F54

Yeonho tried to summon the courage to open his eyes and confirm what was happening to him, but it wasn’t as easy as he thought. So instead of opening his eyes, he let out a faint groan and shifted to lie on his side. As soon as he moved, that crawling, insect-like sensation vanished.

When he eventually opened his eyes some time later, the room was empty.

“Haah…”

Cold sweat clung to his skin, and a chill ran down his spine. His heart was beating erratically.

Had what just happened been real, or was it just sleep paralysis? He usually slept well, and the only time he had ever experienced sleep paralysis was once in middle school.

Back then, he’d been exhausted from cramming for an exam all night. He could see his room clearly, hear someone’s voice, and even feel physical sensations. Until the moment he fully woke up, he had believed everything he sensed was real.

What had just happened could easily be explained as another episode of sleep paralysis. But Yeonho was still scared. Just because there was a possibility it had been a dream didn’t mean the possibility of it being real was gone.

Even if it had been real, he could have overpowered and stopped the person. The fear came from not wanting the person he suspected to be the one who did that to him. He was afraid that the trust he’d placed in a family member closer than his own mother would be shattered.

Yeonho sat up and turned on the light. He rarely used the ceiling light in his bedroom because the LED fixture was blinding. He preferred soft, ambient lighting instead. There was no way he could fall asleep under something this harsh.

But now, he had to keep the light on. Whether it had been a hallucination or reality, he needed to ensure no one could touch him again.

He stayed up the entire night. Only after hearing his older brother open the front door and leave for work did Yeonho open his bedroom door. His brother had been attending early morning language classes lately, so he left even earlier than most office workers.

After getting ready to go out, Yeonho left the house in a hurry and arrived at the place Siwoo had arranged for them. He got there much earlier than usual and immediately took a long shower. He couldn’t bear the lingering, grimy sensation on his skin, as if something had been crawling all over him all night.

He lay down on the bed naked, hoping to get some sleep. As soon as he inhaled the scent of Siwoo lingering on the sheets and blanket, comfort washed over him. He suddenly got up and sprayed Siwoo’s cologne, kept on the vanity onto the bedding. The real Kim Siwoo wouldn’t arrive for another hour.

Sniffing around like a puppy, he buried himself in the bed again. With Siwoo’s scent now stronger, he felt much better.

“Mmh. That’s better.”

Since it had come to this, he decided to go all in for comfort. He dug through the wardrobe and took out Siwoo’s loungewear, pulling the oversized T-shirt over his head and arms.

While he was at it, he also took out a pair of Siwoo’s underwear.

“Should I wear these too?”

The boxers and pants were slightly big on him but not enough to fall off. Clad in Siwoo’s clothes, comfortably draped around his body, Yeonho lay back down. But before long, he sat up again and began gathering all of Siwoo’s belongings from around the room, arranging them in a circle around the bed.

Like performing a ritual, he meticulously surrounded himself with Siwoo’s things and tucked himself under the blanket. Now enveloped in Siwoo’s scent, the fear and restlessness from the night before felt almost absurd in hindsight.

“Right. It was just sleep paralysis. Let’s go with that.”

Yeonho drifted off to sleep and fell into a deep, dreamless slumber. He was still half asleep when he sensed movement and cracked his eyes open. Siwoo had just arrived and was staring down at him with a stunned expression. Still groggy, Yeonho mumbled slowly, offering to clean up the mess he had made of the bed.

“Sorry… I’ll clean it up…”

“You look way too sexy right now.”

Siwoo said something strange. Yeonho, buried under the blanket with only his face peeking out, squirmed and asked from under the covers,

“Sexy? Even though you can only see my face?”

“Let me clean up. You just lie down and rest.”

The real Kim Siwoo quietly began putting away the things that had been acting as his stand-ins. Yeonho, like a baby bird who had just lost his nest, flailed his feet and hoped Siwoo would lie down beside him soon.

After putting everything away and taking a quick shower, Siwoo opened the wardrobe to get his loungewear. He had two sets in total. One was already in the laundry bin, and the other was missing. Noticing that Yeonho’s matching set was still there, Siwoo quickly figured out where his own had gone.

He pulled the blanket off of Yeonho. Wearing Siwoo’s clothes, Yeonho gave him a sheepish smile.

Siwoo scanned Yeonho from head to toe, then abruptly tugged down his pants to check his underwear. They wore different brands, so it was obvious Yeonho was also wearing Siwoo’s boxers.

“See? You’re being way too sexy right now.”

“…Don’t know.”

Still drowsy and confused, Yeonho muttered the words like he didn’t understand. Then, with a lazy smile, he pulled Siwoo down into his arms. Wrapping both arms around him, Yeonho tugged him onto the bed. Siwoo’s erection pressed against Yeonho’s thigh, already hard and hot. Rubbing his cheek slowly against Siwoo’s, Yeonho whispered,

“Why am I sexy right now?”

Siwoo began undressing him. Before long, the boxers were gone too, and Yeonho was completely naked. Siwoo slipped off his own robe. He gently rubbed his cock against Yeonho’s, then pressed their whole bodies together. His lips sealed Yeonho’s.

Yeonho kissed back, feeling every muscle and inch of Siwoo’s skin sliding against his. Siwoo moved slowly and gently, like he was erasing the touch of whatever had crawled over Yeonho’s body that early morning.

Even after the kiss, Siwoo slowed his movements even more. In a playful tone, he answered Yeonho’s question quietly.

“You needed my scent that badly. Like an animal…”

Yeonho nodded solemnly and replied,

“Yeah. I needed your scent because I’m an animal. A beast. A predator.”

“Mhm. Our Yeonho must be really sleepy.”

The teasing tone in Siwoo’s reply made Yeonho nip at his nose. Siwoo wasn’t planning to go as far as penetration, Yeonho looked too tired. He just wanted to rub their bodies together and help him fall asleep feeling good.

He licked softly along Yeonho’s cheeks and neck and asked,

“Is it because of the alcohol? Did you not sleep well last night?”

Yeonho was about to complain that he hadn’t slept a wink, but then he shut his mouth. He was already too out of it from lack of sleep, and if he started talking about why, he might accidentally reveal what had happened at dawn.

“I slept fine. I think I’m just still drunk. Can’t stop feeling sleepy.”

“I see. Then go ahead and sleep. I won’t talk anymore.”

Siwoo kissed both of Yeonho’s heavy eyelids and rubbed their noses together. Feeling safe in Siwoo’s arms, Yeonho gently pulled him down to lie beside him. He rested his head on Siwoo’s arm and made a small request.

“Hyung, touch me while I fall asleep.”

“Okay.”

Siwoo began stroking his body with his palm. Yeonho closed his eyes and followed the path of his touch. From his neck, Siwoo’s hand slid down below the collarbone, gently rubbing his chest. He tapped lightly on his nipples, then moved up again, tracing across his forehead, eyebrows, eyelids, the bridge of his nose, lips, jaw.

Then, placing two fingers between Yeonho’s brows, Siwoo drew a slow, straight line down from his nose, to his philtrum, lips, chin, neck, and chest. His fingertips finally reached Yeonho’s most sensitive spot, skimming his lower belly and around his navel.

Soon, that familiar feeling Yeonho loved so much spread through his body. Whenever Siwoo touched his belly, it felt like something was filling him up from behind and stirring inside.

Being touched like that again, Yeonho felt tears threaten to rise. As Siwoo traced every inch of his body with his hands, Yeonho had no choice but to accept the truth.

What happened that dawn wasn’t a hallucination or drunken dream. The hand that touched him had been real. It had been someone else.