They say if hearts connect, bodies connect too. Or was it the other way around? Actually, it doesn't really matter. Cha Euijae is currently racking his brain with random thoughts to distract himself.
'I'm going crazy, really.'
He was lying on Lee Sayoung's king-size bed in his bedroom, stiff as a wooden doll. His hands were neatly folded over his solar plexus. Anyone who saw him would think he was frozen in a cursed pose. Sayoung, who was walking in with a wine bottle and two glasses, narrowed his eyes.
"What are you doing?"
"Just wait... thinking deeply for a moment. Why are you bringing in wine?"
"Just, I'm in a good mood."
Euijae's conscience screamed at the sight of Lee Sayoung's face, which look as content as a well-fed cat.
"Get up."
He put down the wine and held out his hand.
No, I don't want to get up.
But it felt wrong to leave the outstretched hand hanging. Eventually, Euijae took Sayoung's hand and sat up. Sayoung poured red wine into a glass and handed it to him.
"Here. Drink."
No, I don't want to drink.
But his hand betrayed his will and accepted the glass. Euijae generally preferred Korean food to Western, and soju to wine. Of course, those were all excuses. He ate anything Sayoung gave him. He wasn't a picky eater. He just couldn't stand this awkward atmosphere.
Sayoung narrowed his eyes and scanned Euijae.
"Hmm... why are you so strange? Especially today."
"What, what about me?"
"Why are you so awkward? It's not like we've only slept together once or twice?"
Of course not. The two of them were practically living together at Sayoung's house, and they always shared a bed when they were both home. In fact, Euijae had insisted that he didn't want to impose, since he had a room at the hangover soup restaurant and his old house, but Sayoung had cut him off sharply.
'If you want to arrest me with your own hands and throw me in jail, go ahead.'
It was a declaration that if they didn't live together, he would commit a crime to make him come and arrest him. Euijae surrendered, hearing a threat he'd never heard before. Okay, let's sleep together, you rascal!
That's how their cohabitation began. Lee Sayoung, the former leader of Pado Guild and current freelance hunter, went to work as a customer at the hangover soup restaurant whenever he didn't have any work to do, and Cha Euijae, the former Rank 1 hero and current owner of the hangover soup restaurant, had evolved into a respectable business owner.
They went to work together in the morning, came home together in the evening, and fell asleep in the same bed. It was a life full of love that any sweet couple would dream of.
But the reason he was so awkward today was...
The glasses clinked together, making a clear sound. Sayoung was clearly excited. He put the glass on the side table and kissed Euijae all over his face. The unique sweet scent mixed with the scent of wine, creating a richer aroma than usual. I'm going crazy. Sayoung chuckled as Euijae flinched his shoulders.
"Is this your first time kissing? Why are you so stiff?"
"Hey, that's different from this."
"What's different?"
A dark hand brushed his side. Euijae shuddered.
"Well, like this... when you set the mood, it's a bit..."
"Are you nervous?"
"Yeah... it's a bit awkward."
Plump lips approached softly. Uh... Their tongues intertwined, and the scent of wine became even stronger. Euijae tilted his head slightly. All his senses were reacting to Sayoung's every move. While he was losing his mind, a large hand slipped under his shirt and stroked his waist and chest. It was a natural touch.
But that touch snapped him back to reality. Euijae quickly pulled away.
"Hey, wait a minute..."
Cold fingers didn't stop and rubbed his nipples. It wasn't a stimulation that immediately led to pleasure, but something about the ticklish sensation felt awkward. Euijae hunched his neck.
"Ugh..."
Sayoung skillfully moved his hands, groping and caressing every part of his body. Damn it, why is he so skilled? Heat rose wherever his hands touched. His breathing gradually became labored, and then his hand slipped out from under his clothes. And Sayoung knelt between Euijae's legs, who was lying on the bed.
"Can I take off your pants?"
Don't bother asking for permission. Euijae covered his eyes with his arm and nodded slightly. With a chuckle, a hand reached for his waist. The gray sweatpants were easily pulled down, revealing his underwear and bare legs.
A dark hand cupped his foot and kissed the instep. It was a very tender kiss. Euijae trembled.
"Hey! Why are you doing that to my feet..."
"Because... I want to."
Sayoung didn't stop at kissing. He stuck out his dark tongue and licked each of his toes. The sensation of the wet tongue digging into the gaps between his toes made Euijae gasp and twist his waist.
Lee Sayoung is crazy. He must be crazy.
The wet, ticklish sensation numbed his mind. Euijae twitched his legs every time he felt the sensation of the tongue. His toes kept curling up.
It's ticklish, but strangely, it feels good. Damn it, my head isn't working. His labored breathing gradually became heated.
The hand that had been rubbing the hollow of his sole pulled his ankle. At the same time, his legs were placed on something solid. Naturally, his legs and waist floated in the air, and the solid knees and thighs filled the space. A tingling pain ran through his calves. Euijae was startled and lowered his arm.
Sayoung was looking down at him, gnawing on the calves that were draped over his shoulders. His purple eyes were intense.
"Hyung."
For a moment, Euijae realized what he looked like. His shirt was pulled up to his chest, and his legs were spread apart over his shoulders. Euijae's face flushed. It was a revealing pose. He couldn't hide anything. Not his flushed face, not the bulge in his underwear, not his twitching legs. Everything.
At that moment, his mind went blank. When his brain stopped working due to excessive shame, his most primal instinct, the survival instinct, was the first to kick in.
Euijae's legs moved flexibly and slipped out of Sayoung's grasp. And gaining momentum in the air,
Thwack!
He hit something. A rather violent impact sound rang out. Wait a minute. Euijae, with his leg extended, suddenly came to his senses.
Didn't I actually just hit something?
Euijae looked with trembling eyes at the place his heel had struck. His heel was precisely on Sayoung's side.
"..."
"..."
A hellish silence flowed. This is crazy. Am I really crazy? Euijae quickly got up and grabbed Sayoung's shoulders.
"Sa, Sayoung-ah, are you okay? Ah, shit, I'm really sorry, I was too nervous. Ah, damn it, I'm going crazy. Are you okay? Does it hurt? Take off your clothes, let me see."
"...Hyung."
"Yeah, yeah. Sayoung-ah. Tell me."
"I'm..."
"Yeah, yeah..."
"...it hurts a little."
Euijae, who was about to tear off Sayoung's top, raised his head sharply. Cold sweat was beading on his pale skin. Sayoung was clutching the area where his heel had strick and crouching down. Euijae jumped up.
"Sayoung-ah!"
I'm screwed.
Euijae put his arm around Sayoung's shoulders, rummaged through his pants, and took out his phone. After a few rings, the other party answered the phone.
—Yes, this is A Small Miracle Ming-
"119!"
—Excuse me?
"Please call 119! Quickly!"
At that moment, a dark hand grabbed Euijae's wrist. Sayoung glared at him with fierce eyes.
"Damn it... not 119. Do you want the news to report it?"
"What? Then what should I do!"
"Nam Woojin..."
Euijae shouted urgently.
"Seowon Guild! Please take me to Teacher Nam Woojin!"
—Excuse me? Customer, I'm currently undercover trying to catch a criminal?
"Ah, I'll catch him so hurry!"
—Huh?
Euijae squeezed his eyes shut and shouted.
"He's about to die!"
***
"So, he's about to die."
Nam Woojin looked down at the two people lying on the beds and asked.
"Which one is about to die?"
Romantic Opener and Lee Sayoung were lying on separate beds. Romantic Opener, who had opened the door in a hurry, was intermittently retching and sweating profusely, and Lee Sayoung was staring at the ceiling with empty eyes, as if he couldn't believe he was here.
Anyone could see that Romantic Opener's condition was more serious. A member of the Seowon Guild came in and rolled Romantic Opener's bed out. The groaning sounds of a zombie slowly faded away. Euijae and Seo Mingi respectfully folded their hands and waited for Nam Woojin's verdict.
As he sat down on the chair, the boy turned on the monitor. An X-ray of Lee Sayoung's ribs appeared starkly. He's got a straight spine. Euijae was admiring Sayoung's spine.
Nam Woojin rested his chin on one hand and zoomed in on the X-ray. And he pointed to one spot with the mouse cursor.
"Here, you see."
A thin gray line was visible on the opaque white rib. Nam Woojin drew a yellow circle around the gray line with a cursor.
"It's a fracture."
A frac...ture?
A drop of cold sweat ran down his temple. Seo Mingi jumped up.
"How did this happen! Is it serious? Do we need surgery? Damn it, who will pay for our salaries if the Guild Leader dies!"
"You're part of the Awakened Management Bureau now."
"Ah that's right. So they don't have to anymore."
Seo Mingi stopped his mechanical worries and sat quietly in his seat. Nam Woojin pressed his temples as if he had a headache.
"A fracture isn't just when a bone is completely broken. A crack in the bone is also a fracture."
The mouse cursor circled around the faint gray line once again.
"In other words, here. There's a crack in the rib. A very small crack. Therefore, it's a fracture."