Side Story 1. Private Rescue (6)

Fortunately, Soram brought his hand back up. Following the chest traced by his fingertips, his head approached. Soram rested his ear there. The body underneath heaved.

"I told you not to move."

"Just a little."

Tae-un cupped Soram's cheek and pressed it deeper onto his chest. His other hand wrapped around his back. Soram felt rather relieved by the tight, enveloping pressure and listened to the slightly louder heartbeat.

Han Tae-un, and himself, were alive. Disappearing from this place was already a thing of the past. He repeated that to himself several times inwardly.

"...I only act like this in front of you."

"I know. You can do more."

Even in desperate rounds, Soram had never broken down in front of someone, always pushing others away and collapsing alone if he had to. This appearance of seeking comfort and wanting to be embraced was a bad habit the Han Tae-un of this life had instilled in him.

But now he thought, what if he broke down a little? This person carried the memories together and accepted everything even when he did strange things.

"..."

Soram was about to say more words filled with complaints that Han Tae-un would surely accept unconditionally, but he just closed his eyes instead. The afterimage of the vermilion sunset on his eyelids gradually darkened. It was just about this dark when the two of them, fleeing from Busan that had become a sea of fire, arrived here.

And soon it would be as dark all around as when they parted.

Soram hugged him more tightly. Right, how could he be unaffected here? He had been deceiving even himself by pretending to be fine as he always had.

There was no way he could be okay.

And Tae-un embraced him without any rejection as he became 'not okay' and took off his smiling mask to reveal his bottom.

Thanks to that, the darkness congealed inside wasn't completely pitch black. The hand patting his back gradually dispersed the thoughts trying to devour Soram like dusting off. His welling-up insides became more than full, and everywhere connected from the tip of his nose stung.

'Han Tae-un...'

Even though he had finished regressing and peace had come, he wouldn't be able to live without him.

Sometimes his love felt lacking compared to what Tae-un held, because he had never learned love before. But it was clear that everything, including all the things he couldn't recognize or express himself, was directed only towards him.

If Tae-un ever betrayed him, he would probably collapse right then and there. It was incredibly fortunate that Tae-un wasn't that kind of person, that he could settle into his first love. Han Tae-un would never betray his trust...

Wait a minute. Betrayal?

Betrayal!

Thud!

"Ah."

Tae-un's shoulder was hit. Tae-un, who had been hugging him back and was suddenly struck, looked at Soram in bewilderment. Thud, thud. Though the strength had drained, fists with enough impact to feel struck his chest a couple more times.

"Jin Soram, ugh, I'm bare-bodied."

"How much protection does one piece of clothing provide?"

"Why are you suddenly... wait, I'm going to fall."

"Push me again. Push me to save only myself and fall alone. Like when you were dragged into the mimicry dungeon."

"..."

Tae-un took a few more hits without defense.

The confrontation between Soram, who was rushing at him excitedly, and Tae-un, who could only tell him to calm down, was naturally the former's victory. Soon, Soram ended up straddling Tae-un. Tae-un muttered somewhat resentfully towards Soram, who was looking down at him while panting.

"You've done plenty of dangerous things too."

"What did you say?"

"...Nothing. Hit me until you feel better."

At that, the contrary one's fists lost strength again.

"I won't hit you."

After pouring out all his gloominess and surging emotions, the strength that had been stiffening his body drained away. At the same time, complete resignation came. The vacation where they could have laughed carelessly together at ease was over. Far from hiding the nightmare below the surface, he had put on a fountain show of it.

"Han Tae-un, you're in big trouble. You have to endure someone like this for life."

He muttered, conveying the frustration of creating something more for him to worry about when he already had many concerns.

"I like it. To my eyes, even your whining or being unreasonable is cute..."

A thumb touched his cheek and caressed it.

"My lover is the strongest, coolest, most reliable in the world, and frighteningly my type, what more could I ask for?"

"...Keep going. Why do you like me?"

"Those things I just said are the biggest, but if I had to add one more..."

The thumb touching his cheek slid down to his nape. His expression was so gentle that Soram didn't expect the next answer.

"And sexy?"

"..."

The thread that had been tightly stretched in his mind until just now, then loosened by Tae-un's comfort, was pulled taut again. A different kind of tension from before arrived. This one was a bit hotter.

It was also inevitable that such sentiments arose. He was in a position of pinning Tae-un down, and it was a situation where he had mentally collapsed and then received comfort from the person he loved. There's nothing better than getting certainty and stability from a lover.

"...Um, Han Tae-un..."

"Shall we go inside?"

He finished the words Soram had hesitated on. Soram's head nodded up and down.

Tae-un got up and lifted Soram in his arms. Though he had been held, piggybacked, and carried by Tae-un countless times, the sentiment was different when sex was imminent. While it was awkward to say anything, only Tae-un's heartbeat sounded loudly.

His body was laid down on the bed. However, from the moment they entered the room, Soram was too surprised to even notice that, his eyes wide open.

"What's all this?"

Something that wasn't there before had appeared. Sound-absorbing tiles were attached to the entire ceiling and walls of the bedroom. They were attached so thickly that the room's area seemed to have shrunk slightly.

"After my memories returned, I wanted to do it so I called someone. Look at me, not there."

Tae-un covered him right above and pulled Soram's top up. Even though bare skin was exposed, he felt his body temperature rising instead. Soram asked while taking off his clothes as Tae-un led him.

"Are you having sex to try to empty my thoughts because I dug into the ground?"

"No. I just want to touch you."

Tae-un pressed his lips to the white torso and pulled down what covered the lower body. The light clothing made Soram become naked even faster. Tae-un rubbed his genitals with one hand.

"Jin Soram, do you know?"

Soram, who had been moaning softly, looked up at him.

"How exciting it is that the strongest person in the world shows only me their weak side and relies on me."

"Why, ngh. Why is that?"

"It feels like you've allowed me everything."

Though he didn't understand well, there was no further explanation.

Their naked bodies touched and lips were swallowed as if colliding. Tae-un's hands touched erogenous zones to a degree that seemed almost shameless today. He twisted the slightly erect nipples with both hands and pressed his knee firmly between Soram's legs. Because of that, Soram had to make crying sounds even while kissing.

"Heu... Ah, nng, eut, ah...! Heuut."

His body twitched and trembled as if sparks were bursting in his blood vessels. Tae-un's thigh pressed even more on his genitals.

"Ah! Heup...!"

Soram squeezed Tae-un's thigh with both knees while enduring the pleasure. A short whimper was swallowed into Tae-un's mouth. While pleasure was being drawn up from below to a frightening degree, his lips were being gently rubbed, so his head was already spinning.

Tae-un made the curled-up legs spread wide apart and rubbed his perineum. Fingers that gradually felt their way down to a deep place touched the entrance. Soram gripped Tae-un's shoulders with anticipation and tension.

"Heut."

A fingertip dug into the dry hole. The inner walls tightly squeezed as if wringing the finger. The movement trying to dig in a bit more was stiff.

"Still tight."

"That's because, until you were discharged, you didn't let a single fingertip touch me..."

As a result of about a month of abstinence, the body of a 1st-grade hunter with terrifying recovery power and homeostasis had returned not only injuries, but even the place that had been pried open and made a path with a large object, to its original state. When they had penetrative sex again in the dormitory after discharge, they had to apply lube generously to both Soram's back and Tae-un's genitals, like when they first slept together. Only then could the genitals barely enter all the way into his stomach.

Now, there was no way there would be lube in the room Tae-un had used until high school. Soram seemed to know what Tae-un, who had stopped moving while staring intently between his legs, was thinking.

"...You're going to lick there."

"Yeah."