By Zephyria A cold something touched Yumin’s cheek. At first, it was just ticklish, but it began to pat Yumin’s cheek harder and harder.
“Mmm…”
Yumin let out a groan. His consciousness was slowly returning. First, sounds began to register, and then, a faint light appeared beyond his closed eyelids. After blinking a couple of times, his vision finally cleared.
‘Where is this place?’
Yumin forced his weak body to sit up. His cheek that had been on the ground stung, and his palms stung as well. He felt around his body and thankfully, it seemed he wasn’t seriously injured. Just in case, he touched his rear, and his tail had vanished without a trace. Whether it was due to shock or if it happened naturally, he couldn’t tell, but his animal ears had also disappeared without a trace.
‘What on earth happened?’
Sitting still and thinking, the moment right before he lost consciousness came back to him. He had been wandering alone in the forest with his ears and tail out, and then he had fallen.
‘No way. I lost consciousness?’
He had no idea how much time had passed since then. To make matters worse, he had left his phone at the pension, so he couldn’t even check the time, let alone make a call.
“What should I do?”
When he first entered the forest, it was still daylight, but it had started raining and become overcast at some point, making it difficult to see his surroundings. He tried to find the direction of the pension, but no matter how much he looked around, he couldn’t get a sense of which way it was.
Yumin was flustered. His health had been poor recently, but he hadn’t expected to suddenly lose consciousness like this.
“Tae-jun…”
Yumin called out Tae-jun’s name without realizing it. But there was no answer.
The pouring rain made his body cold and shivery. He couldn’t just stay put in the middle of the forest. If he wasn’t careful, his body temperature would drop quickly, leading to serious trouble.
Yumin tried to use his wild animal instincts to track scents. However, the rainwater had washed away even the faint scents that remained, leaving him unable to tell which direction he had come from. Meanwhile, thunder and lightning struck.
Rumble-CRASH-!
“Aaaah!”
Startled, Yumin screamed. He was already afraid of thunder and lightning, but being isolated alone in the forest like this made it even more terrifying.
“What do I do… Please, someone help me!”
Yumin had no choice but to shout.
Hoping someone would hear him and come to his aid. But, as expected, no one was listening.
His only hope in this remote pension area was Tae-jun. He could only hope that Tae-jun would return to the pension, notice Yumin’s absence, and come looking for him.
The rain poured down harder. He couldn’t just stand there blankly. Before it was too late, he needed to find a place nearby where he could take shelter from the rain.
Yumin managed to stand up and started walking on his two feet. Having lost his sense of direction, he was unknowingly heading deeper and deeper into the forest.
‘Where did he go?’
Tae-jun had just returned to the pension. He had bought necessary items and groceries from the mart, and Yumin, whom he expected to be inside the pension, was nowhere to be seen.
“Yumin-ah, are you there?”
He called out Yumin’s name and looked around, but there was no answer.
‘What’s going on?’
Just in case, he tried calling Yumin’s phone. But, amusingly, the ringtone was coming from the living room. Yumin had even left his phone behind.
“Sigh… What on earth is going on?”
He had planned to have a simple picnic outdoors, but now he had to cancel it. He had returned with excitement, thinking they would stay in their room and cuddle, but Yumin was nowhere to be found. Normally, he would think Yumin had just gone out for a bit, but leaving without his phone in this weather made him unbearable worried.
He decided to go outside. Perhaps Yumin was just out for a short walk. It didn’t make sense in this pouring rain, but still, one could never be too sure. Fortunately, there were spare umbrellas at the pension. Tae-jun took two of them and stepped outside.
“So this is what it’s like.”
Meanwhile, Yumin let out a sigh of relief in the forest. As he walked aimlessly, having lost his direction, he spotted a small roof in the distance. Thinking it might be something, he approached it and found it was a small cabin located in the forest.
The area around it was overgrown with weeds, as if no one had visited for a long time, but it was still a place where he could take shelter from the rain, even if only for a moment. Yumin ran towards the building with joy.
‘What if the door is locked…?’
He worried about that while walking, but thankfully, the door was unlocked.
Creak-.
The wooden door opened with a creaking sound. The smell of stale air that had been trapped inside for a long time wafted out. Just as Yumin had expected, it was undoubtedly a place untouched by human footsteps.
He fumbled along the wall in the darkness but couldn’t find a light switch. It was only natural, he supposed. It would be difficult to find a cabin equipped with electrical facilities this deep in the forest.
Still, it was fortunate that a faint light was coming in from outside. Thanks to the light filtering through the small window, his vision was dimly secured. As Yumin’s eyes adjusted to the darkness, he could gradually make out the objects inside. There was a small bed, and next to it, a simple but rather stylish nightstand. There was also a table with two chairs, and on one side, a shelf for storage. These were all the furnishings in the cabin.
Yumin hesitated for a moment, then took off his shoes and stepped inside. He felt as though he shouldn’t dirty the place with his muddy feet.
As he cautiously looked around, a thick candle on the shelf caught his eye. It was different from the candles he usually encountered. It was thick and quite long.
“Thank goodness.”
Yumin quickly took out the candle. But the next problem was how to light it. He had no lighter or matches. Just in case, he looked around the cabin again, but he couldn’t find any kitchen facilities like a burner or a portable gas stove.
However, the presence of a candle meant there must be something nearby to light it with. Yumin carefully examined the shelf. As expected, he found matches inside a box placed at the very bottom. They were old-fashioned matches, hard to find these days.
Yumin struck a match without hesitation. He fumbled a few times as he wasn’t used to it, but thankfully, the candle soon caught fire.
“Sigh, I’m saved.”
‘I can just wait here until the rain stops. Right, Tae-jun might know about this cabin. If I’m lucky, he’ll come looking for me right away.’
Yumin’s heart began to fill with hope.
Holding the lit candle, Yumin carefully approached the table. He found the flattest spot he could and slowly placed the candle down.
But the next moment, he was startled.
“Gasp, what is that?”
What caught Yumin’s eye was a large painting of a tiger hanging on the wall.
“You scared me…”
Yumin’s eyes met the tiger’s lifelike gaze, and he almost fell on his backside but managed to hold himself back. It would have been a disaster if he had fallen while holding the candle.
“That really surprised me. Why is something like that here?”
But the painting looked somehow familiar. More precisely, the tiger’s face in the painting looked familiar.
‘Did I see a tiger painting recently?’
As Yumin tried to recall, there was a loud knocking sound from outside. Startled, Yumin screamed for the second time that day.
“Aaaah!”
“Yumin-ah, are you there?”
“Tae-jun!”
“It’s me. I’m opening the door.”
“Oh! Hurry and come in!”
Yumin rushed to the door and flung it open. Tae-jun stood outside, holding an umbrella.
“Tae-jun!”
“What happened to you? Why did you come all the way here?”
“Well…”
He couldn’t bring himself to tell the truth that he had gotten lost while walking with his ears and tail out.
“No, I just went out for a bit… and got lost.”
“I was worried.”
“I’m sorry. I left my phone too, so I couldn’t contact you.”
“Yeah, you left your phone. So I wandered around for a while. I came here just in case, and it’s a relief.”
Overjoyed, Yumin hugged Tae-jun tightly. Tae-jun patted his back with his free hand, the one not holding the umbrella, reassuring him.
“Still, it’s a relief. I was worried you might have collapsed in the rain.”
“I wandered around too and just happened to find this place.”
“Yeah, this place…”
Tae-jun trailed off.
“But why is there a cabin like this in the middle of the forest?”
Tae-jun took a towel from the shelf inside and handed it to Yumin, telling him to dry himself quickly. He didn’t answer Yumin’s question immediately, instead checking if he was injured.
“Tae-jun.”
“Yeah?”
“I survived because there was a cabin, but it’s in such a random place. What is it for?”
“Well, you see…”
“And what’s with that tiger painting?”
Tae-jun fell into thought for a moment.
It was fortunate that Yumin was safe, but him finding out about this cabin wasn’t exactly a pleasant development. Tae-jun didn’t have good memories of this place either.
But now that it had happened, there was no other way. He couldn’t reveal everything, but it would be okay to at least resolve Yumin’s curiosity.
Thinking so, Tae-jun opened his mouth.
“It’s a cabin managed by my family.”
“But there’s no electricity. Yet it’s furnished.”
“That’s because… it’s a place for short stays, meditation, and things like that.”
“Meditation?”
“Yes. We have a traditional family meditation method.”
“…Really?”
A cabin that looked abandoned, standing alone in the middle of the forest. In contrast, the facilities were neat. But still, no electricity. It felt contradictory in many ways, but Yumin didn’t care about such things right now.
He was simply relieved and at peace knowing he had found Tae-jun again.
“But Yumin-ah, aren’t you cold?”
Tae-jun said. Yumin nodded.
“I think it’s because I got wet in the rain, I’m so cold.”
“Come here.”
Tae-jun pulled Yumin closer to him. Yumin naturally nestled into Tae-jun’s embrace. Compared to Yumin, who was thoroughly soaked, Tae-jun was relatively less wet.
“It’s warm.”
Yumin rubbed his head against Tae-jun without realizing it. Tae-jun chuckled.
“It’s warm?”
“Yes, it feels good. I was really scared.”
“Yeah, you went through a lot. Why did you go out alone like that?”
“I know, right?”
Yumin let out a deep sigh and burrowed deeper into Tae-jun’s embrace. The sound of rain could still be heard from outside.
“There was no forecast for rain, so it’s strange.”
“I know.”
The two sat side-by-side on the bed. To be precise, Yumin was half-embraced in Tae-jun’s arms. Normally, a sensual atmosphere would have quickly developed, but today was a little different.
Just being held in Tae-jun’s arms, listening to his heartbeat and feeling his warmth, was enough to make him feel content and at peace. Tae-jun seemed to feel the same, as he simply stroked Yumin’s back without making any sexual gestures.
In a way, it was a little disappointing, but they still had plenty of time. They would spend the weekend together at the pension, and there would be time to explore each other’s bodies slowly. For now, he just wanted to enjoy the peaceful moment.
Of course, that was Yumin’s thought, and Tae-jun’s thoughts were different.
There was a reason why Tae-jun couldn’t easily touch Yumin. They weren’t alone here.
Tae-jun glanced at the painting. It was a vividly drawn tiger painting that looked like it could tear through the paper and leap out at any moment. Tae-jun didn’t avert his gaze from the tiger. Instead, he stared straight at it.
“Sigh, I feel alive now.”
Yumin flopped onto the bed. After a shower with warm water, the tension in his muscles eased, and fatigue washed over him instantly.
“Are you feeling better? Aren’t you cold?”
“Yeah, it’s perfect. Thank you, Tae-jun.”
“Don’t mention it. I’m glad nothing serious happened.”
“I know, right?”
Yumin let out a sigh of relief.
If Tae-jun hadn’t come to rescue him, he didn’t know how long he would have shivered in the mountains. Thanks to Tae-jun’s timely arrival, he could now wash with warm water and lie comfortably in bed. Thinking about it, Yumin’s heart softened.
Seizing the opportunity, Yumin decided to act a little more proactively today. He felt grateful and apologetic towards Tae-jun, but more than that, he wanted to seize the chance. They were isolated in the pension, just the two of them. He couldn’t miss this golden opportunity.
“Tae-jun.”
Yumin lowered his voice slightly and called out to Tae-jun. Tae-jun, who was pouring non-alcoholic wine, turned around and replied.
“Why?”
“Come here quickly.”
As he said that, Yumin felt his cheeks flush.
“Uh, yeah, I’ll bring it right over. You must really want to drink wine.”
But Tae-jun seemed to have misunderstood completely. Yumin had tried to seduce him in his own way, but his clumsiness had failed.
“No, that’s not it…”
He muttered softly without realizing it. Tae-jun shrugged as if to ask what he meant.
“…Right. I want to drink it quickly.”
Yumin made a vague excuse.
Tae-jun was struggling to suppress his laughter inwardly. He knew Yumin was trying to seduce him. But he wanted to pretend not to notice for once. He hoped that would make Yumin more eager and proactive in his advances. That’s why he deliberately changed the subject to wine. However, he couldn’t stop the corners of his mouth from twitching upwards.
Tae-jun approached Yumin, trying to act as nonchalant as possible. In his hand was a glass filled with non-alcoholic wine.
“Here, take this. It’ll warm you up more.”
“Thanks.”
Yumin replied in a dejected voice. His carefully planned move had completely failed, and embarrassment, shyness, and shame washed over him all at once.
Tae-jun finally couldn’t hold back and burst into laughter.
“Why, why are you laughing?”
Yumin asked, his voice slightly sulky.
“Because you’re so cute.”
Normally, Tae-jun’s compliment would have made him happy, but he felt a sense of unease. In a fit of pique, Yumin gulped down the wine.
“Yumin-ah, even if it’s non-alcoholic, you shouldn’t drink it so quickly.”
“It’s fine. I’m craving wine today.”
Tae-jun tried to stop him, but Yumin didn’t listen and downed the wine in one go.
“Ugh. This is more bitter than I thought.”
“Yeah, you shouldn’t drink it like that.”
As Yumin coughed, Tae-jun lightly patted his back.
“Are you okay?”
“…I’m fine.”
A drop of wine lingered on Yumin’s lips. The red wine added to Yumin’s naturally rosy lips made them look even more luscious. Tae-jun finally couldn’t resist and lowered his head towards Yumin’s lips.
“Tae-jun?”
He ignored the small whisper and pressed his lips against Yumin’s.