M 207

Side Story 3 Episode 9

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“…It hurts.”

“Come on. It doesn’t hurt now, does it?”

“What… how can you say that? You’re just doing whatever you want.”

“Do you think I don’t know my darling’s body?”

I probably know it better than you do, Ki Tae-jeong added nonchalantly, making Lee Sehwa’s cheeks flush a little more.

“Anyway, I’m glad you’re feeling better.”

“Me too….”

As Ki Tae-jeong gently stroked and massaged his calf with his thumb, Sehwa’s body melted away as if he had never been embarrassed. He sprawled out like a small animal lying on the warm floor, even making a cute, purring sound without realizing it.

“Ah, right! Lieutenant General! What did you tell Hae-rim? About Sunshine^[1].”

“I haven’t said anything yet. Just that his little daddy’s body has become very weak and he needs to rest.”

“Really…?”

“I just made something up for now.”

Ki Tae-jeong hurriedly added an explanation, worried that Lee Sehwa, who had barely regained his senses, might be concerned that his condition was so bad, or that he might lose the baby in his womb.

“I was worried Hae-rim might get stressed. That his little daddy was hospitalized because of his sibling, and he might say he doesn’t want a second one.”

“Ah, I guess so….”

Sehwa bit his pale, dry lips and fell into thought. He seemed to be pondering how to break the news to Hae-rim.

“He’ll find out eventually, so take care of your health first.”

“…I will.”

Ki Tae-jeong gently stroked and massaged Sehwa’s slender calves, moving up to the back of his knees, from his knees to the area where his thighs began. Areas where his tongue used to reach first, busy sucking and chewing. Even as Sehwa’s shoulders twitched slightly at the gentle touch, he felt more relief than arousal. Just a while ago, he would have gotten a hard-on as soon as Sehwa’s skin touched his hand, but now, just watching Lee Sehwa chatter away filled him up. Eros, Agape… he had no interest in the subtle distinctions of love, but he was certain that all the love he had belonged to this person.

“Thank… you, Lieutenant General.”

“For what.”

“For everything….”

Lee Sehwa mumbled in a fading voice as he lifted his other foot.

“You must have been very surprised too, Lieutenant General….”

Sehwa’s slightly lowered eyes were filled with all sorts of emotions. Apology, worry, gratitude, embarrassment…. But the biggest one was still love for Ki Tae-jeong. It was so clearly swollen that he couldn’t ignore it, an unmistakable love.

“You’re crying again, my darling.”

“…….”

“You know you’re more of a crybaby than Hae-rim, right?”

Ki Tae-jeong ended up saying nothing and carefully massaged the legs of Sehwa, who could only swallow his sobs. He didn’t tease him for just fiddling with the sleeves of his patient gown, but simply touched his small feet in silence. Each time he rubbed the pale skin with his thumb, warmth slowly seeped in.

What should he say? Watching the areas where his hands passed gradually warm up, he felt as if he was sharing his life with Sehwa. He scoffed at himself inwardly for having such grand thoughts just from caressing his feet, but soon became desperate.

How wonderful would it be if he really could. If he could share his life, his body so solid that he doubted it was immortal, with him. He felt like he could kneel and beg on a thorny path, not just in the midday desert. No, he could. For Lee Sehwa, he would do anything. So he hoped this person wouldn’t collapse. That he wouldn’t be in pain, that he could praise the beautiful life without knowing any hardship….

Ki Tae-jeong gently kissed the instep of his foot, where the veins were bulging out. He’d said the veins on the back of his hand and his forearm kept disappearing, so they had to stick the needle in his foot at dawn yesterday. Ki Tae-jeong showered short kisses over the bruise that was still bluish because he hadn’t been given a recovery injection yet. A kiss that didn’t even have a soft, ticklish sound, but felt somehow reverent.

Don’t worry, I’m not surprised, I’m okay… Instead of saying such sweet words, Ki Tae-jeong kept kissing Sehwa’s instep and ankle until his crying subsided. Perhaps the reason why Lee Sehwa couldn’t call out to him or stop him at this moment was the same as his. Because he loved him, because he was grateful that he was alive.

“Um… Lieutenant General.”

When he looked at Sehwa with only his eyes raised, he pressed down on his eyes, which were red from crying, and made an unexpected request.

“I was wondering if I could write a letter to Hae-rim… Could you possibly deliver it?”

“A letter?”

“Yes, I think I can sit for a while today… so I’d like to write one.”

“Okay. Wait a minute. I’ll go buy some stationery right away.”

“No, you don’t have to go that far… just a notebook or memo pad here would be enough.”

“Will that be okay?”

“Of course. I sometimes write letters… no, notes like that to Hae-rim, and he loves getting them every time.”

“Really?”

“Yes. He says it feels more special.”

Well, if that’s the case. Ki Tae-jeong ordered rice porridge with the tablet in the room and rummaged through the shelves in the living room to take out writing utensils.

Come to think of it, they’ve never exchanged letters as a couple. He’d never written a letter to Sehwa, and neither to Hae-rim. Feeling embarrassed for no reason, Ki Tae-jeong stroked his chin a few times and thought that he should write a short card for this wedding anniversary and the child’s birthday.

“Can I sit next to you?”

When he asked if he could get even closer than he was now, Sehwa nodded vigorously after a moment’s hesitation.

“I’m really okay now.”

Although he said that, Sehwa was struggling even with the outside smells that clung to him, so Ki Tae-jeong carefully sat on the edge of the sofa.

“Lieutenant General, you know. Could you tell me if I make any spelling mistakes?”

“Spelling?”

“Yes. I usually look it up in the dictionary when I write… but looking at my phone now will make me feel nauseous.”

Not wanting to ruin the condition he had barely managed to pull himself up to, Sehwa prepared to write the letter carefully and seriously. While Lee Sehwa was clenching and unclenching his hands to loosen his stiff muscles, Ki Tae-jeong carefully narrowed the distance between them as if he were hunting. From the edge of the sofa to a little further to the side, and then a little further… As he advanced slowly as if crawling, Sehwa, who noticed the suspicious movements next to him, laughed as if he was dumbfounded.

“What are you doing, Lieutenant General.”

The end of his words slightly drawn out.

Lee Sehwa’s unique laughter, like a balloon bursting.

Although he had a little less strength than before, Ki Tae-jeong also smiled slightly because he somehow felt a vibrant life force from today’s Lee Sehwa. With that one small smile, he was able to blow away all the negativity and anxiety that had been smoldering inside him without him realizing it, wondering if he would be okay like this tomorrow, or what would happen if he was a little better today and then collapsed again. Strangely, he had an inexplicable conviction that he would be really okay from today onwards.

“Why are you approaching so slowly?”

“I’d be upset if I pounced in thinking you were okay and made your condition worse.”

“…Ah, ah. You startled… me.”

Lee Sehwa, who had been smiling brightly until just now, was startled like a squirrel caught stealing acorns and trembled, then immediately turned his head to the letter paper. Worried, Ki Tae-jeong kept asking him why, and he hesitated and revealed his inner thoughts with slightly flushed cheeks.

“Um… when you say you’re going to pounce, Lieutenant General, it sounds strange….”