Summons

Cha Eui-jae froze in place, clutching the gas mask. He only meant to tease him a little, but this reaction was unexpected.

Is it really something to be this embarrassed about? Or wait— was Lee Sa-young really embarrassed? For some reason, Cha Eui-jae's fingertips tingled, and before he realized it, his hand twitched.

"…"

Lee Sa-young took a few harsh breaths and then yanked the gas mask away. His reddened face was about to disappear behind it when Cha Eui-jae quickly grabbed his hand. A low, tightly clenched voice followed.

"Move."

"Hey, wait. Hold still for a second."

"Move your hand."

"Why are you trying to put it back on?"

"Why do you care? I… want to wear it."

Lee Sa-young's chest heaved beneath his coat, and now he was snorting in frustration, his face turning even redder beneath the half-hidden mask.

There was no trace of the boyishness Cha Eui-jae had once seen on Lee Sa-young's face. The sharp cheekbones, the defined jawline, and the deeper eyes belong entirely to a grown man.

Meanwhile, the interview between the reporters and young Lee Sa-young continued on the screen.

—Is this a declaration of establishing your own faction?

—Yes.

—Can you tell us why you didn't choose the Samra Guild?

—Just because.

—Any thoughts on your future goals?

—Is that really necessary?

A murmur of awe escaped from the reporters, and Cha Eui-jae, almost reflexively, murmured a quiet "Oh." He gripped the gas mask tighter. Lee Sa-young muttered a low curse.

"Fuck…"

"…Pfft."

"You think that's funny right now?"

"…No?"

"I really don't get it."

Lee Sa-young muttered sharply. The young Lee Sa-young on the screen was delivering one shocking line after another. It was hard to believe someone at eighteen could have this much nerve.

Cha Eui-jae, in the midst of his scuffle with Lee Sa-young, was also mesmerized by the screen. He couldn't help it; Lee Sa-young had a knack for grabbing people's attention, whether in a good or bad way.

—Haah…

With a bored expression, the younger Lee Sa-young rested his elbow on the podium and propped his chin on his hand, deliberately sighing loudly enough for everyone to hear. The funny thing was, everything he did looked like it was straight out of a movie.

Whether it was the neatly slicked-back hair, the perfectly tailored suit, or perhaps the long lashes, the sleepy violet eyes, or the slightly parted full lips…

'What the…'

Why am I staring so closely? Cha Eui-jae quickly snapped himself out of it, and suddenly, a realization hit him.

Lee Sa-young had been this rude since the first time he was lying down wrapped in bandages! Surely, others must have noticed this about his personality by now.

Unable to suppress the question building up inside, Cha Eui-jae finally asked,

"Have you ever gotten backlash for your attitude?"

The grip on the gas mask slackened, and Cha Eui-jae seized the opportunity to snatch it away and throw it into a corner. But instead of being angry, Lee Sa-young just stared at him with an incredulous expression, though his face was still flushed.

"…Fuck, is that seriously what you're curious about right now?"

"Well… don't people usually get criticized for acting like that? You were fine?"

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Aren't you curious?"

"Drop that damn curiosity of yours."

"Your tone's getting short again."

"Ugh, that obsession over formality of yours."

Lee Sa-young ground his teeth. A popping sound came from his knuckles, and his body was so tense it seemed like he'd crawl over to retrieve the gas mask any second. Cha Eui-jae decided to switch topics.

"You didn't wear the gas mask back then?"

"…"

"Come on, you can answer that at least."

"…I didn't."

"Why not?"

"…They said it would be better not to for my first public appearance."

That made sense. First impressions are crucial. Though the gas mask is certainly striking, it's not something that wins people over. If he'd shown up wearing that, people might've thought he was some lunatic— just like Cha Eui-jae had when they first met in the back alley.

"Smart choice."

"…"

Cha Eui-jae glanced back at the screen. The young Lee Sa-young, teetering on the edge between adolescence and adulthood, was doing his best to answer questions, despite the bored look on his face. Of course, his answers weren't exactly sincere.

It would've been fun to see that in person.

"I missed seeing this with my own eyes."

Maybe it was to be expected, but the regret that slipped out of Cha Eui-jae's mouth came from a deeper place— the part of him that wanted to see the journey Lee Sa-young had gone through while he was wandering around the West Sea rift.

He was curious. What had happened to Lee Sa-young? What had he gone through? What was he thinking? Cha Eui-jae didn't just want fragments of information; he wanted to know everything.

"I really missed out…"

He felt a strange sense of loss. A part of him regretted not being there for Lee Sa-young's journey.

Perhaps he just wanted to hold onto the image of young Lee Sa-young a little longer. His grip on Lee Sa-young's wrists loosened. Lee Sa-young didn't waste the opportunity.

"Huh—?"

Suddenly, a strong force grabbed his arm, and his vision spun. Instinctively, Cha Eui-jae prepared to roll and break his fall, but it wasn't necessary. A large hand was already supporting the back of his neck.

That large hand gently laid Cha Eui-jae's head onto the bean bag chair. Before he knew it, Cha Eui-jae was lying on the beanbag, and Lee Sa-young was straddling him. Cha Eui-jae blinked. The shadowed face of Lee Sa-young above him was flushed red.

"Why are you…?"

Lee Sa-young's hand moved next, searching for the remote control to turn off the projector. Beep. The light slowly dimmed, and the redness of Lee Sa-young's face faded into the darkness. Complete blackness descended.

"…"

Soft breaths grew closer. The sound of the long coat rustling, fabric brushing against fabric. Lee Sa-young's hand rested on Cha Eui-jae's stomach. Instinctively, Cha Eui-jae held his breath, tightening his abs.

The hand pressing down on his stomach moved, deftly undoing the buttons on Cha Eui-jae's tightly fastened suit jacket. Then it moved upward, fingers reaching for his tie knot.

Fingers slipped through the knot. Cha Eui-jae nervously clutched the beanbag above his head. The bean bag crinkled under his grip.

"Sa-young…"

"Stay still."

The tie slid off smoothly. Cha Eui-jae could feel the tickling sensation of the fabric brushing against his neck as it was pulled away. Why is he doing this all of a sudden? Before Cha Eui-jae could gather his thoughts, gloved fingers were fumbling with his shirt collar. One by one, the buttons came undone.

Two buttons in, Cha Eui-jae finally regained his senses and grabbed Lee Sa-young's gloved hand.

"Why are you undoing my shirt? What's going on?"

"I said stay still…"

Lee Sa-young grumbled irritably. Who's the one supposed to be irritated right now? Cha Eui-jae was speechless.

At that moment, a sharp pain shot through his fingers. Cha Eui-jae froze. Lee Sa-young was biting his fingers, gnawing on them hard.

'Are you a dog?'

Cha Eui-jae swallowed the words rising in his throat. Honestly, Cha Eui-jae couldn't say much, considering he'd bitten Lee Sa-young's fingers before too.

Then, something warm and wet brushed against his fingers. Cha Eui-jae suppressed a yelp. Lee Sa-young was licking his fingers now. Cha Eui-jae's fingers curled involuntarily. He stammered out a question.

"Why, why are you doing this?"

Someday, I'm going to crack open his brain and dissect his thought process. Cha Eui-jae couldn't keep up with Lee Sa-young's train of thought. Every time his tongue grazed his fingers, a ticklish sensation made Cha Eui-jae squirm. Lee Sa-young bit his fingers one last time before letting go. Cha Eui-jae hastily retrieved his hand.

"Turn the projector back on."

"…You're really something."

Lee Sa-young's face leaned closer. Cha Eui-jae propped himself up on his elbows, about to sit up, but stopped. Without warning, lips pressed against the top of his mask.

The lips slowly moved down toward the mouthpiece of the mask, pausing near it. Cha Eui-jae held his breath. He couldn't feel the kiss, but he knew that Lee Sa-young was pressing his lips against him.

"You talk too much…"

"…"

A gloved hand slipped between the mask and Cha Eui-jae's chin. Click. The mask lifted slightly without resistance. The black fingers gently caressed the skin beneath, tracing his chin and lips. Lee Sa-young's voice, slightly shaky, asked softly.

"Do you remember? That time. When you lifted your mask a little to let me touch your face."

Cha Eui-jae involuntarily swallowed. Lee Sa-young's thumb pressed against his lower lip.

"That night… You don't know how much I lost sleep over it."

"…"

"I kept wondering what your face looked like under the mask…"

The hand caressing his face now was nothing like the boy's hand back then.

"I…"

The mask, only slightly lifted before, was now fully removed. Clatter. It dropped to the floor with a distinct sound.

"I like us… because we're special."

This hand was much larger and firmer than the one in his memory, and above all…

"More than any other Lee Sa-young and Cha Eui-jae."

It was gentle.

If the void of time had brought us to where we are now,

If loss had made us who we are,

Warmth, like a wave, enveloped his lips. Cha Eui-jae closed his eyes and accepted that warmth.