? Did you kick that flower-boy out of the house? Why is he lingering around the fields?”

The moment I tilted my head, wondering what “boy” she was talking about, the top of my foot, exposed to the dawn air, throbbed. This time, I felt truly wide awake.