9 – Happy Birthday

The small, square gift box in the shopping bag was bothering him for some reason, so Je-rim kept glancing toward the passenger seat every time they hit a red light on the way. Perhaps it was because the item was dainty enough to fit in the palm of a hand, but the amount of money spent on it was not dainty at all. It was an absurd thought, but he was worried it might just vanish on its own.

After parking at the club—the venue for Edson’s party—Je-rim debated whether to take the gift in the shopping bag, but decided to take the item out and put it in his pocket. It was obvious that carrying a shopping bag into a place where the crowds would be unimaginable would be cumbersome. The staff had wrapped the box carefully anyway, so it was fine. He’d just give it as it is.

The moment he stood at the entrance of the club, the sound of the music gave him a headache. However, he had promised to show his face after listening to Edson’s whining, so he couldn’t turn back. Edson had pestered people so relentlessly that even the great Aaron eventually threw up his hands and promised to attend his own birthday party hosted by someone else.

Once Aaron’s attendance was confirmed, the Sefton players decided to hold Aaron’s birthday party, a Halloween party, and a celebration for their 10-game unbeaten league streak all at once at the club. They claimed there was nothing to worry about since Coach Verdi had given them permission for the after-party.

‘Seriously, the guy is a real schemer…’

While grumbling inwardly, Je-rim took off his hat with a smile in front of the guard blocking the entrance. Instead of asking for an invitation, the guard began fumbling to take off his own coat. As he did, a jersey marked with Je-rim’s name and number popped out like a surprise gift box.

Amused by the fan’s cute event, Je-rim laughed, signed the jersey, and entered the club with a much lighter step. The combination of thumping fast-beat music, dazzling lights, and an enormous crowd was something he hadn’t experienced in so long that he was momentarily dazed, and before he knew it, Edson approached and grabbed Je-rim’s arm.

“Jerry! I knew you’d come!”

“You said if I didn’t, you’d be so sad you’d flee to Brazil and go on strike.”

“Did I say that?”

“Just so you know, after Aaron’s birthday celebration is over, I’m leaving immediately, after-party or not. Don’t take photos of me and post them on SNS.”

“Hey now, I have that much tact! I told you today is a completely private party! Nobody knows, nobody.”

Nobody? Je-rim frowned as he looked at the people crowding the hallway.

“Do you honestly think that after inviting this many people, word won’t leak out? Seriously?”

He had given in because Edson had practically laid on the ground begging to party just once before his schedule got truly hectic, but he hadn’t expected it to be on this scale. The guards at the entrance would keep their mouths shut for professional reasons, but the invited guests had no such obligation.

No matter how good their recent league results were, if word got out that guys earning hundreds of millions in weekly wages were gathering at a club… he shuddered imagining the fans’ reactions. The moment they lost the next match, people would sneer and say they should take all those guys’ wages and build a club inside the training center. This was exactly why one had to keep a low profile during the Season.

Unaware of the frightening future, Edson remained beaming.

“Come on, don’t be so stiff. Go over there. Aaron and Reman are already here.”

“Reman came? That’s unusual.”

Reman had been disgusted by the idea of having an after-party at a club and had declared his absence early on. Knowing that putting the youngest in a crowded, noisy place like a club would make him look like a fish out of water, even Edson hadn’t dared to whine at Reman to come. So why was he here?

Edson quickly answered Je-rim’s curiosity.

“Aaron and Jesus dragged him here. Apparently, he stayed at the center to practice more on his own? Those two lured him in and captured him—he was brought in looking like a forcibly abducted alien.”

“How does his misfortune never end…”

Je-rim couldn’t help but feel sympathy for the poor youngest member. How did he end up being the target of Aaron’s affection… To make matters worse, Jesus also had a mischievous personality and loved teasing others, and with Aaron—who shared that tendency—added to the mix, the youngest had been suffering lately.

As Je-rim sighed, his colleagues sitting on the sofa acknowledged him.

“Oh, Jerry. You’re here earlier than I thought!”

“You’re coming empty-handed. Where’s my gift?”

“Jerry…!”

Jesus and Aaron were sitting with Reman firmly sandwiched between them. Reman, his face pale, was clutching an empty glass with both hands as if it were a precious treasure. Whenever people passing behind the sofa flirted with him, his shoulders hunched and twitched. His expression was exactly that of ‘Who is here, and where am I?’

From the looks of it, his soul had already been sucked out, and his ego was on the verge of disappearing. At the pitiful sight, Je-rim clicked his tongue openly.

“You bastards, don’t you feel sorry for the kid? If you dragged him here, let him go.”

“We can’t. If we don’t hold onto him, he’ll run away.”

“Right. And it’s fun.”

“You psychopathic bastards. Reman, come here.”

When Je-rim reached out his hand, Reman quickly grabbed it and sprang up. He thanked Je-rim frantically, looking as if he had met a savior before a great flood.

“Jerry, thank you… I already gave Reyes his gift, so I’ll be going now.”

“You gave him a gift? What was it?”

“I had a grill at home that I wasn’t using…”

A used item as a gift…? No matter how much he disliked Aaron… Reman, perhaps reading the shock that momentarily flashed across Je-rim’s face, hurriedly offered an excuse.

“I’ve had it for a while, but it’s new and the packaging hasn’t even been opened! I received the same model as a gift right after I bought it… It’s great for grilling sausages.”

“…Right, at least you gave him something. Good job. But you can’t go home.”

Je-rim immediately wrapped his arm around Reman’s neck to prevent him from escaping. Reman’s eyes, which had been shining with trust toward his captain, were suddenly clouded with panic.

“Je-Jerry?”

“Now, now. Even I, the captain, had no choice but to come, so where does the youngest think he’s going? Nobody escapes until I leave.”

When even Je-rim, his last bastion of hope, turned mischievous, Reman lost his will to fight and slumped. Seeing this, Edson protested timidly.

“Could you stop acting like my party is some kind of penalty?”

“It is a penalty. What on earth were you thinking, inviting all the married guys too?”

“It’s Aaron’s birthday party and an after-party, so all the teammates should come! And I told them in advance they could bring their partners if they felt awkward coming alone.”

As he said, Robin was dancing with his wife in the distance. William had a video call open on his phone, filming so that the area around the table was visible. He seemed to have no time to talk to his teammates because he was talking to his family.

Besides the two who were officially married, it seemed a fair number of those who had lovers or partners had come with their companions. Judging by the fact that everyone sitting here, except for William, shared the common trait of being single, it seemed those with companions were spending cozy time alone together.

Je-rim felt a bit relieved, thinking the party would be more wholesome than he had feared. Craig, while handing Je-rim his sparkling water, suddenly widened his eyes and asked in a whispering voice.

“…Wait. Then did you bring a partner too, Jerry? Are you seeing her again?”

“What are you talking— gasp.”

Following Craig’s gaze, Je-rim turned around, spotted a familiar figure, and nearly jumped out of his skin. As Je-rim hurriedly turned back to cover his face, the teammates, who had looked puzzled, one by one witnessed the person Craig and Je-rim had spotted and covered their mouths in horror. Among them, Edson, who had distributed the invitations himself, seemed even more flustered than Je-rim.

“Uh, uh-uh-uh? I, I really didn’t invite her! Really! How did Ayla get here?”

Ayla. Profession: commercial model. Mixed Latin and Asian descent. She had a history of slapping Je-rim across the face two years ago and was Je-rim’s ex-girlfriend, one of the ones he had dated the longest, excluding Aaron. By current standards, she was also the person he had dated most recently.

Having been dumped in a situation and atmosphere where he never expected it, and having experienced being punched in the face for the first time in his life, she was a partner who had left a very lasting impression.

And while everyone has their history, encountering an ex-lover with whom one ended on bad terms was not a pleasant experience. That was why he had fought so viciously with Aaron in the early days of his transfer…

With Aaron, he could at least fight by biting into each other with words and bodies, but he couldn’t do that with Ayla. How could he do that to a woman whose thighs were as thick as his forearms? Even when they were dating, he had been careful with her like a sugar doll, amazed by her waist that fit in one embrace and her ankles that could be gripped with one hand.

Just as Je-rim was about to make a run for it, thinking that avoiding the situation was the best course of action…

“Even if you didn’t invite Ayla, didn’t you invite her friends?”

“…Right.”

The moment Edson responded stupidly to Craig’s rational deduction, Je-rim lost his reason and grabbed Edson by the collar, shaking him violently. Not only did he forcibly invite someone who didn’t want to come, but he also hosted this big event? There’s a limit to being airheaded. He was so furious that he couldn’t even swear.

Edson fluttered helplessly in Je-rim’s grip, desperately pleading.

“Hieek! No, wait! I couldn’t not invite them! Ayla and her friends are all models! Besides, how long has it been since you two broke up! I just forgot!”

“There are things you don’t forget, you crazy bastard! Did you throw this party just to screw me over? Did you have some grudge against me? Then you should have just said it!”

“No, absolutely not! This is unfair! And isn’t Ayla the weirder one for following her friends when she wasn’t even invited? She knows for a fact you’d be here!”

However, even the other colleagues chipped in with cold eyes, criticizing Edson.

“She might have thought Jerry wouldn’t come since it’s mid-Season.”

“You wrote that they could bring partners. You’re a funny guy.”

“Whatever it is, it’s your fault, Edson.”

Je-rim now gripped his neck instead of his clothes. Edson was so busy begging for mercy that he couldn’t even respond to his colleagues’ jabs. Beside them, Reman asked cautiously.

“…Who is Ayla?”

“Ah, Reman joined last Season, so he doesn’t know? The ex-girlfriend who slapped Jerry. But you know the name Ayla, right? You too, Aaron.”

“……”

The polite Craig extended his kindness to Aaron, this year’s transfer, as well as Reman, last year’s.

Aaron, who had been observing the situation with crossed arms and a somewhat sullen face since the colleagues started making a fuss, showed no reaction to the kind explanation. To this, Marshall displayed his characteristic, oblivious brightness.

“You don’t know? She’s a model who’s graced the cover of Vogue several times. She was so famous that—”

“I know, so you don’t have to blabber on with explanations.”

Aaron’s cold rejection instantly crushed Marshall’s bright energy. Quickly losing his spirit, Marshall slid over to Craig’s side. Craig quietly patted Marshall and handed Je-rim a tissue. It seemed to be a suggestion to cover his face with it.

Je-rim pulled his hat down to his eyes and wrapped the tissue around his face like a mask. Though he looked a bit shabby, he was ready to escape without being spotted.

Nevertheless, the other colleagues were excited, their nostrils flaring as if Je-rim’s confrontation with Ayla was a foregone conclusion. Even William, whom he had trusted, had turned his phone—still in a video call—toward Je-rim to broadcast the situation.

“Someone go get some popcorn! Whew, my watch is giving me a heart rate alert.”

“What’s Jerry going to do? If he gets slapped again here, the video will be all over Insta and TikTok immediately.”

“Shut up, you bastards! I didn’t come here today. Keep your mouths shut—”

It was before he could finish his sentence. A tap on his back made Je-rim freeze in his tracks. He didn’t want to look back, but he had no choice when he heard his name.

“Jerry.”

“…Ayla.”

The sound of neck joints cracking echoed clearly through the gaps in the loud music. Je-rim quickly tore off the shabbily wrapped tissue and forced a smile. However, Ayla simply tilted her head slightly, her face remaining expressionless.

“I wasn’t sure when I saw your back… but it is you.”

“Long time no see. Have you been well?”

“No.”

At that one word, all the Sefton players, including Je-rim, became as silent as corpses. It happened just as one song ended and there was a slight gap before the next one started. Ayla’s clear pronunciation sliced through that silence.

“You ignored my messages, didn’t you?”

“Haha… You messaged me?”

Cold sweat ran down Je-rim’s spine. In truth, he obviously knew that a message had come.

Was it a few months ago? At two in the morning, a message that clearly looked like an impulsive, drunken text—[Are you awake…?]—had arrived via Insta DM, and he had intentionally ignored it to protect her from her own dark history.

To think it was a message sent while she was sober… Well, the fact that he wouldn’t have replied anyway remained unchanged. Seeing Je-rim skillfully feigning ignorance, Ayla frowned her pretty brow.

“You’re still the same, really.”

“I guess so. How could a person change much in just two years?”

“…That’s true. But it’s surprising you came to the party. You don’t usually play around during the Season.”

“I wasn’t going to come either, but since it’s also a colleague’s birthday party, I thought I’d just show my face and leave.”

“That part is also really surprising… Isn’t the birthday boy Reyes?”

Ayla asked, tilting her chin up suspiciously and covering her mouth. The answer came not from Je-rim, but from someone else.

“That is correct.”

Je-rim felt like biting his tongue and dying on the spot. It was because the voice coming from behind him and the weight of the arm familiarly draping over his shoulder belonged to a guy he knew all too well.

The guy, who had wrapped his left arm around Je-rim’s shoulder as if they were the closest of friends in the world, triumphantly extended his right hand.

“I’ve heard a lot about you, but this is the first time we’ve met. I’m Aaron Reyes.”

“Wow! I’m the one who’s honored to meet such a superstar in person. Just call me Ayla.”

“Yes, just Aaron is fine for me.”

The ex-boyfriend from ten years ago and the ex-girlfriend from two years ago exchanged names and handshakes, smiling amiably.

What is this, is this hell… The cold sweat running down his spine was now enough to dampen his clothes. Moreover, thinking that he had recently become sex partners with one and had ignored a message from the other, his mouth went dry with an inexplicable sense of guilt.

Je-rim took off his hat to cool down his burning face. Whether they knew or not that Je-rim was shriveling up in real-time, his two ex-lovers continued their friendly conversation.

“It’s our first meeting, but happy birthday. Ah, of course, I’ve seen you a lot through the TV…”

“Thank you. I’ve seen you a lot through magazines and articles, so you feel familiar to me too.”

“Magazines aside, articles only poured out when she broke up with Jerry, and she hasn’t been exposed much since then. What articles did you actually see?”

“I saw you in articles about advertisements or award records, of course. Your career is far more glamorous than your private life, isn’t it?”

Did this bastard take some kind of drug before coming here… He seemed to be acting even more greasy than when he encountered Ju-han, so Je-rim stared intently at Aaron’s profile. And Ayla took the thought Je-rim held, refined it, and spoke it aloud herself.

“Hmm, you’re incomparably more gentle than what I heard from Jerry.”

“Ayla!”

Pale with shock, Je-rim grabbed the back of Ayla’s hand and shook his head slightly. He didn’t want to be misunderstood as some pathetic loser who spent his time badmouthing his ex-boyfriend while dating his ex-girlfriend. Of course, Ayla probably didn’t know that Aaron was his ex-boyfriend’s ex-boyfriend…

Perhaps finding the sight of her ex-boyfriend looking even more flustered than when he first encountered her amusing, Ayla didn’t hide her sneer. Still, she quickly regained her characteristic mischievous smile and firmly grasped Je-rim’s hand, which had been covering the back of her own.

“I’m joking. I always asked Jerry why you two got along so poorly, but he never told me the reason.”

“Regardless, it seems he did mention me.”

“Well… the relationship between you two was quite famous, wasn’t it? As his lover, I couldn’t help but be curious.”

“…Aha. So, what did Je-rim-ssi say about me?”

Pressure was applied to both Je-rim’s held hand and his shoulder. Caught between his exes, Je-rim shot a pitiful look toward his colleagues. It was a silent plea for anyone, please, to come and help him.

However, the group—which had grown in size as even the guys who had been out playing joined in—simply watched this horror-comedy show with great interest, having somehow produced popcorn to munch on. Only Reman looked troubled, as if empathizing with Je-rim’s plight, but he didn’t seem to dare intrude upon the touching reunion between a man and his ex-girlfriend.

To be honest, that was the normal reaction. It was Aaron who was the funny one, barging in just because his name was mentioned… What on earth was this guy thinking? Did he want to get close to someone who shared an ex-boyfriend? Did he want to trash-talk him together?

“Jerry never mentioned you. I was always the one asking. He never told me anything first unless I asked. Even then, whenever it came to you, he’d always vaguely dodge the question… Always, whenever a topic he didn’t want to answer came up, he’d intentionally say something mindless—”

“Or try to brush it off with mindless words or just ignore it. He’s been like that since he was young, so I’ve just come to accept it.”

…It seemed the latter was the goal. Unable to shake off the two exes who were openly badmouthing him right in front of his face, Je-rim stared at the ground like a prisoner with a knife at his throat.

In particular, as Ayla recalled the past, her anger seemed to mount, and her speech even quickened. Je-rim took extra care not to offend her. She already seemed determined to make things difficult for him, so there was no need to add fuel to the fire.

“Since you were young… that’s perfect. Aaron, would you mind telling me clearly? Why were you and Jerry on such bad terms? I always wondered what could make youth teammates so uncomfortable with each other.”

Because we dated and then broke up like dogs. Just like you and I…

—But neither Je-rim nor Aaron was in a position to say that, even if it killed them. Even if Je-rim could endure being backed into a corner alone, he couldn’t let Aaron end up that way. He felt a tiny shred of guilt for dragging Aaron into this on his birthday, but more accurately, he didn’t know what kind of nonsense the desperate man might blurt out.

Je-rim forcibly pried away the arm Aaron had wrapped around his shoulder and stepped close to Ayla. Standing in a way that blocked both Aaron’s and Ayla’s views of each other, he leaned down slightly to meet her eyes and pleaded.

“If there’s more you want to say, shall we go into the room? My colleagues are all here, and there are too many eyes watching…”

“Right, I have to make things this uncomfortable before you’ll feel like talking privately, don’t I?”

Her tone roughly translated to: I know you tried to run away the moment you spotted me. Unable to find an answer, Je-rim gave her the most harmless smile he could manage. Ayla pulled Je-rim’s hand and gave a coy wink.

“Then I’ll borrow Jerry for a moment. Oh, Edson. Thanks for handing out invitations to everyone except me.”

“…Uh-huh…”

Even if I kill him, I should send the corpse back to his homeland, Brazil, out of principle. Let’s just burn him and scatter the ashes in the sea. Just as Je-rim was secretly making a throat-slitting gesture toward Edson, who was fidgeting with his fingers with a face full of shame, a voice interrupted.

“Borrowing him is going to be difficult.”

Aaron’s arm wrapped around Je-rim’s neck again. It wasn’t just an arm over the shoulder anymore; it was practically a back-hug. As Aaron tightened his grip, Ayla, who was holding Je-rim’s hand, was tilted and pulled along with them. Startled, Ayla reflexively let go of Je-rim’s hand and asked in a somewhat sharp tone.

“What? Why?”

“I have something to receive. Je-rim told me first that he’d give me something great for his birthday, so he told me to look forward to it… I’m so excited I couldn’t even sleep properly. I’m wondering what my boss will actually give me.”

At such an absurd reason, not only Je-rim, who looked back, but Ayla also widened her eyes. Those large eyes clearly read: Is this bastard seriously trying to keep joking around without reading the room?

The moment he saw Ayla’s lips part with a hint of displeasure, Je-rim stepped forward and pushed Aaron’s chest away.

“Hey, I’ll give you the gift later, later… Let’s go, Ayla.”

“…….”

In truth, Je-rim didn’t want to talk to Ayla alone either. There was nothing he wanted to say, nor anything he wanted to hear. However, if he kept his ex-boyfriend and ex-girlfriend together any longer, he felt his lifespan would be shortened by about ten years.

It would be easier if he could kick one of them out, but he couldn’t kick out Aaron, the guest of honor at the birthday party, and Ayla showed no sign of leaving until she had said everything she wanted. Left with no choice, Je-rim chose the conversation with Ayla. He escorted her toward the private room, practically pushing her back, so he didn’t see Aaron’s expression.

As soon as they arrived in the room and the heavy, black-painted steel door slammed shut, a deep sigh escaped him. Leaning his back against the door so he could leave at any moment, Je-rim got straight to the point.

“What do you want? Let’s get this over with quickly.”

Now that the burdensome eyes observing them were gone, he no longer needed to worry about his surroundings. Since they had started the ‘conversation’ Ayla so desired, he didn’t need to walk on eggshells around her either. Consequently, Je-rim’s tone became much more blunt than before.

Instead of answering, Ayla sprawled onto the sofa and stalled for time, slowly tidying her hair. After parting her lips for a long while, she pulled one of the liquor bottles set on the table, drank straight from the bottle, and then let the purpose of her visit slip out.

“…I realized I left a slipper at your place.”

“…Ah, that, uh… Ha, fuck…”

Aaron wore that and it went missing…

Je-rim was going crazy in his own way. He hadn’t confirmed the final fate of that light-blue slipper, but it likely ended in a pretty disastrous state. No matter how open the design was, there was no way a piece of synthetic rubber could intactly hold a foot nearly twice its original size.

Still, he couldn’t simply confess that Aaron had worn it and left. Setting aside the fact that Aaron’s reputation would plummet, he doubted Ayla would even believe that ‘out of all the shoes available, Aaron happened to like yours and wore them by force.’

Furthermore, if Ayla asked, ‘Why did Aaron leave his own shoes and borrow yours? Why were you two at your house together in the first place? What were you two doing?’ Je-rim might have bitten his tongue in a fit of rage.

After much deliberation, rather than choosing the tedious path, Je-rim opted for the easier choice of taking all the blame.

“Sorry, it was too old, so I threw it away. I’ll buy you a new pair.”

“You knew my shoe was still there? I thought you’d never know for the rest of your life if I didn’t tell you.”

“…….”

Je-rim flinched at Ayla’s voice, which had suddenly brightened. If Aaron hadn’t found it, that light-blue slipper would have spent its life eating dust in a corner of the shoe rack, but since this too involved the random third party ‘Aaron,’ he couldn’t say it.

However, that silence seemed enough to plant a strange sense of anticipation in Ayla. She took another large gulp of alcohol, turned her body toward Je-rim, and asked.

“Be honest. Did you really not know I contacted you again?”

“Hmm… do I need to know?”

Immediately after, Je-rim’s shoulder jerked as he was hit on the arm. It was more out of surprise than pain. Ayla huffed and set the bottle down.

“You bastard… It’s been two years, but aren’t you too much the same? Except for getting along with Aaron, absolutely nothing has changed.”

“What did you expect? That’s why you dumped me, saying you felt lonely when you were with me.”

“…I did.”

Je-rim quickly caught that her eyes, hazy from the alcohol, were blinking as if they might close at any moment, and he subtly gripped the doorknob. But as if refusing to let him escape, Ayla glared up and squeezed out a topic to keep him talking.

“When did you and Aaron get so close? In the past, you’d change the channel the moment he appeared on the news.”

“It just happened. We’re on the same team again, so we can’t keep fueling rumors of discord. More importantly, is this part of your business?”

“Of course not. Are you trying to gauge me right now?”

Even that squeezed-out ordinary topic ended immediately with a single question from Je-rim.

Perhaps the alcohol she had been sipping alone was quite strong, as Ayla’s pronunciation was already half-slurred. Nevertheless, the way she forced herself to focus to keep Je-rim in place suggested how firm her resolve was. And given Ayla’s personality, there was only one thing she would hesitate and drag out like this after making a decision.

Thinking it would be impossible to just play along and then run away, Je-rim first pushed the liquor bottle away from Ayla. He felt he couldn’t let her drink more. Before she could gather more courage or create more embarrassing memories with the help of alcohol, Je-rim made the first move.

“No. I just think we should wrap up the business here, exchange greetings, and part ways.”

“You really are a bastard!”

“Hey, that’s why I’m quietly taking the hit. You should have just slapped me once and been satisfied with dumping me; why try again?”

“…….”

“There’s a line of men who like you. Find a better guy than a bastard.”

“…And what about you? Why aren’t you seeing anyone else after breaking up with me?”

Je-rim wasn’t enough of a bastard to honestly answer, ‘I don’t want to like someone deeply, and dating itself is tedious and boring.’ Seeing Je-rim keep his mouth shut, Ayla muttered a drunken monologue.

“For the first year, I thought, ‘well, that’s just how it is’… but as it passed two years, I started getting curious. Once I started getting curious, all sorts of thoughts started running through my head.”

“…….”

“I kept thinking of you, so suddenly I wanted to see you… I couldn’t let go of my expectations for a guy like you until the end, so I wondered what happened to the shoe I left on purpose… But you didn’t even read my DMs…”

Only then did Je-rim realize that the single light-blue slipper remaining unnaturally in the corner of the shoe rack was Ayla’s lingering attachment. Hoping that he would find it at any time and use it as an excuse to contact her again, to hold onto her.

And Je-rim had to shatter that hope.

“I did ignore your DMs on purpose, and someone else found the shoe instead of me. I thought you just left it by mistake, so I threw it away… Sorry.”

At the news that even the discovery was made by someone else, Ayla glared at Je-rim with clenched fists, her lips trembling as if she were about to cry. Je-rim crouched halfway to the floor so it would be easier for her to glare at him and looked her straight in the eyes. He was willing to take it if she slapped him again.

“Ayla, I have no feelings left for you. Neither good nor bad. So let’s just think of it as ending on good terms—”

Before he could finish, his upper body tilted backward. Je-rim, who had been crouching with his knees bent in an awkward posture, was pushed onto the sofa without any resistance. With his back against the backrest, Je-rim ended up in a half-lying position, and Ayla overlapped her body over his.

Just before their lips touched, Je-rim barely managed to hold Ayla’s waist and used his other hand to cup her cheek, preventing further contact. Even so, the position of Ayla on top of Je-rim exuded a suggestive atmosphere, but the important thing was that he hadn’t crossed the line.

“Let’s not do something you’ll regret later. You’re drunk right now.”

“Jerry, I—”

It was then.

Knock, knock. Exactly two knocks followed, and then the heavy steel door swung open. As if this much was sufficient for asking permission. The person who opened the private room door at will was as confident as if they had come to retrieve a deposited item. The intruding shadow fell over Je-rim’s face as he leaned obliquely against the backrest.

“Je-rim, you’re the only one left for the gift. I’ll just—”

The voice, which sounded lower than usual and was thick with irritation, gradually faded. In the end, he didn’t even finish his sentence. The man, as large as a door, stood at the entrance, unable to even close his lips, staring down at the two figures entangled on the sofa.

Startled by the unexpected situation, Je-rim didn’t even think to correct his posture or push Ayla away; he just stared blankly up at Aaron. Ayla was the same.

“…….”

“…….”

…Ah, I’m fucked. That was the first thought that came to mind the moment he saw Aaron’s expression. Even though he couldn’t think of the specific reason why or how he was fucked.

The light in Aaron’s eyes, which usually sparkled with confidence like embedded jewels, went pitch black. Aaron, whose jaw was clenched so tight the bone beneath his ear stood out, slowly closed and opened his eyes, then slowly wiped his lower face. His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down, and his chest heaved deeply. It was a motion as if he were forcing himself to swallow something.

At a glance, it looked like he was angry. Like he was so furious that he was holding back the urge to scream or hurl insults. Anyone who didn’t know Aaron well would likely think so.

But Je-rim knew. He had seen Aaron with those eyes once before. Back then, Aaron had cried…

“…My apologies for intruding at such a fucking time.”

Now, as if wanting to hide his expression, he turned away without taking his hand from his mouth. Je-rim, whose thoughts had been frozen by the surprise, finally moved his lips in a hurry. Unrefined excuses poured out incoherently.

“This isn’t what it looks like… Hey, Aaron!”

But the only answer that returned was the thunderous sound of the door slamming shut. The heavy steel door, unable to withstand Aaron’s strength, rattled and creaked on its own even after closing. It seemed the hinges were damaged. Seeing this, Ayla’s face was filled with bewilderment.

“What was that? Is knocking all it takes? Why did he come in without permission and curse…”

“Ayla, let’s get up.”

Je-rim practically lifted Ayla up and then hurried to stand himself. His touch in tidying her clothes, which had been disheveled from their awkward entanglement, was also somewhat rushed. Straightening the hem of her rolled-up shorts, Je-rim whispered quickly.

“I was serious about you meeting a much better guy than me.”

Quickly. He had to say what he needed to say and leave quickly. He had to chase after Aaron. In his head, an alarm rang more loudly than when there were less than three minutes left in a game they were losing by one point. His brain, saturated with urgency, patched together fragmented sentences without any context.

“The reason I didn’t see anyone else after breaking up with you… there’s no special reason. I’ll send a new pair of shoes through your agency.”

“Forget it. Do you really think I’m so desperate for a single shoe that I’d—!”

“I know. Would you actually care about a single shoe? Still, since it’s the last time.”

“…Ah, so you’re not leaving me a single excuse to contact you anymore?”

Ayla, with red-rimmed eyes, gripped Je-rim’s wrist and breathed heavily. If he had the luxury of time, he would have given her a tissue, but every second was critical now. Je-rim removed the small hand clinging to his wrist. It was a gentle but forceful touch.

“Enjoy your time. I have to go right now. Bye.”

Sensing instinctively that this was the last greeting they would share face-to-face, Ayla tried to compose her expression. Though she couldn’t do anything about the redness of her eyes, she steadied her slurred speech and straightened her back.

“Fine. I’m the uninvited guest, so I should be the one to leave. You just…”

Je-rim immediately shook his head and retied his shoelaces.

“No, I’m just about to go crazy from frustration, so I have to go out. It’s not because of you.”

“What?”

“Then, really, goodbye. Take care.”

With those words, he burst through the broken door.

Pushing through the crowded hallway, I ran without taking a single breath until I reached where my teammates were gathered, glancing around frantically. A massive cake that seemed to have just arrived, presents piled around it, my teammates—I took it all in at a glance, but the most important person, the protagonist, was nowhere to be seen.

“Aaron!”

“Jerry, did the talk end well?”

Edson, whose forehead was stained with cold sweat as if he had been just as anxious while Je-rim was talking alone with Ayla, approached with an ambiguous expression—neither smiling nor crying. Forgetting entirely that he had vowed to kill Edson, Je-rim asked urgently.

“Have you seen Aaron?”

“Aaron? He said he wasn’t feeling well and headed out.”

“Damn it, his feet are just uselessly fucking fast!”

A striker who possesses physical strength, finishing ability, and football intelligence, and is fast on his feet to boot, is extremely rare. Since Aaron belonged to that extremely rare type of attacker, it wasn’t actually useless at all. In fact, he was the kind of talent I should be carrying on my back every single day, pampering him and telling him how grateful I am that he joined our team, promising to create plenty of chances for him to just finish them off.

But in this moment, I truly resented those fast feet. Je-rim shook off Reman, who was trying to hold him back, and cut through the crowd again.

“Jerry, is everything okay—?”

“Sorry, Reman. Later!”

I don’t even know what state of mind I was in when I stepped outside the building. Fortunately, I spotted Aaron as soon as I got out. It was thanks to the guard I had given an autograph to, who was staring blankly in the direction Aaron had walked with a bewildered look. Aaron stood alone on a dark night road where there wasn’t a soul in sight.

Je-rim gave the guard’s shoulder a light pat of gratitude and then sprinted at full speed again. Catching up to Aaron in a matter of seconds, he leaned over and tugged at the end of Aaron’s sleeve from behind. If his speed had been measured right now, he probably would have broken his own top speed record from a match.

“Hey, I finally understand how you felt…”

If just being spotted by one person could make me feel this unfairly miserable, I finally understood deeply how Aaron must have felt when photos were taken secretly and his scandal spread across the entire world. And with his half-brother, no less.

Because he was gasping for air, his voice was half-mixed with breath. Aaron watched Je-rim, who was hunched over and panting, before his gaze landed on the hand gripping his sleeve. He let his arm hang limp and sneered.

“What. You didn’t finish what you were doing?”

“I finished everything and then came out, okay?”

“…Aha, I guess it was mind-blowingly good? Enough to make you premature?”

“Stop bullshitting. Aren’t you the one who knows best whether I’m premature or not?”

Already frazzled and breathless, Je-rim naturally snapped back when Aaron started grating on his nerves with sharp words. However, he quickly remembered why he had run until he was out of breath in the middle of the night and calmed himself down.

“I didn’t chase after you to fight. Come with me.”

Luckily, where he had parked was nearby. Je-rim gripped the end of Aaron’s sleeve tightly and forced him toward his car. If Aaron had resisted in the middle of the road, Je-rim’s physique wouldn’t have been enough to handle him, but it was possible because Aaron surprisingly followed along obediently.

As Je-rim opened the car door and jerked his chin for Aaron to get into the passenger seat, Aaron climbed in without resistance. Je-rim sat in the driver’s seat. Once they were both inside, an awkward silence settled over the dim interior of the car.

Je-rim tormented his own fingers, repeatedly interlacing and releasing them, placing his hands under his legs, then moving them back to his thighs to rub them. He had been in such a rush to catch and bring him back, but now that they were alone in a confined space, he didn’t know what to say.

In the first place… even though he had been sitting with Ayla in a somewhat scandalous position, it was a mystery to Je-rim why he had felt such an overwhelming urge to explain himself the moment Aaron saw them.

Because Aaron looked hurt? But why would that guy be hurt over something like this… Exactly what kind of special relationship do we even have? We’re just sex partners, aren’t we? He was the one who suggested

FWB

first. Then why did I run like a madman in the middle of the night to explain myself to someone I’m not even in a special relationship with…

‘…Forget it.’

Setting aside Aaron’s inner thoughts, the answer to his own feelings would have come easily if he dug deeper, which is why Je-rim consciously blocked the thought.

He and Aaron are simple sex partners, and the reason he felt this insane sense of unfairness is simply that he didn’t want a teammate to misunderstand his relationship with an ex-girlfriend. As for why Aaron had that look… I don’t know, maybe he was just in a bad mood.

Just clear up the misunderstanding, just that. He didn’t want to leave things feeling unpleasant, nor did he want to ruin the mood of the guy whose birthday it was. But even after deciding that, the words wouldn’t come out. It was then that Aaron, who had been quietly staring out the window, let out a small sigh and spoke first.

“If you didn’t catch me to fight, then why did you stop me? Do you have something to say?”

“Just… what you saw… it wasn’t like that.”

“Then what was it?”

“Um… a minor happening that can occur between people who used to date?”

It really was minor. It wasn’t like they kissed, or talked about getting back together. On the contrary, he had firmly rejected Ayla, who was showing lingering feelings, and had even blocked her from kissing him.

However, telling exactly what happened felt like a breach of courtesy toward Ayla, so he glossed over it. As soon as he finished speaking, Aaron turned his head from the window and glared at Je-rim, launching a blunt criticism.

“You think that’s minor? You really are a slut.”

“Fuck, then you think it’s not minor? I’m fucking having sex with you, who I broke up with even longer ago!”

An inexplicable mix of unpleasantness, unfairness, frustration, and anger toward Aaron, who treated him like a slut at every turn, exploded. Je-rim slammed the steering wheel and spat out the words as they came. Unfortunately, his fist hit the center of the wheel, and the horn blared loudly, acting like a sound effect to punctuate his angry cursing.

As the honking echoed in time with the ‘fuck,’ Aaron blinked a few times and then began to chuckle as if it were absurd. Honestly, even to Je-rim, the situation was a bit funny. Except for the fact that it was embarrassingly cringeworthy. Je-rim slowly took his hand off the wheel.

“Why the fuck are you laughing?”

“Because now that I hear it, you’re right. So, you’re having sex with me, who you broke up with 10 years ago, so you only went as far as a ‘minor’ kiss with Ayla, who you broke up with 2 years ago? Is that why you caught me, to tell me that?”

“I didn’t do anything! The position… it was just a similar angle to the scandal photos of you and your sister…”

At those words, Aaron seemed to recall his own experience, and the sharp atmosphere gradually softened. He still looked pouty, but that was cute compared to the provocations Aaron had thrown his way in the past.

“At least Gabi wasn’t sitting on my lap. …I feel disgusted just imagining it. I already feel sick…”

The way he turned pale and covered his mouth suggested he really was nauseous. So he can hug his crying sister and wipe her tears, but he doesn’t want her on his lap? Je-rim thought both actions were six of one and half a dozen of the other, but instead of pointing it out to someone who was hurting, he opened a bottle of water and handed it over.

“If you throw up in my car, I’m selling your birthday presents to pay for the seat replacement. And why did your stomach get bad again in that short time?”

“My mood turned to shit, so I got indigestion. By the way, ‘short time’? You call a whole 15 minutes a short time?”

The guy, who had obediently taken the water, stopped wiping his wet lips with the back of his hand and narrowed his eyes into slits. It was hard to keep up with his unpredictably shifting moods, just like in the early days of his transfer. Je-rim grumbled that it was a hassle to deal with him, but inwardly, he was concerned about the indigestion and glanced at Aaron.

“That’s basically a halftime. It is short. But why the hell is your mood…”

Is this something to get so upset about that you get indigestion? Although he had no intention of getting back together, they were still sexually compatible, so it was definitely Aaron who had suggested establishing a free relationship where they could just have sex without any responsibility or obligation.

Aaron had defined this relationship as

FWB

—friends with benefits. But the ‘friends’ part was just a facade; the essence was sex partners. And as far as he knew, sex partners were in a light, effortless relationship, exempt from the responsibilities and duties that usually accompany lovers, meaning they had no binding power over each other…

‘Is it a breach of etiquette for sex partners to have other partners or date someone else without the other’s consent?’

Of course, nothing had happened with Ayla, and he had absolutely no intention of finding another sex partner besides Aaron. But seeing Aaron so upset made him curious. Exactly where was the line of what was allowed in this relationship? At what point did it become an overstep?

Does Aaron’s current behavior, acting as if he’s jealous, count as an overstep? If so, what should I do? Should I give him a yellow card and warn him not to cross the line? Or rather, if my own behavior is grounds for a yellow card?

It’s not like he’d ever had a relationship like ‘sex partners’ before. Having entered into such a relationship with the very person he had sworn he would never be entangled with again, everything felt ambiguous and difficult. The line that would have been clear if they were simple friends or colleagues felt blurred, as if someone had trampled the middle ground. Just as awkward as this relationship that was neither lovers nor friends.

‘I should have refused after all…’

No matter how tight the tug-of-war is, it eventually leans to one side. If it were a real tug-of-war where you could visually confirm which way the strength was shifting, it would be different, but with intangible things like hearts or relationships, you can’t tell when or how much they’ve started to tilt. You just realize it’s over the moment you snap back to your senses.

His head told him he should stop now before that happened, but…

Sex with Aaron was too good to give up. Their bodies matched well, they knew each other’s tastes… The fact that he could satisfy his sexual desire without the hassle of dating or the worry of scandals was also an advantage too good to let go.

Feeling awkward as he thought about it, Je-rim rubbed the back of his neck and stopped talking unnaturally. He had even turned his head in the opposite direction because even looking at Aaron was making him nervous.

Suddenly, Aaron reached out and grabbed Je-rim’s chin, turning it back to face him. Because his hand was so large, his palm completely covered Je-rim’s chin, and his fingers stretched up to his cheek. Aaron held Je-rim’s face with one hand, squishing his cheek. A mischievous smile, as playful as his gesture, spread across his face.

“Why do you think? You know the answer. I am jealous.”

“……”

Ah… something is going seriously wrong. Maybe the word ‘tight’ can no longer be used to describe this tug-of-war.

While his brain reflexively thought that, the inside of his stomach—from the left side of his chest to his solar plexus and down to his lower abdomen—felt as if someone were slowly scratching it with a fingernail. It was irritatingly ticklish, yet it gave him goosebumps that made him want to laugh, and at the same time, he felt like he wanted to throw up everything inside.

Unable to properly identify exactly what this sensation surging up his throat was, Je-rim clamped his mouth shut firmly. Naturally, his face became expressionless, highlighting his originally calm yet cold eyes.

Aaron stared intently into Je-rim’s eyes before letting go of his chin. Then, a whine in an incredibly light tone escaped through his pouting lips.

“Even if we’re FWB, I wish you’d keep some basic professional ethics, Je-rim. You know I’m very jealous.”

…Right, he was very jealous. When they were kids, he was the type to spout nonsensical jealousy, like saying, ‘Can’t you just not shower since there are other guys in the shower room besides me?’ Once, because a dog he met on the street had eye colors similar to his, Je-rim petted it and called it cute, and he was plagued all day with questions like, ‘Who’s cuter, me or the dog? Which one do you like more?’

He’d say he regretted teaching Je-rim Spanish when he saw him chatting with other guys in the language, and sometimes he’d even make the reckless claim that he wished everyone else would disappear and only the two of them would remain on the team. The reason was absurd. He said his stomach turned when he saw someone else swoop in and steal a pass that was clearly meant for him…

Since he was a guy with such a pathological level of jealousy, it made sense that he would care even in a simple sex partner relationship. His constant talk about ‘sluts’ was probably related to that. Even so, it was hard to understand why he’d feel so bad that he got indigestion, so Je-rim muttered softly.

“Professional ethics in a sex partnership, my ass…”

“Then should I make other ‘friends’ besides you? If that’s okay, I have plenty of candidates—”

Before Aaron could even finish his sentence, the moment Je-rim imagined Aaron with another ‘friend,’ he deeply understood why Aaron had felt sick enough to get indigestion. This wasn’t a matter of debating whether it was an overstep or not; it was something that must be absolutely forbidden. As Aaron said, it was a matter of professional ethics.

Anyway, they had promised to have sex with each other, so bringing someone else into that would make a person a bottom-of-the-barrel, total slut with a dick for a brain. Honestly, having even one sex partner is enough to get called dirty, but having several of them? That’s practically a declaration of giving up on being human.

No matter how non-binding a sex partner relationship is, exclusivity must naturally exist. If there were no exclusivity in the relationship, problems would arise in every aspect, starting from STDs to morality, human ethics, social order, and so on. Moreover, looking at Aaron, who was boldly asking if it was okay to have another partner in front of him…

Suddenly, a scene from the past surged up, making him feel nauseous.

The voice of a staff member urging them because it was time to board the plane. Himself, sitting blankly after reading the article about Aaron’s scandal. The captain, who worried if he was sick because he looked so spaced out. The teammates from his former team, who were still strangers at the time, whispering about why he was acting like that.

Some of them giggled among themselves, saying they envied Aaron for dating a beauty like Gabriela Delgado, and in a fit of rage, Je-rim had thrown his phone. The atmosphere that turned cold instantly… and Ju-han, who tried his best to fix the situation. The image of his teacher, who had been pacing anxiously, asking why he was acting like that lately, was still vivid in his mind.

He knows now that it was all caused by a ridiculous misunderstanding. He knows it’s all a futile past. But still, every time he remembers it, he feels…

“…I’m joking, so don’t make that face.”

The warmth transmitted from the hand stroking his cheek calmed his churning stomach. Since Aaron also seemed to be suffering from indigestion, his hand was much colder than usual, making ‘warmth’ a stretch of a word. Regardless, the moment Aaron, looking down seriously, placed his hand on his cheek, the foul mood vanished instantly.

That, too, fueled the thought that something was going seriously wrong. Je-rim brushed Aaron’s wrist away and stammered.

“Wha—what—what about me?”

Seeing Je-rim lean back as if trying to escape from inside his own car, Aaron smirked. The laugh, which started as a small leak, gradually increased in intensity, eventually turning into a hearty, cheerful laugh.

Seeing a guy who claimed to be sick laughing like a madman, Je-rim instinctively grew worried and circled his finger by his temple.

“Are you so sick that you’ve gone crazy? What’s so funny that you’re laughing? You’re creeping me out.”

“Yeah, it hurts. I’ve got a real case of indigestion. Since you’re here, just take me home. Jesus gave me a ride here, so I don’t have my car.”

“You’re leaving without even properly receiving your congratulations? The cake arrived. Your presents are still there…”

“I feel like I’ll throw up the moment I step back into that club.”

Since the crowd inside the club was practically on the level of the Glastonbury Festival, it wasn’t an exaggeration but a reasonable statement. Je-rim glanced at Aaron’s pale face once more and, having no choice, called Edson. Perhaps he had been anxiously clutching his phone after the two teammates suddenly left, because he answered immediately.

-Jerry! Where did you go? And where’s Aaron?

“I’m taking Aaron home right now.”

-What? Why?

“I don’t know. I went out and found him sitting on the street saying he felt like throwing up, so I just picked him up.”

-Why would he be like that? He didn’t even drink.

“How should I know? Anyway, he can’t go back in, so make sure you gather Aaron’s presents and bring them to the center. If you do, I’ll forgive your sins.”

After hearing a vow that he would take everything without missing a single item, Je-rim hung up. As he started the car toward Aaron’s house, Je-rim clicked his tongue, seeing that Aaron’s hand had not left his cheek.

Does that guy even have digestive medicine at home? The pharmacies should be closed by now, so should I just take him to the hospital? No, for indigestion, pricking the finger is the most effective. I happen to have the hand acupuncture kit I got from Ju-han a long time ago… Once his thoughts reached that point, Je-rim cautiously made a suggestion.

“Hey, do you want to just sleep at my place today? I have some good medicine for indigestion at home…”

“…….”

“…Don’t refuse. It’s miserable enough to be sick on your birthday; it’d be a bit much to be alone.”

And I’m worried about you. He added in a voice barely audible, directed at the silent Aaron. Even though it was a proposal made out of genuine concern, he felt awkward because it sounded as if he had some lewd ulterior motive. Pretending to be considerate of Aaron, Je-rim slightly lowered both windows.

The night breeze seeping through the narrow gaps calmly cooled Je-rim’s flushed neck and the stifling air inside the car. Aaron also seemed to welcome the fresh air, as he leaned his head against the open window and muttered softly.

“…Giving the disease and then the cure, you really do it all.”

“What?”

External noise, blending with the sound of the wind, interrupted the conversation. When Je-rim frowned and asked again, having failed to hear Aaron’s answer properly, Aaron raised his voice to respond.

“Let’s go, to your house. What is this ‘good medicine’?”

“I have something like that.”

Knowing full well that Aaron would probably throw a fit and demand he turn the car back if he mentioned pricking four of his fingers with needles, Je-rim intentionally kept the identity of the medicine a secret.

Sure enough, upon arriving home and bringing out the hand acupuncture kit, Aaron tilted his head, asking if a ballpoint pen was the medicine. When Je-rim pressed the button to show the needle and explained its purpose, Aaron trembled with a sense of betrayal. After a brief argument, Je-rim finally succeeded in pricking his finger by spitting out a line typical of a trashy boyfriend: “You don’t trust me?”

Aaron seemed surprised once when black blood emerged as explained, and surprised a second time when his stomach felt better immediately after. Seeing Aaron head toward the bathroom with a lighter step, Je-rim, feeling inexplicably proud, quickly finished his shower and came out.

While waiting for Aaron, Je-rim took out Aaron’s birthday present, which had been tucked away in his pocket, and rolled it in his palm. He kept a towel over his head, worried that water droplets might fall from his improperly dried hair.

‘…How should I give it to him?’

He had intended to just hand it over casually among their colleagues when others were giving theirs, but the thought of giving it while they were alone, as if performing some special event, made his vision go dark. To be precise, it was fucking cringeworthy. Moreover, he felt like he hadn’t even said “Happy Birthday” all day, so trying to offer the congratulations along with the gift felt… somehow…

‘It feels like I’m proposing.’

At least it was a relief that the contents weren’t a ring. It was while he was contemplating with a troubled face, tapping the corner of the gift box, that he heard the sound of the door opening. Je-rim instinctively hid the box in the space under the coffee table and sprang up from the sofa.

“Are you done washing? Is your stomach feel-.”

Before he could finish his sentence, his body was pushed back and collapsed onto the plush sofa. The towel covering his head fluttered down, covering Je-rim’s shoulders and chest. Aaron brushed away the towel covering Je-rim’s bare skin and leaned his upper body over him. A dark shadow instantly enveloped Je-rim’s entire body.

“Do it with me too. The same thing.”

Had he become grumpy again after dwelling on today’s events during his shower? Or did he now have the energy to be annoyed because his stomach felt better? His voice was that pouty… but to Je-rim’s ears, it sounded only cute. Even this childish streak of intentionally mimicking the same posture was adorable.

Unless I’ve truly gone insane. Even as he thought this, his body moved in the opposite direction. Je-rim pulled on the lapel of the bathrobe Aaron was wearing and threw out a provocative remark laced with laughter.

“Then we shouldn’t do anything today.”

Immediately after, a faint chuckle penetrated Je-rim’s mouth. Responding fervently to the movement of the tongue that stole his saliva without asking permission, Je-rim pulled open and stripped off Aaron’s bathrobe. Taking it a step further, he untied the knot of the robe’s belt and pulled it away, allowing the statue-like upper body to overlap completely over Je-rim, as tattooed arms wrapped around the back of Je-rim’s neck.

Je-rim also hugged the firm back and tilted his head slightly diagonally to make kissing easier. Aaron’s sharp bridge of the nose pressed firmly against Je-rim’s cheek, and their lips locked perfectly. Liking the moist, soft sensation and the subtle scent of mint, Je-rim took the lower lip into his mouth and sucked; Aaron chuckled lowly, pulled his face back, and then overlapped their lips again.

“Hng….”

They bit and sucked each other’s lips playfully, and whenever their eyes met, they drove each other wild, their tongues entangling frantically. Je-rim, pinned under Aaron’s body, lay completely flat and panted. It was uncomfortable being tangled with Aaron on the narrow sofa, but the pants pressing against his beginning-to-erect cock were even more uncomfortable.

He felt both proud and displeased that his cock had become erect from a single kiss just because he’d had sex with Aaron a few times. To be precise, the fast reaction was a sign of health, so that was proud, but he didn’t like the desire slowly heating up inside his belly.

Normally, the desire to top would have naturally reared its head. For a long time, that had been Je-rim’s natural way of having sex. Of course, he wanted to top now, too. But at the same time, the desire to be topped also surged. Honestly… the latter was larger.

While he wondered if he had become accustomed to the act of giving up his back too quickly despite their bodies being a good match, the imagination of the sex to follow made his cock throb painfully. As usual, sexual desire crushed the skepticism and consumed Je-rim’s mind.

Je-rim pushed Aaron’s chest to create some distance and lifted his legs to take off his pants. Since he was pinned down, his movements were awkward, so instead of Je-rim struggling, Aaron stripped off his pants and underwear all at once.

As the underwear was pulled down, Je-rim’s half-erect cock revealed itself. Aaron, as if unable to bear how cute the reddening glans was, lightly flicked the tip with his finger.

“Ah!”

With that one insignificant gesture, the cock twitched, and the erection accelerated. Every time Je-rim’s waist flinched, his genitals gradually pressed closer to his belly, increasing in volume. Aaron stopped kissing and watched until Je-rim’s cock was fully erect, seemingly fascinated by how it throbbed on its own and began to leak transparent cowper’s fluid.

“I felt this before, but… your cock is really pretty. It’s big, but how is the shape so straight? The color looks delicious, too.”

Of course, he didn’t just watch. He squeezed a handful of massage gel, which he had brought from the bathroom, onto his fingers and palm, and continuously flicked the glans—which was glistening with cowper’s fluid—as if flicking a forehead, tracing along the protruding veins.

Every time the heavy head of the cock swayed, the fluid gathered at the narrow urethral opening splashed, dirtying Je-rim’s belly. At the teasing hand movements, Je-rim’s toes curled instinctively, and his brow furrowed with tension. Je-rim pushed Aaron’s thigh away with his foot, acting irritable.

“Ah, ah-eut! Stop! Stop saying crazy things…!”

Honestly, his cock was just straight and light in color; it was grotesquely large, with veins and tendons standing out over the thin, white skin, so it wasn’t pretty by anyone’s standards. Being told it was pretty every day hurt his pride a little. Even if the modifier “big” was added, few people would welcome being told their cock was “pretty.”

However, Aaron, as if Je-rim’s kicking didn’t even tickle, grabbed the foot hitting his thigh and chuckled continuously.

“It’s just because it’s really fascinating. Usually, when it’s big, it looks grotesque, right?”

Just as he was thinking spitefully that Aaron must be aware that his own thing looked grotesque to others, the center of the glans was blocked. Aaron, who had completely gripped the straight shaft of the cock with its veins fully bulging in his large hand, stood his thumb up and rubbed thickly over the urethral opening that was gasping like it was breathing.

Whenever cowper’s fluid seeped out, he pressed down as if crushing it to block the discharge. Je-rim wished he would just give him a normal handjob, but while Aaron moved his hand up and down as if playing a game, he continued to torment the hole that was busy pouring out transparent bodily fluids. The cold gel, rubbed between Aaron’s hand and the surface of Je-rim’s cock, melted hot and flowed down his scrotum and perineum.

“Haeuk, keuk! Ah, don’t, don’t touch… keut!”

Just before ejaculation, the blunt tip of a fingernail scraped around the rounded urethral opening. The chilling sensation, no different from scratching bare skin that had been peeled, sent shivers down his spine and made the hair on his entire body stand on end. Je-rim, barely avoiding cumming, let out an irritated moan. He reached into the dark brown hair of the man sitting between his legs, staring intently at his waist.

Pulling the hair to lift him up, Je-rim pressed Aaron’s back of the head down and bit his lips again. Aaron, whose hair was being gripped, seemed to frown for a moment, but as soon as their lips touched, he let out a languid laugh and obediently gave his tongue.

Finally taking his hand off Je-rim’s cock, he slowly moved his hand further down. The small hole located at the end of the perineum, which had become slippery with gel, twitched slightly as if anticipating something more to follow now that the cock was being stimulated. When Aaron bent a sticky finger and tapped the entrance, the hole opened and closed as if it had been waiting, obediently accepting the finger.

“Heeu…!”

Perhaps because of the gel, or because he had been topped so many times recently, the hole easily swallowed two fingers. The long fingers digging into the hole meticulously spread the gel into every corner of the bumpy inner walls and the crevices folded between the wrinkles.

Je-rim’s lower belly, which had been heating up with the desire to be topped since Aaron pushed him onto the sofa, trembled and contracted as if it were dying of pleasure, even with just fingers that had a thickness and length incomparable to Aaron’s cock. Every time Aaron’s fingers spread like scissors to loosen the sensitive inner muscles, Je-rim could feel his insides tightening and the hole pulsing.

Every time the inner walls chewed on the fingers, Je-rim’s cock also throbbed on its own. Knowing when it felt best to ejaculate, he stubbornly endured the surging sensation of climax. He wanted to ejaculate while his internals were being stirred by Aaron’s cock. It would be even better if Aaron groaned with a growling breath while cumming inside him.

Yet, when the moment became unbearable, he panted like a dog, hugging Aaron’s head and swallowing his saliva. When they kissed, Aaron entangled their tongues so obsessively that Je-rim’s breath reached the tip of his throat, leaving him no room to worry about anything else.

But when Aaron shoved all four fingers into the hole and began to thrust upward with force in his wrist, Je-rim reached his limit. Je-rim’s body thoroughly enjoyed the unique stimulation he hadn’t tasted in a while. Feeling that he might cum without any reward for his patience, Je-rim pushed Aaron’s chest and whipped his head to the side.

“Aaron, Aaron… hng, ah, wait, wait a second!”

Aaron, who had been relentlessly nibbling at his lips as if he didn’t want to be apart for even a second, reluctantly sat up when Je-rim pulled his hair again to shake him off. He had completely thrown off the cumbersome bathrobe.

“What.”

His voice was pouty again, perhaps because he didn’t like being interrupted. Je-rim lowered his gaze to glance at his own lower body. His cock twitching atop his abs, his thighs wide open revealing the inner flesh, and between them, a dark-skinned forearm filled with tattoos was probing his hole. Thick veins stood out prominently across the bent inner wrist.

He raised his eyes again and slowly scanned from Aaron’s upper body to his face. He intentionally looked away quickly from the grotesque cock towering over the lower abdomen.

Since the circumference of the cock was thick and the overall size was an absurd level, the thickness of the veins and tendons surrounding it was also no joke, making it hideous to look at. Honestly, he was amazed at the mechanism of his own body, which found it pleasurable to have its insides probed by such a thing. And the physical structure that could swallow all of that…

The thick ribcage expanded and contracted as Aaron panted, adding to the sense of intimidation. So did the sturdy shoulders and forearms. The Adam’s apple in the middle of his neck also bobbed up and down incessantly. He seemed even more aroused than Je-rim, whose urethral opening had been tormented, cock rubbed, and hole probed.

Finally, the face was… perfectly his type today as well. Having just come out of the shower, his hair was disheveled and covering his forehead from the frantic kissing and probing; while Je-rim preferred it when Aaron pushed his bangs back, this style wasn’t bad either. The eyes, sunken darker than usual from arousal, and the moderately wild hair added a streak of decadent atmosphere to Aaron.

‘So, this look….’

Means other people see it too. If this guy makes other sex partners besides me… he’ll obediently give his hair to be gripped, pout and complain, spout bullshit about how something looks pretty or delicious, and if they tell him to stop kissing, he’ll persistently cling to them…

The moment he had those thoughts, he felt like shit, as if he’d been splashed with cold water. Since they had been apart for a long time, there were likely others besides him who had seen Aaron disheveled and drenched in pleasure… but now that they had entered a sexual relationship, a childish desire surged to monopolize this look, at least until this abnormal and promiscuous relationship ended.

Yes, honestly, boundaries be damned, he just wanted to be the only one to see it. He knew how presumptuous, selfish, and childish the thought was, but what could he do? Just imagining sharing him with someone else made him want to kill them. Je-rim, whose lips were trembling, finally let his vocal cords vibrate.

“…What you said earlier. That, business ethics….”

“What kind of frustrating thing are you trying to say now?”

While he was speaking, Aaron gave a small, sharp thrust with his wrist. Je-rim bit his lower lip and barely finished the sentence.

“Keep them! I’ll, ugh! Heeu, I’ll keep them too….”

“…Fuck.”

Instead of stating whether he agreed or not, Aaron swallowed a low curse. Immediately after, the man who had been shoved into the hole pulled his hand out, hurriedly turned Je-rim onto his side, lay down behind him, and grabbed the back of Je-rim’s left knee. The hole, which had been receiving a bundle of fingers thicker than most men’s cocks until a moment ago, opened and closed along the wide-spread legs.

Now lying on his side with only his left leg raised high, Je-rim struggled, knowing that Aaron’s fully erect cock was about to probe his hole.

“Hey, answer. Answer me….”

“In the first place, I don’t have anyone else to do that with. Other than you.”

You said you have plenty of people if you put your mind to it, you son of a bitch. The man who had dragged his mood into the mud with that one sentence was now saying he had no one. Before he could ask what on earth was a lie, Je-rim’s rationality collapsed.

“…Ah! Ah-euuk, hng, eu-eut!”

Aaron, firmly hugging Je-rim’s waist with his other arm, pressed his lips incessantly against Je-rim’s earlobe, neck, and the back of his head, and drove his cock in all the way to the root in one go. In an instant, the muscles in Je-rim’s tensed thighs stood out, and his right leg, which had been lying flat, trembled violently. Je-rim pushed against the leather of the sofa with his shaking legs, pouring out fragmented moans.

Because that huge thing surged in all at once without warning, it was naturally painful. Even more so because he was being topped from behind. The upward-curving shape of the cock poked not only the abdominal wall but also areas that couldn’t be stimulated during missionary position. As Aaron pressed his chest tightly against Je-rim’s back and thrust his hips as if to shove in even his scrotum, a bulging contour appeared on Je-rim’s lower belly.

The thick, cylindrical contour blurred the shape of his abs. The tip of the contour even rose in a circle above the navel, personally imprinting the presence of how deep Aaron’s glans had penetrated. Je-rim, unable to close his mouth which was agape from panting, felt that contour with his trembling hand.

“Haeu, heu…. Fuck, this, ah!”

He wanted to demand if this was truly a human size, and what happened to the conscience of the man who shoved this thing in all the way instantly, but nasal moans leaked out randomly from his mouth. Beside the faint pain sat an overwhelming amount of pleasure and arousal.

How… how can it feel so good to have this thing inside? Just what does a body have to be like for this thing to…. Je-rim’s eyes, devoid of light, shook blankly in sync with his body as it was pounded.

Though he didn’t want to admit it, even the grotesque outline bulging beneath the skin of his stomach served as a powerful visual stimulant. Seeing with his own eyes exactly how much of Aaron’s cock he was housing sent a strange sense of satisfaction and euphoria eating away at Je-rim’s insides. Because of this, even as he recoiled in horror, Je-rim stroked his abdomen, which rose and fell in rhythm with Aaron’s thrusts.

“Haa… touch me more. It feels, kh, like you’re touching my dick directly, fuu, I love it.”

“Nngh! Ah, ah-euk, eu, hng, ah-eung!”

Aaron hooked Je-rim’s left leg over the back of the sofa and, gripping Je-rim’s waist with both hands, repeatedly pulled him down and pushed him up in time with his thrusts. The sofa was too narrow for two adult men to lie side-by-side comfortably, making it difficult to drive in with the kind of force that would crush Je-rim’s buttocks to his heart’s content.

Instead, he shook Je-rim’s body up and down, ravaging the inner walls as if piercing through them with his cock. The gels pooled in the winding crevices of the inner walls melted from the frictional heat and flowed out in streams. Every time the dark red cock slid impatiently in and out of the swollen, deep pink hole, the junction squelched and clacked with strange, wet sounds.

“Ha-euk, kh! Hng, it feels good, ah! Ah-euk…”

Without realizing it, Je-rim slid his hand under his left thigh to support his leg, while using his other hand to gently stroke his stomach as Aaron had told him to. Whenever he felt a rounded shape beneath his palm, he would try pressing down firmly.

“Kh! Fuck…”

Then, Aaron would mutter curses into his ear in a chillingly low voice and slam his cock even deeper inside. As his prostate was crushed haphazardly, a pleasure akin to rubbing the most sensitive membranes with ice surged through him. The hot breath warming his eardrums felt as if it were melting his brain into mush.

It felt too, too good—he felt like he was going crazy. Saying it was “mind-blowingly good” wasn’t enough. If he could, he wanted to spend all day, every day for days on end, doing nothing but having sex with Aaron. He wanted to throw away the league, the training, and his entire daily life—to stop thinking altogether and just lounge around, sweating and mating like dogs in heat.

Now that he had started sleeping with Aaron again, had his mind drifted back to those old days? No, he didn’t think it was this intense back then… In fact, since they both lived in the dorms and had many small distractions like first-team call-ups, they couldn’t even date often. At most, they would sneak into each other’s rooms after lights-out for secret trysts.

“There, ah! More, h-euuu, harder… euk, h-aa!”

“Here?”

“Yes, nngh, h-eup! Aaron, deeper…!”

He had absolutely never begged to be fucked like this before. As Je-rim urged him on by shaking his hips slightly, Aaron gripped his pelvis as if to crush it, pinning the spot Je-rim wanted ravaged and continuing the rough thrusting. The sensation of that exact spot being ground down—the place he had hoped would be pierced harder—made Je-rim throw his head back and let out a sharp cry.

Aaron paused while peppering Je-rim’s hair with kisses to nibble on his earlobe. The bumpy piece of flesh was sucked into Aaron’s mouth and grew damp. Into his ear, which was ringing dully from the stickiness, came a warning that sounded like a sigh.

“Je-rim, kh! Je-rim… I’ll do everything you want, so you must never meet anyone else.”

“Ah-euk! Yes, eu, ha-eung! Just, just a little, slow… hik!”

“Make sure you keep that promise. Only for me, fu, don’t say anything…”

“I, I said I would… nngh, ah, aaah!”

As the blunt glans focused on pounding the most sensitive spot as if tamping it down, Je-rim’s vision began to spin. His Adam’s apple protruded sharply above his neck, which had turned bright red from the exertion. The inner walls tightened and released their muscles powerfully, clingily enveloping the cock that continued to stir and carve a path inside.

The richly melted inner flesh clung tightly to the surface of the vein-ridged cock. As it pushed further and further in, carving through that flesh, the viscous inner walls were forced to let go of the cock, creating a squelching, dripping sound.

“Ah-eu, too, deep…!”

Despite having begged with his whole body to be fucked, Je-rim, now whimpering at the pleasure that had crossed the line, hurriedly wrapped his hand around the tip of his own cock. The moment Aaron pulled his waist back, drawing Je-rim’s body out completely before slamming back in with a thwack!, white semen gushed out of Je-rim’s glans.

Catching his own semen in his palm by a hair’s breadth, Je-rim’s toes trembled violently. His insides contracted tightly without a single gap, squeezing Aaron’s cock buried within. Because the inner walls were chewing and grinding as if to engrave the shape of the cock they held, Je-rim’s cock twitched even more violently, spurting white fluid.

“Euk…”

Even amidst that painful pleasure, Aaron grit his teeth and held back his ejaculation. His eyes, shining intensely like a beast’s, turned toward Je-rim’s hand gripping the head of his cock. Without hesitation, he pulled Je-rim’s arm away and brought the palm, smeared with sticky semen, to his own lips.

“What a waste.”

As he stuck out his tongue to lick between the white fingers and sweep along the palm lines to steal the semen, Je-rim’s eyes, which had been cast down in arousal, flew wide open. His pale wrist, where the branches of blue veins were clearly visible, tensed as if wanting to avoid the tongue, but Aaron didn’t care and sucked Je-rim’s fingers all the way to the tips of his nails.

“Hey, what… are you crazy?”

The way he breathed heavily, his whole body melting from the post-orgasmic pleasure while still spitting out harsh words in shock, was exactly as he usually was, making him incredibly lovely. Aaron licked every last drop of semen from Je-rim’s hand and slowly resumed the thrusting he had paused to endure the pressure of the tightening inner walls.

“You eat my semen too. With this.”

As he stirred the cock that had been merely parked in the hole, saying “with this,” Je-rim’s body, trapped in his arms, jolted. As if ruminating on the pleasure of ejaculation, the inner flesh trembled slightly and welcomingly bit into the cock that was once again pushing inside. Only Je-rim let out dying sounds, falling apart.

“Ah! Wait, not yet, ah-euuung!”

Unlike before, when he had been thrusting violently as if grinding his insides—as if something had snapped in his head—this time the insertions were quite gentle. The shaft, which had been halfway in, slowly slid deeper, sweeping across every tiny protrusion and slick crevice of the inner walls. The squelching sound that had rung incessantly whenever Aaron thrust now spread slowly with a zz-euk.

It felt as if his internal organs were being slowly rolled upward. Very slowly and carefully. Moreover, the membranes, which had become hypersensitive shortly after ejaculating, were being rubbed all over by the grotesque cock. The rough insertions from before, which had left him only able to let out fragmented moans, had been agonizing, but this was even more so.

After leisurely burying himself to the root, Aaron rotated his hips in a slow, grinding circle, poking at the inside of the belly as if to tease it. The bulging glans poked here and there against the inner walls, pouring out sporadic bursts of pleasure. No matter where he was poked, a tingling sensation raced through his entire body. Je-rim writhed, groaning with his mouth wide open.

The tingling pain that had been flowing through his head, lower abdomen, and toes gradually gathered into one, reminding him of a familiar urge. The urge to urinate. Having experienced it once before, Je-rim could easily tell that this urge was on a different wavelength from the urge to ejaculate. And that it would be released in a form entirely different from ejaculation.

“No, no, ah, aaah, hik! Wait a second…!”

The amount of semen wasn’t much, so he had managed to catch most of it with his hand, but this… this was too much. Not only would the sofa, the living room floor, and the coffee table be a mess, but if things went wrong, Aaron’s gift hidden in the empty drawer space under the table would be completely soaked. No matter how lacking his conscience might be, he didn’t want to give a birthday present drenched in his own bodily fluids.

He suspected this pervert might actually prefer it that way, and in a sense, it was his own fault, so Aaron probably wouldn’t blame him even if it got wet. Regardless, his own feelings as the giver mattered. More than anything, the mere thought of picking up a soaked gift and handing it over filled him with aversion.

But even as he pleaded for him to stop for a moment, Aaron thoroughly ignored this request, as he always did. The hot, thick cock slowly scraped against the heated inner walls, repeatedly thrusting its thick head in, only changing direction. The skin of his belly bulged again above the point where the glans was gouging.

Left with no choice, Je-rim lowered his raised left leg and pressed his thighs together. It was a calculated move, thinking that narrowing the inside would prevent Aaron from thrusting in as he pleased. However, this was a complete miscalculation.

“…Ah, hnggh!”

Aaron moved the hand that had been holding Je-rim’s pelvis down, burying his fingers into the flesh of his buttocks and pulling them apart. White flesh peeked out between the thick, dark fingers. Once the junction gripping the cock was fully exposed, Aaron pushed aside the inner flesh around the plumply swollen hole and forced his way in with difficulty.

“Whew… Je-rim, why are you closing your legs? Do you like this better?”

“No, fuck, ha-euk! Pull, pull it, ugh, aaah!”

He forced his way through the narrowed gaps of muscle, positioning himself so the cock could move more easily. Even when receiving it with legs wide open, the object was of a size that felt overwhelming, yet it relentlessly plowed through his belly where there was no space to spare. A natural wave of nausea surged, and the pain of feeling as if his body were being split vertically and a tight pleasure simultaneously struck his nerves.

His body reflexively moved to choose the familiar pleasure over the unfamiliar pain. Raising one leg high again, Je-rim twitched his toes, stretching his calves as if they were about to cramp, and gasped for air. With deep breaths alone, he could endure most pain, including the nausea. Physiological tears were barely clinging to the corners of his cool eyes.

The hand that had been squeezing his buttocks as if crushing them moved further down. Even lower than the hole that was stretched tight without a single wrinkle, gripping the cock. The moment his perineum was pressed firmly, Je-rim rubbed the back of his head against Aaron’s shoulder and let out a shrill scream.

“Ah!”

“Your hole, your perineum, and your cock are all so plump… I love it. It’s fucking hot every time I touch them.”

“Fuck, you crazy, psycho bastard! Hik, ngh, uuuugh!”

It was already an ordeal just taking in a cock the size of a forearm, but with the bottom pierced and the perineum being pressed firmly in sync with the thrusting movements, his eyes rolled back. Because Aaron’s cock was buried from behind, the perineum was also plumply protruding; whenever the surface of the skin was pressed, Aaron’s cock inside was pressed along with it, stimulating the inner walls all at once.

At the peak of pleasure, his eyelids fluttered involuntarily. Halos of light sparked like electricity, severing the circuits of his brain. Momentarily holding his breath, Je-rim finally sobbed, his mouth falling open. Just as tears streamed from the corners of his eyes, saliva leaked from the corners of his mouth.

And then, like a dam bursting, fluid shot out from the tip of his cock. With the last remnants of his reason, he tried to block the front as he did when ejaculating, but it was futile. As soon as Je-rim sensed his limit, instead of blocking the front, he firmly gripped the violently shaking shaft of his cock.

“Ah, hngh….”

The powerfully shooting stream of fluid pooled atop the transparent glass surface covering the coffee table, and the overflowing amount dripped down, dirtying the floor. Fluid also pooled in Je-rim’s grip, flowing over the leather of the sofa.

Relieved that he had avoided dirtying the empty space inside the table, Je-rim let the remaining fluid trickle out. The water, which had been pouring like a fountain for a while, eventually flowed weakly like a stream, soaking only the sofa.

As if determined to expel every last drop of fluid, Je-rim’s body tightened his abdominal muscles and squeezed his belly and the inner walls. At a contraction far more intense than during ejaculation, Aaron also let out a groan mixed with pain, pressing his lips into Je-rim’s shoulder.

“Kgh, hng…!”

Simultaneously, the cock inside his belly twitched violently, and his internals began to fill with a viscous liquid. Through a vision blurred by ecstasy, Je-rim watched the fluid dripping, and only then did he suddenly remember that they had had sex without a condom. He had said he couldn’t use one last time because there weren’t any, but this time, they were at home and yet….

But well, did it matter? The irregular breathing confusing his ears was a far more important matter right now. Je-rim turned his head back to find Aaron’s lips. When he tapped his chin as a signal, Aaron lunged in and captured his lips.

Kissing until the ejaculation was completely finished and quenching his thirst with Je-rim’s saliva, Aaron finally lifted his body and pulled out his cock. As the hole that had been tightly clamped around the cock opened, a dirty mixture of melted gel and the semen spent inside poured out sloppily along the shaft.

The sensation of the shaft scraping out of the damp interior was so stinging that he jerked his thighs. Aaron, sitting at Je-rim’s feet, this time grabbed and lifted his right ankle, pressing his lips repeatedly against the top of his foot and ankle.

“Your ankles… just looking at them turns me on.”

Naturally, feet that had been overworked since childhood were not particularly pretty. This would be the case not only for Je-rim but for all soccer players. His ankles were full of various scars, and since they were thick enough to support legs filled with muscle, they were absolutely not a pretty shape that suited the expression ‘turns me on.’

However, as if he couldn’t stand how lovely they were, Aaron carefully brushed his lips over the scars. And separate from his affectionate actions, he was already gripping his half-erect cock and stroking it vigorously. As the fist-sized head of the cock peeked out from his gripped hand, white foam formed on the thick shaft, which was smeared with the semen he had just released.

For some reason, Je-rim couldn’t take his eyes off that filthily erotic sight, forgetting even to pull his ankle away as he blankly watched Aaron masturbate. With his eyes cast down and brow furrowed, Aaron masturbated while kissing the top of Je-rim’s foot, his ankle, and the inside of his calf.

‘Turns me on’… that expression is fitting for a sight like that. Not for my ankle. Seriously, he’s an incomprehensible bastard.

While blankly contemplating this and watching, he suddenly locked eyes with the man who had looked up. Je-rim hurriedly turned his head and twisted his ankle away. At that, Aaron twisted his lips mischievously and firmly pressed the exposed perineum again.

“…Hng! Ha-eu….”

At a stimulation he never got used to no matter how many times it happened, Je-rim’s waist lurched and the muscles of his entire body contracted sharply. Consequently, the semen pooled in his belly surged out again. Whenever the perineum was pressed, the plump skin dipped in, and the hole gaped open, spitting out the liquid it had been holding. Aaron’s smile didn’t fade, as if that sight were immensely satisfying.

“The way your hole twitches is hot too.”

“Please, just….”

The touch that tormented his perineum and hole in succession while shaking a cock like a horse’s was both erotic and incredibly annoying. When he shuddered and mumbled, meaning for him to stop acting like a pervert, Aaron seemed to interpret it as something else and suddenly put on a compliant expression.

With the corners of his eyes and eyebrows lowered, wearing a gentle eye-smile, and a faint smile on his naturally closed lips, he coaxed him in a voice that sounded like he was acting spoiled. It was a temptation Je-rim could never refuse.

“Yes. Just one more time….”

“Ah…!”

The cock, which had become a cloudy white, losing its original color due to the clumping semen, pushed through the messy hole and thrust in deeply. The hole, unable to close due to the continuous stimulation, could not resist and took in the cock that was being driven in haphazardly. Drained of strength, Je-rim only twitched his toes and let out a low moan.

“Hng, I didn’t expect, hngh, you to end it with one, you pervert bastard….”

“Mm-hmm. As expected, you’re smart, Bunny.”

“That nickname, seriously, I hate— ah-hng!”

“Why on earth? You’re white all the way down here. You really are like a rabbit.”

Je-rim finally gave up at the fingers that kneaded his buttocks and tapped his perineum like playing a keyboard. He instinctively lifted his buttocks slightly and, while wrapping his arms around Aaron’s shoulders, obediently spread his legs. All while blocking Aaron’s lips so he couldn’t spout any more bullshit about how pretty his cock was, how his ankles were hot, or how his perineum was plump and white like a rabbit.

The growling moan Je-rim had wanted to hear leaked into his mouth.

✲✲✲

From his distant childhood until now, the word ‘restraint’ had naturally permeated every part of Je-rim’s daily life.

Even with the cake he ate on his birthday, he would put down the utensils even if he wanted just one more bite; even if he wanted to go play with friends after school, he would endure it and go to training; he obsessively adjusted his life patterns for fear of breaking his biological rhythm; and even when the soles of his feet were blistered, instead of complaining of pain, he would tighten his soccer cleats further and run with all his might….

Since a life of restraint had become his norm, he thought he was an expert at suppressing his desires.

“Ha, fuck….”

So why was it that he couldn’t exercise restraint when it came to sex with Aaron? Je-rim muttered a curse as he felt the large body firmly covering his back. For the record, this was the first thing he said upon waking up today.

Beyond the window clearly visible from the bed, sunny weather unfolded like a painting, with the sun shining brightly for once. He would have felt less guilt if the sky had been gloomy and he couldn’t gauge the time, but judging by the height of the sun, it was midday. He had missed his wake-up time again. It was only natural, considering they had been clinging to each other like animals until dawn….

After doing it for a long time in an uncomfortable position tangled on the narrow sofa, they moved to the bed saying they should stop around here, and then they did it like crazy. Stop my ass. At this point, he wondered if they were both just sex-crazed. For Je-rim, who had always considered himself quite modest sexually, his recent daily life had come as a significant shock.

Moreover, why was this guy sleeping in such an uncomfortable position, wrapping himself around him? It was just as he was trying to gently push away Aaron’s arm entwined around his chest and quietly leave the bed. As soon as he sat up, his wrist was grabbed again and he was pulled back into the broad chest. A deep, sleep-laden voice echoed above Je-rim’s head.

“Where are you going…. Cursing the moment you wake up.”

His voice, already low, sounded as if he were speaking from inside a cave due to the thick layer of sleepiness. The heavy bass voice lingered stubbornly in Je-rim’s ear. Je-rim shuddered involuntarily and only lifted his head slightly.

“What. Do you understand Korean?”

“I know ‘fuck’…. and ‘son of a bitch.’ Ah, ‘crazy bastard’ too. Because you say them so often.”

The thought that he only knew words that suited himself crossed his mind, but he didn’t have the energy to fight the moment he woke up, so he kept it to himself.

“If you’re awake, you get up too. The sun is high in the sky.”

“Let’s just lie down a bit more. It’d be even better if we did it one more time.”

Simultaneously, kisses landed on his forehead, the rim and lobe of his ear, and continuing down to his jaw and nape. Je-rim trembled and resisted desperately. For him, Aaron’s ‘one more time’ had long since become a promise less believable than the pledges put out by politicians. The moment they started clinging again, it would be evening before he knew it.

“You crazy bastard. Stop it already, please.”

“Why? When you’re doing it, you’re the one who’s so good you practically fall apart.”

“Shut up.”

He was already feeling troubled for that very reason. Struck right in the mark, Je-rim instinctively hit Aaron’s chest. The elastic skin, packed with muscle, felt firm against his palm.

What is this, this firmness that feels different from fat….

At the unexpectedly good tactile sensation, Je-rim blankly looked at his own palm. Aaron let out a half-hearted moan of pain and hugged Je-rim even tighter. Je-rim, whose face was now completely buried in the broad chest he had just admired for its firmness, struggled for breath.

“Je-rim, I’ll put up with you grabbing my hair and kicking me whenever we have sex, but stop hitting me normally. Do you know how much my body is worth?”

At that remark, Je-rim’s struggling stopped abruptly.

It was true that his behavior seemed exceptionally violent when having sex with Aaron…. He hadn’t had this habit before…. No, if he had, things would have gone wrong a long time ago.

No matter who he met, he had never been told he had bad manners in bed. First of all, Je-rim himself preferred sex where he led gently in a playful atmosphere, so he was far from being evaluated as violent or rough.

But why did his hands and feet move on their own when he was with Aaron…. Was it because Aaron was clearly physically superior to him, so there was nothing to hold back?

No, that couldn’t be it, because he wasn’t like this back when he and Aaron dated a long time ago. The habit of kicking had developed recently because that guy always pushed him to his limit. As for the hair-pulling, it was just because seeing him disheveled was hot…. Like how he got hard after seeing blood smeared on his lips….

Thinking back, it seemed that the time Aaron had a nosebleed a long time ago was the starting point for all these fetishes. Even then, seeing that dangerously handsome face dripping blood while he flustered and didn’t know what to do was so cute it turned him on.

‘…I’m in no position to criticize that guy.’

Both of them were nothing but a pair of perverts. How did they end up dating, breaking up, and then becoming sex partners? Je-rim expressed the surging sense of self-loathing through an aggressive comment toward the other. It was a very bad habit.

“…Every time you say things like that, you sound like a ridiculously expensive call boy.”

“Since I’m serving you with this expensive body until you fall apart, I guess I am a call boy.”

And that bad habit ended up with him tucking his tail in front of a man who never lost a single word and always fired it back. Je-rim chewed on the feeling of defeat and buried his flushed face in the pillow. No matter how much he hated losing an argument, the brazenness of calling himself a male prostitute so casually was appalling.

“Do you have no sense of shame?”

“Not really…. It’s not like we’ve only known each other for a day or two. Do I really need to maintain that kind of thing in front of you?”

We’ve already seen everything. Je-rim readily agreed with the following words. When they were young, they must have fought huge battles showing each other their absolute worst, and they’d had sex so many times that now, lying together naked didn’t even feel strange.

It was right after that Aaron, chuckling while hugging the now-quiet Je-rim, slowly traced down Je-rim’s lower back with just the tips of his fingers.

“Let’s do it one more time to feel refreshed. I love having sex with you because my body feels lighter. Don’t you?”

“You’re probably the only crazy person in the world who uses being a captain for that kind of reasoning.”

“My body has to be light for my performance to improve. Taking care of the teammates’ condition is strictly a captain’s duty.”

“Then if other guys whine that their bodies feel heavy, you’ll have to give it to them too? Because you’re the captain?”

Je-rim retorted in disbelief at the behavior of bringing in such absurd sophistry just because he wanted to have sex the moment he woke up. In reality, there was no way anyone would demand such a thing, and even if they did, he would personally bury them in a place where the sun doesn’t shine. It was a joke he could make knowing it would never happen.

It really was a joke.

“…What?”

Aaron, who had been grinning until a moment ago, suddenly pinned Je-rim down and became so serious it was embarrassing for the person facing him. What a drastic change in expression. He pressed down as if intending to bury him in the bed sheets, grinding his teeth.

“Don’t talk bullshit. You were like this even when I first transferred. Did you watch some fucking porn? Is that your fetish? Rolling around with teammates? Is that why you keep spouting that kind of shit?”

“Are you crazy? Your logic is exactly like that fucking porn right now.”

“I thought we agreed to maintain professional ethics. But the moment you open your eyes, you’re already plotting how to break them? And you said you haven’t met any men since me. But how does that slutty talk about giving it up easily just flow out of you? What is actually wrong with—”

Before he could say more, Je-rim reached out and grabbed Aaron’s lips. He clamped the two lips that had been pouring out criticism without pause, as if pinching them together, and Je-rim also exploded in anger.

“That fucking slut talk, fuck! I’m sick of hearing it! Can’t I even make a joke? After you’re the one who said something weird first!”

Let’s just say that since it happened during the early days of Aaron’s transfer, when they were fighting after not seeing each other for a long time, Aaron believed it in the heat of the moment just to piss him off. However, Je-rim couldn’t understand why Aaron still took that joke seriously, even after spending several months rubbing shoulders with him and the other Sefton teammates.

Does this guy seriously think I’m the kind of person who would actually put something like that into practice…? Just how does he view me? And what kind of perverted group does he think my other teammates are…?

A flicker of curiosity rose within him, but he stopped himself, fearing that asking might lead to an overly honest answer that would only ruin his mood. Aaron seemed to have calmed the fire in his eyes upon hearing the word “joke.” Je-rim released Aaron’s lips and pushed his face away.

“Anyway, no more for today, seriously. If you keep begging, you’re not getting your present.”

“Ah, the present.”

Aaron fell for the threat instantly, despite it being something an elementary school student would scoff at. Je-rim was speechless as Aaron immediately stood up and strode away. So, material greed does outweigh sexual desire, huh?

He didn’t know whether to call this a relief or feel insulted. Je-rim stared blankly at Aaron’s back as he picked up his robe from the floor and put it on, a strange, slight frown appearing on his face.

After putting on his underwear and pants and heading down to the living room, the carnage from the previous night, which he hadn’t managed to clean up, was laid bare. Je-rim rubbed his face with his hand as he looked around the sofa, floor, and coffee table, which were covered in traces too explicit to put into words.

“…What a mess. When am I ever going to clean all this up…?”

“I’ll clean it. As long as you give me the present.”

It was a welcome offer, but the excessive obsession with the gift was strange. Je-rim shot Aaron a suspicious glance and pulled a small gift box out of an empty drawer in the table.

Fortunately, the exterior of the box was intact, without a single wet spot. He tossed it onto Aaron’s palm, adding a scolding remark.

“Have you never received birthday presents before? Here.”

“You put it in there?”

“Yeah. I went through hell yesterday trying to make sure no water splashed on it… Phew. Even if it’s a bit damp, it’s your fault, so just take it quietly.”

“Actually, that’s even better. I shouldn’t throw away the wrapping paper.”

“…”

This hopeless pervert, Je-rim thought, and Aaron burst into a hearty laugh, as if reading the contempt written all over his face.

“But Je-rim, is this it? I don’t think I heard a single ‘happy birthday’ from you yesterday.”

Je-rim had hoped to slip past it quietly, like a snake crossing a wall. Now that the topic had inevitably come up, Je-rim cast his eyes downward.

“What does a guy whose birthday has already passed want…”

“If you don’t do it, I’m not taking the present.”

“What kind of new threat is this?”

Despite his words, Je-rim was aware that it would be incredibly bizarre not to offer congratulations when he had gone as far as providing a custom-made gift. Ugh, but I really hate this stuff, it’s so embarrassing. After choosing his words for a moment, Je-rim cleared his throat and squeezed his brain for something to say.

“…Happy birthday. Thanks for coming to our team, and like I said before, let’s work hard together until we win the Champions.”

The mindless chatter that flowed so easily during interviews or in normal situations became exceptionally scarce in front of Aaron. Aaron let out a hollow laugh at the witless congratulatory speech that felt like a principal’s morning address.

“A congratulatory speech with not a single drop of romance in it.”

“Whatever. Hey, I gave you a present, I congratulated you, and I fucked you plenty, so what more do you want?”

“Your lines right now sound exactly like a call boy’s.”

“Fine, whatever. Do you think it’s common for a captain who’s just as expensive as you are to do this much for a teammate? Be grateful.”

It wasn’t an exaggeration; he had poured his body, mind, money, and time into Aaron’s birthday. While the sex wasn’t specifically intended as a way to celebrate his birthday, regardless, the gift was something he had prepared with great care in various ways to express his gratitude, as he had promised before.

“True, a captain who fucks you on your birthday isn’t common. Well, given your personality, those words were probably squeezed out of you.”

Aaron shrugged, as if he were satisfied enough to let it go.

“I’ll take it gratefully. Oh, can I open the present now?”

“Do whatever you want.”

Je-rim watched anxiously, wondering if Aaron would actually keep the wrapping paper, which might have had something splashed on it. Fortunately, the previous comment had just been a joke, as Aaron immediately tore the paper and threw it away. Then, he opened the case with an unhesitating hand and froze on the spot.

Meeting those slightly dilated pupils, Je-rim swallowed hard.

Does he not like it? It’s custom-made, so there are no refunds or exchanges. Since he had requested a design that would only suit Aaron, it would be awkward to sell it to someone else. But then again, it might have been an inappropriate gift for an athlete who wore training gear or easy-to-wear casual clothes almost every day.

Following Aaron’s gaze, Je-rim looked at the cufflinks and tie pin resting on black velvet inside the small case and added cautiously.

“Our club’s Danbok has a rather plain design. That’s why everyone uses things like these as accents. Even if it’s not for the Danbok, you can use them when you attend official events… I had them made to suit you, not just the clothes…”

He worked hard to emphasize that while they might not be used often, they would be useful when needed. In fact, they were accessories that Je-rim and other teammates frequently paired with their all-black suit Danboks, which were clean but lacked character.

However, since Aaron hadn’t had many opportunities to wear the Danbok since his transfer, he had always worn the plain, basic cufflinks… After agonizing for days over what would make a good gift, this item had come to him like a bolt of lightning the moment he saw Aaron in the Danbok.

Before the nagging about how he should dress up a bit more could follow, Aaron’s question cut in first.

“Did you design this?”

“If I had that kind of talent, I wouldn’t have become a football player. I left it to the exclusive designer for our Danbok brand. For your information, everything embedded in there is natural diamond.”

Since it was for Aaron, he had asked the designer to make it suit him. The designer, seemingly moved by the hint that the cost didn’t need to be considered, seemed to have poured the soul of a craftsman into these small accessories.

Every single tiny part was crafted from top-grade natural gemstones, and on top of the luxury brand’s name value, there was the premium of a personal custom order. Thus, a monster was born—the smallest gift Je-rim had ever given anyone, yet boasting the most expensive price tag.

“The part where it’s newly designed and engraved like my name’s emblem? Was that the designer’s idea too?”

“I asked for that…”

While he had left almost everything to the designer, the simple emblem engraved on the back of the cufflink gemstones was something Je-rim had specifically requested.

Of course, Je-rim had only provided a rough explanation of the feeling he wanted and a scribbled concept, and it was the designer who had perfectly understood those terrible requirements and implemented them. But regardless, the original conception was indeed Je-rim’s.

Just as Je-rim puffed out his chest, thinking he’d take some credit, he gradually pursed his lips the moment he saw Aaron’s face.

“…I did.”

He felt like he was seeing that expression for the first time. Right now, he might be able to agree a hundred times over with his mother’s comment that Aaron seemed like a truly pure and kind boy.

It wasn’t a smile, nor was it the expression where his eyes curved softly as if he were acting absurdly cute. He was simply holding one cufflink high, tilting his head blankly as he held it up to the sunlight streaming through the window. His lips were parted just a fraction, and although he was looking up, his eyelids were half-closed.

For some reason, Je-rim couldn’t take his eyes off that unfiltered expression. The gemstones, shining brilliantly in the direct sunlight, sparkled within Aaron’s mysterious amber eyes. As if entranced, Aaron admired the gift before placing the cufflink back in the case and finally beaming a smile.

“…This is the favorite gift I’ve ever received in my life.”

“…”

“Thanks, Je-rim.”

Even a sincere thank-you without elaborate modifiers felt somehow suffocating, so Je-rim only gave a small nod. He couldn’t even think of a mindless retort, like telling him to hurry up and clean the living room or make some food if he was so grateful.

He simply mirrored the expression Aaron had made, capturing this moment in his eyes as if preserving it forever. Though he was clearly the one who gave the gift, he felt bewildered by the surging emotion, as if he were the one who had received an unforgettable present.