PIA 93

Ji-an tossed and turned for a while after waking up, reluctant to get up. If only there were a warm and comforting embrace beside him, he could have snuggled right in and drifted back to sleep. Unfortunately, the spot next to him was empty.

“Hyung-nim?”

The bedroom was dim. It was clearly midday, but the blackout curtains were drawn tightly, leaving no room for sunlight to enter. Ji-an fumbled for the button next to the headboard and pressed it. Bright sunlight poured into the room through the opening curtains.

As he rustled awake, his pajamas slipped down. They were Jeong Hee-seo’s. Ji-an started buttoning up the front, pausing to sniff it. He was disappointed that it smelled only of himself despite being Jeong Hee-seo’s clothes.

Hyung-nim only wears pants, after all…

Making do, he rolled over halfway and hugged Jeong Hee-seo’s pillow. Burying his face in it, he was enveloped by his scent mixed with the smell of sunlight.

“…”

As he lay there for a while in the soft sheets, he suddenly remembered his unseemly behavior from the night before.

Around here, maybe…

Ji-an reached down to feel around the center of the mattress. Though there was no sign of dampness, he couldn’t stop his ears from turning bright red.

‘You little bed-wetter.’

When Ji-an thought he had done everything possible in bed and was shaking his head, unable to do more, Jeong Hee-seo had picked him up and said that with a playful tone in his voice. His whole body had been sticky and wet, which must have prompted his comment, but Ji-an felt wronged.

‘…It’s not pee.’

‘Are you sure? Shall we check again?’

Too exhausted to reply, he had just lay there limply, but Jeong Hee-seo hadn’t stopped fondling his body even in the bathtub. It certainly wasn’t pee, that much was clear. He showed no signs of being turned off, after all. Ji-an had been lying in the hot water, thinking such thoughts when his memory abruptly cut off.

“…”

As he was punching the innocent pillow hard enough to make a hole, the closed door suddenly swung open.

“Oh, did you go somewhere?”

“Yeah…”

Jeong Hee-seo, who had come in with his hands full of something, looked a bit surprised. He put down his things and promptly took off the t-shirt he was wearing. Come to think of it, he was still wearing pajama pants on the bottom.

“Just a moment.”

Jeong Hee-seo suddenly went into the en-suite bathroom, washed his hands, and came out. Puzzled by his inexplicable behavior, Ji-an just waited quietly as he began unpacking the things he had put down onto a small table.

His back was turned to Ji-an, so he couldn’t see his face. He asked while rustling about busily:

“Why are you up so early?”

“It’s 2 PM right now, you know?”

“You went to bed late, Ji-an.”

“Hmm…”

Saying that naturally made Ji-an recall the events of the early morning, making him feel embarrassed.

“You went to bed even later, didn’t you?”

Ji-an retorted a bit grumpily out of embarrassment. Just a little bit, of course.

Even as Ji-an had his eyes closed, completely drained of energy, he remembered the sensation of Jeong Hee-seo washing and drying him.

Ji-an was aware of everything – how Jeong Hee-seo had busily changed the sheets and blankets, how he had lifted Ji-an’s hips to put on his underwear, and how he had raised each of his arms to dress him in pajamas.

Although his memory was patchy, he had felt all his touches while dressing him. He would occasionally plant kisses and nibbling on his ear. And Ji-an still couldn’t understand why he kept touching his nose and philtrum.

Anyway, he had heard all his whispered questions, but the critical problem was that he couldn’t remember his own responses…

Judging by Jeong Hee-seo’s soft laughter, it seemed he hadn’t made any major blunders.

Or did he laugh because he said something nonsensical? Perhaps?

As Ji-an recalled, his cheeks grew hot with embarrassment.

“So where did you go?”

Ji-an tried to change the subject to hide his embarrassment, but Jeong Hee-seo placed a snow-white strawberry cream cake on the small table and pulled it close to the bed. Not just cake, there were also well-packaged drinks and an abundance of bread.

“I didn’t buy these myself… I had someone get them.”

Jeong Hee-seo seemed to deflect the credit to others, as if Ji-an’s sparkling eyes made him uncomfortable. Ji-an could tell without seeing directly. While washing him, putting him to bed, and tidying up the sheets and blankets, Jeong Hee-seo must have noticed the cake that had been left unattended in the kitchen for hours.

There was no way the man would have simply ignored an untouched cake. He must have contacted the store as soon as morning came and found someone to deliver it here. Upon receiving the notification of the cake’s arrival, he could vividly imagine him hastily putting on a t-shirt over his pajamas and sneaking out to receive it.

“…”

Ji-an scooped up a large piece from the side of the cake with a fork without cutting it properly. He stuffed it into his mouth and shivered. The fresh strawberry flesh was tangy, and the cream was sweet. But more than anything, the sweetness of Jeong Hee-seo’s thoughtfulness made Ji-an’s throat tighten.

Feeling like he might tear up if their eyes met, Ji-an continued to eat two, three more bites, feeling Jeong Hee-seo’s gaze upon him. Unable to resist, he finally glanced up to find him smiling gently.

“Is it good?”

“Hyung-nim, really…”

“You only call me ‘hyung’ when you’re not in your right mind. Is that a habit?”

“No…”

“Or are you doing it to tease me, and I’m just too dense to realize?”

His expression was full of mischief as he scratched his eyebrow while asking. It seemed like he was trying hard not to give Ji-an a chance to be moved. As he scooped up another large piece of cake and chewed it, Ji-an maintained eye contact with Jeong Hee-seo.

This time, instead of eating more cake, Ji-an dipped his finger into the whipped cream. He moved it towards Hee-seo’s mouth as if to feed him, and when Hee-seo obediently opened wide, Ji-an smeared it playfully along his lips.

“Oh my. I’m sorry.”

The man raised one eyebrow and stood still as if broken, quietly watching Ji-an approach with a tissue. As Ji-an peered at his lips as if about to wipe them clean, he instead leaned in and licked it off with his tongue, causing Jeong Hee-seo to burst into laughter.

“It’d be a waste, wouldn’t it? What hyung bought for me…”

Ji-an couldn’t finish his sentence. This time, Jeong Hee-seo dipped his finger in the cream again and pushed it into Ji-an’s mouth. He used his finger to part his lips and then pressed his own lips against Ji-an’s. A somewhat messy and rough kiss began. Ji-an fell back onto the bed as he pushed him, greedily sucking on his sweet-smelling tongue.

“See, you called me ‘hyung’ again.”

Jeong Hee-seo whispered between breaths.

“Haa…”

The sweet kiss continued languidly. Jeong Hee-seo kept feeding Ji-an pieces of cake. He urged him to suck on his fingers along with the cream, fresh strawberries, and crumbled cake in his mouth. While cleverly avoiding the cream himself, as he disliked sweets, he sucked on Ji-an’s earlobe and neck.

Suddenly, Ji-an burst into laughter. It wasn’t just because of the tongue on his neck, but his whole chest felt ticklish.

Jeong Hee-seo propped himself up on his arms, raising his upper body that had been pressed against Ji-an.

“Who told you to laugh like that?”

“I want to make today my birthday.”

Jeong Hee-seo’s expression turned curious, as if trying to understand. Ji-an didn’t bother explaining further. Instead, he focused on taking in Jeong Hee-seo’s face, inspecting it piece by piece. The perfect face staring down at him belonged to someone worth betting his life on.

“From now on, today is my birthday.”

When Ji-an repeated his words, this time with more conviction, Jeong Hee-seo studied him seriously. Ji-an reached for the largest strawberry on the cake and pushed it into Jeong Hee-seo’s lips.

‘Ji-an, do you want to keep living here?’

That guy hadn’t exactly laid out a certain future. He had suddenly appeared in his life, taken his life in a traffic accident, and changed Ji-an’s world without any discussion. It wasn’t that he blindly believed the words thrown by such a person.

But he knew there was a way.

Ji-an had thought he had no choice but to return in a year. He’d thought it was a one-way street. But discovering that there was a fork in the road, that he had options, gave him hope. The rest was up to his willpower.

Ji-an found himself wanting to stay by Jeong Hee-seo’s side, to protect both their baby and Jeong Hee-seo’s heart. For the first time, Ji-an felt a sense of certainty about something in his life. He felt a determination and a will to achieve something he had never experienced before.

He wanted to win. Destiny, fate, storyline—none of that mattered. He couldn’t helplessly let go of the person who loved her.

Whether it was a doppelganger, a supernatural phenomenon, or Seo Ji-hyuk, he decided not to be afraid.

“Since it’s my birthday, I can be the main character, right?”

Ji-an smiled, his eyes curving.

As always, Jeong Hee-seo quietly assessed Ji-an. He must be thinking in his own way. He was likely assessing Ji-an’s words and trusting him with his eyes. That in itself was a deeply felt affection.

Jeong Hee-seo swallowed the large strawberry in one bite and then planted small kisses repeatedly. It was magic that could make Ji-an thought simple.

He felt that there was no need to care about being the main character or the fate of a villainous supporting role. This kind of reckless courage also arose because of Jeong Hee-seo. Ji-an hugged Jeong Hee-seo’s neck tightly. This warm body temperature would be Ji-an’s guide and lighthouse.

Ji-an made a promise in his heart, in a voice Jeong Hee-seo couldn’t hear.

“From now on, I’m facing everything head-on, hyung-nim.”