Chapter 64: A Helping Hand and Lingering Feelings

Normally, Yoonwoo would have felt burdened before he could even express gratitude. He wasn’t one to readily accept rewards gained without effort, and he particularly disliked inconveniencing others.

Yeon-chae, aware of this, nervously twitched his broad shoulders, his eyes filled with apprehension. His expression clearly showed he didn’t expect a positive reaction, making him hesitate to admit his helpfulness.

However, Yoonwoo had been suffering from chronic sleep deprivation every night, a consequence of relentless team projects, mounting assignments, and the tiny, bean-sized baby he carried within him.

Yeon-chae, blinking nervously with a tense expression, appeared not merely as a helpful spirit, but as an archangel radiating a divine halo.

“If you don’t like it, hyung…”

“No, I love it. How could I not? You’re truly incredible. How did you finish it so quickly? Oh, Yeon-chae, you’re so lovely, what am I going to do? You’re truly so lovely!”

At Yoonwoo’s torrent of praise, delivered with an intensity that suggested he might burst into tears, Yeon-chae was uncharacteristically flustered. His earlobes flushed crimson, quickly followed by his cheeks, and then a mottled redness spread down his neck.

Yoonwoo opened his arms wide towards him.

“Thank you, truly. Come here, okay?”

With a shy expression, Yeon-chae lowered his head, rolling his eyes helplessly. Yet, as Yoonwoo continued to coax him, he docilely approached and folded himself awkwardly into Yoonwoo’s embrace.

Even with Yoonwoo’s arms fully extended, Yeon-chae’s broad shoulders still protruded beyond his grasp. Yoonwoo patted Yeon-chae’s firm, wide back, repeatedly murmuring, “Thank you, thank you.”

Only then did Yeon-chae seem to relax, his tension easing as he buried his head into Yoonwoo’s shoulder and gave a slight, playful smile.

Having gathered all his belongings, Yoonwoo stepped out of the building to find it was already four in the morning. Though the season was progressing towards midsummer, the dawn air brushed a chilling caress against his neck.

Yoonwacoo shivered, crossing his arms over his chest in a self-embrace. His palms, already cold, offered little comfort.

“Are you cold?”

“A little… Oh, you don’t have to.”

No sooner had the words left his lips than a jacket was draped over Yoonwoo’s shoulders. It was Yeon-chae’s windbreaker, leaving Yeon-chae dressed only in a thin short-sleeved T-shirt. Yoonwoo, startled, shook his head.

“You’ll get cold. You’ll catch a cold. The air is so chilly.”

“I’m not cold.”

“Still, you—”

Just as Yoonwoo reached to return the jacket, Yeon-chae extended his long arm, pulling Yoonwoo’s jacket-clad shoulder into an embrace. Yoonwoo’s round eyes widened in surprise.

When their gazes met, Yeon-chae curved one corner of his mouth into a playful smirk.

“This way, you won’t be cold, right?”

“Huh? Oh…”

A warmth that a thin windbreaker alone couldn’t contain spread through his entire body. Despite Yeon-chae wearing only a short-sleeved T-shirt, a palpable heat emanated from his bare arms.

‘What is this?’ Yoonwoo blinked his dazed eyes a few times, pondering. Yet, he was too warm and too sleepy to delve deeper into any thought.

With a sentiment of, ‘Well, it’s warm, so that’s good enough…’, Yoonwoo resumed walking. He noticed Yeon-chae, clinging close to him, slowly adjusting his long strides to match Yoonwoo’s pace.

‘What is this?’ Yoonwoo wondered again, but it was too late an hour, and he was truly too sleepy to rack his brain.

“Sleep over at my place.”

“Mmmph…”

“What? Really?”

“Yeah, sure…”

Thus, he quickly responded to the gentle, almost coaxing suggestion. Even though he had just woken from a nap, the bean-sized baby in his belly seemed to be fussing for sleep, making him drowsy once more.

The thought of trudging up to his house on the hilltop at four in the morning felt daunting, especially when Yeon-chae’s officetel was only a five-minute drive away. Reaching the parking lot a few steps ahead and getting into Yeon-chae’s car meant he could simply pass out.

Yoonwoo ultimately succumbed to the allure of languid slumber, pulling at the hem of Yeon-chae’s T-shirt and urging him to hurry.

“Let’s go quickly. I’m so sleepy.”

“Ah, yes, yes.”

Yeon-chae, looking somewhat flustered, fumbled about. Soon, they arrived at Yeon-chae’s car, and Yoonwoo slipped into the passenger seat through the door Yeon-chae held open for him.

The seat, perhaps with its heater turned on, felt warm against his bottom. His eyelids drooped involuntarily, his eyes closing.

“Wake me when we arrive…”

His voice, thick with sleep, trailed off languidly.

“Sleep well, hyung.”

He thought he heard Yeon-chae’s voice, but without the strength to reply, Yoonwoo plunged into a deep sleep.

His limbs felt as though they were swaying in mid-air. He was nestled in a warm, soft embrace. In his sleep, Yoonwoo reached out, pulling the warmth closer.

The firm, broad chest he was pressed against seemed to flinch momentarily, but quickly regained its composure when Yoonwoo let out a small, groaning whimper. Instead, their pace quickened slightly.

It was a strange sensation; Yoonwoo’s legs were clearly suspended, yet his body moved as if on its own.

Even when his back sank deep into a soft seat, Yoonwoo didn’t awaken. A caress on his cheek tickled him, making him merely chuckle in his sleep.

A soft laugh echoed, mimicking his own. He thought something soft had touched his cheek, but he couldn’t be sure if the memory was a dream or reality.

When he awoke the next morning, Yoonwoo discovered he had monopolized the entire king-sized bed. Rubbing his eyes with a sheepish feeling, he descended to the lower floor.

There, Yeon-chae lay asleep on the living room sofa, his long limbs folded awkwardly. A pang of guilt prompted Yoonwoo to quickly walk over and stand before him.

He gazed down at Yeon-chae. His sleeping face was as beautiful as an angel’s. A sliver of morning sunlight spread across his clear cheek.

As Yoonwoo’s gaze drifted from the bridge of his prominent nose, his eyes landed on Yeon-chae’s lips, which were a vivid, fresh red.

‘What is this?’

A persistent tickle stirred deep within his chest. It was a sensation that had surfaced multiple times since the predawn hours yesterday, when he had stumbled along, half-asleep, cradled in Yeon-chae’s arms.

He had been too drowsy to process it then. Today, while idly staring at Yeon-chae’s sleeping face, he had forgotten the thought entirely.

When Yeon-chae finally opened his eyes, Yoonwoo was asleep, sitting on the rug with his cheek resting on Yeon-chae’s stomach. Yeon-chae sighed, a smile playing on his lips.

“Why are you sleeping here like this, making my heart flutter?”

Yoonwoo, once again fast asleep and snoring softly, remained oblivious to Yeon-chae’s muttered words, lost instead in the depths of a profound dream.

Yoonwoo successfully completed his presentation. Yeon-chae, who had sat in the very front row, meeting Yoonwoo’s eyes whenever he seemed nervous, clapped the loudest.

As he listened to the professor’s ensuing praise after the presentation, Yoonwoo felt a pang of embarrassment. His conscience pricked him, knowing he had merely memorized the script Yeon-chae had prepared and recited it somewhat naturally.

‘What Yeon-chae does for me, well, it’s fine… It’s a special circumstance, after all.’

Yoonwoo tried to appease his constantly complaining conscience with excuses. It wasn’t laziness on his part, but rather his poor condition due to pregnancy.

Since the baby wasn’t made by Yoonwoo alone, it seemed a perfectly reasonable division of labor for Yeon-chae to create the PPT and prepare the presentation while Yoonwoo nurtured the baby within him.

“You did well, hyung. You worked very hard.”

“…”

However, Yoonwoo’s conscience was not so easily swayed by such shallow self-justifications. The moment he met Yeon-chae’s bright, welcoming face, smiling like sunshine, a wave of guilt swelled within him.

His mouth opened on its own accord, and the words spilled from his heart.

“I’m sorry, truly sorry! Is there anything you want? I’ll do anything you ask!”

Yoonwoo expected Yeon-chae to politely decline, but Yoonwoo genuinely wanted to do something, anything, for him.

“……Really?”

Yet, contrary to Yoonwoo’s expectation that he would wave it off, saying it was fine, sparks ignited in Yeon-chae’s eyes.

“Then I’ll use a wish later. You won’t go back on your word, right?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah. Of course…”

Overwhelmed by Yeon-chae’s unusually assertive demeanor, Yoonwoo nodded, his face somewhat bewildered. Yeon-chae straightened his back, lifting one corner of his mouth in a knowing smirk.

His handsome face was alight with an excited expression. He looked incredibly cute in his glee.

Without realizing it, Yoonwoo reached out and ruffled Yeon-chae’s hair. Instantly, Yeon-chae, who had been beaming moments before, suddenly stiffened his expression.

“Why, what’s wrong?”

With his expression wiped clean, Yeon-chae appeared chillingly sharp due to his distinct features. Yoonwoo flinched, nervously assessing Yeon-chae.

Had he disliked having his hair touched? Now that he thought about it, Yeon-chae was dressed in a jacket and slacks, with his bangs swept back and fixed with wax. Even though it wasn’t his presentation, he had clearly put effort into his appearance for the team presentation day.

Yoonwoo withdrew the hand that had been stroking Yeon-chae’s hair, forcing an awkward smile.

“Sorry. Did you dislike it?”

“Touching me isn’t… it’s not like that,” Yeon-chae mumbled, his voice small.

“Hm, what did you say?”

Yeon-chae mumbled in an uncharacteristically small voice. “What did you say?” Yoonwoo pressed again. Only then did Yeon-chae lift his head, his face sulky.

His earlobes were flushed red with shyness, while his cheeks puffed out as if in a pout. Yoonwoo’s hand instinctively reached out to pinch them, but he clenched his teeth and resisted.

“I don’t dislike being touched.”

Yoonwoo, who had been tense a moment ago, now smiled with relief. Yeon-chae then delivered a light tap to the back of Yoonwoo’s unguarded head, his tone a little clearer than before.

“But don’t treat me like a child.”

“Huh?”

“I’m going to be a father soon, not a child.”

“Oh, oh. Sorry.”

“I told you this last time, too.”

“Ah, that’s right. I’m really sorry…”

“So… please respect me.”

“Oh, I, I will.”

Yoonwoo nodded, looking bewildered. Sometime before, when a similar conversation had occurred, Yeon-chae had simply seemed amusing and cute. But today, as much as he was funny and cute, Yoonwoo also felt a tickle somewhere deep in his chest.