RACA 79

Jaebeom went into the bathroom and dipped a soft towel in lukewarm water. He dipped it and pulled it out a few times, and soon the towel was soaked with warm water.

Jaebeom squeezed the thick pink cloth tightly and suddenly lifted his face. He met his own eyes in the mirror attached to the wall above the sink.

“What a mess.”

He wondered who that stupid-looking alpha in the mirror was. His mouth hung open, his eyebrows bent in an ugly curve, his cheeks were red, and his hair stuck out in all directions.

Nothing about him looked decent. Then he suddenly remembered the eyes that had been staring up at him.

He had always thought Eunsol looked cute and pretty, but earlier Eunsol had looked truly tempting. It had felt even stronger because Eunsol was swallowing him.

“Stop.”

Jaebeom shook his head to cut off his thoughts. He wrung the towel, and when he turned around, he saw his reflection in the mirror again.

His arousal had calmed down a little, but he already knew it was still larger than usual even without checking with his eyes.

That too was because of Eunsol, who had boldly provoked him. Jaebeom had wanted to tease Eunsol a little more.

It made him even more lustful because Eunsol had fearlessly taken him in and clumsily moved his lips.

“Ha, he really has no fear at all.”

No matter how innocent he was, how could he do something so reckless and think he would be fine. If Jaebeom had wanted a little more, Eunsol would be lying on top of him right now instead of on the bed.

Jaebeom hoped Eunsol would realize how dangerous that situation had been, but he didn’t feel any need to say it aloud.

“Then he’ll do it again next time.”

Before he knew it, a different kind of smile appeared on his lips. If Eunsol saw it, he would probably feel both alarmed and excited.

“What are you doing?”

When Jaebeom came out of the bathroom, he saw Eunsol wiggling his legs while on his phone. Eunsol lifted both arms high, saying his stomach shouldn’t be pressed, and that sight looked very cute.

Jaebeom, unaware that he had already thought Eunsol was cute twice, walked quickly to the bed.

“Turn your face to the side.”

Before Eunsol could answer, Jaebeom brought the towel to his cheeks.

“Uuh… it feels good.”

“Is it warm, dear customer?”

“Yes. I feel like I might get sleepy. Could you rub it a little more?”

“Understood. If you close your eyes for a moment, I’ll wash your face clean.”

Eunsol understood and quietly lowered his eyelids. Jaebeom moved his hands gently and wiped Eunsol’s lips and cheeks.

He knew what the white stain around the lips was, but he wiped it as if he didn’t know, and that made him feel strange.

“What were you thinking when you did that earlier?”

“You said it was a special birthday, Jaebeom-ssi.”

“You didn’t actually mean that was the present, right?”

Eunsol’s opened his eyes again and he looked straight at Jaebeom. He seemed to be asking if there could be any other meaning.

“I didn’t have anything else I could give right away.”

As Eunsol spoke, the corners of his eyes curved softly, and Jaebeom clicked his tongue inwardly because he felt himself getting hard again.

“I’m really asking because I’m curious. Why did you do it at first?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“You act bold and reckless, so why did you pretend to stutter and watch people’s reactions?”

At those words, Eunsol rolled his round eyes. His eyes moved like glass beads, and Jaebeom rubbed around his reddened eyes with the towel.

“That’s how the main character in this drama acts.”

“Ah, so you were acting?”

Jaebeom remembered that moment and smiled. He recalled how Eunsol had pretended to be shy while behaving daringly.

“I know, my acting’s terrible… but I couldn’t help it. You must’ve researched the main character, so if I acted too differently, it would’ve looked weird.”

Jaebeom saw Eunsol nod without hesitation and raised his eyebrows. Then he recalled their very first meeting.

“Come on, how could I not notice. My acting skills are awful.”

“It’s hard to act perfectly when you suddenly get thrown into a role, you did well enough.”

Jaebeom did not clearly remember what the omega protagonist in the drama had been like. He had only learned the basic information because he was playing the opposite role, and he had not felt any need to look into it more deeply.

Jaebeom thought that the character seen in the drama could not have been entirely created from nothing. A part of the actor’s true self always showed through. That was why, when he saw Eunsol, he had thought that Eunsol’s real personality must have been reflected in the character. Being timid did not mean someone always acted hesitant or withdrawn.

“Thank you for the compliment.”

Jaebeom frowned because he disliked the look on Eunsol’s face that showed he didn’t understand. His mood sank when he saw Eunsol looking unsure.

“Who said you can’t act?”

Eunsol did not reply. But even the awkward laugh he tried to pass it off with made the answer obvious.

“If you’re reacting to what you heard on set, then don’t take it seriously.”

Eunsol laughed softly.

“How can I not care? The director and producer are the ones saying it.”

“People who act arrogant after giving just a line or two of direction never make a proper shoot.”

“Did that ever happen to you, Jaebeom-ssi?”

When Eunsol, whose face had been wiped clean, looked up at him with curiosity, Jaebeom sighed. He could not understand how someone with that face and that kind of air had gone unnoticed.

To be honest, it was a relief that Eunsol had never attracted too much attention until now. If that had happened, Jaebeom would probably have behaved unpleasantly.

“No. But if that had happened to you, I wouldn’t have let it go.”

Eunsol, unaware of the possessiveness behind Jaebeom’s words that sounded so natural even though he had not known Eunsol well in the past, made a face that said, “Of course.”

“I’m not in a position to argue. I have to do what I’m told.”

“The fact that people keep looking for you means your ability is good. So you don’t need to keep what others say in your head.”

“Alright. But what should we do now?”

Eunsol decided there was no point in talking about whether he was a minor role or not. He changed the subject and showed Jaebeom what he had been searching for on his phone.

“It’s your birthday, so we should at least have a nice meal. These are restaurants with available reservations. Which one do you like?”

Naturally, Jaebeom also looked at the list on the screen. Most of them were restaurants that focused on mood and scenery. His eyes moved toward the window.

“It’s raining like this, so where are you planning to go? It’s dangerous.”

“Well, you’re right…”

Eunsol agreed immediately and looked out the window where the rain was falling so hard that it was difficult to see ahead. He had even delayed going to the hospital, so it was true that going out was impossible.

“Alright.”

After thinking for a while, Eunsol slowly sat up, and Jaebeom gave him a questioning look. Eunsol only smiled instead of answering. Then he climbed down from the bed.

Instead of stopping him, Jaebeom quietly followed behind. As expected, the place Eunsol went to was the kitchen. After breakfast, Bulgom had already cleaned up and gone to spend some personal time.

“If you’re going to cook, call Bulgom.”

“No. I’m making a birthday meal, so I have to do it myself.”

Jaebeom crossed his arms and thought for a moment, then he sat quietly at the table.

“Then tell me to do something.”

“Got it.”

Eunsol nodded, meaning he was happy to make use of Jaebeom’s help since it was useless to try stopping him.

“What are you going to make?”

“Wait a second, I’ll check what we have.”

Since Bulgom had been the one managing the kitchen lately, Eunsol did not know what was in the fridge. If he asked, Bulgom would tell him right away, but the problem was that he would insist on cooking himself.

When Eunsol tried to walk toward the fridge, Jaebeom got there first. He opened the door wide and saw that all the ingredients were arranged on each shelf.

“What do you think? Anything you want?”

Jaebeom rubbed his chin and looked over everything until his gaze stopped. There was a piece of Korean beef with a beautiful color.

“Let’s eat that.”

It was a dish that required no real effort and needed no extra preparation. Eunsol sighed because he could tell why Jaebeom had chosen the beef.

“I said I’d make something delicious.”

“What’s wrong with grilled meat? That’s delicious too.”

“Well, that’s true. Are you sure you really want that?”

“Yes. I like anything I eat with you.”

Since Jaebeom insisted, Eunsol couldn’t say anything more. Instead, he made sure to keep at least one part of his original plan.

“Alright. But we have to make seaweed soup too.”

Jaebeom’s eyes brightened.

“I’ll look forward to it.”