Only Human

The sound of the front door lock disengaging echoed through the entryway.

Jaeyoung dropped the underwear he’d been holding absentmindedly and hurried toward the door.

“Hyung!”

He burst out as if he were about to tackle him the moment the door opened, and Saheon stopped short.

Jaeyoung lifted Saheon’s clothes and checked him over, front and back.

The injuries shown on the broadcast weren’t visible.

Only after running his hands over him to be sure did Jaeyoung finally let out a breath of relief.

Saheon’s gaze, fixed on Jaeyoung, shifted into something strange.

“So,”

Saheon said calmly.

“Was my body your objective?”

“…What?”

Jaeyoung asked, as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“You’re the first person I’ve met who checks my body before my face.”

You’re the first.

It was the kind of line no male lead in any manga, drama, or movie would ever say so casually, yet Saheon delivered it flatly, as if stating an objective fact rather than boasting.

Jaeyoung lifted his head, suddenly curious about Saheon’s expression.

“Hyung—your face…!”

Jaeyoung’s eyes widened as he examined him.

A long gash ran beneath Saheon’s eye, the flesh split deep enough that raw, bloodied tissue was visible.

“That thorn hit you there, didn’t it?”

Jaeyoung asked with the same twisted expression he’d had watching the broadcast.

“Is it really okay not to get this treated?”

“What if you get tetanus or something?”

Focused entirely on the wound under Saheon’s eye, Jaeyoung was practically clinging to him.

Saheon stood there calmly, wrapping his arms around the body pressed into him.

Unrestrained energy spilled from Jaeyoung, soaking into Saheon’s exhausted frame as his pale eyes trembled.

“If they’re going to work you that hard, shouldn’t they at least handle the aftermath properly?”

“Is the Center always this irresponsible?”

After the rampaging Esper incident, the law had changed.

For B-rank and above dungeon raids, two or three Guides were now required depending on team size.

Which meant injuries should have been treated on-site.

Jaeyoung’s usually pale cheeks flushed red as his frustration poured out.

Completely unaware that Saheon was watching him with half curiosity and half amusement, he kept going.

“Go to the hospital right now, okay?”

“I’ve never heard of someone getting tetanus from cactus thorns,”

Saheon replied breezily.

His casual attitude only upset Jaeyoung more.

With a near-crying expression, Jaeyoung hovered over Saheon’s injured cheek, unable to even touch it properly.

“This kind of thing heals fast.”

Saheon said lightly, then took Jaeyoung’s hand and pulled it down.

Espers had enhanced physical abilities compared to ordinary people.

Their regenerative capacity was no exception.

“Then that just means it was bad enough to leave a mark even with that healing,”

Jaeyoung shot back.

He knew how strong Esper regeneration was.

So how severe had the original injury been?

Jaeyoung’s large eyes shimmered with moisture.

Saheon studied his face like he was looking at something unusual.

“…Are you worried about me?”

“Just because there’s no wound doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt,”

Jaeyoung replied gruffly.

Saheon’s indifference had stung him.

“I think injections hurt, too, you know…”

“That’s just because you’re dramatic,”

Saheon said.

Since it wasn’t wrong, Jaeyoung clamped his mouth shut.

“You said you weren’t worried last time.”

Saheon brought it up calmly.

The words Jaeyoung had said before Saheon left for that dungeon.

‘You remembered that?’

Jaeyoung’s eyes widened.

Then he remembered that before becoming an Esper, Saheon had been a prodigy courted by elite universities.

“That was because I didn’t know you could get hurt,”

Jaeyoung muttered, glancing sideways.

Saheon tilted his chin up by holding his flushed cheek.

“I’m human, too.”

Jaeyoung blinked at him.

“Humans get hurt.”

“…Oh.”

Only then did Jaeyoung realize that he’d unconsciously placed Saheon outside the category of human.

He wasn’t any different from Saheon’s teammates, whom he’d secretly found unsettling for the same reason.

And yet, putting Saheon fully in the same category as himself still felt… difficult.

“Sit here for a moment.”

Jaeyoung tugged Saheon over to the sofa and made him sit.

He opened the drawer beneath the TV, grabbed the first-aid kit, and knelt at Saheon’s feet.

“This is pointless.”

Ignoring Saheon’s scoff naturally, Jaeyoung squeezed out ointment.

He lifted his knee and gently swabbed the wound with a cotton tip.

His brows knit together in concentration.

Saheon watched that serious face quietly.

“All done.”

Only after applying a bandage did Jaeyoung finally pull his hands away.

“Should we hold hands first?”

Jaeyoung asked, extending his hand.

Saheon slipped away from the gesture smoothly.

Without another word, he stood and headed for the dressing room.

“Then… a kiss?”

Jaeyoung persisted, trailing after him.

His face was flushed red, like it might burst.

Saheon sighed heavily as he undid his shirt buttons.

When he turned around, Jaeyoung’s eyes lit up.

“We’re going to bed, so go wash up, you little mutt.”

Saheon flicked Jaeyoung’s forehead with his index finger.

It was so light Jaeyoung barely felt it, blinking in surprise.

“If you keep dawdling, I’ll take that as you wanting to shower together and carry you in.”

Saheon said in a low voice.

Even without a growl, the content alone sounded threatening enough.

“I’ll go wash up!”

“Hurry.”

Saheon emphasized quietly from behind.

He’d already showered at the Center, planning to hold Jaeyoung and sleep, only to find Jaeyoung unprepared.

Clicking his tongue in irritation, Saheon waited.

“Okay!”

And Jaeyoung really did come back fast.

Saheon, sitting on the bed and working on a report on his tablet, frowned.

“You didn’t just splash water on yourself, did you?”

Saheon reached out instantly, pulling Jaeyoung in and burying his face against his neck.

He inhaled deeply, as if checking his scent.

“If I’m dirty, I’ll just sleep in my room…”

Jaeyoung pouted.

“This is your room.”

Saheon wrapped him tightly and lay back on the bed.

Their bodies pressed together without a gap.

Jaeyoung’s lips twitched.

He thought he was getting used to this, but it still felt strange every time.

As if unaware of his thoughts, Saheon pulled Jaeyoung’s hand onto his own body.

“Is it okay if we go a little further tonight?”

Saheon asked softly.

He tugged down the hem of Jaeyoung’s T-shirt.

The neckline stretched, exposing pale skin.

Saheon kissed it again and again.

His skin was warm and slightly damp from the recent shower.

Jaeyoung stared down at him with tense eyes.

At some point, the bandage he’d applied was gone.

The wound beneath Saheon’s eye had vanished without a trace.

Still, Jaeyoung couldn’t forget the moment he’d seen it.

“Hm?”

Saheon looked up at him from below, licking his own lips.

The sweet scent of Jaeyoung’s energy stimulated his heightened senses.

“Ah—still not all the way…”

Jaeyoung squeezed his eyes shut and blurted out.

Facing that dangerous smile made his head spin.

“All the way?”

Saheon’s eyes gleamed.

Hearing the excitement in his voice, Jaeyoung realized he’d misspoken.

“N-no, I just meant—using your body again after being injured—”

Jaeyoung squirmed like he was about to flee.

But Saheon was faster.

The hand on his waist slid downward.

“H-hyung! Your hand—your hand!”

Jaeyoung gasped, face burning.

“If we go all the way…”

Saheon deliberately trailed off.

Jaeyoung’s mouth went dry.

“You know how men do it with other men, right?”

Jaeyoung trembled, biting his lip.

In an age where information was everywhere, it wasn’t something he could claim ignorance of.

“N-no!”

He twisted desperately to escape Saheon’s hand.

Unfortunately, he twisted straight into Saheon’s arms.

“You even prepared for it.”

Saheon said it flatly, shameless.

Remembering his friends’ gift, Jaeyoung’s eyes reddened.

“I-I didn’t prepare that!”

He sounded close to tears.

Saheon studied his flushed face carefully.

Then, as easily as sliding his hand out of a pocket, he withdrew it.

“Did you forget I said I was fine just holding you and sleeping?”

Saheon teased, watching his heated expression.

Jaeyoung stared at him, panting.

It took him a moment to realize—Saheon was messing with him.

“You’ve never been hurt like this before, so I panicked,”

Jaeyoung protested.

Saheon brushed his lips against Jaeyoung’s.

Energy similar to Jaeyoung’s own dampened him like a gentle drizzle.

The kiss was slower and softer than usual.

Maybe because of what had happened earlier, it felt unfamiliar.

Jaeyoung trembled with his eyes closed.

His hand resting on Saheon’s shoulder tightened naturally.

Saheon took his wrist and guided it downward.

Jaeyoung’s palm rubbed against a firm chest.

The heat beneath his hand felt stronger than usual.

Saheon scraped his tongue lightly along the inside of Jaeyoung’s mouth.

Was it always this good?

He knew their matching rate was high, but still.

Jaeyoung traced Saheon’s body on his own this time.

He felt their pressed lips stretch to the side.

“Ha… I’m allowed to touch you too, right?”

Saheon murmured hoarsely.

The rough sound scraped through Jaeyoung’s stomach.

After freezing for a moment, he nodded.

A hot hand immediately rubbed his waist.

More energy flowed through Saheon’s hand than usual.

Normally, taking too much too fast left him feeling bloated.

But today, it didn’t.

Jaeyoung stared at Saheon’s chest in wonder.

It felt like if he kept watching, he might actually see their energies intertwine.

Of course, that didn’t happen.

“More.”

Impatient, Saheon lifted Jaeyoung’s chin.

Their eyes met.

Blinded by it, Jaeyoung closed his eyes and parted his lips.