* * *
“…Yeah. I want to.”
I had drunk quite a bit last night, but not to the point of blacking out.
I remembered everything clearly—the way I stripped Eunsoo for an inspection, the way I clung to him, the guiding, and even the confession.
But doing it sober was a different matter.
Yesterday, it had felt effortless, but now, with Eunsoo’s face so close, my heart pounded painfully.
My whole body froze halfway, and I shut my eyes tightly.
Even so, I obediently parted my lips.
Yet, even after a long moment, Eunsoo’s lips didn’t meet mine.
“Hyung.”
At the sound of his voice, I opened my eyes, and our gazes locked immediately.
Eunsoo’s eyes, filled with me, curved gently.
Then, with the tip of his nose, he lightly brushed against mine.
“I love you.”
Only then did I realize that I had never confessed to him while fully sober.
A drunken confession doesn’t really count, so I should do it properly now.
But as soon as I tried to speak, the words wouldn’t come out. I do love him—it’s true—but the words that used to come so easily just a little while ago now made my chest tingle unbearably, and my body squirmed awkwardly.
After flapping my lips like a fish, I finally managed to say, “I… I love you too, Eunsoo.”
“Hyung, if you stutter while saying you love me, I’ll feel hurt.”
“I-I’m sorry! I… love you…”
“Mumbling in such a small voice isn’t great either.”
“I love you. I love you!”
“Yes, Hyung. Good job. I love you a lot too.”
As I blushed furiously from repeating the embarrassing words over and over, Eunsoo gently caressed my flushed face.
He let out a soft laugh before his handsome face filled my vision completely.
Before I could even feel embarrassed, his lips covered mine.
Claiming me as his own, he licked my lips deeply before pushing inside.
To accept him fully, I parted my lips, and the hand that had been cradling my cheek slid down to clasp my hand.
His grip was firm, as if he never intended to let go.
With our fingers entwined and sitting on the sofa, we shared a kiss that marked the beginning of us becoming lovers.
Eunsoo said he was content with just seeing me wear the choker, but it weighed on my mind too much to ignore.
He had spent five years of his life for me.
No matter how much he loved me, he had endured so much. I wanted to do something for him.
“Then… tell me.”
“Okay. What is it?”
“There’s… actually a place I’d like you to go to. It’d be great if you could stay for a few days.”
“Where is it? I’ll do whatever you want.”
“Um…”
Eunsoo hesitated, seeming to gauge my reaction carefully.
Only when I showed my unwavering determination by glaring resolutely did he seem to make up his mind.
He tightly held my hand and led me somewhere.
We arrived at a hidden space that could only be accessed through a secret passage in the basement.
After descending for a while, we reached a room.
“I didn’t know our house had a place like this.”
“I discovered it after you disappeared. I think it’s an emergency shelter, just in case.”
The entrance was made of a thick alloy door that looked anything but ordinary.
Inside, it resembled a bunker more than a room—a spacious one-bedroom setup with a simple shower, bathroom, and a small kitchen.
“But it’s surprisingly livable for a shelter. It even has a bed.”
“It wasn’t like this originally. People like us don’t usually need it. I think it was meant for the staff and their families to use in emergencies. Back then, there weren’t large items like beds to maximize the capacity.”
“Really?”
Then why was it now decorated like a room?
When I blinked at him in confusion, Eunsoo took a deep breath and muttered in a tiny voice.
“It was a hobby… when I was twenty…”
“What?”
“Preparing a space for you to stay in…”
“Wait, what?”
A space for me?
Eunsoo’s face flushed crimson, even down to his neck, as he turned away.
“Well… I told you before, didn’t I? That I might’ve hurt you in the past.”
“Were you serious about that?”
“Yes… but not anymore. I’ve matured now. Really!”
“I-I believe you.”
So it wasn’t just a passing comment…
I trust Eunsoo, but I couldn’t help but feel a chill run down my spine.
If I hadn’t died in that gate and had returned home with Eunsoo, would I have ended up confined here?
Hadn’t Cha Junseong mentioned that the Espers hadn’t been informed of my survival?
‘Wouldn’t that have been a total disaster?’
A strange feeling washed over me.
Even if I had been confined here, would I have loved Eunsoo as much as I do now?
Even if loving him was inevitable, would I have willingly become his lover under those circumstances?
And if Eunsoo, driven to the point of confining me, had clashed with the Espers upon hearing about my survival… Just imagining it sent shivers down my spine.
“Hyung, do you want to just go back upstairs?”
“Ah, no, it’s fine. You’ll undo it whenever I want, right?”
“Yes. I promise.”
His eyes were sincere, devoid of deceit.
He was genuinely worried about me.
Once again, I felt the weight of how much Eunsoo had grown.
Right, what does “suppose” even matter?
The Eunsoo standing before me now is all that matters.
“Yeah. That’s enough.”
With a soft smile, I reached out and wrapped my arms around Eunsoo’s neck.
Looking a bit dejected just moments ago, Eunsoo instinctively leaned toward me as though it were the most natural thing, and soon enough, we connected tenderly, exploring each other.
“Mm… hmm…”
A windowless underground bunker.
While they hadn’t confiscated my laptop or phone, there was no internet access here.
But honestly, does the lack of internet even matter right now?
We’re in the fiery early stages of a romance.
The person I love most in this world is by my side—someone not only grown but also impressively tall and handsome.
For someone like me, practically a ghost of a bachelor, having such a mature and attractive partner feels overwhelming.
Just lying on this soft bed and pressing our lips together like this makes time fly by.
‘He’s improving so fast at kissing.’
Even this morning, his kisses were so clumsy.
Not that I disliked kissing the person I adore, but I knew it could get better, and that made it feel slightly lacking.
Eunsoo, for his part, seemed determined to learn on his own rather than have me guide him.
Despite that, his progress was fast.
Each time our tongues brushed against each other, I exhaled with a faint hum, the wet sounds from where our lips met carrying an odd sensuality.
My waist tingled.
Did Eunsoo somehow pick up on my desire for his large hands to touch me through our connection?
His warm hands found my waist.
“Ahh…”
He gripped my waist firmly, almost to the point of it aching, before releasing his hold.
Just the sensation of his touch lingering there as he gently stroked me made my body tremble.
When my waist arched instinctively, our lips parted naturally.
Eunsoo looked up at me, his expression mildly dissatisfied, then leaned closer again.
Instead of pressing his lips to mine, his thumb traced along the lines of my abs, firmly pressing as if giving a massage.
His movements, starting slow, became faster and more deliberate as he went from bottom to top and back down again.
His touch was outright suggestive, urging me forward.
“E-Eunsoo, stop.”
I pushed against his shoulders to escape his hands, hastily pulling the blanket over me and wrapping myself tightly within it.
I was terrified.
What if I got carried away, just as Eunsoo had teased, and ended up crossing the line?
Peeking my face out from under the blanket, I slowly retreated.
“Let’s, um, take it slow. It’s too fast.”
“Hmm, okay. I won’t touch anywhere strange.”
But as if it were the most natural thing, Eunsoo leaned in again to kiss me, and I quickly tilted my head back.
Rejected, Eunsoo blinked at me, looking utterly lost.
“Not even a kiss?”
“Mm… no.”
Fearing he might pounce, I covered my lips with the blanket.
As expected, Eunsoo’s face drew closer.
When his attempted sneak attack was foiled by the blanket, his eyebrows drooped, his blue eyes growing misty with a pitiful expression.
“Hyung, don’t tell me it’s because I’m bad at kissing?”
“W-what are you saying? No!”
“Is it because… it’s your first kiss? I’ve gotten much better, haven’t I? I’ll try harder…”
“No, that’s not it! I like it. I really like it!”
“Then why can’t we?”
“Well, it’s just…”
When I hesitated, Eunsoo lowered his head, his shoulders drooping.
“So it really wasn’t good…”
“I told you, that’s not it!”
In the end, I lost.
Tossing the blanket aside, I pulled Eunsoo into a tight hug.
It was embarrassing to put into words, but…
“I like it, but if we rush things, you might get bored of me just as quickly. So let’s take it slow…”
You know how it is—being in a whirlwind romance, and then, if you rush through things, it feels like you’ve squeezed out all the sweetness, leaving nothing behind.
We’d already skipped over the hand-holding and heart-fluttering stages, diving straight into kissing because we’d been physically close for so long.
If we rushed any further, I was scared Eunsoo’s feelings for me might cool down too quickly…
I was utterly desperate and serious, but Eunsoo just stared at me, bemused.
* * *
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يحب