Sentimental Shower

#035

It felt like stars were bursting in his mouth. Could I be allowed to enjoy such a precious sensation? Yoo Seong-woo couldn’t open his eyes, fearing that the sensations he was now experiencing might escape.

It felt like being thrown into the universe. Was it because it was a kiss with a human, or because he was made of star components?

It seemed like light was exchanging rather than breaths. Sparks flew through the briefly parting lips.

He was completely out of his mind. It felt as if Yeon Tae-soo, who was kissing him, was the only thing that existed in the world.

Only after intertwining tongues for a long time did their lips part. Yoo Seong-woo slowly opened his eyes. He met Yeon Tae-soo’s gaze as he roughly swallowed his breath. His disheveled appearance was strangely appealing.

“Why…”

He was about to ask why he had kissed him, not knowing himself, when Yeon Tae-soo pressed his lips against his again.

They kissed again. The heat, as if stars were shattering, lingered on their lips.

***

Yeon Tae-soo finally explained why he had been injured. He said there was friction while catching a spy from the Ministry of Defense, and he got hurt in the process of intervening directly.

“Why did you intervene directly? You have so many employees who do physical work.”

“It’s an important matter, so I had to step in personally. Why, are you worried?”

He smiled, his eyes curving. He had returned to his usual composed self, but he seemed much gentler than before.

“So… why is the Ministry of Defense interested in Eden? The business isn’t illegal, and even if it were, it wouldn’t be under their jurisdiction, would it?”

Yeon Tae-soo didn’t answer. He just stared at Yoo Seong-woo sitting across from him. That was enough to make inferences.

“…How did you… end up turning your back on the Ministry of Defense?”

There was no other answer. On one hand, it even seemed impressive. Despite being at odds with the Ministry of Defense, countless generals with stars on their shoulders still frequented this place.

‘No, perhaps they’re the ones opposing the Ministry of Defense.’

If so, Eden would become quite a dangerous place. And so would Yeon Tae-soo.

He remembered that among those who invested in his creation, there was someone connected to the Ministry of Defense.

Though he had never met them directly, his creator was wary of them. Occasionally, he would mutter to himself in fear. That they must never offend the Ministry of Defense people. That they were monsters. They gained immense authority by winning the war.

“I don’t know much, but I’ve heard there are quite a few people in the Ministry of Defense who abuse their authority. I’ve heard they often make people disappear without a trace.”

“Do you think I’d be easily captured?”

Yeon Tae-soo asked in a relaxed tone. He seemed similar to usual, but the weight of his expression was different from when he was acting. Looking at the two differently colored eyes within his relaxed gaze, Yoo Seong-woo came to one conclusion.

“Could it be that running Eden was also part of some plan?”

Countless people come and go in a place like this. The dazzlingly splendid building of Eden is known to everyone not just in Haeya-dong, but in the entire 2nd District.

So if something were to happen to its owner, Yeon Tae-soo, naturally many people would know. People would be curious. What happened to the owner of that magnificent palace?

“You’re smart, our Seong-woo.”

Yoo Seong-woo inhaled and slowly exhaled. Yeon Tae-soo, sitting across the table, seemed free of any worry. That made him feel even more frustrated.

“Don’t worry. Even if I’ve made myself disliked by those above, I’m not about to die soon. I have to protect our Mr. Yoo.”

“That’s not it.”

“Then what?”

As he faced Yeon Tae-soo, who tilted his head slightly while asking, something felt like it was growing inside him, tickling. It was as if an unknown plant was growing along his limbs, but it didn’t feel unpleasant.

Even kind Mr. Jang or President Min hadn’t been this affectionate towards him.

This kindness, experienced for the first time in his life, was addictive. For the first time, he felt like he was standing in a safe zone. As that thought reached him, his heart began to race.

Yoo Seong-woo unknowingly averted his gaze. This was clearly an erroneous action. A model created to be an entertainer shouldn’t avoid people’s gazes.

When he was with him, these errors would burst out one by one. Like sudden sparks, or rather, like the static electricity that occurs on human skin, these sudden sensations reminded him of the fact that he was a malfunctioning machine.

That’s what Yeon Tae-soo was. A person who endlessly reminded him of his identity.

Yet why didn’t he want to push him away? Even as he confirmed and reconfirmed the fact that he was a shabby, broken machine.

“An audit will be coming soon. Someone died, and drugs were found. The dead person was a soldier. The Ministry of Defense will probably investigate directly.”

“What do you plan to do?”

“I won’t just sit still.”

There was something people always said when talking about Yeon Tae-soo. That you should never do anything to incur his resentment.

Though he had a friendly smiling face, when you saw the madness that flashed in his eyes, you could understand what that meant. He had never left anyone who touched him alone.

“Don’t worry too much.”

“…I’m not worried.”

The statement that he wasn’t worried was somewhat sincere. Who was worrying about whom? If he were to worry about anything, it would be his own broken body.

“Good, that’s a relief.”

Yeon Tae-soo pulled his hand and kissed his fingertips. While inwardly chiding him for this skinship after having done everything else, his fingertips still tingled. It felt like all sensation was rushing to his fingertips.

“By the way, Mr. Yoo. Are you close with Old Man Jang?”

Yoo Seong-woo’s eyes widened at the sudden question.

***

Yeon Tae-soo revealed an unexpected fact. The person who tried to harm Old Man Jang was someone from the Ministry of Defense.

“Why… Old Man Jang has no connection with the Ministry of Defense, let alone any government agency.”

How could an old man running a hardware store in this lower-class area of the 2nd District have any connection to the Ministry of Defense? If he were a skilled craftsman capable of dealing with the Ministry of Defense, he would have recognized it. His only family was his young granddaughter.

“That old man has been running the hardware store in this neighborhood for a long time. He has a good reputation, and his prices are the best among the hardware stores in this area, so most people deal with him.”

This was something Yoo Seong-woo didn’t know. He knew the man was kind enough to bring him side dishes lest he go hungry, but…

“So he can easily come and go from Eden too. If someone he deals with is in Eden.”

At Yeon Tae-soo’s words, Yoo Seong-woo finally realized something. No one suspects an old man who looks weak and powerless. He has a good reputation in the neighborhood, and even Eden’s security guards know his face, so they don’t stop him.

“He comes here often, that old man.”

“…If they recruit him, they could monitor Eden’s activities.”

“Yes, but that old man is too soft. He’s not cut out for spying.”

Yoo Seong-woo’s expression hardened. The photo of his granddaughter that the old man had shown him remained in his database.

“Was he… blackmailed?”

Yeon Tae-soo nodded.

“He was probably asked to bring in bad drugs or harm someone. They should have chosen their target more carefully.”

“So Old Man Jang got hurt because he refused to do what they asked.”

Despite his resolution not to get close to humans, he had become quite close with Old Man Jang. This is why he tried not to build intimacy.

“Don’t worry. The old man is in a safe place now. His granddaughter is safe too.”

That was fortunate. Yoo Seong-woo nodded.

“Normally, I would have gotten a statement out of him, roughed him up a bit, and let him go… But you’re close to him.”

Yoo Seong-woo nodded again at Yeon Tae-soo’s additional words. Indeed, given his personality, it didn’t seem like he would leave a spy alone, whether voluntary or involuntary.

As he was thinking this, he felt Yeon Tae-soo’s blatant gaze. Lost in thought, Yoo Seong-woo met his eyes and only after a few seconds passed did he analyze that face.

In other words, Yeon Tae-soo was now expecting praise from him.

He wanted to be praised for safely handling Old Man Jang, who was close to Yoo Seong-woo.

Yoo Seong-woo awkwardly bowed his head slightly.

“…Thank you.”

“It’s nothing.”

Watching Yeon Tae-soo finally smile with satisfaction, Yoo Seong-woo felt like he might need to completely revise the database he had built up about Yeon Tae-soo.