GB 14

After finishing his meal, Haero, guided by Yoon Moo-hwa, took another shower and changed into large pajamas. He then drank that warm milk again.

Yoon Moo-hwa was also wearing comfortable clothes, and Haero kept turning up the lights, thinking how someone could shine so brightly even without those sparkling buttons. Unlike the dazzling house that remained bright even at night, the outside was very quiet. It was still hard to believe that this place was a huge artificial island floating on the sea. How many people would be here? No matter how many there were, Haero thought none of them would be as wonderful as Yoon Moo-hwa.

Haero, wearing his pajamas with sleeves rolled up countless times, drank the warmed milk that tasted like formula. 

Yoon Moo-hwa, who had been quietly watching him, opened his mouth, “I’ll show you to your room.”

“My room?” 

That was a privilege only available from the rank of deputy commander. 

Yoon Moo-hwa asked Haero, who was gaping in surprise, “Can you sleep alone?”

But Haero had never slept alone before. “Can’t I just sleep… with Yoon Moo-hwa?”

“Hyung.”

“Can’t I sleep with you, Hyung?”

Yoon Moo-hwa shook his head. “No.”

He was firm.

Haero was disheartened but was used to taking orders, so he immediately lowered his head and nodded.

“Instead, I’ll give you the room next to mine.”

Although it was called ‘your room’, it was a place he might visit only two or three times a year, but Yoon Moo-hwa kept that thought to himself.

“If you get scared while sleeping, you can come to my room. Just don’t come through the doggy door like you did in the storage room.”

His tone was so dry that only after mentioning the doggy door, Haero did realize he was joking.

The fact that he could come to him if he got scared was a relief. Haero nodded vigorously, his face lighting up.

Of course, seeking out an adult at night because you’re scared is something only little kids do. And even then, it’s babies who can’t speak well.

Haero couldn’t show such a pride-hurting side to Yoon Moo-hwa. Although he had never slept alone before, he would try his best, knowing that Yoon Moo-hwa was just on the other side of the wall.

Yoon Moo-hwa looked at Haero’s empty mug instead of his determined expression and stood up. He was used to a regular routine and needed to stick to it.

“Well then, let’s brush our teeth and go to bed.” Yoon Moo-hwa’s tone was still dry and blunt.

Haero’s eyes widened. It was the first time he had heard the word ‘chika’ from Yoon Moo-hwa. He could only guess its meaning, but when Yoon Moo-hwa handed him a toothbrush, he realized his guess was correct.

Chika…. It seemed like a playful word somehow.

* * *

The night was quiet. It had been quiet on the island too, but this was different.

Amidst the silence, a faint engine sound could be heard. The engine sound, instead of bird or insect noises, constantly reminded Haero that this place was not the island where he had spent his entire life, and it caused seasickness that he hadn’t known until boarding the ship with Yoon Moo-hwa.

His body felt itchy. The seasickness seemed to rise in his stomach and stir inside.

Haero, who had been tossing and turning, suddenly sat up. He wasn’t yet accustomed to the layout of this house. The floor seemed to be moving, so he staggered towards the bathroom. As he retched into the toilet, the milk he had drunk last night came right back up. There was a sour smell, and tears welled up in his eyes.

Even though he had thrown up, the dizziness didn’t subside, so Haero had to grab the toilet again soon after flushing. But having already thrown up everything, there was nothing left to come out.

That’s when a large hand gently rested on Haero’s back, rubbing it in soothing motions. The hand was so big that it covered his back completely in just a few movements.

Barely turning his gaze over his shoulder, he saw Yoon Moo-hwa watching him, his elbow resting on his raised knee, chin in hand.

“I told you to come to my room.” His speech was slow, as if he had just woken up, “I even left the door open.”

Yoon Moo-hwa, covering his yawning mouth with the back of his hand, asked Haero if he was okay.

The moment he saw him, Haero felt his seasickness disappear as if by magic, so he nodded.

Yoon Moo-hwa then put his hands under Haero’s armpits, lifted him up, and sat him on the edge of the bathtub. Soon, a toothbrush with a little toothpaste was handed to Haero.

“The toothpaste is spicy. Might be a bit too strong for kids.”

Haero nodded weakly, not even realizing that Yoon Moo-hwa was treating him like a child.

However, the spiciness that made his nose tingle actually helped wash away the remaining dizziness in his mouth.

Yoon Moo-hwa, sitting on the closed toilet lid, waited for Haero to finish brushing his teeth while rubbing his chin. When it was time to gargle, Yoon Moo-hwa held his small body and lifted him slightly because the sink was too high.

Due to his injury, Yoon Moo-hwa had gained some extra time before departure. Originally, he was supposed to board again next week, but now he had three weeks of non-vacation vacation time. During this period, he needed to prepare things Haero would need. Kids’ toothpaste, toothbrush, footstool…

While Yoon Moo-hwa was thinking about things to buy for Haero, Haero blinked, realizing he had taken something from Yoon Moo-hwa.

“What? Are you done rinsing? Want me to put you down?”

Haero nodded.

In the mirror, he could see Yoon Moo-hwa’s half-naked body.

Haero had wondered why he wasn’t wearing a pajama top, only to realize he was wearing it. It matched the pattern of the pants Yoon Moo-hwa was wearing – dark green with thin repetitive lines.

Yoon Moo-hwa had lent him his pajamas.

It had been strange enough that there were separate clothes for sleeping, but knowing he was sharing them with Yoon Moo-hwa made him feel incredibly reassured. Even the persistent seasickness seemed to disappear in an instant.

Haero let out a deep sigh. 

Yoon Moo-hwa swallowed a laugh at the tiny sigh that matched his small body. “What? Is something uncomfortable?”

“It’s not uncomfortable, I just feel relieved.”

Only then did Haero feel sleepy.

In fact, it had been a night where he didn’t think he could sleep at all – everything seemed too bright despite the darkness, too noisy despite the silence. 

Haero hesitated before carefully asking Yoon Moo-hwa, “Can’t I just go to your room like this for tonight?”

Yoon Moo-hwa didn’t answer right away. After a moment’s thought, he remembered Haero vomiting earlier and how he couldn’t even wake him up.

That kid had been lively on the island, but since coming here, he had been constantly downcast, as if watching his step. Yoon Moo-hwa couldn’t help but feel concerned.

Moreover, it was he who had brought him here, pulling him out of the island as if salvaging him.

Yoon Moo-hwa’s large hand grasped Haero’s small, thin one. He held it tightly, as if enveloping it in his rough palm. “Alright.”

Yoon Moo-hwa took Haero into the room and only then closed the door he had left open.

Lying on the bed, Haero pulled the blanket up to just below his nose and stared at Yoon Moo-hwa.

At that moment, Yoon Moo-hwa turned his head, and his eyes widened slightly. The desk lamp was on. It seemed he hadn’t been asleep.

“Is it too bright? Sorry.”

“No, it’s fine.”

In truth, it was bright, but Haero pretended it wasn’t.

Yoon Moo-hwa put aside the unfinished work and got up. He undressed to change from his indoor clothes to pajamas, with the light dimmed.

Haero watched the whole process with wide-awake eyes. Neither Haero, accustomed to group living, nor Yoon Moo-hwa, ingrained with communal life, felt any discomfort.

As the t-shirt came off, a fierce upper body scattered with scars was revealed. In the lowered light, the scars of slightly different colors on his skin sparkled like numerous moons and stars.

“Want me to turn off the light?”

“No, turn it off after you change.”

Yoon Moo-hwa nodded as Haero shook his head.

Haero had been thinking all along how amazing it was that there were different clothes for being at home and for sleeping. Isn’t it a bit troublesome? It must be hard to do laundry and dry them all.

Haero couldn’t take his eyes off Yoon Moo-hwa. On Yoon Moo-hwa’s body, there were not only scars but also numerous lines that seemed to move together as he did.

Like a fish. A big, very thick one. Haero blinked, unable to take his eyes off the scars.

There were adults on the island as big as Yoon Moo-hwa, but none as impressive as him. Haero lifted the blanket slightly to look at his own body. Pulling up the large shirt a bit revealed a soft body that couldn’t even be compared.

“What are you doing?”

A low voice tinged with laughter asked. Haero quickly tucked his head back in and shook it.

Yoon Moo-hwa changed his pants with a soft sigh. His thighs, like weapons, and his legs, clearly divided by vertical muscle lines, were also full of scars. They were all covered by soft cloth. What remained was just a slightly gruff but gorgeously handsome man.

“Good night, Haero.”

“Good night, Yoon Moo-hwa.”

Yoon Moo-hwa slightly frowned at Haero’s informal speech, but the corners of his mouth were turned up. He turned off the desk lamp and slipped under the covers.

The bed on the ship had been very big for Haero, but it was nothing compared to this one. Haero slowly moved his fingers towards Yoon Moo-hwa, who was about two hand-spans away.

Although he must have felt the slight touch, Yoon Moo-hwa didn’t move.

However, when Haero, who had been tapping Yoon Moo-hwa’s arm, finally pressed his body close and clung to him as if hanging on, yoon Moo-hwa didn’t push him away.

Yoon Moo-hwa was fair.

If that’s what he meant by being ‘strict’, Haero thought it would be fine no matter how strict he was.