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Chapter 65 - Tension - WordExcerpt
Yoonshin felt his vision spin, and he pushed Sehun’s hand away. Following that, he outstretched his arms, locking Sehun between them. He detained Sehun with his body in all directions. Sehun, who was resting his arms on the rails behind him, stared down at Yoonshin with frosty eyes. “Are you revolting against me? I’m sure I told you not to touch me.”
“I did it because you groped me enough to make me feel threatened. I’m not going against you; it’s my way of self-defense.” Yoonshin couldn’t understand the older man. Sehun would approach him, ready to bargain while playing hard to get, but when Yoonshin questioned him, he would back out and feign ignorance. When Yoonshin felt enough was enough and he decided to forget about his misunderstandings, Sehun would approach him again like before and poke around.
Of all people, Sehun Kang didn’t need to try to maintain good relations with just another associate lawyer like Yoonshin. Therefore, the accumulation of misunderstandings was Sehun’s negligence and liability without fault.
Was Sehun truly not interested in Yoonshin? Sehun denied it, but the harder Yoonshin thought about it, the more convinced he was of his assumptions.
Yoonshin hesitated briefly then borrowed some of his liquid courage. “André Gide once said that man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.”
Sehun unexpectedly received the comment well. “What new ocean do you want to discover, Fourth-year?”
“An ocean to save me from my perils.”
Hearing that, Sehun must have gotten a hunch of what Yoonshin wanted from him, so he asked in a more relaxed tone, “What dangers are you exposed to?”
“I want you to be clear first. Are you harboring any indecent feelings for me? I’m asking you very sincerely and not because I’m tipsy.”
Surprisingly, Sehun didn’t jeer at him. He met Yoonshin’s eyes very patiently. So despite his growing embarrassment, Yoonshin urged on, filling the air with his voice, “Do you?”
Sehun leered down doggedly like he was stripping the younger man naked, then he retorted, emphasizing each syllable.
His voice was deep and subdued. “And if I do?”
Sehun’s deep, monotonous voice lingered in Yoonshin’s ears.
Yoonshin winced that instant and swallowed nervously.
Sehun’s reply was terse, but those words bounced around until they completely filled Yoonshin’s brain. Sehun’s calm voice made Yoonshin’s bony body tenser than if the older man had yelled at him. He asked after throwing all caution to the wind, but he had never imagined this answer coming from the lips of the cold and self-justified Sehun.
“If you do…” Yoonshin echoed, his face growing warm. Unlike usual, it was difficult to look directly at the other’s handsome face.
Yoonshin’s mouth felt parched, and his heart pounded in his chest.
“If you do, then… Instead of keeping it to yourself, couldn’t you just give it to me? I’m in an urgent situation.”
Sehun, who was thus far listening attentively, asked, “Are you gay?”
“I never really thought about it. I just assumed that I was straight.”
“You’re not gay, and you’re not interested in, attracted to, or curious about me in that way. Yet you’re telling me I can have ulterior motives and that you’re hard-pressed for time. This is fun.”
Yoonshin felt his cheeks burning and bit his lower lip. All the while, he felt conscious of Sehun’s gaze. There was no way Sehun, with his beast-like intuition and judgment, couldn’t catch every minute change in Yoonshin’s face.