2 – Prisoner’s Dilemma (7)

Chapter 6

Hyun-woo, who had been so distracted by the sea that he discovered Hae-won’s face far too late, let his jaw drop. His frustration toward Hae-won for disappearing without a word evaporated, replaced by a surge of rage toward Seo Hae-young. Hae-won was exhausted from trying to hold back Hyun-woo, who was screaming at the top of his lungs and grabbing Seo Hae-young by the collar. They eventually managed to calm Hyun-woo down and get into the car, but naturally, the atmosphere was far from pleasant.

“You fucking piece of shit… You’re laughing? No, is this something to laugh at? Use your words, damn it!”

“I did use my words.”

Leaning his head on Hae-won’s shoulder, Seo Hae-young smiled nonchalantly and toyed with his hands. He took Hae-won’s limp arm and lightly tapped their palms together before sliding his fingers in to interlace them. Gripping the steering wheel, Hyun-woo slammed the horn repeatedly against the empty road as if venting his anger.

Having had his straw hat snatched away by Hyun-woo, Hae-won rubbed his stomach—where bruises were even worse than those on his face—and turned his gaze toward the approaching villa. Hyun-woo glanced at Hae-won in the rearview mirror, seeing him devoid of any thought, and let out a deep sigh.

“Hey, you too. When you get hit, huh? Hit back!”

“I don’t have money.”

Upon hearing the blunt response, Hyun-woo let out a hollow laugh and pulled the car into the parking lot.

“Both of you are fucking crazy, seriously…”

Whether it was the one hitting or the one taking it without a single act of resistance, they were a perfect match. The scene he had witnessed this morning was unsettling enough, but it was simply bizarre how much Yoon Hae-won deferred to Seo Hae-young. Hyun-woo frowned, glaring at the two as they entered the villa. It felt like there were things happening between them that he didn’t know about; if he pried, Seo Hae-young would deflect, and Yoon Hae-won would shut his mouth. It was obvious. No matter how many frustrated sighs he let out, the feeling in his chest wouldn’t clear.

“Hey, you son of a bitch.”

And so, he punched Go Tae-gyeom in the shoulder as the latter stood by the car smoking. Having apparently inhaled some smoke, Tae-gyeom coughed and looked at Hyun-woo with an incredulous expression. Hyun-woo lowered his voice and quickly vented his anger.

“I don’t give a fuck if you two are dating. But for fuck’s sake, shouldn’t you stop Seo Hae-young when he hits him? No, am I the weird one here?”

Tae-gyeom met the eyes of the visibly displeased Hyun-woo, took a long drag of the filter, and dropped the butt to the ground. A cloud of pale smoke drifted from between his lips.

“Why should I care about their business?”

“…Aren’t they dating because they like each other?”

Stunned by Tae-gyeom’s detached response, Hyun-woo hesitated, his mind becoming cluttered as he tried to voice his opinion. Was he being too nosy? Was it strange to be this angry? He felt that as a friend, this level of anger was justified, but apparently not for Go Tae-gyeom. It was confusing.

As expected, Tae-gyeom knit his brows deeply. He stepped on the cigarette butt to completely extinguish it and suddenly spat out a curse.

“Dating, my ass… Why. If you want to do it once, why don’t you tell Yoon Hae-won?”

“…Are you crazy? Out of your mind?”

Gasping, Hyun-woo quickly looked around to see if Yoon Hae-won was nearby.

“No… Hyun-woo.”

Sighing, Tae-gyeom turned toward Hyun-woo. He tapped the nearly empty cigarette pack against his palm and looked up with irritated eyes.

“Fuck… Did you think I didn’t know you’ve been popping in and out of Yoon Hae-won’s house?”

“That’s just because he doesn’t eat properly, so…”

Flustered, Hyun-woo offered a plausible excuse, arguing that it was normal for friends to do that. However, Tae-gyeom slowly shook his head and began, “No—”

“Have you ever gone to other guys’ houses like that? There’s gotta be something… Not just ‘liking’ him or whatever. You’ve got the urge to try it once, you fucker…”

Hyun-woo chewed his lip, his brows furrowing. For some reason, Go Tae-gyeom was being excessively aggressive. He forced a smile and shook his head.

“I did it because we’re close, you idiot. Anyway, my point is, if they’re dating, then in that way…”

“Fuck, seriously…”

Cutting Hyun-woo off, Tae-gyeom turned around and strode toward the villa, grinding his teeth.

“Follow me. Let’s see if you can fucking hold out without putting it in.”

Once inside, Tae-gyeom pulled the bewildered Hyun-woo, who was standing in the entryway, and locked the front door. He walked around the first floor, firmly locking every window and door that led outside, and then entered the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator, took out a water bottle, unscrewed the cap, and handed it to Hyun-woo. Having taken the bottle instinctively and gulped it down, Hyun-woo suddenly coughed and spat the water out.

“You piece of…! Is this soju? This is soju!”

“Yeah. Get a little drunk.”

“What the… fuck… What are you doing right now?”

Having swallowed half a bottle, Hyun-woo wiped his lips and stared blankly at Tae-gyeom, who was suddenly acting strange. Ignoring his gaze, Tae-gyeom grabbed a fresh bottle of water and headed for the second floor. As he climbed the stairs, he called out a name loud enough to echo through the entire house.

“Hae-won—! Yoon Hae-won!”

Hyun-woo hurriedly followed, trying to grab Tae-gyeom’s arm, but his hand only sliced through the empty air. The shot of soju he had gulped down disrupted the balance of someone who wasn’t particularly strong with alcohol. In the meantime, Tae-gyeom had completely climbed the stairs, crossed the living room, and stood before Hae-won, who was rummaging through a bag.

Hae-won, who had been checking the bribes he intended to give Seo Hae-young, sensed something strange and shoved the box deep into his bag. Go Tae-gyeom, looking down at him, was overbearing. Behind the visibly moody Tae-gyeom, Hyun-woo was following urgently. Reading the room, Hae-won pushed his bag back and spoke.

“…What.”

“What do you mean ‘what,’ Joo Hyun-woo seems to have misunderstood something.”

“Hey, Hae-won. Go back down, quickly.”

Pushing Tae-gyeom’s shoulder aside, Hyun-woo pulled Hae-won up and pushed him toward the stairs. Hae-won instinctively took a hurried step, but his forearm was suddenly gripped by a hand.

“Fuck, where do you think you’re going?”

Roughly seized by Tae-gyeom, Hae-won was dragged into a spacious room. His limp body was dropped onto a wide bed. He quickly tried to put strength into his limbs to escape, but Tae-gyeom climbed on top of his stomach and pinned his shoulders down. Terrified, Hae-won pushed against the thick thighs and threw a pillow that he managed to grab.

“What, what are you doing right now!”

“No, fuck… Joo Hyun-woo says we’re dating. Does that make any sense?”

Tae-gyeom snatched the pillow that had fallen after hitting his face, threw it off the bed, and ripped off Hae-won’s t-shirt in one go. Unable to process the situation spiraling out of control, Hyun-woo, who had been standing by the door, quickly stepped forward upon seeing Hae-won’s naked torso. Deep purple bruises were vivid on his stomach and sides.

“Are you insane, Go Tae-gyeom! Get off him, now…!”

Just as he grabbed Tae-gyeom’s shoulder to pull him away from Hae-won, the bathroom door clicked open. Seo Hae-young, who had just finished showering and was putting on a t-shirt, stopped in his tracks upon discovering the three people entangled on the bed. Hyun-woo’s expression brightened instantly. Pulling on Tae-gyeom, he hurriedly signaled to Seo Hae-young.

“Hey, hey! Hurry up and take Hae-won away!”

Nonchalantly finishing dressing, Seo Hae-young walked over to the bed.

“What are you guys doing?”

Receiving the gazes of Hae-won, who was pushing against Tae-gyeom’s chest, and Hyun-woo, who was trying to stop him, Seo Hae-young flopped down onto a single-person sofa and shook his wet hair.

“Hae, Hae-young… This guy suddenly…!”

Hae-won’s lips trembled as he reached out toward Seo Hae-young. His desperately extended palm was pale. He thought he would be helped now. With Joo Hyun-woo here, he thought he would be helped.

But Seo Hae-young only stared blankly. Seeing the thin hand that no one took, Tae-gyeom sneered and promptly pulled down the loose pants and underwear Hae-won was wearing. Looking down at the smooth lower body illuminated by the sunset, Tae-gyeom muttered lowly.

“Hey. I’m using him first.”

Tossing his wet towel into the basket in front of the bathroom, Seo Hae-young stood up from the sofa.

“Sure.”

Along with that lingering response.

The extended palm curled back. Hae-won blankly followed Seo Hae-young with his eyes as he turned away from the bed.

Seo Hae-young put his arm around the shoulder of a frozen, horrified Hyun-woo and pulled him down onto the sofa. Standing behind the single-person sofa with a clear view of the bed, Seo Hae-young gripped Hyun-woo’s shoulder tightly to keep him from getting up. Hyun-woo’s attention was focused on Hae-won, pinned to the bed, rather than the stinging pain spreading from his shoulder.

“What… are you doing… Are you seriously crazy?”

Hyun-woo clenched his fists as he watched Tae-gyeom press Hae-won’s head into the bed while the latter struggled violently. He had thought they were dating Go Tae-gyeom, but he didn’t understand why Seo Hae-young was acting like this. His thought process stalled. Seo Hae-young massaged Hyun-woo’s shoulder firmly while taking in the sight of the screaming Hae-won.

“We’re friends. We should share the good things and the bad things too.”

Unable to look up at Seo Hae-young, who had begun to laugh unpleasantly, Hyun-woo could only stare in bewilderment at Hae-won’s exposed body. He had brushed off the bruises on his limbs, thinking they were just wounds from bumping into things. But as the parts hidden by clothes were revealed, it was clear they weren’t ordinary injuries. His stomach, sides, forearms, and thighs were mottled with large bruises. A trembling voice escaped him.

“You guys… did you force him…?”

“Ah, fuck… Just stay still.”

Hyun-woo’s question was drowned out by Tae-gyeom’s voice. At some point, Tae-gyeom grabbed both of Hae-won’s legs—who had stopped resisting out of shock—and held them tight with one arm, reaching out to Seo Hae-young.

“Give me some gel. I’m going in right away.”

Seo Hae-young, who had carelessly patted Hyun-woo’s shoulder and stepped into the bathroom, returned and tossed a tube of slippery gel and a single condom onto the bed. Then, he went back behind Hyun-woo and pressed down on his shoulders, holding him firmly so he couldn’t get up. Not that Hyun-woo even had the thought of getting up.

Opening the cap and carelessly pouring the gel onto Hae-won’s perineum, Tae-gyeom shoved two fingers inside. Suddenly snapping back to his senses, Hae-won reached for Tae-gyeom. As he gripped the t-shirt tightly and pulled it down, Tae-gyeom raised an eyebrow and leaned his head down to listen. The hand gripping the collar was shaking uncontrollably. Hae-won whispered very quietly, in a voice as small as an ant, into his ear.

“Joo Hyun-woo is here. Hyun-woo is here, you piece of shit… Tell him it’s a joke. I’ll suck it later, I’ll do whatever you want… Just say it’s a joke…”

Listening silently to the ticklish voice, Tae-gyeom snorted and stretched the hole open with two fingers. Thanks to having hammered into him yesterday, the inner walls opened wide, requiring little need for further loosening.

“Joke, my ass…”

Shoving away the hand on his collar, Tae-gyeom sneered loud enough for everyone in the room to hear.

“Joo Hyun-woo wants to try putting it in your hole. That’s why I brought him.”

“…What?”

“Joo Hyun-woo, after seeing you and me fucking, fuck, he got hard.”

Tae-gyeom broke the sentence into pieces to make it easy for Hae-won to understand, then spread his long legs, hooked one over Hae-won’s arm, and pressed his condom-clad member against the entrance. Hae-won slowly turned his head toward Hyun-woo on the sofa and Seo Hae-young standing behind him. Joo Hyun-woo looked completely spaced out. Meeting those unfocused eyes, Hae-won’s lips parted.

“W-when? When did you see…? When…”

No one in the room knew who the question was for. Seo Hae-young had already ignored the plea for help, Go Tae-gyeom was in the process of pushing his dick in, and Joo Hyun-woo, the final bastion, knew everything. He was the only one who had been anxious, knowing nothing. This, fucking, piece of shit…

“Ah, ack—!”

His jaw snapped back. The member pushed its way relentlessly into the hole. Hae-won writhed in pain, twisting his body. It wasn’t that the space between his buttocks hurt. Since two horse-sized dicks had taken turns widening him yesterday, it was just a manageable tightness. However, the pain wasn’t the problem. He felt like he was going insane.

Tae-gyeom, who had pushed the legs up so the buttocks were lifted, began thrusting hard from the start. He pushed his anger into the hole that swallowed his member without resistance, to the point where their groins collided with a slapping sound.

On the bed that swayed softly despite the violent movements, Hae-won clawed at his lower abdomen. He scratched with his nails and stood his fingers up, tearing at his skin as if he intended to rip out the flesh that surged beneath, panting heavily. Tae-gyeom looked down at Hae-won, who was acting like he’d lost his mind, and hammered his member in deep.

“Ah…! Ah, ack…”

Every time their groins collided, the gel wetting the lower body splashed. His toes curled instinctively. Hae-won covered his stomach, which was marked with red nail scratches, with his palm. He was terrified that Go Tae-gyeom’s dick might suddenly burst through the skin.

Watching the gel splatter onto the bedding with wide eyes, Hyun-woo swallowed hard. It felt like they were all insane. To Joo Hyun-woo, who had lived an ordinary life in a moderately wealthy home with common sense, this situation felt like a screen playing on a television. Someone else’s business. A fake, completely unrelated to him, evoking no emotion.

So… right now, Yoon Hae-won, Go Tae-gyeom, and Seo Hae-young were having sex among themselves, hitting and being hit. It seemed to be like that, but he couldn’t understand it at all. It was hard to accept. The sex he had encountered last time seemed to be something Hae-won enjoyed. To the point that those moans wouldn’t leave his head. But now…

He wondered how much they had done in the meantime, as Go Tae-gyeom’s member slid in and out of the hole without any obstruction. Every time the member was hammered in, Hae-won shrieked and hugged his stomach.

Is he… enjoying that right now? Fuck, with a friend right in front of him?

“Look. Hae-won likes it, right?”

Seo Hae-young, resting a hand on his shoulder, leaned down and whispered to Hyun-woo in an amused tone. Hyun-woo couldn’t tell if Hae-won was enjoying it or in pain. Tae-gyeom thrust so hard that Hae-won was pushed up to the headboard, and whenever the body rose, he would pull him back down and slam into him again. He didn’t look like the friend he’d known since childhood, but like a beast in heat. The people before his eyes were not the humans he had known for a long time.

While Hyun-woo was unable to accept reality, Hae-won, enduring Tae-gyeom’s weight on his shoulder blades, was overwhelmed by an unbearable sense of betrayal. It was an emotion so massive he couldn’t even move a finger. The targets were, first, Go Tae-gyeom, who was fucking him blindly; second, Joo Hyun-woo, who sat and watched without stopping it; and finally… Seo Hae-young. Seo Hae-young, who had brushed away the reaching hand with a smirk and nodded as if giving permission. The Seo Hae-young he had loved, and couldn’t help but love.

“Fuck… stop tightening…”

His waist sank into the bed. Tae-gyeom, who had slid his arm under Hae-won’s back, gripped his shoulder and pressed his upper body close. Putting his weight into it, Tae-gyeom pulled his waist back and slammed forward again and again. Every time Tae-gyeom’s waist dropped, the mattress heaved up and down. Hae-won rested his chin on Tae-gyeom’s shoulder and blankly looked to the side. Joo Hyun-woo entered his shaking field of vision.

“Ah…”

Hae-won moved his fingers, which felt as heavy as if they had dozens of weights attached, across the white bedding. His twitching fingers walked across the blanket toward Hyun-woo at the edge. If he helped now, he could forgive him. He could smile and let it go, thinking he must have been surprised. Since he was a guy who always smiled flexibly and was considerate of his poor circumstances, he could take the hand that Seo Hae-young had rejected.

“Ah, fuck… Relax a bit, Hae-won…”

Biting his lower lip hard to swallow the disgusting moans that threatened to escape with every thrust, he looked at Joo Hyun-woo. Tae-gyeom, unable to break his habit, gently caressed the thigh where bruises from Seo Hae-young’s hits had risen, thrusting shallowly. A dizzying pleasure hit him, and for a moment, Joo Hyun-woo blurred.

“Augh…”

Hae-won opened his mouth and bit into Tae-gyeom’s shoulder right in front of him. Sighing, Tae-gyeom supported the back of Hae-won’s head as he bit down as if to tear the shoulder muscle away.

“…Quickly, relax.”

Hae-won felt the same. Quickly, help me, you piece of shit…

However, contrary to Hae-won’s wish, Hyun-woo looked down at the extended fingers with blank eyes and slowly shifted his gaze. The wide-open legs and the hand gripping the t-shirt, resting on Go Tae-gyeom’s back. The lower bodies of the two colliding with a thumping sound, and the hole hidden by the thighs in between.

Cursing under his breath, Tae-gyeom accelerated his thrusts. The slow movements became fast, but Hae-won continued to glare at Joo Hyun-woo with eyes that were flushed red and streaming with tears. Joo Hyun-woo’s gaze was fixed on the space between the legs where the dick was entering and exiting. Tae-gyeom, who had been shaking his hips without rest, gave one final, powerful slam, and Hae-won squeezed his eyes shut. His black vision spun.

“Hngh…!”

“Fucking tight…”

Tae-gyeom, who had intended to go on a bit longer, braced his hands by Hae-won’s head and pushed himself up. His member slid out from between Hae-won’s trembling legs. After disposing of the condom filled with semen, Tae-gyeom stripped off his T-shirt while looking at Hae-won, whose limbs were limp. Looking down at the shoulder, he saw deep bite marks. Rubbing the marks with his right hand, which still held a lingering heat, he signaled to Seo Hae-young.

“He was completely open inside. But use a condom.”

When his turn came, Seo Hae-young strolled out from behind the sofa and perched on the edge of the bed. He stroked Hae-won’s tear-stained cheek before sliding his arm under Hae-won’s armpit to lift him up. Sitting behind him, he leaned Hae-won against his chest and pulled his legs up by the knees. Folded in half, Hae-won let his arms hang limp without resistance.

“Joo Hyun-woo. You should do it, right?”

Hyun-woo found the traces of ejaculation between the wide-spread legs. The white member, devoid of pubic hair, was shaking as semen dripped down. His gaze dropped further. The hole, gaping open and messily smeared with thick fluid. It was a place he had once been so curious about.

Tae-gyeom, having straightened his clothes, pressed a condom into Hyun-woo’s hand and pulled him up from the sofa. As he was pushed toward the bed, Hyun-woo hesitated, looking down at Hae-won with a complex expression. He wondered if this was always how it was after one round; Hae-won was staring blankly at the empty bedding, his eyes unfocused. The scent of the alcohol he had drunk earlier lingered pungently in his mouth. He felt dizzy.

“Go on, you piece of shit. If you’re that curious.”

Tae-gyeom, sitting on the sofa with a cigarette between his teeth, egged him on sneeringly. As if possessed, Hyun-woo climbed onto the bed on his knees. Stepping onto the slightly tilted mattress, he approached Hae-won, whose limbs were held by Seo Hae-young.

“Right. You actually wanted to try it, didn’t you, Hyun-woo? Back then… you liked him.”

Seo Hae-young, leaning his cheek against the top of Hae-won’s head, chuckled. Hearing this, Tae-gyeom’s eyes widened. A laugh of disbelief burst out.

“He actually liked him? Crazy…”

“Fuck, he was giving such obvious hints, but he just stood there stubbornly without coming forward.”

Seo Hae-young recalled Hyun-woo, who used to sleep sprawled out at Hae-won’s house and always insisted on eating dinner before leaving, and slowly let his smile fade. Just thinking about that time made him feel disgusted. So, he tilted his head and urged him again.

“Hurry up. Put it in.”

Hyun-woo’s head was spinning. Even while kneeling in front of Hae-won, the conflict within him didn’t end. What Seo Hae-young said wasn’t true. He had never liked Yoon Hae-won. Not then, nor now. He had simply wanted to try it once. He wanted to blame the intoxication, but he knew that wasn’t it. He wanted to. He wanted to shove his cock in and thrust. Into the hole of Yoon Hae-won—who was handsome, fit, good at games, and had a decent, calm personality.

However, he knew that once he crossed this line, there was no turning back. That was why he hesitated. As Hyun-woo stared blankly at the hole where gel was leaking out, Hae-won’s toes lightly brushed against his arm.

Startled, Hyun-woo looked up. Hae-won was shaking his head very slowly. Sweat-soaked hair was scattered across his pale forehead. From his parted lips, thin, shallow breaths escaped, failing to become sound. Despite knowing him for years, Hyun-woo had never seen him cry, yet tears were streaming incessantly from eyes that looked as if the eyelids were about to close. It was as if he were condemning Hyun-woo for daring to climb onto the bed.

Seo Hae-young, leaning his cheek against Hae-won’s head, watched the disappointing Hyun-woo in silence and let out a short sigh. Then, he uttered just one sentence.

“Right… I knew you couldn’t do it.”

Seo Hae-young met the eyes of Hyun-woo, whose expression was hardening, and shut his mouth without adding another word. A brief silence passed, and Hyun-woo, gritting his teeth, tore open the condom packaging. His fingertips were coated in a mixture of spite and reckless bravado.

At that, Seo Hae-young spread Hae-won’s legs further to create a position easier for insertion. However, he soon sighed and had no choice but to let go of Hae-won. Placing Hae-won on his thighs and wrapping both arms around his waist as if hugging a doll, Seo Hae-young stared intently at Hyun-woo.

Hyun-woo, who had boldly torn open the package, could do nothing. He merely knelt there, his eyes darting around with anxiety. Seo Hae-young, waiting while nibbling on the rim of Hae-won’s ear, spread his legs and raised his knees. Consequently, Hae-won’s legs, resting on his knees, were spread wide, and a white hand slid smoothly between them.

After stroking the clean member upward, Seo Hae-young immediately pushed his fingers into Hae-won’s hole, where gel was leaking. When he spread the red inner flesh with two fingers as if using scissors, a flicker of conflict appeared in Hyun-woo’s eyes. Seo Hae-young then slowly poked the hole, which now easily accepted three fingers. The sticky inner walls clung to his fingers and twitched.

“Hng…”

Hae-won, who had been leaning against Seo Hae-young’s chest as if dead, flinched. With a gentle touch Hae-won had never received before, Seo Hae-young stroked his lower abdomen while slowly tormenting the sensitized inner walls. As he inserted his long fingers deep and stirred, Hae-won finally began to move. He tried to push Seo Hae-young’s wrist away as if telling him to stop, but the fingers just slid right through. To Hyun-woo’s eyes, it looked more like encouragement.

“Ah, ngh…!”

The squelching sound of fingers rubbing against the fluid-coated mucous membrane grew louder. Another finger entered the inner walls that clung and released. Curling his fingers, Seo Hae-young gouged the inside as if he were about to shove his entire palm in. By forcing four fingers inside, the wide-open entrance stretched as if it would tear. Fearing the rising stinging pain, Hae-won shook his head and shed tears. He felt that Seo Hae-young might actually put his hand in.

“Don’t… don’t put it in… No, don’t do it…”

Holding Hae-won’s shoulders across his chest to prevent him from sitting up, Seo Hae-young continued to move his hand while looking at the still-frozen Hyun-woo. Even if Hae-won wanted to close his legs, he had no choice but to remain in the wide-spread position, caught on Seo Hae-young’s knees. Every time the fingers rubbed the inner walls violently, his waist twisted frequently, and his panting breaths grew louder.

“Ha-eu… ngh…”

His thighs trembled with spasms. Amidst the unpleasant pain, flashes of pleasure sparked and raced up his spine. His member was gradually becoming erect. Hae-won snapped his head up to look at Hyun-woo, his lips quivering.

“…Get, get out.”

Hyun-woo, who had been watching the hole being rapidly penetrated by fingers, looked up. He met eyes that were drenched in salty water, his face flushed bright red. As the squelching sounds grew louder, Hae-won’s eyes twitched and closed repeatedly.

Staring blankly at the wet eyelashes, Joo Hyun-woo recalled Hae-won around the age of seventeen. Back then, he was merely a friend of Seo Hae-young and Go Tae-gyeom. They were in different classes. Around the middle of the semester, while greeting Tae-gyeom in the hallway, Yoon Hae-won was standing beside him.

The first impression was just okay. Wearing a loose grey knit vest over a white dress shirt, Yoon Hae-won was playing a game on Seo Hae-young’s phone. When Hae-won glanced up and their eyes met, only one sentence came to Hyun-woo’s mind.

He’s handsome. That was all. They didn’t exchange any particular greetings, nor did he hear his voice. They occasionally crossed paths like that until the following year, when they were assigned to the same class. With eighteen-year-old Yoon Hae-won.

The image of Yoon Hae-won, who had a habit of smiling while wrinkling the bridge of his nose with a pale face, scattered like smoke, and a thunderous sob struck his eardrums.

“Get out! I said get out, you piece of shit!”

Awakening from the reminiscence, Hyun-woo faced twenty-three-year-old Yoon Hae-won. A Yoon Hae-won who had Seo Hae-young’s hand shoved into his hole while sporting an erection. He felt a chill from the dissonance. Avoiding the gaze as if fleeing, Hyun-woo hurriedly left the bed. Watching Joo Hyun-woo rush out of the room, Tae-gyeom crushed his cigarette and smirked.

Hyun-woo left the room, but he couldn’t make it down the stairs. As soon as he flopped onto the sofa in the living room and buried his face in his palms, a moan mixed with sobbing erupted from the nearby room. Despite the air conditioner being set to a chilling temperature, cold sweat beaded on his forehead. He felt as if someone had reached into his head and stirred everything around. The brain that should have been functioning had stopped.

* * *

As soon as Joo Hyun-woo fled, Hae-won collapsed forward, burying his face in the soft mattress and pouring out his sobs. Seo Hae-young lifted his waist and shoved his bare cock into the open hole, Go Tae-gyeom expressed irritation, and Hae-won screamed soundless screams until his throat felt like it would burst. The outline of Joo Hyun-woo’s erect member, clearly visible through his pants, would not vanish from his sight.

Just two days. It had been exactly two days since he entered this villa with the belief that he could improve their relationship. Seo Hae-young’s ten years, Go Tae-gyeom’s six years, Joo Hyun-woo’s five years. Those significant amounts of time had been shattered in just two days.

Seo Hae-young, inserted deeply into the mindless Hae-won, moved his hips with a mock tenderness. Unlike before, when he was only intent on ramming, he now pulled out completely and pushed back in leisurely, moving softly to draw out pleasure. He didn’t touch other places, and since Hae-won was face down, he didn’t hit him like he did yesterday.

“Hae-won… Hyun-woo is too… soft-hearted… right?”

The member, which had been halfway out, was suddenly slammed in to the hilt. The hand that had been clutching the blanket spread wide and then clenched tight.

“Ha-euuu…!”

His arched back flapped and heaved. Enjoying the distinctly different reaction, Seo Hae-young began to thrust vigorously. After testing the waters by pushing his member in a few more times, Seo Hae-young frowned. Because Hae-won had his face buried in the bed, the pleasant moans weren’t clearly audible. He grabbed Hae-won’s neck, which was tilting forward with the jolts, and yanked him back.

“Hyun-woo must be bored… Let us hear some sounds, Hae-won.”

From Hae-won, who followed Seo Hae-young’s words like a dog, an unintentional moan burst out. Satisfied, Seo Hae-young supported his lower abdomen, rubbing the bulging part every time he thrust upward, while rubbing his lips against the nape of Hae-won’s neck.

“Ah, ah…!”

Hae-won’s arms, with nothing to hold onto, shook weakly. Tae-gyeom, lounging against the back of the sofa, stared at Hae-won’s parted lips and masturbated, stroking his member. The sensation of the red tongue, glimpsed occasionally, lingered in his mouth.

Fuck, why are you rinsing your mouth there? You little shit. His gaze turned fierce. As he stood up and climbed onto the bed, Hae-won, who was shaking with unfocused eyes, reached his arms back. He clawed at Seo Hae-young’s thighs and shook his head violently.

“St-stop… Ha-euk! Stop…!”

Tae-gyeom, who had been silently watching the face consumed by pleasure, stroked his palm from the exposed ribs up to the nipples. The moment a hard nipple got caught between his fingers, Hae-won twisted his limbs and let out a scream that sounded as if he were breaking.

“Haaa…!”

The legs bracing against the bed trembled and closed, then spread again as if unable to endure it, and cloudy semen leaked from the erect member. Even though he knew the hole was tightening and he was ejaculating, Seo Hae-young didn’t stop and thrust his hips powerfully. Hae-won wailed, rubbing the back of his head against Seo Hae-young’s shoulder. His hand, sliding down the firm thighs, overlapped the white back of the hand supporting his lower abdomen.

“St…! Stop it, please… Hae-young… ah!”

The pleasure was too much. He couldn’t think of anything, and he couldn’t see anything. Seo Hae-young’s cock, curved upward, kept stabbing a strange spot. Every time it touched, lights exploded before his dark eyes, and his waist twisted.

Rather than feeling good, he wished it would just hurt. Because if it felt good, it would seem like he enjoyed it. But Seo Hae-young, as if he had developed a taste for it, forcibly shoved in only the kind of pleasure that was difficult to accept. He didn’t know why he was doing this. When Seo Hae-young’s cock, which had always only caused pain, sliced through the inner walls, his bound limbs trembled uncontrollably.

“Heeuu… ah-euk…!”

In Hae-won’s blurred vision, Go Tae-gyeom appeared. He hurriedly grabbed Tae-gyeom’s arm and pulled it to his cheek.

“H-hit me. Hurry…! Ah-eung…! I said hit me…!”

He sobbed loudly, rubbing Tae-gyeom’s hand against his cheek. Seo Hae-young, who was attached to his back and thrusting his hips, chuckled, and Tae-gyeom’s eyes widened before his brow gradually furrowed. When he yanked his hand away, Hae-won wore a lost expression. Gritting his teeth, Tae-gyeom gripped Hae-won’s member and shook it up and down, stimulating the glans with his thumb. Hae-won’s struggling grew more intense.

“N-no… I-I hate it… Heung, ah…!”

“Hate it, my ass, you piece of shit… Now you even like Seo Hae-young’s cock…”

Tae-gyeom stopped mid-sentence and bit his lip. Seo Hae-young, who had his face buried in the nape of Hae-won’s neck while thrusting, was peeking with a silent gaze. It seemed to ask, ‘What?’ His eyes, clouded with arousal, urged him to speak immediately, but Tae-gyeom just ground his teeth. Instead, he grabbed the head of the sobbing, breathless Hae-won and pushed it down. Seo Hae-young, who let go of the neck he had been holding, looked with displeased eyes at Tae-gyeom, who was shoving his member into Hae-won’s mouth.

“Kugh, ugh…”

The same position as yesterday, the same situation. The only difference was the intense pleasure Seo Hae-young provided. With trembling hands, Hae-won gripped the shaft and sucked the glans. Go Tae-gyeom had ejaculated once, but Seo Hae-young had not yet. Since they did it yesterday too, it would be over after making them ejaculate a couple more times…

“Hu-eung… eup, heuu…”

His throat hurt so much that he couldn’t dare take it all the way in. Instead, he sucked diligently. His eyes kept closing, so he struggled to look up. Tae-gyeom let out a long breath with narrowed eyes. Sending a desperate gaze as if pleading I’ll suck it obediently, so please don’t shove it in, he sucked the glans until his cheeks hollowed. Suddenly, Seo Hae-young slammed his lower body forward, causing Hae-won’s body to lurch forward.

“Hu-eung…!”

“Ah, fuck…”

His front teeth scraped Go Tae-gyeom’s member. Tae-gyeom frowned. Hae-won quickly spat out the member in his mouth and licked the scraped part with his tongue. Because Seo Hae-young kept pulling his waist back, the member moved away, and he had to stretch his tongue out unsightly.

“Heuu, hup…”

Without any pride, he licked the member that tasted of semen, and suddenly, he felt like laughing. Chuckling, he sucked the slippery member. Tears that flowed down entered through his lips, and the fishy taste of semen was covered by saltiness. He didn’t want it to hurt. He wanted it to hurt. He sucked the cock because he didn’t want it to hurt, yet he’d rather it hurt. He didn’t understand anything.

Feeling the climax approaching, Seo Hae-young thrust his hips faster. Unconsciously, Hae-won curled his lips to hide his teeth and embraced the member with his tongue. The laughter didn’t stop. As if he hated seeing it, Go Tae-gyeom shoved his member all the way to the throat. In an instant, his breath was cut off and his eyes rolled back.

He blinked a few times. In his returning vision, Go Tae-gyeom was positioned between his spread legs. Of course. There was no way it would end after just one round. But a strange noise caught his ear.

“H-ng, u-ng…”

A humming moan that anyone could hear was full of pleasure. In his hand, he gripped the hot root of a member, and the rest filled his mouth to the brim. To the point where his jaw felt stiff. With the back of his head cradled in a palm and his waist lifted, Hae-won’s nape suddenly prickled. He had blacked out for a moment, and his memory of how much time had passed was dark. How many times someone had come, how many distant peaks he had reached… He hadn’t had a single sip of alcohol, yet he couldn’t remember. His eyes darted busily.

Go Tae-gyeom, thrusting into the now-soggy hole. Seo Hae-young, with his knees up, thrusting into his mouth.

And Joo Hyun-woo, who was now standing by the door, watching everything with a vacant face.

Hyun-woo clenched his fist around the condom that had grown warm from being held. Over Tae-gyeom’s shoulder, his eyes met Yoon Hae-won’s. The eyelids, fluttering as if they might close or not, looked large from a distance, as if magnified. While sucking Seo Hae-young’s cock as if he loved it to death, and letting out broken moans every time Tae-gyeom thrust, Hae-won did not turn his gaze away for a second. He stared intently, as if telling him to join in.

“Yoon, Hae-won…”

A rough voice flowed from the throat of Hyun-woo, who usually burst into hearty laughter. The next words did not leave his lips.

Why did you become like that?

* * *

Go Tae-gyeom seemed angry for some reason. He suddenly stabbed painfully, or twisted the nipples so hard it left bright red finger marks. He didn’t even ejaculate quickly. It felt like he was going to die. He felt as if his internal organs would be punctured and he’d die. Holding onto Seo Hae-young, who was about to ejaculate outside, he sucked the glistening glans. Swallowing half the cloudy semen and letting the other half drip, he begged. To please make this bastard get off. He would be quiet, so please, just stop pulling out.

For once, Seo Hae-young granted the request. Exactly half, just as he had swallowed half the semen.

Seo Hae-young pressed his palm firmly against Hae-won’s bruised stomach, forcing him to strain. Even as Hae-won writhed in pain, the cold hand pressed down hard, as if intent on bursting his internal organs. As the softly clinging hole suddenly tightened, Tae-gyeom, cursing under his breath, finally ejaculated.

As the penis slid out from between the trembling legs, semen that hadn’t been scraped out from the countless frictions leaked out in small trickles. Hae-won couldn’t even lose consciousness; he could only stare blankly at the ceiling. Today’s ordeal had begun.

There is always an end. Just as the sex that had made him stomp his feet had ended like this, the end of this relationship would surely come.

Who would stay, and who would pull away?

* * *

The late dinner was like walking on thin ice. Since they had to eat, they gathered in the dining area, but Seo Hae-young was the only one eating nonchalantly. Tae-gyeom, whose mood hadn’t improved even after shoving his cock in, had no generosity to eat the food waste Seo Hae-young had presented as a meal. Hyun-woo felt the same. The situation was absurd. The very idea of rolling around together and then gathering in one place to eat. Yoon Hae-won, sitting in the chair with a complexion so pale he looked like he might collapse at any moment, was especially absurd. His jagged, misplaced emotions drifted toward the innocent Hae-won. He hated him for no reason.

“Eat this.”

It was Seo Hae-young who had forcibly dragged down Hae-won, who was struggling even to sit.

Seo Hae-young, having failed to control the heat and thus burnt the outside while leaving the inside raw, pushed the meat into the mouth of Hae-won, whose corners of the lips were stained pink, and closed his jaw for him. At first, it seemed like he was tormenting him, but Seo Hae-young put that trash-like meat into his own mouth as well and chewed it down. Hae-won, who had been accepting the trash Seo Hae-young gave him without resistance, suddenly staggered up from the chair and limped away toward the bathroom. The sound of retching could be heard from a distance, and Hyun-woo threw the spoon he had been holding like an ornament onto the table. Seeing the flying spoon, Seo Hae-young raised an eyebrow and beamed.

“Oh, you’re on dish duty.”

Hyun-woo, letting out a hollow laugh of disbelief, threw his remaining chopsticks as well and glared at Seo Hae-young.

“Can you… actually swallow food right now?”

“You should have too. It goes down easy.”

Having already tidied up the empty dishes and placed them in the sink, Seo Hae-young pressed down firmly on the shoulder of the glaring Hyun-woo and left the kitchen. Now, the only people left at the table were Joo Hyun-woo, who had lost his utensils, and Go Tae-gyeom, who was tapping away on his phone.

Hae-won buried his head in the toilet and vomited out everything filling his stomach. He heaved so hard that his shaking back hurt with a dull ache, and the sensation echoed up to his skull.

“Ugh, ugh…!”

The water in the toilet flushed several times, and he dry-heaved repeatedly, but the heavy lump lodged in his solar plexus would not come up. Even when he stuck his fingers in his mouth to pull it up, it clung stubbornly, as if digging its hooks in deep. Please just come out, come out—he pounded his chest with his fist.

How long had he been doing that? Seo Hae-young entered the bathroom, found Hae-won slumped in front of the toilet, and knelt. Hae-won, who had been frantically hitting his chest, collapsed forward the moment he instinctively grabbed the arm that wrapped around his waist. A hoarse voice flowed from Hae-won, who leaned his head against the hard surface.

“I want to go home… I want to go home…”

He felt as if he had been drinking without a single moment’s rest since morning. His stomach was overturned, his head throbbed, and his limbs felt drained of strength, flailing weakly. He didn’t want to be in this spacious, clean villa; he wanted to go to his small, shabby home. He wanted to go somewhere that felt safe.

“Vacation isn’t over yet.”

Seo Hae-young’s arm was firm. He gently rocked Hae-won’s waist from side to side before pulling him up and bringing him to the sink. After brushing his teeth and washing his face like a machine, Hae-won slid down the moment the arm around his waist vanished, unable to even wipe the water from his face. Leaning his back against the bathtub, he stared blankly at Seo Hae-young’s feet in his field of vision.

“Why are you doing this to me… I said I was sorry…”

If he had done anything wrong, it was only that he had liked Seo Hae-young. It was too painful to endure as the price for voicing a secret crush. He truly didn’t know if it was a mistake large enough to shatter the time they had spent together. Slowly crouching in front of him, Seo Hae-young tapped Hae-won’s chin with his palm to lift it.

“We’re friends.”

The corners of his eyes, with their pretty, faint double eyelids, curved sharply downward. Seo Hae-young’s touch, pulling at his ankle as if playing a prank, was clingy and oppressive. Hae-won pushed against the slippery tiles with his feet and clawed at his chest. His eyes, raw from constant crying, grew damp again.

“Friends, fuck… don’t do this, Hae-young…”

Without responding, Seo Hae-young continued his strange game, smiling as he grabbed the fleeing ankle and then let it go. He showed no sign of listening. Hae-won gasped, vomiting out the tears that were welling up. He couldn’t breathe properly. He wanted to go home.

Night fell over the silent villa, and conversation vanished between the four of them. They each went to their respective rooms to toss and turn, stare at their phones, or fall asleep nonchalantly. And Hae-won, who had barely avoided total exhaustion, was hiding in the darkness, rummaging through his bag.

Since there were three walking wallets with him, he hadn’t brought a single cent of spare cash. Therefore, he had no money for the fare home. First, he opened Go Tae-gyeom’s wallet and took out all the cash. He stuffed three 50,000-won bills into his pocket and took out Seo Hae-young’s wallet. Since Seo Hae-young didn’t carry cash, he took one card. Since the guy didn’t receive payment notifications, there would be no alert if he spent a little. He planned to use it if the cash wasn’t enough.

Since 150,000 won was sufficient, he didn’t even glance at Joo Hyun-woo’s wallet. After preparing to leave, he tapped his phone, which had little battery left, and left a single text to Seo Hae-young.

[I’m going home]

Since he had only been told not to go anywhere without a word, he considered this a warning fulfilled. He stood up, carrying the bag he had swept his few belongings into. He had to go home. He didn’t even have the presence of mind to glance at Go Tae-gyeom’s room, where the lights were still on. Even as he limped down the stairs, Tae-gyeom did not look outside. He was too busy suppressing an inexplicable anger, unaware that his wallet had been raided. It was a stroke of luck for Hae-won.

While Hae-won held his breath and waited for Seo Hae-young to fall asleep, Hyun-woo lay buried in bed, reflecting on three hours ago for a long time. Yoon Hae-won had cried throughout the sex. He was covered in bruises. It would have been right to ask first if he actually wanted it. But he couldn’t. Because seeing that crying face had made him erect. He couldn’t believe himself, and self-loathing crushed his conscience. In truth, he had wanted to put it in.

Feeling stifled, Hyun-woo went to the kitchen for some cold water and recoiled in surprise when he saw a figure flash past him. At the rustling sound, Hae-won, who was heading for the entrance, slowly raised his head. Their eyes met head-on, but instead of offering a playful greeting as usual, Hyun-woo avoided his gaze. The image of Hae-won, folded in half with his gaping hole exposed, suddenly flashed through his mind.

While Hyun-woo was struggling to erase the obscene imagination and unhealthy desire, long fingers gripped the hem of his t-shirt. Looking at the stretched fabric with wide eyes, Hyun-woo instinctively slapped the hand away. It wasn’t out of intent or dislike, but simply out of surprise.

Looking up at Hyun-woo’s stiff expression, Hae-won wrapped his other hand around his stinging knuckles and turned away. He made it to the entrance and put on his shoes, but the lock wouldn’t open. The double lock required the card held by Go Tae-gyeom. Hae-won slapped the card sensor with his palm and moved away. As he opened the side door leading to the pool, the cool night breeze ruffled his hair.

Realizing his mistake belatedly, Hyun-woo took a deep breath and hurriedly followed Hae-won. The way he staggered made him seem completely out of it.

“Hey…! Where are you going…!”

He called out while holding the open side door, but Hae-won, who had already gone far, did not look back. Even though he knew he should catch him, his legs wouldn’t move.

“Fuck…!”

Hyun-woo ruffled his hair frantically. Hae-won couldn’t drive and didn’t know the way. Assuming he had just gone out for a walk, Hyun-woo left the door open a bit more and turned back.

There was only one road leading down from the villa. The slope was so steep that one might roll down rather than walk. Hae-won turned on his phone flashlight, illuminating the ground as he stepped slowly.

Joo Hyun-woo was also finished. Everything was over. His reddened knuckles were hidden in the darkness, so he didn’t feel particularly aggrieved. He just wanted to go home and get some sleep. His clouded mind, hazy as if in fog, faintly traced the path home. Go down from here and take a taxi, go to the terminal and take a bus, and the rest is easy… While recalling the route, his ankle suddenly twisted.

“Ugh…!”

His overworked knee gave way, and his falling body rolled down the slope. Elbows, knees, and every protruding joint were scraped and slammed against the rough asphalt. Sprawled out on a road barely wide enough for one car, Hae-won blinked. It seemed he was cursed this summer; nothing was going right. Rolling down the road was a first. After lying there for a while, he slowly stood up and picked up his bag, which had rolled away. He put his phone, its screen shattered, into his pocket and finished descending the slope. His bumped chin stung.

* * *

Hyun-woo didn’t go back to his room but sat on the sofa, waiting for Hae-won to return. One hour, two hours, three hours… He grew more anxious as time passed. Why isn’t he coming back? The clock hands were already pointing to 2 AM. He jumped up and ran up to the second floor. He felt like one of those two would know the reason.

“Hey! Hey, Seo Hae-young!”

He shook Seo Hae-young, who was fast asleep, buried deep in the blankets. Since he wasn’t the type to wake up easily, Hyun-woo woke him as if he were beating him, and after a full five minutes, his eyelids slowly opened. As Hyun-woo forced the irritated Seo Hae-young up, Tae-gyeom, having heard the commotion, came out of his room and leaned against the doorway. Hyun-woo couldn’t bring himself to sit on the bed where the three of them had rolled around, so he stood far back and tilted his chin up.

“Where did Yoon Hae-won go? Do you know?”

“…Hae-won?”

Yawning, Seo Hae-young shook his head, burying his face in the blanket.

“He’s not in his room?”

“He went out a while ago and hasn’t come back. I think it’s been three hours.”

“That little fuck…”

As soon as he heard Hyun-woo’s words, Tae-gyeom turned around. Going into the living room, Tae-gyeom rummaged through his bag to find his car keys and discovered his wallet lying wide open. Searching inside, he found that the cash he had kept just in case was gone.

“This piece of shit, seriously…”

Tae-gyeom threw the wallet aside, grabbed the car keys, and headed for the stairs, but Seo Hae-young, approaching leisurely, blocked his path. Tae-gyeom frowned, looking back and forth between the suddenly appearing hand and the half-asleep face.

“What.”

“Keys.”

Even as Seo Hae-young beckoned for them, Tae-gyeom didn’t budge. Unable to wait, Seo Hae-young snatched the keys from his hand and turned around.

“He’s sleeping. I’ll bring him back.”

“…It’s my car, you fucker.”

Tae-gyeom was boiling with an unusual irritation, and kind words wouldn’t come out. Seo Hae-young, descending the stairs, looked up. After rolling his eyes as if thinking for a moment, he left one phrase behind and finished his descent.

“Then… I’ll borrow it for a bit?”

As soon as Seo Hae-young disappeared, Tae-gyeom kicked the sofa and went into his room. Only Hyun-woo, who had delivered the news, remained alone in the living room swept by the strange psychological warfare, approaching the window overlooking the garden. Seo Hae-young climbed into the driver’s seat as if he naturally knew where Hae-won had gone and started the engine. Watching the headlights snap on in the darkness, Hyun-woo leaned his forehead against the cold glass.

He should have asked earlier. He should have told him that slapping the hand away was a mistake and asked what he wanted. A thick regret remained, but it wasn’t a purely innocent emotion. That discrepancy poked at Hyun-woo’s conscience.

“Hey, I’m going out for a bit too!”

Biting his lip while looking outside, Hyun-woo finally stuffed his wallet into his pocket and strode down the stairs.

* * *

Seo Hae-young drove down the sloping road, glancing at the clock. 2:30. It was the time for deep contemplation. As he narrowly passed a shallow ditch, thinking of Yoon Hae-won made him feel strange.

The effect of the drugs was wearing off. Hae-won, who should have been obedient since he was beaten yesterday, was straying. He was more accustomed to using the whip than the carrot, but he decided to show special mercy today. He liked the unusual sex, and given the remaining time, it was better not to touch his face.

There was only one place he could be. In the outskirts by the sea, where there were no passing taxis or buses, where else could he go? Arriving at a bus stop without even a proper shelter, reachable within ten minutes of driving, Seo Hae-young encountered an unexpected situation. Under the sign illuminated by crude lighting, Hae-won, who should have been sitting quietly, was nowhere to be seen.

“Hmm…”

This shouldn’t be happening. Seo Hae-young thought deeply and drove slowly along the road. All the shop lights were off, and he could guarantee that no taxi would come this far… because he had struggled quite a bit to get here as a student. Taking out his phone to check, the text that had arrived three hours ago finally caught his eye.

[I’m going home]

It was as expected. He immediately called Hae-won, but the automated voice informed him that the power was off. His drowsiness vanished. Blinking, Seo Hae-young looked down at his phone with an expression as if he’d just heard total nonsense. He pressed the call button five times in a row.

The power is off, after the beep…

The power is off…

The power is…

His resolve to let it slide was flipped over as easily as turning over a palm.

* * *

As Seo Hae-young expected, Hae-won couldn’t leave the neighborhood where the villa was located. No matter how long he waited at the stop, not a single ant, let alone a taxi, passed by. His phone wouldn’t turn on, and he had nowhere to return to. He had no choice but to walk.

He walked and walked until he reached the cafe he had visited during the day. Entering the alley where the cafe was, he wandered through the dim neighborhood. Then, he spotted a single lit sign and took out the bills he had neatly folded in his pocket. The motel with the red sign was shabby from the entrance to the room. The 40,000 won was undoubtedly a rip-off charged to Hae-won, who looked like a traveler.

After paying and entering the room, Hae-won placed the straw hat he had worn to hide the bruises on the shoe rack and lay down on the small bed. The old bed creaked slightly every time he moved.

“Taxis don’t come at this hour.”

The cold voice of the CEO lingered. His weakened heart played a part in accepting even a routine tone as a slight.

As soon as the sun rose, he would head to the terminal. Once he escaped this hellish neighborhood and returned to a familiar place, he might return to his original self. Everyone tends to become strange in travel destinations.

Tracing the yellow wallpaper with tiny floral patterns with his finger, he sketched Seo Hae-young. It was vivid when he closed his eyes, but when he tried to draw it, it became ugly and distorted. He drew him whenever he was bored, but it was a transparent drawing that never quite took a complete form. He covered it with his palm and rubbed it away.

Perhaps because he counted the brief fainting spells as sleep, he couldn’t sleep at all. Erasing Seo Hae-young, he got out of bed and wandered in a circle around the narrow room. He tried tapping the dusty television and operating the old hairdryer. He picked up and put down trivial objects wanting to fall asleep, but it only made him feel hotter. The room without air conditioning had one large window above the bed. With no other choice, he opened the window wide and leaned his arms on the sill.

The room on the first floor had no view to speak of. If a view existed, it was the dark downhill path illuminated by yellow streetlights. The hazy, dark road was the alley Hae-won had wandered aimlessly.

Away from the tourist spots, there was no commotion of the summer sea. In the dawn of a strange place where only the sound of insects could be heard, Hae-won was suddenly thinking of Hyun-woo while biting his nails hard. As soon as the vacation ended, he had to go back to the shop, and if Joo Hyun-woo happened to tell Hyun-jeong…

“Haa…”

A deep sigh escaped. Of course, they wouldn’t tell him to quit or swear at him. They would just subtly avoid him and make things uncomfortable. Whether intentional or not, just like before.

Before the vacation started, the salary Hyun-jeong had deposited into his account was quite substantial. The work was decent, the employees were kind, and the hourly wage was high; it wasn’t a shop he could easily give up.

While wondering if he should quickly look for another job just in case, he looked up and saw a figure standing tall on the downhill path. Startled, Hae-won straightened his back and looked uncomfortably at the person approaching with angry strides. As soon as the person stepped under the streetlight, a face full of rage was revealed.

“Fuck, you actually left like that…!”

It was Joo Hyun-woo. Breathing heavily as if he had been running, Hyun-woo approached the window, brushing back his damp bangs. Hae-won hesitated for a moment on whether to close the window or not, before leaning his upper body back. Having closed the distance quickly, Hyun-woo was huffing as if he were about to throw a punch, yet he couldn’t meet Hae-won’s eyes. His lips trembled as he picked his words, filtering out some of the anger.

“……Why aren’t you picking up the phone.”

“It won’t turn on.”

“I told you to just get a new one…….”

It was the kind of light interference Hyun-woo always offered out of habit. Having been alone for a while, Hae-won’s erratic emotions had settled down somewhat. The redness on the back of his hand had also returned to normal. Leaning his arms on the windowsill again, Hae-won scanned Hyun-woo from head to toe. The mismatched slippers caught his eye. The left foot was black, the right foot white.

Hyun-woo, who had been flapping his sweat-soaked t-shirt, looked away and rolled his eyes, overcome by awkwardness the moment they actually met, despite having searched so hard for him. He had intended to be angry, but the moment he saw Hae-won’s face, the rage built up from running around vanished instantly. It happened so quickly it surprised even him. It felt futile.

“Can we talk. Inside.”

“About what.”

“Just, earlier, I……. Ah, if it’s uncomfortable, here is fine too…….”

Watching the disheartened and hesitating Hyun-woo, Hae-won pressed his dry eyes. Joo Hyun-woo, Joo Hyun-jeong, the shop, money……. Things couldn’t get any worse. He raised his hand and pointed to the left.

“The entrance over there.”

Hyun-woo snapped his head up, his eyes widening before he quickly turned and walked toward the left.

“Ah, uh……!”

Watching Hyun-woo’s back as he headed for the entrance, Hae-won half-closed the window and sat leaning against the wall. Soon, there was a knock at the door. Wondering why he was knocking, Hae-won told him to come in. Hyun-woo opened the unlocked door, poking his face in first to gauge the mood before slowly entering the room. It was the first time Hae-won had seen this guy—who was usually so smooth and attentive—looking so clueless. Hyun-woo picked up a straw hat from the shoe rack, fiddling with it as he rambled on about trivial things.

“I mean…… do they usually charge per person? I got ripped off for 40,000 won……. I told them I was only staying for a bit.”

Hyun-woo turned his empty pockets inside out to show him, then rubbed the back of his neck upon seeing Hae-won’s expression, which lacked even a hint of a smile. Hyun-woo carefully entered the 80,000-won room with its yellow linoleum floor and floral wallpaper, then sat down with his rear on the floor. Because he had been running everywhere, he hadn’t stopped sweating; he fanned himself with his hand, keeping his eyes fixed on Hae-won’s chest as he continued.

“That…… earlier, I thought you were just taking a walk. Seo Hae-young said he was going to the terminal, so he left…… oh. You were here.”

Hae-won looked down impassively at Hyun-woo, who was beating around the bush. After quickly texting Seo Hae-young his location—since the latter was currently making a wasted trip—Hyun-woo clung to the bed as soon as he checked Hae-won’s face.

“Did you fall?”

A dried, blood-stained wound was on his sharp jawline. Without realizing it, Hyun-woo pulled his knees up and grabbed Hae-won’s arms and legs, turning him over to check for scratches here and there, clicking his tongue.

“You should be more careful…….”

“What do you want to say.”

When Hae-won twisted his arm away, Hyun-woo let go reluctantly. Feeling as if the palm that had touched the skin was burning, he rubbed it against his pants and cleared his throat.

“Uh…… so, you guys. That, doing it…….”

After counting about twenty floral patterns on the wallpaper, the stuttering Hyun-woo let out a deep sigh and got to the point.

“……Are you doing it because you want to?”

Hae-won’s gaze, which had been fixed on the wall, returned. This time, Hyun-woo didn’t avoid his eyes and looked straight at him. After thinking it over, Hae-won murmured quietly.

“I don’t know.”

“……You don’t know?”

“I just don’t know.”

A stunned Hyun-woo shut his mouth tight. He tried to gauge Hae-won’s inner thoughts by studying his face, but Hae-won neither smiled nor frowned. He simply stared back with an intensity that was almost uncomfortable. Hyun-woo, who had planned to find a way to help if Hae-won said he didn’t want it, clutched his dizzy head.

In truth, there wasn’t much of a “way.” He didn’t even know if this was something that could be settled through conversation, and even if Go Tae-gyeom easily let go, the bigger problem was Seo Hae-young.

Back in high school, Seo Hae-young never let Yoon Hae-won out of his sight. Truly, not for a single moment. It was only when Seo Hae-young went to college that Hae-won finally managed to have some personal time. Since Hyun-woo had no right to force them apart, and he didn’t know what was going on in Seo Hae-young’s head, there was no answer. Hyun-woo pushed back his messy hair and asked seriously again.

“It wasn’t…… something Seo Hae-young told you to do?”

Hearing Hyun-woo’s question, Hae-won let out a hollow laugh. The way he smiled, wrinkling the bridge of his nose, wasn’t much different from when he was in high school.

“Hyun-woo.”

Stopping his laughter, Hae-won lightly kicked the shoulder of the blankly staring Hyun-woo. The broad shoulder was pushed back and then returned to its place. The response was slow.

“……Yeah. What.”

“You’re not really in a position to say that with your dick hard.”

Hae-won looked down at Hyun-woo’s crotch. Even though he wasn’t fully erect, the outline was faintly visible beneath the fabric. Feeling the gaze, Hyun-woo flinched and slumped back against the bed. Leaning over, Hae-won grabbed the tense shoulders and kneaded them firmly. Just as Seo Hae-young had done.

“I guess he wanted to put it in. Was that it?”

“No, that’s……. Not…….”

His tanned neck was moist with sweat. Hae-won swallowed the surge of emotion rising in his throat and let go of the shoulders. He leaned the back of his head against the wall, contemplating for a moment before speaking. His voice, filled with emptiness, stretched out like a sigh.

“Want to try putting it in?”

Turning his head to face Hae-won, Hyun-woo’s eyebrows slowly furrowed. Slumped against the wall, Hae-won slightly raised his scarred palm as if asking why he was looking at him like that.

“You can probably put it in right away. Since I did it a lot earlier.”

“……Are you crazy?”

Hyun-woo couldn’t grasp the intention behind Hae-won’s expressionless face. It wasn’t as if a sudden surge of sexual desire was driving him, nor did he seem to want anything. He wasn’t the type to suggest sex as if he were discussing the dinner menu. He was simply bewildered.

“Why are you acting like this, all of a sudden…….”

Watching the horrified Hyun-woo, Hae-won blinked slowly and gently rubbed his earlobe with his finger. His eyes, surrounded by redness from how much he had cried, drifted toward the dry blanket before returning to Hyun-woo. His thin shoulders shrugged slightly.

“Just because. We’re friends.”

“Ha…….”

Rubbing his throbbing forehead, Hyun-woo stood up from the sticky floor. Avoiding the eyes of Hae-won, who was looking straight up at him, he rummaged through his pockets.

“……Aren’t you hungry? I’ll go buy some food.”

After paying for the lodging, he had exactly one ten-thousand won bill left. As Hyun-woo showed the crumpled green note and messed with the back of his hair to leave the room, Hae-won reached out. Unexpectedly, Hyun-woo handed over fifty thousand won. Collapsing onto the creaking bed, Hae-won curled his body into a ball.

“Buy alcohol.”

“You can’t even drink well…….”

As he turned away with a pout, a flat voice caught his ankle.

“Joo Hyun-woo.”

“What.”

Slipping his feet into the mismatched slippers and gripping the doorknob, Hyun-woo looked back. Hae-won’s lips, half-hidden by the tacky blanket, moved slightly.

“You’re hard.”

Hyun-woo’s head dropped. His erect penis formed a clear outline through his pants.

“Fuck, seriously……!”

As Hyun-woo bolted out of the room, his ears flushing bright red, Hae-won hurriedly sat up and covered his mouth. He felt nauseous. Several dry heaves followed, his back shaking. After painfully swallowing the nausea that had nothing to come up with, Hae-won inhaled sharply and leaned his head against the wall. While closing his eyes to soothe his churning stomach, a faint vibration sounded. Turning his hollow gaze, he saw Hyun-woo’s phone flashing on the yellow linoleum. Hae-won slid down to the floor and looked at the incoming call.

[Seo Hae-young]

According to Hyun-woo, he had gone to the terminal. It was simply surprising that he wasn’t asleep at this hour. As soon as he picked up the phone and pressed it to his ear, a suppressed, low voice flowed out.

I’ll be there within an hour, so don’t touch him. Don’t talk to him, and don’t even look at him.

Hae-won scratched the linoleum with his fingernails, fixing his eyes on the old television. The black screen reflected a distorted image. A figure with a blurred face, barely looking human, spoke.

“I wish you’d come later.”

……Yoon Hae-won?

“Take your time. I want to talk to Joo Hyun-woo.”

No answer came from the other side. Since it was almost the first time he had talked back to a moody Seo Hae-young, he pressed the area near his pounding heart. Hae-won waited silently for a response.

Hae-won.

When the low voice called his name, his neck stiffened reflexively. As he rubbed the goosebumps on his skin with his palm, a dagger flew into his blank mind.

Now that I’m not around, you’ve become quite fearless, haven’t you?

His back froze stiff. When Hae-won didn’t answer, Seo Hae-young let out a short sigh, left one final word, and hung up.

You’re dead when I arrive.

Setting the warmed phone back on the floor, Hae-won pulled his knees up and rested his forehead on them. He thought he knew Seo Hae-young well. He had known him the longest and had been the closest. But lately, he really didn’t know. He couldn’t even find a clue.

“……I’m back.”

A short while later, Hyun-woo entered the room hesitantly, gauging the mood as he set a large plastic bag on the floor. As if they were keeping a modest distance, he took out the food from far away and slid a bag of bread toward Hae-won. He received the bread, which was uglily crumpled as if it had been dropped on the way, but he was still not hungry. As he scooted closer, a startled Hyun-woo hurriedly rummaged through the bag and pulled out the alcohol.

Three bottles of soju. It was more than enough for Yoon Hae-won and Joo Hyun-woo. After opening a cap, Hae-won turned the bag upside down and shook it. Something was missing.

“Where are the cups?”

“Ah…….”

Hyun-woo, who had been cooling off after running to the distant convenience store, made a stupid sound. Having no choice, Hae-won opened a new bottle of soju, placed it in front of Hyun-woo, and clinked the bottles. As he drank directly from the bottle in gulps, Hyun-woo grabbed his arm in horror.

“Are you crazy? We’ll die if we drink like this…….”

“You told Seo Hae-young, right? That I’m here.”

“Yeah, yeah……. He has a car, so.”

Hae-won shook his head when Hyun-woo asked if he shouldn’t have told him. He was disappointed that his plan to go to the terminal tomorrow morning was ruined, but it couldn’t be helped. Regardless, he hadn’t expected Seo Hae-young to come looking for him personally. He had thought he’d just laugh and say, ‘Go ahead.’ Shaking off the hand gripping his wrist, he gestured with his eyes toward the open soju bottle.

“Drink up. It’s boring drinking alone.”

While complaining about why he had to drink along, Hyun-woo emptied half a bottle in one go. Hae-won rubbed his stinging eyes. Joo Hyun-woo, Joo Hyun-jeong, the shop, money. He watched Hyun-woo, whose face was quickly flushing red, and took another sip.

The sight of him pretending to be different while being exactly the same was so repulsive it made his stomach turn. Perhaps even more so than Seo Hae-young.

* * *

“No, really, Jeong-hyeok. That bastard contacted me last time saying he was coming to visit…….”

One and a half bottles of soju. Joo Hyun-woo was completely gone. Normally, Hae-won would have been drunk first, but combined with the soju he’d had in the evening and accumulated fatigue, Hyun-woo’s tongue tripped more quickly. Since he had poured down the strong soju without eating any snacks, the world had even started spinning before his eyes.

Even then, Hyun-woo, who had been rambling about trivial things to break the awkwardness, glanced sideways. Hae-won, who was listening while silently nodding, filled his shimmering field of vision.

Through the half-open window, the sound of crickets or some other insect chirping drifted in. Their fingers, resting beside their outstretched legs, were at an ambiguous distance, almost touching. Hae-won, lost in thought, was staring at the television—which showed nothing—while holding a sloshing soju bottle. He felt the esophagus through which the soju passed burning hot. He felt a fluttering sensation, not in his stomach, but in his chest. Hyun-woo swallowed hard and glanced at him.

Hyun-woo’s warm hand crawled across the floor. The cold fingertips touched first. They slid up the dry back of the hand and interlaced between the fingers. Only then did Hae-won turn his head, and their gazes locked. Hyun-woo’s heart began to beat uncontrollably fast.

It’s the alcohol. Not because of any particular emotion, but because of the alcohol.

Hesitantly twisting his waist, Hyun-woo kissed Hae-won’s cheek. The cheek, which had a low temperature, felt cool. Even when he slid his lips to bite the plump lower lip, Hae-won did not resist. As he lightly sucked the soft lip, a thin breath escaped from the slightly parted mouth. Just as Hyun-woo was about to push his tongue in, he realized his mistake and pulled back.

“……Ah, sorry.”

Hurriedly letting go of the hand and leaning his back against the bed, Hyun-woo couldn’t stand the silence and picked up the remote lying on the floor. When he turned on the television, it made a buzzing sound, and the screen flickered on after a few seconds. Even as he pressed the sticky buttons to change the channel, there was nothing worth watching. In truth, nothing was entering his mind.

“Nothing to watch…….”

After tuning into a channel playing a low-quality movie, Hyun-woo set the remote down and tugged at his shorts. Of all the mistakes to make, he had to make this one. Looking down, Hyun-woo buried his face in his palms. His penis, which he had barely managed to calm down, was erect to an uncomfortable degree.

Setting down the soju bottle and wiping his moist lips with the back of his hand, Hae-won let out a short laugh. Startled by the sound, Hyun-woo looked beside him. Hae-won pressed his hand against the warm floor and reached out. He grabbed Hyun-woo’s firm shoulder and pushed him back. Hyun-woo slid back and lay on the floor, visibly flustered.

“Uh, why. Why…….”

Pressing down on the neck of the attempting-to-rise Hyun-woo, Hae-won climbed on top of his lower abdomen. He stared intently at Hyun-woo, who could have easily pushed him away but only touched his thighs with a pathetic amount of strength. Hyun-woo’s already red face burned a deep crimson. The reaction, so distinctly different from the other two, irritated Hae-won.

Since when had Joo Hyun-woo been looking at him with these kinds of eyes? It didn’t seem like it had only been a day or two.

Frowning, Hae-won spoke.

“Hey.”

“……Yeah?”

The blank expression was quite a sight. Hae-won reached back and pressed firmly on the erect penis.

“Do you like me?”

Frozen in place, Hyun-woo slowly shook his head and swallowed hard.

“……No.”

Watching Hyun-woo deny it with every muscle in his face and a furrowed brow, Hae-won gave a powerless smile.

“Then that’s fine.”

As he immediately slid his hand inside the pants and gripped the almost hot penis, Hyun-woo flinched. The hand gripping the round knee touching the floor pushed harder than before, but Hae-won instead pulled the penis out of the pants and stroked it up and down. The bumpy penis, full of protruding veins, was a stark contrast to his smooth appearance. He felt he understood why Joo Hyun-woo was so brimming with confidence.

“Hey, Yoon Hae-won……. That…….”

While his words and expression showed signs of refusal, the hand that had been pushing him away was only weakly touching his knee. It almost looked like he was pleading. It was ridiculous. Twisting his lips into a smile, Hae-won let go of the neck.

Despite the lack of pressure, Joo Hyun-woo remained lying there, chewing his lip. Hae-won, who only a few hours ago had been shaking his head and crying, telling them not to put it in, was now on top of him, touching his penis. He didn’t know how to interpret this. If he had been a naturally light person, he wouldn’t be this flustered. Nevertheless, he couldn’t resist. They say that when there is night and alcohol, there are no friends; even knowing he should push him away, his lower body responded faithfully. If it went further, he would succumb helplessly. Gathering his depleted patience, Hyun-woo let out a word.

“……Hae-won.”

It was a voice that anyone could tell was saturated with arousal. With a sneer, Hae-won rubbed the glans with his thumb. With a groan, Hyun-woo turned his eyes of longing elsewhere.

Just as the stiffly erect penis began to quiver and shake, Hae-won rose from the stomach and took off his pants and underwear. Hyun-woo neither stopped him nor lunged at him. He offered no resistance until Hae-won sat back on his stomach. As expected, he was the same. He puts on an act, but Joo Hyun-woo was just like those two. Then he should be treated the same.

Grabbing the penis, he aligned it with the entrance that was already well-relaxed and gaping, then slowly lowered his hips. Hyun-woo watched with a confused expression as his penis forced its way into Hae-won’s hole. Even though only the glans had entered, the warm inner walls were felt vividly, making his eyes narrow.

“Hng……!”

Clenching his teeth, Hae-won stared intensely at Hyun-woo with sharp eyes and sank down, putting all his weight into it.

“Ah……!”

Tears welled up, and a sharp pain shot down his spine. His tightly stretched opening swallowed Hyun-woo’s member entirely. Hae-won braced his hands against Hyun-woo’s chest, trembling violently. Even when Go Tae-gyeom had been on top of him, driving in from below, it had always been overwhelming; but having it forced into an unprepared hole was so painful he wanted to scream.

“Haa…”

Hyun-woo’s sweat-soaked hair brushed against the floor. Yoon Hae-won’s insides felt terribly good. Even though he had watched him be pounded like that just a few hours ago, far from being loose, he gripped the member tightly. Hyun-woo clenched his fists, suppressing the urge to grab Hae-won’s waist and thrust upward like a madman. It was just the alcohol; Yoon Hae-won was only making a mistake because of the alcohol.

Opening his closed eyes slowly, Hyun-woo’s heart fluttered again the moment he faced Hae-won, who was wearing only a single t-shirt and trembling as he sat atop his member. Looking up from below, he could clearly see Hae-won’s flushed cheeks and lips from which shallow breaths escaped. A handsome face distorted by faint arousal and pain. Hae-won, who had captured his gaze as a child, was wearing an expression he could never have imagined while harboring his member.

He was lovely. Startled by the sudden thought, Hyun-woo pushed Hae-won’s thighs away. This time, the touch was not gentle.

“Hae-won. Let’s stop. I’m sorr— ugh…!”

Shaking off the hand, Hae-won lifted his waist slightly and then sank down abruptly. Feeling the inner walls tighten and then widen around his sensitive member, the strength vanished from Hyun-woo’s hands. Bracing himself against Hyun-woo’s chest, Hae-won blinked to clear his blurring vision and moved his hips. He lifted his buttocks and then slammed down hard.

“Ah… Hae-won…”

“Haa…”

Hyun-woo stroked Hae-won’s thighs with his sweat-slicked hands. The smooth skin clung to his hands like the inner walls. He closed his eyes tight, avoiding looking at Hae-won bouncing above him, evading responsibility by telling himself it was just the alcohol and something that would be forgotten by tomorrow. Because if he looked, strange emotions kept surfacing.

Above the closed-eyed Hyun-woo, Hae-won clumsily swayed his hips and moved up and down. The unfamiliar movements were awkward, yet Hyun-woo still let out groans and gripped the underside of Hae-won’s thighs tightly. Watching Hyun-woo’s face, drenched in pleasure, Hae-won took in the overwhelming member.

“Haa, ugh… hng…”

His buttocks clashed repeatedly against Hyun-woo’s groin. Every time the ridged member scraped against the swollen inner walls, shivers ran through him. His sweat-dampened knees kept slipping on the linoleum floor. The arms bracing against the chest buckled repeatedly.

“Hae-won, slowly… hng…”

Like someone in a hurry, whenever his arms buckled, Hae-won quickly regained his balance and bounced his hips. Even as the sound of sweat-soaked skin sticking and peeling apart echoed, he did not slow down. Gritting his teeth against the surging pleasure, Hyun-woo opened his eyes again.

Through a dizzying gaze, he saw Hae-won shaking his own hips. Yoon Hae-won, frowning and letting out low groans, flinching every time the member slammed in, yet never stopping. The hands that had been circling the thighs slowly moved up to the waist. Finally, gripping the waist tightly with both hands, Hyun-woo raised his knees. Hae-won’s body jolted forward.

“Ah…! Ah-ugh!”

“Haa… Hae-won…”

Holding the waist of the mounted Hae-won, he thrust upward powerfully. Hae-won, who had been moving passively as he wasn’t yet adjusted to anal sex, swayed violently. His eyes flew open, and the voice he had been suppressing grew louder.

“Ah, ngh…! Ge-gentle…! Ah!”

Hyun-woo’s waist, which had been flat against the floor, arched high. Hae-won, whose knees were raised in tandem, tried to stand up to avoid the member striking from below, but his waist was held so tightly it hurt, leaving him helpless as he offered up his hole.

“Yoon, Hae-won… Hae-won…”

Hyun-woo groaned as he drove his viciously erect member into the depths of Hae-won, who was hunched over, clutching at the fabric of his clothes. The sight of Hae-won, shoulders shrunken and shaking, was lovely. Goosebumps rose on Hyun-woo’s cheeks.

He had dreamed of this. Back when he was young, when he thought it was just a passing emotion. In his imagination, he had laid down Yoon Hae-won, whom he called a friend, and driven his member into him. The Hae-won in his imagination sometimes wrapped his legs around his waist, saying it felt good and asking for more, but other times he screamed and cried, begging him to stop. Hyun-woo would stare blankly up at the struggling Hae-won and thrust his hips until a slapping sound echoed.

“Haa…! Ah! Gently, do it gently…!”

Hae-won lifted his lowered head. His eyes, already brimming with tears, were distorted with pleasure. Without easing up in the slightest, Hyun-woo continued to thrust, gripping the waist of the man who had initiated this and was now trying to flee.

“Hae-won… does it feel good? It feels good, right…?”

“Ah, it hurts…! I told you, gently… slowly… ngh!”

His waist was constricted, making it hard to breathe. The member pounding relentlessly from below poked at the pleasure points along the path Seo Hae-young and Go Tae-gyeom had carved, but his body, already over-saturated with pleasure, rejected the stimulation. Feeling like he might go crazy, he twisted his legs, but they only slid further on the sweat-slicked floor, causing the member to bury even deeper. Even as he tilted his chin up to stare at the ceiling, he couldn’t overcome the dizzying pleasure rising from below and clung to the arms holding his waist.

“Haa… you bastard…! Slowly, haa…”

With the thumping movements of the waist, Hae-won’s body swayed forward. When a voice mixed with sobbing escaped, Hyun-woo suddenly pushed himself up from the floor and pulled Hae-won’s buttocks close.

“Ah…!”

“Hae-won… you said let’s do it first.”

Tossing aside his obstructive t-shirt in one go, Hyun-woo stripped off Hae-won’s top as well. With his hair a mess, Hae-won, unable to gather his senses, pushed against the floor with his feet. That kick knocked over a soju bottle, creating a small puddle. Wrapping his arms around the slipping upper body, Hyun-woo lifted Hae-won with force and then dropped him, kissing the chest before him.

“Hng, ngh… ah…”

The member slid out leisurely and then returned to fill him completely, repeating the cycle. Hae-won hugged Hyun-woo’s head, enduring the thick pleasure that surged up. It wasn’t so fast that it was overwhelming to keep up with, so it was bearable. Whenever the tip of the tongue dug into his nipples, which were swollen and redder than usual, his lower abdomen twitched. After thoroughly licking and kissing the bruised and scarred upper body, Hyun-woo did not miss the collarbones and the nape of the neck. A wet tongue traced the sharp line of his jaw.

Filled with arousal to the brim, Hyun-woo pressed his lips to the jaw and whispered.

“Hae-won… call my name… okay?”

Hae-won, who had been letting out feverish groans while swaying up and down, rolled his vacant eyes and gave a small laugh. Is he crazy… Laughing hollowly, he pressed his buttocks down and rubbed. A groan erupted from both Hae-won and Hyun-woo simultaneously. Impatient, Hyun-woo bit Hae-won’s jaw with his front teeth and licked upward.

“Call my name… Hae-won.”

Sliding up the sweat-dampened back to grip the back of the head, Hyun-woo lifted Hae-won’s head and sucked on his parted lips. Hae-won found the lips constantly pressing against his cheeks, neck, and jaw annoying. Even when he shook his head to shake them off, they clung like leeches.

“Hmm? Hae-won…”

“Ah-h…! Ugh, hng…!”

The bouncing movements grew more intense. Bound by Hyun-woo’s upper body, Hae-won squeezed his eyes shut and refused to open his mouth. Groans leaked through his tightly bitten lips. Eventually, Hae-won blocked Hyun-woo’s persistently demanding mouth with his palm and shook his own waist.

“Shut up and just do it…”

He hugged Hyun-woo’s shoulder with his remaining arm, while Hyun-woo licked and bit the fingers pressing against his lips. Despite it being a night at the end of summer, the heat gradually rose as they clung together, rubbing their skin. The heat spreading from the fingertips calmed his trembling body. On the flickering television, a subtitled movie was reaching its climax. The hip movements grew more violent, and Hae-won held Hyun-woo’s head with both arms, letting out ragged breaths.

This was enough. He had lost all his friends, but he had kept his job. Since they now shared a secret, Hyun-woo wouldn’t be able to recklessly open his mouth to Hyun-jeong and get him kicked out of the shop…

“Hng, ugh…!”

Burying himself deep, Hyun-woo hugged Hae-won breathlessly and had a long ejaculation. Hae-won gently stroked the back of Hyun-woo’s head as he gave small thrusts, pushing every last drop of semen inside.

Joo Hyun-woo, pretending to be kind—he had hated the sight of him, so this was good. If he was going to cum anyway, why pretend not to be, pretend to be different…

Whether one time wasn’t enough, Hyun-woo’s shoulders began to move again. Hae-won, slumped over, found it hard to even move a finger. Overwhelmed by a deep sense of exhaustion, his eyes closed. He repeatedly drifted into sleep only to be woken by the member piercing deep inside. Leaning on the sound of Hyun-woo’s rough breathing as he pounded into him, Hae-won’s vacant gaze drifted upward. The large window above the bed was wide open.

That’s strange. I closed it halfway… Frowning as he looked at the dark outside, he saw white smoke leaking from somewhere and scattering without a trace.

“Hae-won, your face… show me.”

Looking up with unfocused eyes, Hyun-woo gripped the buttocks, which bore faint finger marks, and shook them up and down.

“Ngh… hng…”

Looking down at the persistent Hyun-woo and meeting his eyes, Hae-won’s attention was entirely focused on the window. He glanced up at the window again, and his body jolted. Seo Hae-young, with both arms resting on the window frame, was staring blankly with an expressionless face. Panicked, the moment he regained his senses, Hae-won’s hands trembled violently as he grabbed Hyun-woo’s shoulders and pushed him away. Thinking he was just being fussy, Hyun-woo gripped his buttocks tightly.

“I’ll be gentle…”

“Wa-wait… ngh…!”

Because Hyun-woo kept trying to kiss him, he couldn’t open his mouth, and because the other was so strong, he couldn’t escape. The warmth that had covered his skin vanished in an instant. He hadn’t expected him to arrive this early. No, perhaps he had simply forgotten for a moment. Because he was so annoyed with Joo Hyun-woo, just for a moment.

“Haa-ugh…!”

A groan burst out. Holding the waist with one arm, Hyun-woo gave one powerful thrust and then, as if frustrated, pushed Hae-won’s body down onto the sticky floor. He immediately hooked one leg over his arm and thrust as if pinning him down. Wrapping his arms around Hyun-woo’s shoulders, Hae-won urgently lifted his upper body to check the window. The window closed quietly, and a black shadow brushed past it.

“Hae-won… Hae-won.”

Grabbing his jaw, Hyun-woo pushed his tongue into his mouth. Hae-won struggled, pushing away the damp, wet tongue. Every time he slid on the linoleum floor due to the sweat, the unpleasantness doubled. It was unpleasant, disgusting, and terrifying.

“Stop, just stop…!”

Even as he beat the shoulders and scratched the back with his nails, Hyun-woo thrust his waist even harder. Eventually, he twisted the resisting wrist sharply and pushed his lower body in violently, making his promise to be gentle meaningless. Pain overtook pleasure.

“Ah, ack…!”

“Hae-won…”

He let out a crying sound, his back heaving in distress, but Hyun-woo seemed excessively aroused.

“Just now, Seo—!”

Before he could urgently mention that Seo Hae-young had arrived, his mouth was blocked. Having tightly covered Hae-won’s mouth, Hyun-woo shook his hips without restraint. A member as thick as a forearm was shoved into the hole at will. Hot moisture pooled in his wide-open eyes. He felt as if his insides were turning over.

“Ugh, hng-!”

Fainter than the squelching sound of mixed semen, he heard footsteps. The sound of someone approaching the room. Even as he scratched the floor and gripped Hyun-woo’s arm, the movement did not stop. As his unfocused eyes scanned the pale face, a sudden surge of fear hit him. There was something wrong with Joo Hyun-woo.

“Hng, hng…”

When the member drove in deep, a dizzying pain raced through his waist. While he was gasping for air, the door clicked open. With Joo Hyun-woo’s member still inside his hole and his mouth blocked, Hae-won pushed against the floor with weak strength. It hurts. It hurts. It was a pain similar to when Seo Hae-young first opened him up. Knowing that Seo Hae-young had arrived, his eyes began to flutter shut.

Glancing upward, Hyun-woo frowned, but he did not stop his movements.

“Get… out…”

After carefully observing Hyun-woo, whose kind impression was covered by the influence of alcohol, and Hae-won, who was pinned beneath him with eyes nearly rolling back, Seo Hae-young stepped inside without taking off his shoes and smacked Hyun-woo across the head. The force was so strong that the well-muscled upper body jolted forward. Stunned, Hyun-woo spat out a curse and slowly lifted his lowered head.

“You, fucker…”

When his blurred vision returned, Seo Hae-young merely moved his lips expressionlessly.

“Who told you to shove it in as you please?”

Frowning as he struggled to understand, Hyun-woo looked down and flinched. Only then did he see Hae-won’s state. Eyes streaming with tears, damp and hot breath against his palm, hands pushing his shoulders away without strength.

“Ah…”

As soon as he quickly pulled his hands away, Hae-won gasped for air. Looking bewilderedly at the heavily heaving chest, Hyun-woo pulled his body back. The member that slid out of the hole still had veins bulging, but he was too shocked by what he had done to care.

“Hae-won…”

Reaching out with a tingling arm to lift Hae-won, Hyun-woo’s face became devastated when he saw the mess between the legs. Faint red blood was spreading on the inside of the white thighs. He couldn’t even bring himself to touch the gently trembling body and pulled his hand away. Glancing with disdain at Hyun-woo, who was confused despite being the one who did it, Seo Hae-young approached the dazed Hae-won and crouched down. Tapping the limp legs to check the lower body glistening with semen, Seo Hae-young shook the cigarette pack in his hand.

“You’ve become a total slut…”

Picking up a stray t-shirt and forcing it onto him, he continued.

“I know you go around letting anyone and everyone use you… but I told you not to do it earlier.”

Wiping his semen-stained hand on Hae-won’s t-shirt, Seo Hae-young slowly pushed the corner of the cigarette pack against the straight forehead. When the head, snapped back, returned, he pushed it again; when it returned, he pushed again.

Regaining his senses, Hae-won raised his hand and knocked the cigarette pack away. Pulling the car keys from his pocket, Seo Hae-young threw them at the stunned Hyun-woo and pointed toward the door with his chin.

“Go wait in the car. I need to talk to him.”

“…Talk about what?”

“To soothe him a bit. Oh, and grab Hae-won’s bag.”

Cowering, Hae-won looked between Hyun-woo and Seo Hae-young with eyes full of anxiety. Joo Hyun-woo, who had suddenly turned and pinned him down, was creepy, and Seo Hae-young, who was smiling but oozing a foul mood, was terrifying. Both were men whose extended hands he had ignored. There was no one here he could hold onto.

After putting on his clothes, Hyun-woo wiped his face and approached. Even though it was only two steps, Hae-won reflexively pressed himself against the wall and avoided his gaze. Seeing this, Hyun-woo stopped in his tracks as if shocked, ruffled his hair, spat out a curse, and left the room.

As soon as the door closed with a loud bang, Seo Hae-young took out a cigarette, lit it, and drew in the filter. The acrid scent tickled the tip of his nose. Watching the hazy smoke, Hae-won closed his tired eyes and then opened them. With a snort, Seo Hae-young tapped Hae-won’s jaw to make him look up.

“Hey.”

The long cigarette held between his fingers crackled as it burned.

“I’m not sure if I should beat you or him…”

A long piece of ash fell onto Hae-won’s shin. Flinching at the stinging heat, he tried to pull his leg away, but a strong hand grabbed his ankle and forced it straight. Sitting comfortably in front of Hae-won, who was leaning against the wall, Seo Hae-young pressed his knee firmly against the shin full of scratches.

“Who said let’s do it first?”

Pressing his sore eyes, which felt as if they might pop out, Hae-won answered in a crawling voice.

“I did.”

“Why?”

Seo Hae-young was visible between his fingers. An expression of genuine incomprehension. The corners of his mouth twitched. Whether he had gone crazy from lack of sleep or whether unbearable stress had piled up and exploded, his stiff tongue moved on its own.

“You told me to, you fucker.”

“When did I?”

Seo Hae-young, who had even personally spread the hole open for him, played innocent. He had done it in a fit of rage because he hated the pretentious Joo Hyun-woo, but now that Seo Hae-young, who had set the stage, was acting like this, he felt a surge of anger. Lowering his hand, Hae-won lifted his chin and spoke in a nonchalant tone.

“You told me to earlier. So I did. Why?”

Rubbing his sleepy eyes, it happened in an instant: Seo Hae-young pressed the cigarette into Hae-won’s thigh, which was glaring at him fiercely. The long cigarette pressed firmly into the skin and then slid down, leaving a trail of smoke, and Hae-won bit his lip hard enough to bleed.

“Ugh…!”

Above the thigh where semen had dried, black ash drew an arc. The skin where the cigarette ash touched began to turn red.

Dropping the crushed cigarette butt into an intact soju bottle, Seo Hae-young took out a new cigarette, lit it, and scanned Hae-won.

He looked shocked. Whenever Yoon Hae-won looked like this, Seo Hae-young felt an urge to slap his cheeks. He wanted to kick him, or startle him with a loud noise. Every time Yoon Hae-won’s eyes widened in surprise and he looked up with a gaze filled with a subtle sense of betrayal, a chilling pleasure surged through him. Strangely, that face was irritating him right now, but regardless.

“What happened earlier is one thing, but…”

Seo Hae-young took a long drag of the lit cigarette. Hae-won felt as if the sound of the tobacco burning was seeping into his ears, and the tears clinging to his lashes finally fell. His thigh felt hot. More than the heat and the pain, he was so startled that he didn’t know how to react.

“Don’t start making excuses. It’s annoying.”

The thigh where the warm ash had fallen stung. Nonchalantly flicking ash onto his thigh, Seo Hae-young firmly pressed down on the twitching leg.

“So, you’re saying you opened up first, which means you’re the one who should be punished, right?”

The red tip of the cigarette hovered just above his thigh, barely touching. He couldn’t pull his leg away for fear that it might graze him. He was so terrified that his teeth chattered, but Hae-won shook his head and screamed.

“Why me! Fuck, why is everything always up to you…!”

Seo Hae-young usually let it slide when Hae-won cursed or acted proud, but now was not the time for such behavior. Not for Seo Hae-young, who had just woken up and scoured everything from the sea to the terminal and through every single alleyway.

Sizzle. The sound of flesh searing echoed. Hae-won let out a shriek and kicked out with his free leg to get away from Seo Hae-young, but a black line had already been seared into his thigh. Throwing away the extinguished butt, Seo Hae-young stood up and looked down silently at Hae-won, who was trembling with his back pressed tight against the wall. The smell of semen wafted strongly from his limp, broken form.

In an instant, Seo Hae-young kicked the shoulder of the fiercely defensive Hae-won. Hae-won slid down the wall with a thud as his shoulder and the back of his head slammed against it. He must have been kicked in the chest as well, as he burst into a fit of coughing. The stubbornness he’d felt—the urge to grab Seo Hae-young’s collar if he tried to punch him again—vanished in a heartbeat. Sprawled on the floor, Hae-won struggled just to draw a ragged breath.

“Where do you get the nerve to be so proud?”

His exposed back was struck by a viciously flying foot. After only two kicks, Hae-won lay prone on the floor, glaring at Seo Hae-young while tears of physiological reflex streamed down his face. Unable to hit his face, Seo Hae-young clenched and then unclenched his fist, letting out a sigh.

“Hae-won… this isn’t the time to be proud. You know that.”

“You… told me to…!”

He was immediately kicked in the stomach. His vision went black. Clutching his stomach with his head bowed, Hae-won’s hair was grabbed, forcing his chin up. It felt like Seo Hae-young had brought his face close, but he couldn’t see him.

Seo Hae-young grabbed the shoulder of the sobbing, screaming Hae-won and propped him up against the wall. He raised his hand, then hesitated. Looking at the trembling face with eyes squeezed shut, he felt a strange sensation. So, he relaxed his strength slightly and struck him. He tried to hold back, but he couldn’t. The scabbed lip burst open again, and red blood spread across his lower lip.

“Hey.”

Bringing his face so close that their noses almost touched, Seo Hae-young whispered.

“Do you like it no matter who puts it in? You were screaming quite a bit.”

Their breaths tickled each other’s lips. Seo Hae-young grabbed the collar of the silent Hae-won and slammed him repeatedly against the wall.

“I’m just curious… give me an answer.”

“Ugh…”

Seo Hae-young had asked the question, but he gave him no room to answer. Hae-won’s upper body swayed back and forth, his head and shoulder blades relentlessly hitting the wall covered in yellow wallpaper.

“How many? Who did you give it to behind my back again?”

How many, who, how much, how many times, since when. Hae-won understood Seo Hae-young’s words less than ever before. What did it matter who, how many times, or since when? A laugh escaped him. He must have lost all fear because he was in so much pain. Looking straight at Seo Hae-young with eyes brimming with moisture, he opened his mouth. His blood-stained lips split wide.

“I don’t know… I don’t remember.”

No matter how hard he tried to resist, his body shook uncontrollably. Seo Hae-young, who had been locking eyes with him, remained silent for a moment before clicking his tongue and dragging him out of the room by the scruff of his neck. Unable to walk properly, Hae-won’s knees buckled, and his shins collided with everything in their path. Seo Hae-young let out a heavy, world-weary sigh. It was so frustrating to see Hae-won constantly acting out, as if he’d eaten something wrong.

“You’ll have to remember, Hae-won.”

By the time this vacation ended, Yoon Hae-won would never dare to act out again.