Reasonable Loss - 22

“Yes.”

“When Dokwon first wooed me, he bought a ton of delicious stuff too.”

“……Me?”

Dokwon’s face took on a bewildered expression. Wooed? Me? Yoo Eunsu? And with food of all things? At those utterly unbelievable words, the corners of Dokwon’s eyes twitched.

Eunsu nodded his head three times in a row. Even as he did, his fork fiercely attacked the fudge cake thickly coated in chocolate.

“Yes. He somehow knew I liked eating. I really ate a lot. Meals, drinks, desserts—and when we parted, he even sent me off loaded with all sorts of things.”

“Ha…….”

“But the funny thing is, I really fell for it.”

“…….”

“When you eat delicious food, it makes you feel good, right? Feeling good makes the guy sitting across from you look so cool, and he seems like a nice person, and you start looking forward to what we’ll eat tomorrow, and it just happens that way.”

Eunsu laughed as he recalled the past. It was just a little over two years ago, but it felt like ancient history. Even after they became lovers, Dokwon always bought delicious things, but it felt quite different from back then.

If he had to compare, it was closer to now. Using formal speech with each other, that ticklish excitement coming and going, and a sharp tingle when their hands brushed occasionally.

Thinking like that, somehow…… meeting like this didn’t feel so bad.

Eunsu sucked on the fork thickly coated in chocolate. His plump lips moved busily.

“But it’s not that different now. Every time I meet Dokwon, I eat delicious stuff. It feels like we’re back to the flirting stage. If we keep this up, getting back together wouldn’t be so bad…….”

Eunsu’s words cut off abruptly. Because Dokwon had gripped the back of his head with one hand without warning and swallowed his lips whole.

Eunsu’s eyes widened. His prettily curled eyelashes fluttered rapidly.

What’s this…… could it be a kiss…… heavens…… how long had it been since their lips met…….

His thoughts tangled chaotically without order. After being dazed for a moment, Eunsu dropped the fork with a clink. Then he wrapped his arms around Dokwon’s neck. As if he’d been waiting, Dokwon gripped under Eunsu’s armpit and his waist, pulling him onto his lap.

The kiss that had just been lips touching turned sticky in an instant.

“Mmngh…….”

Dokwon sucked on Eunsu’s lower lip repeatedly. The strong suction made his lips throb. Eunsu unwittingly parted his mouth slightly. Dokwon didn’t miss the gap and thrust his tongue deep inside.

Eunsu’s shoulders flinched. But it was only for a moment. As Dokwon’s pheromones surged thickly between their meshed lips, his muscles melted away in an instant. His lower belly pulled taut with an ache, and his groin clenched.

Even though their bodies were already pressed together, it wasn’t enough, so he clung to Dokwon with needy groans.

Dokwon’s tongue was thick yet nimble, long, hot, and slick. Eunsu tilted his head back fully to take it in. The tongue that tugged his own, scraped his palate, and licked his teeth sent shivers racing up and down his spine.

Their lips rubbed stickily. Then, at some point, Dokwon exhaled a long “Hoo…….”

“Haa…….”

At the pheromones balled up tight like a sphere, Eunsu’s fingertips trembled faintly. But Dokwon didn’t stop there and tilted his head slightly to the side. After that, he explored Eunsu’s mouth even deeper. He even sucked the whole tongue greedily with wet smacks.

Eunsu’s moist mouth tasted of chocolate. He wasn’t one to enjoy sweets much. But the chocolate mixed with Eunsu’s pheromones was ecstatic. The saliva was so sweet too—he felt like he could live forever just sucking on this.

Dokwon devoured Eunsu’s mouth as if he hadn’t eaten for days, and Eunsu, unable to endure the stimulation, suddenly bent his upper body forward sharply. Their lips, stuck tight, parted with a smack. Eunsu dropped his head limply and panted roughly.

“Wait…… haa…… just a moment…….”

Kissing Dokwon was so good it melted his mind completely, but it was exhausting too. It wasn’t their first or second kiss, yet every time he ran out of breath.

His body, faithful to instinct, kept inhaling to take in even a bit more of the dominant alpha’s pheromones. It was an act with none of Eunsu’s intentions mixed in. So after one kiss, dizziness hit him like a ping.

While Eunsu caught his breath as if he’d run at full speed, Dokwon pressed and released his lips on Eunsu’s small face with soft smacks. On his forehead, the bridge of his nose, his cheeks, under his chin.

How long had it been like that. Eunsu’s breathing slowed. Dokwon gently cupped Eunsu’s cheek. Eunsu looked at Dokwon with half-lidded, hazy eyes.

“Dokwon…….”

His voice sounded like a plea for something. Through his weakly parted lips, a moist tongue was visible.

On the TV screen, the hero and villain faced off while smashing the Earth, but he couldn’t care less about that. Dokwon’s gaze held only Eunsu. Eunsu’s eyes, Eunsu’s lips, and the ecstatic pheromones emanating from him dominated the whole world.

“Let’s eat dinner here tomorrow too.”

Dokwon whispered softly in his ear.

“……Yes.”

Eunsu nodded with a look as if entranced by something.

With that exchange, their lips met again. The two rubbed their lips fiercely. As if to fill the months of emptiness in just one day. As if to compensate for all the time they hadn’t touched.

Lips and tongues moved busily. Their nostrils didn’t rest as they sought each other’s scents. They also stroked the back of the head, nape, shoulders, and waist in a sensual way.

All those actions were endearing. At least to Eunsu.

Dokwon had softened a lot lately, but he was still worlds apart from the one during their relationship. But this kiss seemed to soothe all the heartache he’d endured so far, and if he just held on a little longer, he’d return to being his complete self—so it made him happy and excited.

Eunsu smiled faintly and burrowed deeper into Dokwon’s embrace.

Eunsu, whose lips were swollen like sausages, sprawled back against the sofa. His mind felt hazy as if he’d drunk heavily. His body, having taken in alpha pheromones after so long, melted softly too. He felt just like a squid. A boneless, muscled-less squid.

Thinking about it, he suddenly craved fried squid.

He hadn’t finished it earlier and some was left. Should he eat it.

As Eunsu let his random thoughts drift, Dokwon approached after finishing the cleanup. With his neat personality, he always took care of tidying up like this. Eunsu tended to put off cleaning or dishes and handle them all in one go on a set day.

But after meeting Dokwon, he didn’t have to batch them because Dokwon cleared things right away. Of course, lately Dokwon hadn’t come to his place, so he was back to batching housework.

Remembering the pile of laundry at home, Eunsu wrinkled his nose, and Dokwon, sitting beside him, gently brushed Eunsu’s bangs aside with affection.

“Are you hurting anywhere?”

“No.”

Eunsu shook his head. Even though it was a clear denial, Dokwon placed his palm on Eunsu’s forehead to check for fever and subtly examined his body here and there to make sure nothing really hurt.

Watching such Dokwon, Eunsu moved his lips quietly.

“But. I have something I’m curious about.”

“Yes. Ask away.”

“Why did you change all of a sudden?”

“……What do you mean?”

“Well. At the hospital too, and last time at my place. You chased me out like you never wanted to see me again. Then a few hours later, you sent a message saying sorry, let’s eat together.”

The message he sent while with Seongheon had been welcome, but a bit odd.

Eunsu could understand Dokwon’s cold behavior toward him. There was an accident, he woke up to a changed world, and in the midst of that, an omega emitting a nasty smell claims to be his lover, with your baby in his belly—who wouldn’t find that absurd.

Moreover, he’d heard about Dokwon’s past from Seongheon.

But suddenly being kind to him didn’t make sense. As he said, traces of their love were scattered everywhere here and there. And that might make him fear the regret he’d feel after regaining his memories later.

But the thirty-year-old Dokwon he’d seen so far didn’t seem like someone who’d fear that.

What could it be. ‘Future stuff? Screw that. Right now, omega or whatever, it’s none of my business’—that seemed more fitting.

“…….”

Dokwon’s mouth shut into a straight line. Eunsu stared at him steadily. What is it. What reason makes him hold back words.

He hadn’t expected this reaction, so tension built somehow. Like maybe Myunghee threatened Dokwon that he’d be kicked out of the company if he didn’t treat Eunsu well, or he was pretending to be kind because of external perceptions. Something like that—he got tense worrying.

Was Dokwon not interested in him at all, still found his scent repulsive and hated omegas, but was forcing himself to stay by his side? That scared him.

Eunsu straightened his slouched body and sat up properly. Then Dokwon stood up abruptly.

“Wait a moment.”

Saying that, Dokwon disappeared into the bedroom. Eunsu stared blankly at Dokwon striding away with his long legs.

Dokwon reappeared quickly. In his hand was a small box. It was about the size of Eunsu’s palm, white with a sky-blue ribbon tied around it. It looked like a gift for someone.

But why this suddenly?

As Eunsu tilted his head in confusion, Dokwon, who had crouched under the sofa, placed the box on Eunsu’s knee.

The box had a plastic lid, so he could see what was inside.

“…….”

Eunsu, confirming the contents, drew in a sharp breath.

Inside the box were shoes. Tiny baby shoes the size of Eunsu’s finger.

The white shoes with fluffy fur had no particular decorations. Just a cloud-like white lump with Velcro—that made it feel unreal. Like it would sink in and vanish if touched, like cotton candy, or float away in a light breeze.

Since Eunsu couldn’t tear his eyes from the shoes, Dokwon smiled and asked.

“Cute, right?”

“Yes……. So cute…….”

Eunsu, unable to open the lid, gently stroked the box with his thumb. To think a foot could fit in shoes this small. Just how tiny was a baby. In a life repeating between work and home, babies were hard to encounter, so gauging their size and appearance was difficult.

“I found it in my dressing room.”

“Your dressing room?”

“There are rattles, dolls, clothes—tons of them besides this. The whole one side is filled just with baby items.”

“…….”

“Judging by your face, Yoo Eunsu didn’t know either.”

Eunsu nodded. From the time Dokwon brought all sorts of supplements, he’d anticipated unintentionally shifting from minimal life to maximum life. But he’d never dreamed he’d already bought toys and clothes.

But well…… this kind of spending was welcome.

As Eunsu smiled faintly while looking at the shoes, Dokwon carefully placed his hand on Eunsu’s lower belly.

“This must be for the child in here.”

“…….”