Kang-woo carried Chin-hwa to his car and discovered he had fallen asleep. But he was holding on pretty tightly so Kang-woo didn't know at what point he fell asleep.
It was late so it was understandable that he was exhausted.
He let out a soft sigh and put Chin-Hwa in the car. He went to the other side, got into the car, and helped Chin-Hwa put on the seat belt before covering him up with his coat.
After that, he watched him. He watched as he slept, his gaze softly and warmly fixed on all of Chin-hwa's facial features. He couldn't help but smile.
Chin-hwa's cheeks were still so plump like they would blow up like a puffer fish; his lips were still so full, too. Small, pink, and full.
'He's still so cute.' he thought, resting his head on the steering wheel. He wished he could stare at Chin-hwa for a while longer.
He missed those days when he could stare and not get suspected of anything. They would sleep in the same bed, play together and were inseparable. He loved those days so much and missed it too.
Even now, he envied his privileges three years ago, before he had to leave.
His gaze slowly fell from Chin-hwa as he recalled the day he left. Chin-hwa cried a lot, begging him not to leave without him. He wanted to be where he was but...
He couldn't afford to let Chin-hwa know what had happened to him, for him to leave. Chin-hwa would only get scared, worry, and cry more. So, that was for the best.
'Oblivion is bliss, they say. But why do I feel he suffered more for being oblivious.' he shut his eyes and sighed.
He looked towards the sleeping Chin-hwa again, his heart warming up and he smiled.
Then, his eyes fell on Chin-hwa's hand. He didn't act fast. Chin-hwa might've been more hurt than this.
He didn't want to leave his side.
Kang-woo took out the mini first aid kit he usually kept in his car's compartment unit. He took out a little cotton to clean up the blood cloth dried up in front of the scratch.
He applied a bit of spirit and hoped it didn't sting too much. Luckily, Chin-hwa seemed to be deep in sleep, so even when it stung, he simply furrowed his eyebrows, and Kang-woo blew on it.
His gentle and soft care seemed to have eased Chin-hwa before he went back to sleep.
Kang-woo sighed in relief and continued. He used a bandage on the hand afterward.
He reached his hand towards Chin-hwa's face and gently swiped the few strands of his hair out of his face.
His lips curled up again and he smiled. Honestly, he didn't want to take his eyes off him.
He wished time would stop, allow him to stare at him the whole night.
Then, he realized something. He didn't want to wake Chin-hwa so he wouldn't know where he kept his keys to his dorm. With this excuse, he could take Chin-hwa with him, right?
And then he could stare at him the whole night.
Yes, that's what he was going to do.
He turned on the engine and started driving out. He drove towards his house and then carried Chin-hwa out in his arms. He made sure to cover him up properly with his coat so Chin-hwa wouldn't feel cold.
And the sleeping Chin-hwa made sure to cling to Kang-woo tightly. It was a subconscious act but Kang-woo was thankful for it.
He got inside his house and laid Chin-hwa on the bed. First, he took off Chin-hwa's shoes and then his beanie, allowing his blonde hair to breathe. Then, he took off his boots and his jacket.
Kang-woo stood next to the bed, staring at Chin-hwa who spread so comfortably on the bed, not minding where he was.
'I know I'm the one standing in front of him right now, but isn't he a bit careless?' he wondered, one hand on his waist and the other covering his mouth as he pondered. 'What if it had been someone else in front of him? He has no defense.'
"Hm," Chin-hwa's eyebrows furrowed and his lips slowly parted, muttering out,
"Water,"
"Ah, he's thirsty." Kang-woo went to get water and by the time he got back, he found Chin-hwa awake and... taking off his shirt? His eyes widened. "What are you doing?" He asked in a hurry, and Chin-hwa turned to him with a sleepy expression on his face.
"I'm hot." Chin-hwa said. "I want to take this off."
"But..." Kang-woo went silent. Not only were they drawing near to winter, but the nights were unbearably cold, so why was he hot? 'Is it because he didn't take a bath before going to bed?'
He watched Chin-hwa trying to struggle out of his shirt and closed his eyes, conflicted.
"Then, do you want to take a bath? I'll fill the tub with just the right temperature so you don't get a cold."
Chin-hwa's lips curled up and he smiled innocently while fluttering his eyelashes slowly.
"Thank you, Byul. You're always so nice to me." He said, and Kang-woo nodded.
"For now, leave your shirt on." He said. "I'll draw the bath as fast as I can, so don't take off your shirt; if not, you'll catch a cold."
Chin-hwa nodded, smiling.
"Yes, yes. I'll wait right here." His head bobbed and Kang-woo could tell he was acting on the alcohol's influence.
He watched Chin-hwa drink a lot so he was surprised that he was actually sane and could even run without staggering. He seemed fine until now.
'So, it kicks in after he shuts his eyes for a few minutes.' he thought and saw it cute. At least, with this, no one can make decisions for him just because he's drunk unless he shuts his eyes and opens them. "Here's the water." He said, handing Chin-hwa the glass of water. "Drink up so your throat doesn't get parched."
Chin-hwa nodded, his head still bobbing as he reached out for the glass.
"Thank you." He said softly and started drinking.
As he drank from the glass, water spilled from the corners of his mouth, falling on his thin layered shirt. His shirt gradually got wet and, as a result, started exposing what he had underneath his shirt.
Kang-woo pursed his lips and then took the glass when Chin-hwa was done, placing it on the lamp table.
"I'll be back." He said, brushing Chin-Hwa's hair softly while Chin-Hwa nodded.
He went to the bathroom to draw the water but... Did he have to close the door to do that?
Chin-hwa felt sleepy again but was uncomfortable so he took off his wet shirt and laid on the bed to sleep.
Kang-woo rested his back on the bathroom door and let out a series of sighs, trying to calm himself.
'No
matter how I look at it, we're not kids anymore.' he thought to himself. 'I shouldn't cross the line.'