By Zephyria 
A lingering discomfort remained, but the pleasure was far greater, so it was fine. Soon, only pleasure remained. Every time Yeon-jun held both of his calves to keep his legs spread and pushed his member inside, Eun-ha’s breath hitched, and a tight sense of satisfaction filled him. His moans grew louder.
Then, he could clearly feel the man’s body hardening against him with effort. It was the kind of strength used to avoid applying too much force—a sort of patience to restrain himself. Eun-ha reached out fumblingly and gripped Yeon-jun’s thigh, pulling him closer. It was his way of saying he didn’t have to hold back.
However, Yeon-jun rarely did things exactly as he wanted. Rather than focusing on the pleasure of thrusting, he was more preoccupied with constantly checking Eun-ha’s face. Whenever Eun-ha’s expression crumpled from an overwhelming surge of pleasure, Yeon-jun slowed his pace as if he had been waiting for that exact moment. Then, a searching gaze met his. Is he really an idiot… I feel so good right now. Why does he keep…
Eun-ha found it absurd. The current situation, where the man was being this considerate of him.
Sex and consideration. In Eun-ha’s dictionary, these were acts that could not coexist.
For some reason, the thought tickled his lungs lightheartedly, and as he found himself smiling softly, Yeon-jun met his eyes and gave a slight, smiling squint.
‘What do you think you know, smiling like that. Ridiculous…’
Just as he was about to find it even more absurd, Yeon-jun suddenly stopped smiling and stared intently at the corners of Eun-ha’s eyes. He looked like someone momentarily shaken by something.
It happened then. Yeon-jun suddenly collapsed onto Eun-ha. He pressed down with his full weight, hugging his entire body tightly. Because of the sudden, close contact, Eun-ha’s legs naturally spread wider, and the penetration grew deeper. Pressed down to the point where he couldn’t breathe for a few seconds, Eun-ha slowly exhaled. Yeon-jun called him.
“Hyung.”
“What. Why…”
“I love you. Really.”
“…So suddenly.”
“It’s not sudden; it’s every second.”
His voice wavered at the end, as if proving his sincerity. At the sudden confession, Eun-ha’s eyes darted around like someone caught in a surprise attack, and he habitually brought up the question he often asked himself. Why me?
Why on earth do you… me, like this…
Eventually, a lukewarm sigh escaped. As expected. Exhaling a familiar breath, he hugged the back that was covering him.
So maybe the one who’s truly strange isn’t me, but this kid.
He closed his eyes tightly and squeezed his arms.
A peaceful summer passed for a while. In the meantime, Eun-ha was able to gather some of the latest news about his friends through the group chat. Park Hyun-ji was having a headache every day due to her ongoing business preparations, and Gu Hae-bin had finally met up with the person he had been in contact with recently. Kim Seon-woo seemed to be considering a short-term study abroad program at his parents’ suggestion. And finally, Im Sujin’s wedding date was set. February of next year. It felt both far and near. This was because it was the first time a close friend was getting married.
Marriage. While he was pondering this, the topic of the chat naturally shifted to a trip. The main point was that they should all go on a trip together while everyone had time—before the wedding. It went without saying who the emphasis was targeted at. Since they were practically begging, he couldn’t avoid it any longer, so Eun-ha replied that he would go for now. It was meant to be a positive response, but the reaction he got back was that “for now” sounded suspicious, forcing him to reply several more times.
>>Anyway I’ll go
[Park Hyun-ji]
>>I told you not to use “anyway”
[Im Sujin]
>>K-k
>>Yeah
>>I’ll go
Im Sujin
>>Hmm..
Park Hyun-ji
>>Suspicious
>>?
It was an evening a few days after that. While he was spending time leisurely in his pajamas as usual, Gu Hae-bin burst into the house without notice. Eun-ha, who happened to run into Gu Hae-bin entering the house as if it were his own by punching in the passcode, couldn’t hide his bewilderment. Entering the house on his own without a word? No. That wasn’t something to make an issue of. It had been their routine for a while.
However, right now…
As Eun-ha’s expression hardened and his mind raced, Gu Hae-bin asked casually.
“What were you doing?”
“Me? Just… what brings you here?”
“The others told me to get a firm confirmation from you.”
“…Ah. The trip? I said I’d go, so why?”
Gu Hae-bin shrugged and stepped further into the house. He strolled past the blankly standing Eun-ha toward the living room sofa. A complaining voice followed behind him, asking if he looked like some kind of errand boy. Despite the harsh tone, he probably didn’t come here just because he was forced to. Rather, he likely thought he’d take this opportunity to check in. Since Gu Hae-bin had been a bit distant lately, focusing on the person who became his girlfriend.
Sure enough, he flopped onto the sofa and asked how he’d been. What have you been up to? What do you mean, just living. While they were exchanging simple pleasantries, Gu Hae-bin’s gaze, which was wandering around the house without much thought, stopped as if caught by something. Then, he tilted his head like someone suspicious. Eun-ha slowly followed his gaze. It was a corner of the living room. Specifically, that corner that was always cluttered with shopping bags and boxes due to periodic impulse shopping.
In the spot where all those remnants of shopping had been completely cleared away, a wooden chest of drawers sat. Gu Hae-bin stared at it for a long time, as if interpreting an object he had never seen before, then turned his eyes to Eun-ha. His look was slightly bewildered. Eun-ha replied nonchalantly, as if it were nothing.
“You’re the one who used to nag me not to do that.”
“Who said anything? I’m all for it. But why the furniture?”
“Just organizing my things.”
“Organizing?”
His tone was closer to You? In other words, he didn’t believe it at all. Eun-ha tried to make an excuse, but unable to find a suitable answer, he just let the silence linger.
He had never perceived this place as a ‘home.’ Therefore, for the past few years, he had maintained a state of having only the bare minimum of furniture necessary for living. Because the more traces of life accumulated, the more tedious it would be to clear the place out later.
If anything, he was the type of person to throw away everything that could be called ‘luggage’ rather than buy a large piece of furniture like a chest of drawers to organize it.
And Gu Hae-bin would know that well. Being so close that they knew each other as if they were the same person is sometimes uncomfortable. In the sense that making excuses or lying is impossible. And in the sense that it’s hard to keep secrets.
After that, Gu Hae-bin began to discover anomalies one after another. Perhaps sensing something suspicious, he stood up and looked around the house, capturing every single recent change. A refrigerator moderately well-stocked with ingredients and food. A snack basket that was, for some reason, empty… up to that point, it might have been fine.
An apron hanging next to the island table—seeing this, Gu Hae-bin looked at Eun-ha as if he had encountered something bizarre. Slippers at the entrance, discovered late, that were far larger than Eun-ha’s foot size. And clothes found in the bedroom—sizes that could not possibly belong to Eun-ha. Pajamas. Above all.
The bed size had changed from a Queen to a King. And two toothbrushes in the bathroom…
“…”
What could he possibly say? Gu Hae-bin, standing crookedly with his arms crossed in front of the lit bathroom, remained motionless for a while like someone deep in thought, then slowly turned his head.
“Lee Eun-ha.”
“…Yeah.”
“Who are you living with?”
“…”
Eun-ha stared meaninglessly at the bathroom light switch. It was a belated discovery. No. Technically, since he had never hidden it, it wasn’t exactly a discovery.