* * *
Not that Haebom noticed—he couldn’t think of anything but Wonho’s flushed face.
“Yoon Haebom. Who the hell told you I didn’t like you? Say it.”
Haebom felt like he might start hiccupping again.
Wonho looked like he was ready to tear someone in half.
He held his breath and shook his head wildly.
“What.”
“N-No one said it. It’s just… I thought it, on my own…”
But the more Haebom tried to explain, the darker Wonho’s expression got.
Even though his face was still burning red, it showed no sign of cooling down.
It looked like he might actually explode.
But if that was the case, Wonho didn’t seem to care.
“Why the hell would you think something like that. Yoon Haebom, stop letting that tiny brain of yours come up with weird crap. Fuck, I didn’t mean to say it like this. You’re seriously pissing me off…”
“Huh?”
Haebom let out a confused noise between his lips.
He had no idea what Wonho was trying to say.
“I don’t know why you thought otherwise. I thought I was being obvious. I do like you. A lot.”
“…Huh?”
Haebom wondered if anyone in the world had ever responded to a confession as stupidly as he just did.
Maybe the heat from Wonho’s face had transferred to him, because his own cheeks were starting to feel hot.
Wonho held his gaze, completely serious.
Haebom couldn’t say anything—just stammered, his eyes darting around like they were trying to escape.
“…Not Choi Yoonseo?”
The words slipped out before he could stop himself.
He’d meant to just think them.
His heart felt like it was going to burst, and his legs were about to give out.
Is this what it’s like when someone confesses to you?
His head was spinning.
“What? Why are you bringing that name up? Did you even hear me right? I said I like you, Yoon Haebom.”
Regardless of how dizzy Haebom felt, Wonho drove it in again.
He had no idea why a random name just came out of Haebom’s mouth, but making sure Haebom had nowhere left to run came first.
“Yoon Haebom.”
There was a tremor in the way Wonho spoke his name, soft but clear.
And that tremble passed straight to Haebom.
The warmth, the tension—it all transferred over.
No, it felt contagious.
His face was burning. His neck, no—his entire body was heating up.
But this heat was nothing like the tension he usually felt when he was alone with Wonho.
It wasn’t the kind of heat that burned or consumed.
It was soft and warm and made him feel like he was floating—impossible to describe.
“…Haebom.”
“Eep…! D-Don’t call me that, you idiot…!”
Wonho chuckled at his reaction.
Haebom hadn’t answered him, and he had blurted some weird name earlier, but none of that mattered.
Just the fact that Haebom didn’t seem to hate his confession was enough to send a pleasant buzz through his fingers.
Of course, he wasn’t about to stop at just that.
“Your face’s gonna explode.”
Wonho reached out and gently rubbed Haebom’s cheek.
Each time he touched him, Haebom flinched.
It sent a heavy pull below his waist, but Wonho had no intention of doing anything further.
He was careful not to give Haebom any reason to think this was about guiding or pheromones—he knew Haebom’s mind would go there, and he wanted to stop that before it started.
“Thought your face would explode first… But, hey… are you serious? Like, really?”
“I don’t know why you can’t believe it, but… anyway, sit down.”
Wonho grinned playfully at Haebom, who was glaring at him with a beet-red face.
But the next words made his smile fade slightly.
He couldn’t understand why Haebom was so doubtful, even when everyone else could see it, and he’d done everything short of skywriting his feelings.
This was going to take a while, so he sat down. Not that it mattered to him, but Haebom was fragile.
Though, in truth, Haebom was a grown man. Wonho just conveniently forgot that, comparing him to himself.
Still, he guided Haebom to sit—right on his lap.
The shocked look on Haebom’s face said it all.
He was still reeling from the confession, and now he realized he was sitting on Wonho’s thighs.
“Why are we sitting like this? The couch is huge…”
Haebom puffed out his cheeks in protest.
He wasn’t a kid… Even though they were the same age, he felt like he was being treated like a child.
From Haebom’s point of view, Wonho was the childish one.
He was the one running away like a baby, saying he hated guiding.
Though, to be fair, he never actually cried—just looked disgusted and bolted.
“Because I like it.”
“…Huh?”
“I like being this close to you, Yoon Haebom. Because I like you. Even if you don’t like it, too bad. You’ll just have to deal.”
The pout vanished instantly, replaced by a blush.
Then, just as quickly, his expression turned to complete disbelief.
Wonho watched the changing emotions flicker across Haebom’s face with amusement.
Seeing it, he genuinely thought—he’s adorable.
When he saw that love in Wonho’s eyes, Haebom finally started to believe it.
That maybe, just maybe, Wonho really did like him.
“So, tell me. Why didn’t you believe I liked you? Everyone else saw it. I thought I was being super obvious. Except to clueless you.”
A low, pained sound slipped through Haebom’s slightly parted lips.
Even someone as oblivious as him could tell without being told.
Haebom wondered if he really was that clueless.
He’d always considered himself pretty quick on the uptake.
People often said he was sharp and efficient at work.
He was known for anticipating tasks before being asked and getting them done early, earning lots of praise.
But Haebom had never realized that being quick at work didn’t necessarily mean being perceptive when it came to emotions.
“You… You avoided me at first. Said you didn’t want to be guided…”
“That’s…!”
Haebom’s protest made Wonho flinch.
Because it was true—he’d run away, spooked by his own body’s reaction.
He clicked his tongue.
“Whenever you guided me, I felt weird. Not just weird—I got hard. When other people guided me, it went beyond pain. Sometimes it was downright revolting. Felt like bugs were crawling all over my body—made me think the guiding meds were better.”
Haebom had been about to ask what he meant by weird, but the next word that came out made him flinch.
He couldn’t believe someone could say something that vulgar so casually, with such a calm face and voice.
Was he crazy?
Wonho was the one who said it, but Haebom was the one who felt embarrassed.
And maybe because of what was said, Haebom could suddenly feel something pressing up under him.
They hadn’t even started guiding, so he had no idea when that had gotten that big.
He’d been sitting on it without even realizing?
That was just weird.
But after what came next, Haebom couldn’t focus just on what was between Wonho’s thighs.
He knew what it felt like when Wonho was guided by someone else.
But hearing it from the person himself hit differently.
Up until now, it had just been information.
Now, it felt real.
And it made Haebom feel twice as sorry for him.
* * *
Finally they start talking about it .