Kiss the Scumbag-Chapter 57

When he finally managed to put Angie to sleep and returned to the room, Winston was lying in bed. Yujin hushed his footsteps and carefully approached the bed, lifting the edge of the sheet and slipping in quietly. He thought Winston might be asleep, but of course, he was wrong. Just as he’d feared, strong arms wrapped around his waist and pulled him close, making Yujin gasp involuntarily.

He could faintly feel a heartbeat against his back. As the man’s body heat seeped into him, Yujin spoke up with difficulty.

"Angie was really hurt."

"So?"

As expected, Winston’s reaction couldn’t have been more indifferent. Yujin hesitated, then spoke again.

"You never know when the child might overhear. I’d appreciate it if you could be more careful with your words. You might regret it later."

He’d added that last part on purpose. It was meant as a warning, though he doubted it would be understood.

"Me?"

Winston, unsurprisingly, shot the question back at him. Yujin turned his head to face him squarely and replied.

"Yes."

All he got in return was a sneer. Winston frowned and gave a short, cynical laugh.

"Sweetheart, I don’t care what that kid thinks of me."

Yujin stared at him silently, then turned his head away. Of course he didn’t. As he lay there blinking into the darkness, Yujin drifted into thought.

Maybe it would be better to never tell Angie anything about her papa, even after she grows up...

Time would pass, but Winston wouldn’t change. The thought of his daughter getting hurt made his heart ache already.

Let it be me. One person getting hurt is enough.

Yujin steeled his resolve and closed his eyes.

I’ll never tell. I won’t say who Angie’s papa is. Not to anyone. Not ever.

The arms around his waist suddenly tightened, and Winston practically draped himself over Yujin, completely locking him in place. Did he always toss and turn like this in his sleep? He didn’t remember it being this bad before.

Yujin furrowed his brows but soon gave up on thinking altogether. Somewhere outside the window, the soft hoot of an owl echoed in the distance.

Whooooosh.

Winston let out a deep sigh, running a hand down his chest. After his first wet dream in his life, he’d frantically washed his underwear and stuffed it between his other dirty clothes before heading to school. But he couldn’t focus at all. Not during class, not for a moment. All day, his mind spun in circles around one thing: Yujin.

What do I do...

He’d promised to go see him again today, but now he wasn’t sure he had the courage to face Yujin. What if Yujin was disgusted with him? The thought alone was terrifying. If Yujin found out he’d had an erotic dream about him, he might get really angry.

But wait... we kissed, didn’t we?

He started to feel a little wronged. If they hadn’t kissed, maybe he wouldn’t have had that kind of dream. A kiss naturally led to... that. He knew that much from sex ed. They were basically lovers. No—they were lovers. They kissed, after all!

If he didn’t like it, Yujin would’ve pushed me away.

That one point filled Winston with hope. Yujin had blushed, but he hadn’t rejected him. That meant Yujin liked him too. Winston was sure of it.

I want to see him already.

Just thinking about seeing Yujin again made his cheeks burn and his heart race like crazy.

Can I kiss him again today?

The moment he let that thought slip into his mind, his head nearly exploded.

Oh god, I’m such a perv!

Even while scolding himself, he couldn’t stop smiling. He felt like he was floating all day, and the moment he got home, he ditched his homework and ran off to the stables.

“What about your afternoon studies?”

The stable hand asked as he prepared the horse. Winston replied in a rush.

“Not today! It’s ready, right? I’m off!”

He mounted the horse in a single leap and didn’t wait to hear more, spurring it forward at once. It was earlier than usual. Yujin would be surprised, right? He imagined that cute face going wide-eyed and pink-cheeked. He couldn’t wait.

“Faster, Lancelot! Come on, go faster!”

Winston, impatient, kept urging the horse to speed up. For some reason, it felt like they were going too slow today. He pushed on, hoping the annex would appear in his line of sight any second now.

Haa, haa...

Finally reaching the annex, Winston jumped off his horse and dashed to the front door. Yujin wasn’t outside as usual, but that was fine. He probably didn’t expect him this early and was still inside.

“Yujin! It’s me! I’m here, it’s Winston!”

He knocked on the door and called out without hesitation. Just saying his name made his heart feel like it would burst.

“I came right after class! Come out— I... I wanted to see you!”

He stammered at the end. Embarrassed but anxious, he couldn’t hold back. He wanted to see Yujin, to look into his eyes, to smile with him. And to kiss him again!

The thought alone made his chest feel like it would explode, but unexpectedly, there was no response. Still bouncing on his toes from excitement, Winston slowly stopped and fell still. As his excitement quieted, the surrounding silence grew unbearable. Not a single sound came from inside. That thrill in his chest was quickly giving way to unease. What the hell’s going on?

Winston stepped down from the porch and moved a little farther from the annex. There was a small window above the front door. That was Yujin’s bedroom.

“Yujin! Yujin Seol!”

He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted with all his strength. His voice echoed faintly, then silence returned. What if Yujin wasn’t even in there? A wave of fear crashed into him. What if he never saw Yujin again? But then—suddenly—something moved behind the glass.

“...Yujin?”

He called out, half in disbelief. Moments later, the window opened, and the face he’d longed for appeared.

“Wins...ton.”

Winston’s face instantly lit up with joy, but then he hesitated at the sight of Yujin’s flushed cheeks and trembling voice.

“Yujin, are you okay? Are you sick?”

Was it a cold? Alarmed, Winston asked in a panic, but Yujin shook his head.

“It’s not that... I don’t know what it is...”

His tone was sluggish, like he was too exhausted to speak. The weariness on his face only made Winston more anxious.

“Should I call a doctor? No—I'm calling one. Wait right there, I’ll be back with—”

“Winston, no... it’s... it’s okay...”

Yujin reached out a hand as if to stop him. At the same time, the slightly ajar window swung wider, and his upper body came into view.

...Huh?

Then, a scent spread through the air—one Winston had never smelled before. He froze and looked up at Yujin. That fragrance... it was unlike anything he’d known. Was it coming from Yujin? A fresh, gentle scent like a forest after the rain. It soothed him, melting all fear and tension away. Winston found himself relaxing, almost helplessly.

“It’s okay, Winston.”

Yujin spoke again.

“Someone already came by earlier... I’ve been like this since I woke up, but it’s nothing serious. A doctor’s on the way too... but don’t come in, just in case it’s contagious...”

No way it’s something like that.

Winston thought instinctively. This wasn’t some illness. He couldn’t explain why, but he knew.

Then what the hell is it...

Just as he reached that thought, Yujin let out a breath and slumped forward against the window frame. Alarmed, Winston flinched, afraid he might fall out, but thankfully, he didn’t.

“You should go...”

Yujin whispered, dazed with heat.

“Sorry... today I just... don’t feel well...”

His voice grew fainter with each word. If Winston stayed any longer, it would only burden him more. For some reason, he couldn’t go against what Yujin asked. In the end, he gave up and backed away.

“Okay... I’ll come again tomorrow. Get some rest.”

“...Mm.”

Yujin gave a small nod and closed the window, disappearing inside. Assuming he’d gone to lie down, Winston returned to his horse.

His heart was still pounding. He didn’t know what it meant. But one thing was clear: Yujin’s scent left him aching in a way he didn’t understand. As he mounted the horse, he glanced one last time toward the annex—no, toward Yujin’s bedroom window—but saw no silhouette. With a mixture of longing and worry, Winston returned to the main house.