CI 3.7

“W-What’s that? Why did that suddenly happen?”

“My goodness, I’m not doing this on purpose. Why is this thing acting up so thoughtlessly? It should be reflecting on past behavior and behaving itself, not being so shameless. Just wait. I need to boil this pepper thoroughly in hot water.”

“Ugh, what on earth are you saying, really?”

While Son Yeo-il shuddered at words he had never heard before in his life, Won Hee-yeon seemed to have barely managed to calm his excitement. Clearing his throat with a “hmm-hmm,” he apologized politely.

“I’m sorry for misunderstanding. Okay? It’s not that I don’t trust Yeo-il, but our husband is clearly so pretty. I’m just anxious someone might snatch you away.”

“Who would snatch me away?”

“Huh? Does our husband live in a house without mirrors?”

“Anyway, I have no desire to follow anyone else, so how could I be snatched away? Stop saying such strange things.”

At this resolute answer, Won Hee-yeon pulled his just-lowered lips back into a wide grin. The two got out of the car, tightly holding hands as they climbed to the second floor of the studio apartment. Once again, Won Hee-yeon bid farewell with eyes dripping with reluctance.

“Alright. It’s late, so I’ll head up now. You said you’d get off work early tomorrow, right? I can’t treat you to lunch tomorrow because of work. I’ll have to prepare a delicious dinner. After doing some proper grocery shopping, you know.”

Though Son Yeo-il had thought Won Hee-yeon was just an idle wanderer, it seemed he was reliable when it came to work. He said he had discovered that different materials than promised had been delivered to the construction site that he had visited this morning. He planned to visit the site again during Friday lunch to ensure the correct materials were delivered.

Won Hee-yeon pouted about not being able to have lunch together even though they would see each other in the evening, and smoothly used this as an excuse to invite Son Yeo-il to his home.

Knowing how much Won Hee-yeon had been looking forward to this, even his scheming seemed endearing. Son Yeo-il, feeling only excitement and anticipation, silently nodded his head.

“Tell me if there’s anything you want to eat.”

“Um…anything is fine.”

“Alright. I’ll prepare a full course for you, so look forward to it.”

After tightly holding Won Hee-yeon’s hand one last time before letting go, Son Yeo-il entered his room. It had been a day filled with many events, but as he prepared for bed, he only wished for tomorrow to come quickly. It was strange how his mind was completely filled with the image of Won Hee-yeon who had just dropped him off.

He’s really such a funny person.

His pouting expression from the groundless misunderstanding was amusing, as was his face-rubbing gesture, and even his random comment about boiling a pepper. While silently chuckling as he recalled these memories, Son Yeo-il suddenly had a question.

Wait, but what has he been doing all this time that he would even talk about boiling it?

It was just a passing comment, but Won Hee-yeon had also said his cock ‘should be reflecting on past behavior and behaving itself.’ Though he didn’t want to take his word for it, once the question arose, it kept growing.

‘He’s older, so he must have been with many people. He’s handsome and has a good body, so people wouldn’t have left him alone. Has he only been with men? Or women too? Seeing how quickly he worried when he heard I was with a woman, doesn’t that mean he’s also been with women?

He felt indescribably complex emotions. It certainly wasn’t a pleasant feeling. Son Yeo-il couldn’t understand why he was feeling this way.

Though comparing Koo Dae-hyun and Won Hee-yeon would be absurd, Son Yeo-il had felt nothing when hearing about Koo Dae-hyun’s past during his previous relationship. In contrast, he had found it distasteful when Koo Dae-hyun had tried to dig into Son Yeo-il’s uneventful past with various leading questions.

Right. Dwelling on past affairs is petty, just as Hee-yeon said.

Furthermore, having lashed out at Won Hee-yeon about trust when he showed jealousy today, Son Yeo-il couldn’t now grumble about his past.

Stop thinking useless thoughts and just go to sleep.

Having coolly decided to dismiss these disturbing emotions, Son Yeo-il lay flat on his back, staring at the ceiling, and firmly closed his eyes. Tomorrow would surely be a much better day than today, so he needed to fall asleep quickly. However.

What should I do? I couldn’t sleep at all.

The next morning, dark circles hung under Son Yeo-il’s eyes. Though his mind clearly knew he shouldn’t worry about it, a part of his heart kept circling around thoughts of Won Hee-yeon, his past that needed reflection, and the sterilization of his penis, preventing him from falling asleep.

Oblivious to all this, Won Hee-yeon had his car waiting in front of the studio apartment this morning too, to see Son Yeo-il off. Upon seeing Son Yeo-il’s complexion as he got into the passenger seat, his expression immediately filled with concern.

“Oh my, is our husband not feeling well? How did your face lose half its substance in just one day?”

“I just couldn’t sleep well.”

“Maybe it’s because you’ve had so many troubling things on your mind. Shouldn’t you get off work early today and rest properly? We can have our date later.”

The moment he heard Won Hee-yeon’s words, Son Yeo-il’s mind snapped to attention. He realized that tonight’s invitation to Won Hee-yeon’s place was a date. Since last weekend’s trip had technically been for business purposes and they hadn’t been dating at the time, tonight would be their first real date.

“No. You said you’d cook something delicious. I want to go to your place too.”

With the thought that he couldn’t ruin their first date over something trivial, Son Yeo-il responded almost reflexively. Though Won Hee-yeon asked “Are you sure?” his lips quivered subtly with barely contained happiness at Son Yeo-il’s words.

Despite going to work pretending to be energetic with Won Hee-yeon’s encouragement, Son Yeo-il’s work efficiency was much lower than yesterday. Between thoughts about Won Hee-yeon’s past and the tension of their impending first date, he could hardly concentrate on anything.

Planning to eat a light lunch, he bought a palm-sized bread, but even that wouldn’t go down easily. As he was tapping his chest while drinking milk, he received a message from Won Hee-yeon.

[How are you feeling?]

Feeling startled, Son Yeo-il unconsciously lied, even using emoticons he rarely used.

[I’m fine, much better than before^^]

Was it because of his anxiety and guilty conscience? After joking awkwardly that he “had a light lunch to save room for dinner” in response to Won Hee-yeon’s question about what he ate, Son Yeo-il’s condition worsened. His solar plexus ached more and his chest felt tighter—he was definitely experiencing indigestion.

For an ordinary person, it would have been impossible to sit and work in this condition, but Son Yeo-il was fundamentally a stubborn type. Thinking ‘Why does my stomach keep feeling uncomfortable?’ and ‘I’ll surely be better by the time I get off work,’ he struggled through his afternoon tasks. Then, Manager Kim, sitting across from him, asked in alarm, “Oh my! Mr. Son, are you sick?”

“Pardon? Do I look sick?”

In response to Son Yeo-il’s question, Manager Kim silently picked up the mirror on her desk and showed it to him. Seeing his face in the mirror, Son Yeo-il was quite shocked. His cheeks were white and his lips were purple.

This is crazy. Will our date today be okay?

For Son Yeo-il right now, whether he looked sick was more important than whether he actually was sick, and whether he could go on the date was more crucial than whether he was getting better or not.

Normally, Son Yeo-il was extremely diligent during work hours, but today was different. With the determination to somehow improve his condition by the end of the workday, he bought and took medicine, borrowed Manager Kim’s hot water bottle to hug, and even applied Manager Kim’s lip balm to hide his cracked lips.

By 6 p.m., some color had returned to Son Yeo-il’s face and lips. Whether his digestive function had also returned was questionable, but since it was time for their appointment, he had to meet Won Hee-yeon with a face full of smiles.

“Our honey has arrived! Oh my, it’s an honor to welcome you.”

Won Hee-yeon, who had been waiting for Son Yeo-il all along, greeted him with an even more respectful and affectionate attitude than usual. If it had been the normal Won Hee-yeon, he would have noticed that something was off about Son Yeo-il’s condition, but excited about their first date, he was busy smiling with flushed cheeks.

He opened the passenger door for Son Yeo-il and even fastened his seatbelt anew. As he started the car and turned on the music, what flowed through the speakers was not the usual K-pop playlist but soft pop music.

“They say eljeebeeteez* listen to this kind of music on dates. I asked Hong-shik and carefully selected these songs. What do you think?”

*T/N: The term “eljeebeeteez” appears to be a playful phonetic spelling of “LGBTQ” (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer/Questioning), often used as a tongue‑in­-cheek or lighthearted variation online.

Won Hee-yeon asked while bashfully rubbing the tip of his nose with the back of his finger. Despite earlier threatening to sew Hong-shik’s mouth shut at the animal hospital, it seemed he turned to him when in need.

The two headed to Won Hee-yeon’s house amidst the atmospheric music. The moment Son Yeo-il stepped into his entryway, Won Hee-yeon seemed excited by that fact alone and let out a small “Uh” sound, something like a sigh.

Son Yeo-il tensed up, worried he might tear off his shirt at the entrance like last time, but Won Hee-yeon barely maintained a gentlemanly attitude as he seated Son Yeo-il on the living room sofa.

“Wait here for a moment. The preparations will be done soon.”

Seemingly finishing meal preparations, Won Hee-yeon dashed to the kitchen and bustled about, opening the oven door and opening and closing the refrigerator. Son Yeo-il quietly looked around Won Hee-yeon’s house.

The bottles of homemade liquor in the garden looked familiar, and he vaguely remembered the leopard-print carpet on the living room floor. The loud wooden carving on the wall clock and the bed-like spacious sofa were all large and flashy.

When he had come here drunk last time and hurriedly fled, he had only thought of it as a gaudy house, but now it seemed like a place that suited Won Hee-yeon well, making everything look good. Come to think of it, the realization that this was his first time visiting a partner’s home made his relaxing tension rise again.

“Our husband must be hungry. The meat is almost done, so please eat this first.”

At that moment, Won Hee-yeon, having almost finished preparations, led Son Yeo-il to the dining table. While they ate champagne and a refreshing salad, the steak in the oven was ready, and Won Hee-yeon, with practiced skill, cut the meat neatly and placed it on Son Yeo-il’s plate with beautiful garnish.

Though he couldn’t taste it accurately due to nervousness, it felt like a perfect dinner just by sensation. Won Hee-yeon’s manner of preparing and serving food also looked smooth and natural.

Being well-treated was something to be grateful for, but the more this happened, the more petty thoughts like “Did he often cook for people he dated before?” kept arising in Son Yeo-il’s mind.

Even Son Yeo-il couldn’t understand why he was behaving this way. Perhaps it was because everything was a first for him, making him clumsy and anxious to the point of indigestion over trivial matters, while Won Hee-yeon seemed skilled at everything, which went on to irritate him.

Ah. I feel nauseous again.

In reality, even the bread he had eaten for lunch hadn’t been digested yet. As stubborn as ever, Son Yeo-il chewed the food diligently while forcing an awkward smile to hide that he was, in fact, sick. He didn’t forget to compliment how delicious it all was.

Won Hee-yeon, for his part, seemed half-focused on proceeding with the date according to the schedule he had prepared ahead of time. When the meal ended, he suggested having dessert in the living room, took Son Yeo-il back to the sofa, dimmed the lights, and put on a romantic movie.

Son Yeo-il wondered if the movie had also been chosen after consulting Hong-shik, but he didn’t bother to ask. Judging by his serious and proper escorting expression, Won Hee-yeon seemed immersed in their date.

Of course, contrary to his proper movements, the front of Won Hee-yeon’s pants was prominently bulging. It was so clearly visible even in the dim indirect lighting that Son Yeo-il wondered if it had been like that throughout dinner, but he didn’t ask about that either.

My head feels dizzy too. I’ll get better if I just sit for a while?

In fact, his physical condition was so terrible that he wasn’t in a position to question others. His stomach continued to worsen even while sitting on the sofa watching the movie. Thanks to the dimmed lighting, it wasn’t noticeable, but Son Yeo-il’s complexion was rapidly turning pale.

Won Hee-yeon was restless in his own way. He was excessively excited just from sitting shoulder to shoulder with Son Yeo-il in his dimly lit house.

He was torn between wanting to pounce on Son Yeo-il, forgetting about the movie, and thinking he couldn’t reveal too much of his true nature—though it was already fully exposed—on their first date.

What should I do? I’m reaching my limit…

As Won Hee-yeon fidgeted, not knowing what to do with his body, shifting his hips this way and that, Son Yeo-il felt even dizzier. His weakened body slumped limp on the sofa.

Unfortunately, Won Hee-yeon seemed even more excited by the feeling of Son Yeo-il slumping against him. The bulging center of his pants finally wriggled like a snake. Won Hee-yeon was nearing his limit too.

Won Hee-yeon eventually turned his head to look at Son Yeo-il while clenching his fist tightly. Son Yeo-il had also just turned his head toward Won Hee-yeon to say he needed to go to the bathroom.

As sparks seemed to fly from Won Hee-yeon’s eyes, his face rushed toward Son Yeo-il. It was a more romantic and passionate moment than the movie, but Son Yeo-il could only shout this while covering his mouth with his hand, “I-I think I’m going to throw up!”

Huh? While Won Hee-yeon was bewildered, Son Yeo-il dashed to the bathroom, slammed the door shut, and went inside. He immediately grabbed the toilet, slumped down, and began retching. He was on the verge of bringing up everything he had eaten today.

Tears streamed down his face during this time. It was literally a living hell. Not only was his body in agony, but he felt like he was losing his mind from self-loathing and embarrassment.

What on earth was he doing? Throwing up in his partner’s house on their first date. And after eating the delicious food his partner had prepared with such care, running into the bathroom at the moment of a passionate kiss.

“Are you alright? Don’t you need help?”

“Uwup, uh, don’t come in!”

To Won Hee-yeon’s anxious inquiry, the flustered Son Yeo-il snapped back as if throwing a tantrum. It became quiet outside the bathroom door, but Son Yeo-il could still feel Won Hee-yeon’s presence there. Even as Son Yeo-il, having finished vomiting, hesitated to face Won Hee-yeon out of shame, Won Hee-yeon waited quietly without rushing him.

“Was the champagne too strong? Did the food not agree with you? Should we go to the hospital?”

When Son Yeo-il finally came out, Won Hee-yeon, wearing an expression of unbearable concern, listed self-blaming comments.

“The food was delicious. It’s just that I’ve been feeling unwell since this morning…It’s not serious enough to go to the hospital. I’m sorry.”