LM 22

It was too cold to drink beer outside. Still, feeling hot inside, Kwon Siyul hurriedly opened a can of beer. Perhaps having been shaken along the way, frothy foam spurted from the opening of the can. Not wanting to miss a drop, he quickly pressed it to his lips.

He gulped it down, but a stream still managed to trickle down the can. Regretfully, Kwon Siyul licked the length of the beer can with his lips.

Foam covered his philtrum and lips. As he stuck out his tongue to lick around it, he felt a stern gaze emanating from the man beside him.

…Was it that unsightly? It might have seemed so to Woo Hyunse.

“I didn’t want to waste it,” Kwon Siyul explained, rubbing his lips vigorously with the back of his hand. As Kwon Yuwon always said, every drop of alcohol should be treated as precious as blood. Woo Hyunse was about to take out a beer can from the bag but instead, he paused and looked at Kwon Siyul.

“If I drink this, you’ll tell me to call a designated driver, right?”

“Yes. You’re asking the obvious.”

Clicking his tongue, Woo Hyunse put down the beer. Instead, he only drank water. His protruding Adam’s apple undulated like waves beneath the skin covering his throat.

“How was the movie?” Woo Hyunse asked, tossing the empty water bottle into the bag. At the mention of the movie, those erotic scenes replayed in his mind. Furthermore, the movie they had watched at dawn, Woo Hyunse’s low and languid voice, and the faint moans playing in the background of the film they just watched, all made him very uncomfortable.

“It was quite erotic.”

“That?”

Promiscuous Alpha. Kwon Siyul narrowed his eyes as if glaring, then emptied another can of beer. He crumpled the empty can and dropped it next to the water bottle.

“Ah, I suppose it might have seemed that way to Kwon Siyul.”

“Why? Why might it have seemed that way to me?”

“Because you’re still young?”

“I’ll have you know I’m an adult.”

“Have you dated before?”

His tone was condescending. The smile in his eye was thick with meaning. Kwon Siyul couldn’t help but feel indignant.

“Of course!”

The lie flowed smoothly from his lips, driven by the stubbornness not to lose. What dating? When in life had there been time for him to meet someone and spend sweet moments together? There might have been a girl he liked at the orphanage when he was very young, but now her face and name were faint memories that he could barely recall.

Even seeing Kwon Siyul’s flare-up, Woo Hyunse’s curved eyes didn’t unfold. He had an innate talent for teasing despite his benign appearance. He could turn someone’s insides out with just one look, without even bothering to open his mouth.

“Experience?”

The question was bordering on crossing the line. It might have already crossed it right then. But Kwon Siyul’s competitive spirit was not yet broken.

“It would be strange not to have any at this age, right?”

“Women? Or men.”

“Both.”

He was going to answer women, but his mouth moved on its own. He didn’t know why. It just felt like that was the answer that would scratch the other’s nerves ever so slightly. Or it might be immature bravado.

Woo Hyunse let out a “huh” and stretched his hand back to support himself on the ground. The smile on his lips didn’t look like a smile.

The playful look in his eyes cooled as quickly as the flowing river. Though unaware of pheromones or such, Kwon Siyul sensed the sudden chill in the atmosphere but pretended not to notice, simply sipping his beer.

“Well, I suppose someone who sells drugs wouldn’t be innocent.”

“That’s not…”

It was an unrelated comment. Kwon Siyul couldn’t finish his sentence. “Kwon Siyul,” Woo Hyunse said, turning to him.

“Shall we sleep together?”

If Kwon Siyul had been drinking beer, he might have spat it out spectacularly. Instead, his eyes widened like that of full moons. He knew that phrase didn’t carry its literal meaning.

“Pardon?”

“You heard me.”

“Wow…”

Surprised by the unexpected statement, Kwon Siyul pressed his fingers to his eyes. His head throbbed from shock. Doubting if he’d understood correctly, he glanced over at Woo Hyunse. Despite clearly having thrown a grenade, the other remained remarkably calm.

“You’re quite casual with sexual harassment.”

“I’m just being honest.”

Kwon Siyul felt like he’d been unilaterally hit by a bomb. He frantically rubbed his face with both hands. His complexion changed rapidly, flushing red and then turning as pale as a sheet of paper. He barely managed to calm himself and removed his hands from his face.

“Do you talk to others like this too?”

“No. Most people fall for me with just a bit of sweet talk.”

“Hah…”

He was acting like someone who’d thrown away all decency. How could he toss out an invitation to sleep together as casually as asking someone to have a meal?

“What if I refuse?”

Woo Hyunse’s eyebrows shot up as if he hadn’t considered that possibility. He scratched his nose bridge and pondered with a “Hmm.”

“I’d probably become a bit more of a nuisance to Kwon Siyul.”

“You mean you’d harass me?”

“I mean I’d see you more often.”

“Until when?”

“Until you agree.”

It meant he’d stick to him persistently. That was just like Woo Hyunse.

“Didn’t you say you had experience? What’s the problem?”

“I don’t live my life throwing my body around carelessly…”

His laughter sounded refreshing with a “Haha,” but his eyes told a different story altogether. Even under the dim lighting, Woo Hyunse’s eyes looking at him were exceptionally clear. He could see there was determination in them.

“Do you need time?”

Woo Hyunse asked, leaning sideways to bump Kwon Siyul’s shoulder with his own. Kwon Siyul wanted to move far away, but it was as if someone had secretly glued him to this place. He swayed like a roly-poly toy before returning to his spot. His shoulder brushed against Woo Hyunse’s. Though the darkness would hide his flushed face, he still lowered his head deeply to conceal his embarrassment.

“…Yes.”

“It’s hard to answer right away?”

“Yes.”

“How long will it take?”

“…”

“I don’t think I can wait long.”

“…”

Kwon Siyul rubbed his cheek against his arm. Why a simple proposal sounded like a threat, why he was postponing instead of firmly refusing something that could end with a simple no—even he didn’t understand it. Kwon Siyul started to question himself but stopped. Now  wasn’t the time yet. Though still feeling confused, he left it at that.

“Your ears are red.”

Fingertips touched his earlobe. Thumb and index finger gently rubbed the soft flesh as if wiping something away. Kwon Siyul shrank like a mimosa plant in his seat. “Don’t touch me,” he avoided timidly, hunching his shoulders.

Woo Hyunse rested his head on Kwon Siyul’s hunched shoulder with a soft thud. It was heavy. But this time, Kwon Siyul didn’t avoid it. The weighty presence was also a warmth that heated the cold night.

***

He couldn’t sleep at all after coming back home. He lay awake all night, only managing to doze off as dawn broke. Even then, he woke up early to the sound of Kwon Yuwon noisily preparing to leave.

“I’m off.”

“Yeah.”

He lazily waved his hand without looking at Kwon Yuwon as he left. Kwon Yuwon paused at the door, eyeing Kwon Siyul suspiciously, noticing something different about him. However, he didn’t have the time at the moment to probe. He simply exhaled lightly through his nose and left. He was already 10 minutes late for his usual departure time, so he couldn’t press Kwon Siyul about what was wrong.

After the door closed, Kwon Siyul let his raised arm drop to the floor. His eyes felt dry, perhaps from lack of sleep. Even after blinking several times, moisture wouldn’t return to his eyes. He placed both hands on his face, then rubbed it roughly as if washing it. Sleep had long since fled from him.

“Ah…”

He sighed as he sat up. Last night felt like a dream. If he had to define it, it felt somewhere between a nightmare and a wet dream. Kwon Siyul tried to recall what he had seen, heard, and perceived last night, memories he had been ruminating on like a cow before falling asleep. 

He recalled Woo Hyunse’s voice and eyes, and the conversation they had between them.

‘Shall we sleep together?’

“He’s really insane…”

He wanted to believe he couldn’t answer at the time due to the atmosphere and slight intoxication from the alcohol. Kwon Siyul grabbed his messy hair and slowly bent forward. He curled up until his nose touched the blanket, then bit a handful of the blanket and silently screamed “Aaaargh!” The back of his ears that were visible through his hair was red in a way unbefitting someone who had just woken up.

How could someone say such things so casually? Were all alphas this lewd? To propose sleeping together with him, who was neither an omega nor a woman. His ex was definitely a woman, so had this Woo Hyunse actually fooled around with men too? Well, if the omega was a man, that could be possible, but he wasn’t an omega.

Moreover, his own loose lips were a problem. This blabbermouth should have cleanly cut it off from the start, saying he had no experience and therefore refused. Instead, to protect his pride the size of a fingernail, he told an ill-advised lie about sleeping with both men and women. Even the boy who cried wolf would shake his head at him, wondering if he had learned nothing from this particular fable.

“This damned mouth, this damned trap!”

He slapped his lips repeatedly with his palm. After hitting them until the area around his mouth was as red as smeared lipstick, he buried his head back under the blanket. His tightly clenched fist trembled. He felt like he could die of shame. All he wanted was to crawl under a hole and never come out again.

How on earth…

He had no idea how to fix this. He wanted to confide in someone, but the only suitable person was Kwon Yuwon. It was obvious that if he revealed everything, Kwon Yuwon would fly into a fit of rage and search for a kitchen knife, insisting they go slit Woo Hyunse’s throat first.