Sweet Sugar Candyman

#08

An intangible, chilling touch wrapped around my neck. It was a low whisper that made even the fine hairs on my body stand on end. I had to suppress the desire to swallow and respond calmly.

“…Right.”

I hoped my tone sounded as nonchalant as Saheon’s. Fortunately, the voice I heard in my ears sounded similar to my usual self. Saheon, who was behind me, let out a big yawn. I turned halfway towards him and asked,

“Are you tired?”

“Yeah. I feel like I’m going to die from exhaustion.”

But before I could fully turn around, he playfully rested his chin on the top of my head. As a result, I ended up half leaning against him. Now, the faint scent of white musk from his perfume brushed against my nose, overpowering the skin scent.

The playful antics of Chaehun and Saheon were things I often did when I was younger, and unlike Saheon, Chaehun, whom I had met recently, would also do such things to me. However, with the change in company, my body stiffened with tension.

I felt a warm body heat through the slight gap between us. I couldn’t tell if it was the heat coming from me or from Hyung.

In middle school, I was about the same height as my female classmates, but after entering high school, I suddenly shot up, becoming the tallest in my class. Standing next to Saheon, who was a head taller than me, I felt as if I had returned to my childhood.

“I’m tired, tired. Mungmung, Hyung is tired.”

Saheon whined, rubbing his chin against my head. The sharp tip of his chin pressed down on my crown. I lifted my head as if to shake him off. The ends of my hair brushed against his nose and lips.

“Go to sleep.”

I didn’t mean to, but I spoke too bluntly. Hyung, looking down at me, chuckled softly as if something was amusing.

“Am I going to sleep?”

Suddenly, I realized how close we were. Our legs were almost touching, and our upper bodies were no different. I felt like we should distance ourselves, but my wandering hands ended up grabbing Saheon’s arm.

I could feel Saheon’s warmth even through the thick sweatshirt he wore in winter. His solid arm, likely filled with lean muscle, made it impossible for me to push him away; instead, it felt like I was leaning into him.

Once I became aware of my unconscious actions, I panicked. Why did I grab onto Hyung? It was clear that deep down, I had a desire to be closer to him. I patted his arm with an awkward touch, trying to make it as natural as possible.

“Sleep well.”

Hyung let out a short laugh, even louder than before. The face that had looked like an airline model had vanished, replaced by a playful, mischievous expression.

Newlyweds. The contextless word floated around in my mind. Hyung couldn’t possibly see into my thoughts, but feeling a bit guilty, I added more gently than before.

“Hyung, you’re tired.”

“Right. I flew in from New York.”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“I flew for twelve hours.”

“Yeah, good job.”

“Cheongmyeong came to see you.”

“Yeah, um….”

Now I didn’t know how to respond. As I trailed off, Saheon softly asked,

“By the way, is Mungmung saying Hyung is snoring?”

“…Yeah.”

My head was a mess, but my mouth had already blurted out a response. However, thinking back on what I had said, it seemed like the most appropriate answer for this situation.

It seemed my nervous radar, which had been temporarily out of order from standing in front of Hyung, had quickly returned. I had to suppress the impulse to nod in satisfaction.

“…You’re sweet.”

Saheon gently smiled and ruffled my hair. My tousled hair tickled my eyes.

Saheon, who looked more tired than before, seemed to be struggling against the fatigue that had been pressing down on him. He pressed his palm against his mouth to stifle a yawn. After holding back a dazed breath through his nose, he looked at me with watery eyes from the yawn.

“Do you have a laptop?”

“Uh? Yeah….”

“When you wake up, pick out some furniture to buy. The Wi-Fi password is six zeros followed by 1234.”

I blinked in confusion for a while before finally understanding what Saheon had said. I couldn’t easily connect why he was buying things I would use. I waved my hands in a hurry and said,

“No, it’s okay! Why would you buy that?”

“It’s for our house, so I should buy it. It’ll be uncomfortable to sleep on the floor.”

“Hyung, but….”

“Hyung is tired and needs to sleep. If you don’t show me what you picked out after you wake up, you’ll have to do the dishes ten times.”

Since deciding to live with Saheon, most of the nagging I had received from my parents was about how I should take care of the housework. Before I could even explain to Hyung that it was unfair to use chores as a punishment, he quickly went into the bedroom.

My steps, which were about to follow him, halted. No matter how much Hyung and I had grown up like family, the idea of him buying furniture was something I couldn’t easily accept.

Even just buying a bed would cost several hundred thousand won. Wouldn’t I have to ask my parents for help? Or maybe I should get a part-time job to pay for it myself…. My wandering thoughts were blurred by the faint sound of the shower running in the distance.

I should go for the cheapest option.

I was surprised at my own hasty conclusion, but the sound of the water flowing had completely taken my mind away.

It felt like my consciousness was fading. Had I ever been so aware of such a mundane sound? I realized I had slightly parted my lips and quickly closed them.

Standing awkwardly in the hallway, I found myself pacing around the living room. The sound of swallowing was unusually loud.

Three steps toward the sofa, five steps toward the kitchen, I wandered around aimlessly and picked up a square hat that was carelessly strewn across the sofa.

I rubbed the stiff brim of the hat between my thumb and index finger and carefully pressed the decorative wings attached to it.

It seemed like Hyung’s scent lingered on the hat. I sniffed it closely and quickly put it on. A faint mix of hair wax and perfume clung to it. As the brim sank down to my forehead, I grabbed the back of the hat and flipped my hair over it, feeling the weight of responsibility pressing down on my shoulders.

My reflection faintly appeared in the large window facing the living room. The angular hat, which had looked the coolest in the world when worn by Saheon, now made me look like a younger brother who had stolen his older brother’s belongings.

I hurriedly took off the hat, feeling like a guilty person, and tucked it under my arm like Hyung had done. My throat felt dry. Without knowing what I was doing, I went to the kitchen and gulped down cold water from the fridge.

The faint sound of water continued. To keep my mind from drifting back to the bedroom, I swallowed the water and focused my thoughts on the side dishes my father had organized in the fridge while I was tidying up.

Before we arrived here, the fridge had clearly been empty, but now every compartment was filled with containers of side dishes. Thanks to my uncle, who had a big hand in cooking. I recalled what my uncle had said before we left.

He had told me to call Chaehun and share the food. The side dishes would spoil if not eaten quickly, so I felt I should take care of them while I remembered. Hyung’s house, which was neatly equipped with only the necessary utensils, didn’t seem to have any disposable containers to transfer the side dishes.

I rummaged through the cupboard just in case, but all I found were some clearly gifted dishes and a few odds and ends. My thoughts, which had been going in circles, finally landed on the idea that I needed to ask Hyung.

My throat moved up and down again. The faint sound of the shower filled the house like a gentle accompaniment.

I should ask Hyung. I need to ask him. I should ask where to put this hat, whether there are any containers for packing, when I’ll meet Chaehun, and the Wi-Fi password…. I heard it earlier, but I feel like I need to ask again….

Even though I had just gulped down cold water, my throat felt dry. I cautiously moved my feet and opened the half-closed door to the bedroom. The faint sound of the shower became clearer. I took slow, tense steps, like an explorer entering an unknown territory.

Saheon’s room was neatly organized, but there was a uniform carelessly thrown on the bed. I didn’t take my wandering gaze away as I slowly approached the attached bathroom.

The sound of water grew louder. Standing just one door away from Saheon, I took a deep breath. I had been checking the temperature of my flushed cheeks with my fingertip when the sudden stop of the water and the bathroom door swung open unexpectedly, leaving me startled.

“…Oh.”

A short, startled sound escaped my throat. Hyung seemed a bit surprised too.

With a white towel draped over his wet hair, Hyung was completely bare from the neck down. My gaze inadvertently dropped, and the sight of his black boxers eased my embarrassment a little.

“Why?”

“Uh, um… where should I put this?”

I hurriedly pulled out the hat, which felt heavy against my side. It was a precious item that I could use as an excuse for why I had come here, even if the timing was a bit off. Hyung’s gaze shifted to my hand.

“Oh, that. I’ll hang it up.”

His warm hand, heated further by the hot water, reached toward me. The temperature touching my palm was hot. Hyung held the hat in one hand while using the other to shake off the towel and dry his hair.

Saheon tossed the hat into the closet next to the bathroom door. Startled, my lips, which had loosened, began to spill out words.

“And… my uncle said to take half of the side dishes and give them to Chaehun, but I couldn’t find any containers, so should I buy some?”

Due to the distance between us, Saheon’s body came into view all at once. It was incredibly difficult to tear my gaze away from his well-defined upper body, meticulously built like an athlete. His broad shoulders, the clearly defined chest beneath, the waist that seemed thin compared to his shoulders yet was solid, and the well-defined abs without any excess fat.

“I think you should buy some. Oh, check if there are any containers like bowls in the cupboard. I’m not sure if they’ve been washed or just thrown away.”

“Got it. Should I separate them now? If we run out of containers, just give me the car keys, and I’ll drive and get some.”

The conversation flowed chaotically. It felt like it would be better to just keep my mouth shut, but my reason had long lost control. Hyung chuckled softly and asked gently,

“Our Cheongmyeong, can you drive?”

If I could, I would have wanted to scream right there. Hyung’s question helped me regain the reins I had lost, and as I came to my senses, a wave of embarrassment washed over me. My cheeks burned hot. I nodded aggressively.

“Yeah, then let’s do that. Take your time; it’s okay if you want to get up and go out together in the evening.”

“Got it.”

Like being doused in cold water, my reason, having regained control, stepped back and fiercely instructed me to prepare a new strategy. I slowly tore my gaze away from Hyung’s abs and opened my mouth.

“Then I’ll… look for it.”

Instead of a response, I heard a small laugh. I exited the bedroom with slow steps. Behind me, I could hear the soft sounds of Hyung searching for his clothes.

As I opened the bedroom door and stepped outside, I squinted my eyes at the noticeably different temperature of the air. But it didn’t help much. Closing my eyes only made Hyung’s body appear more vividly in my mind.

The warmth I had been leaning against quickly faded. As I took a slightly faster deep breath, I heard the whispers of reason regaining control.

My parents told me to do the housework diligently! Didn’t I just see some laundry that needed to be done?

That was a valid point. Moreover, there were even uniforms Hyung wore scattered on the bed. It would be just right to wash them while he was sleeping. I quickly swung the door open. The loud bang of the door hitting the wall echoed through the room.

The hyung, who had been turned around showing his broad back, turned his head. The rational me boldly asked.

“Hyung, should I suck you off?”