* * *
After Seonwoo left, Yeongdeok remained seated, lost in thought.
Remembering his plans to meet Jihoon, he eventually stood and left the café.
On the bus, Jihoon’s messages guided him to the stop where Jihoon was waiting.
[Seo Jihoon: Get off here.]
[Seo Jihoon: (Nemosaemo Artville)]
“Hyung! Here!”
As soon as Yeongdeok stepped off the bus, Jihoon greeted him with a bright smile, only to falter as he noticed Yeongdeok’s somber expression.
“Hyung, what’s wrong? Did something happen?”
Yeongdeok stared at Jihoon, who was clinging to his side and asking him worriedly, before suddenly burying his face into Jihoon’s shoulder.
Jihoon was startled, confused by the unexpected behavior in such a crowded place.
“What’s going on? You’re acting so out of character.”
In the past, no matter what Baek Seonwoo said or how he looked at him, it wouldn’t have stirred anything in Yeongdeok.
But even though he had rejected Seonwoo, it left him with a bad taste in his heart.
The image of Seonwoo crying kept flashing in his mind.
Still, he couldn’t let that emotion linger in front of Jihoon, so he raised his head and shook it off.
“It’s nothing. It’s all over now.”
“Are you sure it’s nothing?”
“Yeah. Anyway, I’d like you to show me that shabby house of yours.”
“Shabby? Hey, first of all, it’s not even my house—it’s my older brother’s place.”
“Still, you live there, don’t you?”
“You seriously don’t know what a technicality is?”
Jihoon clicked his tongue in annoyance but slyly took hold of Yeongdeok’s hand.
“Let’s go. I’ll show you.”
Deciding to let go of thoughts about Seonwoo by wishing him happiness, Yeongdeok followed Jihoon, walking side by side.
ꔚ
The walk from the bus stop where Yeongdeok had gotten off to Jihoon’s house took about ten minutes.
Jihoon stopped in front of a gray villa that looked quite old and gestured to Yeongdeok.
“This is it.”
Jihoon reassured him that, while the exterior might look shabby, the inside was clean as he unlocked the door labeled 201.
“Come on in.”
With Jihoon’s invitation, Yeongdeok slipped off his shoes and stepped inside.
As soon as he entered, the familiar scent that always accompanied Jihoon filled the air.
Yeongdeok took in the neat interior, surprisingly clean for a house shared by two men.
“You keep this place tidier than I expected, given your looks.”
“‘Given my looks’? Could you leave that part out? I’m your boyfriend now, you know?”
Jihoon grumbled at the unchanging attitude, even after becoming a couple.
Meanwhile, Yeongdeok wandered around, inspecting the small home.
It was a compact space suited for two, with a living room, kitchen, one bedroom, and a bathroom.
Familiar furniture, seen during previous visits, filled the rooms.
“Not much to see, huh?”
“You weren’t expecting a mansion, were you?”
After pacing the house, Yeongdeok plopped down on the familiar sofa, where a laptop sat on the table in front of him.
He stared at it, remembering Jihoon often working on it.
Noticing the gaze, Jihoon asked, “Want to check it out?”
“Check it out? What’s there to see?”
“I’ll show you my masterpiece from this semester.”
“Masterpiece?”
Proudly, Jihoon opened a 3D modeling file, explaining it had earned him an A+ in class.
The model displayed a headless knight on horseback, holding a sword high into the sky.
“How’s that? Pretty impressive, right? I worked so hard on the armor and the texture of the horse’s mane.”
Jihoon also showed the fully rendered version of the model, complete with a meadow background, which looked as vivid and polished as a painting.
“Well done.”
“Ah, I think I saved another project from last year on the drive. Want to see that too?”
Energized by the rare praise, Jihoon opened a browser to locate the file.
But as he hovered over the search bar, recent searches popped up.
-Things to be careful of in your first relationship
-How to initiate physical contact without making them uncomfortable
-How to kiss
Jihoon quickly exited the browser, the air in the room growing thick with awkward silence.
Avoiding eye contact, he cautiously asked, “…Did you see?”
“Are you hoping I’ll say no?”
“Crap…”
“I seem to recall you promising not to swear around me.”
Jihoon buried his face in his hands, his ears glowing red with embarrassment.
“You’re oddly cute sometimes.”
“Shut up…”
“Now that I think about it, didn’t you confess that you wanted to hold my hand, kiss me, and do even more?”
“Ahhh! Stop! Don’t remind me!”
Jihoon covered his ears and frantically shook his head. Watching his exaggerated reaction, Yeongdeok felt an odd thrill at the tips of his fingers.
Though he wasn’t one to enjoy teasing, he found this oddly entertaining.
“So, what’s ‘more’ after a kiss?”
“You…!”
Flustered, Jihoon grabbed Yeongdeok’s shoulders and pushed him back onto the sofa.
“You know exactly what I mean…”
Staring up at Jihoon, Yeongdeok blinked, the sudden rush of sensations making his head spin.
He abruptly sat up straight.
“Right. That was a bit much on my part.”
His heart was pounding harder than usual. He decided to stop teasing and sat properly on the sofa.
Jihoon, perhaps still flustered, shut the laptop.
“…I’ll show you next time.”
“Alright.”
An awkward silence fell between them. Jihoon fidgeted with his fingers, breaking it with a tentative question.
“You said you’ve never dated anyone before, right?”
“Correct.”
“So…you’ve never kissed anyone either?”
“That’s obvious.”
“Well, I looked it up, but it’s hard to figure out how to do it properly. Since the last one didn’t count…want to practice?”
Jihoon’s face was a mix of excitement and nervousness as he sought Yeongdeok’s opinion.
Yeongdeok thought Jihoon’s suggestion was ridiculous.
How could something that already happened not count? He must be dumb to think that way.
“No.”
“Well, if you don’t want to…”
“I said no to it not counting. Once is enough—it happened.”
“…”
“Stop dodging and take responsibility.”
Before Jihoon could respond, Yeongdeok grabbed his chin and pulled him in for a kiss.
Jihoon didn’t resist, their lips meeting.
Their lips pressed and moved awkwardly at first, tongues tentatively brushing against each other.
As their breathing grew heavier, Jihoon’s inexperience showed, yet his determination deepened the kiss.
The wet, sticky sound of their entangled tongues filled the air.
After a while, they pulled away, a thin string of saliva connecting them before breaking.
Jihoon quickly wiped Yeongdeok’s lips with his hand.
“Well…what did you think? I…I think I liked it.”
“…”
“Was it bad? Sorry…it’s my first time.”
Yeongdeok simply stared at Jihoon, his lips curling into a faint smile.
Jihoon’s irises trembled as if he were a man caught in the throes of committing a grave sin. Watching him, Yeongdeok let out a long, slow sigh.
“I get why people do this now.”
“What?” Jihoon asked, his tone confused.
“I’m saying it wasn’t bad.”
With that, Yeongdeok grabbed Jihoon by the nape and pulled him in for another kiss.
Jihoon chuckled awkwardly before teasing the seam of Yeongdeok’s lips with the tip of his tongue.
The sensation caused Yeongdeok’s lips to part almost instinctively.
* * *
🤭🤭🤭
Thanks!
☺️