OMS 35

Cough, cough. Kim Jun-han stirred in his sleep and opened his eyes. He had been trying to sleep in the living room downstairs with Typhoon, now an elderly dog, when coughing sounds kept coming without ceasing. As time passed and the sound wouldn’t stop, he sat up.

Sensing movement, Typhoon, who had been sleeping, lifted his head. Kim Jun-han patted his head and headed to the kitchen. The coughing continued as he filled a cup with warm water, and persisted as he gathered the first-aid kit.

The wooden stairs creaked with each step as he climbed up, with Typhoon following behind. Opening the second-floor bedroom door, he found Lee Hee-soo curled up under the blanket. He placed the first-aid kit on the table and set the cup by Lee Hee-soo’s bedside.

“Mr. Lee Hee-soo.”

There was no response, and after some hesitation, Kim Jun-han pulled down the blanket.

Lee Hee-soo’s cheeks were flushed red, and his lips were trembling.

“Hee-soo.”

Still no response to his call. Worried, he checked their forehead with the back of his hand. It was hot. He took out a thermometer from the medicine box, 40 degrees Celsius. 

“Damn it.” He cursed, then found and took out a fever reducer pill from the medicine container. Then he shook Lee Hee-soo’s shoulder.

“Wake up. You need to take medicine.”

Lee Hee-soo could barely open his eyes. All his earlier spirit had vanished, and now he lay limp like a sick chicken. He forcefully lifted the other man up by putting his arm behind his back and pushed the medicine into his mouth. When he gave him water, half of it spilled as he couldn’t swallow it properly.

After forcing his mouth open to make sure the medicine went down, he laid him back down. He kept shivering like an aspen tree and trying to hide his body under the blanket.

“I’m freezing to death…”

“You’ll feel better once the fever goes down.”

As he was about to go downstairs after closing the medicine box, Lee Hee-soo reached out and grabbed his arm. His face, as he struggled to breathe, looked utterly pitiful. Kim Jun-han had never found that face beautiful, despite everyone else’s admiration.

A flower without fragrance.

To him, he was more or less than that.

But why now…

“Just hold me for a moment…”

“You’re still trying to make moves even now?”

“Damn it, that’s not it…I’m just cold. I’m telling you I’m freezing to death.”

Why had Lee Hee-soo changed so much from someone who couldn’t even answer or make eye contact properly? And why did Lee Hee-soo suddenly bother him now? He could just ignore them like before. Why…

While he was deep in thought, Lee Hee-soo tugged at his hand, whining.

“Hurry…”

At their fading voice, Kim Jun-han let out a small sigh. Reluctantly, he climbed onto the bed and lay on his side, and Lee Hee-soo immediately burrowed into his arms without restraint. They were beyond warm—they were hot. Holding them like this would only make the fever worse rather than better.

However, Lee Hee-soo showed no intention of letting go, groaning and breaking into a cold sweat due to the strain. Kim Jun-han released his pheromones to help Lee Hee-soo feel more comfortable. As time passed, their breathing gradually steadied and their expression improved.

After checking the other man’s forehead with the back of his hand to confirm that the fever had gone down, Kim Jun-han moved to leave. He had intended to go downstairs, but Lee Hee-soo held him tight in his sleep. Lee Hee-soo’s pheromones, faintly mixed with the smell of sweat, tickled his nose.

Finally, Kim Jun-han resigned himself and closed his eyes. Typhoon, who had been hovering nearby, climbed onto the bed and settled down quietly behind Lee Hee-soo to sleep.

“I’ll give you 10 seconds. Run away from me.” Kim Jun-han pointed his gun at Park Dong-sik, who dashed into the forest. But no matter how much he ran, he stayed in place, and eventually, his legs became as heavy as if stuck in a swamp, making even walking difficult.

As he collapsed in frustration, Kim Jun-han came up to him and pressed the gun to his forehead. His eyes gleamed with murderous intent, and a smile spread across his face.

“That’s what you get for acting up.”

Bang! With the sound, his eyes flew open. Realizing it was a dream, Park Dong-sik first let out a sigh of relief. When he was Park Dong-sik, he used to just pass out without dreaming, but since becoming Lee Hee-soo, he frequently had nightmares.

What time could it be? As Park Dong-sik turned to check the time, he almost screamed. The very man who had been pointing a gun at him in his dream was right in front of him.

When did he come here? No, why was he sleeping here? Suddenly, last night’s events came rushing back. He had been coughing with chills, becoming delirious, and he seemed to remember seeing Kim Jun-han. Could it be…had he taken care of him?

Park Dong-sik waved his hand in front of his face. Is he sleeping? Really sleeping? When there was no movement, he eventually felt Kim Jun-han’s chest with his hand. Ah, nice body. So firm. As he was sneakily trying to reach down to touch his cock, his wrist was suddenly grabbed.

Startled, he saw Kim Jun-han had opened his eyes and was looking at him with disapproval.

“It seems like you’re feeling better?”

Park Dong-sik chuckled and deliberately pressed closer.

“Why are you sleeping here? You were so mean to me yesterday. Feeling sorry now?”

“I came to give you medicine and got held up here.”

“Were you worried about me? Afraid I might die?”

“Of course. If you’re going to die, die in Seoul. If something happens to you here, I’ll be the prime suspect.”

Park Dong-sik furrowed his brow. Ah, what an unpleasant bastard. Such a nasty way of talking. Then something moved behind him. Startled, he turned to find a black dog pressed against his back. It was no wonder the bed felt cramped…

“Did it come with you too?”

Kim Jun-han didn’t answer, and Park Dong-sik pulled his arm and embraced him. When Kim Jun-han looked at him, he pretended not to notice and closed his eyes.

“What are you doing?”

“The sun’s about to rise. Let’s stay like this.”

“It’s uncomfortable.”

“Bear with it. I’m sick.”

“Your fever’s gone down.”

Park Dong-sik fell silent. He was feeling sleepy, and whether it was because of Kim Jun-han’s scent, his mind felt at ease. Kim Jun-han also stopped trying to get away. Feeling something heavy behind his back, it seemed the dog had gone back to sleep too.

It had been a long time since he’d relied on someone like this. Or should he say it was almost the first time? Even when he slept with women in his early twenties before realizing his sexual orientation, they usually just slept and parted ways.

Having someone beside you is good, he thought. It gives you a sense of security.

It was the first time he’d had such thoughts. If I had proper parents, if someone had been there to put me to sleep when I was young, would that have been like this? His consciousness gradually sank. He thought he felt a hand on his forehead briefly, but he wasn’t sure if it was Kim Jun-han or just his imagination.

*

[The customer cannot take your call. Please try again later.]

Kim Tae-han glared at his phone, gritting his teeth tightly. After a meeting with the film company and returning home, he’d gone to see Lee Hee-soo briefly only to hear unexpected news from an employee. His blood boiled at hearing that Lee Hee-soo had gone to the Gangwon-do villa alone with Kim Jun-han.

Despite repeated attempts, only the voice message kept playing. He’d lost count of how many times he’d called. Kim Tae-han put down the phone and roughly rubbed his face.

Just when he thought he finally had him in his grasp, why…

He had first met Lee Hee-soo at university. Among all the ordinary people, Lee Hee-soo’s presence stood out distinctly. He was beautiful, full of empathy, and fragile. He freely gave his company to those who approached him, but strangely, he desperately rejected only Kim Tae-han.

This only fueled Kim Tae-han’s determination to chase after him. He decided he would possess Lee Hee-soo someday. With the single-minded purpose of planting his seed in that flat belly. However, all hope vanished when Lee Hee-soo appeared as his brother’s marriage prospect.

Lee Hee-soo would never know, even if he died and came back to life, that it was Kim Tae-han who helped his first lover approach him. The man was after money from the start, and Lee Hee-soo sought affection from the man for the emptiness caused by his father’s death and married life.

However, it ended in betrayal, and Lee Hee-soo collapsed helplessly. Kim Tae-han didn’t miss that opportunity. He wedged himself in and begged Lee Hee-soo for love. Lee Hee-soo, who had absolutely refused him before, finally accepted Kim Tae-han.

He thought everything would be good between them from then on. But Lee Hee-soo was always precarious, acting like someone who might leave at any moment. So when Lee Hee-soo fell into the water and lost all his memories, he thought it might be for the better. Seeing him regain his vitality, a small hope bloomed that he might now be able to win his heart.

But an unexpected problem arose. Kim Jun-han, who had never even glanced at Lee Hee-soo before, had subtly changed. At first, he assured himself it couldn’t be possible. Because his brother had disliked Lee Hee-soo. He was someone who never accepted what he had once rejected.

Before losing his memories, Lee Hee-soo had always feared Kim Jun-han and rushed to avoid him. He had been counting the days until their divorce. But now they went to the villa together? At this point?

Kim Tae-han went to the dressing room with an anxious face and took out another mobile phone from the drawer. He turned it on and dialed Kim Jun-han’s number, and a low voice came through after the ring.

[Yes, this is Kim Jun-han.]

Kim Tae-han kept his mouth shut. The other side was also silent. Even in this invisible situation, there was a tense battle of wills. Kim Jun-han must have received countless calls like this. In the midst of this, Lee Hee-soo’s voice suddenly came clearly through the receiver.

[When did you wake up?]

He hung up immediately without hearing more. Haha. A hollow laugh escaped from his mouth. The veins on the back of his hand holding the phone bulged. Fuck. He was overwhelmed with rage and threw the phone against the wall. Crack, the shattered pieces scattered everywhere, and his heart crumbled along with it.