FLPR 2.5

“Because… It’s rude behavior. And if you look at it that way, the other person might feel bad. You shouldn’t look at it that way.”

“Okay. You were uncomfortable too, Doyul. I’m sorry.” Woohyun apologized with a sullen expression. Doyul, pricked by his conscience, shook his head quickly and said.

“No, it’s okay.”

“It’s okay?”

“Yeah, it’s fine. Oh, look over there, Hyung.” Doyul pointed towards the door, his voice urgent, as if he’d spotted something. As Woohyun turned his head, Doyul quickly made a beard out of foam on his face. Woohyun, finding nothing, turned back.

“There’s nothing there.”

“I made a beard. Ahem. I shall give a gift to the good child who listens well.”

Woohyun laughed, a clear, bright sound. He followed Doyul’s lead, dabbing foam on his chin and smiling. Doyul scooped up a handful of foam, piled it on his head, and said,

“Look, I have a hat now too.”

Doyul felt like he’d become a child again. He’d been needlessly worried about bathing together. Playing with Woohyun and splashing around, any untoward thoughts vanished. Woohyun seemed to be enjoying the foam play, carefully cradling a clump of bubbles in his hands, calling it a duck. They played with the foam in the bathtub for a long time.

It was an hour later when they finally emerged from the bathroom.

‘Ugh, I’m exhausted ’ Doyul thought this while lying on the bed. I had lost too much strength in the bathroom. I had forgotten that playing in the water also consumed a lot of physical strength. After playing like that, he washed Woohyun’s hair and helped him wash his body properly. When he played in the bathtub, he didn’t have any sinister thoughts, so he thought, ‘Okay, maybe I’m not that bad of a person.’ But as soon as he saw Woohyun’s body covered in foam, his heart started racing uncontrollably. Woohyun’s innocent face contrasted sharply with his overly sensual body. Doyul had stiffly tried to avoid looking below Woohyun’s face, mentally reciting every song he knew as he washed Woohyun’s neck and back.

Doyul had let Woohyun out first and then, half-exhausted, had taken a quick shower himself. He needed to eat dinner, but he was too tired. Woohyun, on the other hand, still seemed energetic, reading a storybook beside him. Doyul watched him for a moment, then stared up at the ceiling. The summer days were long. It will undoubtedly be hot again tomorrow. It was probably best to stay indoors until the heatwave subsided.

‘Let’s do some crafts tomorrow.’

He wasn’t exceptionally skilled, but he wasn’t clumsy either. Doyul picked up the tablet, opened the program, and searched for a craft project for the next day, memorizing the instructions.

Just then, he felt a warm weight on his stomach. He put the tablet aside and saw Woohyun resting his head on his belly. Blinking up at him, Woohyun looked like a large puppy, and Doyul instinctively reached out and stroked his hair.

“I’m bored.”

“Bored? What should we do then? ”

“When is your birthday, Doyul? ”

Doyul smiled at the question. It reminded him of how elementary school kids would ask their teachers random questions, like their age or where they lived.

“Mine is October 13th.”

“My birthday is December 13th. It’s similar to mine.”

Woohyun smiled. Doyul already knew when Woohyun’s birthday was. Every year, he worried a lot about what to buy him for his birthday. Woohyun said he didn’t need a present, but Doyul wanted to give him something. He knew that the things Woohyun usually carried around would be more expensive and better than the things he saved up for, but he wanted to give him something memorable. However, he didn’t want to see Woohyun useless, so he only bought him consumables. He bought him vitamins, air fresheners, and when he grew up, perfume and alcohol. It was also a choice he made to avoid getting hurt when he happened to visit Woohyun’s house and found out that he didn’t have a present.

‘Come to think of it, have I ever seen him use any of my gifts? ’

Doyul thought for a moment and then quickly erased it. Whether he wrote a present or not, it’s the recipient’s feelings.

“What do you want for your birthday, Doyul? ”

“I want…”

‘Your heart, Hyung.’

Doyul pretended to think and made a humming sound. What he wanted wasn’t something he could have just because he wanted it. Doyul tried to think of something that looked good. And after thinking for a while, he opened his mouth.

“I want a really big cake.”

“How big? ”

Doyul made a large circle with his arms.

“This big.”

“That’s huge! ”

“What do you want for your birthday, Hyung? ”

Now that he was earning a decent salary, he thought he could finally get Woohyun a proper gift. Woohyun answered immediately as if he’d been thinking about it for a long time.

“I want a car.”

“Oh… I see.”

Doyul could probably afford a car with his salary, but it definitely wouldn’t be the kind of car Woohyun was used to. He’d received extravagant gifts since he was a child. Maybe even a building or two?

He stroked Woohyun’s hair and muttered,

“I need to make a lot of money.”

“Money?”

“No, nothing. What kind of car? ”

“I want one that transforms into a robot.”

Doyul inwardly cringed. He was the materialistic one. He was glad he’d asked for clarification. He resolved to get Woohyun the toy car he wanted for his birthday.

“I’ll definitely get you that.”

“Really? Woohyun’s eyes lit up. Doyul smiled and nodded. By then, he’d have received three months’ salary, so a toy like that wouldn’t be a burden at all.

Woohyun sat up and extended his right hand, making a pinky promise gesture.

“Promise me.”

“Okay, I promise.”

Doyul linked pinkies with him and sealed it with a thumb press. Woohyun, satisfied, laid his head back on Doyul’s stomach.

“What kind of transforming robot car do you want? ”

“There’s one on TV. I’ll tell you when it’s on again.”

“Alright.”

Doyul answered and looked at the ceiling again. He felt drowsy and thought he would fall asleep right after eating. After dinner, he had to watch Woohyun write his diary. He thought it would be better to take a short nap before eating. His heavy eyelids closed slowly.

“Are you sleepy, Doyul? ”

“Yeah… Aren’t you sleepy, Hyung? ”

“Not really.”

“You have so much energy…” Doyul mumbled, drifting off. Woohyun considered saying something more but decided against it. Doyul had fallen asleep in the car yesterday and napped today; he seemed to like napping.

Woohyun remembered the text messages he’d seen when Sooyeon had left his phone behind. Among the countless names he hadn’t replied to, Doyul was the only one that had been left unanswered. That felt special to Woohyun, like an empty space reserved just for him. So, he had filled that space with his own reply.

Most of the other messages were requests from other people. He rarely initiated contact. But Doyul was different. Most of the texts were from Woohyun himself. When Doyul did text first, it was usually to offer congratulations. Woohyun was curious about this Doyul person. If Sooyeon hadn’t replied, did that mean it was okay for him to reply? So, he’d sent the hospital information. Sooyeon quickly took the phone back and asked if he’d touched it. Woohyun had instinctively lied, saying no, because Sooyeon’s expression had been so serious.

His lie had been exposed when Doyul showed up, but he’d been incredibly happy. Before they came to this villa, his mother had spoken to him seriously. She’d said he needed to recover as quickly as possible. He didn’t fully understand, but from what the doctor and his mother said, it seemed he was sick. He was an adult and had lost many memories. They were telling him this honestly because Min Woohyun was an adult and needed to recognize his illness and recover quickly. He didn’t quite get it, but he’d said okay because his mother always told him to listen to adults.

Woohyun gazed at Doyul’s slowly breathing form. A sense of pride welled up as he thought about Doyul being the only one he’d replied to.

Doyul woke up an hour later. Groggy, he sat up and checked the time first. He’d meant to nap for about twenty minutes but had overslept. He felt warmth beside him and saw Woohyun sleeping next to him. He must have fallen asleep out of boredom. Doyul shook his head to clear it and gently woke Woohyun.

“Hyung, wake up. If you sleep now, you won’t be able to sleep tonight.”

“Mmm…” Woohyun mumbled in his sleep, not opening his eyes. Doyul shook him harder.

“You need to get up.”

“Just a little longer…”

“No. We need to eat dinner too.”

Woohyun opened his eyes with a groan. Doyul smiled at his dissatisfied expression. He looked like a grumpy little kid, so he wanted to poke his cheek for no reason. Woohyun yawned and sat up. His half-closed eyes still looked very sleepy.

“Should we have ice cream after dinner? ”

“Yeah.” Woohyun nodded. Doyul patted Woohyun’s back and got out of bed. Despite his initial worries, the day had passed peacefully.