* * *
Is he really… looking at my crotch?
No sane person would offer to do something like that.
So, Jiho wanted to think it meant something else, but the guy in front of him was known as a ‘pretty lunatic.’
As he thought about it more, the unease made the back of his neck tingle. His mind was in disarray, and his heart was racing uncontrollably.
Swallowing nervously, Jiho’s throat bobbed. He stood frozen, unable to move a finger, as Yejun reached out his hand.
“Aren’t you going to give me your clothes? You don’t like mixing laundry?”
“Ah…?”
Jiho dumbly opened his mouth.
By ‘do the laundry,’ he meant actual laundry?
In hindsight, most people would think of laundry when they hear ‘do the laundry,’ not the dirty thoughts Jiho had.
Ah… I’m going crazy.
Why am I like this? Jiho wasn’t a pervert. He wasn’t even frustrated by sexual desires.
He always worked off any sexual frustration with healthy exercise before it could build up, so why was he having such depraved thoughts now?
Was something wrong with his head?
Self-loathing and embarrassment washed over him like a storm.
Yejun had no idea what he had been thinking, but Jiho’s face turned red.
As Jiho let out a frustrated sigh and lowered his head, Yejun tilted his head, looking puzzled.
“Jiho, what’s wrong?”
Concerned, Yejun tilted his head further to see Jiho’s face. Jiho naturally pressed the back of his hand to his cheek and looked away.
“…Nothing. I’ll put the laundry in the basket after I shower. The basket next to the washing machine, right?”
“I didn’t know you knew. You’re well-informed.”
“I’ve been here a few times.”
Although his flushed face didn’t cool down quickly, Jiho tried to act as naturally as possible. He didn’t want Yejun to have any inkling of the dirty thoughts he had been having.
Jiho thought he had handled it well, but for some reason, Yejun didn’t leave the bathroom immediately.
Aside from his inappropriate thoughts, just standing there half-naked was embarrassing enough. Jiho glanced at Yejun, trying to give him a hint.
“Did you come in just to say that?”
“I also brought you some toiletries. There are towels in the cabinet over there. This toothbrush is new. Yours is the yellow one, and mine is blue.”
Yejun, acting like a hotel concierge, explained everything one by one, placing a new toothbrush in the holder. The blue and yellow toothbrushes stood crossed like an X.
As Jiho stared blankly at them, Yejun continued his explanation.
“You might remember from last time you showered here, but this is shampoo and this is body wash. Don’t mix them up.”
“…Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. Use them freely.”
With that, Yejun finally left the bathroom, closing the door with a click.
Jiho stared at the closed door. Whatever tension he had felt melted away, leaving his neck stiff and his energy drained.
“…Let’s just shower.”
Jiho muttered to himself in a resigned voice as he rubbed the back of his neck.
He removed his pants and underwear and turned on the shower. The cool sound of the water, along with the warm stream, poured over his body.
Usually, he cleared his mind during a shower, but even after turning off the water and drying himself, his thoughts didn’t go away.
On the first night at his house, Jiho thought he wouldn’t be able to sleep. His mind was restless.
However, after a hot shower and lying in bed, he was enveloped in warmth.
The previous place he stayed at was too hot, making him sweat profusely, but this house had the perfect temperature—not too hot, not too cold. The cool touch of the blanket against his skin felt nice.
He fell asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow. Maybe he was more tired than usual from worrying about Yejun all day.
While Jiho was deeply asleep, he felt an itch on the inside of his thigh.
“Mmm…”
It felt like something moist and soft was licking him. The sensation on the inside of his thigh was ticklish but also made his lower abdomen feel warm.
Jiho tossed and turned to shake off the sensation, but the persistent feeling didn’t go away. He wondered what was going on and tried to get up, but then he thought, ‘Could it be Coco?’
Coco might have climbed onto the bed while he was sleeping. After all, Coco had been on the bed the morning after he spent the night with Yejun the other day.
There was no small staircase for Coco to climb onto Jiho’s bed, unlike Yejun’s bed, but Coco might have managed to get up somehow.
“Coco… stop…”
Jiho needed to give a firm command, but his voice was groggy and mumbled in his sleep. Maybe that’s why Coco didn’t understand, and the wet feeling continued to stick to my thigh.
He considered tossing and turning more vigorously, but he didn’t want to squish or hurt Coco. Getting up to put Coco on the floor felt too tempting to resist the sleep.
…Forget it, just let it be. Jiho closed his eyes, trying to go back to sleep, but then he felt a hot breath on the inside of his thigh.
“Phew…”
The sound was too masculine to be coming from Coco.
Is it really Coco?
Thinking about it, the tongue felt too large to be Coco’s. The thought sent chills up his spine and goosebumps down his arms.
…Something’s not right. Was he experiencing sleep paralysis?
Jiho occasionally experienced sleep paralysis when he was extremely tired. Last night wasn’t that tiring, but maybe the change in the sleeping environment triggered it.
Jiho wasn’t afraid of dealing with bullies or unreasonable demands; he could handle people. But spiritual matters were different.
He couldn’t physically confront a ghost. He remembered an incident where he was paralyzed by a ghost, unable to move. That memory brought a chilling sensation.
His mind felt clear as if he was awake, but his senses were vivid. Jiho squeezed his eyes shut, hoping the moment would pass.
As he lay there tense and rigid, the itchy sensation on his thigh eventually faded away.
…What was that?
“Jiho, wake up.”
While feeling confused, Jiho heard Yejun’s voice.
Ahn Yejun?
Opening his eyes, Jiho saw Yejun sitting by the bed, looking down at him.
Sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating him. He looked like he had just showered, with water droplets glistening on his hair.
His light hair shone like gold in the sunlight, and his pale brown eyes sparkled like amber.
The sight was so surreal right after waking up from sleep paralysis. It was like suddenly seeing an impressionist painting after watching a horror movie. It felt that unfamiliar.
Seeing him there brought a strange sense of relief. It felt like waking up from a dream. Jiho relaxed his tense body and spoke to Yejun with a sigh.
“Hey, what…?”
“I couldn’t wake you up no matter what. Aren’t you going to school?”
“School…? Oh…!”
The word “school” jolted Jiho awake. Today he had a compulsory major lecture in the first period.
Sitting up in a panic and checking his phone, Jiho realized he had an hour before class started. Seeing the time made his face go pale.
“When did it get so late…? Didn’t my alarm go off?”
“You didn’t hear it. You were sleeping soundly.”
Jiho frowned as he asked, and Yejun calmly replied.
He usually wasn’t one to miss alarms. From elementary school to university, he could count on one hand the times he had been late. But this time, he didn’t hear it at all, which was perplexing.
‘Why didn’t I hear it?’
Jiho sighed deeply, feeling like the ground was falling beneath him. Yejun smiled kindly, telling him not to worry.
“I’ll wake you up if you’re going to be late from now on.”
“No… I should hear my alarm. Anyway, thanks.”
He appreciated the offer to wake him up, but he couldn’t rely entirely on Yejun. He needed to wake up on his own.
Still, he was grateful Yejun had woken him up and saved him from sleep paralysis. Jiho thanked him, and Yejun softly smiled as he stood up from the bed.
“I made breakfast. Eat before you go.”
“I might be late.”
“You know our house is close to the school.”
“Hmm…”
That was true. It was only a 10-minute bus ride from Yejun’s house to the university. It was much closer than his previous place.
With an hour left before class, and considering the 10-minute ride, he had plenty of time. He didn’t spend much time on makeup, just needed to change and wash up.
While Jiho was thinking, Yejun walked toward the door, noticing Jiho’s hesitation.
“Get washed up and come out. I’ll keep it warm.”
“…Thanks.”
“No problem.”
As Yejun smoothly exited the room, Jiho ruffled his hair and checked his phone again. The alarm was set correctly.
Although it felt strange, he figured he might have missed the alarm because of the sleep paralysis.
Next time, he’ll set multiple alarms for every five minutes. Jiho added a few more alarms and headed to the bathroom.
While Yejun prepared breakfast, Jiho quickly undressed for a shower.
He stripped off his top and pulled down his pants, but then he noticed something strange.
“What… is this?”
Jiho bent over to look closely between his legs. His thighs were covered in red marks.
* * *
Is our ML a pervert?
Thanks for the chapter