TM | Chapter 19

His gaze lingered in awe at the pale skin exposed on the nape of the neck before lowering his lips. Precisely where the collar would rest, his lips covered the skin and gently sucked.

Soft flesh clung to his lips. As the faint scent of skin seeped into his nose, he sucked a little deeper. A light smacking sound echoed as his lips parted, leaving behind a vivid red mark on the fair nape.

He had only meant to leave a small trace, just enough to hint at their night together, but the mark turned out darker than expected. Lee Seol’s lips twitched slightly in embarrassment.

But soon, a sense of satisfaction washed over him at the sight of the mark he had left. A smile crept onto his lips as he buried his nose into Yoon Sung’s nape, inhaling deeply.

A sweet, warm scent of skin.

It was a troublesome thing, how that scent always drifted toward him whenever he got close. It made resisting the urge to take a bite incredibly difficult, which was why he usually kept a step or two away.

He had once gotten curious and leaned in to take a proper whiff, only for Yoon Sung to whine and push him away. Reflexively, his hand had moved without thinking. He had only smacked him lightly, but to his horror, it had made Yoon Sung’s nose bleed. It had shocked him so much that he froze.

Cheongrok could take a serious beating and come out of it with nothing more than a bruise or two. But Yoon Sung? His skin was as delicate as magnolia petals. The slightest force would leave it reddened or bruised.

And now, the very person he had only been able to watch from a distance was in his arms. Lee Seol licked his lips at the fragrant scent, his eyelashes trembling as he let out a quiet sigh. Even his breath trembled as he suppressed the overwhelming desire to devour him whole.

Until he had completely won over this small creature in his embrace, he had to tread carefully.

Yoon Sung was surprisingly elusive—seemingly within reach, yet slipping away the moment he tried to grasp him. He was a mystery. A man of few words, never revealing how much he knew or what he was thinking. At first glance, he seemed easy to befriend, but the more one got to know him, the more complicated he became.

Even the engagement—what kind of whim had led to that?

Lee Seol smirked in amusement as he recalled the faces of those so-called “friends” who had been watching Yoon Sung.

One man in particular had never been able to hide his emotions. A man who had spent a year by Yoon Sung’s side, constantly eyeing him with heated gazes. A lowly fool who barely passed the martial arts examination and became a petty official. Kang Taegwon.

A man who liked women so much that he had even worried about forcing one onto Yoon Sung. Fortunately, he had never gone that far, so Lee Seol had let him be.

Yet, it was after a conversation with that very man that Yoon Sung had agreed to their engagement.

Before that, Yoon Sung had rejected his advances, only to accept his proposal after Kang Taegwon pressured him about something. Whatever was said must have been enough to hurt Sung-i to the point of cutting ties with him.

Lee Seol’s expression darkened as Kang Taegwon came to mind again, a thorn that had been pricking at him for quite some time.

Whenever Yoon Sung met that man, he would drag Lee Seol along. And Kang Taegwon would always look at him with a gaze so burning, so intense, that it made his skin crawl. Sticky eyes filled with obsession—so unsettling that Lee Seol had started avoiding those meetings altogether.

Even earlier, in the alley leading to the gibang, that man had stared at him with the same heated gaze. He had spoken to Yoon Sung while constantly glancing at him.

He had always looked at him that way.

But when it came to the engagement… why had he looked at Yoon Sung instead?

Had he harbored feelings for him and felt jealousy toward Yoon Sung? But his expression had been too strange for that.

It was almost as if he had been betrayed.

Lee Seol’s gaze dropped to Yoon Sung in his arms. He recalled the words he had heard earlier.

“I have experience with men…”

A small chuckle slipped from his lips.

What was the big deal? The royal family took in a queen, concubines, and even palace maids could rise within the naemyeongbu¹.

The once-healthy queen would gradually weaken. One day, she would start coughing up blood and collapse into bed, and on a pleasant day, she would simply stop breathing. Then, the Concubine of the Lee Clan, the most favored concubine, would ascend as the next queen.

The position of the primary wife. The queen’s seat was taken in such a manner. Killing off anything that was an eyesore was easy enough, but doing so too recklessly would leave a trail. It had to be done with moderation.

Lee Seol smiled brilliantly, like a flower in full bloom. He pressed a soundless kiss onto Yoon Sung’s forehead with delicate care.

In the end, the one left standing would be him.

Not that he wouldn’t find the bastard who had dared to touch Yoon Sung.

His thoughts were interrupted by the small movements of Yoon Sung squirming in his embrace.

The sleeping boy, completely lost in his dreams, exuded an intoxicatingly sweet scent. Lee Seol’s mouth watered. If only he could take a bite of just one of those delicate fingers. Would Yoon Sung hide away in fear if he voiced such thoughts?

Lee Seol narrowed his eyes, chuckling soundlessly. His lips twitched as he fought the urge to sink his teeth into those soft, plump cheeks. He clenched his eyes shut to resist, but his shaky breaths betrayed his struggle. Slowly, he inhaled, forcing his rising emotions to settle.

Even when revealing his true nature, there was a limit.

Back when Yoon Sung had kept avoiding him, he had considered throwing him into a pit full of snakes. But Cheongrok had stopped him. Who knew the boy would freak out so much over just a couple of frogs?

It wasn’t like missing a leg would kill him, so he had nearly sliced one off with a dagger. He would have, too, if Cheongrok hadn’t suggested simply breaking it instead. After a moment of thought, he had decided against it.

If he had known Yoon Sung would fall into his arms this quickly, he wouldn’t have spent years cooped up in his house. If he had known Yoon Sung was willing to marry a man, he would never have let him run around freely in the first place.

His gaze fell on Yoon Sung’s slightly parted lips, his head lowering as if drawn by a spell. He pressed a light kiss against them, then pulled back slightly before dipping down again. This time, his tongue slipped past the gap between those lips, tasting the sweet saliva that tingled against the tip of his tongue.

Heat surged through him from deep within his core. Unable to resist, Lee Seol pulled aside Yoon Sung’s collar and lowered his head, savoring the feel of skin clinging to his lips. His tongue traced over the smooth surface, indulging in its taste. But when Yoon Sung stirred and curled up as if bothered, Lee Seol lifted his head.

He had to stop.

Always take two steps back.

Only reveal a fraction of what he truly wanted.

That way…

Yoon Sung wouldn’t run away.

Lee Seol’s lips remained curled all night as he gazed at the sleeping boy in his arms. As dawn broke and the soft light crept into the room, illuminating everything in its warmth, his eyes remained fixated on Yoon Sung’s peaceful slumber.

***

Even though the sunlight seeped through the hanji door and brightened the room, Yoon Sung still hadn’t emerged from under the blanket. He had been awake for a while, but he just couldn’t bring himself to get up. His gaze, which had been cautiously watching Lee Seol, drifted to the ceiling, his eyes blinking absentmindedly.

At first, he had stayed hidden to avoid letting Lee Seol catch sight of his morning arousal. But now, it was because the bastard had thrown off his sokjeogori² and was doing one-armed push-ups—so he got too distracted watching.

He had seen that body countless times as a child, back when they used to swim together in the mountain streams. It was a familiar sight, but seeing Lee Seol’s body again after all these years was completely different.

Faint as they were, scars littered his body. A particularly long, jagged mark stretched across his back.

Yoon Sung had always known that Lee Seol trained hard, but this was the first time he had seen the results of that training on his body.

The physique he had once considered “firm” was now sculpted with muscle, each fiber flexing distinctly as he pushed up and down. Unlike Kang Taegwon, who was built with thick, bulky muscles, Lee Seol’s were fine and intricately defined, like something crafted with meticulous precision.

So this guy looks pretty when he’s dressed and stunning when he’s not…

Lost in admiration, Yoon Sung finally spoke.

“Why are you training first thing in the morning?”

“Hoo—Sung-ah, turns out I’m a man too.”

“Well, obviously. What, did you think you were a woman?”

Yoon Sung shot him a look, pulling himself up from the blanket. His sleep-mussed hair stuck out in places, and the knot of his sokjeogori had loosened. As he reached up to retie the ribbon, Lee Seol’s lighthearted voice floated toward him.

“I keep getting hard. It won’t go down.”

“…….”

Yoon Sung swallowed dryly at the blatant confession.

He had no idea how to respond, so he just stared into the air.

“I had such a hard time. I even thought about relieving myself, but I figured you’d wake up and be startled, so I held back.”

“…Are you seriously saying that out loud? Just go take care of it outside. I’m sure there’s an empty room somewhere.”

“How am I supposed to carry your clothes out with me?”

“Huh?”

“I need to smell your scent while doing it.”

“…….”

Something about that statement felt off.

It almost sounded like he did it regularly.

“……Do you have my clothes?”

“Yeah.”

“I never gave you any, though?”

“The one I tore two years ago.”

At that moment, a memory from the past resurfaced.

They had been swimming in the lake when Lee Seol had suddenly shoved a chick-yellow outfit at him, telling him to wear it. It had looked ridiculous, so he refused. In retaliation, Lee Seol had taken the clothes he’d left on a rock and thrown them into the lake.

When Yoon Sung tried to put them back on while they were still wet, Lee Seol had outright ripped them apart.

Even then, Yoon Sung had refused to wear that ridiculous yellow garment, so Lee Seol had ended up throwing him into the lake instead.

In the end, out of sheer exhaustion from their back-and-forth struggle, he had worn it. Upon closer inspection, the silk robe had looked quite expensive, so the very next day, he had taken it to the market and sold it.

With the money, he had bought a whole bundle of yeot³ sticks and gifted them to Lee Seol. The guy had been so shocked he had looked close to tears.

When Yoon Sung had told him to “Eat the damn yeot⁴,” Lee Seol had stubbornly refused at first, so he had cut it up and shoved it into his mouth.

The way Lee Seol had begrudgingly chewed and muttered that it was sweet had been so hilarious that Yoon Sung had laughed himself breathless.

He chuckled at the memory.

Then, his expression froze.

Because that meant Lee Seol had kept that torn-up outfit all this time.

And the fact that he used it to smell him while jerking off left his mind completely blank.

Lee Seol was way too honest for his own good. Feeling awkward, Yoon Sung found himself staring at the byungpung, pretending to admire the painting on it.

He could feel Lee Seol scooting closer.

The heat from his body seemed to seep through Yoon Sung’s clothes, making him instinctively shift his upper body away.

“It went down.”

At Lee Seol’s amused remark, Yoon Sung awkwardly straightened his posture.

When he stole a glance at him, Lee Seol’s expression was calm, but his cheeks were slightly flushed—probably from all the push-ups.

He looked… annoyingly good like that.

“Sung-ah. Don’t look away from me.”

“…….”

Caught off guard by the sudden demand, Yoon Sung’s eyes widened.

Lee Seol slightly turned his bare upper body toward him, a sly glint in his eyes.

That seductive gaze—

It was the exact same expression from the first wet dream Yoon Sung had ever had as a kid.