* * *
After finishing his stretches, Jingyeom was excited to get in the water, but he couldn’t help but frown at what Soohyuk did next.
“…Isn’t this something kids use?”
“You are a kid.”
“Ah, seriously? No way!”
Jingyeom yanked off the arm float strapped to him and threw it.
The float bounced and flew off a bit farther than he expected.
Soohyuk followed its trajectory with his eyes, then shrugged, glancing sideways at Jingyeom, avoiding direct eye contact.
“…What? I’m not using that thing.”
His voice was calmer and softer than earlier, like even he was a bit startled by how far he’d thrown it.
He hadn’t expected it to go flying like that, and the sound echoing in the space had made it feel louder.
As if he had seen it coming, Soohyuk casually tossed aside the other float he was holding.
“If you don’t want to use it, don’t. But in that case, stay close. It’s not deep, but it can still be dangerous.”
He handed over a tube meant to go around the waist, which Jingyeom reluctantly accepted with a slightly sulky face.
Sure, he was small and not that great in the water, but he still didn’t want to be floating around with arm floats strapped to him like a toddler.
Besides safety, there was also the matter of his adult dignity…
‘Ah, not like I had any left, anyway.’
Getting carried around by Soohyuk all the time had already done away with that.
And Soohyuk’s tendency to treat him like a baby was beyond imagination.
Honestly, part of him felt a rebellious urge because of it.
Though, to be fair, he really just didn’t want to wear that float.
And, as always, Soohyuk never missed a chance to tease him, making Jingyeom’s voice rise automatically.
Just like now.
“Want to put on a life jacket instead?”
“No way!”
Acting like he hadn’t been annoyed at all, Jingyeom slipped into the round donut tube and splashed around happily.
He’d wanted to try this for a while now, so finally getting into the water made him pretty giddy.
His toes barely brushed the pool floor, which was a little scary, but with Soohyuk right next to him, he kicked around without a care.
“My legs don’t hurt at all when I move in the water!”
“Don’t overdo it though. Once you get out, your body will feel heavy.”
“Got it!”
While Jingyeom played to his heart’s content, Soohyuk lounged on a sunbed, simply watching him.
At first, he’d gone into the water and pulled Jingyeom around the pool a bit, but swimming wasn’t really his thing, so he got out.
It wasn’t that he disliked water — he just wasn’t fond of the buoyant sensation.
Still, he’d learned to swim, just in case.
‘Is it really that fun playing alone?’
Even just watching Jingyeom like this made Soohyuk lose track of time.
He occasionally snapped photos and videos.
Something about sending them to Jinwoo or whatever.
‘Yeah, not happening. Like I’m ever letting anyone else see that body.’
Jingyeom’s skin was still covered in faint red marks.
Adding the faded ones to the fresh ones made him look like a white canvas someone had splattered red paint all over.
And his swimsuit?
It barely qualified as a piece of fabric—just enough to fit in the palm of Soohyuk’s hand. It covered almost nothing.
‘…Calm down. If I start something again, I’m just an animal.’
If Jingyeom were healthy, he’d have gone at it multiple times a day, but that was just wishful thinking given reality.
As he watched quietly, Soohyuk eventually walked over and leaned an arm on Jingyeom’s tube.
Jingyeom let out a surprised yelp as his view tilted suddenly.
“Let’s see how good my darling is at swimming, huh?”
“Hold on tight to the tube. I’m super fast now!”
They spent time going back and forth across the pool, playing in the water, and even lounging together on a giant unicorn float.
Soohyuk had thought the day would end happily like that, but…
He sighed quietly.
“You’ve got a fever.”
“Ah… So that’s why my head felt heavy.”
After playing too long in the pool, Jingyeom’s body finally gave out.
The moment he took the fever reducer after dinner, drowsiness washed over him, and he fell asleep almost immediately.
Soohyuk, staying by his side, didn’t hesitate to call Hoonil to explain the situation.
— I told you not to overwork him. He took the meds, right?
“Yeah. I gave them to him right after dinner. But his fever won’t go down.”
— If it keeps up, don’t stay there. Take him to the hospital. They’ll just give him more fever meds, but if it gets serious, staying there could make things worse.
“…Yeah.”
Even though he knew that already, seeing Jingyeom lying there like that made his chest tighten.
He thought he was used to seeing him bedridden so often, but this was something he’d never get used to.
— Keep monitoring his temperature. Don’t let him get too hot — cool him down appropriately.
“…Thanks. I’ll hang up now.”
Soohyuk lowered his arm holding the phone and wiped his face with one hand.
He’d definitely pushed Jingyeom too far.
But things had been fine lately, so he thought it’d be okay this time too.
He knew about Jingyeom’s condition and still got careless.
But seeing Jingyeom sleeping peacefully helped ease his worry a bit.
Soohyuk cooled Jingyeom’s fever with a damp towel.
His gaze toward Jingyeom’s softly breathing face was complicated and delicate.
If it were him with the fever, he’d just sweat it out, no problem…
“…Don’t get too sick, okay? It hurts me too much.”
He gently brushed Jingyeom’s forehead as he whispered.
Maybe it was thanks to the constant cool towels, but Jingyeom’s fever seemed to go down gradually.
And perhaps because Soohyuk stayed devotedly by his side, by dawn, the fever had completely subsided.
Only then did Soohyuk finally close his eyes beside him.
The next morning, Jingyeom woke up feeling surprisingly refreshed.
Even his usual muscle aches seemed lighter.
As he shifted around, he noticed Soohyuk sleeping beside him.
Turning onto his side, he gazed at Soohyuk’s face quietly.
‘He must’ve been really worried.’
Thankfully, it hadn’t turned into a full-blown cold.
It was probably just exhaustion from not resting properly after spending so much time with Soohyuk and playing in the water.
Soohyuk was the first to notice his fever, rushed to get him medicine, and stayed by his side the whole time he was sick.
‘I really lucked out with him as my boyfriend.’
Grinning to himself, Jingyeom carefully reached out and hooked a finger around Soohyuk’s left hand.
Seeing the ring on his fourth finger made him smile even more.
Maybe it was because Soohyuk’s hands were big, but the thick ring looked perfect on him.
‘I should’ve given it to him sooner…’
He could still vividly remember the expression Soohyuk made when he slipped the ring onto his finger.
Who knew when he’d get to see that face again, but if the chance came, he wanted to see it one more time.
That meant he had to do his best too.
Not wanting to disturb Soohyuk’s sleep, Jingyeom tried to quietly let go of his hand — but was startled when Soohyuk suddenly grabbed his hand tightly.
“Ah, you scared me! When did you wake up?”
“…Just now.”
Soohyuk’s voice was low and heavy, like someone who had just barely woken up.
Gently stroking Jingyeom’s cheek, he asked,
“When did you wake up?”
“Not too long ago. You should sleep more.”
“No, I should get up. How’s your body? The fever’s gone, but does anything hurt?”
Shaking his head with a soft smile, Jingyeom felt his heart swell again at how Soohyuk immediately worried about him upon waking.
How did he end up meeting someone like this?
Jingyeom snuggled into Soohyuk’s arms, wrapping his arms tightly around his firm waist.
Soohyuk naturally slid his arm under Jingyeom’s head as a pillow.
“I’m fine now. And you, hyung—”
He had been feeling all sentimental, but suddenly went speechless at the very noticeable hardness pressing up from beneath.
Peeking under the blanket confirmed it: the front of Soohyuk’s pajamas was clearly tented.
“…You look perfectly fine. Very healthy, even.”
“It’s morning.”
“Even if it’s morning, I don’t usually do this.”
“Really? Then I’ll have to check.”
Before Jingyeom could even say anything, Soohyuk’s hand reached out.
His soft shaft was gently toyed with by the large hand.
“Ah! Don’t! It’s morning!”
“Well, you said you don’t, so I was curious. But look at that. You’re hard now.”
Even though he tried to push him away, Soohyuk kept touching him until it stood up fully.
Glaring fiercely, Jingyeom grabbed Soohyuk’s face and kissed him.
Lying sideways made it a bit awkward, so Soohyuk held the back of Jingyeom’s head and laid him down properly, their tangled tongues refusing to let go of each other.
When Soohyuk’s hand naturally tried to reach for Jingyeom’s nipple, Jingyeom grabbed his hand tightly.
“Haa… I’m a patient, you know.”
“But your fever’s gone.”
Soohyuk whispered, licking his lips slick with saliva.
Jingyeom shivered and twisted his body, and Soohyuk chuckled, continuing to plant light kisses.
Soohyuk didn’t intend to go all the way.
When Jingyeom had a fever yesterday, he got scared and decided not to touch him for a while.
But since Jingyeom was tempting him like this in the morning, he simply responded.
As their lips parted, Jingyeom lifted his head, seemingly wanting more.
Soohyuk laughed softly, pecked him on the lips, and sat up.
“You’re beautiful even in the morning.”
Now, even just kissing left Jingyeom flushed, rubbing his lower half against Soohyuk instinctively.
Though he wanted to relieve him, Soohyuk figured he shouldn’t push his already fragile body, so he held back.
Times like this only fueled his possessiveness even more.
Seeing Jingyeom gradually get used to him filled Soohyuk with deep satisfaction.
The only person who could make Jingyeom like this should be him alone.
This was simply natural, not just possessiveness.
And keeping that possessiveness from turning twisted was Soohyuk’s responsibility.
Jingyeom was too fragile—both physically and mentally—for Soohyuk to unleash his desires fully.
That’s why he exercised caution and patience.
But deep down, a subtle fear still lingered.
If the day came when Jingyeom rejected him…
‘No, don’t think about that. It’s bad for my health.’
Lately, it was obvious just how much Jingyeom liked him.
His gaze, his actions—everything was so transparent because he couldn’t hide his emotions well.
He simply hoped things would stay like this.
Otherwise, his sticky desires might start to surface.
Hiding his inner thoughts with a bright smile, Soohyuk said,
“Darling, I love you today, too.”
[End of Side Part 1]
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