OL Ch 6

Chapter 6

Mookyeong’s gaze towards Hayun had turned colder compared to earlier. His eyes scanned his face up and down.

“I don’t know if you’ll be embarrassed or not, but yes. Practice with me. It is much better than going somewhere strict.”

Mookyeong whispered that he intended to continue similar practices in the future, so it was best done together. When Hayun didn’t respond, Mookyeong gently stroked the back of his neck.

Hayun felt a sudden chill run through his body, despite knowing that Mookyeong couldn’t affect him physically and wouldn’t harm him in any way.

“We’re practicing, remember? Let’s get started quickly; we still have assignments to complete.”

“…..”

Finishing practice swiftly didn’t necessarily mean completing assignments faster. They would likely search for other interesting distractions instead. After all, when exams and assignments loomed near, everything else suddenly became more appealing.

‘I wish Mookyeong would do this assignment.’

As he gazed at him with hopeful eyes, Baek Mookyeong sighed and sounded defeated.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Oh, nothing.”

“There’s something.”

If Hayun brought up the assignment now, even Baek Mookyeong wouldn’t comply. He decided to postpone discussing it as long as possible.

“Close your eyes.”

Mookyeong promptly shut his eyes, but Hayun didn’t trust him completely. Worried he might peek, he covered his eyes with his hands. Feeling his eyelashes move beneath his palms, he suspected he was trying to open them.

“Don’t open your eyes.”

“But they’re already covered by your hands.”

“Just keep them closed.”

“You opened yours!”

“No, I kept mine shut too.”

In truth, Hayun wasn’t closing his eyes at all. He felt wronged and kept them wide open, but lacked the courage to shut them yet.

A silence settled between them. Despite the television still being on, they couldn’t hear any sound from it. Hayun tilted his head, attempting another kiss, but straightened back up again.

He just couldn’t find the right angle.

Hayun sat astride Mookyeong’s thighs, facing him directly.

“Why aren’t you doing it?”

“I’m trying. The angle isn’t working out. It’s the angle.”

Mookyeong snorted at Hayun’s excuse. Seeing his lips curl upwards, Hayun leaned in towards him. However, he misjudged the distance, causing their noses to touch before their lips could meet. After gently bumping noses, Hayun pulled back slightly, only for Mookyeong to grasp his waist and subtly pull him closer.

Mookyeong almost opened his eyes at his movement. Hayun flinched slightly before turning his head just enough to align their lips properly. He still couldn’t bring himself to close his eyes and instead focused on the corner of the sofa cushion as he pressed his lips against Mookyeong’s.

Their lips felt soft inside while the edges were somewhat firm. Hayun gently parted his mouth and captured Mookyeong’s lower lip between his. As Mookyeong’s lips subtly moved, Hayun’s heart plummeted, feeling like it had dropped somewhere below his feet.

He slightly pulled away from him and looked up. Although unable to see Mookyeong’s expression due to his hand covering his eyes, his lips appeared stiffened. Taking advantage of his closed eyes, Hayun quickly wiped his own lips with his fingers.

The slight lick earlier left them damp.

What had possessed him to kiss him? The reckless courage he’d mustered earlier was nowhere to be found now. He wanted this to end quickly. Hayun gently placed his hands on Mookyeong’s shoulders and subtly pulled back. Even though he removed his hand from his eyes, Mookyeong didn’t open them, nor did he loosen his grip around his waist.

Feeling uneasy, Hayun slightly shifted his body, but it still felt uncomfortable. As he tried to identify the reason, Mookyeong lifted his chin.

“Let’s try again.”

“…”

“Hurry.”

Mookyeong softly caressed his jawline before moving to touch his ears. Due to the recent kiss, his ears were heated, making his touch unwelcome. When he attempted to pull away, Mookyeong leaned closer swiftly. Surprised, Hayun recoiled, but Mookyeong moved faster.

However, Mookyeong didn’t do anything else; he merely continued kissing Hayun’s lips softly. This amused Hayun, and as he giggled, Mookyeong slipped his tongue between Hayun’s parted lips, gently flicking it against Hayun’s tongue before pulling away.

“Ugh, that feels weird.”

Hayun shuddered at this unfamiliar sensation. Mookyeong also chuckled, then effortlessly laid Hayun down on the sofa with fluid movements that left no room for protest.

Mookyeong positioned himself above Hayun, tilting his head to find a more comfortable angle for kissing. Eventually, he grabbed a cushion to prop up Hayun’s head.

As Hayun lifted his head, Mookyeong immediately kissed him again. Mimicking Hayun’s earlier actions, he gently sucked on Hayun’s lower lip before releasing it and moving to nibble on the upper one. He slowly licked between their lips, causing them to become moist quickly. The smacking sounds of kisses intensified as Mookyeong softly tickled under Hayun’s chin with his fingertips.

“Open your mouth.”

Hayun obediently parted his lips. Mookyeong’s tongue slipped inside, warm, slippery, and wet. This strange sensation was hard for Hayun to get used to. Yet oddly enough, his heart raced anxiously. He tensed his toes, irritated by the distinct creaking sound of the leather sofa beneath them.

Hayun couldn’t fully close or open his eyes; the thought of avoiding eye contact with Mookyeong kept recurring.

Hayun was unsure when to breathe or swallow saliva. He cautiously exhaled, taking short breaths before holding his breath entirely. When he couldn’t endure it any longer and gasped loudly, Mookyeong’s lips briefly parted.

Mookyeong sat up and placed his hand on Hayun’s abdomen. However, something seemed to obstruct his touch from descending further. As the pressure intensified, causing Mookyeong’s fingers to involuntarily curl, he called out desperately to Hayun:

“Hayun.”

“…..”

“Kim Hayun.”

Hayun did not respond, knowing exactly where Mookyeong’s gaze had fallen. Conversely, without even needing to see, Hayun understood Mookyeong’s state. Yet, he pretended ignorance, uncertain if he could handle the truth. It echoed his behavior from the previous night, feigning unawareness.

Just like last night, he pretended ignorance. After hesitating briefly, Hayun wrapped his arm around Mookyeong’s neck. Mookyeong opened his eyes slightly before smiling and kissing him again.

Initially, their kisses were awkward, tongues clumsily entwining. However, as time passed, they became more proficient, resembling passionate movie scenes. Despite not needing to rush, Mookyeong kissed with urgency, occasionally bumping teeth. On the other hand, Hayun struggled to control his breathing once more.

While waiting for Hayun to regulate his breath, Mookyeong buried his face at the nape of Hayun’s neck, gently placing his lips there as if sensing Hayun’s pulse.

“Still don’t like our tongues touching?”

“…It feels strange.”

“I enjoy it though.”

“…..”

“Hayun, I really like you.”

“…..”

“You’re not going to answer me again, right?”

“Don’t ask if you already know.”

Mookyeong’s hand gradually moved higher. The sound of leather creaking on the couch grew closer. When Hayun heard it directly beside his ear, he rapidly blinked.

“Mookyeong, hey, wait just a moment.”

“Hayun. Pretending ignorance won’t make this go away.”

His words carried weight. Hayun twisted his body, trying to break free from Mookyeong’s grasp. If only he could stand up, open the door, and escape, but Mookyeong noticed his intention and pinned Hayun down with his own weight.

“I won’t do anything you dislike.”

“You said you wouldn’t! Now move aside!”

“I’ll only do what you enjoy. That way, you’ll be happy.”

Reasoning with Mookyeong proved futile. Hayun tried to wriggle free one more time, but Mookyeong didn’t budge. In that moment, Mookyeong kissed him again. The sensation of their tongues touching felt strange and unfamiliar once more. Hayun squeezed his eyes shut. Just before closing them, he heard Mookyeong’s laughter. Normally, he would have snapped at Mookyeong, but not this time.

Like how kiwis believe they’re hidden when only their heads are covered, Hayun assumed nothing existed in the darkness as long as his eyes were closed.

Hayun had been aware of Mookyeong’s feelings for some time, but it wasn’t until recently that he realized just how intense they had become.

This was understandable given their situation. As minors, they were under the guardianship of adults. Typically, this wouldn’t pose significant restrictions, but their guardian happened to be both an esper and a high-ranking official within an organization dealing with espers.

Advancements in esper detection methods had led to an increase in identified espers compared to earlier times. However, their numbers remained ridiculously low relative to the general population. Among them, encountering another piece was quite rare. Nevertheless, Seo Iju and Baek Jinha were aware of such cases, albeit few.

They also recognized the potential dangers when two pieces connected at a young age. Moreover, since Kim Hayun’s biological parents weren’t espers, they couldn’t adequately raise him. Consequently, Seo Iju and her husband took charge of Kim Hayun’s upbringing. Thanks to this, Baek Mookyeong could relatively freely obsess over Kim Hayun from a young age.

Despite striving for fairness, it was inevitable that more attention would be inadvertently given to one’s own blood. To prevent Kim Hayun from succumbing to Baek Mookyeong’s overbearing influence, Seo Iju subtly used a psychic esper to implant suggestions within Baek Mookyeong.

Despite Kim Hayun’s consent, Seo Iju implanted a suggestion that they should not engage romantically until both reached twenty years of age. Although they agreed at seven, being too young to fully comprehend it, this suggestion was reinforced every three years as a precaution due to Baek Mookyeong and Kim Hayun’s exceptional esper abilities.

Thanks to these measures, their relationship progressed from complete innocence to a more mature understanding over time. Last year, when Mookyeong turned sixteen, the suggestion was reinforced again. Normally, it would have happened once more at nineteen, but considering prolonged exposure to psychic powers wasn’t ideal and with the suggestion set to expire at twenty, it was effectively the last reinforcement needed.

However, only a year had passed since then. Even without the suggestion, Hayun believed Mookyeong wouldn’t touch him. He never considered that he might view him differently now.

To Kim Hayun, it was obvious that Baek Mookyeong liked him. On this particular day, for some inexplicable reason, he felt irritated and decided to sleep at his biological parents’ house. It was a three-bedroom apartment where each of his fraternal twin siblings occupied one bedroom. Unwilling to endure the musty smell of his younger brother’s room, Hayun opted to sleep on the living room sofa instead.

Despite usually finding comfort on this sofa during daytime naps, he couldn’t understand why it felt so uncomfortable tonight. The clock had already struck well past midnight. Suddenly, it dawned on him that with no one else home, there was no chance Mookyeong would be in his room. After all, Mookyeong had his own separate space.

After much deliberation, Hayun decided to peek into his bedroom. If Mookyeong wasn’t there, he would lock himself inside and sleep peacefully.

With this thought, he cautiously opened the door and glanced around. Expecting someone might be present, he only cracked it slightly, checking under the desk, corners, and even peering through the open doorway leading elsewhere.

“…Hayun.”

“….!”

Before fully opening the door, Hayun heard his name being called. Did he sense his presence? No, that couldn’t be possible. As doubts lingered, Mookyeong addressed him again:

“Hayun… Kim Hayun…”

Peering through the narrow gap, Hayun instinctively covered his mouth. Had it not been for his training, he would have screamed out loud.

Mookyeong was lying on Hayun’s bed. Sitting atop his pillow, he had buried his face into the pajamas he had shed earlier.

Mookyeong called out to Hayun with desperation in his voice, as if his presence held the key to his survival. Despite knowing he couldn’t do anything for him, Hayun felt compelled to help.

Hayun rubbed his face and turned away from the scene. Strangely, he found himself unable to close the door. Although he feared Mookyeong might sense his presence, he couldn’t tear his gaze away from him.