RHH | Side Story 2

Consciousness slowly rose from the depths of sleep. Absalom first savored the warmth and smooth skin of the body nestled in his arms.

Taking a deep breath, the familiar scent filled his lungs. It felt as if his entire being was filled with Leehwan.

After taking several deep breaths, Absalom finally opened his eyes. His vision was filled with Leehwan. He took in the disheveled black hair, the faint blush on his cheeks, and the slightly parted lips.

It was a sight he had seen countless times, but Absalom never tired of admiring Leehwan.

How long had he been watching? Leehwan’s eyelids fluttered. Absalom quickly closed his eyes and forced down the smile that threatened to spread across his face.

A few seconds later, Leehwan opened his eyes. Absalom, sensing the subtle movement in the air, held his breath. The blanket shifted slightly, and a warm hand cupped Absalom’s cheek.

“Rlom.”

The voice was low and rough. Absalom’s eyelashes trembled, losing control. Leehwan traced the shape of Absalom’s eyes.

Should he open his eyes now? Absalom hesitated. Leehwan pressed closer. Unable to resist, Absalom wrapped his limbs around Leehwan. Their dry, warm bodies tangled together.

As he buried himself in Leehwan’s embrace, Leehwan chuckled softly. A gentle hand patted Absalom’s back.

“Get up now.”

Instead of answering, Absalom shook his head. The movement of his hair tickled Leehwan, making him laugh again.

Absalom watched the rising and falling chest intently before lowering his head. He took the light brown nipple into his mouth, and Leehwan gasped softly. After just a few sucks, the familiar nub hardened quickly.

As Absalom carefully licked around the nipple with the tip of his tongue, Leehwan pushed him away. His touch was gentle but firm. Absalom looked regretfully at the glistening, saliva-slicked nipple.

Leehwan ruffled Absalom’s hair and immediately got out of bed. He walked to the window and drew the curtains. The room instantly brightened. Absalom stared at Leehwan standing in the light.

His gaze slid over the firm shoulders and trained back, lingering on the elegantly curved waist. He felt the urge to immediately remove the loosely hanging pants. Absalom unconsciously licked his dry lips. Seeing this, Leehwan clicked his tongue.

“You lecherous dragon. That story about being born with your desires suppressed—it was all a lie, wasn’t it?”

Absalom responded with a grin instead of an answer. It was an innocent smile. Leehwan let out a wry laugh.

“Just get up. You know we have a lot to do today.”

Leehwan reached out to Absalom. Absalom took his hand and obediently got up. He wanted to linger a bit longer, but as Leehwan said, there was much to do today.

As Absalom stepped out of bed and onto the floor, a shadow fell over him. He naturally looked up, and Leehwan lightly kissed his lips. Absalom held onto Leehwan, who was about to pull away, and kissed him longer.

𓂃 ོ☼𓂃

After a quick wash in the bathroom attached to the room, Absalom headed to the kitchen. The sound of water continued from the bathroom in the living room. Absalom prepared breakfast while listening to the sound.

Not long after, Leehwan entered the kitchen. He washed lettuce next to Absalom, who was making dressing.

Soon, a sweet aroma filled the kitchen. Leehwan glanced at the oven and asked,

“What are you making?”

“Croissants. You said you wanted to try them last time, so I gave it a shot.”

Just then, the timer went off. Leehwan stopped Absalom from moving.

“I’ll get it. You finish the omelet.”

Leehwan, wearing gloves, opened the oven. Absalom watched him with a worried expression. Leehwan pointed to the frying pan.

“The omelet’s burning.”

Even if he wasn’t talented in the kitchen, he could at least take bread out of the oven. Leehwan placed the golden-brown croissants on a plate. The shape and puffiness were just as he remembered.

While pastries existed in this world, there wasn’t anything specifically called a croissant. Leehwan had mentioned this to Absalom, and now, a perfect result lay before him. It seemed Absalom had practiced secretly somewhere, as this wasn’t something one could make without practice.

Breakfast began with the omelet, salad, croissants, and warm tea. Leehwan tore off a piece of croissant and put it in his mouth. The buttery flavor and the combination of crisp and moist textures were delightful.

Seeing satisfaction on Leehwan’s face, Absalom finally began his meal.

Today was the last day of the year. Every year around this time, they returned to the small house where Absalom had grown up for a thorough cleaning.

In truth, “thorough cleaning” was a bit of an exaggeration. The house was protected by ancient magic, so even if left untouched for centuries, not a speck of dust would accumulate. Thus, organizing cluttered items and discarding unused things was enough.

After breakfast, they headed to the bedroom first. They removed the bedding to air it out and went through the wardrobe to pull out clothes they no longer wore. Since neither of them cared much about clothes, the wardrobe was quickly organized.

Next, they went to the storage room. All the items they had collected thoughtlessly during their travels were stored here. They spent the morning sorting through what they didn’t need.

The cleanup ended with bundling up magazines and newspapers to throw away. Leehwan checked the time. It was already afternoon.

“We should start preparing dinner soon.”

“Time flies… Are you hungry?”

“We ate breakfast late, so I’m fine.”

Leehwan and Absalom headed to the kitchen while chatting. Unlike breakfast, there was much more to prepare, so they put on aprons and tied each other’s strings.

Absalom picked out ingredients from the food storage—what Leehwan called a refrigerator—created by the ancient dragon Andreas. Leehwan washed and prepared them. Soon, delicious aromas filled the house.

A meat pie baked in the oven, and fish pancakes sizzled golden brown in the frying pan. Leehwan stirred the clam chowder bubbling in the pot to prevent it from sticking. Beside him, Absalom skillfully fried tempura.

Suddenly, Leehwan recalled a moment from hundreds of years ago, during their quest for the sacred relics. He remembered standing in a port city’s market, looking at fish, and deciding to embrace life in this world.

That decision had led to the natural, everyday life they now enjoyed.

Half of the prepared food was neatly packed into a basket. They ate the other half for dinner and then prepared to go to bed early.

After a quick shower, Leehwan got into bed first. Despite the magic maintaining a comfortable temperature, the bed felt cold without Absalom.

He picked up a mystery novel from the bedside table. It was the book he hadn’t been able to read last night due to Absalom’s interruptions. As he opened the first page, the strong scent of fresh paper and ink hit him. The bookstore owner’s boast that it was a popular, hastily reprinted book seemed true.

Leehwan stroked the book. Unlike the handwritten manuscripts of the past, the perfectly aligned type felt cold in some way.

Expensive manuscripts had faded into history with the advent of metal type and printing. The era of horses and carriages had passed, and bicycles had long since appeared. Perhaps cars would be seen in the next century.

Just then, Absalom entered the bedroom. Leehwan returned the book to the bedside table. He reached out, and Absalom naturally handed him a towel. Leehwan wrapped Absalom’s wet hair in the towel.

As he gently dried the long silver hair, their eyes met. Absalom’s delicate eyes, filled with concern and affection, softened.

“What were you thinking about?”

“Just… how fast time flies.”

“That’s a good thing.”

The beautiful face drew closer. Leehwan closed his eyes. The soft lips touched his, and as always, his heart fluttered. He opened his mouth, and Absalom’s tongue slowly entered.

After a slow, breath-sharing kiss, Absalom pulled away. Leehwan wiped Absalom’s wet lips and asked,

“What’s a good thing?”

“Time flying means you’re not bored being with me.”

Leehwan’s rough hand cupped Absalom’s cheek. Absalom tilted his head and kissed the hand. His blue eyes were tinged with desire. Leehwan deliberately ruffled Absalom’s hair.

“Put the towel away.”

Absalom obediently got up. On any other day, he might have tried to tease more, but not today.

After tossing the wet towel into the laundry basket, Absalom quickly returned to bed. He lifted the blanket and slipped in, and Leehwan opened his arms to welcome him. Absalom kissed Leehwan’s cheek.

“Goodnight, Leehwan.”

“Goodnight, Rlom.”

Leehwan kissed Absalom’s cheek in return.

𓂃 ོ☼𓂃

The next day, Leehwan and Absalom woke up well before dawn and prepared to go out. Dressed warmly against the cold winter wind, they left the house with the basket in hand.

The surroundings were still dark. They climbed the mountain. By the time they reached the cliff, the eastern sky had begun to lighten.

Leehwan and Absalom spread out a mat near the cliff and sat down. Absalom immediately opened the food basket. The food they had prepared together the previous day was neatly arranged. Thanks to the magic cast on the basket itself, the food remained fresh.

Absalom took out a warm pie and handed it to Leehwan. Meanwhile, Leehwan took a bottle from the basket, poured clam chowder into a cup, and handed it to Absalom.

Having been active since dawn, Leehwan was very hungry and quickly emptied the basket. After finishing the food they had brought, they sipped hot tea and watched the eastern sky. Warmth spread from their intertwined hands.

The spreading light gradually dispelled the darkness. The golden sun slowly revealed itself. When the sun had fully risen, Leehwan turned to Absalom. Their eyes met immediately, as if Absalom had been watching him all along.

Without a word, they tilted their heads. A tender kiss brought smiles to their faces. Leehwan spoke with a smile.

“Let’s have a good year together.”

Thus, the 627th New Year they welcomed together dawned. Leehwan stood up and reached out to Absalom. Taking his hand, Absalom got up and brushed off the debris clinging to Leehwan’s clothes.

Perhaps because of the attentive touch, drowsiness overwhelmed Leehwan. He yawned softly. Absalom laughed and pulled Leehwan’s hand.

“Let’s go home and sleep a bit more.”

With one hand holding Leehwan’s and the other carrying the basket, Absalom walked with light steps. Leehwan glanced at him. Even if he owned the entire world, it wouldn’t bring more joy than seeing Absalom like this. Leehwan thought this as he looked at the familiar expression.

Even if the world changed completely, some things would remain eternal. For example, Absalom’s affection, or the tomorrow they would spend together. Smiling, Leehwan tightened his grip on Absalom’s hand.

[End]