/
“You’re tolerable, so you can interrupt my time.” Yoonshin recalled Sehun’s permission and bit his lips before curling up their corners.
* * *
Yoonshin sent Sehun to the café before him, saying that he needed to drop by the convenience store, then he came back several minutes later.
Sehun smoked a cigarette before entering the cafĂ© to order, thinking that he would need to wait a while, only to meet Yoonshin at the counter. The younger man must have sprinted at full speed—despite it being chilly outside, beads of sweat clung to his forehead. Sehun looked speechless and pushed back the hair covering Yoonshin’s forehead with his large hands, then he laughed hollowly. “Did you think I would run away?”
Yoonshin gasped for air, trying to even out his breath, then barely managed to say, “I just
 felt a bit impatient.”
“Were you worried that I would wait too long? Aren’t you the angel?”
“No, I was worried you would just leave me here. You would just ruin your first date if it didn’t go according to plan
 I couldn’t let that happen.”
“I would what?”
“You didn’t know? Sometimes I think you’re not good at looking at yourself objectively.” Yoonshin then waved the bag from the convenience store, unable to talk any longer, then went to his usual corner seat. Sehun gawked at Yoonshin, carrying over the order. He placed the mug a bit forcefully in front of Yoonshin and intently observed the younger man as he wiped away his sweat with the back of his hands. Then, Sehun said in a very flat voice, “How about you take a nerve conduction study?”
“I’m perfectly healthy. I handed in my physical examination results when I entered the firm.”
“No, I wanted to see how inflated your nerves are now. I want to know your results.”
Instead of replying, Yoonshin gawked at Sehun. The internal conflict on whether to retort or not raged on. Then, he put aside his thoughts, instead placing the envelope from the convenience store on the tabletop. Inside, there was lemon-flavored throat candy, antibiotic ointment, and bandages. He pocketed the candy in his jacket, unwrapped the medical supplies, and then opened his palm at Sehun.
Sehun stared down at the palm, still red from heat, then tilted his chin at it. “What do you want me to do?”
“Give me your hand. It’s time to change your bandage.”
“I’m going to go home soon, and I’ll take a shower. You don’t need to change it now.”
“I’ll change your dressings now, and I’ll be with you for longer than you expect. Hurry up and give me your hand.”
Sehun still refused, so Yoonshin became more assertive. Completely disregarding Sehun’s previous warning not to touch him, he pulled the large hand toward him. Then, he ripped off the adhesive bandage from the other’s long forefinger.
“Where is the one that I gave you earlier? The crocodile one.”
“Did you think I would still have the one that I had on in the morning? You must not have a very good sense of personal hygiene.”
“Your hands are always so clean and neat. I thought so from the beginning. That means you wash your hands frequently, but your hands are soft despite repeated washing
 It doesn’t look like you put on any hand cream. Is it just natural?”
The burn on his finger was nearly scabbed over. Relieved, Yoonshin squeezed a small amount of ointment on a cotton swab, then he applied it to the scar. He carefully unwrapped the bandage and covered the other’s finger with it. Sehun was quiet all along. Yoonshin was about to let go of the other’s hand after securely sticking the bright yellow sticker, but out of impulse, he swept his finger across the other’s tidy nails.