Chapter 58: I’ve Prepared Everything

On the steep slope, Yunhwan tightened his grip on the steering wheel. Seonghye was still staring at him with an incredulous expression, while Yunhwan himself was momentarily startled by the words he’d just blurted out before regaining his composure.

Silence stretched for a few seconds. Yunhwan quickly played back the things Seonghye had said to him yesterday, and with a look of firm resolve, he parted his lips again. You said you were a flower, didn’t you?

“You think I’ll stop at herbicide? If I have to, I’ll plow the whole field under and prune you down to the bare branches.”

“…….”

As if trying to erase yesterday’s events from his mind, he refused to look sideways. In contrast, the man beside him stared at Yunhwan without so much as a blink.

“So, act like you did yesterday one more time and see what happens.”

Yunhwan steered the wheel to avoid a deep pothole. Even though the incline had ended, the bumpy country road made it difficult to relax the tension in his fingertips.

Just as he exercised caution while driving to prevent an accident, human relationships were the same. If you let your guard down for even a moment, you never knew when or where something might happen. Even if Min Seonghye—whose body and mind were unstable after a sudden imprint—could be excused for acting that way…

It’s better for me to stop getting entangled, both physically and emotionally. With that vow, Yunhwan spoke with a stern face.

“And you… you’re three years younger than me.”

When he lowered his voice—untypical of his usual self—Seonghye, who had been watching him quietly, gave a smooth nod.

“I know.”

“If you know, then don’t mess around.”

“Don’t mess around?”

“Yeah. No more speaking casually to me, either. I’ve been easy on you, and now you’re crossing all the lines.”

He put strength into his gaze to glare at Seonghye before looking back at the road. However, because he turned his head away so quickly, he had no way of knowing how Seonghye’s eyes were flashing with shifting emotions.

As the truck slowed down, Yunhwan’s field, nestled beneath a clear mountain landscape, began to unfold. Yunhwan took a small, sharp breath at the peaceful view. Seeing the neatly restored field felt like a breath of fresh air for his stifled heart.

The moment he relaxed his bitten lip and gazed at the field, a peculiar energy swirled in the expression of Seonghye, who was still fixated on him.

Toward Yunhwan, who was looking for a place to park despite the uncomfortable silence, Seonghye tossed out a remark.

“But what a shame. Something you said was wrong.”

“…….”

“Herbicide isn’t used to kill flowers; it’s used to get rid of weeds.”

Min Seonghye slowly pulled the corners of his mouth upward. His face, as smooth as porcelain, wore a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. With his gaze still obsessively locked on the other man, he continued.

“So, that doesn’t apply to me. Though I’m sure you didn’t say that because you actually want to kill me.”

“…….”

“If you told me you were going to meet another guy in front of me, that might be different. But a trivial death threat like that doesn’t really work on me.”

‘Death…’

A layer of shadow deepened over Yunhwan’s face.

Those simmering black eyes turned toward Yunhwan, sharp as a blade. He didn’t even need to turn his head to feel it—the gaze directed at him was anything but ordinary.

“And telling me not to mess around… I haven’t even started messing around for real yet.”

“…….”

“If I actually do, do you think you can handle it?”

Muttering as if to make a point, Seonghye turned his head to glance out the window. His eyes were vivid with intensity, but his voice returned to that casual, nonchalant tone.

“Stop here, Hyung. Any further and we’re in the mountains.”

“Hyung-nim, how’s it going with the ‘younger brother’?”

Long strips of gopchang (tripe) were curled and sizzling on the grill. Yunhwan fanned away the acrid smoke rising in the yard and gave a vague nod.

“What do you mean ‘how’s it going’? We’re just living.”

“Aiyoo—look at you, saying things you don’t mean. Isn’t it much better than when you were living alone?”

Seong-pil laughed heartily. Even while laughing, his hands were busy snip-snipping away with scissors before the juices could burst out.

“If he goes back up to the city and leaves you alone, you’re gonna feel so lonely.”

“Where would I have the time to feel lonely…”

“Did you two have a fight?”

“…!”

Yunhwan’s hand, which was pouring beer into a glass, slipped. Because of the sudden question, the alcohol splashed onto the back of his hand, making it damp. Just as he turned his head to look for something to wipe it with—

“Wipe it with this.”

A few wet tissues dropped onto the back of his hand. Yunhwan instinctively looked up and met the gaze of Seonghye, who was looking down at him while holding a child with one arm. Seonghye, who had been soothing Seong-pil’s crying second child, gestured with his eyes toward the tissues when Yunhwan remained frozen.

“It’ll feel sticky, so hurry up and wipe it.”

“Oh…”

Seonghye only left once Yunhwan’s hand was clean again. Watching this, Seong-pil joked about what a good younger brother he had, but the face of the man who actually had that “brother” was colored with distress and awkwardness.

“…….”

The hazel eyes that had been cast downward slowly traveled upward.

The scenery reflected in them was quite romantic.

The rural night sky was exceptionally deep tonight, and the yard of a close friend, marked by children’s toys scattered everywhere, felt nostalgic. And then there were the two of them, Yunhwan and Seonghye, invited to this place…

Was it because the comfort and seclusion of the scene weren’t so bad? Looking back at his surroundings, Yunhwan naturally began to recall the events of the past few days leading up to today.

After Yunhwan’s warning in the truck, their daily life began to flow in a way that was normal, yet not normal at all.

On the surface, each day looked like any other, but if you peeled back a single layer, an unstable and subtle atmosphere permeated their routine.

In Yunhwan’s case, he became obsessed with staying busy, whether at the field or at home. If there was no work, he would make some up, spending his days in a frantic blur.

After repeating this for several days, he began to nod off every time night fell—and then one day, it happened.

It was a day when Yunhwan, having finished another grueling schedule, was sitting dazed in his room. Seonghye, who had drawn the bath in his stead, suddenly asked with a strangely twisted smile.

‘How long do you plan to keep this up?’

‘…Keep what up?’

He replied without making eye contact, but he heard a small, sharp scoff from somewhere.

Suddenly, the light in the room went out, and Yunhwan’s vision was instantly dyed black. Simultaneously, the cool face that had been standing by the door looking at him was hidden by the darkness.

‘Why the lights—’

But the voice that returned was chilling.

‘Tell me honestly.’

Even in the darkness, the voice shot toward him without losing its direction, sounding quite fierce.

‘Is getting a hard-on once because of me really something worth throwing such a fit over?’

Then came the steady sound of footsteps: thump, thump.

It was then that Yunhwan’s left shoulder stiffened and began to tingle. From the awkward sensation brushing against his body, he instinctively knew who was standing to his left.

Min Seonghye whispered softly. Right next to his ear.

‘Shall I ask you straight? Did I suck you off or something?’

Before the flustered Yunhwan could even open his mouth, the words continued.

‘It’s annoying to see you getting hard all by yourself and then blatantly ignoring me as if it’s all my fault.’

Hot breath touched his cheek and scattered, over and over.

Even in the pitch-black darkness, the man held Yunhwan’s wavering pupils firmly. Just as the tension of the invisible restraint made Yunhwan clench and unclench his palms—

‘I’m all prepared to give you everything, but the person who’s supposed to eat seems completely passive.’

With that final hot whisper against his cheek, silence descended again. While Yunhwan sat there stuttering like an idiot at the previous remark, Min Seonghye swallowed his unvented irritation and fell silent.

When Seonghye eventually stood up, the unfamiliar sensation that had covered Yunhwan’s body vanished as if it had never existed. Just as his tension-released body slumped back against the wall—

The voice spoke again, suddenly.

‘Ah—’

Stopping at the doorway, the man made a suggestion that sounded more like a heavy, brief command.

‘Let’s eat out tomorrow.’

‘…Eat out?’

Yunhwan’s eyes went wide at the mention of a word that had never been used between them. Since Seonghye’s purpose for coming down here was clear, their daily life and movements had been very simple until now.

‘Yes. There will be many eyes watching, so you won’t be able to blatantly ignore me like you do at home.’

‘…….’

The sudden plan made Yunhwan even more flustered when today arrived.

Because he never imagined that the “eating out” Seonghye mentioned would be grilling tripe in the yard of a close friend’s house.

“I called because I haven’t seen your face in ages and wanted to grab a bite, but I never expected your ‘brother’ to be the one answering the phone.”

The sizzling gopchang was stacked neatly on one side of the grill.

Seong-pil, who was lightly scraping the burnt bits off the meat with tongs, glanced at Yunhwan. Specifically, his eyes widened at the sight of Yunhwan’s already empty beer glass.

“What’s this? Since you’re not alone on the way back, is the booze just sliding right down?”

While he made such a surprised face, Seonghye pulled out a chair and sat down across from Yunhwan. Looking at the glass Seong-pil had filled for him with a bland expression, the man eventually gave Yunhwan a light look.

Want to drink? A mischievous voice seemed to be buried in the gaze directed his way.