* * *
Jeongseo blinked in surprise, completely caught off guard.
“We can drink now.”
“…Well, yeah.”
Maybe because he still didn’t quite feel like an adult, he couldn’t shake the sense that he was doing something bad.
“You missed out on drinking with the guys over New Year’s because of your practical exam, remember?”
“Yeah… I did.”
He really had wanted to go back then.
As Yoontae kept talking, Jeongseo’s initial reluctance slowly turned into curiosity.
°❀•°❀°•❀°
Since drinking on an empty stomach wasn’t a good idea, as Yoontae pointed out, they had a simple dinner first.
Then, they sat on the wooden porch outside.
The chilly winter air prompted them to turn on a small electric heater nearby, making it just warm enough.
Beside them sat a box full of mandarins that Jeongseo’s mom had sent.
Yoontae popped open a bottle of soju.
Jeongseo, who had been peeling a mandarin, found it strangely surreal to see Yoontae holding a bottle of alcohol. He stared at him with a weird look.
There weren’t even proper soju glasses in the house, so they ended up using small ceramic teacups that his grandmother had once used for brewing tea.
Once Yoontae filled the cup halfway, he handed it to Jeongseo.
“This feels like something straight out of a historical drama.”
The clear liquid shimmered under the full moon’s light.
As Jeongseo gazed at it absentmindedly, Yoontae suddenly raised his own cup toward him.
Not knowing what he meant at first, Jeongseo tilted his head, confused.
Then, Yoontae let out a small chuckle and lightly clinked their cups together.
“Oh.”
Finally understanding, Jeongseo hurriedly said, “Again, again!” and did a proper toast.
He was about to take a sip when the sharp scent of alcohol made him hesitate.
In dramas, people always downed it in one go—was he supposed to do the same?
The strong smell made him instinctively turn to Yoontae, who had already emptied his cup with ease.
The way he did it so naturally made Jeongseo narrow his eyes.
“Have you had alcohol before?”
“Just a sip during ancestral rites.”
Oh. Feeling silly for doubting him, Jeongseo chuckled awkwardly and nodded.
Since Yoontae drank it so easily, it should be fine, right?
With that thought, Jeongseo tilted his head back and downed the whole thing.
One second later—his face scrunched up in disgust.
“Ugh! This is awful!”
His throat burned, and the strong scent of alcohol seemed to shoot straight up into his nose.
Unable to smooth out his expression, he squirmed uncomfortably as Yoontae laughed out loud.
Still grinning, Yoontae split a mandarin in half and brought it to Jeongseo’s mouth.
Without hesitation, Jeongseo took a big bite, chewing desperately.
How could people actually enjoy this stuff?!
He turned to Yoontae in disbelief.
“Want to try beer instead? It might be better than soju.”
The strong taste of soju had already shattered all of Jeongseo’s fantasies about alcohol, but he still nodded.
Pyo Yoontae popped open a beer can and handed it to him.
The foam almost overflowed but soon settled down.
Jeongseo eyed the beer suspiciously before taking a cautious sip this time.
“How is it, Jeongseo?”
“Hmm… Still tastes bad, but it’s better than soju.”
“Then you can drink beer, or you can just have a soft drink. Want me to grab one?”
Jeongseo hesitated for a moment before shaking his head.
It was his first drink, after all, and he wanted to have a little more.
Yoontae gave a faint smile, said, “Got it,” and poured himself another shot of soju.
The way he drank it without even flinching was impressive, and Jeongseo found himself inwardly admiring him.
The two sat on the wooden floor of the porch, absentmindedly staring into the empty space before them, sipping their drinks.
After a while, Jeongseo murmured, as if talking to himself,
“Sitting like this… feels like we’re real adults. It’s strange. I thought turning twenty would make things feel different, but I still feel like a high school student.”
Jeongseo had always thought he’d be stuck in his school days forever.
As he looked down at the beer can in his hand, he suddenly felt the weight of someone’s gaze.
When he turned his head, he found Yoontae staring at him intently.
Maybe it was the alcohol, but his dark pupils seemed more dilated than usual, standing out starkly against his golden irises.
The atmosphere was overwhelming—something felt like it was about to spill over.
Jeongseo couldn’t look away even if he wanted to.
“Jeongseo.”
“Mm?”
“I like you. A lot.”
『But I’m not going to say it again. Not for the next eight months.』
Heat shot up to the tips of Jeongseo’s ears, and his heart pounded violently.
Yoontae said nothing more—just curled his eyes into a smile, as if simply confessing was enough for him.
But Jeongseo had the sudden, overwhelming realization that he couldn’t just let this moment slip by.
Not this time.
His face burning, Jeongseo glanced at the beer can in his hand before setting it aside.
He clenched his fists and placed them on his thighs, making a silent vow that what he was about to say was not influenced by alcohol.
Biting his lip once, he finally spoke in a trembling voice.
“I—I actually like you too, Yoontae…!”
The words left his mouth before he could stop them, and as soon as they did, he squeezed his eyes shut.
His head spun even more than before.
And when no response came, his pulse pounded in his throat.
Just as he was about to open his eyes, unable to endure the silence any longer, Yoontae reached out and cupped his cheek.
“Yoon…”
Before he could finish, soft warmth pressed against his lips.
Jeongseo’s eyes widened as he froze, Yoontae’s face filling his vision.
His scent—reminiscent of winter—felt sweeter than before.
For a moment, their lips simply remained touching.
Then, with a faintly wet sound, Yoontae pulled away.
But his hand stayed on Jeongseo’s cheek.
Half-lidded eyes gazed down at him before Yoontae whispered,
“Can I… do more?”
Jeongseo thought he should ask what exactly “more” meant, but his head was already nodding on its own.
Yoontae leaned in again, this time deepening the kiss.
Unlike before, when their lips had only barely brushed, he sucked lightly on Jeongseo’s lower lip before running his tongue over the seam of his mouth.
Jeongseo shivered at the unfamiliar sensation, his body tensing.
As if to reassure him, Yoontae wrapped an arm around his waist, gently patting his back.
His fingers, which had been caressing Jeongseo’s cheek, slowly slid back to toy with his earlobe.
Every time his finger traced down from the ridge of his ear to the soft flesh below, chills ran down Jeongseo’s spine.
“Aah…”
When Yoontae parted his lips slightly, he tilted his head and slipped inside.
The heated breath entering his mouth made Jeongseo feel dizzy.
Yoontae nudged his stiff tongue, coaxing it into a slow entanglement.
The slick, warm sensation was too unfamiliar—Jeongseo unconsciously let out a whimper, pulling back slightly.
But Yoontae only followed, devouring his lips as if he didn’t want to let go.
“Ngh…!”
When Yoontae scraped his tongue against the ridges of Jeongseo’s palate, a ticklish sensation shot through him, making his hips jolt slightly.
Every time he squirmed, Yoontae would briefly pull back, as if giving him a break.
But before Jeongseo could catch his breath, he dove back in, slipping his tongue between his parted lips again.
“Yun…tae, w-wait… ngh—”
Jeongseo’s heart had been hammering wildly for a while, but now, even his breathing felt blocked.
Feeling like he was about to pass out, he started weakly hitting Yoontae’s shoulder.
Only then did Yoontae finally draw back.
But even as he did, he sucked gently on Jeongseo’s lower lip one last time before parting.
Their lips were slick with saliva, and both of their gazes were unfocused, slightly hazy.
Jeongseo gasped for air, belatedly realizing that at some point, he had ended up leaning against the porch pillar.
His lips tingled, proving that this was no dream.
His mind was struggling to keep up, but Yoontae was already looking at him again—his intense gaze just inches away.
“…Should we keep going?”
After a brief pause, Yoontae asked,
“Jeongseo, do you… not want to?”
His voice, unlike the heat in his expression, carried a hint of hesitation, almost as if pleading.
As if he would stop the moment Jeongseo said no.
Jeongseo hadn’t expected things to escalate this fast, and he was definitely startled, but…
“…It’s not that I don’t want to.”
Just as Yoontae liked him, Jeongseo felt the same way.
Seeing Jeongseo shyly avert his gaze, Yoontae let out a soft chuckle before gently cupping his nape, leaning in for another kiss—
But at that moment.
A loud whimper and the sound of a leash dragging across the ground rang through the yard.
Both of them immediately turned their heads.
Seobok, their dog, was anxiously pacing, his paws shifting restlessly against the floor.
He must have passed out earlier from exhaustion after hiking all day with the man from the red-roofed house, but now he was wide awake.
Looking like he was about to charge in and “rescue” Jeongseo, Seobok hesitated, but one sharp glare from Yoontae made him tuck his tail and retreat into his doghouse.
He peeked his head out cautiously.
Realizing they’d just displayed something not meant for innocent dog eyes, Jeongseo’s face went up in flames.
Panicking, he shoved Yoontae away.
“S-Seobok! I-I’m fine! Nothing happened!”
As Jeongseo stammered an excuse to the whining dog, Yoontae sighed deeply, having fallen onto his back.
That damn mutt.
After calming Seobok down, Jeongseo returned, his face still burning.
He quickly turned off the electric heater, grabbed Yoontae’s hands, and hurriedly pulled him up.
“Let’s go inside. Let’s just… go to sleep.”
He shoved Yoontae into the room and followed him inside, shutting the door with a relieved sigh.
“This is kinda embarrassing. Anyway, I already laid out the blankets, so let’s just—”
Before he could finish, Yoontae suddenly cupped the back of his head and kissed him again.
Jeongseo’s eyes widened.
Yoontae curled his lips into a teasing smile and whispered,
“Are you really going to sleep just like this?”
* * *
