A Dangerous Morning

“Heck, what time is it now?”

It was after they had finished a simple cleanup from dinner and were sitting in the living room watching TV. Time had flown by as Yoon Dae-eon put on an entertainment show through a streaming service he frequently watched. When he checked his phone, it was nearly midnight.

Startled, Yoon Dae-eon busily got up from his seat, and Seon Ji-ha followed suit. As Yoon Dae-eon hurried to pack the belongings he had scattered around the living room, Seon Ji-ha spoke up subtly.

“If you sleep over……”

“Ack, I have classes tomorrow too. I have to leave early.”

“We can go together.”

“Don’t you have no lectures tomorrow, Senior?”

“……I have to go to school. I have some business there…….”

Seon Ji-ha didn’t specify what the business was. Yoon Dae-eon, still a bit frantic, frowned slightly at those words. He debated whether to stay or not.

Seeing him waver, Seon Ji-ha quickly added:

“Let’s eat breakfast together before we go…….”

Yoon Dae-eon didn’t usually eat breakfast. To be honest, this habit had started after his parents passed away. Before that, his father had always prepared breakfast for his mother and him.

Once they vanished, there was no one to provide breakfast, and he saw no need to prepare a meal for just himself, so he naturally began to skip it.

At the suggestion of eating breakfast together, Yoon Dae-eon hesitated for a moment. Then, he let his bag drop back down. Seon Ji-ha’s gaze immediately fell upon the bag. The corners of his mouth twitched.

“……Senior, do you have clothes? Something a bit small.”

“Yes, I do.”

“What about a toothbrush? Should I run to the convenience store and buy one?”

“I have that too.”

He hadn’t explicitly said he would stay, but his questions were enough of an answer. A trace of a smile lingered on Seon Ji-ha’s face as he confirmed he had everything.

When he gave a tiny smile, Yoon Dae-eon leaned in and poked his cheek.

“Senior, you’re pretty when you smile.”

His face, which had been hidden behind glasses and bangs, was finally more visible since he had recently ditched the glasses. Seeing that pretty smile, Yoon Dae-eon realized once again that the man was remarkably handsome.

Yoon Dae-eon looked up at Seon Ji-ha and chuckled.

Poked suddenly in the cheek, Seon Ji-ha forgot he was even smiling and just stared at Yoon Dae-eon. There were deep dimples in Yoon Dae-eon’s cheeks—the kind that only appeared when he laughed.

“Give me the clothes. I’ll go wash up.”

Yoon Dae-eon, who had been smiling back, withdrew his hand first and moved away. His back seemed to sway as he went to grab his phone. Or rather, that’s how it looked to Seon Ji-ha.

After showering, Yoon Dae-eon picked up the clothes Seon Ji-ha had handed him. It was a plain black oversized T-shirt, but the material was incredibly good. It looked entirely different from the “two for 30,000 won” shirts Yoon Dae-eon usually bought online.

The moment he pulled the shirt over his head, Yoon Dae-eon realized instinctively: ‘Damn, this is huge.’

As soon as he saw himself in the bathroom mirror, a sigh escaped him. A kid who had stolen his dad’s clothes was standing there.

He had clearly asked for something small. Well, perhaps from Seon Ji-ha’s perspective, this was the smallest one he could find.

Ignoring the T-shirt that barely covered his rear, Yoon Dae-eon picked up the folded pants. He knew without even trying them on like the shirt—these would never fit. They were perfect for sliding right off.

‘Would it be better to ask the Senior for trunk boxers?’ But as a fellow man, that felt a bit like a blow to his pride…….

Ultimately, Yoon Dae-eon walked out wearing only his own briefs underneath the massive shirt. Honestly, he was the type to wander around his own home in just underwear and a T-shirt anyway.

“Senior! Don’t you have smaller pants? Like something you wore in middle school……?”

Yoon Dae-eon pulled up the collar of the shirt, which was slipping uncomfortably, and looked for Seon Ji-ha. The man hadn’t gone far; he was waiting for Yoon Dae-eon right outside the bathroom. Naturally, their eyes met the moment he stepped out.

Seon Ji-ha’s eyes widened the moment he saw Yoon Dae-eon wearing nothing but briefs and the giant T-shirt. He looked like he had just seen a monster. Covering his mouth with a trembling hand, he muttered:

“……Cute…….”

“Cu-what? Senior, are you trying to tease me?”

Brushing off the comment, Yoon Dae-eon hung the clothes he had arrived in over the sofa. Seon Ji-ha’s gaze landed on the discarded clothes. The predatory intensity in his eyes was severe, but Yoon Dae-eon, with his back turned, didn’t see it.

“Seriously, no smaller pants?”

“No. None.”

“Not even trunks?”

“I don’t have trunks.”

“How can you not have trunks?”

“I just don’t.”

To every question, Seon Ji-ha flatly stated he had nothing. When he insisted the shirt he was wearing was the smallest he had, Yoon Dae-eon gave up.

He decided to stop fussing over the neckline that kept sliding down. Fine, he figured, what did it matter since it was just two guys sleeping? The fact that he was technically a Recessive Omega and Seon Ji-ha was a High-Dominant Alpha had long since slipped from Yoon Dae-eon’s mind.

“Where do I sleep?”

“……In my room…….”

“You have plenty of rooms in this house, Senior. Or I can just sleep on the sofa.”

As a guest, Yoon Dae-eon naturally pointed toward the sofa. Seon Ji-ha, who had been preparing to say he had no spare blankets, followed Yoon Dae-eon’s finger to the sofa. He felt a sudden, intense urge to set the sofa on fire.

Seon Ji-ha attempted his first line of defense.

“……I don’t have blankets.”

“The nights are cool lately, so it’s perfect.”

“I don’t have pillows either.”

“There are cushions on the sofa, aren’t there?”

Yoon Dae-eon’s defense was airtight. Whatever Seon Ji-ha said, he brushed it off effortlessly. Clenching his fists, Seon Ji-ha racked his brain for another excuse.

Just then, Yoon Dae-eon approached Seon Ji-ha’s bedroom and peeked inside.

The bedroom was literally just a “bedroom.” It wasn’t like Yoon Dae-eon’s room with a desk, closet, and miscellaneous items; it contained only one massive Eastern King-sized bed. A bed so giant that two adult men could roll around without ever touching was right there.

Seeing that, Yoon Dae-eon was quickly convinced.

“Never mind, I’m not sleeping on the sofa. Let’s sleep together.”

With a bed this size, he figured they wouldn’t even bump into each other. Fearing Seon Ji-ha might change his mind, Yoon Dae-eon scrambled into the bed. The rustle of the hotel-style bedding felt incredibly good.

Seon Ji-ha, who had followed him, froze for a moment at the sight of Yoon Dae-eon nestled into his bed. Soon, with a stiff expression, he went and turned off all the lights in the house. Now, the only thing lit was the nightlight in the bedroom.

Seon Ji-ha moved slowly, lifted the blanket on the opposite side of Yoon Dae-eon, and lay down. It was a routine act, but the feeling was different. He realized then that his heart was beating remarkably loud.

The sound of his heart was so loud, and the room so quiet, that he feared Yoon Dae-eon might hear it. Actually, it didn’t matter if he did. In fact, it might be better if Yoon Dae-eon noticed…….

“Zzz……”

“……”

Looking to his side, he saw Yoon Dae-eon already asleep with his mouth slightly open. Just to check, Seon Ji-ha reached out and poked his cheek.

“Mngh……”

Yoon Dae-eon swiped his hand to brush away Seon Ji-ha’s touch. His brow furrowed slightly as if the touch were annoying. Yoon Dae-eon had fallen fast asleep.

Seon Ji-ha’s expression turned gloomy. Yoon Dae-eon really wasn’t paying him any mind at all.

That fact felt so brazen that Seon Ji-ha poked his cheek one more time. This time, as if he had fallen completely into a deep sleep, there was no reaction at all.

Gazing down at Yoon Dae-eon with a look of regret, Seon Ji-ha finally got out of bed.

Initially, he had planned to wait until Yoon Dae-eon was completely asleep before moving. However, Yoon Dae-eon wasn’t nearly as sensitive a sleeper as he thought. Before leaving the bedroom, Seon Ji-ha stared at the sleeping Yoon Dae-eon for a long while, then headed to the living room.

Moonlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, making it easy enough to see. He walked casually toward the sofa. There, he found the clothes Yoon Dae-eon had taken off.

With a blank face, Seon Ji-ha picked up the sweatshirt and buried his face in it for a moment. The scent of Yoon Dae-eon’s body wafted out, almost suffocatingly. There wasn’t a hint of pheromones.

But that was more than enough. A strange excitement bloomed on Seon Ji-ha’s face.

Gripping the sweatshirt tightly, he carried it back inside. Yoon Dae-eon’s pants were clutched in his other hand.

**********************************************

Yoon Dae-eon woke up quite early in the morning. He knew this because his body felt different. On days when he woke up late, his body usually felt light. In other words, right now, his body felt heavy—too heavy.

Rustling awake, Yoon Dae-eon tried to sit up. But he couldn’t move. His body was far too heavy. ‘Has my body always been this heavy?’

Then, he realized. It wasn’t his body that was heavy. It was the weight of someone’s arms and legs pinned over him.

“Sen…… ugh.”

Trying to peel away the arm resting across his chest, Yoon Dae-eon was instead pulled closer. The arm, which had detached for only a split second, tightened with even greater strength than before, like a beast hugging its prey. The same went for the leg draped over his thighs.

Yoon Dae-eon realized that he wasn’t just trying to move an arm to get up anymore; he had to escape to survive. He felt like he might actually stop breathing.

“Senior. Sen, Senior. Wake up for a second.”

Yoon Dae-eon turned only his head to look at the eyes-closed Seon Ji-ha. The man’s long eyelashes fluttered slightly. Perhaps because he was lying down, Seon Ji-ha’s long bangs were messily swept aside.

Finally getting a full view of his face, Yoon Dae-eon’s eyes widened in surprise. ‘Was his forehead always this handsome? Was the bridge of his nose always this high……?’

Just then, Seon Ji-ha’s eyelids slowly lifted.

Still not fully awake, he gave a faint smile the moment he saw Yoon Dae-eon filling his vision. Then, he moved his arms and crumpled Yoon Dae-eon into his chest.

Literally crumpled into the man’s embrace, Yoon Dae-eon realized too late that even his escape route had vanished. Even his view was blocked by Seon Ji-ha’s chest, leaving him seeing absolutely nothing. Yoon Dae-eon hammered on the chest with his fists, pleading for his life.

“Senior, please, wake up!”

If there were such a thing as a giant human prison, this was surely it. Yoon Dae-eon realized thoroughly that his meager strength meant nothing within those arms. Just as he shouted for him to please wake up, Seon Ji-ha’s deep voice finally rumbled from above.

“……Stay still.”

The voice was incredibly low and dark. Like a predator addressing its prey.

“Dae-eon, don’t move.”