Swallow Hunting - Chapter 54.2
He had expected to be cursed at and pushed away for being filthy since it was such a tremendous discourtesy, but Lee Kang-ju defied expectations and pulled Hae-jun into his embrace. Although his face was flushed with shame, Hae-jun sealed the words asking to be let down inside his mouth and buried his forehead deep into the crook of Lee Kang-ju’s neck.
Lee Kang-ju was an unpredictable man. One moment he was drawing lines as cold as a crack in a glacier, yet whenever their bodies overlapped, he was like a fire burning logs. He heated the air and melted Hae-jun as well.
Hae-jun clung to him obediently. In truth, it was what he had wanted to do the moment he saw Lee Kang-ju. Swallowing his embarrassment, he satisfied his own greed.
***
They had tumbled around in the bathroom for a while, and it seemed he had fallen asleep afterward as if passing out. Hae-jun opened his eyes at the sensation of the bed tilting to one side. After washing the collapsing Hae-jun and moving him to the bed, Lee Kang-ju had finally emerged from the bathroom and was sitting on the edge of the mattress by his head.
Hae-jun wriggled aside and patted the spot next to him. Lee Kang-ju stared at him for a moment before slowly lying down. Since he had no suitable clothes to wear, he was naked, and because the bed was narrow, bare skin brushed against bare skin. It wasn’t soft or supple. It was hard like a log, like a boulder that hurt when pressed.
Even so, he didn’t want to pull away. Hae-jun liked the narrow bed. It would have been fine even if it were more cramped.
“During that time…”
His voice was hoarse. Even though he had tried his best to hold back his moans, he couldn’t stop his throat from going raw. When Hae-jun cleared his throat with a dry cough, Lee Kang-ju held out a bottle of mineral water he had placed on the table. Hae-jun moistened his throat first and handed it back, and Lee Kang-ju naturally put his lips to the water as well.
“How have you been during that time?”
Since his eyes kept drifting toward the man’s lips, Hae-jun deliberately turned his head the other way. He had just drunk water, but he was thirsty all over again.
“Every day was the same. What about Mr. Cha Hae-jun?”
“Me too.”
In truth, many things had happened. It had rained, there were days with thunder and lightning, and he had been doused in liquor after meeting a loan shark. He had been slapped, too. Looking later, his lip had been torn. Now, the scab had even fallen off, so it wasn’t noticeable unless one looked closely.
He didn’t speak of the dark incidents. He did so because he wanted Lee Kang-ju to stay comfortably and leave in peace. Though, even if he did reveal them, Lee Kang-ju likely wouldn’t particularly care.
“Why didn’t you take the bread?”
“…Pardon?”
His answer was delayed because he was busy stealing glances at the man’s moving lips. Hae-jun pretended to think, fixing his gaze on the ceiling for no reason.
“Ah, that delicious bread.”
If he meant that bread that melted in his mouth, Hae-jun had also agonized over whether to bring it or not. However, since there was no way he would make breakfast for himself in a place where Lee Kang-ju wasn’t present, he had left it behind.
Hae-jun tended to skip meals or eat poorly when he was alone. Sometimes he even skipped them entirely if Yohan didn’t look after him and tell him to eat together. He had thought that perhaps Lee Kang-ju might at least eat a little if it wasn’t something Hae-jun had made himself. He wasn’t without such thoughts.
“I forgot.”
Hae-jun gave a silly grin. Lee Kang-ju stared at him silently for a moment.
“Then the frame?”
“That is a gift. I intended to give it to you in person, but I couldn’t find the time. …Do you not like it?”
He wondered if the atmosphere could really change because of a single frame, but he hoped it would be like a small flower in a desolate house. He wouldn’t deny that a secret greed was hidden within. He wanted Lee Kang-ju to see that photo when he entered the hallway and think of him. He had hoped the man might send a text or make a call because of it.
“I will return it.”
“You can just keep it.”
“I don’t need it.”
A rejection like a wall made Hae-jun’s lips pout. He covered his face while pretending to yawn so that Lee Kang-ju wouldn’t see.
Lee Kang-ju suddenly reached out his hand. He brushed away a strand of hair stuck to Hae-jun’s cheek. Even though he had heartlessly rejected the gift, his touch was full of tenderness. His disappointed heart felt as if it would melt away at just one gentle touch.
Hae-jun’s gaze naturally turned toward Lee Kang-ju. He could only see the lips. Even as he tried to turn his eyes away, repeating to himself like a brainwashing mantra that he saw nothing, his gaze returned there, making his efforts futile.
If the man said a word, if his lips curved into an arc, or even if he simply breathed, Hae-jun ended up looking. His eyes chased only that. He even became dazed. He would gape his mouth and sometimes gulp down his saliva. He was just falling for those lips like an idiot.
Would it be okay if I did it first? Would he say it’s disgusting? Last time, the man had granted it as a reward for working hard, but right now, I haven’t done anything well, have I? He searched for something to be praised for, but there was nothing plausible.
‘Should I ask if I can kiss him?’
His lips went dry at the mere thought. Without realizing it, Hae-jun’s head was already tilted at an angle. His lips parted. His body was unconsciously moving closer to Lee Kang-ju.
Then, for a split second, he barely regained his senses and pulled his head back. That was a close call. What if Lee Kang-ju felt offended, thinking he had crossed the line? If no one were watching, he would have slapped his own cheek severely.
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