SLC 87

Mok Seongha pushed his regret aside and stepped back from Kim Jinkyung. The latter sighed in relief and headed toward the refrigerator.

“What do you want to eat? Secretary Kang roughly prepared the ingredients….”

Kim Jinkyung opened the fridge and trailed off. It wasn’t just “roughly” prepared. The two of them were here for a four-day trip, yet the refrigerator was packed with enough food to feed twenty people for that same duration.

“Does he think I’m a pig?”

Mok Seongha also made a comment when he saw the volume of ingredients.

“…He certainly has a lot of affection for you.”

Kim Jinkyung awkwardly laughed and scanned the items. Everything was so perfectly ready that they just needed to decide what to cook.

“Is there anything you want to eat?”

“I’ll do it.”

“Huh? You’re going to cook?”

“I studied. I watched videos on the internet.”

So the videos he was watching alone on his phone lately were cooking tutorials.

“I’ve only done simple things so far…. Is pasta okay?”

Kim Jinkyung nodded at Mok Seongha’s question. Since he started living alone in college, his cooking experience consisted of heating up lunch boxes or boiling ramen. He had planned to look up recipes on his phone and cook for him today too.

“Is there anything I can help you with?”

“Go sit down. You must be tired.”

The single comment about being tired in the car earlier seemed to have stuck in his mind. Kim Jinkyung felt even more apologetic.

“I’m fine now. I’ll help.”

“It’s okay. I’m doing this because I want to look good to you.”

Kim Jinkyung’s face turned bright red and his heart started racing when he heard Mok Seongha’s sudden confession.

…He doesn’t need to try any harder to look good to me.

“Then… okay.”

Kim Jinkyung awkwardly looked away and went out to the living room. He pulled a book from the shelf and was in the middle of reading when Mok Seongha called him.

“It’s done. Come and eat.”

Fruit and pasta were set on the table. Kim Jinkyung’s eyes widened at the sight of a dish that looked much better than expected.

“Can I take a picture?”

Mok Seongha nodded. Kim Jinkyung took a couple of photos and then picked up his fork.

“Thank you for the meal.”

He was about to eat when he noticed Mok Seongha just staring at him.

“Aren’t you eating?”

“I don’t think I can eat it.”

“…….”

This was a completely unexpected hurdle. Kim Jinkyung thought for a moment and then spoke up.

“Then, I’ll feed this to you.”

Kim Jinkyung twirled the pasta on the fork and held it out to Mok Seongha.

“Since I’m giving it to you, it should be okay.”

It was a bit of a stretch, but he hoped it would work.

Kim Jinkyung held out the fork with a pounding heart. After a moment of thought, Mok Seongha took a big bite of the pasta coiled on the fork. Kim Jinkyung nervously watched as his perfect lips moved while he chewed.

“…Is it okay?”

“Yeah. I think so.”

“That’s a relief. Then now….”

“Feed me more.”

Mok Seongha was shameless sometimes. No, he was like that often. Kim Jinkyung knew that was a trait of the feline family.

Kim Jinkyung twirled the pasta on the fork again and put it in Mok Seongha’s mouth. Mok Seongha chewed the pasta that were wrapped around the fork. It was a simple movement. He put it in his mouth, chewed, and swallowed. But that action looked so sensual that Kim Jinkyung found it hard to look him in the eyes.

“Teacher.”

“Ye-yes?”

“Open your mouth. I’ll feed you.”

Mok Seongha held out some pasta in front of Kim Jinkyung’s mouth. He slowly parted his lips. The cold fork touched his lips. His eyes met Mok Seongha’s. He quickly pressed [stolen content]his lips together and took the spaghetti from the fork into his mouth.

“Is it good?”

“…Yes.”

They were just feeding each other, but the atmosphere turned ambiguous as if they were engaged in a sexual act. He couldn’t taste the pasta. He could only focus on Mok Seongha’s gaze or the movement of his mouth as he took the fork.

By the time he finished that slow meal and stood up from the table, he actually felt relieved. If he had eaten just a few more bites, he felt like they would have ended up doing it right there on the table, regardless of the meal.

He cleared the table and went out to the living room to see that the snow had piled up quite a bit. Mok Seongha came up behind him and pulled Kim Jinkyung into an embrace.

“It’s snowing a lot.”

“Yeah.”

“Do you want to go out for a bit?”

“Why?”

“Just to step on the snow and make a snowman.”

“Why would we make that?”

It was a genuine question. Kim Jinkyung asked, “Have you never made one?”

“No. I’ve never tried.”

“Then let’s make one.”

Kim Jinkyung pulled on Mok Seongha’s hand. The latter shook his hand off.

“Oh….”

Kim Jinkyung looked up, a bit surprised by the unexpected reaction.

“Are you going out like that?”

“Pardon?”

“You’ll catch a cold.”

Mok Seongha went into the room and brought out a jacket. Kim Jinkyung felt a bit stunned as he let the other man dress him.

“What is it?”

Mok Seongha asked as he zipped up Kim Jinkyung’s jacket.

“…Nothing. Just because…”

“Because I’m less of a handful than you thought?”

“That’s….”

Kim Jinkyung couldn’t say anything because he hit the nail on the head. In reality, Secretary Kang wasn’t the only one worried while preparing for this trip.

Kim Jinkyung also couldn’t help but worry if Mok Seongha would sleep well in a different bed, what they would do for meals, or if something might happen while they were there.

“I still can’t control my transformation properly, but I can do other things.”

Mok Seongha continued as he wrapped a scarf around Kim Jinkyung’s neck.

“…Don’t be mad.”

Kim Jinkyung couldn’t respond to Mok Seongha’s words. A ringing of guilt echoed in his ears.

“I’m sorry,” Kim Jinkyung apologized sincerely. “I didn’t mean to get angry….”

He felt anxious. Even though he knew he had to help expand Mok Seongha’s world, he couldn’t completely discard the fear that there might not be a place left for him in that bigger world.

“What part of me makes you uncomfortable? Tell me, and I’ll fix it,”

Mok Seongha asked, almost pleadingly.

“No. Not at all, there’s nothing like that.”

Kim Jinkyung quickly shook his head. Mok Seongha pursed his lips. He tugged on the knot of the scarf he was wrapping around his neck.

“Ouch.”

“It looks good on you.”

“Pardon?”

“The scarf. It looks good on you.”

Kim Jinkyung looked down at the scarf. Come to think of it, did he even pack a scarf?

“Is this yours, Seongha-ssi?”

A long, soft, cream-colored scarf was wrapped tightly around his neck.

“No. It’s yours. I bought it yesterday.”

Yesterday, Mok Seongha had gone to the department store with Secretary Kang. It seemed Kim Jinkyung’s gift was inside the shopping bags Secretary Kang had carried in both hands.

“Your neck is long, so I didn’t think you should go without a scarf…. ​stolen content​Plus, it suits you.”

Mok Seongha slipped his fingers inside the scarf and toyed with it. Kim Jinkyung pulled back, feeling a ticklish sensation in his stomach.

“…Shall we go out?”

“Okay.”

Mok Seongha also got dressed. Once they stepped outside, a landscape blanketed in snow filled their vision. Every time the wind blew, the piled snow scattered like frozen flour. Kim Jinkyung stood still for a long time, just staring at the spectacular sight before him.

“You said let’s make a snowman,” Mok Seongha said as he put on his gloves.

“Ah, yes. One big ball and one small ball….”

“Hey. I said I’ve never made one; I never said I’ve never seen a snowman.”

Mok Seongha started rolling a heap of snow with a look of disbelief. Kim Jinkyung also worked hard rolling a snow pile beside him. The snow, which was deep enough to sink their ankles, quickly grew in volume.

“I think we can put it here.”

Mok Seongha placed the small snowball on top of the large one. Kim Jinkyung burst into laughter when he saw the slightly squashed shape.

“It looks like a bit of a delinquent snowman.”

“Try to make the features look kind.”

Kim Jinkyung found some twigs and stone fragments. He snapped a twig into two pieces to make a mouth and embedded the stones to make eyes, but the snowman looked even more ill-mannered than before.

“It looks rude.”

Mok Seongha shared his honest impression. Right then, a clump of snow fell onto his head. Kim Jinkyung, who had balled up the snow and thrown it, gave a playful smile.

“Hey. Do you want to die?”

Mok Seongha immediately balled up some snow. They threw snowballs back and forth like that several times. Mok Seongha gasped for breath against Kim Jinkyung’s attacks, which had a high hit rate. He kicked the tree standing next to Kim Jinkyung. Then, a pile of snow fell on Kim Jinkyung’s head.

“Ahahaha.”

Mok Seongha burst into laughter. Kim Jinkyung brushed off the snow and looked around. A snow shovel standing in front of the warehouse door caught his eye. He brought the snow shovel and started shoveling snow toward Mok Seongha. However, the shovel was quickly snatched by Mok Seongha’s hand and sent flying into the air.

“Hey, that’s cheating.”

“You cheated first.”

“When did I do that?”

“You’ve been doing it since a while ago….”

Mok Seongha stopped mid-sentence, leaned down, visit our siteand kissed Kim Jinkyung. He tasted the cold snow on his lips. He pulled Kim Jinkyung by the waist and hugged him.

People could smell rain, but they didn’t know much about the smell of snow. This was because they thought the surrounding air just smelled clean as it turned cold once it started to snow. Moreover, their sense of smell tended to dull. However, Mok Seongha could catch that subtle scent.

A scent close to cold metal. It was mixed into the snowy air. While breathing in the cold air that filled his lungs, Mok Seongha swallowed Kim Jinkyung’s lips.

The cold, frozen lips tasted even better than usual. Mok Seongha kept his eyes closed and tightened his arm around Kim Jinkyung’s waist.

But something happened then.

A mass of snow that had been resting on a branch fell down. Mok Seongha, who was absorbed in the kiss, was buried under the snow in an entirely unexpected turn of events.

“Hahahaha.”

Kim Jinkyung laughed. But stopped when he realized Mok Seongha had vanished from his sight.

“Seongha-ssi?”

At Kim Jinkyung’s call, a black panther popped out of the snow pile with a rustling sound. Kim Jinkyung asked in surprise, “Why did you transform?”

Because of you.

The panther glared at Kim Jinkyung. The latter quickly brushed the snow off the panther’s head and asked, “Are you okay?”

The panther’s tail hit Kim Jinkyung’s back.

“Ouch. …I didn’t know you would transform. I was just playing around.”

The panther vigorously shook his body and brushed off the snow. But the snow left in patches on his fur created snowflake patterns on his body.

It’s beautiful.

Kim Jinkyung crouched down and met the black panther’s eyes. He thought of the tiny, somewhat dejected-looking panther he saw Secretary Kang holding before.

…So he’s actually this big.

Kim Jinkyung gently stroked the panther’s head. Then, the panther playfully snapped at Kim Jinkyung’s hand.

“Don’t bite.”

Regardless, he bit the glove on Kim Jinkyung’s hand and threw it into the air. While Kim Jinkyung was flustered, he bit and threw the glove on the other hand too.

“My hands are cold.”

When Kim Jinkyung spoke while rubbing his freezing hands, the panther opened his mouth wide.

Does he want me to put them in his mouth?

“…That’s a bit scary.”

The panther wrapped his tail around Kim Jinkyung’s hand. It wasn’t exactly warm, but he fiddled with the tail. Snow landed on the panther’s long, lush eyelashes. The golden eyes beneath them stared at Kim Jinkyung. He could see the subtle heat in that gaze.

It was dangerous.

Kim Jinkyung quickly turned his head away.

“Please change back quickly. …You absolutely can’t stay in that form.”

“Is there really a reason I ‘absolutely’ can’t?”

Mok Seongha, who had returned to his human form before anyone noticed, asked as he sat up.

“Put your clothes on quickly! You’ll catch a cold.”

Mok Seongha laughed and gathered his clothes scattered across the snow. While he dressed, Kim Jinkyung went further down to find his gloves. He suddenly realized the hill leading down from the villa had a steep slope.

…I think I understand a little why he sent us here instead of a ski resort.

“Um, Seongha-ssi.”

“What?”

“Do you want to do [visit our site]something fun with me?….Wait, why are you taking your clothes off?”

“You said let’s do something fun.”

“Not that. …I mean let’s go sledding.”

“Where would a sled even be here?”

Kim Jinkyung went into the warehouse. He had seen some suitable items earlier when he went to get the snow shovel.

“Here it is.”

Kim Jinkyung found an empty sack among the fertilizer bags piled in the warehouse and brought it out.

“What is that?”

“A sled.”

“…I’m asking what that is.”

Mok Seongha couldn’t translate the concept of a fertilizer bag into a sled in his mind. Kim Jinkyung pulled Mok Seongha by the hand and made him sit in front of him.

“Hold on tight.”

“Fuck, hold onto what?”

Kim Jinkyung didn’t answer and just kicked off. The bag began to slide down the hill at a rapid speed. However, it soon failed to support their weight, and they lost their balance, rolling in the snow.

“Haha.”

Snow got inside his clothes and his back felt numb, but Kim Jinkyung couldn’t stop laughing. He had no memory of rolling around in the snow like this since he was a child playing mindlessly on the hill behind his neighborhood.

After laughing for a while, Kim Jinkyung realized Mok Seongha wasn’t reacting. Surprised, he called out, “Seongha-ssi?”

“…Shit.”

Mok Seongha raised his face from the snow.

“That was fun.”

Kim Jinkyung felt good hearing his honest, childlike impression.

“Let’s ride again,” Mok Seongha said as he jumped up. Kim Jinkyung brushed off the snow and climbed back up the hill with him.

They slid down the hill on the bag several times. A few times they made it to the bottom safely without falling, and other times they tumbled through the snow. Their clothes were a mess and soaked through, but they both laughed for a long time.

“Let’s make a bet.”

“What kind of bet?”

“Whoever goes further without falling. The winner gets his dick sucked.”

“Pardon?”

“Start.”

Mok Seongha sat on the bag first. Perhaps because he was riding alone, it was easier, and he slid far down without wobbling. Watching him move further and further away, Kim Jinkyung toyed with his own lips.

Come to think of it, I’ve never done that before…. Can I do it?

“Hey!”

Mok Seongha waved at Kim Jinkyung from way down there.

“Okay. I’m coming down.”

Kim Jinkyung looked around for something to ride on. A trash bag used for collecting fallen leaves caught his eye.

I can probably ride this too, right?

Kim Jinkyung brought the trash bag and sat on it.

“If you don’t come down by the time I count to five, I win.”

What a ridiculous rule…

“One!”

Kim Jinkyung slid down the hill immediately. As expected, the trash bag had a smoother surface than the fertilizer bag, so his descent was much faster. Because of that, it wasn’t easy to keep his balance.

“Uh… oh….”

Kim Jinkyung fell to the right and had to roll diagonally for a long time. When he finally regained his senses, he was sprawled out a distance away from Mok Seongha.

“Are you okay?” Mok Seongha shouted.

“Yes. I’m fine. I’m not hurt.”

As Kim Jinkyung tried to pick himself up, he suddenly realized his neck felt bare. He looked up and saw the scarf, which had come undone, flapping as it hung from a tree branch further down.

It might blow away at this rate.

Kim Jinkyung quickly stood up and carefully moved.

“What are you doing?” Mok Seongha shouted when he saw Kim Jinkyung walking in an odd direction.

“The scarf.”

Kim Jinkyung pointed at the scarf caught on the branch.

“Just leave it. It’s only two million won!”

The moment he heard the price, Kim Jinkyung had only one thought: he absolutely had to rescue that scarf.

Kim Jinkyung cautiously moved his feet. Next to the tree was a steep cliff. If he had rolled just a little further to the side, his dream of a joint burial would never have come true.

After successfully rescuing the scarf, Kim Jinkyung turned around.

“Now….”

He was about to suggest they head back. It was snowing a lot, and they might catch a cold since their bodies were starting to freeze.

However, when he felt the sensation of the ground caving in beneath his feet, the words about to leave his mouth died in his throat. He didn’t even have time to scream. In the instant that gravity pulled him down, a black beast flew into his vision. Two entangled bodies tumbled down the cliff. A paw protecting his head and the sky flashed alternately before his eyes.

With a heavy sound, the movement stopped. He heard the ragged breathing of the beast near his head.

…I have to tell him I’m okay.

He blinked a couple of times, but darkness quickly covered his vision.

That was the last thing he remembered.