Chapter 71: Unexpected Morning

The bed was expansive, so wide that Yoonwoo could roll multiple times without ever reaching its edge. Sleeping at opposite ends would ensure they wouldn’t even sense each other’s presence.

Given they were bound to live together for a considerable time, maintaining excessive formality would only prove cumbersome.

Yoonwoo hastily changed into his pajamas, then launched himself onto the bed, burying his cheek in a plush pillow.

The continuous rush of water from the shower room finally ceased.

Listening to the steady rhythm of footsteps, Yoonwoo found himself nodding off, succumbing to drowsiness.

He had intended to wait for Yeon-chae, to offer a ‘You worked hard today, good night,’ but the overwhelming tide of sleep proved irresistible.

Turning his head toward the shower room door, Yoonwoo’s eyelids fluttered shut. His plan was to rest his eyes for just a moment, then rouse himself when Yeon-chae emerged.

Then, in a fleeting instant, darkness swallowed his vision.

His eyes snapped open, and his vision was instantly flooded with brightness.

Sunlight streamed through the large glass window, illuminating every corner of the bedroom. Even in his half-sleep, Yoonwoo groaned, blaming himself.

‘I couldn’t even wait for that and just fell asleep.’ With the night’s greeting missed, he decided to at least say good morning. He reached out to the other side of the bed.

Nothing met his fingertips. Remembering how incredibly vast the bed was, he rolled over to the opposite end, nearly tumbling off. ‘What is this?’

As his mind slowly cleared, Yoonwoo was utterly flustered. Yeon-chae was not in the bed.

“Yeon-chae!”

Stumbling out of the bedroom, Yoonwoo spotted an elongated silhouette stretched out on the living room sofa and urgently called his name. However, the broad shoulders didn’t budge.

“Why are you sleeping out here…”

He crouched beside the sofa, gazing at Yeon-chae’s sleeping face. Long eyelashes cast faint shadows beneath his eyes. His handsome face, chiseled like a marble sculpture, appeared both pristine and cool.

‘So, this is my new housemate now,’ Yoonwoo thought, admiring Yeon-chae for a long time. He watched until Yeon-chae, who had been deeply asleep, slowly began to stir, eventually shifting his body and letting the thin blanket covering his shoulders fall away.

Where the blanket had been, Yeon-chae’s bare body was revealed. He was wearing a shower robe, wide open at the front.

Distinct muscular contours were etched across his moderately sun-kissed skin. His broad chest gently rose and fell with Yeon-chae’s breaths.

“What? How can you sleep without changing clothes?”

Yoonwoo’s cheeks instantly flushed, prompting him to make a baseless fuss about pajamas. He felt that if he could just get that chest out of his sight, this burning sensation might subside.

Flustered, he snatched the blanket and pulled it up to Yeon-chae’s neck, tucking him in securely.

At that very moment, Yeon-chae’s eyes opened. As their gazes met, a peculiar glint flickered in his clear, light brown eyes.

“…Yeon-chae.”

He felt compelled to say something. So, Yoonwoo called out to him in a raspy voice. His throat felt swollen and sore, as if he were catching a cold. He didn’t even consider that it might be a phantom pain caused by awkwardness and tension.

Yeon-chae merely looked up at Yoonwoo without a word.

He seemed half-asleep. Yet, his gaze toward Yoonwoo was clear and sharp, as if he were gauging the boundary between dream and reality. He reached out a hand to Yoonwoo.

The space between them, unresisted, vanished in an instant.

“Yeon—”

Yoonwoo was about to call Yeon-chae’s name. He couldn’t finish the pronunciation because Yeon-chae, who had risen halfway, leaned in and kissed him. Rough skin met soft warmth. A sensation like being burned enveloped his mouth.

Yoonwoo gasped, struggling to draw breath. However, Yeon-chae gave him no respite. A soft tongue delved into Yoonwoo’s mouth, exploring and rummaging.

His once dry lips were instantly drenched with a saliva he couldn’t tell whose it was. Tongues intertwined, his palate scraped. Every time Yeon-chae’s tongue flickered, a groan escaped him involuntarily. Shivers ran down his spine with every wet, slapping sound that echoed.

“Sto-stop, I can’t breathe…”

Only when his vision began to flicker white did Yeon-chae finally release him. Even as he gasped for breath, his head spun. ‘What was that?’

A bewildered feeling and a vague fear arrived simultaneously. He couldn’t comprehend what this sensation was.

“You, what you just did…”

‘What was it?’ He couldn’t figure it out himself, so he intended to question Yeon-chae. However, Yoonwoo found himself closing his mouth once more.

It was because Yeon-chae smiled, his long eyes curving like crescent moons. Yoonwoo was momentarily captivated.

And the next moment, Yeon-chae’s eyelids snapped shut. His even breathing began to whistle softly. Only then did Yoonwoo stiffly move his frozen body and let out a sigh.

“You… asleep?”

No answer came. Yoonwoo truly felt dumbfounded. Suddenly left alone, he dazedly touched his own lips. His swollen lips met his fingertips.

‘So, what exactly was that just now?’

“What was that?”

His heart stirred strangely. Yoonwoo raised his head, pulling his body away from Yeon-chae. He noticed an empty liquor bottle and glasses on the living room table.

If Yeon-chae had drunk that much, he must have only fallen asleep at dawn. Yoonwoo then realized that Yeon-chae’s breath carried a faint scent of alcohol.

His mind had been utterly blank when their lips had met, so he hadn’t noticed at all. The moment he realized this, both his cheeks instantly flared with heat.

“Honestly, what a dramatic drunkard.”

Yoonwoo muttered reproachfully, then picked up the blanket that had fallen to the floor and covered Yeon-chae’s body once more.

That morning, Yeon-chae had a dream. It was a tender and happy dream.

In the dream, Yoonwoo smiled at Yeon-chae, and that smile made his heart flutter, causing him to instinctively reach out his arm toward him.

Yoonwoo, who was pulled in docilely, opened his mouth slightly. His lips seemed to move, as if speaking, but Yeon-chae couldn’t tell if he was calling his name or saying, ‘Kiss me.’

Regardless, it was a dream. Yeon-chae decided to interpret it as he pleased, hugging Yoonwoo tightly and kissing him.

The soft, tender lips tasted incredibly sweet. So sweet, in fact, that Yeon-chae felt as though he could now eat as much sweet cake as he wanted, to the point of his mouth tingling.

The flight to Phuket was scheduled to depart at 3 PM. Yoonwoo rushed Yeon-chae along, heading for the airport.

He preferred to arrive by noon for peace of mind, but Yeon-chae’s dawdling meant it was already approaching 11 AM.

“I’m sorry.”

Safely seated in the airport limousine, Yeon-chae hung his head dejectedly. It was clear he was watching Yoonwoo’s reaction, but Yoonwoo couldn’t easily bring himself to speak.

It wasn’t simply that he was angry because Yeon-chae had drunk until dawn and overslept. His mind was complicated, and his chest had been throbbing since morning. Yet, he couldn’t confide this strange and unfamiliar feeling to Yeon-chae.

“Did I act drunk?”

“…”

Yeon-chae, with a face like a bloated, burst dumpling, spoke innocently. Only Yoonwoo felt his chest about to burst with frustration. However, no matter how much he racked his brain, pretending not to know seemed the best course of action.

‘If I don’t just let it go, what then? What can I say to a bloated water dumpling who doesn’t even remember what he did?’

So Yoonwoo shook his head with a resigned expression. Yeon-chae’s expression brightened with relief, but facing that cheerful face only made Yoonwoo’s mood sour even more.

His heart kept fluttering ever since that inexplicable kiss this morning, leaving him in a foul mood.

“You must be tired too, hyung. Get plenty of rest at the resort once we arrive.”

Conversely, Yeon-chae chattered excitedly, as if his gloomy mood from yesterday had completely lifted. Yoonwoo was about to ask if he had a good dream, but stopped himself.

He belatedly remembered how he and Yeon-chae had ended up on a honeymoon trip together. He thought, ‘What’s the point of arguing about a drunk kiss when I already got into a big accident while drunk and even got pregnant?’

‘Anyway, both of us need to stay away from alcohol from now on,’ Yoonwoo sighed, thinking only to himself.

The honeymoon was a wedding gift from Seowoo. Considering Yoonwoo’s physical condition, Phuket became their destination. Seowoo had expressed disappointment that they couldn’t go somewhere far like Europe or America this time.

However, for Yoonwoo, who had always clamored for a pool villa, it was the optimal choice. The semester he spent pregnant had been incredibly difficult. Yoonwoo simply wanted to sprawl on a beach chair at the pool villa, relaxing completely by just watching the sea without going in.

Thanks to Seowoo’s thoughtfulness, Yoonwoo rode first class for the first time in his life. Yet, even first class was no use for the tingling pain in his ears during takeoff. He covered both ears with his hands, but the pain didn’t subside.

Just as tears welled up in his eyes, Yeon-chae suddenly covered Yoonwoo’s nose and mouth. Yeon-chae’s large hand nearly covered Yoonwoo’s entire face.

“Mmmph?”

Yoonwoo’s eyes widened as he looked up at Yeon-chae. A worried gaze met his.

“Breathe out deeply. Slowly.”

“Hoo… mmmph.”

Even as he wondered how he could breathe with everything blocked, he slowly tried to mimic Yeon-chae’s breathing. He felt something pop lightly inside his ear.

The surrounding noises, which had sounded muffled, gradually returned to normal. By the time Yeon-chae removed his hand, all the pain inside his ear had vanished.

“Ah… that was surprising. It really hurt.”

“I feel it a bit too. It always happens during takeoff and landing.”

Despite that, Yeon-chae seemed completely at ease.