The Artist Behind |Seongjoong|

9

I sat on the side of the bed for a while, watching him sleep peacefully. His tiny hands were holding mine so tight. Cute! I thought, stroking his hair using my free hand. The warmth of his touch was bringing me peace. He was finally with me.

It was such a shame when my phone rang. I had to take my hand out of that firm grip and walk out. But the call of my parents was important too. So I went to the staircase, made sure I was far enough before picking it up. The voice of my mom met me on the other side.

"Hello, my dear!" she said in a slightly worked-up tone. There was wrong something.

"Is something wrong?" I asked right away. She was horrible at hiding her feelings.

"Ah, my dear, you always get me," she sighed on the other side. "You see, we have to stay with your grandparents for a little longer. Your grandpa needs some more care after his surgery," she explained to me.

"Please, stay with him until he gets better," I told mom, feeling sad for grandpa.

"We will, dear. But won't you be lonely by yourself?" I could tell mom was biting her lips. "Why don't you ask your friends for a sleepover?"

"Don't worry for me, mom," I let out a sigh. "I already invited friends to stay over." After I told her, mom was feeling some better. We chatted for a little longer over the phone before she had to go.

Once our call was over, I went to the kitchen, finally realizing how hungry I was. The whole day filled up with odds. I had no time to eat or drink water. It was time for a bit of self-care. Or so I thought. I spent no more than 20minutes in the kitchen. Then I heard loud crying. Hongjoong stood in the doorway, crying. His tiny body was convulsing, having difficulty breathing. He was about to fall on the floor when I ran to him, hugging him tightly.

"It's okay. I'm here," I whispered in his ear. He was like a newborn, couldn't leave him alone at all. I pulled a bit from our hug so I could see his face. He pulled me back in. I felt my ribs crushing under his touch. A sigh left my lips, my hand moved up, playing with his hair.

"Dear, I won't disappear. No need to hold me this tight." I tried to tell him, but he shook his head. Ah, stubborn little koala! I told myself, then grabbed him up, putting him sit on the kitchen's island. Now he was standing taller than me. We could look into each other's eyes. Gorgeous!

The sweet moment was interrupted when he gently put his hands on my neck and bent down to kiss me. He acted so thirsty for skinship and kisses. His acts made me lose my composure. I took a step forward, sticking my tongue in his mouth, going all over to find his sweet spots. That was quick. His sweet spot was at the back of his roof plate. My tongue licked that spot a couple of times, making him let out some moans. They were so sexy, I wanted to hear more. My lips moved down his jawline and his neck, sucking lightly.

"Seonghwa~" he moaned. It was the first time hearing his voice. It shocked me to the point I froze and pulled away. His beautiful teary eyes looked at me confused, yet calmer than before. The sight of them, and the hickey I left on his neck, made me come back to my sense.

"Sorry, Hongjoong-ah," I said to him, caressing his cheek. "I think we should take it slower."

He nodded, realizing what we had just done. His face turned bright red, like a tomato. My face felt like heating up too. I had to step back from him and look away. I felt too embarrassed to look him in the eyes, him too, I guessed. Still, he held my hand tight. We stood there holding hands, looking away from each other. That was our little moment.

...

"Are you ready for bed?" I asked Hongjoong when he came back from the bathroom.

He nodded in tiny, standing in front of me. I had to admit, giving him some of my clothes was the wisest choice for the day. It was adorable how my hoodie was on him. Not to mention the sweat pants, which, were rolled up because they were too long for him. Seeing this gave me a warm feeling of satisfaction deep inside. I wanted to hug him, but remembering what happened earlier made me insecure. So I stood there watching him coming closer to me. I almost flinched at it.

"Seonghwa?" he asked in a sad voice. Was I too distant towards him? I had to shake myself out of it. I smiled at him then. My hand slowly reached to him and patted his soft hair. I wanted him to be comfortable around me, to feel secure. But so far, I was failing.

"Let's go to be," I told him, and he nodded. We laid down in my bed. It was so awkward for me. That was the first time I felt that way, having someone in my bed. Probably because this time, I wanted to take it slow and do it right.

I felt Hongjoong moving under the blanket. He was cuddling me, head resting on my chest. I clenched my teeth. Calm down, Seonghwa, I told myself. It wasn't the time for my horniness, especially with his mental state. He was unstable enough.

"You know, I could hear and see everything when I was in the painting," he spoke again. I looked at him, blushing hard. So he saw and heard everything I did? I'm doomed. "Thank you for treating me so good then, and now too," he told me, avoiding my eyes. He was shy too.

"Joongie, if you saw everything, you know my intentions aren't that pure," I said, taking his hand in mine.

"I know," he responded, now looking at me. "And I like it. Thanks to you, I finally feel safe, complete. The emptiness I felt is missing when you're here."

His words melted my heart. He made me emotional just by saying a couple of words. I couldn't bear it. I hugged him tight and kissed his hair, and Joong returned my affection. We spent some more time chatting before slowly driving to sleep.