By Zephyria 
Je-rim stepped off the plane with a rare, somewhat crestfallen face. This was because he had tried to soothe Aaron’s mood throughout the flight, but failed.
Since the situation didn’t allow for a private, cozy conversation, he tried communicating via the phone’s notepad, but Aaron turned his head away after seeing only the first sentence, “It’s not that…”.
Then he immediately reclined his seat and pretended to sleep, so Je-rim couldn’t do anything more. If he had forced open the eyelids of the already pouting man to shove the screen in his face, a fight would have started.
Even in the arrival hall, Aaron ignored Je-rim and walked briskly ahead. Following quietly behind him, Je-rim let out a sigh.
‘He’s really sulking…’
How on earth should I make it up to him? Usually, a few kisses would do the trick, but the mood wasn’t right this time. Je-rim’s shoulders slumped at the thought that he might not be able to enjoy his date with Aaron as planned.
I was looking forward to his visit so much… This is all because of that bastard Mateo.
Je-rim glared meaningfully at Mateo’s nose. The bridge of the nose he had smashed against a cabinet was now perfectly healed, without a trace of being crooked. This time, I’m really going to—
Blaming the innocent Mateo instead of his own past self, who had met people indiscriminately, Je-rim turned on his phone. As roaming connected automatically, a flood of delayed messages arrived.
Chang-sik Hyung
Where did you throw away the ticket I booked for you, and why are you coming in someone else’s country’s private jet? Chang-sik Hyung
Are you a beggar?
After replying to Chang-sik’s messages with a peach emoji scratching its head, Je-rim put the phone in his pocket. He felt a bit uneasy about letting Aaron go in that state, but for now, it was time to part ways.
Even if he had hitched a ride on the Spanish national team’s private jet, it would look ridiculous for him to join their arrival procession. A barrage of flashes would erupt the moment they stepped out of the arrival hall, so Je-rim had to leave now. He called out to Coach Louis before the doors opened.
“Coach, thanks to you, I had a comfortable trip. I’ll buy you dinner before you head back! Thank you so much. I’ll be heading out first.”
“Hmm? Why not just take the bus with us? Aren’t you going to Seoul anyway?”
“Aw, come on, I should go home by myself. I’m not a child.”
While chatting breezily, Je-rim’s entire focus was on Aaron. Aaron, seemingly bothered by the idea of his lover going home alone, had stopped walking unnaturally.
I can tell you’re listening to the conversation even if you pretend not to, you cute little thing. I thought you were completely sulking and wouldn’t give me any attention, but I guess it’s not that bad?
‘I’ll visit him at the hotel later and make everything right.’
Surely, if he goes all the way to visit, Aaron won’t avoid him. He’ll probably open the door while pretending to be reluctant, as always. Then, he’ll immediately apologize and keep a low profile. Though he wasn’t usually one to apologize first, Je-rim steeled his heart this time, knowing his sin.
If he imagined that Aaron had dated a mutual friend from when they were together—even for a short time during their breakup—he’d feel fucking disgusted too…
Of course, he hadn’t been that close to Tiana during their school days, and naturally, he had no interest in her. Back then, everyone except Aaron looked like a mannequin, so it was impossible to have any ulterior motives. Meeting her by chance after she became a reporter was simply the catalyst for their relationship; at first, he hadn’t even recognized her. Aaron had been upset about that throughout their dating period.
Still, if he put himself in Aaron’s shoes regarding the fact that he ‘met a former classmate,’ it felt unsettling and gross. Even if Aaron denounced him as a slut this time… he would just take it quietly.
Just as he resolved this and was about to say goodbye to Coach Louis and the others, Aaron, who had been walking apart pretending not to know him, suddenly approached and grabbed Je-rim’s wrist.
“Come with me.”
“What?”
“I said come with me. Why are you insisting on going separately?”
Why? Because you’re a Spanish National Team player and I’m a South Korean National Team player… Do you think I can just join your arrival procession and have a photo op? How much more ridicule do I have to endure?
But Aaron’s expression was still fierce, making it impossible to ask if he really didn’t know the reason. To a momentarily stunned Je-rim, Aaron whispered lowly.
“If you leave now, I’m really going to sulk. I won’t forgive you until your visit ends.”
“…I mean, what kind of threat is—”
Isn’t he scary and cute at the same time? While Je-rim muttered in bewilderment, Aaron continued to urge him in a small voice.
“We’re going sightseeing right away to adjust to the jet lag. I heard we’re going to some palace… I wanted to go with you.”
“……”
“You said you’d take me to a restaurant I’d like for dinner. Do you know how curious I’ve been?”
Ah, fuck. Je-rim glanced at the coach and teammates standing behind Aaron and desperately recited the national anthem in his head. Otherwise, regardless of the surrounding eyes, he felt like he would grab Aaron’s cheeks and kiss him in a trance right now.
“But you’re saying you’ll go first? After coming all this way together? We have to part ways as soon as we arrive? Even after plunging my mood into the basement…”
The moment Aaron muttered this in a sorrowful tone that didn’t match his grumpy face, Je-rim walked toward Coach Louis as if possessed.
“…Um, Coach. If you don’t mind, I’ll accompany you all for the day.”
Ridicule be damned, I’ll just bear it. As long as I play for the Korean team in the match, what else is the problem? It’s not like I’m changing my nationality.
Right now, the fact that this ridiculously large and lovely boyfriend was feeling hurt was more important than any of that. Since he had sinned, he would spend the day in ‘sinner mode.’ And while he was at it, he’d fully enjoy Aaron acting cute while pretending to be sulky…
After shaking off all worries and hesitation, Je-rim blended in with the Spanish players and waved brightly.
✲✲✲
Everyone was exhausted by the time they boarded the bus, facing a crowd as chaotic as when Sefton visited.
The Spanish national football team, who call themselves La Roja, ‘The Red,’ and the South Korean national football team, nicknamed the Reds. Although their nicknames were similar, the two national teams, which had almost no points of contact, were playing a friendly match for the first time in a very long while.
Furthermore, the Spanish national team had won the last World Cup and possessed not only a superstar like Aaron Reyes but also starting players who were stars in Big Clubs. With the visit of ‘La Roja’ and the presence of Korea’s ace, Je-rim, it was only natural that the airport was bursting at the seams.
Je-rim, in particular, was overwhelmed by reporters persistently asking why on earth he was mixed in with them. In the midst of that, as he boarded the bus feeling completely drained, his eyes widened at a figure he saw.
“Huh? Kim Han-seong?”
“Hyung! You really came with them.”
Han-seong was equally surprised. As Han-seong made a fuss, saying he didn’t expect them to even share a bus, Je-rim asked.
“Why are you here, Han-seong?”
“Business, business. I may look like this, but I’m a top Korean YouTuber when it comes to football.”
Lifting his chin arrogantly, Han-seong explained the situation.
That problematic lie detector video he filmed with Aaron during Sefton’s last visit… Thanks to it becoming a global hit, Han-seong had been recruited as a guide and YouTube content creator for this Spanish national team visit.
As if to prove his words, there were quite a few people in the bus with professional filming equipment, not just Han-seong. He said they were all employees of the company he runs.
This brat, he made a fortune by selling his Hyung as a clown. Feeling a mix of pride and resentment, Je-rim put Han-seong in a headlock. As the boy was being quietly choked, he suddenly frowned.
“But this is content commemorating the Spanish national team’s visit; is it okay for Hyung to appear?”
“I don’t know either…”
That was one thing Je-rim truly didn’t have an answer for. He had simply followed impulsively, enchanted by Aaron, without thinking about the aftermath. After a brief thought, Han-seong offered a straightforward solution.
“If they say it’s not allowed, I’ll just mosaic Hyung’s face.”
“Am I a criminal?”
“Then who told you to join another country’s national team procession? What are you doing, a proud South Korean player?”
“You think I wanted to join? I tried to part ways at the airport too.”
“Did someone force you to join?”
Unable to say, ‘My boyfriend coaxed me with killer threats and aegyo,’ Je-rim changed the subject.
“Forget it. Anyway, I heard you’re doing a palace tour? Isn’t that too cliché? Your Gam is dead, Kim Han-seong.”
“What do you know, Hyung? Putting Hanbok on Reyes-seonsu! If I film a video of him touring the palace, the views will be, ugh!”
“…Hanbok?”
“Yeah! After all, the ultimate pride is National Pride…”
Hanbok on Aaron? Je-rim’s chest swelled with anticipation.
He would definitely look stunning. His face went without saying, and he was tall, broad-shouldered, and had a long neck. If he wore a dopo, a pictorial would be completed effortlessly. He had been planning to make him wear one anyway, so this was perfect.
Je-rim roughly shook the shoulder of Han-seong, who was lecturing him on how to get YouTube views—something he wasn’t even curious about.
“Hey, let’s go right now. You’ve looked up a Hanbok rental shop, right?”
“Huh? Uh, yeah, of course. But why are you suddenly so proactive?”
“Shut up. Just go, hurry!”
Unable to withstand Je-rim’s urging, the bus started with a screech of tires. Thanks to it being a weekday at an awkward time, the roads weren’t very congested.
The destination was a Hanbok rental shop near Gyeongbokgung Palace. Entering the shop, the Spanish players gaped at the unfamiliar attire in dazzling colors hanging on the racks.
“Wow, there’s so much.”
“Which one looks the coolest when worn?”
“But I think it’ll be a bit hot.”
It was late May, a few days before June. Even though it was still technically spring, it was hot during the day. A few who had checked the weather upon leaving the airport worried as they touched the fabric. Aaron was among them.
“It doesn’t have to be stylish, so it’s better to wear something cool and comfortable.”
Having visited Korea once during the peak of summer in July, Aaron spoke as if he knew all too well about the Korean heat.
However, Je-rim was blinded by the desire to put Aaron in a Hanbok. He overlooked how hot it would be to wear a Hanbok, which requires layering several pieces of clothing. He snatched the reddish-crimson dopo that Jose was examining and thrust it in front of Aaron.
“Aaron, this. Wear this. Definitely this one…”
“I was going to wear that!”
“You wear this or something. …Aaron, huh?”
After throwing any random piece of clothing at Jose, he called Aaron again urgently.
It hurt his pride to admit it, but a deep wine color—the symbolic color of Tavarona FC—was perfect for Aaron. The Spanish national team uniform was also red, fitting their nickname ‘The Army of Red Fury,’ and that suited him as well. In short, dark red tones generally suited him well.
Aaron looked back and forth between the Hanbok Je-rim thrust at him and Je-rim himself, then let out a hollow laugh.
“Did you forget that I’m currently in a bad mood because of you?”
It seemed he found it quite absurd that Je-rim, without even considering his sins, was just pushing clothes he wanted him to wear. Je-rim knew his sins well. But right now, putting this Hanbok on Aaron was more important. So, he decided to use a slightly cowardly method.
“…You’re not going to wear it?”
Contrary to his sulky tone, he looked at Aaron with a bright, intentional smile. Immediately, Aaron scratched his head, muttered a small curse, and snatched the Hanbok from Je-rim’s hand.
And right there, he started stripping off his clothes. Since they had rented out the entire shop, everyone was changing with the help of the staff without bothering to go into dressing rooms.
Je-rim sat on a chair, resting his arm on his thigh, admiring Aaron as he put on the clothes the staff provided. Finally, seeing Aaron fully dressed in the dopo he had personally chosen, Je-rim had to be careful not to make a lewd sound.
‘Crazy…’
Whose boyfriend is this, seriously. I want to knock him down right here and untie his clothes-ribbon.
As expected, the long dopo that reached the ankles suited Aaron fantastically. He already knew Aaron had a body that would look good in Hanbok, but his exotic beauty, which exuded a decadent atmosphere, created an ironic harmony with the traditional attire.
Wearing it neatly like a scholar as he was now was great, but if he loosened the collar to reveal his chest and had eyes clouded with excitement, it would be lethally erotic…
Je-rim pinched his thigh to desperately shake off the obscene imaginations filling his head. Aaron, looking down at him, asked bluntly.
“Aren’t you wearing one?”
“Me? I don’t really need to.”
“No, you have to wear one too.”
At the commanding tone, Je-rim looked up to see Aaron bringing a light blue dopo from the display. It was the same design as the one Aaron was wearing, just a different color.
“If you’re sorry to me, wear it, Je-rim.”
The sinner could not argue and slowly took off his clothes.
It was quite a sight to see 25 foreign players, along with the coach and coaching staff, all dressed in Hanbok. While having one Korean mixed in was a bit out of place, no one cared.
Partly because they had been together since Madrid and had grown used to each other, but mostly because of the heat. As soon as they gathered to take photos for Insta, they collapsed on the spot.
“It’s cool, but it’s hot! And it’s uncomfortable to move!”
“You idiot, you should have worn a light color. Didn’t you know it would be hot?”
“It’s not unbearably hot weather, but the clothes are layered and flowy, so they stick to the body.”
Mateo, with a permanent marker stain on his cheek, rubbed the sleeve of his Hanbok and clicked his tongue. For the record, that marker stain was the result of an unfortunate accident at the airport.
Anyway, as he said, the current heat was bearable compared to midsummer. It wasn’t humid, and although the sun was quite bright, it was nothing compared to Tavarona. The problem was that the clothes they were wearing were Hanboks.
Those who had chosen Hanboks with the lightest colors, thinnest materials, and simplest designs—anticipating the heat—seemed to be faring better. However, those wearing royal robes or military uniforms were panting like dogs with their tongues out. Among them, Jose, dressed in a dark green eunuch’s outfit, sweated profusely and asked Aaron cautiously.
“Aaron, are you okay? Yours is the darkest, longest, and flowiest…”
“…It’s bearable.”
Glancing back at Je-rim, who had strongly urged him to wear the darkest, flowiest Hanbok, Aaron wiped his forehead. Seeing the beads of sweat on the back of his hand, Je-rim quickly pulled out his card.
“Co-coffee! Let’s have coffee! My treat.”
He belatedly remembered that Aaron had a high basal body temperature and was weak to heat. And that such a man had worn that hot Hanbok because he couldn’t refuse his lover’s request.
To cool down his boyfriend, Je-rim spent a whopping 300,000 won on coffee, which wasn’t in the budget. It tasted very bitter to be quenching Mateo’s throat as well, but he endured it, considering it the price for seeing Aaron in a Hanbok.
Even the sight of him sprawled on a bench in a disheveled dopo, holding an iced americano—which he usually didn’t drink—because of the heat, was sexy. Je-rim, who had subtly taken the spot next to Aaron, pressed a plastic cup covered in cold droplets against Aaron’s cheek and asked.
“How’s your mood? Still in the basement?”
“Now it’s around the floor. Seeing you in those clothes made me feel a bit better.”
Aaron smiled thinly, his eyes curving, as the cup touched his cheek.
“Light blue really suits you, my sky. It feels like the sun is shining only on you.”
Even while his mood is hitting rock bottom, his compliments are so cheesy. Je-rim, whose face had instantly turned red from the sunlight, whispered in a grumbling voice.
“Aren’t you fucking turned on right now too? I’m holding back from knocking you down and untying your clothes-ribbon.”
“Your compliments are always vulgar. By the way, what’s a clothes-ribbon?”
“This string. Look, if you untie this, the clothes…”
“Pervert.”
As Je-rim slightly loosened the ribbon to disarray the area around the chest, Aaron scolded him but took out his phone to take a photo of Je-rim. Je-rim obediently became the subject and looked around.
Han-seong and his employees were busy capturing the players scattered here and there, sipping their coffee. Some were sitting on benches under the shade, spaced apart. As soon as Je-rim decided it was okay to bring up the topic, he spoke.
“Aaron, about the past…”
“No need to make excuses.”
The blunt corner of the phone touched his forehead like a flick. It was just a light tap, so calling it a flick was embarrassing.
“I already know very well that you lived your life playing with your dick lightly after we broke up.”
“I wasn’t that promiscuous…”
Je-rim reflexively tried to deny it, but remembering his previous resolution, he immediately changed his words.
“Yeah, compared to you, I’m a slut. It’s all my fault. This slut’s sin is great.”
Whether it was funny that he readily admitted to being a slut, Aaron’s shoulders shook slightly. Je-rim didn’t miss the chance. Fearing someone might see, he neatly closed Aaron’s collar, which he had loosened earlier, tied the ribbon, and offered a sincere apology.
“I’m sorry. I should have just told you myself as soon as you asked. You must have felt really bad….”
Meeting an old classmate was likely bothersome enough, but finding out that fact through someone else must have been unpleasant. Aaron especially hated receiving news related to Je-rim through others.
He was the type who always expected to be told first, and he always did the same. He wanted there to be no secrets between them. It seemed that tendency had worsened due to the events surrounding their breakup.
At Je-rim’s apology, Aaron gave an honest nod of his chin.
“Since you know, work hard to make it up to me.”
“Do you really not want to hear my excuse?”
“I know you weren’t that close to begin with. I don’t suspect for a second that you’ve been interested in him since the old days.”
That was the part Je-rim wanted to emphasize most. Grateful for Aaron’s memory, Je-rim listened intently to what followed.
“And from what Mateo said… it seems you got dumped as usual, you were indifferent, and there’s no way you’ll meet again. …Or is there?”
“Who do you actually take me for!”
As Je-rim shouted, a low voice laced with a faint smile calmed him down.
“Then it’s fine. Regardless of who you met after we broke up… it’s annoying, but what can I do? It’s not like I started over without knowing about your slutty past.”
“…Right, look at you, acting like the Buddha.”
“It’s at least better than the time with Ayla. Back then, I wanted to erase my birthday and just disappear myself.”
“…Should I go drag Edson here and kill him right now?”
Je-rim responded obediently, barely managing to control his trembling fists and the end of his sentence. Seeing Je-rim trying his best to suppress his temper, Aaron finally burst into a hearty laugh and locked eyes with him intensely.
“Je-rim, you can’t meet anyone else anyway. Right?”
To the question with a predetermined answer, Je-rim looked straight into Aaron’s eyes and replied.
“Yeah, that’s right. I can’t meet anyone but you now.”
As if it were the perfect answer, the corners of Aaron’s eyes softened. His pupils, filled with tenderness, captured Je-rim entirely.
“Good. Just like now, you only need to give me the certainty that you’ll be with me for the rest of your life.”
“Something like that is way too easy.”
“Still, I’m not fully over it. Work harder.”
“Ah, yes, sir. Whatever you say.”
Je-rim replied playfully, though he wrinkled his nose.
Considering he had been sulking to the point of ignoring him throughout the entire flight, this was a fairly mild conclusion… but just in case, a rambling question escaped his lips.
“…Hey, do I usually not give you enough certainty?”
Since they started dating again, he had tried not to confuse Aaron, not to make him anxious, to love him without lack, and—though perhaps not as much as Aaron’s incomparably honest expressions of affection—to express himself with pretty words as best as he could.
Yet, was his behavior still untrustworthy? Was that why Aaron continued to be jealous of every little thing and wanted to have even the most obvious things confirmed verbally?
He asked because he was inwardly bothered by the question—even if asked as a joke—about whether he had plans to meet someone else. Fortunately, Aaron denied it immediately, as if there were no room for hesitation.
“No, you give me more than enough.”
“Then why are you so jealous?”
“This is my nature, so I can’t fix it. You just adapt.”
Watching Aaron act slyly cute with a prim tone, Je-rim couldn’t help but be impressed.
“Wow, you’re fucking shameless, but fucking cute….”
“No matter how shameless I am, could I be as bad as you?”
Just as Je-rim had done, Aaron untied his clothes-knot, ruffled his hair, and ran away. Je-rim immediately stood up to punish him. Though, after catching the runaway, all he actually did was take photos.
When else would he see him wearing a hanbok? He had to take plenty of pictures. However, the more he pressed the shutter, the more Je-rim’s expression soured.
‘I wish everyone except Aaron would just fall into a manhole.’
No matter where he pointed the camera, other guys lounging around got caught in the frame. As if that weren’t enough, these clueless bastards approached and posed right in the background. Je-rim snapped at them while guarding his phone.
“Get lost!”
“How cold. Did you two come on a date? Now that I look, your clothes are couple looks, aren’t they?”
“You guys are making such a fucking fuss just because we’re in the same Club, get away.”
“Leave them be, they were like that during the youth days too. Honestly, I’m more surprised they stayed estranged for ten years.”
“Ah, Aaron used to get so serious the moment we even mentioned Jerry’s name…. The locker room atmosphere was fantastic.”
“I’d rather see this sight. You two, never fight again.”
“Ah, the photo! Tag us too!”
Aaron completely ignored all the commotion. Keeping the camera as close as possible, he used his body to block his teammates so that only he and Je-rim appeared in the photo. Then, he lightly suppressed the guys who were protesting like a troop of angry monkeys.
“Je-rim’s portrait rights are quite expensive. You guys stay out of it.”
“What country’s captain are you really? Korea?”
“I am simply loyal to my boss.”
“Cut the crap. You’re the boss here!”
“Je-rim is the boss of your bosses. So show some respect.”
“Um… I’ve always respected him. Then can I take a photo together?”
The last words came from Daniel. He was quite bold, saying everything he wanted to say even while being afraid of Aaron. Finding that cute, Je-rim moved to take a photo with Daniel, but then—
“Dani, how much is your weekly wage at the Club?”
“Huh? Uh, why…?”
At Aaron’s abrupt question, Daniel was flustered but revealed his weekly wage. At that, Aaron shook his head.
“That amount isn’t nearly enough for Je-rim’s portrait rights fee. Instead, I’ll take a photo with you. My portrait rights are free for the youngest.”
What kind of portrait rights fee for a selfie. Daniel also looked bewildered, stepping back as if he hadn’t asked for such a thing, but Aaron stubbornly grabbed his shoulder and pressed the shutter. He was enjoying the way Daniel was driven crazy by the discomfort. Since he did this to Reman often, it was a familiar sight.
‘He’s teasing him so diligently.’
Yes, he was teasing. Everyone knew it… but seeing those two stuck together made him so annoyed for some reason. And why the hell is that bastard calling people by nicknames….
“Hup.”
Another pathetic thought. Je-rim immediately patted his cheeks. Let’s please not act pathetic toward another team’s youngest.
Aaron often called Jesus by the nickname ‘Suso.’ His sister Gabriela was ‘Gabi,’ and Jose was ‘Pepe.’ Calling close people by nicknames was a common culture in Western countries, including Spain.
Even his own nicknames from his lover were ‘my heaven,’ ‘rabbit,’ ‘life,’ ‘heart,’ ‘soul,’ and so on. Just looking at the affection embedded in the nicknames, it was far superior….
‘Ah, am I crazy?’
Je-rim tightened the screws of his sanity once more. There are other things to be jealous of. Aaron doting on and teasing kids younger than him, or calling others by nicknames, weren’t sights he was seeing for the first time, so he didn’t know why he was like this.
He hadn’t cared before. He felt nothing watching Aaron with other national team colleagues he was close with. Why only toward Daniel…. Because Aaron was making it obvious he found him cute? But it was the same with Reman.
Then, it suddenly hit him.
This was because he was bothered by Aaron’s human relationships that he didn’t know well. Seeing as he was only like this toward Daniel, whom he spoke to for the first time today, it was certain.
Je-rim was unbearably bothered by the human relationships Aaron had newly built while they were broken up—specifically, that Aaron showed his true self to people Je-rim didn’t know.
‘Wow, am I actually a bit of a piece of trash…?’
He had just upset Aaron over the issue of an ex-lover, and he had scolded Aaron whenever Aaron got jealous of Glenn and Anna, yet here he was, feeling twisted just after seeing Aaron be cute with his Hubae a few times.
He was in no position to tease Aaron for being too jealous. This was the definition of a double standard.
He even did this while knowing full well that the emotion Aaron held for Daniel was nothing more and nothing less than camaraderie. There was no lover on Earth who gave as much certainty about love as Aaron did. This time, the cause was not jealousy stemming from doubt, but a selfish desire for monopoly.
A selfish desire for all the people around Aaron to be people he knew, just like when they were young and stuck together with overlapping lives, and for Aaron to show his familiar, serious, yet meticulous side only to them.
‘…I really am trash.’
He had been broken up for ten years, yet he wanted so much. From a guy who, unlike him, hadn’t even met anyone else during that time….
To feel jealous despite knowing all these inner workings just meant one thing. He had been loved so much by Aaron that he’d developed bad habits….
Fortunately, though he might be a bit of a piece of trash, Je-rim was a human who could finish self-reflection quickly and act rationally. He wasn’t a pathetic brat who would show jealousy toward a foreign player much younger than himself. Especially toward a cute Hubae who viewed him as an idol.
Let’s let go of this absurd desire for monopoly. Having firmly decided, Je-rim beckoned to Daniel.
“Daniel, Aaron is just joking. Let’s take one together. Come here.”
“…Can I post it on my account?”
“Yeah.”
“…And tagging you, Ban?”
“It’s not like my ID is plated in gold, why do you need permission for everything? Do whatever you want. Want me to follow you back?”
“¡Flipante!”
He shouted an exclamation loudly, but as soon as Aaron glared at him, he shut his mouth. He must have been scolded quite a bit. Nevertheless, seeing him quietly punching the air and dancing, Je-rim felt that while he was a Hubae Aaron cherished just as much, his personality really didn’t mesh with Reman’s.
Je-rim took a photo with Aaron, who insisted on taking the center spot so that he and Daniel couldn’t stand side-by-side. After a chase of taking and being taken in photos, scrambling with the other guys, several ridiculous photos remained.
They visited a traditional teahouse inside the palace and had fun at a nearby arcade while wearing hanboks. Each time, separate from the official filming, their individual phones piled up with photos. It felt like they had returned to their youth days. After playing like that for a while, it was finally time to move.
After returning the hanboks, they left Gyeongbokgung Palace and walked together along the promenade surrounding Deoksugung Palace. Since the sun was starting to set, a cool breeze blew. With the scenery of the quiet stone wall path at sunset and the streetlights beginning to turn on one by one, the players chatted excitedly.
“This place has a nice atmosphere. It’s great.”
“Right? But there’s an interesting legend about this stone wall path.”
The moment Han-seong, who was acting as the guide at the front, started talking, an ominous feeling flashed through Je-rim’s mind.
Come to think of it, isn’t there some shitty superstition about this road?
What was it? I think it came up as a quiz on a variety show. I remember thinking what a ridiculous superstition. I don’t remember clearly, but it seemed like the kind of superstition Aaron shouldn’t know about….
Before he could stop him and say it wasn’t necessary to tell him, Han-seong’s mouth moved quickly.
“It’s very famous that if you walk the Deoksugung stone wall path with your lover, you’ll break up.”
And the translator provided a perfect and swift translation. Je-rim, who was experiencing all sorts of misfortunes today because of other people’s mouths, closed his eyes tight.
Je-rim didn’t seriously believe in superstitions. He didn’t even have the jinxes that athletes usually have. But for a guy whose routine was to pray to God and make the sign of the cross before a match, this kind of superstition was….
He was a guy who had been exceptionally sensitive to the word ‘breakup’ since he was young. And today, of all days, was a day when a conflict almost broke out because of someone he met after ‘breaking up’ with Aaron. Moreover, recalling the conversation they had earlier, he couldn’t help but be bothered.
Glancing at Aaron, his lips were tightly closed as if his mood had soured. Han-seong, who couldn’t have noticed that, laughed heartily.
“But well, that’s a story that doesn’t concern you all. Surely there aren’t any couples here? Right? Hahat!”
There are, Han-seong. You son of a bitch….
Je-rim and Aaron maintained serious faces amidst the guys laughing boisterously.
✲✲✲
Dinner was at a galbi specialty restaurant. It was a place Je-rim always took his parents to whenever he came to Korea, the menu was universally liked, and above all, the japchae served as a side dish was excellent.
Since they had come on a private jet, Je-rim naturally paid for the meal. Perhaps because of the legend of the Deoksugung stone wall path, Aaron picked at his food uncharacteristically, but he still had refills of japchae. Since the other guys also liked the japchae and all had refills, eventually, the japchae was served in one giant bowl. Looking back after the meal, he had actually gnawed on quite a few galbi ribs despite picking at his food.
‘I should bring him here again later.’
Of course, next time, only Aaron. Je-rim patted Mateo’s stomach like a drum as Mateo giggled, saying he ate well thanks to him. At that, Mateo gagged. At the same table, Jose’s long speech was in full swing.
“Since we’ve come all this way, I believe we must experience Korea’s nightlife. Seoul is famous, isn’t it? The city that never sleeps! So we should-.”
That blockhead actually managed to memorize the correct location and the long nickname ‘the city that never sleeps.’ No sooner had he thought that than Aaron cut Jose off.
“Shut up and go straight to the hotel. Try taking even one step outside the hotel later.”
“Aaron, please. It’s just a friendly match, isn’t it? It’s a free schedule. Since we’re here, at least a Club….”
“Is a friendly match not a game?”
“No, a game is a game, but….”
“Is there anyone else here who agrees with Jose?”
The amber eyes within the languid gaze swept around the restaurant. Except for the table where the manager and coaching staff were gathered, the surroundings became deathly silent. Watching the guys solemnly staring at the floor, Aaron snorted.
“Pepe, it seems you’re the only one who wants to experience Seoul’s nightlife.”
“You traitors!”
“You said you’re going to Ibiza for vacation anyway. Play to your heart’s content there.”
He followed up with a frightening threat, typical of someone who had found Edson’s parties curious, saying he would never allow his national team colleagues to party before a game.
“You’re not planning to disobey the captain’s order, are you?”
“…No way. As soon as we get to the hotel, I’ll quietly shut myself in my room, wash my feet, and go to sleep.”
This is nothing compared to how Yeo-bin catches the Hubaes. After a brief moment of surprise at how the discipline was firmly established despite them appearing close and informal.
“Good thinking. It’s better to finish adjusting to the jet lag quickly.”
Aaron placed a hand on Jose’s shoulder and cast a glance at the other guys around. Anyone could see he was applying pressure. Je-rim trembled with anxiety watching Aaron diligently play the role of captain.
He shouldn’t be like that. Does he actually plan to go to the hotel, wash his feet, and go to sleep?
Fortunately, that worry remained a groundless fear. When Je-rim contacted him to sneak out alone, he came out without a moment’s hesitation. As requested, he was faithfully wearing a hat, a mask, and a thin windbreaker to cover his tattoos. Je-rim was dressed exactly the same.
The captain, who had imprisoned his teammates who wanted to party and slipped out alone, asked Je-rim.
“Where are we going?”
“Stop talking and just follow me. Didn’t you tell me to work hard to make it up to you?”
Je-rim pushed Aaron’s hat down low to block his vision and shoved him into a taxi.
“Driver, please take us to Namsan Tower.”
The driver drove very cautiously. It was understandable to be scared when two huge men got into the car in the middle of the night with their faces covered by black hats and masks. After Aaron rolled up his sleeves and revealed his tattoos because he was hot, the driver even breathed quietly.
Every time they hit a red light, Je-rim apologized inwardly to the middle-aged man who was glancing at the rearview mirror with frightened eyes.
I’m sorry, we just can’t show our faces….
Upon arriving at the destination, the driver hurriedly let them out and sped away. Watching the tail of the taxi disappear in a second, Aaron shrugged.
“Did he think we were robbers or something?”
“Your physique and tattoos are just so… never mind.”
He brought him out to make him feel better, so he shouldn’t make him feel worse. Even though he stopped mid-sentence out of tact, Aaron protested poutily.
“You called me a chick, Je-rim.”
“Yeah, you’re a chick. Just a very large one with a lot of tattoos….”
Je-rim consoled Aaron soul-lessly as they boarded the cable car.
Since it was a weekday and close to closing time, there weren’t many people in the cable car going up. Still, for the sake of the family tourists who had boarded with them, Je-rim pulled down the sleeves of Aaron’s windbreaker. The moment the child in the father’s arms saw Aaron, he frowned as if he were about to cry, so Je-rim covered the tattoos.
As they stepped off the cable car, a vending machine stocked with colorful locks immediately caught their eye. Je-rim, who had pulled out a yellow lock and a name pen set, held out the pen to Aaron.
“You can write ‘Ari’ in Hangeul by now, right? Write it here, clearly.”
Following the request, Aaron wrote ‘Ari’ clearly. The letters were large yet crooked, looking exactly like a child’s handwriting. To Je-rim, who knew how masterful Aaron’s calligraphy was in his native language, it looked so incredibly adorable that a silly grin crept onto his face.
Thinking that if he only saw the handwriting, he’d believe a real chick had written it, Je-rim wrote on the lock as well. Seeing the lock surface where ‘Bunny’ was written next to ‘Ari,’ Aaron gave a smug laugh.
“Are you finally admitting you’re a rabbit?”
“Whatever. I’m doing this because if I used my real name, it might end up on the front page of the newspaper the next day.”
“What even is this?”
“Just… something childish.”
Holding the lock covered in the childish nicknames they had called each other as children instead of their real names made his chest feel ticklish. Since he had already decided to be childish, Je-rim thought he might as well make Aaron even happier and drew a heart between the names.
Aaron’s eyes widened, and as expected, he looked like he was dying of joy. He subtly wrapped his arm around Je-rim’s waist, rested his chin on his shoulder, and even started making demands.
“Make the heart bigger.”
“I already drew it, how can I make it bigger?”
“You can just draw an outline around it and fill it in.”
“Such a useless…”
Though he grumbled, Je-rim followed Aaron’s instructions. Doing the same things they had done in their teens now that they were in their thirties brought a fresh, nostalgic feeling.
‘It really feels like we’ve gone back to being kids.’
They used to doodle like this often when they were young. Mostly on the sandy beach, writing each other’s nicknames with sticks, then drawing hearts and writing curses. Then they’d feel sad when the waves washed them away.
But he wouldn’t have to worry about this particular doodle disappearing. It would stay there until Namsan Tower was demolished.
“There, happy? The heart is bigger than the names.”
Having enlarged the heart and filled it in as Aaron wanted, Je-rim held the lock in one hand and Aaron’s hand in the other. As he led the way, holding on tight, Aaron followed obediently like a baby bird following its mother.
No more questions about what they were going to do were heard. It seemed Aaron had figured out what Je-rim intended to do upon discovering the wire fence draped with countless locks. He even pointed out an empty spot first.
Je-rim hung the lock where Aaron indicated and gave a belated explanation.
“You know, it’s like throwing a coin into the Trevi Fountain. You make a wish while hanging the lock here.”
“And…” Je-rim trailed off awkwardly.
It was because the current situation—doing something like this solely to soothe his boyfriend’s mood despite not believing in superstitions—was dreadfully embarrassing. Not to mention how he had hurriedly searched for ‘Namsan Tower locks’ thinking Aaron would like it.
‘Seriously, I do all sorts of things just for this guy…’
He had never tried this hard to soothe a partner’s mood before, which made it even more embarrassing.
With people he had dated before, he would either brush it off with aegyo and jokes, or if the anger wasn’t something that could be solved that easily, he’d tell them not to waste time fighting and to meet again after they had both calmed down. In response, most of them would dump him, wondering what kind of bastard he was.
Looking back, the only serious relationship he could call a romance was the one he had with Aaron when they were young. From the start, after breaking up with Aaron, Je-rim had dated by building walls to avoid falling too deeply for anyone.
Since he acted that way, it was only natural that he was always the one getting dumped. Swallowing a reflection that left a bitter aftertaste, Je-rim recited the information he had found online like he was reading from a textbook.
“They say if a couple hang a lock with their names on it and throw away the key, they’ll never break up.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he tossed the key into the trash can.
“You seemed bothered after hearing what Kim Han-seong said earlier. There, problem solved.”
The only reason he had surfed the internet like an addict, relying on a vague memory that ‘hanging a lock at Namsan Tower is a date course,’ was for this.
Lest Aaron be upset because of the superstition about breaking up.
At this point, both of them were insane. Whether it was the guy with that huge build getting upset over a mere superstition, or the guy who came to Namsan Tower in the middle of the night wrapped up tight because he was worried about the upset guy.
Feeling unnecessarily embarrassed, Je-rim blurted out something mindless out of habit.
“Ah, aren’t I working way too hard to cheer up my boyfriend? So you should slowly start to…”
“Not yet. Work harder.”
“Tsk.”
As Je-rim clicked his tongue loudly, a voice that was plain yet seemed to be simmering with passion flowed into his ears.
“Je-rim, I want to kiss you while looking at the night view.”
Beyond the wire fence draped with locks, the brilliant night of Seoul unfolded, fitting its nickname as the city that never sleeps. Je-rim easily tore his gaze away from that dazzling scenery. It was because there was someone even more sparkling than the night view by his side.
Since they were young, whenever Aaron asked for something with those eyes shining like the stars in the sky, Je-rim was under a spell that made him want to grant anything.
Glancing around stealthily, Je-rim quickly pressed a loud kiss onto Aaron’s mask. For a fleeting moment, eyes containing starlight and eyes the color of the night sky met beneath the brim of the hat.
“Settle for this. Be a good boy.”
No matter how dark and deserted it was, it was still a public place. And they were public figures known to people worldwide. The man, who couldn’t be ignorant of that fact, asked back pleadingly.
“…What if I can’t settle?”
“Hmm, I don’t know. What should we do?”
“I think you know the answer. Don’t pretend you don’t. Aren’t you going to cheer me up?”
Though his overall expression was hidden by the mask, Je-rim could tell just by looking at his eyes. He was definitely making that obedient little fox face again. Je-rim smacked Aaron’s forearm.
“Be honest. Your mood was already fixed a while ago, right?”
“I wonder?”
The man with the elongated eyes lowered his head to match Je-rim’s eye level and whispered.
“Just try a bit harder until tomorrow. How often does it happen that you do something this childish first? I’m so happy right now that I feel like I could die without any regrets.”
Instead of talking back, saying that it basically meant his mood had been fixed long ago, Je-rim harbored another thought.
Since he likes it this much, should I give him a surprise bouquet of flowers tomorrow?
Giving a bouquet to a partner on a day that isn’t an anniversary—isn’t that the textbook definition of a childish act? However, recalling Aaron’s story about how he briefly took up gardening as a hobby but quit after being scolded by the gardener because every plant he grew died within a week, he put the thought aside for now.
He probably wouldn’t like flowers much… I wonder what other childish thing I could do that would make Aaron feel like he’s dying of happiness. But he absolutely cannot actually die. And he absolutely cannot leave him behind and go without regrets.
Je-rim gripped Aaron’s cheek firmly and spoke in a tone that was ambiguous between a request and a command.
“Don’t talk about dying, even as a joke.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t die and leave you.”
The man, who answered obediently, rolled up the sleeve of Je-rim’s windbreaker and pressed his lips to his wrist. It was where the tattoo Je-rim had gotten despite Aaron’s opposition was located.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.
While Aaron had the Catholic Lesser Doxology engraved in Latin around his wrist, Je-rim had it engraved in a long single line in English on the inside of his wrist.
Even though it only took up a small part of his arm, Aaron’s opposition had been quite severe when he got the tattoo. He had eventually managed to get it by persuading him, saying he wanted to have at least one couple tattoo with him.
The reason Je-rim, who wasn’t even a Catholic, chose this phrase was simple. He just liked the meaning. When he asked Aaron why he had engraved this phrase, Aaron’s answer was similar. That made him like it even more.
As it was in the beginning, now, and forever.
Once it was engraved, Aaron would usually look at it with sleepy eyes, but in bed, he particularly bit and licked the inside of the wrist. Just like now. He also whispered sweet nothings in a voice dripping with honey, scanning every word of the tattoo as if engraving it onto his own retina.
“You said if we hang a lock together, we’ll never break up anyway.”
What he felt wasn’t the soft touch of lips, but the dry surface of the mask, but the visual stimulation was enough.
Forever or whatever, for now, he didn’t want to part ways tonight. No, being together forever was a promise they made when they confessed, so that was a given; but the immediate present was more important than such a distant future.
“Ari, can I sleep in your hotel room tonight?”
As instinctual desire took over, he naturally wanted to disregard the aftermath. Because of the night air, which wasn’t even hot, his head became clouded with heat. Because of that, a nickname he hadn’t used much since they were children slipped out.
“Hmm? I don’t want to go home… let me stay.”
His mother, who would be waiting for her son’s return at home, suddenly came to mind, but what’s the harm in being a day late… If he told her he was having a secret rendezvous with the ‘partner’ she sang so much about, she would surely welcome it. Besides, he had already promised to visit her with Aaron tomorrow.
Since Aaron was the type of guy who wouldn’t even let his teammates play before a match, Je-rim acted clingy on purpose, fearing Aaron might refuse to hook up with the opposing team’s ace in a hotel.
And Aaron fell helplessly for Je-rim’s shallow trick.
“…You’re really sly. You’re doing this because you think I’ll lose my mind if you act like that, right? Always…”
“Targeting a weakness is the basic of establishing a tactic. Didn’t you know that better than anyone?”
Pulling Je-rim’s grinning hand along, Aaron hurried toward the cable car.
✲✲✲
A naked body wet with water, especially one covered in elastic muscles with a decent amount of volume, was erotic without needing any further explanation.
Watching the water droplets slide down the distinct cleavage, Je-rim unconsciously swallowed. It was a sight he saw every time they showered together, but no matter how many times he saw it, it was dizzyingly good.
As if possessed, his hand moved and rested gently over the two pectoral muscles. The moment Je-rim’s hand touched him, the dark-toned chest, contrasting sharply with the pale back of the hand, twitched. Beyond the palm, the thumping sound of the heart could be felt loudly.
“Hey, seriously, no matter when I look…”
It’s amazing. Je-rim quietly murmured a sentiment like an old man’s and slapped Aaron’s chest from bottom to top. The visual of it being firm and wet made it impossible to resist hitting it.
A loud slap echoed from the wet chest, louder than Je-rim had expected. The thick muscle trembled for a moment before quickly returning to its place. Aaron, who had been quietly offering his chest to his boyfriend only to be hit unexpectedly, twisted his lips.
“I’m telling you, you’ve really developed a weird taste. It’s certain that you get turned on by hitting me.”
“Again, you’re framing me as a pervert again.”
Well, who told him to look like that? His face, his chest, his dick… Je-rim grumbled in a defiant tone while glancing between Aaron’s legs. As he took in the member that was half-erect and starting to show veins, Je-rim’s own dick stiffened with power.
His eyes, mouth, and lower body were all moving busily. In the meantime, he worked hard with both hands, kneading Aaron’s chest and the concave gaps of the intercostal spaces leading to the waist and abs.
No matter where he touched, the mixture of hot body temperature and lukewarm water added to the pleasure of touching. And what about the visual stimulation provided by the bronze skin with beads of water? …As expected, he should have unbuttoned the chest once when he was wearing the hanbok earlier. Just as Je-rim was chewing over the regret.
“You’re loving this, you pervert.”
“Hng…!”
The man, who had been sitting like a statue as if telling him to touch as much as he wanted, suddenly reached out. Then, he grabbed one of Je-rim’s ankles, pulled his leg straight, and began to fiddle with the hole without warning.
Je-rim gripped the edge of the bathtub to support his body, which almost tipped backward. Through the transparent water, the sight of long fingers rummaging through the hole was clearly visible.
Since it was a part that had to be loosened anyway, Je-rim didn’t stop him. It was unpleasant that water pushed in every time the fingers entered and exited, but he endured it. It was inevitable as long as they were hooking up during a bath.
Moreover, the hole, which tightened as soon as it received one finger, clamped down on the finger as if asking for more. He was in no position to say anything unpleasant to Aaron.
“Nng, kh…”
For a while, Je-rim welcomed the fingers loosening the hole while groaning. His pitch-black eyebrows furrowed and his flat chest heaved. The dick pressed against his abdomen bobbed on its own in sync with the movement of Aaron’s wrist.
Before he knew it, the fingers poking the hole had increased to three. Holding a bundle of fingers with a thickness similar to an average man’s penis made the inside of his stomach feel tight, but that dull pain instead made Je-rim’s member grow even larger. He greatly enjoyed the moment when his sexual sensitivity flared up tightly with anticipation before the cock actually entered.
However, the moment the fingers that had been quietly poking the hole pulled out and fumbled with a strange spot, a sharp moan escaped Je-rim’s mouth.
“Ah… hng! Wait, there…!”
The fingertips, which had been scanning the folds around the hole one by one, suddenly slid up the skin and tickled the thick flesh. Not stopping there, they pressed down as if wiping away the skin that had become slippery from being submerged in water.
The inner walls, which were already waiting for greater stimulation, writhed, not knowing what to do with the pressure applied from the outside. The hole fluttered along with it. At the same time, water seeped in bit by bit into the hole that was opening and closing as it bit the fingers.
As Je-rim shuddered at the chilly sensation, Aaron’s touch tormenting the perineum became even more mischievous.
“Why? You knead my body however you want, but I can’t do that?”
“Haa, nng, no…! I mean, just touch the bottom… not there…”
He was a guy who always licked the perineum when sucking the hole or the dick, and when pounding, he’d press down on the perineum, saying he liked the feeling of the cock and the inner walls being crushed and stuck together. So Je-rim had no choice but to get used to the act of being stimulated in that area, but he could never get used to the feeling of embarrassment.
One might ask what the embarrassment was about, considering he gave up his hole and dick to be touched without any issue, but it was truly dreadfully shameful. This wasn’t even a part with a direct function for sexual intercourse, yet it was annoyingly sensitive.
Furthermore…
“You try touching it too. Your perineum is so soft, it feels great.”
Perhaps because Aaron loved this spot so crazily, the level of dirty talk every time he touched it was insane. This time, he even pulled Je-rim’s hand down to his own perineum, telling him to touch it himself. Then, whether it was soft or not, the smooth skin immediately touched his fingertips.
Aaron didn’t stop there. He moved Je-rim’s wrist for him, slowly stroking the perineum up and down.
“Ugh! Stop it.”
He was dying of embarrassment just having Aaron touch it, so there was no way he’d want to touch it with his own hand. Je-rim tried to pull his hand away quickly, but Aaron’s grip was superior. Failing to pull his hand away, Je-rim shuddered, his legs stiff as if he were about to run away at any moment.
“Ah, fuck, let go of my hand!”
“Have you ever touched the space between a rabbit’s ears? It’s exactly the texture of your perineum… white, thick, and soft.”
“Do you think I’ve done that? Apologize to the rabbit, you crazy bastard!”
“I’m telling you, it’s really similar. Even a rabbit would admit it.”
Is this guy seriously crazy? He’s saying such perverted nonsense with such a cute face? The face that insisted like a child was exactly the same as it was ten years ago.
Back then, that cute boyfriend had a strong sexual appetite as expected of an athlete, but he wasn’t a pervert who compared someone’s perineum to a rabbit’s head… Je-rim, who was gaping in sheer disbelief, spoke haltingly.
“How on earth did that innocent guy become such a total pervert? The guy who couldn’t even put on a condom properly by himself while having a nosebleed…”
Fortunately, that anecdote remained a shameful memory for Aaron as well, and the grip on his wrist loosened. Taking advantage of that gap, Je-rim pulled his hand away from his perineum. Aaron groaned, covering his subtly flushed face.
“…Can’t you just forget about that? And as for the condom, I just bought the wrong size back then…”
“Give me a break. Don’t you remember that even after that, you couldn’t get it on by yourself, so I had to help you?”
As Je-rim brought up an old memory to attack, Aaron stared at him with those characteristically pouting eyes. Je-rim didn’t back down, engaging in a staring contest. He wanted to teach Aaron a lesson right now—that acting cute doesn’t always work.
However, Aaron soon changed his strategy, and Je-rim’s firm resolve shattered into pieces.
“I don’t remember. How did you help me?”
The guy, who had become twice as sly as he aged, lowered his eyelids. He didn’t have the kind of face that should look that way, but for some reason, he looked pitiful. With the hand he had briefly let go of out of embarrassment, he had already grabbed Je-rim’s hand again. He was leading him in a different direction than before, their fingers loosely interlaced.
Though their fingers were entwined, Je-rim could have pulled away whenever he wanted. But he quietly followed where Aaron led. The hand dragged underwater eventually stopped where Je-rim had expected.
Beyond his fingertips, he felt a small hole twitching with anticipation. Perhaps because he had been leaking pre-cum diligently even while bathing, the rounded flesh was already flushed red. Beneath his palm, he felt the uniquely slippery yet hot skin of the glans.
Like hell you don’t remember; you remember damn well. Je-rim’s eyes almost narrowed at the blatant provocation. But he was his lover, someone he cherished more than anything, so what choice did he have but to let it slide? Instead, he let out a light sigh and gripped Aaron’s cock.
“I helped you like this, you idiot.”
Removing all other fingers from the twitching shaft, he curled only his thumb and index finger into a loop. Then, he slowly lowered it over Aaron’s glans.
Of course, the circumference of the glans was larger than the loop, so it wouldn’t go in. Seeing his fingers stop halfway down the glans, Je-rim clicked his tongue. Come to think of it, he seemed to have struggled around this point back then, too. Left with no choice, he spread his fingers and slowly slid his hand down to the base of the penis.
The finger loop wrapping the base had stretched so far from its original circle that it now looked like the letter C. Since the penis was smooth and hairless, the sight of the fingers clinging stubbornly to the base was clearly visible through the shimmering water. Aaron let out a deep sigh, as if that alone wasn’t enough.
“Haa… Je-rim, wrap your whole palm around it and touch me. All the way to the glans…”
The guy, who possessed a cock so large that one hand couldn’t fully encompass it even using the palm and fingers, whined. Je-rim moved his other hand, which had been stroking Aaron’s thigh, to grip the glans and the base respectively, scolding his shameless lover.
“Think about the size of your cock before you ask.”
“…Kuh! Fuu… You’re going to take good care of it anyway.”
No matter how annoying he was, it was his boyfriend’s cock, so that was only natural. Applying pressure with his grip, Je-rim firmly squeezed the rim of the glans while his other hand quickly stroked the shaft from the base up to just below the head. At that, the cock trembled from the base up.
Not stopping there, he closed his hand to cover the glans with his palm. Completely, as if wrapping a wound in gauze. He could vividly feel the urethral opening twitching frantically beneath his palm.
He wetly rubbed the hole that seemed ready to bore a hole through his palm, while squeezing the hand gripping the shaft tightly. He extended only his thumb to trace over the rough, protruding veins. Every time he did, Aaron’s cock throbbed as if a heart were beating inside it. Je-rim smiled, pressing down firmly on a particularly large, unsightly vein.
“Why are you squirming so much? Do you like it because the opposing team’s ace is jerking you off?”
Chapter
“Yeah, it feels amazing. All the way deep inside, haa… it’s tingling. I want to ask you for this again even after the friendly match is over.”
A series of candid, unadorned impressions followed. Feeling proud, Je-rim playfully pressed his lips against Aaron’s parted mouth and made a promise.
“I’ll do it for you if my country wins. With my mouth.”
“Then I guess I won’t be getting a blowjob? That’s a shame… kh!”
Je-rim’s expression darkened at the response, which clearly assumed Spain would win. The grip of the hand caressing Aaron’s cock tightened significantly.
Having been showered with affection only to be suddenly tormented, Aaron’s brow furrowed. Je-rim coaxed him, slowly scratching the groove of the glans and around the urethral opening with the tip of his nail.
“Think carefully about the fact that your weak spot is currently in my hand before you spout off.”
“You’re so despicable, as always.”
Irritated by the tone that remained undaunted even by the threat, Je-rim this time rubbed the urethral opening directly. The stimulation must have been immense, as a raspy voice, like the cry of a beast, leaked from Aaron’s throat.
“Kugh! Hng, you… hng… think carefully too. If my dick becomes disabled, you’re the only one who loses, Je-rim.”
Slumping forward as if collapsing, Aaron hugged Je-rim and buried his nose in the crook of his white neck. Agreeing with Aaron’s valid threat, Je-rim stopped tormenting the glans and instead diligently stroked the shaft up and down. Every time Je-rim moved his hand, the loud, splashing sound of wet friction filled the air.
Aaron let out moans directly into Je-rim’s ear. As a bonus, even while busy receiving the handjob, he constantly nuzzled his nose and lips against Je-rim to catch his scent.
“Haa… you smell so good.”
“It’s probably just the body wash.”
“No. Since you were young, you’ve always smelled like… something dried well in the sun….”
“What, I’m not some piece of dried fish.”
The moment Je-rim finished his retort, the movement of the cock bobbing in his hand came to a dead stop. The gentle rubbing of the nose and soft lips against his neck stopped as well.
“…I really didn’t want to agree with Mateo, but.”
“Why the fuck is that bastard’s name coming up here?”
“The way you talk… never mind. It is funny. Though sometimes when it’s annoying, it’s maddeningly annoying.”
Here he was, using both hands to diligently handjob this grotesque dick, and his lover had the nerve to bring up another guy’s name during sex—not only that, but he was taking that guy’s side despite knowing full well they didn’t get along.
Suddenly flared up, Je-rim moved his leg, which had been stretched out carelessly beside Aaron. As he bent his knee, his toes happened to land right on Aaron’s crotch. Without hesitation, Je-rim pressed down firmly on the grotesque shaft that had been in his hand until a moment ago.
Of course, he didn’t step on it hard. He didn’t touch the scrotum either. Je-rim had absolutely no intention of making his one and only lover a eunuch. He had simply placed his foot there as a warning and a prank, but….
“……!”
Unable to even let out a proper moan, Aaron hurriedly gripped the edge of the bathtub and bit his lip. His hunched shoulders trembled slightly. His ragged breath cut through the steam, and his chest heaved up and down repeatedly, like an athlete who had played through overtime. The sound of panting and suppressed moans clung stickily to Je-rim’s eardrums.
Even if they played through overtime and a penalty shootout, it was rare for Aaron to become this undone. Finding the sight intriguing, curiosity piqued, Je-rim used the sole of his foot to push Aaron’s shaft upward.
“Aaron, stay still.”
Warning him so he wouldn’t get hurt, Je-rim tucked the base of the shaft—where the veins bulged in a thick line—between his toes and stroked upward. Since it was impossible to fit the entire shaft, this was the best alternative. Consequently, the glans, which was already flushed red, became swollen with heat, and the veins and tendons bulging along the shaft twitched and tightened.
He seemed to be enjoying this far more than when it was done by hand. Then again, he was the type of guy who would masturbate by rubbing his cock against someone else’s ankle on days they couldn’t have sex. Je-rim also used Aaron’s chest or mouth to masturbate on such days, so they were equally matched.
Je-rim carefully observed Aaron’s reaction, tapping the protruding rim of the glans with the tip of his toe.
“You really love this.”
“Ah, kugh! Je-rim, wait, just a moment… hng!”
“Should I stop?”
“No, no…. Do it more.”
Thinking the stimulation might be too much, Je-rim slightly lifted his sole, but Aaron grabbed Je-rim’s ankle, shaking his head. He then guided Je-rim’s sole back to his cock so that the heel touched his scrotum. Je-rim didn’t pull away and, as Aaron requested, gently pressed from the shaft down to the scrotum.
“Haa, ugh! Je-rim, the scrotum part, hng, don’t stimulate it too much….”
“Does it hurt?”
“No. I feel like I’m going to cum right now.”
Judging by the way he became taut, as if he would shoot semen the moment the heel brushed the scrotum, it was obvious. As requested, Je-rim moved his foot, moderately avoiding the scrotum.
Using only one foot, it was impossible to wrap around the entire cock and stroke it long like he did with his hand. Instead, he pressed down on the entire shaft with moderate force, rubbing it while maintaining perfect contact with the surface. Thanks to the thin epidermis characteristic of the genitals, the pulsing throb of the cock squirming beneath his sole was transmitted vividly.
Je-rim slowly shifted his gaze from Aaron’s cock upward. To the abs and chest that were twitching and tightening, to the neck where the Adam’s apple bobbed up and down, to the tightly clenched jaw, and finally to the forehead beaded with sweat.
The combination of the furrowed brow and the closed lips was erotic. The lips that always spoke such obnoxious things were now leaking low, hushed moans, and a watery glint flickered in the dark, sunken amber eyes. Wondering just how good it felt for him to look like that, Je-rim muttered while stroking his own genitals.
“You really love this…. Do it for me next time.”
“Yeah…. Fuu… kh, please, the ankle too….”
It wasn’t even a difficult request, yet he was actually begging. Je-rim lifted his other idle leg, pressing his foot against Aaron’s abs and rubbing the shaft with his ankle. The foot that had been rubbing the cock was tilted, placing the hollow part of the mid-sole against it. As if perfectly fitted, Aaron’s cock settled into the concave arch of the foot.
While simultaneously pressing and stroking Aaron’s cock with his sole and ankle, Je-rim held and shook his own genitals with his hand. The holes at the center of both their glans gasped repeatedly, and bubbles rose to the surface of the water.
Ejaculation was not far off. He could tell instinctively. Just as he was about to accelerate his movements, wanting to see Aaron’s cock, towering between his ankle and sole, shoot white semen— “Hng… stop. Je-rim, stop now.”
Aaron let out a short, clipped breath and hurriedly pushed Je-rim’s foot away. Feeling a bit disappointed, Je-rim wiggled his toes against Aaron’s thigh.
“You don’t have to hold it in like that…. It’s fine to let one out first.”
“I don’t want the water to get dirty.”
“Since when did you care about things like that?”
As Je-rim chuckled and brushed Aaron’s bangs back, any semblance of composure completely vanished from Aaron’s face. Realizing it was now time for his insides to be stirred by a cock, Je-rim also wiped away his playfulness. There had been more than a few times when he had laughed only to have a crazed Aaron ram into him all the way to the colon, leaving him begging for it to stop.
To be honest, it felt a bit too late, but… regardless, Je-rim was just as urgent, so he remained still even as Aaron turned his body around.
Pushed to the edge of the bathtub, Je-rim gripped the rim instead of the slippery floor. Aaron, pressed tightly against his back, rubbed his cock—which was swollen and menacing because he hadn’t been able to ejaculate—between the cleft of Je-rim’s buttocks and asked.
“Je-rim, can I use semen instead of lube?”
This bastard had been stubbornly holding it in just for this. However, it was true that using water-soluble lube during sex in water was difficult, so it was a logically sound idea. Moreover, when Aaron rammed into him after filling his insides with a massive amount of semen, it felt incomparably better than using lube.
Unlike lube, which was just sticky, semen was more clumpy yet had a moderate viscosity; even when it filled the inside like a coating on the inner walls, the sensation didn’t dull, and the shape of the cock was felt more clearly. And simply, the satisfaction coming from the act of Aaron’s excitement reaching its peak and discharging something inside him was immense.
“Yeah. Hng….”
Remembering that feeling and pleasure, Je-rim gave a small nod and moved his hips. After a few slight shifts, his opening aligned with the tip of Aaron’s glans. The hole, which had been heated up by fingers earlier, seemed overwhelmed by the thickness of the intruder, opening its mouth slightly before hesitating. Even though it had barely swallowed half of the head, the folds expanded tautly.
Regardless, the urethral opening that succeeded in digging into Je-rim leaked pre-cum, wetting the entrance of the inner wall. Aaron pressed the perimeter of the hole with his thumb. The hole gripping the glans and the cock with its head inside were stimulated simultaneously, causing both Je-rim and Aaron to shudder.
“Ugh!”
“Kugh…!”
Je-rim ejaculated, rubbing his cock against the hard bathtub. More accurately, he felt the thick, hot semen slowly spreading from the entrance of the inner wall deep inside. Since he had been holding it in for so long, the amount seemed larger than usual.
After ejaculating once, Aaron did not withdraw his member from inside Je-rim. After savoring the inner flesh that tightened as if to devour the glans for a while, he slowly drove his re-erected cock back in.
Whenever the thickest part of the glans forced the hole open to enter, even Je-rim, who had become accustomed to taking Aaron’s cock from behind, felt his vision go hazy. His toes trembled, and the arm gripping the bathtub collapsed. Je-rim rested his cheek on his collapsed arm, gasping with his mouth open like a fool.
“Augh! Kh, hng, eu….”
Once the most difficult part—the rim of the glans—passed, the shaft finally began to rub long against the inner walls. The veins and tendons protruding on the surface of the shaft clung firmly to the inner flesh. The semen was also spread evenly through the folds of the inner wall.
The fist-sized glans shoved into his belly pushed even deeper with the movement of the shaft, but it gradually became bearable. Part of it was because Aaron was continuing the insertion slowly, considering they hadn’t used lube, but it was largely because the pleasure-seeking inner walls had melted and loosened from the continuous stimulation.
It was while he was still receiving the cock from behind with his mouth agape. After a long period of endurance, Aaron’s cock entered Je-rim’s belly all the way to the base. Before he could even ask Aaron to stay like that for a moment while gently stroking the lower abdomen where the outline of the glans bulged, Aaron thrust his hips upward.
It was a movement that felt like he was just tasting him, but Je-rim was shaken helplessly. His buttocks and pelvis collided with a wet slapping sound, and his slightly bulging abdomen repeatedly flattened and then bulged out again.
Normally, he would have let out long, pleased moans, but this time the situation was different. Je-rim hurriedly reached out to stop Aaron.
“Wait, this is not… ah!”
“Is the position uncomfortable?”
“No, it’s not that…. The water… fuck, fuu….”
The problem was that every time the cock was pulled out and then slammed back in, water was dragged in with it. The water, kept at a temperature slightly warmer than body heat, warmed his already tightly packed internals.
Aaron’s cock struggled to carve through the water-filled inner walls with a squelching sound. And whenever he pulled his hips back, the water was pushed out by the glans, only to be pushed back in again. Je-rim struggled, pushing Aaron away with his toes.
“The water, ugh, coming inside… the feeling is really, ah-hng!”
But that struggling stopped the moment Aaron gripped Je-rim’s waist firmly and shoved his cock in all the way to the hilt. Instead, a cry resembling a sob escaped through his parted lips.
Aaron drove Je-rim forward, his hips moving with a continuous thwack! sound. The insertion was so violent that it felt as if his insides were being crushed, and the inner flesh, loving it, squirmed and chewed on the cock.
The sensation of the intimate muscles, heated by the water, was intense. While contracting tremulously and wrapping tightly around the cock, they seemed to lap at it, asking him to drive even deeper. Aaron savored that sensation, peppering Je-rim’s neck with kisses. He didn’t use his teeth, worried he might leave a mark.
“Why? You love it when I cum inside you. This is basically the same… ow.”
While teasing Je-rim, he ended up getting kicked by a back foot. Aaron panted and tickled the inside of Je-rim’s thigh to calm him down. Although it was an area surrounded by firm muscle, the skin on the inside was tender.
After rubbing there gently, he slowly moved his hand up to stroke the perineum, which Je-rim loved so much. As expected, a heated reaction immediately poured out.
“Hup! Ah-ut, don’t… hng, kh!”
Je-rim tried to push Aaron’s hand away, but he failed. As if apologizing for teasing him, Aaron continued the insertion, poking deeply into the peak of pleasure that Je-rim loved. Consequently, Je-rim soon gave up resisting and bounced his hips in time with the thrusting.
“It’s good, ugh…! Hah, ah-eu…!”
“Haa…. Me too, kugh! Fuck, it feels so good, Je-rim….”
When being fucked from behind like this, the upward-curved shape of the cock poked and rubbed not only the prostate area but also places different from usual, which brought a distinct kind of pleasure. The abdominal wall was stimulated directly, making the outline of the glans more prominent than usual. This, too, was an immense visual stimulus.
It was a bit annoying that he couldn’t kiss while being fucked…. And he couldn’t see Aaron’s face in the height of excitement. Recalling that the two things he loved most during sex were blocked, Je-rim’s mood, which had been fully enjoying the advantages of the doggy style, dipped.
He fumbled, reaching back to grab what he presumed to be Aaron’s forearm. Then, scratching it desperately, he pleaded with a slurred pronunciation, half-mixed with moans.
“Aaron, Aaron…. Your face, kh, I want to see your face, hik!”
Aaron easily understood the plea to switch to missionary. The man, who had shoved himself in to the root in one go, let out an indistinguishable answer and turned Je-rim’s body around.
The inner flesh and the cock, which had been stuck together almost as one body, were forcibly separated and twisted. A pain, as if the thick shaft had stirred his insides, washed over Je-rim under the guise of terrible pleasure. His body instinctively curled up, and his lower body convulsed from his toes to the inside of his thighs. Strained breaths—hik, hik—leaked through his parted lips.
To drive out the stimulation that had exceeded his threshold, his body entered a state of tension, and the inner walls that had been tastily chewing the cock began to contract frantically. Aaron continuously stroked Je-rim’s lower back and wedged his knee between the thighs that were tightening and trying to stick together.
“Haugh, kh…! Je-rim, relax. It’s hard for both of us.”
“Fuck, you… just did whatever you wanted… ah-hng!”
“Sorry. I’ll pull out a little, so just for a second… let go of me down there, okay?”
Since it sounded as if he were accusing Je-rim of forcibly gripping his cock and not letting go, Je-rim placed his hand on Aaron’s cheek irritably. Who was the one who shoved that grotesquely large cock into a hole that could barely fit a single finger and then turned his body around?
Slap! A sound a bit too loud to be just placing a hand echoed particularly loudly through the humid air of the bathroom. However, Aaron seemed to have no room to care about anything else as he groaned, struggling to pull his cock out. With his thick eyebrows twitching and his eyes closed in a moan, he looked even more distressed than Je-rim, whose body had been turned while a cock was shoved full into his belly.
Ironically, seeing that face—where it was confusing whether he was angry or excited—caused Je-rim’s pain to gradually fade. Je-rim observed the process of Aaron’s expression changing, stroking his cheek, jaw, and the brow bone as if touching a jewel. He even thought that he had been right to suggest changing positions. This was the real pleasure of sex.
As soon as he showed his raw expression, Aaron noticed the tension leaving Je-rim’s body and let out a small laugh. He also cast a glance at Je-rim’s cock, which was bobbing up and down despite him doing nothing.
“You really love my face.”
“As if you aren’t crazy for mine….”
Je-rim, who had been tracing Aaron’s eyebrow with his thumb, cupped his cheek and slightly curled his palm. Aaron lowered his face as if drawn by gravity. Je-rim also wrapped his other arm around Aaron’s neck, biting and sucking the tongue that invaded his mouth as if it were his own.
As the kiss continued, Aaron panted and pinned Je-rim down. He wedged his body between Je-rim’s legs so that he couldn’t close them, then grabbed both the backs of his knees and pushed them back.
“Augh!”
Je-rim’s upper body, which had been leaning back in a half-lying position in the tub, slid downward, and his wide-open legs floated above the bathtub. He barely avoided falling into the water, and now in a position where he couldn’t move an inch, Je-rim glanced down below.
The shaft of Aaron’s cock, which he had managed to pull halfway out of the hole, boasted a menacing presence. A glimpse of raw, red inner flesh was visible, perhaps dragged out during the process, but it soon vanished with a slight twitch. The perimeter of the hole, plumped to the point where not a single wrinkle remained, seemed preoccupied with pulsing on its own.
“…Hey, I’m okay now.”
Untangling their tongues, Je-rim mumbled with their lips still pressed together, shifting his hips restlessly. As he did, the cock sank a bit deeper, creating bubbles at the point of connection. When he pulled his waist back slightly again, the sticky inner flesh clung to the vein-streaked shaft, peeling away with a wet, reluctant sound.
Though lewd, it was a sight that kept drawing the eye. Je-rim rubbed away the bubbles forming at the junction with his fingertips and arched his back. Even though the insertions remained very shallow, he continued to let out short, ragged breaths.
“Aaron, hurry….”
Aaron keenly granted the request to be thrust back in quickly. He practically folded Je-rim into the corner of the bathtub and hammered his cock in without mercy, leaving the pinned Je-rim struggling for air. However, with their lips sealed tight and Aaron’s tongue filling his mouth, he couldn’t even let out a moan.
“Hah, ngh, hng…!”
Only in the brief moments when Aaron paused his frenzied fucking to catch his breath did Je-rim find a momentary reprieve. Having given up both his hole and his mouth, saliva trailed down his chin. The water in the tub had long since been contaminated by various bodily fluids.
It was naturally difficult to be thrust so deeply by such a large cock while his body was folded in half. With his body impaled and his insides being roughly gouged out, escape was impossible as Aaron pinned his limbs down. He had no choice but to lose his reason, drowning in the flood of pleasure that poured over him. Whenever Aaron pulled his cock out completely to the glans, observing the hole as it twitched in emptiness, and then suddenly slammed it back in to the root in one go, Je-rim felt as if his very solar plexus was being crushed.
Due to the position, the outline of the cock bulging in a straight line across his lower abdomen was even more visible. Before Aaron could beg, Je-rim panted, gently stroking the rounded protrusion of the glans. The corners of his eyes were already drenched with physiological tears, and his chin was smeared with saliva; his face was a complete mess.
As the glans stimulated Je-rim’s abdomen, Aaron gritted his teeth and pleaded. He rotated his hips as if stirring the inner walls, rubbing in circular motions only the spots that made Je-rim lose it with pleasure. It was a form of lobbying.
“Haa…. Je-rim, Je-rim…. Call me by my nickname, like before….”
“Ah-eung! Hng, Ari, huu, ngh!”
“Yeah… I love you. Kh, you’re so… right now….”
Aaron licked various parts of Je-rim’s messy face like a dog, repeating that he was beautiful. Both the tears and the saliva were swept away by Aaron’s tongue. After cleaning his face, he moved his mouth to the inside of Je-rim’s wrist. He pressed his lips against the skin where the tattoo—which he had opposed so strongly—was engraved, stroking it preciousy.
Splosh, splosh. As the penetration continued, the water in the tub splashed out until it was halved. The semen that had acted as a lubricant was gradually washed away by the water, clinging to the shaft and inner flesh with every stroke, making the inside feel somewhat tight. However, water seeped in instead, so there was no major problem with the insertion. Except for the nausea.
“Ugh…! Hng, ngh, k-kh….”
Je-rim looked down at his lower abdomen with irritated eyes, feeling a lingering sense of discomfort. His stomach, once defined by clear abs, had the muscle shape blurred because it was housing a cock, but it didn’t feel like it was sloshing with water. It was likely just a feeling, as not that much water had actually seeped in.
Besides, he had occasionally received the fluid Aaron ejaculated inside him. Naturally, that was an amount incomparable to the water rushing in during sex. That didn’t feel this unpleasant, so why….
It was while he was pressing his stomach, pondering this sudden doubt. Aaron, who had been enjoying the inner walls as if his cock were at home, suddenly tried to pull his hips back. Feeling the loss, Je-rim reflexively tightened his arms and legs around Aaron’s neck and waist. At that, Aaron asked with an excited face.
“Kh, Je-rim, can I cum inside…?”
“Yeah…. Don’t pull out, just a little more….”
As if he had completely forgotten about the discomfort from the water, Je-rim urged him in a casual tone. He hadn’t ejaculated yet despite being fucked, and since they were already doing this in the water, he figured it didn’t matter.
In truth, it had been a long time since they had sex this roughly, so he wanted to receive it inside for the first time in a while. He hadn’t been able to do it often while managing his body until the Champions final, and even when they did, they always used condoms and stopped after one or two rounds, so his longing had piled up. Even then, they would spend the aftermath lying down and analyzing the match together, meaning they didn’t even get to enjoy the afterglow.
Although they had hooked up as soon as the final ended, he hadn’t been able to do it until he was satisfied then, out of consideration for Aaron, who had to leave early the next day…. In short, he had endured as much as he could.
Je-rim tightened his grip with the legs wrapped around Aaron’s waist. He squeezed hard enough for the thigh muscles to stand out, pulling Aaron in and pushing the cock deeper into himself. He smiled languidly, kissing Aaron’s forehead and the bridge of his nose as they drew close.
“Hng…. You said you hated the water getting dirty.”
“Seriously, don’t you just love it when I cum inside you?”
“You’re the one who likes it. Cumming inside me.”
As soon as he twisted his hips to house the cock at his favorite spot, a jet of fluid burst forth. Je-rim’s genitals twitched in sync, spraying his own seed. Though the semen fouled the water, Aaron instead stroked Je-rim’s cock, urging him to ejaculate more.
Je-rim pressed his heels more firmly into Aaron’s waist. He wanted to feel the cock convulsing inside him for a bit longer. As his abdomen began to slosh with another fluid, he felt a sense of satisfaction that made his body go limp.
It felt so good that he continued to let out shallow breaths and giggles. Each time, he pushed his breath and laughter into Aaron’s mouth, whispering in a weary voice.
“Ah… it’s good. Really good….”
“No matter how I look at it, I think you like it more than I do.”
“What. Then do you hate it?”
“No way. But I like you more than this act, whereas you….”
He’s not about to say some bullshit like he’s only dating me for my body, is he? Since the atmosphere seemed ripe for that kind of nonsense, Je-rim beat him to the punch.
“I love you, and sex is just something I like. Happy?”
“You like it even if it’s not sex with me?”
“If you keep babbling nonsense, pull your cock out.”
“Ah, give me a break, Je-rim.”
When Je-rim tried to turn his body, pushing away the cock that was still trickling fluid, Aaron immediately surrendered. Seeing him giggle, realizing his whining wasn’t working, Je-rim’s heart softened quickly. He brushed back every single strand of Aaron’s bangs and pressed a kiss to his forehead.
“You’re so sly, Darling, and you know damn well how cute you are.”
“I’m sly? It’s unfair to hear that from you.”
Unfair, my foot. There was no need to look far; Aaron’s sly personality was explained by what was happening right now. Je-rim continued, reminding him that the place they were currently enjoying sex in was the hotel where Aaron’s national team teammates and coach were staying.
“While you make sure the other guys can’t even enjoy their free time, you’re here having sex with a player from another country.”
“If they have a complaint, tell them to become the captain.”
“My boyfriend has become a total old fogey.”
“I guess I’m becoming like my boyfriend.”
“You really don’t let a single word slide.”
As Je-rim lightly bit Aaron’s plump lower lip, Aaron let out a low moan and shuddered. Having spent every last drop inside Je-rim and fully enjoyed the afterglow, Aaron panted for breath. Je-rim also felt the strength drain from his body, but he managed to lift his arm and pat Aaron’s back.
They would have to drain the dirty water and wash their bodies again… but for now, later. The two of them lay sprawled in the tub, their bodies completely overlapped.