DI Ch 68

I groaned and rubbed my dry palms over my face. Perhaps due to a deep sleep or disoriented slumber, my body felt completely devoid of energy. After lazing between the plush bed and his warm embrace for a while, I stretched out my limbs and yawned. Feeling a bit refreshed, I let my outstretched arm fall lightly over his waist.

Yawning again and regaining my senses, I noticed that the hand that had been stroking my lower back had stopped. Wondering why it halted when I was feeling so good, I lifted my drowsy eyelids, and our gazes met directly. In that instant, a strong and irresistible urge surged through me.

“Ah, hyung, it’s not like that.”

Almost as if questioning when I got sleepy, my alertness suddenly returned to an almost comical level. Crazy, what did I just say?

“So, I’ve missed you, but…”

“Missed you. But what?”

“Well…”

I tried to explain vaguely, but there was no way to wrap it up neatly. How could I hide my true intentions that slipped out? Anxiety had my heart racing and sweat forming, and this man’s eyes, full of mischief, were fixed on me. It’s incredible how unnerving his gaze could be… At that moment, his lips curved into a mischievous smile.

“Why do you keep poking at my conscience? I’ve already sold it and I don’t need to be poked.”

Uh, what’s this? Did he let it slide? He pulled me closer by my waist and lightly tapped his forehead against mine before grinning playfully. His gentle touch on my forehead tickled. I awkwardly raised the corners of my mouth, sensing that he didn’t appear too angry. Then, he lightly brushed his nose against the tip of mine and playfully tapped my lips as if swallowing them. Without realizing it, I opened my mouth and extended my tongue, but he pulled back, leaving me somewhat disappointed.

“I can be quite expensive too. You know? I missed my lover, but he acts all coy, making it hard for me to say it.”

“Well, that’s…”

I bit my slightly moist lips out of disappointment and continued.

“It’s not your fault, hyung.”

“That’s right.”

I lowered my head and chuckled softly in response to Tae Seong-je’s sharp retort. Anyway, my response was the right choice. Yes, I’m sure it’s not your fault.

“If only the situation had been more relaxed, I could have acted cheap too.”

Tae Seong-je, who had been watching me silently, narrowed his eyes and mumbled. I blushed as I continued to stare at him. Then he climbed up my body and smirked, his warm breath brushing against my face and his slight weight causing tension in my shoulders. I stiffened as he leaned in closer, and then our lips brushed lightly.

It’s been a while since I have seen that shameless face, but he still remained nonchalant. In the end, I was the only one feeling flustered as the warmth gradually spread to my neck. He must have noticed my earlier disappointment because he licked my lips with his tongue once before stepping back and looking at me.

“…Don’t you want to?”

“What?”

“Hyung, don’t joke around…”

With his lips brushing against mine whenever he spoke, I gently placed my arm around his neck and closed my eyes. The minty taste was strong during the kiss. The sound of saliva sticking between parted lips followed.

We rolled around on the bed, brushing against each other’s bodies in a subdued manner. Kissing while feeling each other’s bodies in this slow, intimate way had been rare, making it all the more exciting and exhilarating. Even catching brief glimpses between kisses left me with a sense of yearning and frustration because we couldn’t connect deeply.

I slightly tugged at his slightly longer hair compared to when we first met and opened my eyes softly. His shadowy features gave him a more intense presence. His sudden laugh made him seem like a character from a black-and-white movie, but as I glanced beyond him, I stiffened when I saw the bright sky and the large window.

Huh, wait a moment.

I let his tongue roam freely in my mouth while losing myself in the pleasurable sensations.  I couldn’t help but moan as I couldn’t resist the delightful spot that was being tantalizingly stimulated. I nestled in Tae Seong-je’s embrace until he backed away, completely satisfied and indulged. Then I sat up and glanced around.

“What. Where am I?”

“Yeah. I wonder where.”

He laughed and spoke softly. I wiped my saliva-dampened lips and was about to yell at him to stop playing around, but then I noticed what I’d been sleeping on. I realized how haphazardly I’d been sleeping that I hadn’t realized I’d been sleeping on his arm.

I hoped I wouldn’t have drooled. I slid back into bed, clutching Tae Seong-je’s crumpled black t-shirt. I touched Tae Seong-je’s forearm in the midst of my confusion. Fortunately, it wasn’t damp. Anyway, when I opened my eyes, I was in a strange place.

Suddenly, I remembered the first time I woke up in this world. If I hadn’t recognized any familiar faces, I might have thought I was inside another novel and panicked. After taking a moment to calm down, I looked around slowly. The room, with a queen-sized bed that was large and plush, exuded an overall sense of luxury and freshness.

Not a single piece of wallpaper or furniture looked out of place. Except for one thing: the desk inexplicably placed in front of me. The color seemed off as if it had been hurriedly brought in. Aside from that, the large bouquet of flowers on the table seemed out of place.

The ignorantly large bouquet clashed with the elegant vases and had an almost excessive sentimentality. I wonder what kind of person would put something with such a strong presence in the room. While each flower might have been pretty individually, the arrangement felt overwhelming.

But where did I sleep yesterday? Did I have grilled intestines (makchang) for the second round, and then did I go to the convenience store? And… Just as I was lost in thought, Park Kang-woo and Kwon Joong-hyuk, who were cheerfully singing the “Ninanano” song, passed by my mind.

“Huh!”

Right, those guys. I had completely forgotten about them. Was this what they meant by blackout? I’m going crazy, seriously. In my shock, I accidentally gripped the shirt even tighter. In the end, Tae Seong-je’s shirt got horribly crumpled, but I couldn’t care less. In a frenzy, I began rummaging through the surroundings in search of my phone. The problem was that despite searching even under the bed, I couldn’t see it anywhere.

“Hyung, um… Do you know where my phone is?”

“Seo Seung-won.”

“Did I lose it? Oh, where could it be?”

“Seo Seung-won, look at me.”

After being distracted, I turned to Tae Seong-je’s firm voice. His lips twitched for a moment, but my confusion was so great that I might have mistaken it. Anyway, as I waited for Tae Seong-je to speak, he calmly began talking.

“Are you worried about your friends?”

“Yes…”

“Don’t worry. They all seemed too drunk, so I told them to go home. I said I’d take you separately.”

“Oh.”

“I sent them all in separate cars, so don’t worry.”

“Really? Phew. Hyung, thank you so much. Did they all get home safely?”

He brought me here after sending everyone else home. That explained the situation. I was relieved and took a breath, but I felt the nape of my neck grow cold at the corner of his mouth.

“I’m sorry… Hyung didn’t need to do that. It must have been a hassle…”

“It’s okay. Thanks to you, I got to experience post-party cleanup for the first time, and it was refreshing.”

Post-party cleanup? I looked bewildered, and he gave me a meaningfully playful glance while wearing a slightly wicked smile.

“You don’t remember what you vomited yesterday?”

“…”

Oh, fuck. I sat back down on the bed, shaking with embarrassment.

“…You’re kidding, right?”

Please, please say you’re joking. I silently pleaded in my mind, but unfortunately, Tae Seong-je continued with a mischievous tone, tracing his index and middle fingers along my forehead. Was it his mood that caused his voice to sound slightly gloomy?

“You’re good at coughing up blood, but you don’t know how to vomit.”

“Seong-je hyung, I, that. …I was wrong.”

Feeling embarrassed and apologetic, my head instinctively hung low, and my voice trailed off. Crazy, I even vomited? It was my first time actually throwing up after drinking. But considering I vomited, my mouth strangely felt cool… Surely he didn’t go so far as to brush my teeth for me? It’s not like I was some invalid, and this was getting too bothersome.

When I tentatively opened my tightly closed eyes, Tae Seong-je lightly pushed my forehead with his fingertip.

“If I admit I was wrong, that’s enough. Right?”

“No…”

“Just good at answering.”

“…”

I looked at him with a sulky expression, unable to reply. Then he clicked his tongue and wiggled his fingers.

“Come here.”

I hesitated while sitting on the bed, but eventually, I collapsed into Tae Seong-je’s arms without any resistance. I couldn’t understand why his words “come here” made me feel so happy and comfortable. It’s odd. Just a few months ago, I used to feel anxious and afraid with every word Tae Seong-je said, but now I couldn’t even recall those moments because this man had become so comforting.

This was the second time they had been lying side by side on the bed. During our first encounter, we only had sex and that was it, so that couldn’t be counted as a real instance. While my own bed was relatively spacious, this bed was embarrassingly much larger and wider. Yet, it felt as if we were tightly pressed together without any space to spare, lying there and quietly gazing at each other.

He tidied up my disheveled hair that had scattered and pushed it behind, all while I lay still. I accepted Tae Seong-je’s touch as I lay there, but I couldn’t help stealing a glance at him from time to time. Was he really not angry? When our eyes met, he rolled them playfully. Blushing at the sight of his faintly visible dimples and charming smile, I couldn’t hold back and chuckled.

“Where do you like it so much.”

“W-what…”

“You like my eyes and lips, that’s for sure. But, what about my nose? My eyebrows? My cheekbones?”

I glared at him as he teased me by reciting each of his feature with a smirk, and I finally spoke.

“Chin…”

“What?”

“I like your chin as well…”

As I gently touched his handsome chin with desire, he smiled crookedly.