By Zephyria 
If he had to describe the sensation of inserting a finger into the hole, it was that there was a surprising lack of feeling. It was tight and a bit of a struggle to enter because the hole was so narrow, but it didn’t actually hurt much. Of course, compared to the thickness of a penis, a finger was barely anything, so it was a different story. It felt as if he were simply inserting a ballpoint pen.
With a stoic expression, Jae-gyeom moved his finger around.
He wondered if this was right, as there was still no particular sensation. Because of that, he felt it was actually a relief. He had worried that he might be in excruciating pain with just one finger, and while it was different from what he had expected, it wasn’t as bad as he thought. Finally, with a determined face, Jae-gyeom nodded.
Right, I’ll just be a man and take the bottom position.
To summarize, Yoon Tae-hee had been avoiding sex until now because he was afraid of being pinned down (Author’s note—no, that’s not it…). And he must have been avoiding it and keeping his mouth shut because he was too embarrassed to admit that himself (Author’s note—no, that’s not it…). No matter how he thought about it, it seemed better for him to be the one in pain than for Yoon Tae-hee to be. Besides, if he were to die from the shock of seeing Yoon Tae-hee in pain while he was aroused, that would be very problematic.
In that case, what if I’m the one who suggests going bottom first?
Yoon Tae-hee would surely be relieved and would welcome the idea of having sex.
“Mmh!”
Tapping his wet body dry with a towel, Jae-gyeom finally made up his mind. He also thought that this was a good opportunity to have a candid conversation with Yoon Tae-hee. Even if Tae-hee grumbled that there was no mood, there was no helping it this time. Since one should strike while the iron is hot, he sent a text to Yoon Tae-hee immediately after stepping out of the shower.
When are you coming.?
A reply came back shortly after. It said he would likely be home around 6 PM. The current time was 4:48 PM. In that case, once Yoon Tae-hee returned, they would eat dinner together, rest for a bit, and then he would subtly bring up the subject depending on the atmosphere. To that end, he decided to prepare in advance, following Park Sang-jun’s advice.
Jae-gyeom hurriedly got dressed and left the house. Park Sang-jun had told him that love gel and condoms could be easily bought by anyone at a drugstore. Fortunately, there was one not far from his home.
“Um… excuse me… where are the love gels and con…doms…?”
After failing to find them on his own, he eventually had to ask a clerk for help, but since he would never see the person again, he put on a brave face and successfully completed the purchase. Upon returning home, Jae-gyeom waited for Yoon Tae-hee while studying. He couldn’t concentrate well, as if his mind were elsewhere, but time flowed steadily and smoothly.
However, not long after, a snag appeared in his plan.
As it approached 6 o’clock, he called Yoon Tae-hee, curious if he was on his way.
“Where are you? Are you almost here?”
— I think I’ll be a bit late.
“Late? Why?”
— Something came up that I need to handle urgently.
“Then when will you be home?”
— Hmm… around 8? I’ll get there as fast as I can.
“Got it. Then what about dinner?”
— I’ll eat before I come home.
“Okay.”
After hanging up, Jae-gyeom sighed and rubbed his palms against his pants.
Although there was a hitch in the plan, it didn’t really matter whether Yoon Tae-hee came at 6 or 8. Jae-gyeom steadied his heart, which felt like it was deflating like a popped balloon. He decided to wait for Yoon Tae-hee with a calm mind.
Time passed, and it was nearly 8 o’clock.
While studying in his room, the moment Jae-gyeom heard the sound of the front door keypad, he dropped his pen as if throwing it and sprang up. As he rushed to the entrance, Yoon Tae-hee, who was just stepping inside, immediately kissed him on the cheek.
“Welcome back.”
“Yes. I’m home.”
While accepting the pecks, Jae-gyeom grabbed Yoon Tae-hee’s wrist to lead him further into the house. As Tae-hee leaned into his embrace, rubbing his forehead against him, he was holding a file filled with documents.
“What’s that?”
“There’s something I have to finish by today, so I brought it. I need to work for a bit.”
Saying so, Yoon Tae-hee flicked his wrist to check the time and began walking toward the study. Work? Now? Flustered, Jae-gyeom followed closely behind him and asked.
“Really? Is it urgent?”
“Yeah. A bit.”
“How long will it take?”
“I don’t know, I want to finish it quickly, but…”
“Right. Okay. Go ahead and do your work.”
Heading into the study, Yoon Tae-hee put on his glasses, sat in the chair, opened his laptop, and began working. At first, he seemed to be organizing the documents slowly with a sigh, but his expression soon shifted to one of deep concentration.
To avoid disturbing him, Jae-gyeom quietly closed the door and left the study.
Hmm. He looks busy, so it can’t be helped…
While waiting for Yoon Tae-hee to finish, Jae-gyeom tried watching TV and flipping through books. But strangely, he couldn’t concentrate. He wandered around the living room, went to the kitchen to wipe the moisture off the sink for no reason, and washed the dishcloth. He even took the towels out of the dryer and folded them neatly.
After about an hour had passed, Jae-gyeom went to the study and knocked.
“Yes~.”
Hearing the voice from inside, Jae-gyeom opened the door and peeked his head in. Yoon Tae-hee was still sitting at the desk, typing while looking at the documents.
…Not finished yet?
Jae-gyeom cleared his throat and asked with a feigned nonchalance.
“Is it going well?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you still have a lot left?”
“Hmm… I think I just need a little more.”
“Okay.”
Jae-gyeom closed the door again without any real gain.
Checking the time, it was only 9 o’clock.
Right, the night is long and there’s plenty of time anyway. He decided to wait patiently.
Yoon Tae-hee’s eyes gleamed sharply as he reviewed the documents. Since the matter involved a current member of the National Assembly, there were many details to investigate and review in advance, such as personal information and real estate lists. Since it was a case entrusted to Seonsa Yeo-hye, he couldn’t afford to handle it sloppily.
After staring at the monitor for a long time, his vision felt blurred. It was while he had taken off his glasses and was massaging his temples.
The phone resting on one side of the desk rang. Yoon Tae-hee picked up the phone and checked the caller.
Shin Ji-hye.
Staring blankly at the screen, Yoon Tae-hee answered the call.
“Hello.”
— Hey, Darling. It’s me. Are you busy? Can you talk?
“A bit. Why?”
It was when Yoon Tae-hee replied in a flat tone.
— No, it’s nothing much. I ran into Jae-gyeom earlier today.
At those words, Yoon Tae-hee, who had been massaging his temple with one hand, paused for a moment before asking.
“What did you do when you met?”
— Just, you know, caught up on some gossip for the first time in a while.
“What did you talk about?”
— Wow, look at him grilling me just because he met his lover. You really haven’t changed.
Shin Ji-hye, chuckling on the other end, spoke in a playful, teasing voice.
— I heard you guys still haven’t slept together?
At that, Yoon Tae-hee’s hand holding the phone stiffened briefly. He cast a glance toward the closed door and opened his mouth to say something, but then shut it.
“…”
It was a topic he hadn’t anticipated. It wasn’t that he was surprised Shin Ji-hye would bring up such a topic with him. Rather, he hadn’t expected that Jae-gyeom would have mentioned such a thing to her.
“…Did Jae-gyeom say so?”
— Yeah. He said you’re like a magnolia flower.
Puzzled, Yoon Tae-hee frowned slightly and asked back.
“…A magnolia flower?”
Shin Ji-hye burst out laughing and relayed the conversation she had with Jae-gyeom. She didn’t tell him everything, but she mentioned that Jae-gyeom had compared him to a magnolia and seemed to be worrying about not moving on to the next stage.
She didn’t bother mentioning the conversation between Park Sang-jun and Jae-gyeom. This was because she knew Yoon Tae-hee’s twisted nature. And in truth, the only reason Shin Ji-hye had called Yoon Tae-hee was out of pure curiosity to satisfy her own interest. It was because of her personality, which couldn’t stand not knowing something.
— So why haven’t you eaten him up yet? I’m seriously curious.
“…”
Yoon Tae-hee leaned back in his chair and silently twirled his ballpoint pen.
— I won’t say a word to Jae-gyeom, so just tell me. Please! It’s Ji-hye’s wish!
“…”
Shin Ji-hye pressed for an answer from the other end. Even so, when Yoon Tae-hee remained silent and let out a quiet sigh, Shin Ji-hye suddenly burst into laughter and then spoke in a clear voice as if she had realized something.
— Darling, you… you’re freaking scared that Jae-gyeom might run away, aren’t you?
“…”
The hand twirling the pen stopped dead. She had hit the nail on the head. As expected, Shin Ji-hye was quick-witted in these matters. Yoon Tae-hee rested one elbow on the desk, took off his glasses, and rubbed his face with his dry hands.
“…How did you know?”
— Because I was like that at first too. Though not as bad as you.
When she first started dating Eun-kyung, Shin Ji-hye had also felt fear. She was certain about her own feelings, but she could hardly be certain about the other person’s feelings. It was the same when they were facing sex. She had been afraid that the other person might be disappointed because it was different from their expectations, or that they might respond by saying, “Now that we’ve tried it, I don’t think this is right.” She was scared that sex might instead become the deciding blow that led to a definitive, negative choice.
— Don’t worry. It’ll be fine. Jae-gyeom seems to like you a lot too.
Shin Ji-hye sincerely encouraged Yoon Tae-hee.
— Don’t make Jae-gyeom wait too long, okay? And be careful not to get your back taken!
With those words, Shin Ji-hye laughed heartily and hung up the phone.