DP Episode 85
by BrieDeep Pivot Episode 85
Awakening to the morning sunlight, Seo-joon stared blankly at the face in front of him.
Am I dreaming?
The sight before him was so breathtakingly beautiful that he momentarily forgot to think.
“Good morning, Lieutenant.”
…Ah.
That’s right. Cha Yeon-woo.
That low, hushed voice pulled him back to reality. Trapped in Yeon-woo’s warm embrace, Seo-joon gave a faint smile.
Yeon-woo is here, in my home.
Why did something so simple make him so happy?
“How long have you been awake?”
Seo-joon brushed his nose with his fingertip, and each touch made Yeon-woo blink slowly.
“A little while.”
“You should have woken me.”
Seo-joon complained softly but kissed him affectionately. Yeon-woo smiled, wrapping him tightly in his arms, and Seo-joon followed, ending up atop Yeon-woo.
“I was too busy watching you sleep, Lieutenant.”
“That’s perverted.”
Yeon-woo’s lips curled up at the joke. Seo-joon smoothed down his messy hair and touched his ear, making Yeon-woo’s long lashes quiver.
Seo-joon noticed every little reaction to his touch and found even the smallest changes in Yeon-woo’s expression to be irresistibly endearing. Is this what they call being infatuated? But Cha Yeon-woo was already a strikingly handsome man, even without a filter of affection.
Seo-joon kissed him on his face, then pressed their noses together and whispered,
“Good morning, Yeon-woo.”
With downcast eyes and a shy smile, Yeon-woo replied softly,
“…Good morning, Lieutenant.”
Even that simple greeting made Seo-joon’s chest stir wildly. The morning, which he usually faced alone and shivering, was transformed by Cha Yeon-woo’s presence.
It was nothing short of magical.
✽✽✽
By mid-morning, Seo-joon and Yeon-woo found themselves tidying up the dressing room.
“Your clothes can go here, Yeon-woo. I’ll clear some space before you move in.”
“I don’t have many clothes. I think a single drawer will be enough.”
Both sides of the dressing room, which was long and narrow like a hallway, were lined with wardrobes and dressers. Hearing Seo-joon offer to clear an entire wall, Yeon-woo turned to him.
Since his parents passed away, Seo-joon had lived alone, so his dressing room was quite full. Even though he wasn’t particularly obsessed with clothes, he hadn’t seen the need to declutter over the years.
Sorting out clothes he hadn’t worn in ages, Seo-joon replied,
“After you graduate, you’re not going to be wearing just your school uniform, right? Clothes accumulate over time.”
Yeon-woo approached from behind and wrapped his arms around Seo-joon’s waist, humming softly. Unlike Seo-joon, he’d never had such a spacious wardrobe, so he couldn’t quite picture how it would look.
“We can just create space and hang things up as we go.”
“There’s a significant size difference between us. If we mix our clothes, it’ll be tough to tell them apart.”
Resting his chin on Seo-joon’s shoulder, Yeon-woo reluctantly nodded. Clothes had always been hand-me-downs or secondhand bargains for him, so he watched as Seo-joon’s unused but still pristine shirts fell to the floor.
“You’re not throwing away perfectly good clothes because of me, are you?”
Seo-joon held up a shirt he’d just taken from the wardrobe.
“It’s not like I can still wear clothes I had in school. The size doesn’t fit anymore.”
Yeon-woo took the shirt from behind and held it up to Seo-joon’s frame. Seo-joon chuckled softly and continued sorting.
“Are you feeling bad about it? There’s a company that regularly collects them here. They repurpose the clothes for donations, so they’re not wasted.”
“That’s not it…”
Yeon-woo stared at the shirt, about half a size smaller than Seo-joon’s shoulders.
“When did you wear this?”
“Let’s see.”
After checking the emblem embroidered on the chest, Seo-joon said, “Ah, it’s my middle school uniform.”
The morning neared midday, and Seo-joon and Yeon-woo were busy sorting clothes in the dressing room.
“Your clothes can go here, Yeon-woo. I’ll clear some space before you come.”
“I don’t have many clothes. One drawer should be enough.”
With wardrobes and dressers lining both sides of the long dressing room, Yeon-woo turned when Seo-joon offered to clear an entire wall.
Seo-joon had lived alone since his parents passed away, so the dressing room was packed. He wasn’t obsessed with clothes but hadn’t bothered to organize or discard them over the years.
Picking out clothes he hadn’t worn in a while, Seo-joon replied, “After graduation, you’re not going to keep wearing your uniform. Clothes tend to pile up over time.”
Yeon-woo approached from behind, wrapping his arms around Seo-joon’s waist. He hummed softly, realizing he had never owned such a spacious wardrobe.
“We’ll create space as we go along.”
“But it’s difficult to tell our sizes apart, so it’s better to separate them.”
Resting his chin on Seo-joon’s shoulder, Yeon-woo reluctantly nodded, watching Seo-joon’s unused yet pristine shirts fall to the floor.
“You’re not throwing out good clothes because of me, are you?”
Seo-joon held up a shirt he’d just taken from the wardrobe. “It’s not like I can wear the clothes I had in school. They don’t fit anymore.”
Yeon-woo took the shirt from behind and held it up to Seo-joon’s frame. Seo-joon chuckled softly and continued sorting.
“Are you feeling bad about it? There’s a company that collects clothes here. They repurpose them for donations, so they’re not wasted.”
“That’s not it…”
Yeon-woo gazed at the shirt, about half a size smaller than Seo-joon’s shoulders.
“When did you wear this?”
“Let’s see.”
After checking the emblem embroidered on the chest, Seo-joon said, “Ah, it’s my middle school uniform.”
“Can I have it?”
“What for?”
“I just want to keep it.”
“Because it’s too small and cute,” Yeon-woo thought, but kept that to himself as he turned to look at their reflection in the full-length mirror.
Objectively speaking, Seo-joon’s height, in the mid-180 cm range, wasn’t small. But since Yeon-woo was much taller, he found Seo-joon relatively petite.
“Yeon-woo.”
From what he saw in the videos, Seo-joon had likely been one of the taller students. He had been noticeably leaner back then.
“Yeon-woo, what are you doing?”
“Huh?”
Snapping out of it, Yeon-woo turned back to Seo-joon, who was looking up at him suspiciously, narrowing his eyes.
“You look like you’re thinking something weird.”
“No?”
Realizing his hand was resting on Seo-joon’s chest, Yeon-woo quickly withdrew it.
“…No, really.”
But before he could turn away, Seo-joon caught his chin and gave him a quick peck on the lips.
“Stop thinking like a pervert.”
“I wasn’t…”
Kisses cut off Yeon-woo’s feeble denial, and he found himself chasing Seo-joon’s lips.
Meanwhile, Seo-joon snatched the shirt away and turned his back.
“I should throw this out. You’re too much of a pervert.”
Left without kisses or the shirt, Yeon-woo stared at Seo-joon with a baffled look. Seo-joon tossed the shirt aside and turned back around, laughing at Yeon-woo’s puppy-like expression.
“Is it that big of a deal? What’s the point of keeping something you can’t even wear?”
Pouting, Yeon-woo wrapped his arms around Seo-joon’s waist again.
“Then at least give me something else. I couldn’t even have the jacket back when I was younger.”
“Jacket?”
What jacket? Seo-joon couldn’t follow this conversation. Confused, he raised his eyebrow.
“The uniform jacket you gave me after rescuing me back then. Some rescue worker took it away.”
“Oh.”
Even with an explanation, it still felt sudden to Seo-joon.
“They usually retrieve the uniforms afterward.”
Seo-joon tried to understand how Yeon-woo felt.
“Was that frustrating? Getting a uniform jacket taken away seven years ago and losing my middle school uniform now?”
He brushed his thumb across Yeon-woo’s pouty lips. But despite his efforts to console him, Yeon-woo explained patiently.
“It’s not about that. You get to be with me in your twenties, thirties, forties, and beyond, but there are many years I couldn’t be with you.”
Seo-joon was amazed. Already planning for a lifetime together after just two days of dating?
“All I know of you are those fleeting moments from childhood and the interviews I saw online. I feel like I’ve missed so much.”
Listening to Yeon-woo’s earnest but adorable plea, Seo-joon could barely keep a straight face.
“You must’ve felt really sad and disappointed.”
He tried his best to respond with sympathy.
“I want to do everything I can for you, but I can’t exactly turn back the clock nine years.”
Yeon-woo lowered himself into Seo-joon’s embrace.
“Just stay with me for a long time, Lieutenant. Much longer than those nine years I couldn’t follow.”
Pulled into Yeon-woo’s arms, Seo-joon gave him a wry smile and hugged him back. It was the most endearing yet challenging request, made by the most lovable person in the world.
Gently stroking Yeon-woo’s soft, curly hair, Seo-joon pondered his response before finally holding Yeon-woo’s hand.
“Come on. I’ll give you something other than my uniform.”