Hyesung didn’t manage to get out of bed until after 11 a.m. Noticing that the heat in his inner thighs had subsided, he realized that Lee Hyuk must have woken up early to apply a hot compress again. Lee Hyuk never seed to find it botherso to take care of him like this, and thanks to his consistent attentiveness, Hyesung no longer felt worn out the day after they were intimate. Lee Hyuk had even gone as far as to buy a hot pack for Hyesung’s house the last ti.
After washing up, Hyesung instinctively checked his phone first.
[Hyesung, make sure you eat before you go. I’ll call you after my eting. Text when you’re heading down.]
A smile naturally spread across Hyesung’s face as he read the ssage Lee Hyuk had sent. These days, it seed like he had many reasons to smile, and it all started after he began dating Lee Hyuk. Perhaps it was true that being in love made the world seem more beautiful.
Although Hyesung didn’t usually believe in such unscientific notions, he had co to understand that not everything in life could be explained by logic.
He headed to the kitchen, where he found a packaged al on the table. Lee Hyuk had rembered Hyesung ntioning that he felt a bit off after eating popcorn at the movies the previous day, so he had prepared so porridge for him.
“What’s this?”
It wasn’t like Lee Hyuk to be so considerate, but Hyesung was pleased as he heated the porridge and sat down at the table. He then rembered that he hadn’t responded to Lee Hyuk’s ssage earlier, so he picked up his phone again.
[Okay. Work hard.]
He sent the ssage and was about to resu eating when he suddenly wondered if his responses were too stiff for soone in a romantic relationship.
“Hmm…”
Scratching his head, Hyesung picked up his phone again.
[I miss you.]
It was a simple ssage without any of the usual emoticons, but it took a lot of courage for Hyesung, who had never said sothing like this before.
Feeling embarrassed, he was about to put his phone down when it suddenly vibrated.
“Ah, that scared …”
Hyesung set his spoon down and stared at the screen.
“Hello?”
Hyesung.
“Did your eting end?”
Yeah. But what’s with the ssage you just sent?
As expected, Lee Hyuk had called imdiately after receiving the “I miss you” ssage.
“What do you an? It’s not like I said anything difficult.”
Hyesung tried to remain calm, but he could sense Lee Hyuk clearing his throat on the other end of the line.
Oh, I see. Do you really miss that much?
“Aren’t you at work right now?”
Hyesung wondered what would happen if soone overheard this. It seed like Lee Hyuk, as usual, was fearless.
I’m alone in my office. So, do you really miss ?
“Yes, I do.”
In the end, Hyesung couldn’t overco his embarrassnt, and his words ca out jumbled. When he heard Lee Hyuk laugh on the other end, his face felt like it was going to burst from the heat.
Can you say it directly?
“After teasing so much?”
I just want to hear it in your voice.
Hyesung hesitated for a mont, but his overwhelming sense of sha prevented him from speaking. As Hyesung struggled, Lee Hyuk laughed again.
That’s enough for now. Make sure you eat.
“…You too, make sure to eat well.”
I will.
Swallowing the words he couldn’t bring himself to say, Hyesung fiddled with his spoon.
I love you, Hyesung.
Lee Hyuk’s deep, resonant voice reached his ears. At that mont, Hyesung’s heart pounded wildly. He took a sharp breath and reflexively hung up the phone.
Staring at the screen showing that the call had ended, Hyesung struggled to calm his breathing.
He had once daydread about what it would be like to date soone like Lee Hyuk, imagining what kind of relationship they might have. But in his imagination, Lee Hyuk had always been distant and cold. It was impossible to picture him acting like the stereotypical “romantic lover.”
But reality, as it turned out, was quite different from what he had imagined. In real life, Lee Hyuk—his boyfriend—expressed his love as easily as breathing and had no qualms about showing his feelings.
“I’ll treat you well. I’ll love you so much that you won’t even rember the tis I couldn’t be there for you or the hardships you went through because of . Okay?”
The words Lee Hyuk had once spoken to him in the car suddenly ca to mind. It seed Lee Hyuk was faithfully keeping the promise he had made.
“I was the one who fell in love first, but sohow it feels like I’m losing.”
Hyesung stirred the porridge absentmindedly. This naturally led him to wonder how he was doing in comparison. Unlike Lee Hyuk, who openly expressed his feelings, Hyesung realized he had been rather reserved.
When he had first visited Lee Hyuk’s house and provocatively asked why he wasn’t being more affectionate, it seed almost like a miracle that he had done such a thing.
Furrowing his brow, Hyesung picked up his phone and opened a search engine.
[Partner who doesn’t express feelings]
As soon as he typed it in, countless results appeared. Many were personal stories shared by others.
[I’ve been dating my boyfriend for 100 days, but I’m starting to wonder if I should keep going. He liked first, but he never expresses his feelings. He texts a lot, but when we’re face-to-face, he doesn’t say anything. It was okay at first, but now I feel a little disappointed...]
Reading the complaints in the post, Hyesung felt a slight pang of guilt. He continued to scroll through the comnts below.
**[- That just ans you’re not compatible. Break up now before you end up more hurt later.
Not expressing feelings? That’s just an excuse. If you really like soone, you’ll naturally want to show it.
I get the previous comnt, but so people really aren’t good at expressing their feelings. I almost broke up with my boyfriend over this, but I made a lot of effort, and now we’re doing well! So, try talking it out and working through it.
⌙ What did you do to make it work?
⌙⌙ Instead of just trying to say things, I focused on showing my feelings through actions. I even planned surprise events. Lol.]**
Hyesung beca deeply engrossed in the post, pushing aside his al.
“Surprises…”
Hyesung began to seriously ponder. The only surprise he had ever prepared was for Lee Hyuk’s birthday. That had ended disastrously because of a misunderstanding on Lee Hyuk’s part, but still, it was sothing.
Apart from that, Hyesung had never planned any kind of event. He wasn’t the type to co up with creative ideas like that.
Then, he suddenly rembered what Lee Hyuk had said earlier that morning when he was half-asleep.
“I have plans today, so I can’t see you. When I’m tired, seeing your pretty face makes everything better.”
He hadn’t been awake enough to respond, but he distinctly rembered the words Lee Hyuk had said and the gentle kiss he had planted on his forehead.
“Should I stay here instead of going ho?”
Hyesung looked around the house. What if he lied to Lee Hyuk and said he was going ho but stayed here instead? Could he surprise Lee Hyuk when he returned after his eting? Even though he couldn’t completely agree with Lee Hyuk’s comnt about his “pretty face,” he figured that if his presence alone could give Lee Hyuk energy, then maybe it would be enough to make this surprise worthwhile.
Clenching his fist, Hyesung made a firm decision.
After finishing his al, Hyesung began to move around the house, looking for anything that needed to be done while he was there.
However, since soone ca every other week to clean the house, there wasn’t much for Hyesung to do.
“Maybe I should cook sothing for him when he gets back…”
Hyesung changed clothes and headed to the nearby market. Lee Hyuk’s refrigerator was practically empty, so if he wanted to cook, he needed ingredients.
He carefully selected groceries, bought so fruit, and returned ho to organize the items. Afterward, finding himself with nothing else to do, he naturally turned on the TV.
The news was broadcasting a segnt about the rising criminal activity of gangs lately, highlighting the social problems it was causing. Ti passed slowly, and Hyesung deliberately sent a ssage to Lee Hyuk, lying that he had gone down to Seoin City.
For dinner, he made himself an omurice.
As the evening wore on and the night deepened, Hyesung finally started cooking in earnest. He wanted to prepare a surprise al for Lee Hyuk when he returned from his eting. He chose a light, easy-to-eat dish for a late-night snack.
He cooked leisurely and then sat on the sofa, waiting with a blank expression for Lee Hyuk to arrive. But as ti passed, there was no word from Lee Hyuk. He had said he would call when he was leaving, so did that an he was still at the eting?
Had the conversation with Executive Director Choi dragged on? Lee Hyuk had read Hyesung’s earlier ssage reminding him to eat dinner, but there had been no reply. Sure enough, when Hyesung checked his phone, there was still no response.
Growing tired of waiting, Hyesung lay down on the sofa. Eventually, he must have fallen asleep because the next thing he knew, his phone was vibrating loudly beside him.
Startled, Hyesung sat up and grabbed the phone.
He noticed that it was past midnight, and Lee Hyuk still hadn’t co ho.
But to his surprise, the caller ID wasn’t Lee Hyuk.
“Hello, Director Kang?”
It seed odd that Sungjin would be calling at such a late hour, and a vague sense of unease began to creep over him.
As Sungjin’s urgent voice ca through the phone, Hyesung’s face gradually turned pale.
“Director, wait a mont… What did you just say…?”
Hyesung’s voice trembled. Sungjin had just delivered so shocking news: Lee Hyuk had been seriously injured and was in the hospital.
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