Chapter Text
...Snoring
Jin-Chul was somewhere... Not in his room. He looked around and... Oh. Was this his grandfather's library? He hadn't been here in a long time... Hmm.
Ah, it's a dream, thought the Chief.
It must be because of that question... Memories... They flooded back to him, didn't they?
......A deep sigh
— Hey, kid? — Jin-Chul froze. Was that... his grandfather's voice? But... okay. It's a dream, everything's fine. — Kid, don't stand there in the hallway, okay? Better sit down, we're going to read now. Here's some cocoa with lots and lots of sugar, just the way you like it. Just don't tell your parents. — Grandpa Woo smiled kindly, handed him the cocoa, and put his hand on little Jin-Chul's shoulder, leading him to their usual table and cushions on the floor.
.........Sniffling
They sat down, Jin-Chul's overly sweet cocoa and his grandfather's rather bitter black coffee resting on a small table next to them. Jin-Chol glanced at the mirror and saw himself, but not the person he was used to seeing, but... his younger self. A really young child, about 7 years old. He remembered what he looked like at that age, and the only thing that was not quite the same was the single strand of hair on his forehead, which would be typical of him in the future. Otherwise, everything was as it had been: fairly short light brown hair with a small fringe, freckles, brown eyes, and a few moles on his face.
............Snoring
— Hey, little Woo? Are you okay? You've been staring at the mirror for a long time, but never mind, kid. What shall we read? Do you like any books? — Grandpa smiled and pointed to his library, which was the envy of many of his acquaintances. He brushed the strand of hair from his forehead and took a sip of his coffee.
...............Snoring
— I... I want that book over there, — Jin-Chul remembered. That book was... dear to his grandfather. It had a red cover and no title... But it wasn't a book for the public; it was a book written by his grandfather about his exploits as a general. He wrote it but... never published it.
..................Sleepy snoring
— Oh! Good choice, kid! Are you sure you want that one? Maybe something more childish? — The grandfather smiled at the child's almost wildly shaking head in a gesture of "No," took the book, and began to read — To begin with, I just want to say that this is my story as a man-general, as a man who has made no more and no fewer mistakes than anyone else, because there is no such thing as a superhuman...
.....................The rustle of a blanket.....................
Jin-Chol blinked more slowly, almost as if in slow motion, and then, when everything returned to normal, he was standing right in front of the same mirror, but he clearly looked more mature, at least when compared to his younger, seven-year-old self. Compared to him, a thirty-three-year-old, the man in the mirror was certainly younger. The reflection in the mirror showed a twenty-four-year-old Jin-Chul, who had worked in the police force but was now undergoing certification – a commission check that meant a lot.
..........................snoring
I remember why I came here... Grandpa, I wanted to show him how hard I had tried and how much I wanted him to be proud of me... Yes, my parents were proud of me then, but I wanted my grandfather to be able to do that too, to see how I had grown up, who I had become... But he couldn't.
...........................Soft sleepy hum
Jin-Chul comes in, picks up the same book written by his grandfather, and reads it again, instead of refreshing his memory of the constitution and laws. Although, this book can be considered a guide to all aspects of life, from how to lie confidently and cook really delicious food, to how to command an army and what to do to make your partner feel like they are in paradise with just one touch. There are two options: if the partner was a woman or a man. However, this is more of a story about his grandfather's friend, so the boss was never 100% sure about this information, and even there it says that it depends more on the person themselves and that it is simply experience. Of course, they didn't completely skip this chapter for the seven-year-old, but they read it a little more censored.
And Jin-Chol really remembers, but not quite, what happened next.
..............................snoring
[
— Report from the scene: the newly minted hunter gained such powerful strength, such a powerful rank, that, unfortunately, he partially destroyed the house. The neighbors in the house and on the property were not injured, but the fire department had to be called to get the hunter out. He was a really good cop, but because of his awakening, he'll have to give up that job. I just got some info – the hunter's rank was at an incredibly high level A! He'll be a really good hunter.
]
The boss is watching from the sidelines. As a hunter, he recovered very, very quickly, but Jin-Chol was still taken to the hospital, and he had already recovered enough to watch this report. Fortunately, his parents were not at his grandfather's cottage, but it is a pity that the library is still there, most of the books were torn apart by the dense force, and Unfortunately, some were too torn to continue reading.
.................................Puffing
Scratch, scratch
Jin-Chul woke up from... Um, the smell of breakfast? Well, not exactly, he woke up from familiar lips kissing his back and pleasant movements scratching his scalp, but still... There was the smell of breakfast.
Jin-Chul groaned and rolled over to look at Jin-Woo's head towering above him, smiling contentedly. Jin-Chul lifted and wrapped his legs around Jin-Woo's waist and hung on him, turning them around so that Jin-Chul was on top.
Kiss
Suck
Snort
Kiss
Lick
Sucking
Quiet, satisfied moan
Sucking
Sucking
Lick
— Ah, Jin-Chul... — Jin-woo closed his eyes, raised his hand, and dug it back into his Jin-Chol's scalp, scratching it at times.
Scratch
Sharp exhalation
Suck
Lick
Lick
Moan
Scratch
Mmm
Suck
Kiss
Kiss
Rubbing
— Ah- — Jin-Woo's loud, almost embarrassing squeal when Jin-Chul abruptly rubbed his groin against Jin-Woo's groin was interrupted by the opening of the door, from which one of Jin-Woo's shadows emerged, carrying trays with their food. Jin-Woo cast a sullen, dissatisfied glance at the door and, judging by the expression on his face, cursed silently in his head.
Jin-Chul grinned, climbed off Jin-Woo, and received a protest in the form of a dissatisfied sigh and Jin-Woo grabbing his leg. After a few glances and mental promises to continue later – Jin-Woo's neck and chest were already a little redder than usual – Jin-Woo finally let go and let Jin-Chul see what the shadow had brought.
Jin-Chol approached and looked at his tray of coffee, a double espresso, just as he liked it, miso soup, a small container of ice cream, and next to it were... stars. Ginger cookies...? Star-shaped cookies. He didn't see the packaging, but these were definitely not from a vending machine – they were clearly homemade. Jin-Chul took a bite. They tasted exactly the same as the ones from the vending machine, only tastier.
— I made them with love, Jin-Chul, — Jin-Woo smiled, watching Jin-Chul, who was truly happy. — Your eyes squint when you smile like that, they become so warm... — Jin-Woo watched his boyfriend, and the monarch's eyes were filled with happiness – watching his loved one's happiness brought Jin-Woo unprecedented pleasure. He raised his hand and touched Jin-Chul's chin with his fingertips and pulled him closer.
Jin-Chul quickened his pace slightly, moving closer to Jin-Woo's face. They lingered in a kiss, their lips gently touching, Jin-Chul's hands in Jin-Woo's hair, pulling him closer. During the kiss, Jin-Chul shared a gingerbread cookie with Jin-Woo, and they pulled apart, finishing it. Jin-Chul grinned, but something finally caught his attention. They were just books.
A red book cover, no title on it.
Jin-Chul reached out and opened it, completely ignoring Jin-Woo's loving smile. Nowhere in the book was there a title, only an inscription that it was a duplicate of the book and the author's signature – a signature painfully familiar to the little boy with the freckled nose – his grandfather's. Grandfather Woo...
Jin-Woo watched as Jin-Chul froze and stiffened, but there was no fear in it, only genuine trust and concentrated happiness – after so long, Jin-Chul was seeing this book again for the first time, his grandfather's signature... Questions swirled in Woo's head, but they could always wait.
Abruptly, perhaps too abruptly, Jin-Chul died and flew into Jin-Woo's arms, hugging him tightly with one arm, burying his head in his chest, and wrapping his legs around Jin-Woo's legs. Jin-Chul almost cuddles up, in the usual gesture of a child towards loved ones, although Chul is no longer a child, but everyone can rejoice, even in such a childish way. This is true happiness – the opportunity to behave like a child and be protected. Jin-Woo puts his hand on the back of Jin-Chul, his boyfriend, his boss, supporting him. Jin-Woo hears words murmured right next to his ear:
— Thank you, thank you, thank you... Jin-woo, thank you, I love you so much, dear... I love you, I love you... — Jin-chul was completely vulnerable, and in response, he was only caressed and whispered various compliments
— You're welcome, Jin-chul, I love you... You're so attractive, so cute when you're so sincere that it reminds me of a child... So cute, so dear... Do you know how sweet you smell? — Jin-woo hugged his boyfriend, scratched his hair, and ran his fingers through it — Baby, do you know we need to eat? Breakfast is a really important meal, you need to eat, sweetie. — Jin-Woo grinned at Jin-Chul and, together with Chol, stood him up, sat him back on the bed, and brought his boyfriend a tray with his food, smiling happily.
Jin-Chol blushed slightly when the spoon with food was brought to his face, but he didn't resist – he ate everything on it, taking the spoon from Jin-Woo's hands along the way. After a few spoonfuls, Jin-Chol finally understood.
— Wait, how did you get this book? It was somewhere at Grandpa's cottage, almost falling apart, but... um, isn't that trespassing, Jin-woo? — The spoon in Jin-chul's hand stopped in midair, and he blurted it out with his last breath. Maybe it was nice that Jin-woo did it for him and even... broke the law for him, but he works for the government, after all... — How did you restore it? It was almost completely destroyed when I woke up...— Jin-Chul looked at Jin-Woo, waiting, but he couldn't be angry with him for that... Besides, he wasn't going to write a report on his S-rank boyfriend, was he?
— Um... Well, sort of... Shadow exchange? — Jin-Woo smiled awkwardly, paused, and blinked his eyelashes cutely several times. — I restored the book with my new shadow. It can 'bring things from the past back to the present' with the power of regression, and that's what I did... Here, Jin-Chul, dear, you won't report me, will you? Actually, I restored not only this book to its original state, but the entire library as well. I know you had too many memories and melancholy there, and not enough time to sort through it and maybe redo it, so I actually thought you wouldn't mind... Isn't that right? — Jin-woo blinked his eyes sweetly a few more times, softening whatever Jin-chol might be feeling, and smiled sweetly as he looked at the guy in front of him.
— That's really good, Jin-woo. Will you introduce me to the new shadow later? And the statement... No, I won't write it. Though you will definitely be punished in the evening... And I would like to go there with you and... create more happy memories, if you don't mind, dear... — Jin-woo's eyes widened and his pupils dilated at the mention of punishment in the evening, but he restrained himself and nodded at the suggestion of creating new memories in the library. He clearly didn't trust his voice, and considering Son's rapid breathing, he had good reason. Jin-woo buried his face in Chol's neck, almost burning him with his blush, and stammered:
— Eat up, breakfast is the most important meal of the day... — His voice trembled slightly, but it was within normal limits, and Jin-woo was actually blushing from a strange bout of embarrassment.
— Yes, sir, embarrassed monarch hugger, — Jin-Chol smiled and continued eating breakfast, enjoying the warmth of Jin-Woo's cheeks on his collarbones.