SOG Ch 203

Even in the morning, Jae-chan went all out, preparing a hearty breakfast. The menu reflected Woo-jin’s preference for light first meals— salad, bacon, poached eggs, toasted bread, and oat milk with added almond powder.

Woo-jin couldn’t help but smile as he tasted the baguette, carefully spread with jam and butter. He simply smiled because he was happy.

Jae-chan lifted his expectant gaze.

“Is it good?”

“Yes. Really delicious.”

Though anything Jae-chan made would have been delicious, it was truly sweet and tasty enough to make his tongue tingle. Meals with Jae-chan were always like that. After all, he was someone who richly awakened all of Woo-jin’s senses.

Woo-jin took in the sight of Jae-chan sitting across from him, excitedly pouring carbonated drinks with a gurgling sound.

He knew that even when offered milk, Jae-chan would pretend to like it, take a few sips, and throw the rest away. Jae-chan’s tastes leaned toward soda or fruit-based drinks. Thankfully, he didn’t mind the zero-calorie options Woo-jin slyly swapped in, so he drank them without complaint.

Morning jogging after breakfast was skipped. It was a decision made considering Jae-chan’s recent demanding schedule.

Instead, the two decided to have tea on the terrace. It was a luxury they wouldn’t be able to enjoy once it got colder. A pot and teacups were placed on the long, narrow table of the terrace where cool breezes passed. The persimmon leaf tea that Jae-chan got from his aunt’s house had a very clean aftertaste.

“Why don’t you ever drink milk?”

Woo-jin asked while pushing his empty teacup across the table. It was about Jae-chan’s habit of mainly enjoying carbonated drinks.

“Not true. I like healthy things too, you know?”

As if trying to prove it, Jae-chan downed the remaining persimmon leaf tea in one shot and winced.

“That’s why I like you.”

“My healthy food,” Jae-chan said as he forcefully pulled Woo-jin’s broad shoulders, too wide to fully fit in his arms, into an embrace. Woo-jin burst into incredulous laughter.

While hugging Jae-chan’s waist, Woo-jin suddenly thought that he was like dessert. A presence that added color to his mostly monochrome space. A vibrant and sweet person who breathed life into this safety zone he had built out of obligation.

Suddenly, even while holding him, he wanted to be closer. When he wrapped his arms around Jae-chan’s back and hugged him tightly, Jae-chan also tensed his arms in response. So tantalized, Woo-jin led Jae-chan by the hand to the living room. He lay down on the sofa and placed him on top.

As their chests pressed together without any gap, the complete weight that finally settled was immensely satisfying.

We shouldn’t lie down after eating. But this is nice. Jae-chan who mumbled such things was really too lovely to Woo-jin. The two made pointless chatter and agreed to lie down for exactly 30 seconds.

Days like these seemed to continue perfectly.

Truly sweet days where even their infrequent s3x wasn’t enough to become an issue.

So Woo-jin thought everything would be fine until the end. That is, until Jae-chan refused his kiss on Monday late evening, less than a week before the exam, after a weekend where he could freely kiss and svck on Jae-chan’s chest.

It began like this.

Around 11 PM Monday night, Woo-jin visited the Guide Bureau to meet Jae-chan who was working overtime for the first time in a while.

“Woo-jin.”

In the dark office where all lights except for task lighting were off, Jae-chan, who remained alone, briefly raised his head from behind the partition to greet him.

Though Jae-chan always welcomed him warmly, Woo-jin quickly noticed that those eyes couldn’t tear themselves away from him even more than usual. This was intentional. After all, Jae-chan loved seeing him in jeans and sneakers.

On the desk were scattered documents and index materials from the previous year that Jae-chan had spread out for reference. Woo-jin gently caressed the face that couldn’t look away from him, then took out and handed over a small box from his pocket.

“A gift. For good luck on your exam.”

It was a small packaged set of rice cakes.

“Wow, this is exactly what I was craving.”

Jae-chan briefly exclaimed before carefully opening the package right there. The two brewed hot green tea and shared the rice cakes, getting white powder around their mouths. Though Jae-chan gave an early show of gratitude, saying this would help him ace the exam, Woo-jin just smiled. His true intention had been to give seaweed instead of rice cakes.

“How’s your aunt?”

He changed the subject instead. Today was Ms. Gu Ji-eun’s final health checkup. Jae-chan, who had been incredibly busy lately, even took a half-day off to accompany his aunt to the hospital.

The treatment that was supposed to be completed in two months had been delayed. Woo-jin knew how much his partner wanted his aunt to fully recover, as Jae-chan occasionally expressed anxiety about it.

“They say we don’t need to worry anymore.”

Jae-chan answered with genuine joy. Woo-jin could suppress his petty jealousy thanks to that brightly smiling face with rice cake powder heavily smeared on one corner of his mouth. Seeing Jae-chan smile made Woo-jin even happier.

“I’d like to have a celebration party, but aunt seems to be paying attention to her diet.”

“Though it’s her ability that needs care,” Jae-chan added. He went on to share how Esper Gu Ji-eun was getting younger by the day.

After chatting happily like that for a while, Jae-chan suddenly turned off his computer. He gathered the spread-out materials in order and locked them in the drawer. He also carefully wrapped the remaining rice cakes and packed them in his cross bag.

“Are you done?”

“Almost. I’m planning to finish up early tomorrow morning.”

Jae-chan answered, not wanting to keep Woo-jin waiting any longer and valuing their short date time more.

Meanwhile, Woo-jin swallowed his disappointment, internally concluding that taking him home today would be too much.

Since staying together at the Guide dormitory was impossible, he wanted to take Jae-chan to his home if possible. He wanted to let him wash in warm water, rest well, and then take him back early in the morning. But that was just his own desire. Since Jae-chan always agreed to Woo-jin’s suggestions, Woo-jin sometimes wondered if Jae-chan truly accepted them because he was comfortable, or if he was enduring discomfort.

They had enough time to keep adjusting to each other.

Woo-jin held out his hand to Jae-chan, who had finished turning off the lights. Jae-chan’s smaller hand overlapped with Woo-jin’s large palm. They walked side by side down the darkened hallway, swinging their interlocked hands.

“I really like times like this.”

Jae-chan said, lightly tapping Woo-jin’s side as they comfortably walked down the dark corridor.

“When you’re here, I don’t need lights no matter how dark it gets. I just need to hold your hand and follow.”

“No need to bother turning on phone flashlights either,” Jae-chan whispered in a bright voice. Hearing that voice made Woo-jin’s heart flutter intensely again.

Even while holding hands, he wanted to be closer.

Knowing no one was nearby, Woo-jin led Jae-chan to the emergency exit. It was just a compulsive habit. When touching Jae-chan, Woo-jin preferred enclosed spaces where he could shield him with his body at any moment.

As usual, the two slipped silently into the emergency exit. They were rubbing noses and kissing cheeks and chins, and just as their lips were about to meet—Jae-chan flinched and stepped back.

“…Why?”

Woo-jin asked puzzledly, facing his lover who was as clearly visible as if it were daytime in the particularly dark emergency exit at midnight.

“I think we should restrain ourselves inside the Center.”

An unexpected answer came from Jae-chan. Woo-jin couldn’t understand for a moment, since it wasn’t during work hours.

They had always respected each other’s boundaries regarding physical affection. Just as Woo-jin was careful about ‘location,’ Jae-chan usually considered whether it was ‘work hours’ or not.

But Jae-chan’s standards had suddenly changed. Meeting eyes filled with questions, Jae-chan carefully explained what had been happening.

“It’s not that I’m worried about rumors. But with the exam coming up, I feel a bit apologetic to the team leader.”

“Just trying to be considerate,” Jae-chan muttered, shrugging his shoulders.

Meanwhile, Woo-jin felt confused. Though the situation was perfectly understandable, he recognized his inner self clearly expressing dissatisfaction with the current situation.

“Let’s go to the car. Ah, you go first. In case someone sees.”

Though these were entirely reasonable words, he felt as if his sneakers were glued to the ground.

“Wait in the car,” Jae-chan whispered once more. Woo-jin tried to move naturally as he handed Jae-chan the car keys.

“No, you go first.”

He opened the emergency exit door. He pushed out Jae-chan, who reluctantly turned on his phone flashlight.

Woo-jin remained alone in the silent space, suppressing the growing mass of dissatisfaction in his heart. While feeling some self-disgust at his inability to be considerate of his partner, who would be most uncomfortable if rumors spread.

Woo-jin headed to the parking lot after about a 3-minute interval. By the time he joined Jae-chan waiting in the car, he had already managed to contain his emotions well.

“Are you free Friday evening?”

Woo-jin asked in a calm voice. Friday was the day Jae-chan’s exam would end.

“I’m asking you on a date. You just need to show up, and I’ll treat you to a nice dinner.”

Simultaneously, Woo-jin handed Jae-chan a tablet from the glove box. Jae-chan’s mouth gaped wide as he looked through the organized list of restaurants and menu images. Woo-jin was already known for treating him to delicious meals. Though Jae-chan knew Woo-jin was naturally thorough in planning, his heart would still swell whenever Woo-jin dedicated time like this for him.

Then suddenly, seeing one menu item, his eyes lit up.

“What about after dinner?”

Jae-chan asked.

“Are you free? The whole weekend?”

“…?”

“I want to ask you on a date too.”