DP Episode 120

Episode 120

The gentle lighting of the hotel suite cast a warm glow over the room. Seo-joon, wrapped in a bathrobe scented with the unfamiliar fragrance of hotel body wash, lay down beside Yeon-woo.

“Lieutenant, I’ve been thinking,” Yeon-woo said, pressing a kiss to the hand that caressed his cheek.

“This hotel… it’s way too far from school. I think I should skip my morning classes tomorrow.”

Seo-joon’s gray eyes widened, their corners lifting slightly in amusement under the soft light.

“You’re getting more creative with your excuses.”

“Let’s use the checkout time to the fullest.”

Seo-joon let out a helpless chuckle and agreed, pressing a light kiss to Yeon-woo’s lips. Gently, he deepened the kiss, his tongue brushing against Yeon-woo’s, coaxing his lips apart. Slowly, his tongue explored further, tracing the inside of his mouth and teeth before intertwining wetly with Yeon-woo’s.

Yeon-woo cherished Seo-joon’s touch—the way he stroked his cheek, looked at him with love, and shared his breath. Every moment felt so precious it nearly brought him to tears.

And yet, an unshakable unease lingered.

Their lips parted, leaving behind a moment of silence. Yeon-woo stared intently into Seo-joon’s gray irises, as though trying to peer into his soul.

“…Yeon-woo,” Seo-joon’s low voice broke the quiet.

“What would you want to do if the Gates disappeared?”

The sudden question lingered between their still-close lips. Yeon-woo thought of a headline he’d seen on a portal site not long ago: China’s promise to eradicate all Gates within a year. Of course, it was a ridiculous claim.

“Hmm… would overseas travel restrictions for awakened individuals be lifted if the Gates were gone?”

Assuming Seo-joon had seen the same headline, Yeon-woo pondered seriously for a moment.

“If so, I’d want to travel with you, Lieutenant.”

Warm breath brushed against his nose as Seo-joon laughed silently.

“Not something like that. If the Gates disappeared, you wouldn’t have to work as a Guide anymore. What did you want to do before becoming a Guide?”

“Hmm… I just wanted to make money,” Yeon-woo said plainly.

Their quiet conversation continued as they lay close together on the bed, bathed in the soft glow of the bedside lamp.

“My original plan was to take on more part-time jobs after graduating and move Jeong-woo to a better hospital.”

“…You didn’t have any big dreams?”

“Not really… I did think about becoming a vet because I like cats. But I’d need to graduate college, and it seemed like a lot of studying. It felt too difficult.”

I’m too softhearted—I don’t think I could handle seeing sick cats. Yeon-woo looked into Seo-joon’s eyes, which were focused intently on him.

“No one ever told you to become an idol?”

Yeon-woo laughed softly at Seo-joon’s question. It reminded him of their first matching test, where Seo-joon had complimented him, saying he could’ve been an idol if not a Guide.

“What about you, Lieutenant? What did you want to do when you were younger?”

Seo-joon’s gray eyes shifted slightly, as if searching his memory.

“Well… I’ve been doing this job since I was a teenager.”

A brief silence followed.

“I just wanted to save as many people as possible.”

His gaze returned to Yeon-woo.

“Agnes. My codename comes from that. It’s the name of a nun at my orphanage.”

His voice, almost like a sigh, faded as he continued.

“Like her… I wanted to save as many people as I could.”

Yeon-woo recalled the story Seo-joon had shared before, about the nun who had not only rescued him, abandoned beneath a Christmas tree, but also cared for many other children at the orphanage.

“But Yeon-woo, your codename came from me, didn’t it?”

Though it had been Cheong-oh’s idea, Seo-joon murmured softly.

“…So every time you hear your codename, I hope it reminds you of the same thing.”

“…”

“A lot of people survived Sinheui-dong because of you, Yeon-woo.”

Yeon-woo realized Seo-joon was offering him comfort and encouragement. It seemed the pain of their recent experience at Sinheui-dong still lingered between them.

Maybe the unease Yeon-woo had sensed in Seo-joon these past few days stemmed from that trauma.

“And you, Lieutenant. You’ve saved far more people than I have.”

That thought offered some reassurance.

“Most importantly, you saved your precious Cha Yeon-woo too. Thanks to you, I’ve grown this much. It’s all because of you.”

Yeon-woo took Seo-joon’s hand and placed it on his chest, playfully teasing. Their noses touched, and soft laughter filled the air between them. “Yes, Yeon-woo, you’ve grown up so well,” Seo-joon replied, kissing him lightly.

“…Yeon-woo.”

After a long sigh, Seo-joon called his name. Yeon-woo gazed at him quietly.

Silence fell again. Seo-joon’s gray eyes, slightly glistening as if from the light, seemed unreadable.

“Tonight,” Seo-joon began, his voice low, audible only to Yeon-woo.

“…I want to have sex with you.”

✽✽✽

Seo-joon watched Yeon-woo’s trembling blue eyes quiver faintly from side to side. He savored the sight with a faint sense of delight.

He had booked the hotel tonight specifically for this. Their home, where Yeon-woo would continue to live alone, wasn’t a place Seo-joon wanted to leave memories of their first experience together.

The romantic ambiance, the unfamiliar yet intimate setting—this was the perfect place for their first and last time. A space where Yeon-woo wouldn’t stumble upon memories unexpectedly during his daily life and feel overwhelmed.

“Uh, what?”

Yeon-woo’s eyes grew wide as he stammered.

“N-now?”

The cozy and tranquil air of the bed shifted into something different. Seo-joon chuckled softly, brushing Yeon-woo’s cheek.

“Why? You don’t want to?”

“No, no… it’s not that… I’d like it. A lot,” Yeon-woo stammered, shaking his head in a daze. His repeated words and lost expression made him look utterly foolish.

“But… we haven’t updated our pairing parameters yet…”

“That doesn’t matter anymore.”

Seo-joon cupped Yeon-woo’s cheek, gently guiding his distracted gaze back to meet his own.

“This isn’t pairing; it’s sex.”

“Sex…”

The word tumbled clumsily out of Yeon-woo’s mouth, and his unfocused eyes wavered again. Seo-joon etched the sight of his adorably clueless face deep into his memory.

This moment was so profoundly joyful, it felt like the one thing he wanted to take with him when everything else was stripped away.

“Because I love you, Yeon-woo,” Seo-joon murmured as he leaned closer, pressing his lips to Yeon-woo’s flushed cheek.

“That’s the only reason I want to do this.”

As his lips brushed over Yeon-woo’s eyes, long lashes quivered against his skin. Seo-joon whispered softly, his words melting into each kiss.

“If you really don’t want this, tell me.”

Not that he trusted himself to stop, but if Yeon-woo expressed true discomfort, Seo-joon was willing to keep asking until he heard the answer he wanted. Time wasn’t on his side anymore.

“Mm…”

Seo-joon greedily nibbled on Yeon-woo’s lips, tasting the sweetness he imagined they held. Sliding his tongue through the parted seam of his mouth, he explored the soft, warm interior. The heat and tenderness inside Yeon-woo felt just like him—so welcoming, so sincere. Seo-joon pressed his body against Yeon-woo’s, his tongue delving deeper as their breaths mingled.

He could feel Yeon-woo’s heart pounding beneath the thin fabric of his robe.

“L-Lieutenant… Lieutenant…” Yeon-woo mumbled, his lips moving faintly even as Seo-joon kissed him. Seo-joon drew back slightly, their noses brushing, granting him a moment to speak. He knew he was becoming increasingly impatient.

“Fi-first…”

The words tumbled out in broken fragments, Yeon-woo fumbling with Seo-joon’s robe collar as he squeezed his eyes shut.

“…Since it’s my first time.”

Please… be gentle…

Seo-joon froze. He had been nibbling on Yeon-woo’s lips, but the peculiar phrasing stopped him in his tracks. Of course, it was Yeon-woo’s first time, but in some ways, it was also Seo-joon’s.

Letting go of the lip he had been sucking, Seo-joon shifted slightly, pressing his growing arousal against Yeon-woo’s thigh as he lightly traced his tongue along his damp lips.

“Is being gentle what you want?”

“Y-yes…”

“That depends on you, Yeon-woo. Be good, and I’ll treat you well.”

“Even if it hurts, or… if I cry, please don’t stop.”

The motions between them came to a complete halt. Seo-joon leaned up slightly, supporting himself on his forearm beside Yeon-woo’s head.

“It’s just because it’s unfamiliar… it doesn’t mean I dislike it or you, Lieutenant…”

…There seemed to be some sort of miscommunication happening between them.