NOVEL NEXT Chapter 31: Chapter 29
"Does it hurt?" Soobin looked at Yeonjun with his guiltful scared eyes. Yeonjun came back to his senses and startled.
"O..Ah! I.... I'm fine! It's not hurting t-that much!" Yeonjun replied with an awkward smile. He tried to take a glance at Soobin's face, but because of his imagination, he couldn't. His heart started beating faster than before. He started sweating as he felt very hot.
"I'm sorry I didn't see you were there!" Soobin apologized though he was also blushing.
"I-I'm r-really f-f-fine! Hahaha! It w-was s-so d-d-dark! How w-would you s-see?" Yeonjun couldn't talk properly though he was trying his best not to show his reaction.
"I-is i-it fine n-now? L-let's eat!" Yeonjun continued stuttering.
When both of them took their seats, the room was surrounded by an awkward silence. None of them could speak because they had no topics to talk about or they were just too shy to talk.
"Taste this! Veggies prepared by that grandma are really delicious! Have some!" Yeonjun started putting some side dishes on Soobin's bowl and started talking as if nothing happened there. Soobin was still feeling embarrassed, but when he started eating, he forgot everything because the food tasted really good and it's been a while since he had homemade dishes like these.
"Is it to your taste?" Yeonjun asked and looked at Soobin as if he was the one who prepared those dishes.
"Hm. They're really delicious! Especially the meat! This is really tasty! And the vegetables too! It's like I'm eating the home cooked meal prepared by my grandma." Soobin replied while chewing his food. His cheeks were looking all fluffy as they were stuffed with food. Yeonjun felt it was worth it again. He got to see the rare sight. He got to see the cute side of Soobin. He felt really happy at that moment. He kept looking at Soobin because he couldn't get an eyeful of his cute face no matter how much he saw it. But Soobin had no idea that he was stared at because he kept eating and he wasn't focused on his surroundings at all. Yeonjun was giggling and feeling shy while looking at him. He was swinging his feet beneath the table out of excitement.
"How cute!" Yeonjun mumbled as he wanted to squish those cute cheeks.
"Why aren't you eating?" Soobin finally noticed that Yeonjun wasn't eating, but he didn't notice Yeonjun staring at him.
"I'm eating! Who told you I'm not? Haha!" Yeonjun thought he got caught so he looked at the food and moved his eyes from Soobin as soon as he could.
After they finished eating, Soobin went to wash the dishes. Arin gave him some days off from work though Soobin wanted to continue working.
"Give me! I'll wash them. You should get some rest!" Yeonjun tried to snatch the bowl Soobin was holding, but he couldn't get it because Soobin held it tightly.
"You don't need to trouble yourself! I can do it! You should get some rest!" Soobin insisted. But Yeonjun wasn't someone to give up that easily. He insisted on helping Soobin and there was no other option for him, but to let Yeonjun help him.
"What time is it?" Yeonjun mumbled and looked at his phone.
"Whoa! It's already 10!" Yeonjun shouted even though he knew it was late.
"Why?" Soobin asked and looked at him curiously.
"No, I mean….. I didn't know it's late! How would I go back now? Argh! I should've left earlier!" Yeonjun was throwing a tantrum. He glanced at Soobin to check his reaction. The innocent Soobin had no idea why Yeonjun was acting like that. But he took the bait and fell for Yeonjun's trap.
"Then…..if you have inconvenience, you can… stay here… tonight." Soobin said with his pure mind.
"C-can I? But you don't have enough space! No-no! I should leave now or else it'd be too late and I'd lost my way. You know, that road leading to our town becomes so dark at night that you won't be able to see anything! So, there's a high chance to lose your way if you go there at night! You didn't travel there at night, did you?" Yeonjun exaggerated the whole thing and made it seem very dangerous though it wasn't.
"It's okay! My bed isn't that small! We can share it, right? I mean, we're both…" Soobin was gonna add more, but he stopped. He wanted to say it'd be okay since the both of them were guys. But he couldn't after he remembered what happened a while ago.
"Oh! I mean… my room isn't that small! And you've done so much for me so how can I let you go when I know it'd be dangerous at night? You should better stay here for the night! You can go back tomorrow morning!" Soobin said with a serious face.
"Okay, I'll listen to you!" Yeonjun grinned as his wish came true.
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"You can sleep on the bed!" Soobin fixed his bed and told Yeonjun.
"Then, what about you?" Yeonjun looked very concerned about it.
"I need to study for now. I'll sleep later. I can smash on the couch if I need. So, don't worry! You must be tired, right?" Soobin said while making the bed.
"You'll study now? At this hour?" Yeonjun was astonished.
"Yeah! I have exams so…I will!" Soobin stood up properly and looked at Yeonjun, he said.
"Ah! Okay, but you can come to bed after you're done. I think I'll fall asleep as soon as I hit the bed. Haha! I'm really…*yawn* t…*yawn*...tired!" Yeonjun stretched his arms and then bent down to stretch his body. His back was really hurting. Actually, he didn't bring the food in the morning. After Soobin left for school, he went to a different city to deliver his products. And then, he went back to the town as he had more goods to deliver. When he went back, it was already noon and the lady Yeonjun mentioned earlier, saw him and packed him some dishes. It was her granddaughter's engagement ceremony and she really wished Yeonjun could stay at the party. But he refused because all he was thinking about was Soobin and wanted to come to the city as soon as possible.
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When Soobin finished his study, he stretched his neck and arms and stood up. When he looked back, he saw Yeonjun was sleeping soundly like before. Soobin smiled unknowingly. He needed to turn off the table lamp but he was afraid he wouldn't be able to see Yeonjun's face if he did that. Yeonjun didn't cover the whole bed and there was enough space for another person. Soobin couldn't help himself but sat beside Yeonjun again. This time, he remained silent. He kept looking at the face.
Suddenly he remembered the accidental kiss. Though he hurt his back, he couldn't say anything at that moment. He thought he had a trauma and he would never like someone's touch in his life again. But this guy broke his misunderstanding. Because surprisingly, Soobin didn't hate when their lips touched each other's. Rather, he felt something weird inside his body. He wanted to taste the touch on his lips again. Thinking about it, his heart started beating faster and he felt as if the room was getting hotter. Soobin wanted to steal a peck from those beautiful lips, but he dared not. He couldn't stay there anymore. He turned off the light and went away.