Chapter 53 (1/2)

When Myohan woke up to a snoring sound, it was completely dark. He blinked and he slowly started to see his surroundings. What woke him up had to be Sinsul’s snoring. He narrowed his eyes and looked around. There was one ray of light coming out beneath the bathroom window. He looked out at the long arm on him.

“Yuja’s in there.”

Someone whispered to him. It was O Shin. Myohan shuddered at his low voice. It was just too…hot.

“Stay still.”

His other arm crept under Myohan’s head. He hugged him and caressed his cheek, leaning in close. Sinsul was snoring hard. Their lips met before Myohan could resist him. No, he didn’t want to resist him. O Shin held him even tighter, putting in his tongue. His heart started to beat fast.

He couldn’t help noticing Sinsul’s snoring and the light from the bathroom.

But O Shin didn’t. He stroked down Myohan’s back and pulled him closer.

The longer their kiss lasted, the less he got to think. Their breathing and the kiss paralyzed him. O Shin took him eagerly, and Myohan let him. They were into each other, as if they had been all alone in the dark room.

***

Myohan had a dream. Himself in cat form, ill and in O Shin’s arms, and someone else grabbing O Shin. What he saw first was a pair of black eyes. They felt familiar. It was O Shin. Another man tried to take Myohan away, but O Shin wouldn’t let him. Under heavy clouds rolling over, he saw other shadows.

‘He was mine from the beginning!’

The man yelled, and instead of pushing O Shin away, he wrapped Myohan in his robe. Myohan, who had been shuddering, became still, and the man looked angry about it. O Shin slowly let him go. Drops of rain started to fall.

‘You all failed to protect the cat, and…’

The rain became heavier in no time. The world looked fuzzy to Myohan, but he managed to count the men kneeling down on the ground. There were eleven of them, and they were all trembling. Not because of the cold rain, but the man’s anger.

The rain was loud and Myohan couldn’t hear him. The man said the name ‘O Shin’, and he held Myohan tighter. The angrier he got, the heavier the rain got. And at last, the moment he declared, light flashed in the sky.

‘You will never become a human.’

He was furious. Then came the thunder. There was the cold rain, and the man’s enraged face, and then another thunder.

‘I swear I will…’

“Both of you, wake up!”

His eyes snapped open. He frowned. It was too bright now.

“Stop sleeping, we should get going.”

“I woke up minutes ago.”

“You should have woken him up, then!”

Myohan blinked slowly. He started to see what was around him. He blinked again, and he saw two warm, black eyes.

“You’re awake.”

“If you’re awake, start folding your blankets and duvets.”

O Shin whispered sweetly, which made Yuja’s comment that immediately after, rather unrealistic. Myohan looked down because his hand hurt. He realized he had been clutching O Shin’s shirt and let it go. Yuja snorted.

“Are you a baby or something?”

“…Oh.”

His voice was hoarse; he couldn’t speak properly. He just moaned. He must have clung onto O Shin all night, begging him not to leave, and O Shin must have stayed with him.

“Stop cuddling and get up!”

It took another yell from Yuja to clear Myohan’s eyes. He got up and O Shin followed him, stretching his back. Yuja left the room, saying their cuddling had been disgusting. Myohan yawned.

“Hello.”

O Shin rubbed his eyes to wipe the tears and gave him a peck. It was something only lovers would do to each other, but Myohan just accepted it.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know I had sleeping habits.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

He was almost a grown-up now, so he should have found sleeping in someone else’s arms embarrassing, but he didn’t care about it at all. He was more embarrassed about what O Shin did to him. Well, he was used to that already, so…

O Shin stroked his hair, making him wish he could go back to sleep. He wrapped himself in a blanket and looked around with another yawn. He could hear someone taking a shower in the bathroom — it had to be Sinsul.

“See…”

Myohan rubbed his face. O Shin nodded, inviting him to speak. He rubbed his eyes, yawned once more, and shook his head, all to wake up properly.