"…You're having weird thoughts again."
Lee Sa-young bit his earlobe painfully. Cha Eui-jae froze in shock. Did this guy really learn to mind-read? Cha Eui-jae wanted to rub the ear where Lee Sa-young had bitten, but he couldn't move because Lee Sa-young was holding him down. In the meantime, Lee Sa-young began biting and licking his earlobe as if it were a dog chew toy. Hearing the wet sound right next to his ear, he hunched his shoulders. Cha Eui-jae patted his back.
"…Are you a dog? Stop it."
"You're the dog, Hyung."
"What, you punk?"
"Anyway… I guess I did leave you alone for a long time. Seeing how you're having all sorts of weird thoughts."
Lee Sa-young's lips moved from his ear to his cheek. His soft hair kept tickling his neck and face. Had his hair grown a bit long? Cha Eui-jae lifted his hand that had been wrapped around Lee Sa-young's back and fiddled with the back of the head. Lee Sa-young, who had been rubbing his lips against his cheek, lifted his head.
"More."
"Huh?"
"I said stroke me more."
Cha Eui-jae smacked his lips and did as he was told. Besides, fighting while trapped in such a small space was pointless, and his joy and affection outweighed his feelings. It was soft, so it was a pleasure to touch. As he stroked his fine-grained hair, the back of his head, and the nape of his neck in turn, Lee Sa-young let out a languid sigh. Lee Sa-young's breath grew closer.
'…Isn't this too close?'
He could hear the sound of their hearts beating from their pressed chests. Thump, thump, thump, thump, a heartbeat faster than his own. Cha Eui-jae twisted his body slightly. A dark hand placed beside Cha Eui-jae's head. The owner of the hand lifted his head slightly.
"Doesn't your back hurt? Your head, or your legs."
"My back?"
"You acted as the cushion, Hyung. This hole is ultimately yours."
Lee Sa-young looked up at the sky. Light poured in from the oval-shaped hole. Cha Eui-jae shifted his back around as he answered.
"It doesn't really hurt. Except for it being bumpy and a bit uncomfortable to lie down on."
Suddenly, their eyes met. Lee Sa-young was looking down at him. As soon as he realized how excessively close they were, everything poured in, from Lee Sa-young's breathing, his tossing and turning, their pressed lower bodies and stomachs, his blinking eyes, and even the sound of his collar rustling.
Cha Eui-jae looked away first. Perhaps because it had been a long time since they were this close, an unbearable awkwardness washed over him. He deliberately cleared his throat.
"Ahem, um, should we get out of here first? It's too… cramped and uncomfortable here."
Lee Sa-young's thigh brushed against his legs. Cha Eui-jae held his breath for a moment and flinched. A low laugh poured down from above his head.
"Well, I like it… isn't Hyung the only one who's uncomfortable?"
"Hey."
"Please bear with it, Hyung. It feels like it's been such a long time since we were like this."
A shadow fell across his face. Lee Sa-young's lips touched the nape of his neck. His breath tickled his nape.
"I don't want to get up…"
"…"
Cha Eui-jae did not push him away. Because he understood how he felt. He wrapped his arms around Lee Sa-young's neck and pulled him toward himself. Lee Sa-young did not resist any longer and collapsed onto Cha Eui-jae's upper body. The sensation of the heavy weight pressing down on him actually felt good. Cha Eui-jae muttered absentmindedly.
"…Let's stay like this just a little longer, then we leave."
"…What's gotten into you? You're actually listening to me for once."
"…"
"Well, fine. I should listen to you, too."
Soft lips touched his chin, then he showed his teeth and bit lightly. His lips traced up the jawline. Cha Eui-jae shook his head at the tickling sensation.
"Hey, stop it."
"You don't like it?"
"…It tickles."
"Then bear with it."
Ha, Cha Eui-jae let out a hollow laugh. In the meantime, the lips that had traced the jawline reached his temple. He rubbed his nose against Cha Eui-jae's hair and whispered.
"It's been a while since I smelled something like you, Hyung…"
"…What do you mean, what smells like me?"
"The smell of hangover soup."
"Again, again. It's been months since I've run the business, so what are you talking about?"
"Of course I'm joking."
"So what do you mean by smell?"
Wasn't it some strange sweaty smell? It must have been quite a while since he came here. Cha Eui-jae turned his head this way and that to smell his own body, but because of the sweet scent emanating from Lee Sa-young, he couldn't detect any other fragrance. Regardless, Lee Sa-young continued to rub his face against his hair.
Unable to hold back any longer, Cha Eui-jae asked again.
"So, what exactly is the smell?"
"I'm not going to tell you."
"If you're not going to tell me, then don't smell it!"
"No."
He felt a heavy weight near their lower abdomens where they were pressed together. What was it? Just as Cha Eui-jae was about to lift his head to check, Lee Sa-young opened his mouth wide and bit his cheek. Cha Eui-jae glared and tried to quickly lean back, but the space was too cramped to escape. Lee Sa-young licked his lips with his black tongue, as if to spite him. Cha Eui-jae stammered, covering his cheek.
"W-what, you, what… did you eat something bad before coming here?"
A black hand swept back the curly hair that had fallen down. Lee Sa-young answered languidly.
"I'm perfectly normal. My head is clear, too. Except for being annoyed because Hyung abandoned me."
"So this is how you vent your frustration now?"
"What? We haven't even started yet."
Lee Sa-young snorted, loud enough to make sure he heard. He lowered his head again and rubbed his lips all over Cha Eui-jae's face. It was sticky, as if marking his territory. Eyelids, the bridge of the nose, the tip of the nose, the forehead, the cheeks, the chin. He explored every part of the face, yet he didn't touch the lips. Cha Eui-jae closed his eyes, enduring Lee Sa-young's territorial marking, until he clenched his fist.
"Hey, you…"
At that moment, soft lips covered the lips that had parted to speak. A thick tongue dug into the mouth as if it had been waiting. Cha Eui-jae let out a gasp, but even that melted away into his mouth. Lee Sa-young's kiss was persistent. He entangled their tongues, rubbed the tender flesh inside his mouth, and tormented him by tickling his delicate palate. Cha Eui-jae trembled and clutched at Lee Sa-young's shoulders. Just as he was running out of breath, their lips finally parted. A faint thread of connection stretched on before snapping.
Lee Sa-young rubbed his swollen, reddened lips with his thumb and smiled with satisfaction.
"Your kissing skills are still the same."
"You—"
Once again, Cha Eui-jae could not finish his sentence. Perhaps the brief pause was meant to give him time to catch his breath, but the tongue dug in again with persistence. Lee Sa-young's knees and thighs, nestled between Cha Eui-jae's legs, moved. He squeezed his eyes shut at the simultaneous stimulation from above and below. The hands that had been pushing his shoulders away were now clinging to him.
In an instant, white sparks flew before his eyes. Cha Eui-jae let out a small moan and tilted his head back. Perhaps due to lack of breath, his vision was spinning. Lee Sa-young's arms wrapped tightly around the panting Cha Eui-jae's waist. Lee Sa-young kissed his cheek and whispered.
"…Mm, you're exactly the same."
"…"
Cha Eui-jae did not answer. The discomfort in his pants was an illusion. It had to be an illusion. It was an illusion…
A knee brushed against the space between his legs. Cha Eui-jae shuddered and shouted.
"Hey!"
"Not 'Hey,' it's Lee Sa-young."
"Lee Sa-young!"
"Not Lee Sa-young, it's 'Sa-young-ah.'"
"…"
"Have you forgotten after not seeing me for a long time?"
Cha Eui-jae struggled to break free from the arms that were coiling around him like a snake. If the space had been a bit wider, he would have escaped quickly, but it was impossible inside a cave barely large enough for one person to lie down. There was a risk that if he broke down the wall to expand the space, it would collapse and trap them inside. Cha Eui-jae eventually gave up resisting and glared.
"Don't touch me."
"Why not?"
"You, in a place like this…!"
Cha Eui-jae swallowed the rest of his words. Lee Sa-young bit Cha Eui-jae's lower lip hard, as if to say, 'What does it matter?' Heat ran through his violet eyes. He smiled, narrowing his gaze.
"What? Does the location matter?"
"…It matters a lot, so get your knees off me."
"Even though I'm just trying to make things easier for both of us?"
"Shut up!"
Cha Eui-jae raised his voice sharply. Lee Sa-young clicked his tongue and waved his black hand up and down in the air.
"Hyung, don't you do this by yourself?"
Cha Eui-jae's face flushed red as he realized what he meant. Cha Eui-jae gritted his teeth.
"You think I would do it?!"
"Hmm… Isn't it instinct?"
Lee Sa-young tilted his head. This wouldn't do. Even if it meant collapsing and getting trapped, he had to escape. Being trapped alone with Lee Sa-young in a confined space was dangerous. Cha Eui-jae rustled and moved his body. Lee Sa-young watched him, pinned underneath, thrashing about, then pressed his lips against his ear and whispered.
"Hyung."
"What?"
"I've done it."
Cha Eui-jae's movements stopped. A languid voice burrowed into his ears.
"Aren't you curious?"
"…"
"What I was thinking while doing it, how I did it…"
"…"
"Shall I tell you?"
The hand still wrapped around his waist rubbed his back, where his spine was. Cha Eui-jae gasped, letting out a small breath, flinching. A low laugh echoed in his ears.
"This side is weak, huh?"
The hand leisurely groping his body showed no sign of stopping. Cha Eui-jae squeezed his eyes shut against the slowly rising heat. At this rate, he would be swept away. No. He had to get away first. Just as Cha Eui-jae was about to blindly punch the wall—
"Huh? There's a hole in the hill?"
A cheerful voice came from above their heads. It was the voice of a savior.
And Cha Eui-jae heard it clearly.
"…Fuck."
That Lee Sa-young had spat a curse into his ear.