Chapter 86: Fevered Dreams

I shook my head to dispel my stray thoughts and cautiously stepped inside the house. The prospect of intruding when I didn’t even know if the owner was home made me incredibly nervous.

‘I should have just come when he asked me to. Now I feel like a burglar.’

The unfamiliar, spacious interior was clean. It was clean to the point where it felt more like a model house than a place where a person actually lived.

The vivid yellow afternoon sunlight poured through the panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating the sofa, table, and TV. But that was all. Dust had settled on top of the TV, and the sofa showed no signs of anyone having sat on it. I cautiously made my way toward the kitchen. The kitchen, however, was just as unnervingly pristine. The house lacked even the common houseplant or artificial flower.

‘Does he even live here?’

The only thing indicating human habitation was the walk-in closet, which was maintained with military precision. The place that felt most lived-in was the study. Various books were neatly organized, and I could see a large laptop. It was very typical of Choi Do Yun.

I, who was essentially holding a housewarming party without the host, hesitated for a long time in front of the door at the very end of the hallway—what looked like the bedroom. If he wasn’t here either, I could just leave quietly.

If he was there…. It would be a bit embarrassing, but I planned to boldly claim, “I decided to drop by since you’ve been pestering me to come for so long.” I gave a single nod and opened the door.

The inside of Do Yun’s bedroom was very dark. It felt as if time had been severed from the world outside.

Inside the room with blackout curtains drawn, I could hear the breathing of someone lying quietly. As I approached, I saw Do Yun lying there, his face flushed and soaked in sweat. Startled, I immediately placed my cold hand on his forehead. It felt like a furnace.

“Hey…. Hey, are you okay?”

I shook Do Yun’s shoulder weakly. However, Do Yun only let out a groan and couldn’t open his eyes. Looking around, I spotted a water glass and a packet of medicine. Fortunately, it seemed he had taken his medicine.

‘He didn’t actually break a bone, did he?’

Worried, I lifted the covers here and there, but luckily, I didn’t see any arms or legs in a cast. I quickly shed my coat and ran to the bathroom to soak a towel in cold water.

I dragged a chair over and sat beside Do Yun. Then, starting from his forehead, I wiped him down, pressing gently against the back of his neck. He made pained noises and muttered as if talking in his sleep. He seemed to be drifting in and out of consciousness.

But then, his eyes suddenly fluttered open, looking hazy. He looked at me and spoke in a cracked voice.

“Hyung…?”

“Yeah?”

“How did you get into my house?”

“…….”

He went straight to the point.

I had clearly planned to answer a question like that by saying something like, “I, your superior, have graced you with my presence because you begged so much,” but seeing Do Yun drifting in and out of it because he was so sick, I couldn’t bring myself to say that, even as a joke. Moreover, the fact that the password to this guy’s house… was my birthday left me even more speechless. Then, Do Yun murmured again.

“…Is this a dream?”

“Yes.”

Having blurted out an answer, I stood up. The towel had turned lukewarm quickly, and I intended to go soak it in cold water again. But then, Do Yun grabbed me firmly as I was about to leave. Then, he suddenly commanded me.

“Then don’t go.”

“Huh?”

“Don’t go…. You said it’s my dream. Stay here.”

With that, he closed his eyes again and lost consciousness. The grip that had held my wrist so strongly loosened. I stood there blankly for a while before snapping out of it like someone waking from a dream and rushing out of the bedroom.

While rinsing the towel, I looked in the mirror and saw that my face was flushed red. I had only been with Do Yun for a brief moment, but it seemed I had caught his fever in the meantime.

I cautiously sat by Do Yun’s bedside again. Then, I placed the once-again cold towel on his forehead. Fortunately, Do Yun had fallen asleep in the meantime.

He made a small sound and shifted his body, his breathing becoming more comfortable. For a while, the room was filled only with the sound of his soft, steady breathing. Feeling pity for him, I murmured softly.

“Don’t be sick.”

At that, Do Yun slowly opened his eyes again. The guy was a really light sleeper. Just as I was thinking I should never speak out loud again, he suddenly grabbed my wrist again and spoke.

“…Hold me.”

I was momentary flustered. It was because Do Yun’s expression looked as if he were staring at something far away and nostalgic.

‘Does he still think this is a dream?’

Then, looking at me with a face that seemed ready to cry, he said:

“Hold me….”

Do Yun’s eyes were unfocused. For an instant, the face of the young child who used to cry in sorrow while thinking of his biological mother overlapped with the grown-up Do Yun’s face. The memory of a day in the past, when I had pulled the crying, turned-away Do Yun into my arms—blanket and all—to pat his back, bloomed vividly in my heart.

After a moment of hesitation, I lifted the covers slightly and lay down quietly beside him. Then, as if he had been waiting, Do Yun rolled toward me. To be precise, it wasn’t that he rolled toward me, but rather that I was forcibly pulled into a tight embrace in his arms.

He used to be a cute high schooler who fit perfectly in my arms, but now Choi Do Yun had grown too large. To make matters worse, he hugged me like a rag doll and threw one leg over my waist, pinning me down so I couldn’t move an inch. I wiggled.

“Hey…. You’re heavy.”

But Do Yun didn’t budge. Not only was he heavy, but I was also getting a bit hot. Do Yun’s entire sweat-soaked body was as hot as if he were on fire. It seemed he had a very severe case of the flu. It hadn’t rained lately and the weather had been nice, so I had no idea why this young guy was acting like this.

Then, Do Yun suddenly hugged me so tight it took my breath away, closed his eyes, and murmured softly.

“So cool.”

“…….”

I lay down with him out of pity, and now he’s treating me like a cooling pillow. I felt indignant, but I managed to reach up, remove the now-lukewarm towel from his forehead, and gently brush aside his sweat-dampened bangs with my fingers. Then, he mumbled.

“…This dream is so good. You were always running away.”

I paused my hand for a moment at his words. At the same time, I felt a slight sense of grievance.

‘Just who are you thinking about?’

But it was then. The hand of the guy who was holding me tightly slowly moved to my waist, and then suddenly slipped under my clothes, stroking up my bare back. I shuddered at the sudden contact with my bare skin. Do Yun’s palms were also burning with fever. As if he wanted to find something cold to touch, his large hand stroked down my back several times.

Genuinely panicked, I twisted my body.

“Hey, hey. Choi Do Yun, you….”

However, Do Yun held me even tighter in his embrace. Then, he leaned in and kissed me just like that.

“……?!”

There was no time to process the situation.

The moment I thought something parched and hot had touched my lips, this time, something wet licked them. Do Yun was tracing my lower lip with his tongue! The heat transmitted from the soft flesh was terrifyingly hot.

I realized then that when a person is too shocked, they simply freeze up. At my stone-like stillness, Do Yun pulled me even closer. When I didn’t open my mouth for him, he seemed to get annoyed and lightly bit my lower lip.

“Nng.”

The moment a small groan escaped, Do Yun’s tongue took the opportunity to slide into my mouth. Simultaneously, my mind went completely blank. The moment the textures of our tongues touched, a dizzying sensation washed over me. If I had been standing, my legs would have surely given out.

I tried to push him away and escape the bed, but since he had been holding me tight with those thick, pillar-like arms for a while now, I couldn’t move anywhere. It was almost suspicious, as if he had asked me to lie down beside him just for this from the very beginning.

To make matters worse, my thin T-shirt was already rolled up to just below my chest. His hand fumbled across my back and then moved to the front. My face turned a deep, explosive red.

‘Snap out of it!’

But I couldn’t shout. It was because Do Yun’s tongue was deep in my mouth, slowly exploring every corner.

A kiss… a kiss this erotic was a first for me. Choi Do Yun was far too good at it. Even his unfocused eyes made the situation feel even more lewd. When I kept squirming, he used one hand to grip the back of my head, making it impossible for me to move at all. It felt as if my desperate resistance was nothing more than the nuisance of an ant brushing against him.

Not just physically, but overwhelmed even in spirit, I could no longer offer any resistance. Every time Do Yun moved his tongue, it felt like a thousand butterflies were fluttering in my chest. I focused so intensely that my hair practically stood on end, just to ensure I didn’t accidentally close my eyes. But the more I did, the redder my face became, like a boiled octopus.

Eventually, a moment later, I—the one who was slightly more sane—squeezed my eyes shut. At that, he let out a low, pleasant laugh from his throat. Do Yun seemed to interpret this as a sort of declaration of defeat.

‘Wait, is he actually awake?!’

Do Yun’s long-lasting kiss was relentless. I couldn’t tell if this act was what he wanted in itself or if it was a prelude to something else. Either way, it was a problem. He acted as if he were going to devour my entire body, moving as if he wanted to conquer everything inside me.