Side Story 1: Lover
It was early summer.
After the cast was removed, Heewoon couldn’t walk properly at first. However, as the doctor said, recovery was fast for someone young. Heewoon could walk easily now, and the struggle from before was a distant memory.
“Sit. Sit, Lexy. No, don’t lie down…”
Heewoon patted Lexy, who was lying with his belly up. Although he wasn’t close to this dog that seemed like a hunting dog, he had been making an effort to befriend Lexy lately. However, while Lexy listened well to Seo Kangwoo’s words, he seemed to intentionally ignore Heewoon.
“Here. Eat.”
While handing him a snack, Lexy wagged his tail and accepted it eagerly. Heewoon glanced at Lexy and then sat on a bench.
They were currently at a nearby park. A few weeks ago, Heewoon had asked Kangwoo if he could take Lexy for a walk, and Kangwoo allowed. So, these days, Heewoon occasionally took Lexy for a walk to a park about 20 minutes away from home during the day. He felt like he needed to move his idle body.
On days when Kangwoo came early, around 8 pm, they went for a walk together again. He used to secretly watch Kangwoo do it from across the house, but now they walked the dog together.
Heewoon leaned back on the bench and looked up at the sky. The slightly hazy sky had slowly-moving cumulus clouds. The sunlight hitting his forehead was hot, so he used his hand to shade himself.
Perhaps in a few weeks, he wouldn’t be able to come out for a walk during the day. Heewoon stared at the sky for a while, and something soft brushed against his exposed calf, not covered by his shorts.
Heewoon lowered his head. Lexy had placed his chin on Heewoon’s knee and was looking up at him. Lexy seemed cuter than Heewoon had thought before.
“You’re big.”
Heewoon affectionately stroked Lexy’s head and neck. After shaking his head in various directions, Lexy settled down on Heewoon’s foot. His tail swayed in the air. Heewoon ran his hand along Lexy’s muscular body, then leaned back on the bench again.
It was a peaceful afternoon. After drinking the water he brought and giving some to Lexy, Heewoon stood up. Although Lexy initially resisted to stand up, he eventually did it on his own after Heewoon touched his forehead for a moment.
It would be nice if he listened from the start, but it was always like this. As if playing hard to get.
Suddenly, Heewoon took out the phone he had put in his pocket to see if there were any messages. There were none.
Even though Kangwoo often told him to call frequently, he himself didn’t contact Heewoon unless he needed something. Heewoon glanced at the phone and then put it back in his pocket.
After stretching, he started his steps. Lexy naturally went ahead and stood in front of Heewoon. Heewoon had developed a habit of wrapping the leash around his wrist in case Lexy suddenly rushed, but such a thing had never happened. Heewoon found Kangwoo’s dog more likable now.
As they left the park, a lady holding a small puppy stared at Lexy with interest. Since Lexy could cause trouble if he played too much, Heewoon tightened the leash a bit more. As expected, the lady came closer towards them.
“Oh my, what an amazing dog.”
Hearing those words, Heewoon smiled awkwardly.
“How old is this one? This guy must be all grown up.”
“Uh…..”
Heewoon stayed silent and looked down at Lexy. Lexy was sniffing the flowers next to him. Looking at the small puppy in the woman’s arms made Lexy seem even bigger.
When Lexy stood up straight, he reached Heewoon’s chest, and he was as heavy as a person. Sometimes, when he playfully ran towards Heewoon, Heewoon swayed and even fell a few times.
Just because he was big didn’t mean he was old… He was definitely over a year old. But was he not fully grown yet?
“I don’t know.”
After hesitating, Heewoon answered, and the lady made a strange expression.
“It’s not my dog.”
Heewoon slightly bowed to the lady and continued walking. “Lexy, let’s go.” This time, for some reason, Lexy responded to the command immediately. That was a relief.
The road back home had a slight slope. The wind was refreshing, but the sun was hot, making it a bit warm. By the time they reached home, Heewoon had a bit of sweat forming on his forehead.
After taking a shower, he felt a craving for ice cream.
He wanted to go out again, but he already showered, and it was almost 5 pm. Perhaps Kangwoo would come soon. Heewoon lay on the bed with his phone against his ear.
-Hello?
“Yeah, Kangwoo. I…”
-Yes.
“I want to eat ice cream.”
There was silence on the other end. But soon, a small chuckle burst like droplets of water.
-You want to eat ice cream?
It was a sweet and gentle voice, as if talking to a child. Heewoon now responded casually to such a voice.
“Because it’s hot.”
-Did you go for a walk?
“Yeah.”
-Oh. But I’m going to be late today. Is it okay to have the ice cream a bit later?
“How late?”
-I’m not sure. Don’t wait for me, sleep first.
Heewoon replied, “Okay,” and hung up. He lay on the pillow with his cheek on it. His phone came into view.
Lately, Seo Kangwoo had become busy again. Heewoon didn’t understand why he was so busy, especially when he no longer needed to go to his father’s company. Despite constantly prying into Heewoon’s day, Kangwoo didn’t share anything about his own schedule, when he would come home, or what he did that day.
Heewoon had dinner alone today, read a bit, took Lexy for a walk, came back, took a shower, and went to bed. It seemed like he had only said about five words all day. Answering to the house helper asking if he would have lunch today and the conversation with the lady he met during the walk.
Since Kangwoo went out in the early morning, Heewoon thought he would come home early today. While Kangwoo got him cooped up at home, Kangwoo seemed to wander around freely.
As Heewoon was about to put down his phone and close his eyes, he heard footsteps. Quietly entering, Kangwoo only went to the dressing room and then directly outside. It seemed like he was using another bathroom instead of the one in the room.
Heewoon glanced at the phone clock. 11:46 pm. Had he been working until this late? Well, it wouldn’t be right to complain about his work. Seo Kangwoo must be very tired.
As it turned out, Seo Kangwoo was a very diligent murderer. He worked day and night, even bringing work home.
When he heard footsteps in the corridor, Heewoon buried the phone deep into the pillow and closed his eyes. Heewoon could feel Seo Kangwoo standing next to the bed. Instead of going to his space, Kangwoo stood there, seeming to gaze at Heewoon. Heewoon pretended to be asleep. The dim light was left on, so Heewoon was worried about being found out, but Kangwoo stepped back.
The mattress shook a little, and a presence was felt behind him. Some fingers went to hold the back of his head. Fingers that had been gently stroking suddenly moved slowly to the back of the neck. Heewoon closed his eyes tightly, feeling ticklish.
“Sunbae.”
“….”
“Why are you pretending to be asleep?”
A chill ran down his spine. However, Heewoon decided to endure a bit more. He held his breath and didn’t move at all. But Kangwoo laughed as if in disbelief.
“Sunbae, when you sleep, you aren’t that quiet. The sound of your breathing is quite loud.”
… Is that so?
“Enough acting cute for now.”
“….”
Heewoon quietly flipped to the other side. Heewoon blinked and wiped his eyes with his hand. Even pretending to wake up was awkward. Kangwoo, who had chuckled, pulled Heewoon into an embrace.
While sleeping, Woo Heewoon had a habit of clinging to any hand that touched him. There were several times when Kangwoo stroked his cheek, but the hand was grabbed, and Kangwoo couldn’t move.
However, Kangwoo didn’t bother telling Heewoon about that habit. He thought that if Heewoon continued to pretend to sleep like this, he would pinch his cheek hard next time.
“So. You wanted to eat ice cream?”
Kangwoo whispered sweetly, caressing Heewoon’s cheek. Heewoon, who responded with a yes, found a comfortable position and moved up a bit. He settled in, Kangwoo’s arm was perfectly under his neck. It was as if Kangwoo knew the position.
“Did you buy it?”
“Yes.”
Kangwoo answered with a smile. Ice cream shops would have been closed by now, so he must have bought it in advance or had someone else get it.
While Kangwoo was gazing at Heewoon, he suddenly asked,
“Since it’s a bit late for ice cream, would you like to eat something else?”
The touch on Heewoon’s earlobe was tenacious.
***
Read the rest of the chapter here (nsfw)
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