By Zephyria Side Story 4
Someone’s floor is someone’s ceiling. Grandma’s room is below your room.
On his first day in Korea, Seo-jin issued an outright ban on ‘Yeon-ho-ya’.
Of course, after the long flight, the main purpose was his nephew’s first birthday party and the after-party. His subtly tired body made it possible to have a healthy life where he would fall asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, even without a warning.
However, it had been five days since he entered Korea.
His body had recovered to its original state, which was the same as the revival of desire.
The couple’s bed in Italy was wide enough for two healthy men to roll around in, but the bed that Yeon-ho and Marteo were staying in was narrower than that.
In other words, it was a very good environment for rubbing bodies together. Even though they had washed up, laid down, and turned off the lights to sleep, their hearts were in sync, and as someone said, the husband sings and the wife follows. A good smell wafted from their touching bodies, and their skin was so warm and inviting, how could they fall asleep?
Marteo’s hand, which had been wrapped around Yeon-ho’s waist, burrowed into Yeon-ho’s loose pants like flowing water, and Yeon-ho also rubbed his heavy lower body against Marteo’s with his hips pulled back as much as possible.
It didn’t take even a few seconds for a fiery flame to ignite in the hearts of the two men who were already looking for an opportunity.
Yeon-ho, who had been groaning at Marteo’s lewd hand job that was stroking his glans while lying in the same direction, couldn’t stand it any longer and turned his body towards the man’s chest.
“Haa. Pants… take off my pants. Take them off and take yours off too.”
His forehead rubbed against his nape. A drawn-out nasal voice. Marteo’s Adam’s apple swallowed hard.
Marteo, who didn’t want to waste time answering, immediately pulled down Yeon-ho’s underwear and pants all at once.
Yeon-ho, who kicked away the remaining clothes on his own, reached into Marteo’s shirt and pulled down his own pants.
His heart was pounding with excitement, and there was a small piece of flesh on his fingertips. When he scratched his nipple with his fingernails, Marteo’s breath became even rougher.
“Do Yeon-ho…”
His voice was already boiling with passion. He was going to take off his clothes and rub his dicks together first, but at this rate, it seemed like he would be asking to be fucked right away.
Fortunately, it seemed like Marteo’s feelings weren’t that different.
His back hole, which hadn’t even had anything inserted yet, was throbbing tightly. The tip of Yeon-ho’s dick, which was half-erect, was about to overflow with fluid.
The short time it took for Marteo to take off his remaining clothes felt insanely long. Yeon-ho, who was impatient, rubbed his lips against Marteo’s chest once more and called out Theon’s name in a nasal voice.
The man, who hadn’t even finished taking off his pants that were hanging on his thighs, hugged Yeon-ho tightly first.
At the same time, the two tongues that had been pushed out of their mouths intertwined with each other like tentacles.
Tap. Tap tap.
“Mamma, papà～”
Suddenly, a sound that was louder than thunder rang out from outside the door that he had locked just in case. It was the voices of his own children that he couldn’t possibly mishear even if he heard them from a hundred meters away.
The two tongues that had been playing lewdly, tumbling over each other, fell back in a straight line with a pop!
Even in the meantime, the sound of knocking on the door continued.
“Mom, Dad. Are you asleep?”
“It’s us. Please open the door.”
Thump. Thump thump!
The kids weren’t even just one, but two. Perhaps because they were anxious about their parents not answering, the sound was gradually getting louder.
If this were Italy, he would have closed his eyes tightly and pretended not to know until the end. Even if the kids knocked on the door with a hammer, the hallway would be infinitely long, and even if someone heard the sound, the employees who aimed for the happy life of the owners would pretend not to know with tact.
But this was Korea.
Putting aside Shin Yeo-sa, who claimed to be a light sleeper, Seo-jin’s room existed at the end of the short hallway. If the sound got any louder here, Seo-jin would definitely notice.
Marteo and Yeon-ho, who had been frozen like that for a long time—although it was actually less than a minute—let out groans as if they had planned it.
“Pants, where are my pants?”
Yeon-ho hurriedly searched under the bed for the pants he had kicked away. Marteo, who had only taken off some of his clothes, also quickly gathered his clothes. Only then did he barely clear his throat.
“What’s wrong?”
“Dad? It’s me, Elio. If you’re not asleep, please open the door.”
I knew it. I was hoping, but… It didn’t seem like they had any intention of saying what they wanted to say outside the room.
Yeon-ho and Marteo, who had become wrinkled once more, looked at each other and even dropped their heads.
“Wait…”
How could his voice be so mournful? Still, the only good thing was that the lower body that had been trying to soar high in the mood that had been completely ruined had also cooled down somewhat.
When he unlocked the doorknob, the two young Eagles were indeed standing there. They were holding pillows that were as big as their bodies in their arms. Even though his insides were twisted, the poses they were standing in, exactly the same as if they had planned it, were cute.
If they weren’t my kids…
Marteo, who had suppressed a sigh, bit his teeth softly.
“What’s wrong? Why are you out here instead of sleeping?”
“Well, I can’t sleep…”
It was already close to 1 a.m. Marteo, who had looked at the dim hallway lit only by indirect lighting, rubbed his forehead.
“Close your eyes and count to a hundred, no, a thousand. If you do that, you’ll come.”
“No, I won’t. Right?”
“Yeah. Auntie snores. It’s too loud.”
“……What?”
“Drrr Drrr. Phu huuu～ It makes sounds like that.”
“Haa. Then cover your ears.”
“How can I sleep with my ears covered?”
“It’s hard.”
These are the children who had slept in their mom and dad’s room for two days and in their great-grandmother Shin Yeo-sa’s room for two days after coming to Korea.
Today, the children had no complaints about Seo-jin saying that they would sleep with her, but it seemed that Seo-jin had fallen asleep first.
“Dad?”
“……”
Even though he had answered the question, Marteo didn’t move out of the way, so the kids started to glance at each other.
And, I want to go in… As if appealing, he looked past him into the room and his eyes met Yeon-ho’s.
The game was completely over at this moment.
“Mom～”
At the same time, the twins, who had called out to Yeon-ho at the top of their lungs, slipped through their dad’s side and rushed straight to the bed.
“Mom～ Let’s sleep together.”
“Didn’t Mom want to see us?”
Clinging to his neck with their arms on both sides and whining, this was definitely a trick, right?
Moreover, seeing that their eyes were shining brightly, unlike what they were saying, it was impossible to force them to sleep.
What on earth should he do about this predicament?
Yeon-ho forcibly controlled his trembling lips.
“You want to sleep together?”
“Yeah!”
“The bed is narrow here. What if one of you falls off while we’re all sleeping together?”
“We can just sleep close together, right?”
“Mom and Dad can hug us, right?”
“What if your arms come loose while you’re sleeping?”
“Hmm. Ah! Then Mom, should we sleep on the floor?”
“What?”
“That’s right. Grandma sleeps on the floor.”
“Korea is originally a place where you sleep on the floor. Ondo! No, On…dol?”
Yeah. I knew it would be a meaningless struggle. Ugh, who gave birth to them, my disgustingly smart kids.
Yeon-ho, who had looked up at the ceiling of the room once, finally let out an empty breath.
“…Okay. Let’s sleep. Sleep. What else can we do but sleep.”
“Wow!”
“Mom, blankets. Blankets on the floor.”
“…Okay, spread them out. Spread them all out.”
“This is so fun.”
“Mom, you’re happy too, right?”
“Yeah. I’m dying.”
“Uung?”
“Mistake. Wow. I’m happy, I’m dying.”
“Dad? Dad, you’re happy too, right?”
Do you still see that as Dad in your eyes? He looks like a corpse to me.
Marteo’s face, which he looked back at, couldn’t have been more ashen.
♥ ♥ ♥
“Good morning～ What’s with waking up early for once?”
In the morning, Seo-jin, who had just run into him in front of the bathroom on the second floor, yawned and raised one hand.
However, Yeon-ho’s complexion, which had been like he was performing a shamanistic ritual all night, was gloomy itself, unlike the brightly risen sun.
Seo-jin, who belatedly noticed his unusual appearance, flinched.
“What, what’s wrong? What’s with your face? Didn’t you sleep well?”
“Whose fault do you think it is?”
“Huh?”
“How much did you snore?”
Despite his concern, it was an unfounded accusation. Seo-jin, who blinked, touched his nose, and Yeon-ho glared at him fiercely.
“The kids couldn’t sleep because of your snoring.”
“Ah… So they went to your room? I was surprised when I woke up in the morning and they weren’t there.”
“And you didn’t even look for them?”
“Since the pillows were gone too, I naturally thought they had gone to you guys. But… you’re saying they went to your room because I snored?”
“Yeah!”
“Hmm. That’s strange…”
“What’s so strange about it.”
“No, you know too, right? I sometimes grind my teeth, but I don’t snore.”
“Who knows? Maybe you’ve changed as you’ve gotten older.”
“Hey, how old do you think I am compared to you! And hey, if they can’t sleep because of snoring, how did they sleep with Grandma? Shin Yeo-sa’s snoring has been no joke these days?”
The wrinkles of injustice and the vertical wrinkles between his eyebrows. Yeon-ho’s eyebrows, who had been wondering, rose upwards. Then, he turned around to look at the room where the kids who had been awake until dawn were still sleeping.
Seo-jin also finally had an expression that he had caught on to something. Before long, Seo-jin burst into laughter.
“Wow… those smart little shits. They’re playing on top of our heads?”
“…What?”
“I knew it. They said that yesterday, didn’t they? Auntie, aren’t you sleepy? You have to go to work soon. Kooo～”
“……”
“Those guys were planning to run away from the start. Of course. They don’t care about the means to achieve their goal. Slander and intrigue, good strategy.”
“…Hey, don’t call it intrigue to kids.”
“What. It’s obvious, isn’t it? They don’t want to hurt my feelings by saying they want to sleep together, and they’re getting out of the situation by looking at the situation.”
I should be on their side and say that my kids wouldn’t do that… I admit it. It seemed like they could do that.
Seo-jin, who had been giggling as Yeon-ho’s face crumpled once more, narrowed his eyes this time.
“But the kids are like that, but why is your expression like that when you’re sleeping with your kids? Did the kids get in the way of ‘Yeon-ho-ya～’?”
His expression was very evil and annoying. It was obvious that if he retorted any more here, he would only get caught up in it. Yeon-ho, who had snorted, turned around and stomped his feet.
After that, Seo-jin’s voice flew in again.
“Do Yeon-ho. Bring the kids to the company around five o’clock.”
“…The company?”
“You have to pay the price for secretly escaping from my arms. As punishment, you’ll have to spend a cozy time with your auntie all night today.”
“……?”
“There’s some kind of Starry Night Festival nearby. Feed them dinner and take them there.”
“Auntie? No, the kids… only…?”
“What. Do you want me to take you guys too?”
He could immediately understand the meaning of his mischievous and annoying eyes. Yeon-ho shook his head without hesitation. Seo-jin pulled his lips out.
“Should I tell Grandma that you guys are staying out tonight?”
It was Seo-jin who sometimes played the role of an older sister.
♥ ♥ ♥
The twins, who had been excited about going out to eat with their mom, dad, and auntie and going to the festival, widened their eyes when they heard Seo-jin say, ‘Shall we split up now?’
‘Mom and Dad aren’t coming?’
‘Mom and Dad are going home?’
After listening to the explanation that followed, they also showed a slightly ‘deceived’ expression. However, the solution was surprisingly easy. Seo-jin whispered something, and the twins quickly changed their attitude.
As if they had never made a sullen expression, they waved their hands, saying, ‘Bye Mom, see you tomorrow Dad.’
‘What on earth did you say to make them like that?’
He was flustered, but he was happy to have some time alone for the first time in a while. Yeon-ho was also the same, as he hadn’t had much time to see Marteo’s face because he had been taking a two-week vacation.
His lips felt like they were going to loosen at the man who had become completely his.
Perhaps Marteo felt the same way, as he grabbed Yeon-ho’s hand as soon as the kids left.
It was 6 PM. The sunset-tinged face of Marteo was strikingly beautiful. Yeon-ho was reminded of their dates in a small Italian town. The memories vaguely resurfacing, Yeon-ho smiled and spoke.
“Shall we take a walk first?”
For some reason, Marteo hesitated for a moment, but soon nodded. The time, the weather, even the breeze were perfect. It truly felt like they had returned to that day.
At least, until this point.
♥ ♥ ♥
Two hours later.
Between Marteo and Yeon-ho, who had been as sweet as birds preening their feathers, a coldness now swirled instead of warmth.
Far from holding hands, Yeon-ho finally raised his voice to the man walking a few steps ahead of him.
“Ah, how long are you going to be like this!”
But Marteo, still not looking back, quickly punched in the code on the keypad in front of the entrance they had just arrived at.
Click. Following the body that had entered inside, Yeon-ho also hurried his remaining steps.
There was no hesitation or unfamiliarity in their movements as they took off their shoes and stepped into the living room. That was because the place they had just arrived at was none other than Yeon-ho’s mansion. The house Yeon-ho had lived in before getting married.
In fact, not long after getting married, Yeon-ho had tried to get rid of this place.
Even if he had business in Korea, he would be spending most of his time at his family home because he rarely saw them, and he thought, what was the point of keeping unused real estate?
But it was Marteo who opposed it.
If you think about it, this place isn’t just Yeon-ho’s house, but the first space we lived in together, right? He said he didn’t want to get rid of a house filled with such memories.
Maintaining a house that wasn’t being used in a foreign land required both care and money, but of course, that wasn’t a problem for Marteo.
Even now, the mansion, which they had visited after a long time, was exactly the same as when Yeon-ho had lived there yesterday. The sofa, the dining table, the curtains. He even somehow managed the ventilation, so there was no musty smell.
In terms of room condition, it was comparable to a first-class hotel.
Anyway, Marteo, who had entered the house ahead of him, skillfully headed straight for the bedroom as expected. Then, slam! He closed the door.
Yeon-ho, who had been chasing after him, stopped in his tracks. A burst of laughter escaped his lips.
‘Seriously. I’ve been holding back!’
Yeon-ho, glaring at the bedroom, headed to the refrigerator as if to cool down his anger first. It wasn’t just the exterior that was the same; the refrigerator was ice-cold.
Inside, even the sparkling water that Yeon-ho always drank before the flood was neatly lined up.
It was something he had experienced when he came here three years ago. Marteo must have ordered someone to manage it.
He really had a thorough and meticulous memory without missing a thing. However, that damn memory was now the cause of the discord.
Yeon-ho grabbed a bottle of sparkling water as if snatching it and plopped down on the sofa.
‘Seriously… why did that bastard have to pop up there.’
Then, a groan flowed out of his mouth again.
The problem started an hour and a half ago.
It was nice that they held hands tightly and wandered around the streets of Seoul for a while. It had been… How long had they walked? Suddenly, a video advertisement on an outdoor electronic display caught his eye.
Marteo’s steps, which had been matching Yeon-ho’s pace, stopped here for the first time. Yeon-ho also turned his gaze, wondering why, at the man staring intently upwards. Then, huh? His pupils dilated.
As the still cuts filled the screen, typography was being imprinted on them.
[The Man Made by Challenge]
[Wearing the Journey]
[Seize the Summer]
A common seasonal advertisement for a clothing brand. However, the problem was that the face of the model staring at the screen wearing various outfits was very familiar to Yeon-ho.
None other than Lee Sung-min… the person he had sponsored right before meeting Marteo.
Seong-min, who had risen to 4th place in the Next Icon competition he participated in, did not win, but gained public favor with his affable and charming personality.
And he steadily grew to the point where he raised his name value enough to become an ambassador for a brand. It meant that Yeon-ho’s eye for talent was definitely correct.
Yeon-ho, who watched the 60-second video without missing a thing, unknowingly moved his lips.
“Wow… he’s grown a lot.”
Of course, he bit his tongue in regret at the stinging gaze that poured onto his face immediately afterward. Marteo, whose eyes had turned into a three-white stare, was glaring at Yeon-ho.
“No… it’s just that he used to be in our company……”
“…Just in the company?”
“Huh?”
“That bastard. Isn’t he the guy I saw at the Paju set back then?”
At this point, the hand he hadn’t let go of was clenched tightly. Yeon-ho, who was taken aback for the second time, hurriedly pulled Marteo’s arm.
“Did he…?”
“……”
“By the way, walking made me thirsty? Shall we go somewhere and have a cold beer?”
There’s nothing like alcohol to take the edge off.
Whether his sincerity worked or not, he clicked his tongue, but it was still okay up to this point.
But damn it. What kind of day was it? The most eye-catching bar. Whose familiar face was plastered on the liquor poster attached to the wall of the stairs!
Lee Gun-woo…. Yeah. He was also Yeon-ho’s past sponsee.
This time, Yeon-ho stopped first and anxiously glanced at Marteo.
Still, this bastard had never directly confronted Marteo. There was still hope. But as soon as he turned around, he knew.
Eyebrows raised high. An atmosphere as if he would grab the guy in the poster and drag him out right away….
There was no doubt he recognized him. The face that had always been plastered on the company panel along with his name.
‘No, why aren’t you guys past your prime?’
He wanted to expose even Lee Gun-woo’s flaws, who was still actively working. Yeon-ho, gritting his teeth, hurriedly passed the poster and entered the store.
But he shouldn’t have done that. He should have just gone somewhere else.
It was then that they were guided to their seats and barely finished ordering. A major accident occurred that was incomparable to anything before.
“Uh, uh? Do… Director Do?”
Even though his tongue was quite twisted, the title was clearly heard. It had been ages since he quit being a director, but who was it? Who made the sound of Director Do!
No way. Would this also be a case of ‘no way’ catching someone off guard? Yeon-ho carefully turned his stiff neck.
And when his eyes met the man standing right next to their table, staggering, he had no choice but to find the words ‘oh, shit!’ again.
“Ri, right… Director? How can you be here…… Direector!”
Pulling down the mask he had attached under his chin, he sat down next to Yeon-ho as if he would rush at him… Damn it. It was Oh Tae-jin.
Tae-jin didn’t care even though Yeon-ho reflexively pulled his butt away. His tearful mouth and flared nostrils were quite a sight.
“How can you be here…… Direector. I missed you! When, when did you come? Are you here in Korea for good?”
“Hey. Can you talk from a little further away first?”
“Too much! It’s been so long. I heard you quit the company and called you so many times. How could you quit the company without telling me? Why, why don’t you answer my calls!”
“Hey, you’re drunk. Where’s your group? No. People are recognizing you, so lower your voice first!”
“Ugh! Direector… Weren’t you curious about me? I, I was so lonely and sad without you.”
“Haa. Oh Tae-jin. Get a grip!”
“Why did you do that? You quit the company without telling me, why… why did you even get married without telling me!”
“No, who got married without telling you!”
“You did. You got married without telling me! I, I was going to ask you to meet me again when I became the number one in company sales. How could you get married so quickly. Aberu? Abero? Anyway, do you like money that much? I make good money too!”
A headache shot up. He wasn’t just a little drunk; he was completely wasted. Where the hell was this bastard’s manager!
Not only was his voice getting louder, but Tae-jin’s body was swaying. Then, he finally stretched his hand towards Yeon-ho this time, along with the call of Direector~. It looked like he was going to hug him.
But the attempt naturally failed. Because Tae-jin’s shoulder was torn outwards just before his fingertips touched Yeon-ho.
It happened in an instant, but Yeon-ho thought it was late.
He was even more surprised that Marteo, who was sitting in front of him, had been listening to Tae-jin’s ramblings all this time. He soon found out the reason.
A face that was incredibly dumbfounded. A face that was late because he was wondering how to kill this bug-like bastard to feel relieved.
“Ugh. It hurts. It hurts!”
Marteo’s expression, twisting Tae-jin’s shoulder as he struggled and tapped, was like a ghost. With such a face, Marteo spat out just one word.
“Get up.”
At first, he thought he was talking to Oh Tae-jin. But he realized it was an order to him when he saw Marteo throwing the grabbed Tae-jin’s shoulder to the floor.
At this point, the people in the bar began to pay attention to this side.
‘Isn’t that Oh Tae-jin?’
‘That’s right. Oh Tae-jin.’
‘But who’s next to him?’
‘I don’t know…. But he looks like a celebrity? A foreign actor?’
Whether they were trying to film Tae-jin, who was lying on the ground, or Marteo, they were subtly taking out their cameras.
He could put up with being embarrassed, but he couldn’t stand seeing his man’s expensive face being sold to others. Yeon-ho’s mind finally came to his senses.
Yeon-ho jumped up, and at the right time, someone stretched out their neck from a corner seat far away.
“Tae-ji… no… hey!”
It seemed like he was with him, as he hurriedly silenced his voice after trying to call Oh Tae-jin’s name and ran over.
Yeon-ho, leaving all the cleanup to that side, hurriedly grabbed Marteo’s arm, who was still emitting a cold light.
“Let’s go. Let’s go.”
After that,
“Direector, where are you going~ Let’s go together.”
Tae-jin’s voice, still not coming to his senses, echoed faintly.
I should have just killed him in Gunsan back then!
Yeon-ho, who had left the bar half voluntarily and half involuntarily in less than 10 minutes, finally let go of Marteo’s arm, whom he had been dragging, in a deserted alley.
It was an excuse earlier, but this time he was really thirsty. There was a faint sweat on his forehead.
If it had been the usual Marteo, he would have noticed that condition first and wiped his face. He would have stroked his back, asking, ‘Are you okay?’
But even after a few seconds, there was no reaction.
Yeon-ho, who was catching his breath, hesitantly raised his head. Still, he couldn’t bring himself to ask, ‘What’s wrong?’
He thought today was just like the date they had in Italy, but the ending was too similar….
Yeon-ho, who had been looking for something to say for a while, finally moved his lips.
“So… you know a lot of people because it’s Korea?”
What came back was another cold glare. Yeon-ho, who was startled, stammered again.
“No, it was all a coincidence? It’s not my fault?”
“……”
Still, silence as expected. He was bound to get a little frustrated at this point.
What. Is he the only one who’s dumbfounded? I’m more dumbfounded than you are?
“Ah, why! Say something if you have something to say!”
“……Must be nice. Knowing so many people.”
Oh? He did it right away when I told him to? Besides, was that sarcasm?
It was a mood he hadn’t experienced in a long time. Right. I forgot. That he becomes incredibly petty when he gets upset!
Yeon-ho was now properly frustrated. At that moment, Marteo turned around and approached the roadside. He just raised his hand and caught a taxi.
Marteo, who opened the back door, then nodded. Get in. The dialogue was completely omitted.
It was obvious, but they had brought their own cars when they came to the company with the kids. That car was now in the company parking lot.
But in this situation, if he said, why are we taking a taxi when we have our car? It was an atmosphere where he would say, then you go get it.
His eyes were wide open, but Yeon-ho had no choice but to get into the back seat of the taxi. Marteo told the driver the address of Yeon-ho’s mansion.
And he didn’t say a word all the way home.
When the car turned a curve, he pretended it was a physical reaction, and very coincidentally tilted his shoulder slightly, but far from looking back, he even turned his eyes to the window….
And the rest is as described above.
Yeon-ho, who stopped thinking, forcefully opened the lid of the sparkling water he had taken out of the refrigerator.
‘Seriously, what did I do so wrong! No, how can a guy who speaks Korean so well not know the word force majeure?’
He gulped down the sparkling water instead of alcohol and glared at the bedroom again.
‘You’re not coming out, huh? Let’s see who can last longer.’
Along with his stubbornness, the next thing he picked up was the remote control neatly arranged under the table. Yeon-ho turned on the TV.
The TV was no exception in the mansion, which was exactly the same as when people lived there. As expected, the channel connected immediately.
Yeon-ho even turned up the volume as if to make him hear. But because it was the news, the calm voice of the anchor was not very meaningful.
Isn’t there anything louder? His fervent hand operated the remote control once more.
Then, alas, his shoulders popped up.
“How was it for you, Je-hoon? I heard that the filming of this drama was almost entirely done overseas. Do you have any interesting episodes?”
Seriously, I must have been cursed today!
Another extremely familiar face popped out on the screen he was turning without thinking. Yeon-ho, who was preemptively startled, frantically turned down the TV volume he had raised with great effort.
Then, that’s right. He doesn’t know his name, does he? The thought flashed through his mind.
The man who cleared his throat after receiving the MC’s question was named Choi Je-hoon. He had a phobia of birds and was even Yeon-ho’s first sponsee.
As he recalled, Je-hoon began to answer the question.
“Actually, all sorts of things happen when filming overseas. When I think about it later, it’s a memory, but… it’s definitely nerve-wracking at the time.”
“Hoo. Does that mean you had something nerve-wracking this time too?”
“Haha. There were no problems with this filming. Instead… I had a really hard time a few years ago… so I still get a little nervous when it comes to overseas filming.”
“What kind of hardship…?”
“It was when I was filming ‘My 90 Days,’ which was the story of a photographer traveling to each country?”
“I know, I know. I personally enjoyed that drama very much.”
At this point, Yeon-ho was about to change the channel. But then, a word that pierced his ear was heard.
“As you know, the main stage of the drama… was Italy, but the background didn’t come out as much as we wanted.”
“Why… was there an equipment accident by any chance?”
“It’s not that, but because there are so many tourist attractions and historical sites, we finished coordinating with the relevant departments in advance and received various permits… but suddenly, all of that was canceled.”
“Yes? Does that happen?”
The MC’s reaction was somewhat acting, but Yeon-ho, whose eyes widened for the first time at ‘Italy,’ widened his eyes once more.
If you haven’t been in this industry, you wouldn’t know. Overseas locations require a lot of preparation in advance.
You have to report to the cultural heritage administration of the country, negotiate contracts for conservation insurance, and consult with local governments and tourism agencies. Anyway, there were a lot of complicated things to prepare.
As such, having a permit canceled on site meant that they should just stop filming.
Yeon-ho unknowingly pulled his butt forward on the sofa. Je-hoon on the screen was shrugging his shoulders.
“We were very embarrassed too. Look, we got all the permission. But they said no to everything, not just one or two places. The reason was the issue of cultural heritage protection… but I still don’t know the exact reason. Because we kept asking, one of the officials there secretly found out, but they said it was an instruction from above, so they couldn’t help it. That’s all they said.”
“From above?”
“I don’t know the details either…. Anyway, the remaining filming continued by finding places that were somehow possible…. What’s really a shame is that there were some things we had already filmed that they asked us to delete.”
“Things you’ve already filmed?”
“Yes. There was a really pretty chapel on a hill in a small town near Rome. It was an important scene and the picture came out well… but it turned out that the hill was private property. They definitely didn’t say that during filming.”
“Oh dear…….”
“Well. We were unlucky. Besides, when we were leaving after all that hardship, I got caught in the departure screening again….”
“Not entry, but departure?”
“That’s right. There was really nothing to get caught for, but they didn’t properly explain what was wrong. I almost missed my flight.”
“This, this seems like Italy and Je-hoon’s compatibility was bad.”
“Haha. Later, I even had the funny thought that someone was performing a ritual to make me fail.”
Yeon-ho’s lips, which were holding the remote control, were gradually curling inward.
The failure of the permitted filming. Instructions from above. The deletion of the church scene and the spiteful departure screening.
Choi Je-hoon said it was a joke, but his last words were purely hitting the nail on the head.
Because he knew someone who would perform a ritual to make Choi Je-hoon fail.
His head turned towards the bedroom once more.
‘How… did he find out his name. Well, if he’s determined to find out, it’s not a problem, is it?’
If my guess is right, Lee Seong-min and Oh Tae-jin’s reactions were mild compared to Choi Je-hoon’s.
‘Could it be… that Choi Je-hoon is the only one who saw me turn into a chicken…?’
After thinking, Yeon-ho finally couldn’t hold back and burst into laughter.
Someone went through hell, but from Yeon-ho’s perspective, wasn’t it a genuinely adorable reason to be horrified!
The desire to see who would win vanished like snow melting at that moment.
Isn’t it true that no one can resist cuteness?
Yeon-ho, his cheeks completely flushed, turned off the TV. His feet, leaving the sofa, quickly headed to the bedroom without saying.
“Theon….”
While suppressing his twitching cheeks, he cautiously opened the door. In the dim bedroom without lights, an arm shot out from right next to the door. The moment he realized it, his body was pulled with all its might.
Marteo’s head burrowed into his neck, followed by a complaining voice.
“…What were you doing, coming in so late? I was waiting.”
Yeon-ho’s laughter, which he had been holding back against the crushing grip, finally erupted again.
Marteo finally lifted his head from the shoulder he had been buried in. Yeon-ho also mischievously raised his eyebrows.
“What’s wrong? Weren’t you angry?”
“I was angry.”
“But why are you hugging me? Your words and actions don’t match?”
“Because I’m angry.”
“…Huh?”
“Did you leave your sense back in Italy?”
“……?”
“How could we possibly have time to drink? If you had done this from the start, I wouldn’t have had to see those useless things.”
Yeon-ho’s eyes widened at once, not understanding what he was saying.
Marteo’s hesitation when he asked if he wanted to take a walk flashed through his mind. He seemed to know why he had immediately grabbed a taxi without even going to the parking lot.
Because it was an opportunity… a perfect chance to shorten the useless time, just like he said.
Oh Tae-jin seemed to have been used for the occasion.
─The end justifies the means. Slander and plots, good strategy.
Seo-jin’s words from this morning echoed in his ears.
‘Wow. My babies… are really his children…?’
Meanwhile, Marteo put even more strength into the arms that were holding Yeon-ho.
The fact that he was angry was true anyway. Especially the man’s Cock, pressed hard.
Yeon-ho’s laughter erupted once more, and Marteo finally stole a kiss from those lips.
“Laughing can wait. Time is precious.”
There was no room for disagreement.
♥ ♥ ♥
“Hick! Ah… Aah!”
The hot, hard Cock that ruthlessly dug into his depths relentlessly pounded Yeon-ho’s insides.
His senses, already sensitive after experiencing a torrent of pleasure, repeatedly fell downward and soared upward following the man’s movements.
Yeon-ho, who didn’t even have the energy to call out his name and only let out breathless moans, finally had his legs fall from around Marteo’s waist. Even while frantically thrusting his body, Marteo didn’t let go of the part of Yeon-ho that had slipped away from him.
“Is it hard?”
“Heeuh. Eeung～”
The words he spat out were ambiguous, whether they were answers or moans. But either way, answers didn’t matter.
Marteo, who had mixed his tongue deeply into Yeon-ho’s mouth, who was groaning in agony, pushed his arm under his back the next moment.
‘Eung? I…… I know this?’
Even in his dazed state, he had that thought. And his prediction was correct. The same standing position as before. His upper body, pulled into Marteo’s arms, then floated upward.
A thick mass of flesh stabbed into Yeon-ho’s depths again, as he let out a hazy moan through his bitten lips.
His cheeks brushed against rough pubic hair, and his hole trembled, but there was nowhere to run.
“Hold on tight.”
With that warning, Marteo, who had completely raised his body, thrust even faster.
Yeon-ho’s arms and legs frantically clung to Marteo again.
The swaying mattress. A heart beating with an unstable rhythm. An excitement that seemed impossible to handle.
It was strange. He had been intimate with Theon several times, and it had been several years… but it felt like the first time.
However, one thing was completely different from then:
“Theon, Marteo～”
The fact that the name of his man flowed out without needing to be blocked, without any deviation. Marteo looked at Yeon-ho with eyes that were deeper than ever, like on a certain day in the past, or even deeper than then.
The swaying sun and the never-setting sunset.
Not long after the children were born, Marteo had said something like that. Actually… he had wondered what would happen if the twins resembled his odd eyes.
Of course, they were their children, so they would have been lovely even if their eyes were different colors. But Yeon-ho also thought it was fortunate that they didn’t resemble that.
The two different yet same eyes of the man, overflowing with affection for him.
This was solely Marteo’s and also his.
As he reached that thought, his chest throbbed much more than his depths being stirred by flesh. Yeon-ho put more strength into the arms and legs that were wrapped around Marteo, and intentionally tightened his buttocks.
The man’s Cock, which was already on the verge of exploding, beat like a heart inside Yeon-ho.
Yeon-ho, who anticipated what was coming next, sought out Marteo’s lips first and bit them. He anticipated the wind he would feel in his arms, overlapping with the rapid descent to come.
The marriage flight of the chicken and the Eagle.
It was their own wing flapping that would always feel like the first time and would continue forever.
The newly opened carbonated water was transferred from Marteo’s mouth to Yeon-ho’s mouth. Yeon-ho, whose throat rang coolly even at the lukewarm temperature, and Marteo, who meticulously wiped away the moisture left on his lips.
“Want more?”
When he shook his head like a child at the question, Marteo, who smiled faintly, pulled his limp body back into his arms.
The echo of his heart, which was beating somewhat slower than before. It was endlessly comfortable and cozy to have his ear pressed against his chest.
When the children were first born, Marteo said that he was only giving up his arms for now, but in fact, Yeon-ho was also constantly deprived of the man’s arms.
He felt sorry for the children, but how long had it been since he had felt this perfect time alone?
A leisurely sigh escaped on its own, and Marteo’s lips repeatedly landed on Yeon-ho’s soft, limp forehead.
The hand that stroked his sweat-soaked hair and his shoulders, which were still not cooled down, was always as affectionate as ever.
Yeon-ho, who was enjoying the leisure, inadvertently opened his mouth.
“You know, sometime in the future, should we move out of Korea?”
“…Huh?”
“After the kids are all grown up, and you don’t have to work anymore.”
It was a very distant future, but he thought Marteo would naturally nod. Like he did in the early days of their marriage, he would say that the place didn’t matter as long as he was by his side.
However, unexpectedly, Marteo’s expression, who had stopped stroking his shoulder, was not very good.
“Why? You don’t like it?”
“It’s not that I don’t like it, but…….”
“But?”
“I think I’d have to sort things out first to do that.”
Sort things out? Like visas and stuff? Yeon-ho tilted his head. Then, ah! An exclamation mark filled his head.
The topic they had been fighting about earlier. The faces of Lee Seong-min and a few others flashed before his eyes.
Yeon-ho burst into laughter, and Marteo’s expression, who realized that Yeon-ho had noticed, became even more sullen.
“No, what kind of sorting out are you going to do?”
“Anything. I wonder if there’s a way.”
Well, if he thought about the mischief he had played on Choi Je-hoon, he was right. Seeing this, it was the right decision for him to enter Italy.
Imagine living in Korea. How could he handle all the kids who were on TV all the time?
“They’re all people from the past.”
“Well. They’re conspicuously noticeable for people from the past.”
“Well, I guess my standards are high?”
“…….”
Marteo rarely glared. It seemed like ashes would be scattered on the future of the remaining kids if this continued. Yeon-ho, feeling a chill, quickly intertwined his fingers with Marteo’s hand, which had stopped moving.
“Isn’t that right? Otherwise, would I have snatched up a guy I thought was stalking me like that? I even brought him home?”
“…….”
“Because my standards are high, I married you.”
“……If only you couldn’t talk.”
Marteo’s expression, which had been glaring, eventually couldn’t last long and melted away. The eyes that lowered a kiss on the back of his intertwined hands were much softer and more affectionate than before.
But… as he was looking at that face, something suddenly came to mind.
“Wait, wait a minute.”
When did he intertwine his fingers first? Yeon-ho pushed Marteo’s face, which was rubbing his lips, outward. Then, why? He frowned in the same way at the face that was quickly filled with dissatisfaction.
“No. Now that I think about it, there’s something I wanted to ask you about.”
“Ask… about?”
“Frankly speaking, I was just a sponsor, just that kind of relationship… but what about you back then? What was that expression you made?”
“Back then, expression?”
“You made the same expression you made to me to someone else.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Kestrel. Angelica! The day you had dinner with them, you smiled at her with the exact same expression you have now?”
“……Ah. Aah.”
He couldn’t just blame Marteo for not forgetting anything at all.
How many years ago was this already… and he was bringing it up now.
But as he thought about his past partners, it naturally came to mind. Frankly speaking, he had never shown such an affectionate smile to other bastards before Yeon-ho.
With the positions completely reversed from before, Yeon-ho glared.
“Tell me. What was so good about her that made you smile back then? Was it cute that she was throwing herself at you?”
Unreasonable sulking and jealousy. Yeon-ho was cuter with his swollen cheeks. Marteo let out a short laugh. Then, he raised his eyebrows with a somewhat mischievous face.
“…Well, I guess so. But that’s not because of Kestrel?”
“Then is it because of me?”
“You know it well?”
“……Hey.”
Marteo’s eyes curved again at the low rebuke. The folded corners of his eyes and the slightly raised lips were exactly the same expression he had made while talking to Kestrel back then. An expression as if he was caressing something precious and irreplaceable.
The words that he composed himself to say slowly flowed out after that.
“You said a few days ago. Did you think I only saw you once when you were young?”
“……?”
“Actually, you and I met again besides that garden party.”
“…What?”
“After meeting you back then, I attended almost all Morpheus gatherings. In case I could see you again. But…….”
…But?
“After that, I couldn’t meet you at all.”
Of course. After he grew up, Yeon-ho avoided Morpheus gatherings. Especially the parties led by the birds.
That party where he ran into young Theon. That was almost the last time.
However, if that was the case, Marteo’s words that he had met him again didn’t make sense. Yeon-ho suppressed his anxious heart and gestured for him to continue.
“And about a year later, I received an order to return to Italy. I didn’t want to, but I thought I couldn’t help it. I didn’t have a reason to disobey my father back then, and there was no way to stay here without support.”
“…….”
“Even while accepting that, I was bothered by you. I didn’t feel good even after returning to Italy. Thinking about it now, it’s only natural. Because I was already in love with you.”
“…….”
“But even until then, I thought it was just admiration. Not being able to throw away the feather you left behind. The desire to see you again.”
An Eagle admiring a chicken. Wasn’t this more of a problem than him saying he was in love? But he swallowed his words this time as well. It was because Marteo’s expression, which had been explaining, suddenly crumbled into a smile again.
“But… I realized it after seeing you again there. That admiration wouldn’t make my heart beat so fast.”
“…There?”
“Verona.”
“Vero…na?”
Yeon-ho’s eyes widened. At the same time, several voices began to pass through his head at once.
─Then do you like opera? Verona is in the middle of an opera festival these days.
─Isn’t that a gathering held in Verona? If it was four years ago, you might have already crossed paths with our young master.
The questions that Angelica, who was clinging to Marteo, and Tony, who was somewhat excited, had asked.
─You know about it too, right? The bird gathering held in Verona. I attended once as a substitute for Do Seo-jin.
─……I know.
And… even the low answer that Marteo had muttered in the cable car.
All of this was matched into one orbit in an instant.
Marteo repeatedly curved his eyes at Yeon-ho, who was only mumbling.
“I recognized you at a glance. You still had a face that said you were annoyed to death. You were so cool that I couldn’t take my eyes off you….”
“W-wait a minute. So… you also attended that gathering? When? I… didn’t see you. There definitely wasn’t anyone who looked like you.”
The thought he had when Tony asked the question before the flood was 100% sincere.
He was like that when he was young, but at the time, Marteo was said to be 20 years old. A fully grown adult man. But if he had met a guy who looked this delicious… no, cool, like he said, there was no way he would forget!
But at the reasonable question, Marteo, who had abandoned his smiling face for the first time, made a rather sullen face.
“Well? It’s true that I saw you in Verona, but I didn’t say I met you at the gathering?”
What was this again?
“Aren’t you going to explain properly?”
Yeon-ho, who couldn’t stand it any longer, began to shake Marteo’s body. The mischievous face he had made with such effort didn’t last long and collapsed.
Marteo had definitely seen Yeon-ho. But like he said, it wasn’t inside the party hall.
The chairman who had just arrived. Yeon-ho was already running away outside at that time. Marteo recognized the side of his face passing by the car at a glance.
That brief moment seemed like an old silent movie, and also like slow motion. Like he said earlier, his heart was beating frighteningly.
‘Stop for a moment!’
The urgent shout to the driver burst out only after that, and his feet poured out of the car before it even stopped.
In the meantime, Yeon-ho had completely escaped the party hall building.
Marteo ran with his remaining feet so as not to miss him. The people who passed by the two men in noticeable tailcoats kept glancing back, but Yeon-ho didn’t care at all. Of course, neither did Marteo.
Only his mouth was parched.
‘Do Yeon-ho….’
He wanted to call out his name right away. The name he could now clearly say. He wanted to grab his shoulder and make him turn around.
But in the end, he couldn’t do that. In that brief moment when his fingers and lips trembled, Yeon-ho happened to receive a phone call.
He paused. Yeon-ho examined the phone screen he had taken out of his pocket. Then, he seemed to click his tongue slightly and cleared his throat. The words that came after that in Korean were….
‘Where else? Inside the chairman’s.’
‘……?’
‘…What? You’re going to do a video call?’
‘…….’
‘Well. I’m telling you I won’t make a mistake? Ah, I’m not running away!’
It was a complete lie. He was already outside the chairman’s and he was shamelessly spitting out those words, it was so funny that he almost laughed.
Whose phone call was it? The image of him silencing his mouth and raising his finger when he was young came to mind.
Even after a long time had passed, he was the same. He was also cute as hell when he took the phone away from his ear and put his fist to it.
The man who had once been so much taller than him that he had to look up to him. But now, it seemed like he would fit perfectly in his arms if he hugged him.
Each and every one of Yeon-ho’s gestures, which he had only thought were cool, was inexplicably lovely. Above all…….
‘Ah, ah, Sis? The signal isn’t good here. I’m hanging up now?’
The face that smiled brightly as if he had finished it after quickly ending the call was enough to make his heart throb.
What was this feeling? Was this heart fluttering just because he had met the man from his old memories again?
That couldn’t be. He had felt this feeling even when he first met Yeon-ho ten years ago.
Instead of calling out his name, Marteo quietly followed Yeon-ho that night. He stopped when Yeon-ho stopped, and he followed him while looking around somewhere. Separately and together, for a long time, through the night streets of Verona.
And after following him to the hotel where Yeon-ho was staying, he realized again.
That this couldn’t be simple admiration.
Marteo, who was twenty years old, clearly knew the name of the feeling that had made his heart sink the moment he saw his face and that had made him unable to take his eyes off his smiling face.
It was the day he fell in love with the same person twice, and it was the day he definitely started preparing to go and meet Yeon-ho.
“Are you really not going to tell me?”
Yeon-ho started shaking his body again while he was retracing his memories.
Marteo burst into laughter. Actually, it wasn’t that he couldn’t tell him, but it seemed like he didn’t know that Yeon-ho, who was rarely clingy, was cuter than ever, so he was doing this on purpose. Marteo pretended not to know.
“Well. I feel like you won’t run away anywhere if you have something you’re curious about about me?”
“Are you torturing me right now?”
“I was tortured a lot. I had a hard time holding back from calling out your name back then.”
“So, where were you going to call out my name!”
“Hmm. It’s definitely not on the bed, right?”
“Wow? Seriously. You’ve only gotten better at dodging the question as you’ve gotten older….”
“And you’ve only gotten cuter?”
“Huh? Wait. Wait a minute. Now that I think about it, there was one more thing I was curious about?”
“Eung?”
“Okay. Then answer this instead.”
“…What?”
“You told me this the first day you came here.”
“The day you were drunk?”
“Yeah, back then. Why did I say I stopped you from going? But no matter how much I think about it, I’ve never done that before, you know?”
“……”
“Tell me honestly. Back then, did I really tell you not to go?”
Marteo, who had been listening intently, paused for a moment at those words. His expression didn’t change much, but Yeon-ho didn’t miss that fleeting moment.
“Confess. It wasn’t true, was it? You were bluffing, weren’t you?”
“I wonder……”
“Ah, what’s with all the ‘I wonder’!”
Tell me. Answer one way or the other! Yeon-ho was about to pounce on Marteo again.
Under the bed. Among the carelessly discarded clothes, dring. A short alarm sound rang out. Normally, he would have ignored it, but it was perfect timing. Marteo quickly found Yeon-ho’s phone and picked it up.
The owner of the text message that intervened at the right moment was Seo-jin, both in the past and present.
The content was simple.
Eldest sister
Home now
At the same time, the twins’ faces came to mind. It was already 11 PM. Later than he thought. Yeon-ho, reluctantly glaring at the text, immediately pressed the call button. The phone connected quickly.
「Uh～」
“Home now?”
「I just texted you, didn’t I?」
“So, what were you doing getting home at this hour?”
「Hmph. Not that you’re worried about me. Or are you worried the kids are tired? Don’t worry, their eyes are wide open.」
「Mommy?」
「Auntie, I, I want to talk on the phone.」
The twins’ voices were heard over the receiver, still attached to Seo-jin’s side. Marteo, realizing this, leaned in closer, and Yeon-ho turned the phone to speaker mode. At the same time, Elio and Lucio raised their voices.
「Mommy!」
Just as Seo-jin said, far from being sleepy, their voices were clear. Having some alone time without the kids was nice, but he was also glad to hear the voices of his little ones, echoing through the double-paned windows. With a smile he couldn’t help, Yeon-ho cleared his throat.
“Yeah. Did you guys have fun?”
「Yeah! We saw the illuminations.」
「Flowers and fireworks too.」
「Auntie bought us presents too～」
“Sounds great, huh?”
「Yeah. But only half great.」
“Half?”
「Because Mommy and Daddy aren’t here.」
Even knowing half of it was an act, it was still a lovely act.
“You didn’t throw a tantrum, did you?”
「No, we didn’t.」
「We don’t do that.」
Their voices, full of injustice as if they had planned it, asking what he thought of them, were as cute as ever. Yeon-ho and Marteo both smiled again.
「Mommy and Daddy are coming tomorrow, right?」
「We’ll hold back even if we miss you.」
Half aegyo, half maturity, their promise tugged at his heart a little. But that moment was fleeting. As the saying goes, you have to hear the end of the Korean language. The next moment, an unexpected bomb exploded.
「So, Mommy and Daddy have to make a chick and bring it back, right?」
“……Huh?”
「Oh, geez. A chick. Our little sister, I mean.」
“Little… little sister?”
「That’s what Auntie said. She said to send Mommy and Daddy if we want a chick sister.」
「Yeah. She said we can’t bring a sister if we’re here. She said the sister would be shy and hide.」
What, what is this all about?
Marteo and Yeon-ho, who had stopped moving at once, looked at each other.
「We were really good and quiet.」
「So, promise? You have to bring a little sister, okay?」
Ah……. A faint groan finally escaped Yeon-ho’s lips.
He now knew what Do Seo-jin had whispered into the children’s ears when they parted ways hours ago.
Yeon-ho’s eyes narrowed, and at the same time, Seo-jin snatched the phone from the children.
「Oh, geez. I don’t know what they’re talking about? Rio, Chio, shouldn’t you go wash your hands now?」
「Huh? We haven’t said goodnight yet?」
「Please call us.」
「Geez～ Even if you guys don’t say goodnight… no, you have to not say goodnight to have a good night.」
“Sister!”
「Oh, geez. Why are you yelling? It’s not like I’m wrong?」
“What did you say to the kids! What about a little sister?”
「Hey…. They’re just like you. I can see they know everything.」
“Know what! Are you going to say something useless?”
Yeon-ho raised his voice again, but it was no use.
「Ah, ah? Hello? Why is the phone like this? Hey, I’m hanging up now?」
Seo-jin, putting on an exaggerated act with an extremely theatrical tone, cut off the phone with a notification.
A situation completely opposite to what it once was. Blood was truly scary. Laughter finally burst from Marteo’s lips.
“What’s so funny!”
Yeon-ho turned the anger he had been building up back to Marteo.
But there was no way to resist the man who pulled him back in with a wide-open mouth.
Marteo’s still not completely cooled member pressed gently against his lower abdomen. It seemed ready to hatch at any moment. Yeon-ho’s stomach also started to throb again.
Marteo, who knew it all too well, even raised the end of his sentence mischievously.
“Did you hear? The kids want a chick.”
“Ah, why are you doing this too?”
“We have to keep our promise to the kids.”
No. Who made the promise?
Of course, Yeon-ho and Marteo both knew that this was just an excuse.
While watching Yeon-ho’s morning sickness, labor pains, and childbirth from the side, Marteo had whispered. It would be better to cut off all of my wing feathers. I don’t want to put you through this hardship twice.
And yet, look at him shamelessly using the kids.
Above all, one thing had to be addressed.
Yeon-ho, who had been glaring repeatedly, snorted loudly as if to be heard.
“Wow. You used to call me a chick….”
“…Huh?”
“No. Wasn’t I your chick?”
Marteo’s eyebrows shot up. And then, another groan and laugh burst out as if in pain.
What to do with this cuteness. I really want to devour him whole….
It was a given that his eyes were slowly starting to change.
They were the eyes of a raptor that could easily snatch a chicken, yet the fingers that gently pinched Yeon-ho’s cheek were extremely gentle.
“Pulcino…. (Little chick.)”
The whispered voice was more than that.
A sound that once made him angry. But now he knew. The man’s helpless affection melted into every word, every phrase. A confession synonymous with saying I love you.
Finally, Yeon-ho, who also burst into laughter, pulled Marteo’s neck. Lips that could no longer bear it, body temperatures that clung to each other, began to intertwine thickly.
Someday, when the children grew up, they would kick off from the nest they had shared and fly away. Even if a new chick was really born between them, it would be the same.
But in a nest-like embrace that was like no other in the world. Even when all the feathers were worn out and they could no longer fly, only the two of them would be together forever.
Repeating this seemingly eternal moment countless times, with long, sweet nights more than flying in the sky, and mornings when the rooster crowed again.
Four Feathers Fin.