Volume 4

If there was one thing I worried about most upon waking up, it was seeing Jun’s face. The kiss on my forehead yesterday felt as real as if it had just happened. Perhaps because of that, even though it was sex within the game, it felt like we actually did it.

‘What do I do? How can I face Jun?’

As soon as I got up, seeing the tent under my pants brought the thought back. Moreover, in our conversation yesterday, Jun had clearly said this.

“Hyung. I’ll give you foreplay when we actually do it.”

That must not happen. The idea of a man’s member entering that place… I didn’t even want to imagine it.

Just as there’s no real sense of unease when you cut off someone’s head or limbs in a game, the sex I had with Shut Up before was something I brushed off as no big deal, like watching a porn video. Back then, we didn’t even know each other, and I considered the game separate from reality.

But now, Shut Up was talking about it in a way that connected it to me in reality.

“Sigh… How am I supposed to look at him now.”

As I spread jam on the bread I had bought for a simple breakfast, I pondered, stopped, and pondered again, losing track of how many layers I had spread. I took a bite of the thickly jam-covered bread and barely managed to swallow it down with milk, as it wouldn’t go down easily.

I originally opened the office at 9:30 AM, but very few customers came around that time. So, I adjusted it to 10 AM and left home around 8:30 AM, leisurely. As it was getting close to time to leave, I put the dishes in the sink and got dressed.

Ding-dong—.

As I passed through the kitchen to leave, the doorbell rang. Wondering who it could be so early, I looked at the intercom… and it was Jun standing at the door. The emotions I had tried to suppress with the toast surged back.

While looking at the screen and swallowing dryly, I gathered my resolve, but the doorbell rang again. I couldn’t delay any longer, so I carefully opened the door. Then, along with the refreshing morning air, Jun walked into the house.

“Hyung, hello. I came to pick you up.”

“You didn’t have to…”

“You said it takes an hour by bus. It only takes twenty to thirty minutes by car.”

“That’s because you drive like a maniac. I was just about to leave.”

Jun stood waiting in the entryway, still wearing his shoes. The moment I stood up to put on my shoes next to him.

Peck.

His lips touched my cheek and then pulled away.

“…W-what. So early in the morning.”

“Did you sleep well?”

The question ‘Did you sleep well?’ connected to his last farewell from yesterday, ‘Sleep well.’ The only difference was that he was clothed, and this was reality. My resolve to not let the game situation carry over crumbled like dry leaves.

“Mhm. Let’s go, we’re late.”

Actually, we weren’t late, but I was suddenly scared that if we stayed like this, we might end up kissing, and then kissing might lead to clothes coming off.

As Jun closed the front door and headed for the elevator, he asked if I was tired.

“I feel refreshed after taking it out once yesterday. Thanks to you, Hyung.”

“R-right… I see.”

Since no one else was in the elevator, it was less awkward.

Jun’s car was parked within the apartment complex. Perhaps because the rush hour had passed, there were many spots. Roban’s car was parked further away.

As I reached for the seatbelt to buckle up, Jun reached out and fastened it for me.

“I want to pick you up every morning, but I sometimes have things to do in the evening.”

“You don’t have to do this. It makes me uncomfortable.”

“Understood.”

Still, it must have meant waking up an hour earlier than me to come here, so I felt bad saying only dry words.

“Thanks to you, I can get there comfortably. Thank you.”

Only then did Jun’s lips curve upwards.

Even though I drove strictly at the speed limit, we arrived in front of the office in less than 30 minutes. We exchanged few words on the way, as we listened to the radio. When I asked Jun if he had eaten breakfast, he replied that his relative had prepared it for him.

“Still, it’s better when you live with someone, right?”

Before getting out, Jun answered my casual remark with a heavy tone.

“…I’ll be alone again, so what’s the point.”

Perhaps feeling a bit awkward about his sudden outburst, Jun said, “No, Hyung,” and opened the door to get out.

A long loneliness follows a person who becomes an outcast involuntarily. I moved to Seoul to start a business and live alone, but Jun wasn’t like that.

Perhaps every one of Jun’s actions was an attempt to overcome his loneliness. Maybe his desire for control was a signal asking someone to hold onto him as he lost his way. I felt a little sorry for dismissing it as mere role-playing.

“Hyung, I’m going to go in and rest for a bit.”

“Weren’t you just sleeping?”

“I went out early this morning and came straight here.”

“…Where were you going so early in the morning?”

Jun, who was about to lock the car and turn away, lowered his gaze and rolled his eyes at my question. Then, he looked up and casually replied, “Out to play,” with a smile.

“Still, don’t go out too late at night.”

It was just a casual remark, but he gave a bitter smile.

“Hyung. Are you worried about me? Should I just not go out at all?”

I was curious about his reaction if I honestly said I was worried. Would he really not go out? But I didn’t want to control him that much.

“No, just go out reasonably. You stay up all night often.”

“Understood.”

Jun nodded obediently at my words. Seeing that, I thought he might be going through puberty. It felt like lecturing a wayward child.

Then, Jun leaned closer to me, who was standing by the passenger seat, lowered his head, and whispered in my ear.

“Can I come over to sleep sometimes? To your place, Hyung.”

When I couldn’t answer, he added that it would be even better if Hyung came over to sleep. Hesitating, I replied that it would be a bit difficult, slightly lowering my head.

“That… I’ll think about it a bit more.”

“Understood.”

I expected him to add a few more words, but he seemed genuinely tired, blinking his eyelids slowly. He even rubbed his eyes with one hand, his brow furrowed.

“Ah, I’ll be getting compensation for giving you a ride today.”

I thought he would let the favor of the day slide, but he insisted on making it clear. Then, saying he needed to go and sleep, Jun turned and walked away.

So, what does that mean? Him coming to pick me up himself was, when you think about it, something he did because he wanted something in return. Indeed, nothing in this world is free.

As soon as I got to work, I opened the real estate office door wide and started cleaning. Even though the door was usually kept closed, dust accumulated so easily; I don’t know how people managed in a world without wet wipes.

Creeaak!

I was finishing up documents to send to the tax accountant and checking if there were any new listings when the office door opened, and Red Hair walked in. Just like our first meeting, he peered outside beyond the frosted glass boundary.

“Brother Sungdang, what brings you here? Are you here to assassinate me?”

“Just a moment. Just a moment.”

He crouched there for a long time, looking outside, then approached the sofa. He began to lay out what he had brought in his arms on the coffee table, one by one. I looked up from my monitor, drawn by the delicious smell.

“Is that tteokbokki? Didn’t you buy it from across the street? Why not eat it there?”

“I’m on a diet these days, so I can’t let anyone see me eating. I’m sorry. I’ll eat for a bit.”

“Alright, eat slowly.”

He took out another pair of chopsticks and invited me to eat together. Not wanting to eat spicy food so early in the morning, I just sat opposite him and brought him some water.

“Should I keep watch?”

“No.”

The fried dumplings, usually eaten cut into two pieces, disappeared in one bite.

He had a rather thin build. Seeing him eat, I realized this body wasn’t naturally so. The tteokbokki, fried food, and sundae, all neatly packaged for one person, were gone in ten minutes. The chopsticks he offered me were surely just for politeness.

“You must have a hard time with weight management as a trainee.”

“I’m short too. My manager says if I gain weight, I’ll look even more sluggish, so he absolutely forbids me from eating.”

While making coffee, I told him he wasn’t short. In reality, he was about my height, average for a man. But with male celebrities these days easily exceeding 180 cm, I could see why he might think that.

“I wish I could grow that tall too.”

When I turned my head, I saw Bin emerging from the building opposite. He was talking to someone in front of the building. As expected, he was dressed in a neat semi-suit.

Indeed, Bin looked about the same height as Jun, so he was quite tall. It felt ironic that he, looking like a rich young master, was interested in me. No matter how I looked at it, my appearance was much more humble than his.

If anyone were to develop feelings, the person here, Muryul, would be more attractive than me. Perhaps because he’s preparing to be an idol singer, he had the aura of a TV celebrity.

“Dusun-ssi.”

Meanwhile, Bin, who had been standing across the street, had arrived and opened the door to come in. Muryul was sitting on the sofa, looking up at him. A refreshing scent wafted from him, matching his neat attire.

“What did you eat?”

As soon as he entered, he must have smelled the food and asked if I had eaten breakfast.

“No. This friend did.”

“Hmm.”

Bin glanced down beside him. Muryul, looking hesitant, slightly bowed his head to greet him, and Bin returned the gesture with a slight nod.

“By the way, are you friends?”

“Ah… I play games, and I played with him yesterday.”

Bin, who had been looking at the two of us with apparent confusion due to our obvious age difference, seemed to understand and smiled slightly.

“Shall we have lunch together later?”

I didn’t have any specific plans, but eating alone with him made me uncomfortable. It felt like eating with a boss at work. Even then, it’s better to eat with a group than just the two of us.

So, wondering if it would be okay with the three of us, I looked at Muryul. As if sensing my gaze, he quickly chimed in.

“Can I join too? Really?”

Even before I could ask, he rattled off his situation: “I can come out for a bit later,” “What are you going to eat?”, “I lost my wallet, so I don’t have any money. It’s awkward to accept food from fans, and I’ve been keeping my distance because of potential scandals if we’re seen together.”

“…Well, this friend too…”

Unable to turn him down after hearing his situation, Bin scratched the end of his eyebrow and vaguely replied.

“Then, I’ll come right after my morning practice!”

Muryul said with a beaming smile and went outside. As I saw him off, I opened the door to air out the office.

When I turned back, Bin was sitting on the sofa, having a serious phone conversation with someone. His voice was much lower, and he even swore softly. Even though it was my office, I felt like I was eavesdropping, so I went out to sweep. As I swept all the way to Hye-sun’s clothing store, I saw a ‘For Lease’ sign on the closed door.

I hadn’t run into her since then. It seemed she was planning to close the shop. At the time, I was angry and wanted to give her a piece of my mind if I saw her, but seeing this now, I felt pity.

I continued sweeping all the way to the shop in front of the hardware store.

“Dusun-ssi.”

Turning around, I saw Bin approaching.

“See you around one o’clock.”

“Okay.”

“Do you have a favorite menu? I’ll treat you.”

“I like anything that isn’t too spicy.”

His eyes, which had held a deep darkness during the phone call earlier, were now bright. Bin waved goodbye with a smile and walked away.

* * *

Forget spicy, but beef for lunch…

“Is it really okay for me to join?”

“Eat a lot.”

Bin also ordered the yukhoe bibimbap that I had eaten before. He tucked his cumbersome tie into his shirt’s front pocket and rolled up his sleeves. Then, he mixed the sauce from the small dipping bowls and placed one in front of me and Muryul.

“Dusun-ssi, you eat too.”

As I reached for the tongs to grill the meat, Bin snatched them away. For a moment, his hand covered mine, and I almost dropped the tongs in surprise. To calm myself, I drank some water, wondering if my surprise was too obvious.

Muryul was diligently eating the side dishes when he saw Bin’s hands flipping the meat and exclaimed with admiration.

“Wow, this person must be really rich.”

“Huh?”

Bin, also flipping the meat, looked at Muryul and asked what he meant.

“No. It’s just that his watch… it’s a Breguet.”

“Ah.”

Bin chuckled softly and, without further comment, continued grilling the meat and placed a piece on my plate.

My gaze naturally drifted to his wrist, where he held the tongs. If the beef had a gold bezel, I would have recognized it as expensive at a glance, but the watch Bin was wearing looked rather ordinary.

Bin, who had only made Muryul laugh, asked when he saw me looking closely at his watch.

“Shall I buy you one as a gift?”

“No, I was just looking.”

Come to think of it, Jun was also wearing a similar watch. Maybe I’m just unobservant, but it didn’t seem particularly special.

Throughout the meal, Bin constantly doted on me. Muryul might have felt left out, but he was busy eating. When the hoe-deopbap (raw fish mixed with rice) arrived, Bin mixed it for me and placed it in front of me.

“I’m not one to judge, but are you two dating?”

“No, no.”

Bin just smiled, and I stepped in to deny it. Muryul also seemed to feel that Bin was taking exceptionally good care of me.

“Jun would have been jealous if he saw this.”

I lightly ignored Bin’s teasing remark and scooped some hoe-deopbap to give to Muryul. I also offered some to Bin, but he didn’t seem to have much appetite today and didn’t eat much.

While Muryul was briefly away at the restroom, Bin spoke to me.

“I wanted to eat alone, but it’s a shame.”

“Did you have something to say?”

“I have a lot to say, but I can’t say it.”

He then asked if I could wait a bit while he looked for a place to take photos, and I replied that I was fine anytime, which seemed to please him.

When Muryul returned, Bin said he needed to make a phone call and left.

“That person is really cool. What does he do?”

“He runs a studio. In the building across the street.”

“Ah, the tteokbokki building.”

I wanted to tell him that building was where Shut Up, who had helped me yesterday, was located.

“Shall we go?”

Having finished his call, Bin approached us and said so, then walked towards the cashier.

“Then I’ll be going! Thank you for the meal!”

“Practice well.”

After parting ways with Muryul, Bin and I walked towards the office together. He pulled me into a store, saying he wanted to digest a bit. My stomach felt a little full, so I followed without complaint. I had left my contact information at the office door, so it was fine.

The place he took me to was a custom shoe store. Unlike regular shoe shops where shoes are displayed for sale, they were exhibited like works of art on raised pedestals.

“Welcome.”

As Bin entered, an employee approached and greeted him familiarly. Bin led me to the guest room. Set up in a corner of the store, it had a large sofa and refreshments.

“Just a moment.”

Bin left me and followed the employee. The cheerful sound of his leather shoes on the marble floor faded away.

As I picked up and ate a few of the snacks placed in front of me, another customer arrived and sat opposite me. He was crossing his legs and giving instructions to a man in a suit standing beside him. The man in the suit, perhaps his bodyguard, bowed his head briefly and went somewhere.

I couldn’t eat the snacks as freely with someone sitting opposite me. The man sitting across from me was impeccably dressed. Holding a current affairs magazine, he spoke to me.

“The shoes here are ugly. And expensive.”

I looked up, wondering if he was talking to me, and he was staring blankly at me, holding the magazine in one hand.

“…Ah.”

His tone seemed to be seeking agreement, so I responded with a simple monosyllabic reply. I looked around, wondering when Bin would return, when he spoke again.

“Seo Mun-jun, you know him?”

The moment his name was spoken, time seemed to stop.

‘Why is this stranger suddenly mentioning Jun’s name…’

Flustered, I just blinked for a while without speaking.

The man lowered his head and picked up a snack from the plate. Because he was wearing a V-neck knit, his chest was visible when he bowed his head. His bare chest, below his neck, was covered in bruises and frequent scars. I had seen something I shouldn’t have at a glance.

“You can’t speak?”

“…Why Jun.”

“Just. I was curious if he was doing well.”

As he smiled, I finally recognized him.

It was the man who had disguised himself as the Siren boss back then.

But the man I saw then was more ordinary and subdued than he is now. The man in front of me now had a vacant look, as if he were under the influence of a potent drug, and his body was alluring. If pheromones had a physical form, they would have been swarming around him.

“Jun… he’s lonelier than he looks. He doesn’t seem like it.”

Is he the real owner? If so, why is he talking to me here instead of meeting me directly?

“You’re my substitute, right? I don’t have much time, so I’ll just say one thing. Treat Jun well.”

As I was about to retort, asking why I should listen to him, he raised a finger to his lips.

Shh.

His gesture made me pause. Immediately after, the man in the suit approached and handed him something. He took it and left the guest room as if he hadn’t exchanged a single word with me.

“Haa…”

I let out a small sigh, and then I heard other footsteps. Bin approached and sat in the seat he had occupied. It was absolutely not a coincidence that I had just run into him.

“Why did you do that?”

“……Because I don’t like you being swayed by Jun.”

“You treated me like a fake, and then you confirmed it for me?”

“It wasn’t a spot I arranged. That guy wanted it. When he asked about Jun, I mentioned you, and he said he wanted to see you.”

“Haa… What the hell are you two?”

Thinking it was excessive to fight loudly in someone else’s store, I simply got up and walked towards the entrance. I was in a hurry to push open the door and leave, leaving behind the store employee who bowed his head towards me.

I don’t know why I’m so angry. Because Bin deceived me and brought him here? Because I heard such things from a stranger?

No.

Seeing him, I realized. That I couldn’t replace him, the attractive one.

I was angry at myself for feeling such frustration. It seemed natural that Jun couldn’t escape being an Impo in his relationship with me. I was insufficient. The entire responsibility and the root cause was my own heart. If I had kept my heart firmly closed, Jun and I would have been a relationship that ended as just a happening.

On the way back to the office, I received a call from a customer. I hurried my steps, not even having time to compose myself.

I was standing on the bus home when a vibration rang from my back pocket.

Around 3 PM earlier, Jun had briefly visited the office, and we had talked. But, in front of him, the words about seeing your ‘Hyung’ at lunch just slipped out.

“Hyung, did something happen?”

“……No.”

“You look tired… Let’s leave together tonight. I’ll give you a ride.”

As I just stared blankly at the monitor, Jun got up from the sofa and approached me. Then, he brushed my hair aside, talking to me as if we were lovers.

Thinking I needed to create some distance, when he tried to brush my hair aside again, I turned my head away. I saw Jun’s hand falter, but I cut him off, saying, “I don’t like people touching my hair.” It was all because of that gentle touch that my heart was being stirred.

When a customer looking for a room entered, the distance between us grew even wider. Jun left the office without a word, and I spoke with the customer. Despite his offer to give me a ride home, I locked up the office and headed for the bus.

What was truly petty was that I usually closed the office around 7 PM, but today I closed it before 6 PM. It was obvious that this clearly showed I was intentionally avoiding him.

As expected, while I was on the bus, Jun called.

It was difficult to answer in the crowded bus, so when people got off and it became less crowded, I sat down and looked at my phone. Then, I called him back, pretending nothing was wrong.

[Where are you?]

“On the bus.”

[Okay.]

He didn’t ask why I left first or why I left without a word. With a concise answer, the call ended. I put my phone back in my pocket and looked out the car window.

As my stop approached, I pressed the stop button and stood up. After getting off the bus and walking towards my apartment, I heard Rovan calling me from behind.

“Oh? You’re back early. This is why we keep missing each other. I always thought you came back after 8, so I deliberately… Why the long face? Did something happen?”

“No, I’m just tired.”

Seeing me listening silently, Rovan told me to wait a moment, sat me down under the parasol, and went into the convenience store. Before long, he came out with a 2+1 strawberry milk. He put a straw in one and handed it to me.

“You need something sweet to get your energy up.”

As Rovan was about to put a straw in his own strawberry milk and bring it to his lips, someone snatched it away. I stared blankly at the parasol stuck in the center, then looked up at Rovan’s grumbling.

It was Jun. With the straw in his mouth, he sat down next to me. He must have followed me right after hanging up. His expression was his usual one.

“Did something happen between you two?”

“……Nothing happened.”

Rovan looked back and forth between us, pressing, but only I answered that nothing had happened; Jun just sat there quietly.

“Junie, why are you here?”

“Just because.”

As the conversation with Jun also became choppy, Rovan rolled his eyes, observing our expressions. He seemed to want to lighten the mood, so he chattered on by himself, more exaggeratedly than usual. But when he received no reaction, he stood up.

“Seriously, why are you both looking so glum today? Ah, this is boring. I’m leaving.”

Rovan seemed to have been talking about games, but I didn’t want to hear it right now. I stood up, holding the strawberry milk I hadn’t finished.

“You should go too.”

The wind blew, and my hair fell forward. As I tried to brush away the hair covering my eyes, Jun’s hand reached out. Just like before, I turned my face slightly to avoid it.

“Why are you avoiding me? Since earlier.”

“I told you I don’t like you touching my hair.”

“That’s a lie.”

I let out a small sigh and headed home. Even as I took the elevator to the 4th floor, Jun seemed unwilling to leave and followed me closely. I stopped midway through entering my apartment’s password and looked at him.

“Hey, I clearly told you to go earlier.”

“Because Hyung is avoiding my questions. I’ll leave if you tell me.”

“I’m not avoiding anything.”

Jun tried to cup my face again, and I dodged his touch.

“Still?”

“Be good to Jun.”

I remembered the man’s words from earlier. As I stood facing him, a passing resident glanced at us and walked by. I quickly opened the front door and went inside, and Jun followed.

“Hyung.”

He called out to me, standing in the entryway without taking off his shoes.

“Why are you like this today?”

“Like what?”

“You’re deliberately being cold.”

“……Come in for now.”

Jun sat on the sofa first, and I sat down next to him. He turned towards me and rested his arm on the backrest. I just clasped my hands and sat with my gaze lowered.

Tick— Tick—.

Normally, I never heard the ticking of the clock’s second hand when I was home, but now it was loud. It sounded like the second hand on a time bomb. There was no need to delay any longer. If it was going to explode someday, it wouldn’t make much difference if it exploded now.

“……Do I really need to be here for you?”

“What are you talking about?”

“The person you called ‘Hyung’ in that game. I met that person.”

“…….”

Jun was silent for a long time after hearing my words. He roughly ran his hands through his hair and sat up straight. Then, he bent over, cursed lowly, and covered his face. I could even hear him say, “Namgung Bin, you son of a bitch.” Just from that, I could tell. That the existence of that ‘Hyung’ held significant weight for Jun.

“Haa…”

Jun let out a deep sigh and looked at me. Skipping the step-by-step questions like ‘When did you see him?’ or ‘Where did you see him?’, he asked the core question.

“So that’s why you were avoiding me all day?”

“You don’t need a substitute like me.”

“……Yuduseon.”

“…….”

“Don’t say things like that.”

It was absurd. Who was making me feel like a fake right now, and why was he getting more upset? I tried to get up because I didn’t want to talk anymore, but Jun roughly grabbed my arm and pulled me. He leaned in close, making eye contact.

“Please, stop thinking useless thoughts.”

“Your body isn’t getting better. Just looking at that, I…!”

“Why are you blaming yourself for my problems!”

“I have no choice. Ever since you started calling me ‘Hyung’— I’m supposed to be—.”

My lower lip was roughly bitten, as if to say my words were cut off. The sound of “Ah,” couldn’t escape as it was blocked by Jun’s tongue pushing in. The reason my heart was swirling right now was probably because he was stirring it up like the inside of my mouth.

“Hng, mmmph…”

I tried to turn my head to pull away, but it was in vain as both my cheeks were caught in Jun’s hands. His tongue root went so deep it felt like it was embedding itself in my mouth.

I couldn’t say anything. As our saliva mixed, my thoughts became jumbled. Even amidst my anger, I felt pathetic for being intoxicated by the ecstasy of his kiss.

“Haa… Hhht.”

Our lips, locked as if I couldn’t breathe, slowly parted. Jun’s lips were redder and more moist than usual. Because of that, while still angry, I was engulfed by the desire to kiss again. There was no room for reason to intrude. Not between our lips.

“Don’t think about anything.”

“……Easier said than done.”

“Yuduseon.”

Jun had called my name twice today. He kept pulling me out from behind his ‘Hyung.’

When I didn’t answer, Jun slowly brushed my hair aside. It was a lie, just as he said. I don’t dislike Jun touching my hair. He looked at me closely enough to see through my lie. Closing my eyes, I felt his touch.

When I opened my eyes and lowered my gaze, Jun tilted his head to meet my eyes.

“From now on, if you have something you want to say, say it all. Don’t avoid me like this. I told you to do whatever you want.”

“Can I hit you?”

“Yeah.”

I raised my hand and clenched it into a fist. Jun looked at me leisurely and then closed his eyes. This guy knew. He knew I couldn’t hit him.

“Hit me quickly.”

“Ah, seriously…”

Muttering curses with my words slurred, I lowered my hand. How could I hit that face? The one who looked so dejected this morning, thinking he’d be alone someday.

As the strength left my fist, Jun intertwined his fingers with mine. And then we shared another deep kiss. We clung to each other’s lips for a long time before collapsing onto the narrow sofa. Perhaps because it was cramped, we held each other even tighter.

“Haa, ha…”

Unlike me, who was fully aroused, Jun’s was still lacking. He looked down at the front of his pants and sighed, looking inwardly disappointed.

Seeing that, a voice from deep inside me whispered, ‘You should do it for him too.’ Reason said, ‘No, don’t say it.’ It was truly crossing a point of no return, as instinct and reason conflicted. But, looking at Jun’s disappointed gaze, my heart was gradually leaning towards instinct.

‘Ah, no. I shouldn’t say that.’

This was all due to my excessive compassion.

“……Should I suck you?”

At my suggestion, Jun’s eyes widened.

I had already blurted it out, and he had heard it. I had always only received his caresses, so I was afraid I wouldn’t be good at it, and I was bewildered that these were words that had actually come out of my own mouth.

I wasn’t the only one who was flustered. Upon hearing my words, Jun covered his face and seemed to be contemplating. Had I said something I shouldn’t have? Would it be better not to do it, rather than making a strange relationship by doing it clumsily? I tried to take it back.

“Ah…, that is…”

“I like it so much… I don’t know what to say.”

If he likes it that much, I can’t take it back!

The moment I lost my mind was the cause of it all. Caught up in the atmosphere, the words just blurted out before I knew it. Thinking about putting his thing in my mouth soon, my mouth kept drying up.

Instead of answering, Jun was unbuckling his pants. As he lowered his briefs, his penis was revealed. It was still flaccid, but regardless, Jun’s expression was flushed.

‘…How should I position myself?’

It was too small to bend over.

“Hyung, come here.”

At that moment, Jun took my hand and pulled me towards him. I sat between his slightly spread legs and looked up at him.

“Don’t push yourself.”

Just holding his penis with my hand was the beginning of the challenge. I swallowed dryly and then cupped it. Even before it was erect, this was… I didn’t want to imagine it after it was erect.

Jun didn’t rush me; he just looked down silently. I parted my lips slightly and bit the tip of his penis, and Jun slightly lifted his hips to adjust his position.

It had no taste and felt like I was holding a soft ball in my mouth. It wasn’t as repulsive as I thought, so I put it deeper into my mouth. Applying pressure with my tongue and the roof of my mouth, I moved my head slightly. Then, a wet groan fell from above me.

“Haa… Good.”

Hearing those words gave me more courage. After moving my head like that for a while, I spat out the penis and licked from the scrotum to the glans with my tongue.

“Ah! …Hyung, this kind of thing…”

“You did this to me.”

“Did I?”

Only the wet sounds filled the living room. The ticking of the clock’s second hand could no longer be heard.

As if I was doing a good job, Jun stroked my hair in various directions. I understood why people stroked hair when praising someone. As he did that, I also felt better and gained more confidence. Eventually, I got greedy and tried to put it down my throat, but I choked and spat it out again. Jun grabbed my chin and lifted my head.

“Hyung, stop now. Your jaw will hurt if you do it anymore.”

Jun leaned forward and rubbed my jaw with both hands. It was something my mother often did when my jaw hurt after dental treatment as a child.

“……It seems I can’t.”

“Why are you disappointed? I enjoyed it.”

“Mmm.”

He stroked my hair again.

As expected, I liked his touch as it delved into my hair.

“Sit wherever you’re comfortable.”

The studio office was bustling for the first time in a while. Usually, they only accepted one or two teams a day to avoid overlapping sets, but today was an exception.

“I’m looking into the product you mentioned. Is this sufficient?”

Bin looked at the photo the other person handed him. In the photo was a seductive man lying down. Based on his looks alone, he was acceptable.

“Looks aren’t the most important thing.”

“He’s a masochist. A serious one, at that.”

“Hmm, if that’s the case, then it’s fine.”

“But there’s a problem.”

As Bin raised an eyebrow and looked at him, the man recited information about the man in the photo. He had served time for group sexual assault a few years ago, and after being released, he had been self-harming and was staying in a mental hospital, so he might be troublesome.

“He self-harms? How?”

“Mainly with a knife, I hear.”

“Perfect. That client loves seeing blood. To replace Lee Hyun-soo, he needs to be at least that level. What’s his name and age?”

“Ju Chae-i. 28 years old. It’ll take some work to get him out of there.”

“Whatever the cost, get him out.”

I hadn’t heard from Lee Hyun-soo yet, but I had to prepare in advance. If you block one water channel, does it flow elsewhere? No. It will inevitably find its way back to its original direction. For now, freeing Lee Hyun-soo was the priority. Then he would find his own way to live. To Seomun Jun.

Knock knock—.

Just then, someone knocked from outside and entered. Both of them stared blankly at the person who entered.

“CEO, could you please watch the filming for a moment?”

“I’ll be there soon.”

Bin replied, and then checked the man in the photo one more time. He then draped his coat over his shoulders and followed the man.

He walked to where filming was in progress, with the model and other people gathered. As Bin appeared, those around him parted to the sides, not to obstruct his path.

“Hng… Sob. Ugh… I, I can’t do this… Ugh…”

With many people watching, the male model refused to film, crouching down. Touching the model was strictly forbidden here. Only Bin was allowed to touch the product. He slowly approached and knelt in front of the model, examining him.

“Who, who…”

“When you’re done crying, get up. People are waiting because of you.”

“How… Nudity… Sob…”

Seeing him burying his head again and sobbing, Bin turned and gestured. A staff member then brought a blanket.

“If it’s too difficult, you don’t have to force yourself.”

Bin draped the blanket over the man’s shoulders and patted him.

“……Really?”

His face was filled with surprise and joy.

‘What a shame. If I sent a kid making that face to a client, they’d be incredibly pleased.’

The clients Bin spoke of were big shots who bought distressed assets. They bought distressed assets at a good price and wanted something else in return. Something other than money. For example, a pathetic-looking crying kid like this.

“Well, I can’t help it. If he doesn’t want to do it, we’ll have to find another way.”

Bin stood up and beckoned to another staff member. The staff member bowed obediently before Bin.

“When does the ship arrive?”

“Tomorrow evening at 7 PM.”

“Send this person’s sister on it.”

“Yes, yes…? Ah, no. My, my sister, no…!”

Only then did the man stop crying and crawl towards Bin, grabbing the hem of his pants and pleading. Bin, with his arms crossed, looked down at him as if he were at the top of the world.

“You’re just an adult, so you probably don’t know much about the world. I’ll give you 30 minutes. Calm down and do it properly during that time.”

The man, still holding the hem of his pants, couldn’t nod, and finally, as if he had lost all hope, he dropped his hand. Bin watched him silently and then gave another instruction to the staff member next to him.

“He’s crying, so give him some water.”

We ordered delivery food and ate dinner in the living room with Jun.

He also seemed to order delivery food often, as he knew many menus. I didn’t know you could actually get Mille-feuille Nabe delivered like this. It came semi-prepared, so all I had to do was put it in the pot and pour in the broth. I placed the portable gas burner on the coffee table and set the pot on top.

“Life has gotten so convenient. This is why everyone lives alone.”

“Isn’t that why you live alone too, Hyung?”

“I don’t know anyone in Seoul.”

“Why not? I’m here.”

I pretended not to hear, watching the pot bubble and boil.

‘Is it ready to eat yet?’

I came back with a small plate and chopsticks. As soon as I opened the pot, steam billowed out. I placed the ladle down for Jun so he could eat first. As he scooped food onto his plate, he handed it to me. Just like when we ate Baeksuk before, it felt like a habit to offer food to others first.

“It’s hot, so eat slowly.”

Jun still didn’t ask where I had seen ‘Hyung’. As he poured sauce into a small dish for dipping, I thought of Bin, who had done the same for me at lunch.

I had lunch with Mr. Bin today.”

“Just the two of you?”

“No, with Muyul.”

“Who’s that?”

Church Oppa, whom I played games with yesterday, was Muyul, and I told him that he often frequented the tteokbokki place on the first floor of the building. Then, while on the subject, I wanted to tell Jun everything honestly. Where I had seen ‘him’.

“And, I saw that person at a custom shoe store not far from the restaurant. I was sitting in the waiting area when he suddenly came up and asked if I knew you.”

“That’s all there is to it, so why the long face?”

“…If that person is the cause, I don’t think I’d be able to. He’s too charming.”

“Hyung is more charming. Stop talking and eat.”

The broth had simmered well, giving it a deep flavor. As my insides warmed up, a warmth gradually spread through my chilled heart. The scene in the living room, with the bubbling pot, seemed to bind the two of us together like a family. So, I wanted to tell him everything I had seen. Because families shouldn’t have secrets.

“But, Junie, that person…”

Clack!

Jun placed his chopsticks on the table and looked at me with a cynical expression.

“Hyung. I don’t want to hear about that person.”

“…I’m saying this because I don’t want to hide anything from you.”

“Then, let’s do this.”

As we talked, the broth had reduced, so Jun turned off the heat. Then he leaned towards me.

“Tell me everything you saw today for 10 minutes. And then, let’s agree not to talk about it anymore.”

“Okay…”

I took a deep breath inwardly and began recounting the day’s events one by one.

He asked if I knew you, and told me to treat you well because you seemed lonely. At that, one side of Jun’s lips curved upwards. I also told him how I felt upon hearing that. Here, Jun again said how charming Hyung was, and lightly touched my earlobe.

Then I told him about the wounds I had briefly seen on his body. I said there were bruises and scars all over. At that moment, Jun’s face subtly stiffened.

“Hmm.”

But, blinking again, Jun’s expression turned relaxed, and he smiled, asking if I was done. However, the expressionless look that flashed for a moment was strongly imprinted in my mind. At the same time, the sound of the clock’s second hand, which I hadn’t heard before, returned to my ears. As I remained silent for a while, Jun turned the gas back on.

“I wanted to stay over, but I have something to do, so I should get going.”

After finishing the leisurely dinner, Jun got up. At the entrance, as he hugged me, he asked if I was going to work tomorrow, and I nodded.

“Then, see you tomorrow.”

“Yeah. Go safely.”

We said a warm goodbye, and I closed the front door. After Jun left, looking at the empty living room, the saying “You don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone” resonated with me.

“I don’t know anyone in Seoul.”

“Why not? I’m here.”

Then, suddenly, I remembered the conversation I had with Jun earlier.

Although I was surprised because it sounded like he wanted to live together, it felt a bit much for us to live together when we weren’t even a couple. If we were just like brothers, I might have actively pursued it, but we had kissed and I had even performed fellatio, so that kind of relationship…

“Ah… I’m an idiot.”

Regret washed over me belatedly. Recalling the day I buried my face between Jun’s legs and took his penis into my mouth, I felt anxious, wondering if I had truly crossed the irreversible river for a gay man. I warned my wandering heterosexuality that I needed to be more restrained from now on.

After finishing my thoughts, as I tidied up around the empty table, my laptop, which I had placed underneath, caught my eye.

It was too early to sleep, so I went online on my laptop and accessed the Blood Planet official website. I went to the free board to see if there were any more insults directed at Shut Up today. There were still about two posts per page.

Looking at those posts, people complained about how you could beat someone who acted like that with paid items, lamenting the level gap. They cried that only poor users suffered because of the PK system.

Also, in the comments, there were insults like “There won’t be ‘Pay to win,’ they said, but now they want us to beat high-level players by spending money? The developers are idiots, bird-brains, etc., listing all sorts of ‘heads’.”

“These ‘heads’ will probably become cult summonings later.”

As I browsed the board, I felt like playing the game, so I thought I’d visit Velvet Town for the first time in a while. The atmosphere in Lacvere Castle was gloomy, and hunting there was also unpleasant. If I was going to get the same experience points, I wanted to do it in a bright place.

I sat on the sofa and put on the access device helmet.

<>

<>

When I logged into the game and opened my friends list, Hanwoo was there. But, even when I whispered to him, I got no reply.

“Maybe I should move spots?”

<>

I sat near a quiet fountain and looked around to see if anyone was hunting. There was also ‘Windy Son Kim Taepung’ in the party recruitment, so I spoke to him and waited, but in the distance, a was wandering around. And it was still picking up random items dropped on the ground.

Since I had nothing else to do, I approached the donkey. The donkey, like an AI, walked in a straight line and then returned, repeating a fixed behavior.

I had seen people killing donkeys in town before. They would fall over after just one or two hits. Since I could deal a certain amount of damage with my staff, I held one in each hand. And as soon as the donkey approached, I swung with all my might.

The donkey stopped and remained still as I hit it. But, for some reason, it was unharmed even after I hit it more than three times. I wondered if they had patched it so it couldn’t be killed, when suddenly an arrow embedded itself in my body.

“…Huh?”

I collapsed onto the plaza floor. In my vision, which turned black and white as I died, the donkey was cackling beside me.

…The donkey is laughing?

Upon closer inspection, it wasn’t a donkey but a . Realizing the situation, I had attacked a regular user who had transformed into a donkey in town, and as I became a Chaos character, the town guards shot arrows at me, killing me instantly.

‘Ah, crap. I was tricked! No wonder the pattern was different from the donkey I saw before!’

<<'Kind Touch' has died. Some items have been lost, and the durability of unlost items is reduced.>>

It was an announcement message I hadn’t seen in a very long time. I checked what items were gone, and unbelievably, the red boots I received yesterday had disappeared.

‘Those seemed quite valuable.’

I quickly reconnected. I logged in at the spot where I died, but there were no boots on the ground. The Donnyagwi must have picked them up. In the local chat window, Donnyagwi was selling my boots.

[Donnyagwi : Vulcan Boots for sale]

[Sees Injustice, Endures Well : How much?]

[Donnyagwi : Offer]

I couldn’t just stand by and watch. I brought up the keyboard screen to curse at him and write in the chat window, but anger surged within me.

“I’m the idiot for being tricked… Ah!!”

“Aargh! You scared me!”

Moment, who had been sneaking up to tease me, was startled by my scream and jumped. I looked at him, wondering why he was in the beginner town.

“Dajeong, what are you doing here?”

“…Huh? I was going to hunt. But how did you know I was here?”

“Ah. You don’t know yet. We’re in the same guild.”

At his words, I looked at the guild mark above Moment’s head. It was the [Ipdae] guild mark. I wondered if someone had left and joined, so I looked at the guild window and saw that [Ipdae] was gone. A sad premonition struck me.

“Could it be… Ipdae actually enlisted?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

Well, it’s something all men have to do. I thought he had left well, true to his character name. Just then, I received a whisper from Kim Taepung. He said he was at the Royal Palace Training Ground watching a fight.

“Rovan, if I spar at the Royal Palace Training Ground, won’t I lose experience even if I die?”

“Yeah, that’s why high-rankers sometimes go there to spar. Why, do you want to watch?”

“I’ve never seen it before. I’m curious.”

I couldn’t miss the spectacle of the world’s most entertaining fight.

However, when I tried to move there, the Royal Palace wasn’t on the portal list. For my sake, Moment formed a party, and I used a party teleportation scroll to follow him.

<>

As the screen changed and I arrived at the training ground, I immediately registered the portal. The Royal Palace Training Ground is a place I often come to practice my controls, so there weren’t many people. It’s a place used to measure one’s skill level.

Furthermore, using skills here causes the PG gauge to fill up, and it resets to its original value as soon as you leave the training ground, so there was a reason to come all the way here.

“When you first log in, it prompts you to do the tutorial, and the portal gets automatically registered. Didn’t you do that, Dajeong?”

“Yeah. I found it annoying, so I just started without doing the tutorial. But why are there so many people?”

“Hmm…? Oh, right! Today is the day of that duel!”

I followed where Moment was leading, and in that part of the training ground, a fight was in progress. Both of them were level 70 or higher, as their skills were quite flashy, and they collided in mid-air.

“Who’s winning?”

Moment was watching the fight quite seriously. I could confidently say this was the first time I had seen him think so intently about something.

“Oh? Dajeong-ssi.”

“Kim Taepung-ssi.”

Just then, Kim Taepung, who was watching from behind us, waved at me. It was a tiered seating area, and the three of us walked up quite high and sat down. From there, the battle was clearly visible.

“You know a lot of high-rankers too, Dajeong-ssi. Before, it was Shut Up.”

“We just met by chance, I guess.”

“By the way, Taepung, what’s your element?”

“Me? A poison summoner.”

At that answer, Moment explained to me that he thought it was wind, and that meeting wind-element users was really good for him. Kim Taepung, upon hearing Moment’s words, was contemplating changing his character name.

Boom! Crash!

And the fighters in the training ground seemed to have similar elements. They were archer types; one used a bow, and the other a crossbow. The user with the bow was named [Serajerad], and the user with the crossbow was [Can].

Can also held a dagger in his free hand. They shot various arrows at each other. Dodging nimbly was a given, and the interval between shooting while dodging was very short.

“With movements like that, the screen must be spinning wildly, wouldn’t it be dizzying?”

Moment and Shut Up also used evasion skills simultaneously with their attacks when fighting like this. They dodged attacks from behind as if they had eyes in their backs, and they seemed to have memorized the boss’s attack patterns, automatically calculating the range and moving away as soon as the boss began to charge up.

While I was mesmerized by the flashy battle, I heard a voice next to me.

“Dajeong, why are your feet bare?”

He must have just noticed my feet. Kim Taepung also looked at my feet and asked if I was walking around barefoot on purpose.

“No, it was when I was in town earlier.”

Seeing them looking at me with wide, clear eyes, I hesitated, wondering if I should tell them. Finally, I said, “Well, it’s like this,” and told them about the ‘Donnyagwi’ incident.

At my words, I expected them to say something like, “Was there such a scammer?” or “People are so cunning,” and offer words of comfort… but they just stared at me seriously.

“Tsk. Hmm…, is Dajeong blind? How could you misread Donnyagwi?”

“Perhaps, Dajeong-ssi, are you the type to be easily fooled in real life too?”

“Taepung might be right. That’s why you partnered with Shut Up.”

“So, Dajeong-ssi was tricked by Shut Up into becoming partners. He must have coaxed you by offering to power-level you. I knew it.”

They exchanged words, clapping their hands together. Just as I was about to retort, a loud boom! came from the front, and someone crashed into an invisible wall.

The user who slammed into the wall was Can. In the end, Serajerad won, raising his elaborately decorated bow high above his head. At first glance, the crossbow seemed more advantageous in terms of speed, but the bow, while slower, dealt more damage and had many Binding Skills. In the end, Can, whose feet were bound, took Serajerad’s final blow and was thrown against the wall.

As the result was announced, some cheered, while others groaned. It felt like watching a horse race.

“Do they bet money on duels too?”

“It’s roughly in the same vein.”

Kim Taepung scanned the spectators and clicked his tongue. Moment, who seemed to understand the situation, just looked down at them.

“Why, what’s going on?”

Checking to make sure no one was listening, Kim Taepung spoke cautiously.

“Saint Island. The leaders there are fighting.”

“There are leaders there?”

“It’s occupied by archers.”

“Ah… right. But why is that?”

Moment then explained.

Saint Island was inaccessible to outsiders, especially Psychics of other elements, but Can, who was rapidly emerging as a new leader, had proposed opening it up to some outsiders. He said that if they continued like this, there would be widespread discontent.

“There are many organized groups these days. Since guilds only have four members, they form alliances with each other.”

“Can they form unlimited alliances?”

“No. Exactly four teams.”

So, Can decided to form alliances with famous guilds in exchange for opening up parts of the island, but that plan fell through. With this, Saint Island had to strengthen its defenses even further.

“Even with archers stationed there, Psychics could storm in and overwhelm them. They pushed for an alliance rather than being wiped out, but that archer guy has a short-sighted plan.”

Moment clicked his tongue as he watched Serajerad leave the training ground.

“But Saint Island is a low-level zone, so there’s no reason for high-level players to go there.”

In response to my question, Kim Taepung informed me that an interesting patch had been released.

It was the location of a new boss, and the announcement stated that it dropped quite valuable items. However, that boss appeared in a cave within Saint Island. That’s why they were trying to open up even the cave, but they had decided to maintain the existing system right here, right now.

Looking at it, the developers were quite cunning. They claimed not to interfere in the game, but they could operate it according to their will like this. If a certain area was occupied by a single group, they could hide treasure there to resolve the issue. It was a simple measure.

“Ah, so that’s why there were so many posts about Saint Island on the board earlier.”

“You skim through things, Dajeong. You don’t read real estate contracts like that, do you?”

“Is that the same as this? There’s no reason to meticulously read posts that are half insults.”

While Kim Taepung and I were talking, Moment opened his inventory and was checking something. Then, he initiated a trade with me and gave me a pair of shoes.

“They’re items meant for the shop, so wear them.”

“Thanks. Ah, just a moment.”

I handed him an item I had obtained when clearing the Cultist’s Hideout. He thanked me, saying he was doing a quest. He said finding the path there was really difficult. He said the path was random, so even with a guide, he couldn’t figure it out.

“They say there’s a formula, but I don’t understand it even when I look.”

“Rovan, did you find it easily?”

“I just lit my finger on fire and followed where the flame pointed. Usually, the flame tilts towards the wider passage.”

We both looked at Moment with envy.

Come to think of it, Shut Up probably wasn’t going to log in today. Before my identity was revealed, he used to message me asking when I would log in, but he hadn’t asked since then.

Looking at the training ground, now empty of people, we also started to get up. Moment asked if Shut Up had gone home, and I replied that he had left after dinner. Kim Taepung, sensing the mood of our conversation, asked if we were all real friends.

“Friends? No, Shut Up is younger. Dajeong often comes over to my place.”

“Oh, really? But, is Shut Up really short and ugly?”

Kim Taepung must have seen the photo from the free board too. Moment, perhaps not having seen it, gave further explanation about Shut Up, asking what photo he was looking at.

“That Shut Up guy, he’s tall and damn handsome. And, his hip bones are killer.”

“I didn’t ask about his hip bones though……”

“……Let’s stop there, let’s stop.”

If left unchecked, it seemed Rovan would describe Jun’s body in detail from what he saw that day.

“Dajeong-ssi, is that true?”

However, Kim Taepung asked me too. I just nodded slightly. Then he told me it was unbelievable, asking if I lived alone in reality and in the game. I agreed wholeheartedly with that statement.

“Shut Up must be popular. Does he have a lover? He must, right?”

“Dajeong-ah, does Shut Up have a lover?”

Being asked such a question, from the position of having given him fellatio that day, was quite embarrassing. But, strictly speaking, I wasn’t his lover. I was his master. As far as I knew, he didn’t.

“Probably not.”

As I answered, I felt something bitter. Then I wondered if I could even date a man, but then I thought, why am I worrying alone when Jun doesn’t even think of me that way, and I sighed.

“Oh? It’s Bidblind.”

At that moment, I snapped out of my thoughts at the words from beside me and turned my gaze to the training ground. I saw Bidblind appear in the center of the training ground, greet the Psychic opponent lightly, and swing her mace.

“The opponent doesn’t look easy.”

Moment said that after looking at the female Psychic on the opposing side.

The user who came out as the opponent was a Warlock. Blindfolded, she moved seductively, her robe dragging on the ground. She held something like a skull in her hand.

“Holy magic and Warlock magic, how interesting.”

Moment sat back down, saying there were many interesting sights today. Most users had left, making it quiet, but the seats quickly filled up as if rumors had spread.

“But, the Warlock’s name is quite endearing. [Carrot].”

“Her nickname is Danggeum. It means she’ll soak everything.”

What sounded like writing about making kimchi sounded cruel.

Beep—!

With the sound signaling the start, Carrot summoned skull warriors from beneath the ground. It wasn’t just one or two, but dozens emerged simultaneously.

“[Holy Knight].”

Then, Bidblind chanted an armor spell and raised her shield, charging forward. Despite being armed skull warriors, a single swing of her mace sent skull fragments flying everywhere. One skull that was hit by her mace flew all the way to the transparent barrier right in front of me and crashed with a bang!

Bidblind continued to advance, but the distance to Carrot didn’t close. Skull warriors were summoned infinitely, and Carrot was chanting another spell.

Soon, a giant dragon’s skull emerged from the ceiling above Carrot’s head and breathed fire towards the ground. Bidblind blocked the flames descending from the ceiling with her shield even while swinging her mace. While everyone was engrossed in the flashy Warlock skills, they were astonished by Bidblind’s control in blocking them all.

“This is truly a battle of spear and shield.”

Carrot was unleashing all her skills. As the mace and shield moved busily, Bidblind’s [Domain of Death] was created on the ground. Dark blood water pooled on the ground, and spectral hands emerged from it, pulling Bidblind in.

Bidblind struggled with all her might, but the spectral hands, lacking substance, couldn’t be shaken off. Like static electricity on your head sticking to your face, they constantly clung to Bidblind’s limbs, hindering her movement.

“[Roar of Terror].”

Seeing her chance, Carrot raised the skull weapon she was holding high and chanted her final spell. Then, the skull weapon gradually floated into the air and transformed into the appearance of a great angel. Though its body and wings were only bone, black wings fell around it with a thud.

Moment, watching this, scoffed at Carrot.

“It’s disadvantageous to use everything at once like that.”

“Isn’t it better to go all out at once? Bidblind looks a bit disadvantaged.”

Moment said I would know soon enough.

“Wow—!”

With every flashy skill Carrot displayed, the crowd’s cheers grew louder. One user sitting in front of us complained that even the number one ranked player wasn’t that special.

The skull, resembling a great angel holding a large scythe high, flew directly at Bidblind. Just as she was blocking surrounding attacks with her shield, she saw it and suddenly began to gather energy.

Swish—!

The moment the scythe flew towards her neck, Bidblind roared.

“[Summary Judgment]!”

Bidblind’s voice echoed through the training ground like an aftershock. At that moment, everything in front of my eyes turned white, and the murmuring surrounding noise vanished all at once.

“……Huh?”

When I closed my eyes and opened them again, the training ground was clean, with nothing there. The remnants of so many skulls, the dragon head breathing fire from the ceiling, the skull that swung a large scythe at her. It was as if it had returned to its initial state.

Crack.

Just then, a sound of stepping on and crushing something was heard, and it was the skull weapon Carrot had been holding earlier. People marveled, asking if she had such a skill. Though enclosed by the training ground’s transparent barrier, it was impossible to gauge how far the skill’s influence actually reached.

“See. I knew she’d have something like that. She’s the one who blocks my flames with a passive skill, so why would she just stand by idly?”

I finally understood Moment’s words from earlier. A skill that could nullify the opponent’s skills all at once…

People murmured again. If you compared the PG filled within the training ground, Carrot’s would be overwhelmingly higher. Bidblind waited until Carrot used her ultimate attack, and she seized that opportunity.

“Ugh……. [Bone Tornado]!”

Carrot, startled by her PG count, created a whirlwind of bone fragments around herself, stopping mid-summon. Although it was a defensive measure, it couldn’t stop Bidblind’s counterattack.

“[Enrage].”

Bidblind cast an enhancement spell on her shield and walked into the whirlwind. Wherever the shield touched, a sharp friction sound of pak! pak! was heard. Although they were bone fragments, they were dangerous enough to grind anything that entered. It was like Moment’s Fire Ring spinning.

Bone fragments that hit the shield fell to the ground. As the number of bones decreased, the whirlwind’s power gradually subsided. Just as a gap began to appear to the watching crowd, Bidblind’s mace shot out straight and struck Carrot within the whirlwind.

Thwack—!

Whether it hit properly, Carrot flew back and crashed into the wall. The attacked Carrot faltered for a moment, and Bidblind brought her mace down on her head. Just before striking, the mace became larger than usual and emitted a bright light.

CRASH!!

The ground shook violently as if an earthquake had struck the training ground. The user who had just been complaining that Bidblind was nothing special was now watching reverently without a word.

The spot where the mace was withdrawn was miserably dug out. Carrot’s corpse was distorted beyond recognition. Even though the match was decided, Bidblind struck down once more with her mace. The next time she raised her mace, Carrot’s corpse had disappeared.

Beep—!

With the sound signaling the end of the match, the transparent barrier was removed. And Carrot, who had been moved outside the training ground, glared at Bidblind.

“What, if you’re angry, come up again.”

Bidblind taunted her, but Carrot just turned and left. Bidblind cursed her, saying something about her sister.

“Does she just go away if she gets hit once? That’s scary.”

Kim Taepung shivered and wrapped his arms around himself.

“Carrot must have offended Bidblind. She doesn’t usually go that far.”

Indeed, even when defeating Plauros, Bidblind hadn’t struck a monster that was already dead.

As the battle ended and we were about to get up, Bidblind raised her hand towards us. We then descended to the lower level of the training ground. Moment stepped forward first and gave his review of the match.

“I saw you make mincemeat of her well.”

“What about your guild master?”

“Why Shut Up?”

“To form an alliance.”

Moment, who had been talking with Bidblind, looked at me. Bidblind also turned her gaze towards me.

“Well……. I’ll ask him when I see him tomorrow.”

Bidblind added me as a friend and left the training ground, asking for a reply. Even as she left, many people watched her back and spoke with admiration.

“She’s not ranked number one for nothing.”

Moment said that while checking his messages, then said, “Oh? I got a request?” and disconnected, saying, “See you next time.”

Left alone with Kim Taepung, I pondered where to go. He looked at the map and tapped my shoulder.

“Have you been to the mines, by any chance?”

“Mines? What mines?”

Kim Taepung spread the map out in front of him and pointed somewhere.

Looking at the level there, it was around 65, which seemed a bit challenging for us. Kim Taepung asked if I was interested, saying we could mine gold ore there and sell it for quite a bit of money.

“Level 65 is a bit dangerous, isn’t it?”

“It’s fine if we just mine a little near the entrance.”

Kim Taepung suggested that hesitation would only delay mining the gold ore, and we should just buy pickaxes and set off.

We warped back to Velvet Town. As we went to buy pickaxes from the blacksmith NPC and then to the area portal, I saw a Dangnyangwi wandering in the distance. Looking at it, Kim Taepung asked if that was it.

“Would anyone fall for that? Ah……. there it is.”

A real donkey was wandering a short distance away. The donkey was brown and of ordinary shape. In contrast, the Dangnyangwi was pink with white spots.

“Are there monsters like that?”

“Yeah. Isn’t that what you see grazing in the field right after the game starts?”

I apologized to them for PK-ing them right after logging in, so I didn’t have the leisure to look around.

<>

We moved to the mine.

The mine was teeming with Kobolds wearing candles on their heads. In the dark mine, if something bright suddenly approached, it was 99 percent a Kobold. So, if it suddenly got bright, you just had to run.

“Dajeong-ssi. Let’s just check around the entrance first, and if it’s okay, let’s go to the First Cave.”

“Then you lead the way, Kim Taepung-ssi.”

When we arrived at the mine entrance, the users’ attire was divided into two types. Parties like ours who only intended to mine gold ore, and users who came for hunting. For now, users like us who only intended to mine ore carried pickaxes on their shoulders. You couldn’t equip weapons if you held a pickaxe.

And, in front of the mine, RootHug was holding a one-person protest. As expected, the sign read ‘No PK’.

“Kim Taepung-ssi. Don’t go near that person.”

“Why?”

“You’ll get eaten.”

Kim Taepung looked confused, asking what I meant, and tried to walk past RootHug, so I quickly grabbed his arm and pulled him.

Then, RootHug, covered in rags, lifted its head towards us. Only its eyes shone brightly in the middle of its dark face. Kim Taepung also took a step back after seeing it.

Only after we moved away did I feel relieved. RootHug lowered its head again as we moved away. We each shouldered our pickaxes and were about to enter the mine.

“Hey, you there!”

However, a group at the entrance called out to us.

“Follow the order, the order.”

“Order? What order?”

Kim Taepung and I tilted our heads at their words. Looking closely, people carrying pickaxes were lined up in a long queue next to the entrance.

“What is this that requires following an order?”

As I muttered to myself, a user standing at the front of the line approached.

“The only place ore respawns is on the path to the First Cave. If everyone rushes in, you won’t be able to mine anything, so you have to go in one by one in order.”

The line looked quite long. Did people want to mine gold ore this way? Was it that profitable? Reluctantly, Kim Taepung and I went to the end of the line. While waiting, I decided to just log off if it got too late.

As we stood at the back of the line, the user directly in front of us spoke to us.

“First time here?”

“Yeah. But are people this desperate for one piece of gold ore?”

“You haven’t seen the latest patch, have you?”

He explained it to us.

Originally, only gold ore came out, but with the latest patch, there was a certain probability of getting a gem called [Tears of the Elf]. And this [Tears of the Elf] was a material for the [Noble Elf’s Breath Ring] that Shut Up was wearing.

“But no one has gotten it yet.”

After hearing that explanation, I looked at Kim Taepung and excitedly said, “Could it be us who gets it?” If what he said was true, it might be about time for it to appear. I was happy, thinking I’d have to sell the gem at a high price if I got it.

Gradually, one or two teams started coming out of the cave entrance. They lined up behind us, seemingly to try again. It was already past midnight.

“It’s taking longer than I thought.”

“I know. Kim Taepung-ssi, I’ll wait for another 30 minutes, and if I can’t go in, I’ll try again later. I have to go to work tomorrow.”

Although it was a shame to give up when we were about halfway through the line, we couldn’t wait endlessly.

“Hey, you punk!”

“Even if it’s a game, damn it. Let’s live by the rules, huh?!”

Then, a fight broke out inside the cave, and we heard curses. The people standing in front of us also started grumbling and, forgetting the line, rushed towards the cave entrance.

“What is it? What’s going on?”

I grabbed one of the users trying to enter and asked.

“Some bastards went in to hunt, killed the gold miners, and are mining it themselves! Those who waited in line are just suckers.”

“No way.”

The area in front of the mine instantly turned into chaos. People whose turn it was were grabbing the backs of those entering and trying to stop them, while those at the very back were barging in recklessly. Moreover, the fighting inside was so intense that people were being thrown out of the cave.

“……Dajeong-ssi, it seems like we’re out of luck today, right?”

“I know. But everyone else is going in…… should we too?”

We exchanged glances for a moment and looked at our equipped items. Yes, after waiting for an hour, it would be unfair to just leave.

Kim Taepung summoned a poison toad and scattered it at the cave entrance. The users who were tangled up fighting couldn’t help but try to shake off the toads that touched their bodies.

Kim Taepung and I skillfully avoided them and entered the mine. The path leading to the First Cave was a complete mess.

“If you think about it, the operators seem to patch things to make people fight.”

“Even though it’s a PK game, people get along too well, maybe? Dajeong-ssi, should we go around that way?”

Kim Taepung pointed to a narrow side path. Everyone was fighting and busy mining gold ore, so they didn’t notice us. Then, a light was seen in the distance, and all eyes turned towards it. It seemed a few Kobolds had appeared.

We entered the side path and waited for others to pass. While observing the situation outside, Kim Taepung tried to move further inside, so I grabbed his shoulder to stop him.

“You’re going to try? I don’t think there’s a path in there……”

“If there’s no path, why would they make this gap?”

It was a path only one person could barely pass through, so I thought it might have been a mistake in the map design. As we went deeper, it got darker, and I felt scared, so I suggested turning back, but Kim Taepung insisted on going to see where it led.

“[Light Sunset].”

The path was dark, so I lit it with a skill. We walked towards a place whose end we didn’t know. I was starting to feel sleepy.

It was then. A phone call came as we were walking, and the bottom part of my screen flashed.

“Kim Taepung-ssi, just a moment!”

I touched the phone icon, and it was immediately answered.

[Hyung.]

It was Jun. He said he had just gotten home and was lying in bed, sounding tired.

“Ah, ah. I see. Sleep well, Juna.”

[Where are you? Playing the game?]

“Uh? Yeah.”

[Where are you that your voice sounds so muffled? Are you in a cave?]

“Um……. The mine.”

Jun chided me for playing so late when he was trying to sleep. I wondered if he, a ranked player, had the right to say that to me. I told him I was just mining gold ore and would stop.

[Gold ore, that’s the Kobold Mine, right? Be careful. Starving Ghouls come out there.]

“Starving Ghouls?”

[If you get caught by them, you’ll be torn apart. Well, getting torn apart once might not be so bad.]

“That’s scary……. Don’t say things like that.”

Jun explained something, but eventually just laughed. I could hear the sound of sheets rustling, as if he was tossing and turning. Feeling like I was disturbing him when he should be sleeping, I hung up, saying I’d see him tomorrow.

“Dajeong-ssi, here!”

Ahead, Kim Tae-poong was waving at me from far away.

“Look, I found a wide-open space!”

This path wasn’t a mistake. I ran towards him. As we passed through a narrow gap, we entered a wide space filled with crystals. As I approached the crystals, Kim Tae-poong said they wouldn’t sell for much and pointed at a black rock in the center, saying, “That one!”

“Can we mine it?”

“If there’s a gauge, it means we can mine it, right?”

As he said, I picked up my pickaxe and brought it close, and indeed, a gauge appeared. We decided we had to break it, no matter what, and swung our pickaxes with all our might. Because it was a wide space, every time we swung our pickaxes, the sound of clang! clang! echoed, and even a single strike reverberated, sounding like two or three.

“The gauge is going down, right?”

However, after swinging for 10 minutes straight, seeing the gauge barely budge, Kim Tae-poong sighed. I looked at it with him and replied, “Yeah, it is going down a little.”

“If it’s this much in 10 minutes… do we have to mine all night?”

“Dajeong, why are you being so scary?”

Mining the rock also increased our GG and PG slightly. We decided to take a short break and lit a campfire in the center. Then, we sat around it, hoping to at least reduce our stamina. The black rock, illuminated by the fire, emanated a deep radiance.

“I have a feeling something amazing will come out if we break that.”

“Maybe it’ll be [Elf’s Tear]?”

Recalling the information we heard outside the cave earlier, we shared a triumphant smile. We agreed to split it fifty-fifty if we got [Elf’s Tear], already feeling good as if we had obtained the treasure.

“I’ll lower your PG, Kim Tae-poong, but my GG is filling up, so I don’t think we can mine it today.”

“We can come back tomorrow. It seems like no one else knows about this place. I’ll mark it on the map.”

We laughed mischievously in front of the campfire, sharing our secret.

“By the way, Kim Tae-poong, do you know about ‘Hungry Ghouls’?”

“Why? Do they drop good items?”

“No, Shut Up told me that Hungry Ghouls appear here.”

“I’ve seen plenty of regular ghouls, but what’s a Hungry Ghoul? Anyway, developers lack imagination. Look, they have regular bears, ferocious bears, giant bears, and boss bears. They just keep reusing the same bear, changing only its color.”

Kim Tae-poong explained that ghouls were just minor monsters in dungeons. They were small, slow-moving, and easily defeated with a single basic skill, like background props. Hearing this put me at ease. Shut Up had made them sound like terrifying monsters…

As we chatted about various things, we just stared into the flames.

Drip.

“Huh? What was that?”

At that moment, cold water fell on my head. I looked up at the ceiling, but it was too dark to tell which stalactite it was falling from. I gave up looking at the pitch-black ceiling and shifted my position while sitting.

“I guess water drips in a cave.”

Kim Tae-poong nodded, looking around the ceiling at my words. But even after moving, water fell on my head again.

“More water is dripping than I thought.”

“Oh? I just got hit too.”

We thought it was strange, as it hadn’t dripped when we first sat down, and moved again. The problem was that water continued to fall even after we moved.

“Ah, this is annoying.”

“Dajeong, use that Light Sunset thing to illuminate the ceiling. Did a hole form in the cave?”

I stood up, brushed off my pants, and cast [Light Sunset]. I reached my hand towards the ceiling and cast the skill. A yellow orb shot up, burst, and illuminated the surroundings brightly.

And the moment we saw the illuminated ceiling, our bodies froze. Kim Tae-poong, looking with me, stiffened and stammered, unable to speak.

“Da-Dajeong. Shi-Sir. Th-That. Th-That thing.”

“Ugh… Ugh… What, what is that…”

Emaciated ghouls, reduced to mere bones, clung to the ceiling like spiders, looking down at us. Their eyes seemed to have atrophied, turning white like cataracts, and saliva dripped from their gaping mouths.

They looked like zombies from an American drama. They were frightening because they resembled humans, and there were three of them. They crawled slowly across the ceiling, searching for a way to descend towards us.

“Th-They’ll tear us apart. If they catch us.”

“Don’t, don’t explain that. Dajeong, that way.”

The ghouls reacted to our movements. Kim Tae-poong picked up a small stone from the ground. He held up one, two, three fingers and pointed towards the gap we had entered from. I nodded and waited for him to throw it.

One, two, three! — Whoosh!

The moment we turned, the ghouls crawled towards the stone. I entered the gap first, and Kim Tae-poong followed. We moved sideways, like crabs, just as we had when we entered.

Clack! Sssshhh!

In the meantime, the ghouls, having noticed, followed us into the gap we had entered. The sound of our palms slapping against the damp cave walls could be heard. They were following us, crawling sideways.

“Aah! Faster, faster!”

“Summon! Anything that can block the path!”

Kim Tae-poong, looking behind him, quickly summoned a poisonous spider. He had it spin a web to try and impede the ghouls’ movement. However, it only slowed them down slightly; it couldn’t stop them.

“A big one! A big one!”

Seeing that, I demanded something else from Kim Tae-poong. He pondered, “What big one…?” and then summoned a giant snake. The snake’s body completely filled the gap, blocking the path.

But we couldn’t relax yet. While one ghoul began to devour the snake’s body, two others squeezed through the gap and followed us.

“Why, why! Are these ghouls skinny! They’re usually pot-bellied!”

“Their name is ‘Hungry’! They must be like this from hunger! Or maybe they have a ridiculously high basal metabolic rate!”

After summoning the snake a few more times, the distance between us and the ghouls grew. The end of the narrow passage came into view, and we could hear the sounds of people fighting from beyond it.

“Huff, huff…”

“We’re, we’re alive…”

We burst out of the narrow passage like madmen and ran into the midst of the fighting people. We ran towards the mine entrance, and we could hear people behind us exclaiming in shock.

“Aah! Ghouls! It’s Hungry Ghouls!”

“What the hell! What are those doing here?”

The Psychics, who had been casting skills at each other, stumbled backward when they saw the two ghouls emerging from the gap. Then, another ghoul burst out and bit the neck of a nearby user. The scene was so brutal, like something out of a zombie movie, that other users scrambled towards the entrance.

“Those things! They’re supposed to be in the Third Cave, why are they here?!”

Before long, people started running alongside me and Kim Tae-poong. As a considerable number of people began running towards the entrance in a line, those who had been grabbing each other’s collars looked around, wondering what was happening. Then, turning their gaze towards the rear, they started running like us.

When someone shouted “Hungry Ghoul!”, those mining gold ore and those planning to hunt in the First Cave all ran towards the entrance without exception.

The Hungry Ghouls didn’t eat their victims; they bit their necks or sides, as if enjoying the hunt. They tore at anything they could grab with their sharp teeth. Blood and entrails splattered everywhere, and those who were slower were snatched by their long arms and brutally slaughtered. They were so fast, they moved on all fours along the cave walls and ceiling.

As we neared the entrance, more than half the people running behind us had fallen away. We just needed to get there, but suddenly my stamina bottomed out, and I couldn’t run anymore. Kim Tae-poong, with better stamina than me, was still running. Just moments ago, I was running in first place, but now I was walking, seeing the backs of dozens of people.

“Haa, haa… I’m done for.”

Immediately behind me, I heard a user’s scream, “Aaaargh!” I was glad that even if flesh was torn, we didn’t feel pain. However, it was a shame that dying meant losing a level.

“Keeek…”

“Kiiik…”

Chilling screeches now echoed from above my head.

And then, the truly unlucky people stumble even on small pebbles.

Splat!

That’s exactly what happened to me.

As I scrambled to get up in a panic, something fell from the ceiling. The ghoul that landed in front of me was crawling towards me on all fours. Its mouth dripped with a mixture of saliva and blood, likely from biting many users.

For now, I closed my eyes, disgusted by its ghastly face, and turned my head. I offered my neck, thinking, Just bite me quickly.

“Kyeek, kyeek…”

As the eerie growl drew closer, I cowered. Then, I saw the ghoul leap, and instinctively flinched.

“Hieek!”

Shwoosh!

At that moment, something flashing swept past the side of my face. A gust of wind blew my hair, and before I could even recognize what it was, I saw the ghoul it hit fly far away and smash into the wall.

As I tried to process the situation, a gentle voice reached me.

“Where did it bite you? Why are you like that?”

“Ugh, no…”

It was Shut Up. Seeing me unharmed, he clicked his tongue. Then, he turned his gaze forward, saying it wasn’t over yet.

“Krrrk, krrrk…!”

Despite being attacked, the ghoul flattened itself on the ground, watching Shut Up warily. It had been moving on all fours quietly, but as soon as it got within a certain distance, it suddenly sprang up.

“Kyeek!”

The ghoul swung its claw-like hands, embedded with sharp nails, at Shut Up. Shut Up lightly dodged the attack by turning his body and then extended his hand, holding an electric chain.

Flick.

The chain hit the ground once and then shot up, wrapping around the ankle of the leaping ghoul. The ghoul writhed, having received a considerable electric shock, and a faint smell of burnt meat wafted.

The chain loosened again due to the ghoul’s violent struggles. The ghoul clung to the ceiling, spinning above Shut Up’s head. Shut Up also watched the ceiling, unsure when it would drop.

The ghoul’s pupils, as it looked at Shut Up, flickered with a blue light for a moment. At that instant, the ghoul kicked off the ceiling and lunged to cover Shut Up’s head.

As if he had been waiting, Shut Up lowered his stance and generated a Thunderclap Spear in his left hand. He thrust the spear upwards towards the ghoul precisely beneath its landing point.

Thwack!

“Gk, gkeuk, kyeuk…”

The spear pierced the ghoul’s mouth, dripping blood, and went through from its mouth to its back. Shut Up then powerfully hurled the spear into the wall. With a thump! and a roar, it embedded itself in the wall, and the ghoul, impaled by the spear, hung limply like laundry on a clothesline.

Seeing the ghoul die, Shut Up slowly turned his head. In the dark cave, a blue light flickered intermittently. As the crackling blue electricity around his eyes subsided, Shut Up’s face became clearly visible.

“Huuung. Ju, Jun-hyung…”

Though embarrassed, I stood up and approached him, hugging him. Honestly, if I had died, I would have been terrified thinking about the ghoul tearing at my neck. I worried I might have nightmares like when I was eaten by the lake monster.

“Why, why are you here? Weren’t you sleeping?”

“I came because I was trying to sleep. Hyung, if I got bitten by that, I’d have nightmares about it too, right?”

Shut Up, who had been stroking the back of my head, took my hand and pulled me, saying, “Let’s go.” As we walked towards the entrance, I saw that one more ghoul had been killed.

“Where’s the last one?”

Even after emerging from the mine entrance, I kept looking around, remaining vigilant, but Shut Up reassured me.

“That one, he ate it.”

He pointed to RootHug. He stood there calmly holding his sign, as if nothing had happened.

“Dajeong, are you okay? I was worried when I couldn’t see you after coming out.”

Just then, Kim Tae-poong’s voice came from behind. As if his stamina had also run out, he walked over a while after his voice was heard. As we exited the cave entrance, most users had left, and it was quieter than before. Seeing fewer people, RootHug seemed to be packing up his sign, preparing to leave.

And then, Shut Up stood in front of him, one leg propped up.

“Ah! Dangerous!”

I worried because I had seen RootHug stealthily devour Psychics before. However, Shut Up, hearing me call out, raised his hand, looking relaxed.

As I cautiously approached, I overheard their conversation.

“Does anyone even know you do this?”

“The operators do.”

This was the first time I heard RootHug speak. I had seen him interacting with Moment, but I hadn’t realized his voice was so melodious. Based on his appearance, I had expected a raspy voice, but it was the opposite. His voice sounded like a prince from a fairy tale, noble and resonant.

Shut Up asked him why he was wearing such clothes, grabbing and shaking the tattered hem.

“Even if I do this, the GMs won’t bat an eye.”

“Thirty-eight.”

Shut Up tilted his head, asking what he meant.

“That’s the number of people I’ve swallowed. If you get eaten, you’re trapped in my pet for a few days.”

“The operators aren’t fools. They’ll reset it.”

“Who’s to say anything about pet settings? I’ll swallow more people, and the complaints will grow.”

“Even if you do that, they won’t restore your dragon.”

“If there are more, they might change their minds.”

Listening to their conversation, I understood that RootHug was swallowing users like this now because of his ‘dragon.’ The dragon must be a type of pet, like the bird that made Ipdae pick up items.

‘He kills users just for a pet?’

As if their conversation was over, Shut Up approached me. Just then, RootHug’s low chuckle was heard, and a hand reached out from behind him. The monstrous, giant hand tried to grab Shut Up from head to toe.

However, Shut Up’s shield made it look like he was holding a large water droplet. As the shield crackled and emitted electricity, the grasping hand recoiled. Shut Up glanced back at the hand and smirked.

“Still the same, huh? You still carry that salamander-like thing around? Playing nanny.”

“Still the same. Not dropping your shield in front of me. You’ve become a total coward.”

They glared at each other, ready to fight. Kim Tae-poong stood near me, just rolling his eyes, then whispered in my ear.

[Son of the Wind Kim Tae-poong: If Shut Up is this tense, is he a strong opponent? I haven’t seen him on the rankings.]

[Kind Touch: I don’t know if he’s a ranker, but he’s dangerous, so don’t get too close, Kim Tae-poong.]

Shut Up approached me, loosening his neck from side to side, looking tired. As soon as we met, he clasped my hands and naturally linked.

“Sorry, Hyung. I’m a bit tired today. I’ll just lower my PG a little and log off.”

“Alright. Go to sleep early.”

“You should sleep early too if you have to go to work. Let’s have lunch together tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

Kim Tae-poong, who had been looking back and forth between us, scurried over as soon as Shut Up logged off.

“So, are you two dating…?”

“Ah, no! What are you talking about?”

“Right? Actually, just looking at you, Dajeong, it’s clear you’re not, but Shut Up’s actions are completely lovely.”

“Shut Up is usually very caring towards others—”

“No way!!”

He exclaimed that someone so caring wouldn’t kill users for fun, mentioning an article by a candy vendor that said he’d thrown someone into a swamp, given them amoeba poisoning, and reduced them to level 1, calling him cruel.

As someone who was present at the scene, I had nothing to say. And the candy vendor, unaware of the full story behind the incident, thought he had been targeted by Shut Up while carelessly trading Relax.

I was about to explain in detail when I saw the time: it was past 1 AM. I was getting sleepy, my eyes drooping.

“Sorry. I have to go too. I have to go to work.”

“Okay. See you next time.”

Before logging off, I glanced towards RootHug. There was no one left at the mine entrance.

“Jun-hyung. Where are you going out to again? You’re not setting up a workshop, are you?”

Jun, who had woken up at 4 AM and couldn’t fall back asleep, put on his clothes and was about to leave. Seo Mun Jae-ah, with yellow hair, who was taking water out of the refrigerator, spoke to him from behind.

“No, nothing like that.”

Jun ignored the sound of his voice and walked out the front door. Leaning his head against the elevator wall, he looked up at the ceiling and noticed the CCTV.

‘Should I watch that…?’

He walked to the building opposite and got into his car. The car’s headlights reflected on the wet road, as if it had rained. The roads were quiet as it was still early morning, and the only other car waiting at the signal was a taxi. As the red light turned green, he slowly started driving.

Cutting through the silent dawn, he arrived at a PC bang about a 10-minute drive away. As he entered, the CEO, who was stroking his mustache, held out a small stool for him to pass by.

Snatching the key, I walked towards the 4-person game room. The room Jun usually used was always locked with a key to prevent anyone from entering. It made sense, as it was always marked as ‘broken’.

A sturdy, rough lock, the kind you’d see on an old warehouse, was attached, but nothing was as reliable as this. From Jun’s perspective, analog was more trustworthy.

Clank.

I unlocked the firmly shut lock and went inside. Even usually, the glass partition had blinds drawn to prevent the inside from being seen. I sat down, logged in, and ordered food from the counter. While doing so, I was reviewing the CCTV footage of my building.

“Hmm…”

The reason I was looking so hard was that the background where Lee Hyun-soo was filmed was the same as the chroma key fabric in Namgung Bin’s office. After reviewing the CCTV, it turned out that people like Lee Hyun-soo entered and exited the studio, from one to as many as three per day.

Bang.

“What are you looking at so intently?”

A tray with delicious-looking ramen and a hot bar was placed beside me. Jun took out two 50,000 won bills from his wallet and handed them to the owner. He said, “You don’t need to give me change, right?” and stuffed the money into his front pocket.

“Juna, did you really do the DDoS attack properly?”

“We couldn’t create many bots due to the short work time, but we did take down the server that day.”

“It only lasted for a day. Because of that, our site’s visitors keep decreasing.”

“You shouldn’t blame them for that; blame Hyung Mandu’s site. Just looking at it, his site is terrible. Who would charge cash and bet there?”

While talking to him and eating a spoonful of ramen, Jun looked back at the screen. Now, a boy who looked like he had just become an adult was being forcibly dragged out from the 6th floor.

“That’s malicious. Isn’t this your building?”

“Yeah.”

“This looks serious. If you mess with guys like that, your personal information will be leaked too.”

“I’m just keeping an eye on it. Just in case. Don’t just sit there, go boil another ramen. Why is the portion so small?”

Jun put down his chopsticks on the tray and looked up at Hyung, ‘ManSangDu’.

“Hyung Mandu, honestly, you ate a spoonful, didn’t you?”

“Hey! What do you take me for?”

He inhaled and exhaled through his nose with such force that his mustache twitched. While he was doing that, Jun turned off the video, saying he’d put water on to boil.

Sang-du grumbled but took the empty ramen bowl and left. Taking a bite of the hot bar, he opened an internet window and searched for a personality test.

Since he was using his building’s internal internet, digging into its history wouldn’t be difficult. All Namgung Bin or his employees had to do was send a file containing malicious code via email. Once it became a zombie PC, it could be controlled remotely as much as he wanted.

Of course, the first priority would be to create new malicious code. And creating malicious documents within office files was the easiest and best bait. Chewing the rest of the hot bar, he read through the posted content.

“Are you going to do another personality test?”

Sang-du, who had boiled another ramen, came in and offered advice. This time it was Jjajang ramen, and the smell was very good. He was eating with his chopsticks when Sang-du looked at the monitor. He tapped the screen with his finger, saying people don’t fall for this kind of thing anymore.

“Then, should we do a Tojeong Bigyeol instead of a personality test?”

“Hey, the year is almost over, who looks at Tojeong Bigyeol? Do a love fortune instead.”

“Who reads that?”

“Everyone except you, man!”

While eating the Jjajang ramen, Sang-du pulled up a chair next to him and did the search. He kept nagging Jun, who was eating ramen, asking how he could eat only ramen and not gain weight. He said guys like Jun, who look like that, aren’t interested in love fortunes, but others bet their lives on it, asking if he lived in his own world.

Regardless, Jun put pickled radish in his mouth and chewed it thoroughly. Then, Sang-du found something good and tapped the monitor screen. Jun took the mouse, scrolled down the screen, and read, his brow furrowed.

“Love fortune based on physiognomy… Just being handsome should be enough.”

“It’s even more annoying when you say that.”

“Thanks.”

Thinking this would be enough, he was about to copy it when Sang-du slapped Jun’s hand on the mouse.

“Not that one. The one below.”

Below was a love test titled .

“Why does panty color matter in moving someone’s heart?”

“You don’t know, but physical appearance is as important as mindset.”

“If you know so much, why don’t you have a girlfriend yet?”

“Stop nagging and do this one.”

Sighing, Jun reluctantly copied the love test. Then, he began creating the bait file in earnest. He modified the existing malicious code. That way, it wouldn’t be detected by antivirus programs. People think SSL communication is secure, but it’s helpless against malware attacks.

“I’ll be at the counter, call me if you need anything.”

Sang-du, who had been watching Jun work, stretched, looking tired, and went outside.

A few days ago, as he was leaving Namgung Bin’s office, he had installed a backdoor by displaying his self-made illegal website on one of their laptops. Inside the hacked laptop, there was nothing special besides the employees’ emails and contact information. Jun sent the bait file for the love test to other employees via the laptop owner’s email. People tend to open emails from someone they know without much suspicion.

Finally, he sent an email to one last place and smiled triumphantly. Then, he erased any traces of his activity and shut down the PC.

The reason he worked here was that after his parents passed away, he didn’t want a PC at home, and he found it comfortable here. Sang-du also operated a gambling PC bang in the basement of this building. If this place were to attract suspicion, the gambling PCs in the basement would be the target rather than this location. Sang-du, realizing he was using this to his advantage, would sometimes ask for DDoS attacks, calling him a sly guy.

Ultimately, it was about mutual benefit.

As dawn broke, the morning part-time staff could be seen cleaning the various stations. As he stepped out, the part-time worker was about to enter to clean the area. He stopped him with his arm and closed the door, locking it.

“Sang-du Hyung will clean this himself.”

“What? The owner Hyung?”

When he nodded, the part-time worker turned back and returned to the area he was cleaning. As he left the PC bang, he threw the key to Sang-du. Even though it was morning, quite a few people had stayed up all night.

“I told you to tell the new part-time staff not to go in there when you hire them.”

“What do the kids know to be so wary? Got it.”

Leaving the PC bang, he took the elevator down to the underground parking lot. He started the car and gripped the steering wheel, thinking about his conversation with Duseon the previous evening.

“Damn. If they ran off, they should be living well.”

Whatever feelings he had left for Lee Hyun-soo, he wanted to cut them off at the root. It was too deep to ignore, but there wasn’t enough reason to get involved. If there was even a shred of affection left, maybe, but even that was gone.

Even if it wasn’t his own dog, it would be natural to step in and stop it if he saw one being abused. However, for someone else to step in was interference.

It was hard to shake off the uncomfortable feeling, so he wanted to at least give it a long leash. To avoid the kicks if possible. That was all.

“Sir. I’ll think about the second house and contact you.”

“Yes. Please discuss it and call me. Goodbye.”

The reason the real estate office was open on Saturdays was that many office workers visited. Since they also worked five days a week, it seemed convenient for them to look for houses on their days off. Around 11 AM, Seung-ju-ssi moved into Jun’s officetel. The reason she could move in just two days after signing the contract on Thursday was that she had been sharing a room with a friend.

I bought some tissues and went to the officetel where she was moving in. I confirmed the remaining payment with Jun over the phone and completed the procedures.

Since it was an empty unit, it didn’t seem to need move-in cleaning. Her belongings weren’t many, so I helped carry them with the truck driver. Even though she said it wasn’t necessary, the elderly driver seemed to have trouble lifting the heavier items alone.

It was a place for a woman living alone, and all the options were furnished, so the belongings were unpacked quickly. While I was there, I checked the list for any damaged items and turned them on to test them. I also found all the remote controls and placed them on the sink.

“If you have any inconveniences, please let me know.”

“Yes. It feels cozy now that the belongings are in. When my roommate said she wanted to use it as a newlywed home, I felt like I was being kicked out, but it’s nice now that I’m here.”

“There’s a security office on the first floor and a package locker, so it should be convenient for you to live here.”

“Yes. I’ll use the tissues well. Uhm… would you like some Jjajangmyeon? You helped move my things, so I’d like to treat you to lunch.”

Although I said it was fine, Seung-ju-ssi insisted we eat together, saying she couldn’t eat Tangsuyuk if she ordered alone. After asking her for a moment’s permission, I called Jun. He said Human had arrived, so he asked if the three of us would eat together. I told him to eat with the other person and that I’d see him later, then hung up.

She and I spread newspapers on the floor and sat facing each other. She asked where the mart or household goods store was in this neighborhood, so I drew a rough map on the newspaper and explained. While we were talking, the food arrived.

Jjajangmyeon, Tangsuyuk, Jjamppong broth, and fried dumplings were laid out on the floor. Chinese food is strange; even when you don’t particularly feel like eating, the smell suddenly stimulates your appetite.

“By the way, building owner, about the owner of this building, isn’t his personality a bit strange?”

“What?”

Taking a bite of a fried dumpling dipped in Tangsuyuk sauce, I asked again. Seung-ju-ssi slurped the Jjamppong broth and wiped her mouth.

“No, when you gave me a ride before, you were friendly when we started, but you didn’t say a word on the way. You didn’t even answer when I tried to talk to you.”

“He’s always a bit… gruff.”

Thinking back to that time, Seung-ju-ssi had briefly wondered if she had made the right decision signing the contract here. I reassured her not to worry about that. I told her to let me know if there were any inconveniences and to contact me anytime if she felt uncomfortable talking to the landlord.

“This is why everyone signs contracts through a real estate agent, I guess. When I was looking for a place to live before, I just looked at classified ads, found a house, and signed a contract with the landlord. Before the ink even dried, the landlord was so overbearing. We had to split the water bill by N, but as soon as the washing machine sound was heard, Grandmother would come running down, tutting that I was washing underwear instead of hand-washing it. And during the rainy season, mold grew in the corner, ruining my clothes and blankets. But she insisted it was because I didn’t ventilate, so I bought self-adhesive wallpaper and put it up. But it didn’t even last a month before mold reappeared. So, you know? Thick insulation wallpaper. The soft, thick kind. I bought that and covered one wall. But what’s the point? Mold grew between the wallpaper and it just fell off. Wow… thinking about it now, even as a broke college student, renting a room like that and charging full price. It’s unbelievable, isn’t it? That’s a valid reason for contract termination, right?”

“Yes… it is.”

As soon as I answered, Seung-ju-ssi started talking again. Perhaps Jun’s personality wasn’t that strange. It might have been a wise choice not to say anything. Seung-ju-ssi, though I vaguely felt it when I was with Hanwoo, was truly talkative.

“Ah, and that’s why I asked for window bars since it’s on the first floor. Seriously, a person’s shadow passed by like this! Look! It passed by like this! That wasn’t a place where people walked; it was a dead end.”

She stopped eating, stood up, and walked back and forth, reenacting the situation. I said okay and pushed the Tangsuyuk towards her, urging her to eat. After devouring a mouthful of Jjajangmyeon, Seung-ju-ssi opened her mouth again as soon as she swallowed.

“Think about it. How scary is the world these days? In an officetel like this, there are CCTVs at the entrance and in the hallways, but when I lived in that house, I even experienced sleep paralysis. My mother, who came from my hometown, saw my room and argued with the landlord, and I packed my bags the next day. Ugh, thinking about it makes me never want to sign a contract alone again. My mother told me to always call her before signing, so I ended up sharing a room with my friend. I didn’t show this place to my mom before signing, but I feel reassured because you’re here, building owner.”

Eating Tangsuyuk, I lightly replied, “Yes, thank you,” and just nodded.

“Building owner.”

I was afraid to make eye contact with her. When she opened her mouth, she would talk non-stop for at least 10 minutes. Even if I tried to act busy, my oblivious phone remained silent.

“Your Jjajangmyeon will get cold. Please eat first and then talk.”

“Ah! Just a moment, I have something good to give you.”

Then, she brought something she said she bought on a business trip, which was very good for men.

“This is ‘Beolteokju’ (erection liquor). I was going to open it when friends visited, but I’ll give it to you specially.”

What she handed me looked like a local specialty, but the lid was unusual. It looked similar to a Hahoe mask, and the shape of the top… was quite suggestive. Thinking ‘no way,’ I turned the bottle, and the back was a perfect phallic shape. Momentarily flustered, I coughed and put it down.

“I’m on duty right now, so alcohol…”

“Take it home. It’s my gift.”

“It’s a bit difficult to carry.”

“I’ll put it in a bag for you.”

She hummed a tune and put the liquor in a black bag. I wanted to refuse, saying it was fine, but she emphasized it was a special gift several times, so I couldn’t refuse.

‘No way, does that really sell in stores?’

It was absurd. It was like the liquor Rovan sold. Seung-ju-ssi, unfazed, pointed to the lid of the bottle and gave further explanation, saying the taste of the liquor is amazing when drunk from it. As someone who lived with something similar, I felt embarrassed and avoided her gaze.

“Here, I’ll drink it well.”

“I’ll buy you more next time, so don’t save it.”

If I answered late, she might keep taking it out of the bag to explain, so I said okay and reconfirmed that I would drink it from the lid. After all the twists and turns, we finished eating, and as I was about to clear the Chinese restaurant containers, Seung-ju-ssi took the delivery trash to the trash can.

“Ah, right. I didn’t buy trash bags.”

“There should be spares in the sink.”

It was common for people moving in to leave behind trash bags. Instead of her, I rummaged through the sink drawer and found one. Then, instead of her holding the trash, I put the bag on the trash can.

Seung-ju-ssi smiled with satisfaction as she threw it away.

“You must be very good to your girlfriend, building owner.”

“Not necessarily.”

The reason I answered ‘not necessarily’ was that my girlfriend had never said that before. And it had been so long since we broke up that I couldn’t even remember if I was truly good to her.

‘Girlfriend…’

Lately, I found myself drawn to that word. I had become accustomed to the comfort of being alone and didn’t feel the need to have a girlfriend, but with people around constantly talking about girlfriends, I became more conscious of it.

“Well then, please rest. I have to go back to the office.”

“Thank you. Building owner, can I call you Duseon Oppa? I’m three years younger.”

“What?”

Had I ever been called Oppa in my life? My ex-girlfriends were all my age… In college, juniors called me Sunbae, not Oppa. Only one person, Chae-yeon, Hanwoo’s sister, called me Oppa, but that was because we knew each other personally, so it wasn’t a big deal.

But hearing it from someone else felt like something was crawling and squirming in my chest, making me feel awkward. I didn’t know how to answer, so I just smiled, but Seung-ju-ssi called me “Duseon Oppa” again. Hearing it again, it didn’t seem like much.

“Yes, well. Whatever you’re comfortable with.”

“Calling you ‘Building Owner’ felt very distant, but calling you ‘Duseon Oppa’ feels very warm and nice. You feel like a cousin Oppa. I’ll visit the office sometime later.”

“Sure. Stop by for coffee.”

After a brief farewell at the front door, I headed for the elevator. As I walked down the hallway, I took down the messy advertisements posted in front of the entrance doors and neatly placed them aside. The security guard, who was coming out of the security office, greeted me.

“Take care.”

“Are you perhaps managing this property? I need to talk to the building owner about the mechanical parking lot inspection, but I can’t reach him.”

“I won’t be able to answer the phone much. I’ll go over and talk to him today.”

The security guard handed me a notice from the Korea Transportation Safety Authority. On my way back, carrying that and the erection tonic, I called Jun and told him I’d bring it over, so he told me to come to his place. It seemed he had already finished eating with Human.

As I entered Jun’s building, I exchanged a nod with the tteokbokki shop owner. This building has two elevators, one of which is in the back.

“Why isn’t it coming down from the 6th floor?”

However, the elevator in the front wasn’t budging from the 6th floor, so I had no choice but to go to the one in the back. It happened to be coming up from the basement, so I could get on right away.

Ding—

The doors opened, and two men in black suits were inside the elevator. As I stepped in, the atmosphere felt strange. So, as I pressed the button for the 7th floor, I noticed the 6th-floor button was already pressed. They seemed to be Bin’s guests, and the aura these two men gave off was not unfamiliar.

And when we arrived at the 6th floor and I saw their broad backs as they exited, I was reminded of the men in black suits from the apartment next door I had seen when I was young.

“Men in black suits aren’t that uncommon.”

I muttered to myself as the 7th-floor doors opened and I got off. The elevator at the front of the building stops right in front of the 7th-floor door, but the back elevator requires a turn around a corner.

“Huh?”

As soon as I turned the corner, I saw Jun’s door open and close. When I pressed the doorbell, the door opened later than expected, considering it had just opened and closed.

“Hyung, welcome.”

After taking off my shoes and entering, a head with yellow hair peeked out from the end of the hallway and looked at me. I wasn’t expecting a greeting, but no one can happily return a stare like that. As I approached, he abruptly turned his head and went into another room.

“You’re still here?”

“Yeah. Probably until next week. The house construction isn’t done yet. They say it needs plenty of ventilation.”

“What’s your name?”

“Seo Mun-jae-ah.”

“Ah, Mun-jae-ah. It suits your hair.”

“I don’t like being called that.”

Jun chuckled, saying he was teased like that a lot when he was young. He then put his hands on my shoulders and clasped them behind my neck, saying he was glad I came since he was planning to go to the office later. Jun’s touch, naturally wrapping around the back of my neck, made the atmosphere awkward.

“Ah, this.”

I raised the notice to block our gazes. Jun took one hand off to grab it, and in that moment, I twisted my body slightly and slipped away.

“Um… Anyway, what’s that in your hand?”

At Jun’s question, I exclaimed, “Ah!” and looked at the door Jae-ah had entered earlier. Then, I pulled Jun along, sat him on the sofa, and quietly handed it over as if making a secret deal.

“This might be helpful to you.”

“What is this?”

As I touched the tightly tied bag, it rustled loudly. Jun skillfully untied the knot, asking why it was tied so tightly. His long fingers opened the bag and lifted the bottle.

“…Erection tonic?”

“Looks like it’ll be good for impotence, right?”

Jun’s lips curved upwards, and a small laugh escaped him.

“Seung-ju-ssi gave me this today. For helping him move.”

Jun’s fingertips, as he touched the lid of the erection tonic, looked lewd. It looked like he was holding a man’s private part. Jun was initially taken aback, saying, “What is this?” but soon seemed pleased, smiling contentedly.

“Hyung, if you say things like that, I’ll really misunderstand.”

“Misunderstand what?”

“It sounds like you’re asking me to get it up and do it.”

I couldn’t close my mouth at his exaggerated conclusion. Jun’s index finger came into my widening mouth, poked it, and then withdrew. His fingertip touching my tongue made my words jumble.

“Ah, no. That’s not it. You said you couldn’t get it up.”

Jun leaned in so close that his chest brushed my shoulder. His low voice was accompanied by warm breath. I could hear his breathing beside my cheek. Flustered, I was about to say I should leave now that I’d delivered it, but the doorbell rang.

“One moment.”

Missing my chance to escape, I straightened my upper body, which had been leaning the other way because of Jun. If it hadn’t been for the doorbell, I felt like I would have been laid down on the sofa. Imagining what might have happened next made my face flush.

The sound of the front door opening was followed by someone entering, speaking cheerfully. I thought it was a familiar voice, and then Jun introduced him.

“Hyung, this is Human. His name is Sangjung. Sangjung-i, Hyung, what do you want to drink? Did you really just go buy cigarettes?”

“Ah, nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you, Hyung.”

Jun headed to the kitchen, saying, “Hey, Sangjung-i. What do you want to drink? Did you really just go buy cigarettes and only bought cigarettes?” Sangjung retorted, telling him to call him by his name properly. It wasn’t just me Jun was calling by a strange name.

“Dajeong Hyung, do you come here often?”

“My office is right across the street, so not often, but sometimes.”

“Hey! Sangjung-i!”

Just as I was continuing my conversation with Sangjung, Jun’s voice came from the kitchen. Sangjung grumbled about Jun always calling his name strangely and approached. The muffled sounds of their conversation could be faintly heard from the kitchen. Feeling bored, I looked for the remote to turn on the TV, but couldn’t find it anywhere.

“Oh? There it is.”

I saw it on the dining table and slowly got up to approach it. Then, their conversation became a little clearer.

“When are you enlisting? How about we enlist together?”

“Shut up and get that from the vegetable drawer.”

Jun seemed to be preparing to blend something similar to the green juice he had given me before, as he was chopping something on the cutting board. As I picked up the remote and turned to leave, I stopped dead at Sangjung’s question.

“Are you and that Hyung lovers?”

Sangjung playfully nudged Jun’s shoulder with his arm. Jun, who was chopping, paused for a moment when he was hit. I saw his stopped back.

Since they couldn’t see me from their perspective, I stood still, waiting for Jun’s answer. But I didn’t know why I was waiting.

‘…I’m not his lover, and I’m not gay. But why can’t I move?’

My body felt frozen, as if under a spell.

As if Jun’s one word would release me.

“Um…”

Jun’s deep, resonant voice was heard. He seemed to be contemplating, with a long “Um…” following. Finally, his answer came as a conclusion.

“Not lovers.”

Something in my head felt like it had shattered noisily. Only after hearing that answer could I move my feet.

Of course, I knew we weren’t lovers, but I couldn’t understand why I felt disappointed by that answer. After telling myself I wasn’t gay, what answer had I expected from Jun? I walked to the sofa with slow steps, like a worm crawling on dry land, and collapsed onto it. Feeling the cushions sink, I wished I could be buried like in a grave within this stuffing.

‘Right, we’re not lovers. But why do I feel so strange….’

Once, when a man at Jun’s house had caused trouble with his credit card, Jun had said this:

“Is everyone and their dog a lover? Your thinking is so one-dimensional.”

After that, Jun and I had shared various acts, but he said that was to overcome his impotence, nothing more.

‘I knew that long ago…’

At that moment, Jun came out of the kitchen and said he was going to the convenience store. Then, Sangjung, who was in the kitchen, came over with a bag of snacks and sat next to me.

“Want some, Hyung?”

He offered me the bag of snacks, but my mouth was dry, so I shook my head and refused. As I stared blankly at the TV screen, Sangjung spoke to me as if talking to himself.

“Are you two really not like that? Then, does Jun think of Dajeong Hyung like Hyunsu Hyung?”

“…Hyunsu Hyung?”

I heard an unfamiliar name. Sangjung took a snack, chewed it a bit, and then opened his mouth.

“He’s a Hyung who lived with Jun for a year, but he suddenly left two years ago. I thought Hyunsu Hyung and Jun were lovers, but they weren’t. Just like you, Hyung.”

Sangjung stared at me even more intently. He tilted his head and said it was strange.

“It’s strangely similar to back then. But, what about you?”

Only then did I realize who Sangjung was talking about. He was referring to the man who made me feel insecure, thinking I might just be a substitute, someone similar to me.

But he lived in the same house for a year… I was no match. As I thought to myself, Sangjung asked again.

“Does Dajeong Hyung just think of Jun as a younger brother? You even did Link, didn’t you?”

“…That was just by chance.”

“Your answer is similar too. Anyone would think you’re Hyunsu Hyung. Anyway, Jun really liked Hyunsu Hyung.”

Sangjung said I was similar to someone named ‘Hyunsu’. Jun had gotten very angry about such suspicions before, but it felt like everyone around him, except him, was saying the same thing. That I was his replacement.

“Ah… Right.”

Just then, the sound of the front door opening was heard, and Jun, who had gone to the convenience store, returned. He went straight to the kitchen and came out with three cups of green juice. Naturally, one was for me. Remembering the taste from last time, I hesitated to take a sip.

“Why aren’t you drinking?”

Jun had already drunk half of it and was looking at me. Sangjung looked at the green juice in his cup with a displeased expression. Finally, when Sangjung started drinking, I drank it too. I gulped it down without breathing, so I didn’t notice while drinking, but after finishing, the bitter taste rose from my stomach.

“Ugh…”

As I put down the cup, I scrunched up my face. Jun opened a candy case, picked out a red one, and held it to my lips.

“I don’t like cherry flavor…”

“This is strawberry flavor.”

Still, I didn’t open my mouth, so Jun popped the red candy into his own mouth. Then Sangjung went to the bathroom to rinse his mouth.

I thought about rinsing my mouth too and stood up, but my arm was grabbed, and I was made to sit back down. In that moment, I felt Jun’s face get close, and his tongue slipped between my lips. And a candy entered my mouth.

“Strawberry, right?”

I couldn’t answer due to the sudden kiss and slowly rolled the candy on my tongue. It was indeed strawberry flavored, so I nodded. Jun smiled and got up with the empty cup.

‘…Ah.’

Suddenly, a thought struck me.

Yes, this was it. Now I understood why Jun not calling me his lover had bothered me so much. Everything we did together was something lovers would do.

Sangjung came out of the kitchen, rinsed his mouth, and complained it was bitter. Jun provoked him, saying, “Want another cup?” Yes, that was what friends did. Giving me a candy through a kiss was something lovers would do.

But since Jun and I weren’t lovers, we couldn’t have a serious relationship. His words about focusing on our relationship were just about the Master-Servant Relationship, and to him, I was someone who reminded him of Hyunsu. How ridiculous must my question, asking if I was someone’s replacement, have seemed to him? He was just engaging in physical contact with me to fix his impotence.

I spat the candy onto a tissue and threw it into the trash can next to the sofa, then stood up. Jun was still talking with Sangjung in the kitchen, but I had no intention of eavesdropping this time. Uncomfortable with being in this state, I walked straight to the front door.

“Hyung!”

As the front door lock beeped, Jun rushed out of the kitchen and called me. I waved my hand, saying I had something to do, and closed the front door.

Although I had left Jun’s place, negative thoughts didn’t stop easily. I pressed the elevator button and fidgeted alone. Then, a strange, ominous feeling that Jun would open the door and come out made me head for the elevator behind the corner. As soon as I turned the corner, I heard the front door open.

“Hyung! Wait a sec!”

Since the back elevator would take time to come up, I headed for the emergency stairs. After descending about half a floor, I stumbled and hit the wall. Why was I so anxious, as if being chased? I felt like Jun shouldn’t see me looking like this.

“Haa… How embarrassing.”

Sitting on the stairs, I hunched over and covered my head with my hands. I thought this was a baseless emotion born from loneliness. If Jun had told Sangjung I was his lover, would I still be this confused?

“Am I really just lonely…?”

I thought the feeling arose from loneliness compounded by being in a foreign land.

“Ouch…”

I sighed deeply and tried to get up slightly, but it seemed I had sprained my ankle, as my left foot throbbed with every step. Even my limping looked pathetic. I had never felt so pathetic… I finally made it down to the 6th floor and stood in front of the elevator.

“Duseon-ssi, did you sprain your ankle?”

“…Ah, Bin-ssi.”

At that moment, I made eye contact with Bin, who was about to enter the studio with clients. Even though I waved my hand, saying it was nothing, he excused himself from the clients and approached me.

“I have some pain relief patches in the office. Put one on before you go.”

Come to think of it, my office only had medication, no patches. It would be difficult to go to the pharmacy like this, so, shamelessly, I followed him into the studio.

Bin put one of my hands on his shoulder and wrapped his arm around my waist. I lightly placed my hand on his shoulder, worried about wrinkling his clothes, so he placed his hand over mine and told me to hold on tighter.

I thought I might look awkward limping inside, but the people were busy with their tasks. Someone was moving clothes among the models, and the camera shutter sounds were loud. Bin led me to his private office.

“Wait a moment. I’ll get the patches.”

After seating me on the sofa, Bin took out a bottle of water from a small refrigerator, handed it to me, and left again. The glass wall had blinds, so the studio view was obscured. Various photos were scattered on Bin’s desk, and a pleasant scent lingered in the air.

I squinted at the sunlight coming through the outside window. There were blinds there too, so I decided to lower them a bit and approached, limping. As I pulled the blind cord, I naturally gazed out the window.

Then, I remembered Bin saying he had rushed over when he saw me lying down sick, and I looked down towards the real estate office.

“Our office is here…”

I couldn’t see it.

The entrance was vaguely visible, but the angle was such that he couldn’t have seen me lying on the desk. As I moved my hand, which had been about to lower the blinds, the real estate office was completely hidden.

‘How could he have seen me? Did he see me passing by the office?’

Such thoughts briefly crossed my mind, but my ankle hurt, so I returned to the sofa. Soon, the office door opened, and Bin entered.

“Here, take this anti-inflammatory.”

As I took the medicine and was about to take it, Bin knelt on one knee and took hold of my ankle. I quickly bent over to stop him.

“I’ll put it on myself.”

I gently pushed Bin’s shoulder to dissuade him, and a hint of disappointment flashed across his face. Looking at Bin’s hair, it seemed he had searched for the patches and medicine in a hurry, as it was slightly disheveled.

“Thank you.”

I placed my foot on the adjacent sofa and applied the patch. When Bin asked what happened, I replied that I had fallen down the stairs. He was still looking at me beside me with a sympathetic expression.

Beep beep beep—

At that moment, a man’s phone rang on Bin’s desk. He walked over and casually turned it off without answering.

“Wouldn’t it be better to go to the hospital?”

“Yeah, I’ll put this on first. If it doesn’t get better, I’ll go.”

“Let’s go now. I’ll go with you.”

“No, the hospital is close, so I can go alone. It seems clients came earlier. I should get going. Thank you.”

As I stood up, it definitely felt better than before. Bin approached and was about to put his arm around my waist like before, but my phone rang. I took my phone out of my pocket and checked it; it was indeed Jun. I set it to vibrate and put it back in my pocket, and Bin’s eyes widened slightly.

“Shall I answer it for you?”

“Huh? No. It’s not urgent, so I’ll do it at the office. And, I don’t need help. I’m fine.”

Contrary to my words that it wasn’t urgent, the phone vibrated again. I walked out of the office, trying to walk as straight as possible. If I didn’t, I felt Bin would keep chasing me and pestering me to go to the hospital. I felt burdened by his constant gaze, but fortunately, one of the staff members approached and called him away.

As Bin’s gaze naturally shifted, I could walk more comfortably. A little cold sweat beaded on my forehead. Bin quickly ran over to me, apologized, saying he had to attend to a client, and told me to contact him if I felt worse, then turned and followed the staff member.

Walking towards the studio entrance, it seemed only about 70 percent of the 6th floor was being used. I figured the remaining 30 percent was used as storage.

However, no matter how much I looked around, I couldn’t see the men in black suits I had seen earlier. Or anyone of similar build. I thought I might have gone to the wrong floor and pressed the elevator button.

After applying the patches and taking the medicine, the pain lessened, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to show the house to guests in this condition, so I decided to close early.

When I came down to the first floor, the tteokbokki shop owner asked me about a simple real estate matter. After a brief conversation with her, I crossed to the other side. As I was about to open the office door, a “Bang!” sound came from behind me.

It was the sound from Jun’s car, which was parked there. The tint was so dark I thought no one was inside, but it seemed someone was. Turning around, I saw Jun getting out of the driver’s seat, and Sangjung lowering the passenger window.

“Hyung, why are you leaving so suddenly, and what’s with your foot?”

“I just twisted it.”

“Dajeong Hyung, see you next time.”

Jun’s car was already running, as if he and Sangjung were about to go somewhere. I waved goodbye to Jun as well, opened the office, and went inside. I thought they would drive off, but Jun followed me in.

“Hyung. Is something wrong?”

“No. Nothing’s wrong.”

“Why would you twist it if you were walking fine?”

Jun approached and bent down as if to grab my ankle, but I quickly stepped back and ordered him.

“Don’t worry about it and go.”

“Are you really just going to leave? You don’t need to go to the hospital?”

“Yes. So, go.”

Jun straightened his bent back, hesitated for a moment, and then turned and left. The black car glided forward and disappeared from my sight. Once his car was out of view, I let out a sigh.

Yes, I just needed to say one word like that. Jun still hadn’t moved on from Impo. I had performed fellatio for him, and if he still didn’t get hard, I had done all I could.

‘It’s best to end this kind of relationship.’

I was about to tell Jun that we should mutually terminate our contract. I realized I was inadequate to play the role of his master. While organizing my thoughts, I closed the office door and was about to head home when Jun called again.

[Go to my place. I’ll give you a ride later. You can stay the night too.]

Jun’s considerate words sounded sweet. But I didn’t want to care about him anymore. We are not lovers.

“I’m going home to rest today, so don’t contact me.”

[Don’t contact me?]

“Yes. …And, don’t do that again next time.”

[Do what?]

“That… don’t kiss me like that.”

[…Alright.]

I heard Jun’s slow exhale. Then he said “Alright” one more time and hung up. Did he understand why I was acting like this? He seemed like a child complaining, asking me to read his mind.

I stood up, tidied my desk, and closed the office. I had to walk towards the main road, whether by taxi or bus. I decided I would go to the hospital if it felt too bad. My heart felt as crippled as my leg.

To say I had firmly pushed Jun away felt like a creak in one part of my heart. I wasn’t at ease. I gave up on taking the bus and hailed a taxi. I considered going to the hospital, but I thought it would be better to just have a sore leg. Focusing on walking allowed me to think less about other things.

I got into the taxi and sat in the back seat. I leaned my head against the plush seat and closed my eyes.

There was a small pharmacy at the entrance of the apartment complex. I was about to go in, but decided to change my patch, so I went inside. I bought an anti-inflammatory and patches, similar to what Bin had given me earlier. Since there weren’t many options, they were different from the ones Bin gave me.

“Oh? Dajeong!”

Just then, I saw a red sports car near the entrance of the apartment complex. Before I could even approach with my bag of medicine, Rovan came over first. He was still wearing his blue tracksuit.

“Where were you?”

“At the office.”

“You came back early today?”

He asked this because it was just past 2 PM. Rovan opened the passenger seat of his car and told me to get in.

“It’s right in front of my building…”

“I know. Get in for now. I’ll park there.”

He must have noticed my difficulty walking, as he approached me and took one of my arms. When he asked how I got hurt, I lied and said I tripped on the stairs while showing a house.

Rovan always wore a blue tracksuit, and it always smelled of fabric softener. His car also had a pleasant scent. Except for the color, the interior was identical to Jun’s car. The only difference was that it seemed to have been tuned up, with the dashboard gleaming in various places.

Rovan deliberately drove around the complex before heading to my building. He said there wasn’t a good parking spot and offered to drop me off wherever was convenient, but Rovan parked the car right at the entrance and followed me.

I made eye contact with a security guard who was on patrol. His lips moved as if he wanted to tell us not to park there, but he eventually gave up and looked at Rovan. Instead, he looked at me, giving me a warning glance.

“Hey. You can’t park here.”

“It’s fine. Let’s go.”

As we were about to enter the building, I noticed the food bowl I had moved earlier was back in its original spot, so I looked at Rovan. The security guard also seemed to want to say something about it, and once again sent me a pleading look.

“Don’t leave it here, move it over there.”

“No.”

“It’s not a matter of ‘no,’ if you leave it here, people on the first floor will be bothered.”

Rovan glared at the security guard. The guard pretended not to listen to our conversation from a distance, but he heard everything. If my leg hadn’t been injured, I would have moved it myself, but since I couldn’t, I nudged Rovan’s shoulder.

“Put it back over there. I’ll order jokbal for you.”

Without a second’s hesitation, Rovan picked up the bowl and placed it behind the flower bed across the way. The same spot where I had moved it.

“There, satisfied?”

I saw the security guard give a small “okay” sign with his fingers. I hurried up the stairs to get into the apartment, but Rovan ran ahead of me and pressed the elevator button. He must have really wanted jokbal.

When we reached the elevator, Rovan got in first, pressed the open button, and waited for me. At times like this, he seemed normal, but there was a strange looseness about him.

Ding.

We got off on the 4th floor and I walked slower than usual. Then, the playground within the apartment complex came into view, along with trees scattered around. Just a few months ago, it was all green, but now, with autumn, they were colored in their own unique hues.

People were the same. Even if they looked alike, their true colors would stand out when their hearts matured. Jun, like the clothes he often wore, seemed dark on the inside, but in reality, he was quite warm. Like a lover.

With my slow steps, I arrived at my front door and was about to enter the password when I felt Rovan’s gaze.

“If it were another friend, I wouldn’t think much of it, but you’re different. Turn around.”

“What do you take me for?”

‘A fool.’

Rovan turned around obediently, looking exasperated, but as soon as he heard the sound of me pressing the buttons, he whipped his head around. Even though he was joking, he chided me for being heartless as I pointed at the numbers and pressed them seriously.

As the front door opened, Rovan, as if it were his own home, slipped inside first. Following him in, I took off my shoes, and Rovan, who had gone into the kitchen, came back with a bundle of flyers. As I went into the small room to change, he stopped me and asked where I ordered from.

“I’ll order after I change. You pick.”

“Choose one of these two. I’ll order. I haven’t even had breakfast.”

Since I had already eaten lunch, I didn’t think much of it and told him to order whatever he wanted, then closed the door to the small room. As I took off my pants, I found it difficult to stand on one leg, so I sat down on the floor.

「Not lovers.」

But every time my ankle throbbed, Jun’s words from earlier echoed, and my chest ached too.

After changing, I came out and sat on the sofa. Rovan always sat on the floor, avoiding the sofa. After finishing the order call, he extended his hand. He pointed to my wallet on the coffee table, and Rovan took out a card. However, something was tucked inside with the credit card, and it fluttered to the floor. Rovan picked up the fallen business card and asked.

“Is this from that Namgung Bin guy?”

It was the business card Bin had given me. There was no company name, and his title was only written as ‘S.T.’

“What does ST mean?”

“I don’t know either. Maybe Studio, or something like that? Since he actually runs a studio.”

“Hmm… Is that what it means?”

I must have put it in my wallet when I received it. I had forgotten. Rovan put Bin’s card back and peeked into my wallet. I reached out to snatch it back, but he had already stood up and was looking through it.

“No cash? But when did you buy this wallet? Why is it so worn out?”

“Give it back. It looks fine to me.”

My resolve to snatch it back was quickly dashed by my injured ankle, so I just let him look and sat back comfortably. Since there wasn’t much inside, Rovan soon lost interest and put it back down.

Feeling bored, I turned on the TV when the doorbell rang, indicating the jokbal had arrived. Rovan went to pay and brought the food back, spreading it on the table. My stomach still wasn’t settled, so I just helped him open the packaging and sat back on the sofa.

“Aren’t you eating?”

“No, I’ll eat later. Eat comfortably.”

The TV was replaying a comedy show on some random channel. Rovan laughed while making a wrap and putting it in his mouth.

“Haha. Look at that, Dajeong. chuckle.”

I was looking at news articles on my phone when Rovan kept tapping my knee. I wondered what he found so funny and glanced over, about to touch the article again, when a pop-up window filled the screen. I found the ‘x’ and clicked it, but it was so small that I ended up clicking the pop-up.

Then, the screen changed, and suddenly explicit photos appeared. They were actual intercourse photos, and they were even GIFs, moving. As I hastily tried to close the screen by touching below, I accidentally pressed another menu.

“Ah, damn it. What’s going on?”

“Huh? What is it?”

It wasn’t something I wanted to show Rovan, so I said it was nothing and busied my hands. The menu had changed to a gay site. It seemed to be an affiliate site of the porn site I had just seen…

And there were really two men physically connected. I thought it wouldn’t be possible for it to go in there, but coincidentally, it looked possible. It even looked natural.

Flustered, I gripped my phone again, and accidentally pressed the video playback button. For a moment, a man lying down below let out a “Ah!” sound, so I pressed the power button to turn off the screen completely.

“Huh? What was that sound?”

“Uh, uh? It must be coming from the TV.”

Just then, two contestants in a segment were giving each other penalties with clothespin-like objects. Rovan also said, “Ah, that,” and started laughing at the TV again. I quietly got up, went into the bedroom, and closed the door.

Then, I turned on my phone screen again and tried to close the internet window, but my gaze was strangely drawn to it. I wondered if this was what it looked like when I linked things in a game.

I turned off the sound and watched the video. It seemed to be just a preview, with only the highlight parts flashing by quickly. That short video contained everything. I even saw a familiar device.

‘Aneros…’

A man holding an Aneros inserted it into the man lying on his stomach from behind and was thrusting. The man with the Aneros inside trembled and writhed his hips. When he pulled it out, the hole, which should have been closed, was slightly open. A few of the other man’s fingers went in and out, and while his fingers were inside, he licked around the wrinkles with his tongue.

“Huh…”

It felt like I had seen something I shouldn’t have, yet it was incredibly arousing. It felt like the first time I saw adult content when I was young.

“…”

The problem was, instead of feeling repulsed by this video, my lower body was reacting.

Finally, the man behind inserted his erect penis into the hole of the man lying on the bed and started moving his hips, and the video ended. At the end, as the penis moved in and out, the man lying on the bed ejaculated in excitement, looking incredibly pleased, just like in a game.

Still, seeing that large thing go in from behind made me dizzy. Then I thought of the Aneros, about the thickness of two fingers. The man’s face, excited about how good it felt when it was inserted and moved…

“Is it really that good…?”

Creeaak!

“Dajeong.”

Just then, Rovan opened the door with a portion of jokbal in one hand. I quickly shoved my phone under the blanket. Fortunately, I had turned off the sound, so it was fine.

“…Huh? What?”

“Can I watch a movie? What’s the password?”

“1234.”

Panicked, I couldn’t even say no and blurted it out. Only after the door was closed could I take out my phone again. I felt like I shouldn’t open Pandora’s box any further, yet I couldn’t close the site.

‘It can’t be this good…’

Unable to resist my curiosity, I pretended to be unable to help myself and played another video. The second video showed sex in various positions. Despite being an uncomfortable video, it strangely drew my attention.

When I went out to the living room, Rovan was eating jokbal while watching a movie. I was too lazy to ask what he had paid for, so I just sat on the sofa. Watching something without thinking helps reduce distracting thoughts. I tried my best to spend the rest of the day numbly.

“……?”

But the scenes on TV were not unfamiliar. Like the videos I had just watched in my room, flesh was rampant.

“Rovan. Did you, by any chance, pay for an erotic movie?”

“Not erotic, but R-rated.”

“There are more moans than dialogue.”

“Still, there’s a story.”

Rovan explained, while tearing off a piece of jokbal, that the guy over there and the guy over there were originally lovers but were now going to a motel with a friend. It was simply a story about cheating lovers, but he watched it with great seriousness. It was definitely a dramatic story, so I was immersed in it in a short time.

“It’s lust, just lust.”

Rovan defined their relationship with a definitive statement. In the middle of the movie, during a beach date scene, it became boring, so he turned around to face me. He offered me a can of cola, so I opened it and took a sip.

“Dajeong. Aren’t you dating anyone?”

“Well… there’s no one to date. What about you? Aren’t you dating?”

“I don’t have anyone to date either. But you have Jun.”

“Huh? No, I’m not gay…”

“Hmm, you’re not, huh?”

Rovan sat up, moved to the sofa, and slowly leaned towards me. At that moment, another sex scene unfolded on TV. The moans of the man and woman mixed, creating a very sensual atmosphere.

Then, Rovan licked his lips with his tongue and stared intently at mine. I gently pushed his approaching chest, but it didn’t budge, like a solid wall.

“…Hey. Hey, what are you doing?”

“Have you kissed Jun? In real life, not in a game?”

I swallowed. It was as if he knew everything. I should have denied it, but I couldn’t. Was my private life, which I hadn’t even confessed to my friends, being exposed like this? Still, isn’t this kind of crazy person dangerous?

As I firmly closed my lips, Rovan’s mouth curved into a smile, a look as if he had caught me.

“Was it not good when you kissed? Here, did you not get hard?”

Rovan’s hand rested on the center of my pants. Startled, I grabbed his hand to pull it away, but he gripped it tighter.

“What, what! Stop it.”

“Look. Even if I play with it like this, you don’t get hard. But if you two kissed, you’ll soon move on to that sequence.”

Rovan pointed at the TV screen. Even though it was acting, the actors were passionately making love. Then I remembered the scenes I had seen on my phone earlier. They were just like what these people were doing now, except both actors were men.

When Jun passed me the candy with his mouth, I had definitely reacted. But now, neither Rovan’s touch nor the intercourse on the video made my lower body stir. Rovan checked my pants again and let go.

“And look. I got hard. But Dajeong, you didn’t get hard even watching scenes like that. So, you’re not gay?”

Rovan slightly pulled down his pants to show his tight briefs. They were so taut that the tip was slightly protruding.

“Ah, I get it. Pull up your pants.”

But I didn’t think I was gay. I wasn’t aroused by Rovan’s erection; rather, I felt a sense of repulsion. When Rovan asked if I got hard, I answered that I did, and he said with wide eyes.

“Then, Dajeong, are you bisexual?”

Suddenly, my mind lit up.

While denying I was gay, I had also denied my thoughts about Jun. But calling myself bisexual made something click. I had had girlfriends before.

Just as not all women are attractive to heterosexuals, I didn’t feel that way looking at Rovan, who was the same gender. My thoughts were only directed towards Jun.

‘…Do I like Jun?’

“Looking at your expression, you’re completely smitten. Well, Jun is quite a looker. His hip bones are amazing too.”

“Ah…! That’s impossible.”

Rovan cleared the table, as if they had finished all the jokbal. While clearing, he grumbled that it wasn’t as tasty as his own home, and the side dishes were lacking. For someone complaining, he ate it all, leaving not a single piece of meat.

Meanwhile, the movie must have ended, as the TV had returned to its original channel. Even as I sat there, lost in thought with a complex mind, Rovan tapped me while wiping the table.

“What are you worrying about? Jun seems to like you too.”

“No.”

“What do you mean, no? His eyes drip honey when he looks at you. You even held hands, and you don’t know that?”

I denied it in a crawling voice, wiggling my fingers with my hands clasped in front of me.

“Well, there’s a reason. We’re dividing roles…”

“What roles? Playing house?”

“…No, it might sound a bit strange.”

“What is it? I’m not easily surprised. Tell me.”

Rovan’s eyes sparkled as he plopped down right next to me. He casually placed his hand over my still wiggling fingers and gave a knowing smile. Seeing his expression, I felt a bit more inclined to talk.

“Go on.”

“…Well, I’m playing the role of the master.”

Rovan, who claimed not to be easily surprised, let out an audible “Whoa.” I was about to say “See? I knew you’d be shocked,” but he seemed intrigued and coaxed me from beside me.

“See? I knew you’d be shocked.”

“Ah, sorry. I thought it was the other way around. Anyway, tell me more. If Dajeong is the master, is Jun her footstool?”

“Not to that extent.”

Rovan clapped, saying it was amazing. He patted my shoulder, asking how I could be the master of such a guy, saying I had guts.

“Dajeong has more courage than she looks. How did you tame such a mad dog?”

“No, it’s not taming. He gave me the leash himself.”

And I, a slave to capitalism, simply took hold of that leash. Currently, I’m being dragged along while holding it.

♬♩♪―.

Just as Rovan was about to say something else, his phone rang. I checked, wondering if it was Jun, but it was an unknown number.

“Who is it?”

“I don’t know. It’s not saved. Is it a customer?”

I must have closed the real estate office early, and someone called after making a wasted trip. When I pressed the call button, I heard the voice of a middle-aged woman.

“Yes, hello.”

[Is this not your son’s call?]

“My son?”

[Isn’t it Duseon?]

“Yes. It’s me.”

I adjusted my grip on the phone at the urgent voice of the middle-aged woman. With a sigh of “Oh dear,” she urged me to go to the hospital quickly.

“The hospital? What…”

[I mean, Chungseong Hospital. Your mother was rushed to the emergency room!]

I jumped up to take the call, and Rovan looked at me, wondering what was happening. Clutching the phone, I replied that I understood and quickly gathered my clothes.

“What’s wrong? Where are you going?”

“I have to go to the hospital now. Mom is at the hospital. Mom…”

As I reached for my wallet on the table, my hand slipped, and it fell to the floor. I thought it would land at my feet, but it slid all the way to Rovan. He picked up the wallet and handed it to me. I pulled at the wallet, but it didn’t come out of his hand. He was deliberately holding on with strength.

“I’ll take you.”

“No. I can take the bus from here—”

“Snap out of it. You look like you’ve lost your mind right now.”

It was true; I was wearing mismatched socks and had only put one arm into my coat. When Rovan asked where, I said Chungseong Hospital. He searched for it on his phone and said it would take about an hour and a half, telling me to pack my things slowly and come down.

I put my change of clothes and laptop in my backpack and slung it over one shoulder. My trembling hands gradually calmed down. Rovan had parked in front of the apartment entrance, so I could get in as soon as I came down.

As soon as Rovan saw me buckle my seatbelt, he drove off. On the way, I called my uncle, who lived near my mother’s house. My uncle said he would go to the hospital right away.

With only my mother and me as family, it was a mistake from the start to be living so far apart.

Rovan drove at a moderate speed. We arrived faster than his estimated hour and a half. He dropped me off right at the hospital entrance, and I went in first. As soon as I entered, my phone rang. It was my uncle.

“…Sigh. Yes, I’ve just arrived in the lobby.”

My uncle told me he was in the emergency room. As I walked towards the first-floor emergency room, I sent Rovan a message. Inside the emergency room, my uncle was sitting next to a curtained bed.

“Ah, yes. Duseon, you’re here. Myungja, your son is here.”

“Oh dear, why did you come again?”

“Mom…”

I sat beside her and held her hands. I had only heard her strong voice on the phone, so I thought she was doing well. I didn’t expect her to look so unfamiliar after being apart for three months.

“What happened?”

“I was eating food at home, and my stomach suddenly hurt. I thought I’d be fine after taking some indigestion medicine and resting…”

“And now? Are you okay now? They said it wasn’t appendicitis, right?”

I asked, full of worry, and my uncle replied from beside me that it wasn’t. A little later, a doctor came and explained the test results. He said there was nothing special in the results and pressed on various parts of my mother’s abdomen again while giving further explanations.

“Here, does it still hurt now?”

“It hurt a lot earlier, but it’s a bit better now.”

“You have a severe case of indigestion. Finish your IV drip, rest at home, and come back if you feel unwell.”

As I listened to the doctor, I lowered my head. My uncle tapped my arm. He meant for me to talk outside for a bit.

Leaving the emergency room, I followed my uncle to a small area set up like a lounge. Before sitting down, I got a drink from the vending machine. My uncle, seven years older than my mother, was taking care of his aunts, filling the void left by Grandfather. His eyes held worry, as deep as the wrinkles on his face.

“I came quickly after getting your call. I’m glad it’s nothing serious… I was so worried when they said emergency room.”

“I’m sorry. I was also flustered…”

“By the way, what are you going to do if your mother has another incident like this?”

“…I have no excuse.”

I understood what he meant without him having to explain further. He wanted to say, ‘Stay by your mother’s side.’

I lowered my head and listened carefully to what my uncle was saying. I could fully understand his concern. Grandfather had passed away suddenly with symptoms similar to my mother’s. I myself had also experienced sudden indigestion recently… Thinking of my mother, who must have been suffering from pain like me, tears welled up.

“Alright. Think it over carefully. I’m going to leave now, so take good care of your mother. Don’t go back right away. Call me if anything else happens.”

“Yes…”

I escorted my uncle to the front of the hospital. As I turned back, Rovan was standing against the wall right in front of me. I approached him and thanked him.

“Rovan, I think I’ll have to go back to Seoul first since I’ll be here for a few days.”

“How is she?”

“She’s okay now, but we need to monitor her a bit longer.”

Rovan’s hand rested on my head.

“Don’t worry too much. I’ll get back on my own, so go see your mother.”

As I nodded, Rovan didn’t remove his hand from my head. Then, he gently stroked my hair and told me to contact him if anything happened.

I waved goodbye to Rovan as he turned to leave and went back to where my mother was. She seemed peaceful, having fallen asleep in the meantime. Although she was being discharged soon, I couldn’t leave without peace of mind. I wouldn’t be able to open the office for a few days, and Jun might wonder why I closed without explanation.

Because of that, I wondered if I should contact him, but it felt awkward to reach out first after telling him not to contact me today. On the other hand, I felt a pang of sympathy for Jun, who had lost both parents in an accident at once. Just hearing that a family member is sick makes my heart sink, so how much worse must it have been for him?

I let out a small sigh and returned to my mother’s hospital room.

Jun was on his way back from meeting friends with Sangjung. As usual, he parked his car in front of the real estate office and went upstairs to his home. As soon as he got back, he lay down on the bed, and Jae-ah grumbled as she came over and took off his coat, putting it in the styler.

“Ugh! Dust!”

The house had always been clean since Jae-ah arrived. In a way, I wanted to just ask him to live here together. Life would be easier if I just ignored his grumbling.

When I checked my phone, there were signs of messages from various people, but none from Duseon. Jun sat up and looked at his call list, then folded the finger that had hovered over Duseon’s number.

“I’m going home to rest today. Don’t contact me.”

He stared at the phone screen for a moment, then threw it somewhere on the bed again.

“What is wrong with you, really?”

Did he not like that I gave him strawberry candy earlier? I wondered if he disliked kissing, but in the past, Duseon had been more active during kisses in bed. As I thought more about him, my body felt tired, but my mind was clear. Since I told him not to contact me, I wondered if he might be in the game, so I logged into BP.

<>

<>

I connected to the place where I last hunted with Human. Duseon wasn’t in the guild window, only Moment, so I had nothing to do and moved to where he was, [Zeronite Harbor].

<>

As the screen changed, the horizon appeared before my eyes. Small boats were docked in the harbor.

However, Zeronite Harbor wasn’t usually a crowded place. Especially, there was no reason for a high-level player like Moment to be here. Shut Up found him talking with a group while looking around.

“Hey.”

Moment, who was talking to someone, saw Shut Up and approached him, saying it was good to see him. His attitude was somehow triumphant.

“What are you doing here? Why are there so many people?”

“Yeah, everyone’s trying to go to Saint Island.”

“The ship will capsize from fire arrows.”

“We have to prevent that.”

Behind Moment stood a user he was talking to. Shut Up had seen him before. He was a Psychic who used Telekinesis, named [GOGUMA]. I had called him a frustrating bastard like a sweet potato when I killed him before. GOGUMA averted his gaze elsewhere without even greeting Shut Up when their eyes met.

“I thought you’d quit early with Telekinesis, but you’ve been persistent? Your armor is so flashy.”

“What? Flashy?”

GOGUMA laughed incredulously at Shut Up’s sarcasm, which didn’t sound like a compliment.

“Look who it is. Isn’t that Pikachu?”

“What? You frustrating bastard. Want to get hit with a million volts?”

As Shut Up approached, wrapping an electric chain around his hand, GOGUMA picked up nearby weapons. Then, Moment stepped between them, blocking their view.

“If you’re both happy to see each other, say it with words. Put those down.”

Shut Up ignored Moment’s words and slammed the chain on the ground. Moment changed the subject, saying, “Dajeong did.” Hearing that, Shut Up instantly retracted the chain and asked,

“Why Hyung?”

“Um… I’ll tell you later. I’ve rented a boat to go to Saint Island now.”

“If you’re going to Saint Island, I’m coming too.”

Moment, who had been pulling GOGUMA along, turned back at his words. GOGUMA looked at Shut Up and shook his head quietly, but Moment persuaded him, saying they needed at least one more person.

“Especially someone like Shut Up is perfect for drawing aggro. If the three of us stand side-by-side, everyone will attack Shut Up.”

“That… is true.”

The two whispered to each other, but Shut Up heard every word. After hearing Moment’s explanation, GOGUMA nodded obediently, saying it made sense.

“Then, let’s do this.”

Moment invited Shut Up to the party. In the party members, besides GOGUMA, there was also RootHug. Shut Up clicked his tongue, wondering how he always ended up with people he disliked.

“When GOGUMA stops the fire arrows with Telekinesis, Shut Up, you’ll change them into electric arrows. The archers will be wearing armor, right? So they get electrocuted.”

“Then, what about him?”

Shut Up pointed at RootHug, who was crouched like the wooden boxes scattered around the harbor. He was still wearing rags, the same color as the cloth draped over the boxes. He looked that shabby and insignificant.

“RootHug… he’ll probably find a way to contribute once we take him.”

Shut Up sighed, saying, “What is this, a homeless cosplay?” and pointed at RootHug, asking if he wasn’t the one who used to dress so flamboyantly. RootHug, who had been staring at the ground, raised his head. At his gleaming eyes, GOGUMA used Telekinesis to pull a nearby cargo and placed it in front of himself.

RootHug, who had been crouching, stood up and approached Shut Up.

“Hey, Pikachu.”

A splendid voice flowed out from between the rags, contrasting with his shabby attire. He must have been listening to GOGUMA and Shut Up’s conversation indifferently.

“Ugh, you beggar.”

“I’ll definitely eat you.”

“Try if you can.”

GOGUMA nudged Moment’s side, asking if he was really okay with those two. Moment reassured him that they were fine as long as their temper wasn’t provoked, but he seemed to be watching for signs that Shut Up might break the fragile peace.

It was a party with great firepower, but internal conflict was also significant, making the outcome unpredictable. Even the surrounding users who were watching the fight had moved a few steps away.

The four rented a relatively fast and good boat from the harbor. They all chose boats with open roofs to avoid fire arrows, but since there was no way to block flames rising above the roof, they opted for boats without roofs.

“Let’s all check our gauges.”

Although the PG was more than half full, they thought nothing of it, assuming it would end soon. Soon, many boats departed around us. Everyone thought others’ boats would draw aggro, so the strategy was to push forward through the waterway.

While on the boat, Moment told Shut Up that Bidblind had proposed an alliance.

“He said he’d do it if you begged.”

“You’re the one who should be begging.”

Shut Up glared, and Moment raised his hands in apology before starting to re-organize. Then, he reminded everyone once more.

“Let’s go quietly, quietly. If you fall into the sea, you can’t reach land even with aerial movement, so you’ll drown.”

Wind Shoes were for temporary leaps, not long-distance travel. That meant they just needed to be near land.

There was no major friction during the boat ride; it was quiet. Shut Up was staring straight ahead when suddenly, seawater splashed on his face.

“Ah, what the…”

Thinking the boat must have rocked significantly, he casually wiped it with his hand. But then, he saw GOGUMA behind him trying to suppress his laughter. He ignored it, wondering why he was laughing so pointlessly.

Splash—.

‘Ah… damn.’

This time, a larger amount of seawater splashed on his face than before. Shut Up, as usual, wiped it roughly with his hand and looked straight ahead.

Then, after some time had passed, he suddenly turned around. Just then, a hand emerged from behind RootHug, scooped up seawater, and sprayed it at Shut Up. Because he had turned his head at that moment, he was hit directly in the face. With a splat, as seawater hit his face, he couldn’t hold back and stood up.

“You, you—!”

“Hey, hold on. Hold on.”

As I tried to throw RootHug into the sea, Moment grabbed my waist from behind and stopped me. GOGUMA burst into uncontrollable laughter and rolled on the floor. As Shut Up glared at him, RootHug calmly said something to his pet behind him, giving a warning.

“Hey, take out the guy behind you. Aren’t you going to take him out?”

“Shut Up, hold on. We need to prepare soon.”

As Moment said, Saint Island began to appear in front of us, and everyone stood up to prepare. The boats running alongside us also readied their weapons through the gaps. Most of them had roofs, unlike ours, so the occupants were not visible.

GOGUMA gathered energy before casting his skill. He had to use Telekinesis over a wide area without gaps, as he didn’t know how many fire arrows would fly from how many places.

He seemed tense, needing to cast a dense net. As sweat dripped from his forehead, huge flames flew from the island in the distance. They were so numerous they covered the sky, flying in waves as if fired in rapid succession.

Blood Planet made everything else fantastically unrealistic, but the boats were realistic. The end of a boat hit by a fire arrow burned and spread to the side. And why were all the boats made of wood? They burned well.

“[GRAVITY].”

GOGUMA spread his hands and created a large curtain. The translucent curtain that unfurled enveloped our boat, and because the area was wide, it also covered the surrounding boats.

As electricity was shot into the arrows embedded in the barrier to change their attribute, SweetPotato sent it back towards the opposite side. The electric arrows were seen embedding themselves into the fortress visible ahead. Whether it was because some of the archer bastards were electrocuted, they fell outside the fortress. After repeating this a few times, the attacks significantly decreased.

The surrounding ships, steadily picking up speed, approached and latched onto our ship. They intended to ride on the barrier.

“Tsk. What are those? Get Moment on board.”

“The more ships we have to use as bait, the better. Let’s just leave them be.”

Due to the fire arrows, about 50 percent of the surrounding ships remained. While it was unclear what skills everyone was using, some ships listed precariously as if about to sink, while others were fine.

Among the ships that were fine, there was one without a roof, and Bidblind was at the prow holding a shield.

“Isn’t that shield cheating?”

Moment said, pointing at Bidblind.

SweetPotato was sitting down, catching their breath for a moment. RootHug was also curled up beside him like a sack of goods, but a hand emerged from behind his back, about to spray seawater again, only to retract into the rags at Shut Up’s gaze.

As they got close enough to see the entrance to Saint Island, attacks resumed. As if intending to sink all the remaining ships, this time fireballs flew.

Boom—! KABOOM!

As dozens of fireballs landed next to the ship, the surroundings erupted in a massive splash, causing the ship to lurch violently. Meanwhile, SweetPotato was narrowing the barrier’s range, using Telekinesis primarily on our ship.

“[GRAVITY]!”

The fireball that should have struck the center of the ship stopped with a thud overhead. Just as SweetPotato was about to send it back, another fireball flew towards the side of the ship.

“Whoa! Here comes another one!”

It was at an angle that would narrowly strike the ship’s flank. Instead of sending back what he had caught, SweetPotato shifted it aside and tried to catch the newly arriving one.

However, his Telekinesis didn’t reach that spot in time. Shut Up, who was nearby, belatedly created an Electric Sphere to destroy it, but something snatched the fireball away. Turning his head in that direction, a hand from RootHug threw the fireball towards the back of the ship. Because of that, the ship that had been closely following behind us was hit and began to sink.

[HiddenSquid: Wtf????]

[Cuttlefish: Ah, fuck, Shut Up threw that, right?]

[Shut Up: Wasn’t me lol]

[SemiDriedSquid: Goodbye everyone. We are returning to the sea.]

Users watching the chat began to cautiously distance themselves. RootHug curled up again as if nothing had happened. Shut Up, however, felt a bit uneasy. Looking at the situation just now, he realized that while he hadn’t been attacked because he was in a party with RootHug, if he had been turned away like this, he might have been caught by the pet’s hand at least once.

After blocking two fireballs like that, they arrived near Saint Island. Even the ships with roofs had everyone come up on deck, preparing to disembark. SweetPotato, thinking they were finally safe, relaxed, but Moment told him to stay tense.

“It’s not over yet.”

The four of them stared at the beach.

The first users to disembark stepped onto the beach and began walking along the path into the forest.

“What, what is this!”

However, their feet, which had been walking fine, were bound by the [Binding Skill]. Archers hidden in the forest, as if prepared, began shooting arrows all at once. It was important to be careful, as the Binding Skill also disabled shields.

“It seems we can’t enter normally.”

“Shall we check that way?”

Shut Up’s group docked their ship to the side and watched the other users. Bidblind’s group also walked along that path after arriving. Then, Bidblind stopped her party members and walked ahead alone.

As expected, she was caught by the Binding Skill and was destined to be hit by arrows. But at the very moment all the arrows flew towards her, a vortex formed around her, enveloping her like a shield. A wind-attribute Psychic created a sandstorm on the beach around her, blocking the attack.

“Is that the place?”

Bidblind, freed from the binding, swung her mace in the direction the arrows had come from. Each swing felled the surrounding area.

“Cough—!”

Archers hidden among the trees fell like leaves. As they hastily tried to escape, a [Death Zone] appeared beneath them. Dark hands emerged, preventing them from moving. Watching this, Shut Up touched his chin in puzzlement.

“How are those two in the same guild? Isn’t that one, Carrot, the warlock?”

“Ah, right. Shut Up, you didn’t see, did you? Those two fought in the training grounds.”

When Shut Up asked about the outcome, SweetPotato answered instead.

“Carrot got pulverized.”

Even to Shut Up’s knowledge, Carrot was not a player who would easily lose to anyone. Warlocks were rare, and she was known to be brutal enough to earn the nickname Carrot.

“It’s an odd combination. Holy magic and warlock.”

“Like you and me?”

Moment smiled brightly, and Shut Up pushed his face away with his hand, saying he didn’t want to see it.

Once Bidblind dealt with the archers positioned at the entrance, the users who had disembarked rushed after her. It looked like they were going mountain climbing as a group. The entire island seemed to be made of a giant mountain, and it was an incline from the entrance onwards. Apart from the narrow path, there were only dense trees, and low-level monsters roamed here and there.

Shut Up’s group also slowly joined them and walked. Bidblind glanced back at them briefly but said nothing. Just in case, Moment took out his weapon, a ring, and walked.

Since the leading users were killing the low-level monsters, they just had to follow along. Moment, walking without much thought, looked behind him and asked Shut Up.

“Where’s SweetPotato?”

“SweetPotato?”

Thinking he had fallen behind, he looked back, and there was SweetPotato standing paralyzed below. Looking closely, it seemed he had been turned to stone by a skill from a rock-like monster that appeared on Saint Island. There were quite a few of them, and he must have failed to use Telekinesis and remained frozen. Shut Up turned back the way they came, clicking his tongue.

“What are you doing just taking hits like that? SweetPotato, you’re so frustrating.”

“He probably failed to push them away with Telekinesis.”

Moment followed him down, saying that if surrounded like that, Shut Up would also be helpless, defending SweetPotato. It was true that being hit by the rock monsters would freeze you like stone for about 5 seconds. If another monster shot a skill during that time, you would remain petrified. That’s why, when such monsters were present, other party members had to attack and eliminate them.

As Shut Up approached SweetPotato, he scattered Thunderbolt around him. While SweetPotato had struggled, the monsters were all destroyed with a single blow from that attack. SweetPotato, finally able to move, was scolded by Shut Up again.

“What are you doing there? Came for a picnic alone?”

“I was trying to pick some berries nearby to use as potion ingredients……”

SweetPotato, embarrassed, lowered his head as he rejoined them. Moment patted him on the shoulder, comforting him.

“Even if it’s a low-level zone, there could be archers, so don’t act alone.”

Moment patted SweetPotato’s shoulder, and SweetPotato said he’d share some of the top-tier potions he made later. Shut Up, overhearing, asked, “What about me?” but SweetPotato pretended not to hear.

“Hey, I took down all those surrounding rocks for you. Shouldn’t I get something too?”

As SweetPotato gave no answer, Moment chuckled.

“Hey, looks like he heard everything you said.”

SweetPotato walked away at a brisk pace and stood next to RootHug. Shut Up heard him say he’d share some potions with RootHug too and spoke up.

“I don’t like SweetPotatoes anyway. I like potatoes. By the way, this isn’t some mountain climbing club, is it?”

Hearing Shut Up grumbling, other parties glanced over. Shut Up, who should have just let it go, was annoyed and asked what they were looking at, using vulgar language. Moment blocked his gaze and mediated.

“Let’s just go quietly. We’re not safe yet.”

“What did I do?”

Moment had a point. They hadn’t defeated all the archers yet, so fighting amongst themselves was a waste of energy.

“Aargh—!”

As they walked in a long line, a scream was heard from behind. Shut Up’s group, who were in the middle of the procession, stopped at the sound.

“What is it?”

Shut Up looked back, and Moment replied nonchalantly.

“Mom-rage, right? Mom-rage?”

“It’s an adult game, what mom-rage?”

“Be careful!”

While everyone was bewildered, SweetPotato, who was beside them, used Telekinesis to block something approaching. It seemed to have used a [Camouflage] skill, as the surroundings distorted, and something wriggled into view. The distorting space rippled and undulated like a giant snake.

Then, Carrot, who was ahead, summoned a swarm of skeleton soldiers from the ground. The skeleton soldiers, following Carrot’s commands, moved around the path, detecting it.

Crack!

As one of the skeleton soldiers broke, everyone unleashed skills in that direction. But it was so fast that Moment’s Fire Ring returned without any effect.

The line, which had been stretched out, formed a circle. Skeleton soldiers were generated outside their circle once more and spread out slowly, searching.

“Three o’clock!”

Bidblind leaped in that direction and quickly raised her shield. Something then bit into her shield as if to crush it, and the user standing there was startled and slumped down. Bidblind shouted towards them.

“Block it so it can’t escape!”

SweetPotato, who was gathering energy, used Telekinesis to prevent it from moving, and dark clouds rolled in above it. A bone dragon head emerged from the clouds and breathed fire.

Just before the dragon breathed fire, Bidblind grabbed the slumped user by the scruff of their neck and leaped away. Immediately after, flames erupted from an empty spot. The dragon, which had been breathing fire non-stop, closed its mouth, and a burnt smell permeated the forest. As the thick smoke cleared, a giant snake lay dead, its skin blackened and charred.

“The vegetables are working hard.”

Hearing Shut Up’s sarcastic remark, Carrot turned the direction of the dragon head towards him. The summoned entity above his head had smoke swirling around its mouth, as if about to breathe fire.

“Enough. Everyone, let’s move.”

Bidblind grabbed Carrot’s wrist and stopped him, and the dark clouds above his head dispersed, making the dragon disappear. As if they had become friends, Carrot, who had previously ignored people’s words, obediently lowered his hand.

Skeleton soldiers still walked alongside the users. This was in case another monster appeared. Moment took another look at the charred snake carcass and asked Shut Up.

“Did the archers release that snake earlier?”

“Doesn’t seem like it. If they had released something like that, there would have been some lurking around here.”

Everyone dealt with the monster, which they encountered for the first time, in a coordinated manner. In fact, SweetPotato and Carrot did most of the work, but if others hadn’t drawn aggro, they might have been consumed before they could even cast their skills. A tank must absorb damage for the team to survive.

Just then, a hand emerged from the back of RootHug, who had been following silently like a sack of goods. The hand, like the claws of a giant beast, pointed at something.

“That cave over there.”

There was a cave in a spot they had almost passed by. It was located at a position that didn’t require them to go all the way to the archers’ fortress on the mountaintop.

At that fork, opinions were divided around Bidblind. Some argued to defeat the archers now that they had come this far, while others wanted to go straight to the cave and defeat the boss.

It was difficult to decide between the two. If they attacked the archers now, their PG would be filled, and they would have to return without fighting the boss. On the other hand, if they defeated the archers and Saint Island was opened, other users would reap the benefits without doing anything. It was meaningless for those who had struggled to go without any reward.

However, if they left the archers as they were, they would have to endure this hardship every time they entered Saint Island. If they stormed their fortress and defeated them now, they would be unable to regroup for a while and would only be attacked. It was like a small hole in a dam that would only grow larger.

The users surrounded Bidblind and began offering various opinions. Bidblind listened to their words and, as if making a decision, proposed to Shut Up.

“Then, how about we split up? Let’s divide into two groups, yours and ours.”

“Fine. Then we’ll take on the boss. Your side is all grunts, except for Carrot.”

“Your manners are still the same. Maybe even ruder. I’m starting to not want to form an alliance.”

“Who said anything about an alliance? You like playing the saint and taking the lead, don’t you? Go catch the archers.”

“Are you telling us to clean up the mess?”

“You seemed pretty good at cleaning up messes earlier.”

The conversation grew increasingly heated. Instead of replying, Bidblind provoked him by saying, “You want to get hit,” and Shut Up retorted, “Try it,” creating a tense atmosphere as if they were about to fight.

Moment, meanwhile, quietly watched, perhaps hoping Bidblind would hit Shut Up, but SweetPotato nudged him, signaling him to mediate. Having no choice, Moment squeezed between the two and made a peaceful suggestion.

“We shouldn’t fight amongst ourselves. I think splitting up as Bidblind suggested is better. How about a fair game of rock-paper-scissors?”

There was no need to fill their own PG unnecessarily. They didn’t have time for that now.

Whether in reality or in games, rock-paper-scissors was a very fair game. Before playing, users divided themselves into whether they would join Shut Up’s team or Bidblind’s team. However, there was no need. Absurdly, everyone lined up behind Bidblind’s team.

Seeing no one behind Shut Up, Moment shook his head, and SweetPotato clapped, saying, “Wow, this is really something.” RootHug said nothing, but the pet behind him extended its hand and clapped like SweetPotato.

“That’s why you should stop being so obnoxious all the time.”

“Shut up.”

Shut Up, thinking they were useless and would only get in the way, looked at those standing behind Bidblind.

Shut Up and Bidblind stood at the front as representatives. They decided to settle it in one round and looked at each other with determination. Bidblind put down her mace, and with a thud, the dirt floor caved in.

“Alright, rock-paper-scissors!”

They both extended their arms simultaneously. All the users watched the result. Shut Up threw scissors, and Bidblind threw a fist.

“Ah, damn……”

“Shut Up, you can’t beat me.”

Bidblind won, proving she wasn’t the number one ranked player for nothing. Someone took a screenshot and cheered. It was a celebratory atmosphere, as they would be the team to defeat the boss here first on the server.

Shut Up muttered a low curse and turned to leave, with SweetPotato following him dejectedly. Moment placed a hand on SweetPotato’s shoulder and smiled broadly.

“Rather than killing an unknown boss and getting something mediocre, it’s better to beat up the archers and loot their items. Right? Root?”

“If Root eats it, won’t the items disappear too?”

As SweetPotato muttered to himself, RootHug approached from behind and replied softly.

“It comes into the inventory.”

SweetPotato flinched, then moved away from him, saying how fortunate that was, and remained wary.

Shut Up, who had lost the rock-paper-scissors, seemed inexplicably annoyed. Any small twig protruding from the path was sliced away with his Thunderclap Spear.

Whoosh—! Whoosh!

Clang!*

As he swung his spear widely, it grazed Moment behind him, and his Fire Ring lightly blocked the spear.

“Don’t waste your energy on pointless things.”

Saying that, Moment moved ahead and struck away a bothersome twig with his Fire Ring. The archers’ fortress really seemed to be on the mountaintop, as it took a long time to climb.

Moment, like someone going to a mountain spring, went ahead, stopped in front of a large tree, and stretched with a satisfied grunt.

“Ah, this feels good. It loosens up my stiff body. Everyone try it.”

The other three, walking listlessly, ignored him and passed by as if he weren’t there. Of the four, Moment was the most energetic. He ran ahead again, gathered something that looked like wild berries, and popped them into his mouth.

“Hey! This is really sweet!”

“You look like you’re losing HP.”

SweetPotato sighed softly after seeing <> in the party chat. Since his HP was decreasing very slightly, Moment didn’t care and picked up more to eat.

Moment, who had once again taken the lead, picked up something resembling an enoki mushroom.

“This would be delicious added when grilling pork belly.”

As he summoned fire in his hand to cook it, a hand emerged from RootHug’s back, snatched the mushroom, and threw it far away. Then, RootHug, having heard the pet’s whispered words, opened his mouth.

“If you eat that, you’ll be paralyzed for 3 minutes.”

RootHug continued walking without stopping, casually passing it along. SweetPotato warned Moment, saying they had to be careful of Paralysis Skills since they didn’t have their Guide. Shut Up walked without caring whether Moment lived or died, or what they ate.

“Ah, I’m so bored. How much further do we have to go?”

As Shut Up said that, SweetPotato, who was following behind, pointed ahead.

“That must be it?”

At first glance, the wall seemed to be made only of wooden pillars, making it hard to distinguish from the forest scenery. Seeing how uniformly they were erected, it was definitely a fortress. The four of them gradually quickened their pace and approached it. As it was a fortress, they assumed there would be lookouts in the watchtower, so they lowered their bodies.

In a relatively elevated spot, an archer was looking around. Moment spun a Fire Ring around and then flung it towards them. The Ring, flying like a boomerang, struck the archer’s head and knocked them outside.

The moment the archer fell to the ground, RootHug quickly approached nearby, and his rags fluttered once. Immediately after, the archer’s form, sprawled on the ground, vanished.

“Let’s get closer.”

As Shut Up instructed, everyone lowered their bodies and reached the fortress entrance. They all leaned their backs against the wall and observed the situation inside. It was quiet, suggesting they were waiting inside with all preparations complete.

“Should we launch a surprise attack first?”

“Still, I think we need to reduce our numbers a bit. If they cast Binding Skills everywhere, we might get hit by one unlucky blow.”

In response to Moment’s question, Shut Up looked back and forth between SweetPotato and RootHug and asked,

“Does either of you have the Stealth skill?”

They just looked at each other quietly, unable to answer. Then, SweetPotato scratched his forehead and said, “It’s not Stealth, but there’s a way…” and pointed to a cart that looked like cargo.

“Let’s load RootHug onto that and place him at the rear, and we’ll attack from the front.”

The color of the cart’s cover and RootHug’s rags were the same. When the three looked at RootHug, he got onto the cart without a word. He must have thought it was a good idea himself. When he crouched down, it was truly seamless.

“I’ll use Telekinesis to place this in the rear formation.”

SweetPotato slowly moved the cart, looking around. Shut Up and Moment guarded the surroundings for SweetPotato, who was concentrating his strength on using Telekinesis. If they looked like they might be discovered, they would gently tap SweetPotato’s shoulder to stop him.

After repeating the process of moving and stopping several times, it was placed seamlessly among other supplies. No one noticed.

“Shut Up, let’s attack the front simultaneously. SweetPotato, you provide support from the rear.”

“Hey, if you get bound, shout. Who knows? Maybe I’ll save you?”

“If you get bound, say, ‘Save me, handsome Moment!’”

“Stop talking nonsense.”

“What’s the point of killing the old bones if your tone is like that?”

SweetPotato said, “Old bones?” and looked at Shut Up’s shoulder, but Moment informed him it was his hip bone. As their gazes fell on his hips, Shut Up turned around, feeling inexplicably embarrassed.

Then, SweetPotato hid in a suitable spot, and Shut Up created a large Electric Sphere and threw it towards the gate.

CRACK! BANG!

The sound of several pillars collapsing was heard, and the archers waiting inside simultaneously shot arrows towards the entrance. However, these arrows were turned back by SweetPotato’s Telekinesis.

Amidst the returning arrows, Shut Up and Moment leaped. They weaved through the numerous archers, unleashing skills. The archers who were supposed to cast Binding Skills were positioned in the rear, but as the spellcasters one by one disappeared, those in the rear began to panic.

“Huh? What?”

“Hey, over there!”

A giant hand emerged from the cart and dragged them in one by one. Those pulled inside the box cover vanished as if they had fallen through a hole in the cart’s floor, without a trace.

As one archer, witnessing the bizarre sight, backed away, another hand shot out and grabbed his face. Then, as if being sucked into darkness, he disappeared under the cover.

With their allies who were supposed to use Binding Skills gone, those at the front began to break formation. Meanwhile, Shut Up struck the ground with a waterfall of Thunderbolt.

CRACKLE—!

As the archers outside their range tried to hit the airborne Shut Up, their arms were severed and fell to the ground. Moment’s Fire Ring had instantly cut off their arms.

With allies disappearing due to an unknown entity, lightning striking from the sky, and the ground turned into a Lava Zone, it was like hell.

The surviving archers scrambled to Warp or escape the fortress. After the attack swept through like a natural disaster, the fortress fell silent. Shut Up, floating in the air, looked around and stroked his chin, finding it strange.

“This is weird. Why isn’t that leader guy here?”

“Serajerad? That’s right, he’s usually always at the fortress. Is he not logged in today due to personal reasons?”

Inside the fortress, everything was destroyed except for the items dropped by dead users. Once the situation was roughly sorted out, RootHug, who had gotten down from the cart, pointed behind him with his hand. Turning around, he saw Can standing there. He wasn’t holding his usual crossbow and sword but was approaching with empty hands, signaling surrender.

“Hey, you there, talk to me.”

Can approached without hesitation, even though Shut Up’s party still had their weapons drawn. Shut Up raised his Thunderclap Spear and aimed it at Can’s nape as he approached. However, Can, unfazed by the threatening posture, lightly pushed the tip of the spear aside with his hand. A crackling, burning sound was heard from Can’s hand.

“You’re approaching without any fear.”

Despite Shut Up’s provocation, Can stood before them with a serious expression, his arms clasped in front of him. It was still a sign of his unwillingness to be armed.

“What’s going on?”

SweetPotato approached Can and asked for his intentions. However, Can, knowing that Shut Up was the one with the most influence among them, flatly refused, stating he only wanted to talk to Shut Up.

SweetPotato, who had approached with a friendly demeanor, stepped back awkwardly. RootHug was busy picking up dropped items. With four hands, it seemed no items were left in his wake. Even seeing this, Can remained unfazed. Instead, he looked at Shut Up with an even more resolute gaze and said,

“If you kill Serajerad and give me his weapon, I’ll tell you the real cave location.”

“The cave location? We discovered it on the way here.”

“That’s a fake. Serajerad and his group are currently setting up traps there, waiting. It’s a place prepared in anticipation of your attack.”

“Then did you release the Invisible Snakes?”

“Invisible Snakes?”

Can denied it, saying he truly didn’t know about those monsters. Shut Up pondered for a moment, then a bad memory suddenly surfaced. He then refocused on the conversation.

“What will change if you become the leader?”

“I will open the cave to everyone. Of course, we will no longer attack the sea routes. In exchange, you must maintain the territory we occupy.”

He had no intention of invading the area that only yielded transformation items. The sole purpose of coming here was for the boss inside the cave. Shut Up circled Can, surveying the surroundings. He felt no presence, confirming Can had come alone for negotiations.

“Where is the location of that cave?”

“Serajerad’s weapon first.”

Shut Up looked at his PG and frowned. It would be good if Duseon came and cast Relax or Link, but because he had told them not to contact him today, he hesitated before pressing the phone menu.

Shut Up’s PG was over 90 percent, so he couldn’t avoid fainting if he continued fighting. He had no choice but to tell Can he couldn’t go. Moment seemed to be in a similar situation, not readily agreeing to go.

“Unfortunately, I must refuse that offer. Instead, Bidblind is also in that cave, so try negotiating with them.”

When Shut Up said he couldn’t go, Can showed a moment of disappointment, but his face lit up at the mention of Bidblind.

“Then let’s do this. Shut Up and I will leave the party due to our PG. SweetPotato and RootHug will join Can and team up with Bidblind.”

No one opposed this proposal. Everyone nodded, and the two left the party.

“Well then, see you later.”

Of the party, only SweetPotato waved goodbye to Shut Up and Moment as he turned away.

Having roughly sorted out the situation here, Shut Up was about to log off, but Moment approached, asking to talk for a moment.

“Later.”

“It’s about Dajeong.”

Shut Up, who had raised his hand to end the connection, met Moment’s gaze. They agreed to talk at the Guild Hideout and moved there.

<>

Upon entering through the portal, Moment sat down first and greeted Shut Up. Shut Up, urging him to speak quickly, perched on a nearby table.

“Dajeong won’t be able to open her office for a while. She went to the countryside.”

“What? How do you know that?”

“Because I took her there.”

“…Where did she go?”

“I’ll tell you if you answer my questions properly.”

Shut Up tried to ignore him, saying he could figure it out himself. But then Moment uttered a significant remark.

“Isn’t being lovers better than a Master-Servant Relationship?”

At that, Shut Up averted his gaze, evading the question. Moment, sitting with his legs spread wide, leaned his face against the back of the chair and looked up at him. When their eyes met again, he even gave a relaxed smile.

“You seem to have other intentions too, why?”

“Hyung is not gay.”

“So, you’re going to do nothing as things are?”

“I don’t want to force you any further. I just… I just need you to be by my side.”

“Like a child who lost their mother.”

At that, Shut Up glared fiercely at Moment but soon averted his gaze. Moment stood up and slowly approached him.

“Hey.”

Then, he gently called out to Shut Up, who was looking elsewhere, trying to meet his gaze. Unfazed by Shut Up’s glare, he calmly reasoned with him.

“You’re mistaken about something. Don’t try to keep someone with contract play. It’s completely useless.”

What did he know to be talking like that? Shut Up clenched his fists in anger moment by moment, but those words struck his heart. Someone needed to say them to him. The strength in his clenched fists slowly dissipated.

“…So, where is she now?”

“At the hospital. Dajeong’s mother suddenly had an emergency, so she probably won’t be back for a few days. Why don’t you call her?”

“You told me not to contact you today. By the way, is your mother okay?”

“Yes. She had gotten much better when I went.”

“…That’s a relief.”

“Jun, you listen well despite your appearance. And it’s past midnight now, so it’s not today.”

Having finished speaking, Moment, looking tired, stretched and said he was leaving, then logged off. There must have been a cuckoo clock in the Guild Hideout, as it chimed once. It was 1 AM. Shut Up also sighed and logged off.

<>

“Haa…”

Jun took off his helmet and sat on the sofa, catching his breath. Before getting up to go to his bedroom, he looked at his parents’ door. He had entered it when cleaning, but otherwise, he rarely went in. One of the doors on the right led to the rooftop.

Jun took out a cigarette and went to the rooftop. When he opened the door, the night breeze rushed in. The rooftop was covered with artificial grass, and there were barbecue tools, an outdoor parasol, and sunbeds around. The barbecue tools had been used only once with friends after his parents passed away, and not since.

Following the lights laid out on the floor, Jun walked and stood with his back against the rooftop railing, lighting his cigarette. Then, he slowly took out his phone and pressed the call button for Duseon.

Despite the long ringing, Duseon didn’t answer. Jun looked at the darkened screen and fell into vague thoughts.

‘Will she accept me on a day like this?’

Duseon’s refusal to answer felt like her feelings towards him. He would have easily dismissed it as being too late, like dissipating cigarette smoke, if it were any other time.

However, today, he couldn’t. Having experienced people easily leaving his side, simple relationships no longer put his mind at ease. It felt futile, like a promise made by interlocking fingers. Perhaps that was why he made such a Master-Servant contract. He had thought that once he was free from being an Impo, he would gradually develop that kind of relationship with Duseon…

‘Why does time feel like it’s flowing meaninglessly, like falling cigarette ash?’

At the tip of the cigarette, glowing red, ash piled up, unburnt.

Yesterday, Mom returned after finishing her IV drip. It could be simple indigestion, but she would need to see a doctor again later for test results.

When I woke up this morning, I had a missed call. As expected, it was Jun. Because I told him not to call for a day, he called at 1 AM the next day.

“He really listens well.”

When I equated the word ‘lover’ with our relationship, I got unnecessarily emotional and acted coldly towards Jun. Yesterday, when Mom was sick, I suddenly felt a pang of fear that I might be left alone, and he was the first person I thought of.

Even if I couldn’t be a lover, couldn’t I be a good older brother? I felt a sense of pity. Mom was already making breakfast, as I could hear the clinking of dishes from the kitchen.

For now, I called Jun. I almost didn’t call because he’s a heavy sleeper, but I felt a bit sorry for telling him not to contact me yesterday, so I pressed the call button. After a few rings, Jun’s voice came through.

[Hyung.]

“Oh, Junie. Are you awake? I called too early, didn’t I?”

[No, I was awake. Are you awake now, Hyung?]

“Yeah, now. Oh, right. Junie, I’m at my parents’ house. It’s in the countryside, so I won’t be able to open the office for a few days. If anything comes up, contact me.”

[…I heard. From the guy in the blue tracksuit.]

If he heard from Rovan, he would know that Rovan brought me here too. I hesitated, wondering if he disliked me asking Rovan instead of calling him.

[You must have been very surprised, Hyung.]

“Yeah, very… Junie, I’m sorry.”

[For what?]

For some reason, the apology was mixed with various emotions. Pity, affection, earnestness. What was certain was that my heart felt warm with those emotions, like a gentle warmth.

“Just… for everything.”

Jun listened silently, and then the sound of sheets rustling indicated he was getting up from bed. Although he said he was awake, he was indeed still asleep. Just then, Mom’s voice called from outside the door, “Come eat breakfast!”

“Junie, then I’ll see you when I get back to Seoul. Eat your breakfast.”

[I want to eat home-cooked meals too. Can I come tomorrow?]

“You’re coming to my house for a meal?”

Jun’s quiet “Yes” sounded pitiful. I could buy or order food, but sometimes I missed home-cooked meals, just as he said. I often missed Mom’s cooking too.

“Hmm… It’s far from here.”

[It’s okay.]

If it were close, it wouldn’t be difficult to have him over for a meal, but I hesitated to answer, wondering if he would really come all the way to the countryside to eat. Jun then asked me to send him the address and hung up.

Not sure if I should invite him, I opened my door and went out. It was the first time in a while I was eating breakfast with Mom, so there were more side dishes than usual.

“Mom, I could have prepared it myself. You didn’t have to wake me.”

“Never mind that. Eat, quickly.”

Warm soup was placed next to my rice bowl. I took a spoonful and looked at Mom. Perhaps because of yesterday’s indigestion, she was eating porridge instead of rice.

“How’s your stomach?”

“Yeah. It’s fine now.”

“But, Mom, can I invite a friend over tomorrow? To our house?”

“Which friend? Sang-cheol? Hanwoo?”

“No. A friend I made after going to Seoul. No, maybe a younger sibling?”

Since there was a significant age gap to call him a friend, I corrected myself to younger sibling. When I said younger sibling, Mom said she had tried so hard to give me a sibling but couldn’t, and she was sad. She then started asking a string of questions, like how old that younger sibling was and what their name was, encouraging me to make many friends in Seoul.

“I’ll let you know when they come tomorrow.”

As I diligently scooped up the soup, Mom got up and asked if I wanted more.

“Just sit and eat. I’ll get it.”

After finishing the meal, I washed the dishes. Mom, bustling around me, put away the side dishes and told me to vacuum after I finished washing the dishes. Then, she left, saying she was going to a neighbor’s for a bit.

Wiping the water from my hands, I took out my laptop from my backpack. Although I had to clean, I felt like being a bit lazy now that I was at my hometown. I placed the laptop on the living room table, where the morning sunlight streamed in through the large window. The living room, with its old wooden floors, creaked with a familiar sound.

“Let’s see, what foods are good for digestion? Should I search for foods good for the stomach?”

After searching diligently, I found that pear juice was good, so I looked for the best product I could. After completing the payment, I went to the main screen. Then, I saw a new email at the top of the main screen and went in to check it.

“ Is this a love test?”

Drawn in by the title, I clicked on it and saw that the attached file was a normal office file. After downloading and opening it on my desktop, several items appeared. Naturally, I thought of Jun as the subject and read each item one by one.

☑ Do you yield the chicken leg?

“Chicken leg? Well, I yielded the chicken leg from the boiled chicken.”

☑ If I can’t reach you, do you come to my house?

“He came often.”

☑ Do you express affection constantly (kisses, hugs, etc.)?

“……He does it a lot.”

☑ Do you come anywhere when called?

“He came… to that rural village.”

☑ Do you remember what they like?

“He remembered to give me the strawberry flavor.”

☑ Are you unkind to others but only kind to me?

“They say he’s a terrible person in games, but he gave me boosts and items….”

As I checked them, I found myself checking almost every item. Then, a smile icon appeared, prompting me to click for the results. Clicking the icon took me to the results page.

[45+ Results]

<<♥100% Love♥ He/She Loves You. It seems you’ll receive a confession any moment now.>>

“Jjuni… loves me?”

And below that, it said the lucky underwear color to bear the fruit of love was blue. Hearts fluttered all around, and the silhouettes of a man and woman kissing were visible.

“Right, my son’s here?”

Just then, I heard my mother talking to someone outside, so I quickly closed the laptop. My mother and the neighbor Grandmother were talking in the yard and coming inside. I greeted Grandmother as she opened the front door.

“Oh, Duseon. Come visit more often. You went to Seoul and got so thin?”

Grandmother stroked my cheeks with her wrinkled, rough hands. I slightly bent my waist to match the height of the short Grandmother and smiled sheepishly.

“Have you been well?”

“Aye. What’s the point of being healthy when you’re old? I just want to go quickly.”

“Grandmother! Please wait a moment. I’m going to the large earthenware jars in the back to scoop some out.”

It seemed she had come because the soy sauce and paste were running low. Usually, people buy doenjang and gochujang, but many houses in this neighborhood still make them themselves. Our house was the same.

“So, are you seeing any young ladies?”

As we sat facing each other in the living room, the conversation naturally drifted in that direction. They told me the same things I always heard during holidays: that I should go to Seoul, find a good bride, and get married quickly, not to make my mother lonely, and to have grandchildren soon.

“Are you still doing well with real estate?”

“Yes, yes,” I said, smiling, when Grandmother suddenly smacked my thigh while I was sitting cross-legged. She asked why I went all the way to Seoul when there was a real estate spot available at the entrance of the market alley.

“There wasn’t one when I looked.”

“What a shame. Should I tell them not to give that spot to anyone else and to hold onto it for you?”

The neighbor Grandmother was quite well-connected in this neighborhood. Her influence was significant, so it seemed she was speaking sincerely.

“No. It’s hard to leave my Seoul shop right away.”

Grandmother smacked my thigh once more and then gave me a stern lecture, telling me to take good care of my mother while she was healthy, because if we were apart, we’d become strangers. It was understandable, as most of her children had emigrated overseas. So, she spent holidays alone and sometimes spent them with our family, who didn’t have many relatives. When I was young, she gave me a lot of pocket money… but now that I’m older, she just nags me.

Just then, Mother came back with a large bowl full of paste and handed it to Grandmother.

“Shall I give you more?”

“Oh, that’s enough. I can’t eat all this even if I live to be a hundred.”

Grandmother had been saying that for five years.

“Please go safely.”

I bowed deeply and said goodbye. Grandmother spoke once more, telling me to think about it carefully, and then closed the door. When Mother asked, “What did she mean?” I replied that she had just told me about a real estate spot.

“Oh, how much money can you make doing real estate in the countryside? You’ll starve to death.”

Mother waved her hands dismissively, saying I shouldn’t, but her eyes subtly showed she wished I would.

As I moved around, vacuuming, pulling weeds from the yard, and re-tying a loose clothesline, time flew by quickly.

Jae-ah, leaving his room to go to the kitchen, saw Jun’s laptop on the coffee table and looked at it with a puzzled expression.

“You hate having a computer at home.”

“I do. Even now.”

Jun, who happened to be bringing green juice, offered a cup to Jae-ah. No one who received the green juice he handed out seemed to welcome it. Most had expressions as if they were receiving poison.

Jae-ah, holding his nose, took a sip and, despite gagging, managed to finish it. Then, he urgently tapped Jun’s shoulder as he sat on the sofa, and Jun tossed him a candy case.

“Huh? What is it? Why is there no strawberry flavor?”

“I set that aside because there’s someone I need to give it to.”

“Wow… You know I like strawberry flavor.”

“Did I?”

Leaving Jun staring at the laptop screen, Jae-ah got dressed and went out to the rooftop. Only the clicking of a mouse could be heard in the spacious living room.

Duseon had installed a backdoor malicious code on his laptop, likely after seeing the email attachment. Since he was connected to the wireless internet at home, remote control was possible.

‘Hyung, I’m sorry. I’ll just look for a moment.’

He knew no one would like this method. He told himself not to use it, but he found it hard to resist the temptation. After hesitating several times, he carefully proceeded. Then, his recent internet search history caught his eye.

“Good foods for the stomach, stomach cramps, indigestion… Is this why Hyung’s mother went to the hospital?”

After a long search for food-related items, he saw other search terms below.

[Bisexual / Am I gay / Erectile dysfunction…….]

“Sigh… Erectile dysfunction.”

Jun ran his hand over his face. Knowing the intention behind Duseon’s search, his face felt inexplicably hot. Biting his lower lip, he looked further into the search terms. One stood out.

“……How to use an Aneros? Is Hyung masturbating with an Aneros?”

The thought of Duseon, who had a scholarly image, satisfying his sexual urges with an Aneros stirred a heavy emotion within him. For a brief moment, he imagined him using an Aneros and licked his lips.

Then, he looked back at the initial search for ‘good foods for the stomach.’ He thought it would be good to buy some if he went tomorrow.

“Pear juice? Should I buy this?”

He looked around only that much and closed the laptop. Then, wanting to hear his voice, he picked up his phone. After several rings, Duseon’s hurried voice answered.

“Hyung, what are you doing?”

[Ah, I’m just at the neighbor’s for a bit. Junie, why?]

“I’ll be there around dinner time tomorrow. What should I buy?”

[No, just come.]

“What did you do today?”

[Ate, cleaned a bit, didn’t do much.]

“Hyung.”

[Yeah?]

“Have you ever used an Aneros?”

[……What?]

He could almost picture Duseon’s flustered face just from his voice. To his quiet denial, Jun asked teasingly.

“You seem to know what an Aneros is.”

[Ah, no. ……Do you?]

“I know it very well. Shall I teach you how to use it later?”

Duseon, flustered, said it was okay. Then, he said he had to run an errand and hung up after telling Jun to call when he was leaving tomorrow.

“Did I tease him too much?”

Jun also sat back comfortably on the sofa. Just then, Jae-ah, who had apparently entered the living room, asked if he was going to the mart.

“Let’s go together.”

Jun suggested going to a large supermarket if possible. Jae-ah argued all the way to the elevator, asking why they needed to go so far when he didn’t even eat at home. Jun pressed the button for the first floor and replied.

“I have something to buy.”

“What?”

“Pear juice.”

“……You switched from green juice to pear juice now?”

He didn’t bother explaining to Jae-ah, who laughed in exasperation. As Jun got off the elevator, he mentioned it in advance so he wouldn’t forget.

“And starting tomorrow, I’ll be away for a while. Look after the house.”

“Well, without Hyung, there’s no one to mess it up, so I’m fine with that.”

Jae-ah, who got into the car before Jun, asked where he was going. As he started the engine, Jun replied lightly.

“To meet my lover.”

My eyes opened without the alarm going off. Looking at the ceiling, I realized I was in my room. The spot where I had wallpapered and put up posters long ago was slightly lighter in color. I had liked a certain game team and put up their group photo, thinking of them like colleagues, but one side had slipped down while I was sleeping, and I had slept under it like a blanket without knowing.

The next morning, I tried to flatten the terribly crumpled poster but eventually gave up. I needed to put up a new poster, but after that game team, there was no one else I particularly wanted to put up. The wallpaper itself showed signs of age but wasn’t dirty, so I left it as it was.

I got up and walked to the bathroom. As I walked, I glanced at the kitchen and saw a small note and food on the dining table, wondering where Mother had gone. I took my hand, which had been scratching my stomach under my t-shirt, out and picked up the note.

[Mother is visiting her social gathering and then going to Third Aunt’s house]

“Ah… Right.”

Only then did I remember what Mother had said in passing before I went to bed. She had recently gone to the emergency room and didn’t want to go to the gathering, but perhaps she made up her mind by evening, as she suddenly said she was going.

‘Jun was supposed to come over for a home-cooked meal later.’

However, all there was was beef bone soup. I was tired of beef bone soup, but on some days, I really craved it. When I made it, only oil floated on top, but the one Mother made was milky and savory.

“Ah… Savory, as expected.”

The soup was fine, and there were plenty of side dishes, so I figured I could just serve those. However, I felt I should make at least one dish since he was a guest, so I left the house to go to the market. Next to the gate was the shopping bag Mother often carried. She always left it there, as she’d remember it right after putting on her shoes and stepping out.

Closing the gate and walking down the neighborhood path, I saw a large black gate diagonally across the street. It was the house where my volleyball had gone when I was little. Curiosity struck me, so I peeked into the garden under the gate. Lush green grass was still spread out.

“It doesn’t look like artificial turf… If they manage it this well, someone must live there.”

Even my own yard would be overgrown with nameless weeds after just a week. But strangely, I had never seen anyone enter or leave this house. I regretted not asking the neighbor Grandmother who visited yesterday.

The wall, which seemed impossibly high even when I was young, was the same even as an adult. It was like building the Great Wall of China; nothing could be seen inside. I could only tell it was a two-story house by the tall terrace far in the distance.

Just then, the nameplate next to the gate caught my eye. It was in Chinese characters, making it difficult to read.

“Nam… The first character is Nam, like in North, South, East, West.”

I couldn’t read the rest. As I tilted my head, a loud male voice called out from behind, “Hey!” Startled, I turned around to see two burly men approaching. They were wearing black suits and were very large. Just like the people who had entered Jun’s building back then.

“What are you doing there!”

“Me? No, I’m just… I live nearby.”

I timidly pointed to our house’s gate. Unlike the shiny black gate, our gate was so rusted it looked like it would fall apart if kicked.

“I was just passing by.”

Not wanting to get into trouble, I shuffled past. But as I passed, I felt uneasy. They seemed to be disrupting the neighborhood’s atmosphere…

They turned back and began patrolling around the wall. I told myself not to mind and headed towards the market. As I walked, my phone vibrated in my pocket.

“Junie.”

[What are you doing?]

“I’m outside. Going to the market.”

[I’ll leave around three this afternoon.]

“Okay. Come slowly.”

As I said that and was about to hang up, I heard [Hyung!] and he called me again. “Why?” I asked, and Jun replied after a long pause.

[I miss you.]

Hearing those words, my chest felt warm, as if a boiler had been turned on. And I remembered the results of the psychological test earlier.

“Uh, yeah. Right.”

I mumbled a vague reply. Although no passersby were eavesdropping, I felt embarrassed and bowed my head towards the wall, pressing myself against it. Then, as I fiddled with something on the wall, I was about to hang up, telling him to come carefully, when Jun asked, [What about Hyung?]

“Me? I… miss you… a lot.”

I heard him chuckle softly. My ears felt like they were turning red for no reason. Leaning my head against the wall to take the call, someone passing by muttered, “Is he peeing against the wall?”

As soon as I heard that, I turned around and leaned straight against the wall. This was the path to the market, so many people passed by. Especially many elderly neighbors. Having grown up here, I stood out too easily.

“Oh my, isn’t that Duseon!”

“Hello.”

Only after persistently greeting the passing elders did I get a chance to talk on the phone.

[You’re so polite.]

“Junie, let’s hang up. If I stand here any longer, I’ll meet everyone in the neighborhood.”

[What are you buying?]

“Yeah, I’m going to buy some chicken to make for you. You like dakbokkeumtang, right? Mother’s is tastier, but she’s at her social gathering today. I’ll make it instead.”

[I’m looking forward to it. See you later.]

After telling him to drive safely again, I hung up. I’d ridden in Jun’s car several times, and I knew he drove a bit too fast. Like someone who had no regrets about life.

At the chicken shop I frequented, they greeted me warmly and gave me chicken gizzards as a service. On my way out, I also bought grapes for dessert.

“Huh?”

As I truddenly walked home, a bright white car was parked in front of the large black gate from earlier. The man who had spoken to me menacingly earlier opened the rear door of that car.

Then, a man in a white suit, like the white car, got out and slipped inside the gate. And the white car drove into the adjacent garage. At the same time, the men in black suits who had been loitering outside disappeared into the house.

“Ah… So they had a guest. But it felt a bit…”

It was familiar. That young man. I couldn’t be sure because I hadn’t seen his face directly, but I might have encountered him once or twice while wandering around the neighborhood.

I stopped for a moment and thought, but nothing came to mind, so I turned back towards home. Then, as I tried to open my house gate, it wouldn’t open, so I kicked it. I had to be careful with the force. If I kicked it too hard, the gate would fall off.

“I need to get a new gate.”

I think that every time I open it, but I always forget once I’m inside.

I went to the kitchen, laid out the groceries I bought, and started making the seasoning for the spicy dakbokkeumtang.

“I should have just bought the seasoning.”

As I took out soy sauce, gochujang, and so on, I regretted it as the number of ingredients increased. Maybe I should have just made boiled chicken… But seeing the already cut chicken, it was no use regretting it.

“Have you been well, Mother?”

Bin bowed to the middle-aged woman standing outside the garden window. Despite his greeting, she glanced slightly past him through the garden window, pretending not to see him.

As she raised her hand to her forehead, her fingers were adorned with ornate rings. While she seemed to ignore Bin, she subtly turned her head towards Bin, visible in the living room window. Then, Bin, who had been heading upstairs, turned back and spoke to her.

“Father is doing well.”

“Don’t tell me about that man’s well-being. Don’t say a word even if he dies.”

Still not looking at Bin, her gaze was fixed somewhere in the corner of the garden. Bin snorted and turned his body to approach her more closely.

“Father doesn’t think of you at all, but Mother, you’re still the same.”

“……Shut up.”

“Even if I resemble Father’s face, it’s quite… cruel that my birth mother doesn’t even look at her own child’s face.”

“Secretary Jung!!!”

A man waiting near the entrance approached and helped her up. She looked hunched and wounded, as if bitten by a wild animal.

As a child, Bin had suffered all sorts of abuse from his mother. He couldn’t understand why his father had confined his mother and child in a house like this, considering he was an illegitimate child, but what he couldn’t understand even more was how his birth mother loathed her own child as if he were a plague.

He spent his childhood confined to the second floor. Tutors came and went, he took the GED exam. Only when Bin became an adult did his father seek him out. It was simply because he had found a child to act as his son.

Bin walked in front of her, as she walked weakly. She lowered her head, wanting to avoid him, but he grabbed her chin and slapped her cheek. Although he hit her lightly, the man’s grip was strong. One of her earrings flew far away, and Secretary Jung quickly stepped between her and Bin.

‘What did she do so well to be trembling like that?’

The woman who had beaten her child until he fainted was now trembling before that child. Considering she was told not to mention her father, her appearance was perfect. As if she were ready to greet her father at any moment. Who would come to this abandoned cage?

“I guess I’m my mother’s child too. My hands lash out first at things I don’t want to see. Secretary Jeong, get my earrings.”

As if nothing had happened, Bin returned with a relaxed expression. Then, he turned and headed for the second floor.

There were many reasons for coming here, but it was the only place where he could avoid his father’s eyes. Bin decorated his room like a study. He had it thoroughly secured with a keypad lock so only he could enter.

Bin placed his fingerprint on the reader and opened the door. Inside the room, the pain he had experienced in his childhood and his current adult self coexisted.

Bin touched somewhere in the bookshelf, not the safe he usually used. Then, a small drawer opened at the bottom of the bookshelf. He slowly knelt on one knee and took out a USB from his inner pocket, placing it inside. Then, he carefully restored the drawer to its original state with his fingertips. It was a location no one would have thought to find a drawer.

Standing up again, he casually looked around the room and took off his jacket. Then, he unbuttoned his shirt haphazardly and leaned back in the armchair where he usually sat to rest. When he sat here and looked out at the scenery, he strangely felt like he had returned to the past. The view from the window, the color of the roofs of the same houses, made him feel that way.

The window of the small room where the old window was located.

Warm light had always leaked from there.

It was Duseon’s room. Even though the warmth from that light couldn’t possibly reach him, he felt strangely at peace just looking at the scenery there.

Duseon might not remember, but when he was young, he had run away from home, unable to bear his mother’s abuse. Duseon’s house was the only one among the tightly shut gates that opened, and he hid in their yard, hoping his mother’s pursuers wouldn’t find him.

He had run away wearing only thin clothes and barefoot, and it grew colder as the sun set. While contemplating which was less painful, the cold or the beating, Duseon approached him. With a gentle touch, he took Bin’s hand and led him into his house.

“Do you live in this neighborhood? What’s your name?”

His mother had told Bin never to tell anyone his name. She said the Namgung family in this neighborhood was only his father. So, Bin could only sob without saying a word, and Duseon quietly wiped his tears with his sleeve.

Then, he asked Bin, who hadn’t eaten all day, if he wanted bread. When Bin nodded slightly, Duseon went to the refrigerator, got bread and jam, and spread it for him. He also took out milk from his school bag and handed it to him. Bin ate the bread and talked with Duseon. It was the first time he had ever felt such warmth.

As they were quietly talking in Duseon’s room, the police entered. And behind the police stood his mother, crying fake tears.

That was the day he was slapped so hard he lost consciousness. After regaining consciousness, he looked out the window at Duseon’s house with eyes swollen shut. Looking at it made him feel like he was back in that moment. If he didn’t even have that memory, if he didn’t have feelings for Duseon, he might have gone mad. Like that woman.

Bin adjusted the backrest of the chair, sinking deeper into it. As if returning to the past, his consciousness gradually faded. After a long nap like this, he would return to reality.

How much time had passed?

It felt less like he had slept and more like he had been lost in thought for a long time. In this silent room, Bin’s favorite spot was by the window. He opened his eyes and sat up. Then, instinctively, he looked out the window and saw a familiar car enter his field of vision.

“……Why is that guy’s car here?”

He saw that the light was on in Duseon’s room. He had suspected it, and sure enough, the person who got out of the car was Seomun Jun.

The dakbokkeumtang was almost ready, bubbling away. Just then, the phone rang, and I answered it. Jun must have arrived in front of the house.

“The gate’s open. Come in!”

[It’s not opening.]

“Kick it lightly.”

[Kick it?]

Jun kicked the gate with a loud BANG! I had said it felt like it would fall off, and now it finally did.

Jun was also taken aback, looking at the gate that opened forward instead of to the side. I had just come out into the yard, so I was speechless at the sight. Still, the gate had held up for several years, and to think it would fall apart with just one kick…

“Hyung told me to kick it…”

“…I said lightly.”

“I kicked it lightly.”

Jun, looking embarrassed, stood outside the gate and made excuses.

“Just come in.”

Since it had fallen anyway, I thought it would be good to get a new one. It felt unsettling to have such a flimsy gate when Mom lived alone, so it was good that it broke. Thinking so frankly, Jun, perhaps feeling guilty, offered to fix it.

“No, it was a bit flimsy to begin with.”

“Let’s call a repairman.”

“Tomorrow. They close early here. Come in.”

Jun slowly took off his shoes and entered the house. Compared to where he lived, our house had an interior from about 30 years ago, so I felt a bit embarrassed.

“It smells like wood.”

“Right? It’s an old house.”

“I like the smell of wood.”

Indeed, when Jun had sent me on an errand to buy a diffuser before, he had asked me to buy eucalyptus. Of course, it was a bit different from the smell of our house, but it was still a wood scent. Thinking back now, he was just the building owner who gave me errands and caused trouble back then, but it was different now.

“Hyung, this.”

“What is it?”

“Pear juice for Mother.”

“How did you know my mom needed to drink pear juice?”

He hesitated for a moment before saying he bought it because it was recommended on TV. The pear juice Jun bought was a famous brand product I had seen online, so it was quite expensive.

Thanking him, I grabbed his arm and led him to the kitchen. As Jun entered, he looked around. Then, seeing the pot on the gas stove, he smiled.

“It smells good. Did you make it, Hyung?”

“Yeah. Jjuni, you eat spicy food well, right?”

“Yeah. I eat anything.”

“Really? Wash your hands and come sit down.”

Jun peeked into several rooms, so I told him the door to the left was the one. I returned to the kitchen, turned off the boiling pot, and took out the side dishes. I put the dakbokkeumtang into a large bowl and placed it in the center of the table, setting out spoons and chopsticks.

“Is this enough?”

As I was arranging the side dishes, Jun washed his hands and went to the rice cooker.

“Hyung, how much rice?”

“Half for me.”

He served rice meticulously, despite looking like someone who knew nothing about household chores. Even though I asked for only half, he divided it into two servings, suggesting he received good upbringing from his parents, like ‘one serving is not generous.’ It made me chuckle, thinking that people’s ways of living were all the same.

“Why?”

“Nothing. Go sit down. I’ll finish the rest.”

I took out water from the refrigerator, got cups, and sat down. Though I had set the table alone, it felt like a proper guest meal.

“My brother who’s coming from Seoul said he wanted home-cooked meals, so Mom made side dishes and went out.”

“When is she coming back?”

“Hmm… She might not be able to come today. She said she’d visit Auntie’s place after her social gathering.”

“Then it’s just the two of us today.”

I vaguely replied, “Uh-huh,” and this time, I picked up a chicken drumstick before Jun and placed it on his plate.

“I’ll yield this time.”

Jun’s lips parted, and he bit into the chicken drumstick placed on his plate. He licked the sauce from his lips with his tongue and met my gaze.

“It’s delicious. Really.”

“That’s a relief. Did you like chicken drumsticks?”

“Are there people who don’t like chicken drumsticks?”

I had often cooked tteokbokki or simple meals for friends, but I had never been this nervous before.

Come to think of it, Jun wasn’t a picky eater. Seeing him eat so well made me feel proud, as if I had gained a younger brother. He watched me quietly for a moment, then placed a chicken drumstick on my plate.

“No, Jjuni. You eat it all. You like chicken drumsticks.”

“Let’s eat together.”

The seasoning was well-absorbed and delicious, but the sauce seemed a bit too spicy, so I drank water frequently. As I wiped the sauce from my lips, Jun looked at me, mid-bite. He slightly opened his lips and inhaled, trying to cool down the spiciness.

“What? Do you want something?”

“Hyung. Your lips are bright red.”

My breath seemed to stop for a moment.

Jun’s lips were also redder than usual. Apart from the burning sensation in my mouth, I found myself breathing heavily. Then, feeling embarrassed by the alternating glances between Jun’s lips and my own, I stood up. I opened the refrigerator to cool the heat from my face and looked for what I had bought earlier.

“I bought fruit juice earlier.”

Scrape—

The sound of a dining chair being pulled echoed, and I sensed someone’s presence. Jun came close enough that I could hear his breathing behind me, though he didn’t touch me. Then, his long arm reached around my left waist. It was like a back hug, his chest almost touching mine, and his short breaths brushed against my left ear.

“Here it is.”

“…Uh, uh-huh. It is.”

As I turned, our chests brushed against each other. I thought he had returned to the table, but he was still standing there. I could see Jun’s slightly parted lips directly in front of me. Naturally, thoughts related to him came to mind.

‘Was the last time I kissed Jun during that strawberry candy incident?’

My lips felt hot, as if they had been touched by his. It was clearly from eating the spicy food, but my heart pounded. Jun was close enough that he could have kissed me if he just lowered his head, but he remained still.

‘I think I warned him not to kiss me back then….’

My gaze, which had been fixed on his lips, moved away, and Jun straightened up. Trying to hide my embarrassment, I sidestepped and sat back down. Only then did Jun pick up a cup, follow me, and pour a generous amount of drink, placing it in front of me.

“Thank you.”

A moment ago, my mouth was tingling and burning from the spiciness, but now it was flushed for a different reason. I gulped down the sweet drink and picked up my chopsticks again.

“Let’s finish eating. Jun-ah, do you want more rice?”

“No, this is enough.”

Jun calmly focused on his meal, occasionally smiling and praising it as delicious. The awkward atmosphere from moments ago by the refrigerator seemed to have vanished.

After finishing the meal, I put the dishes in the sink. As Jun was putting away the side dishes, a memo stuck to the refrigerator fell to the floor. He stopped to reattach it, but instead, he held it and read it.

As I cleared the table, I approached out of curiosity. Jun was reading my memo, which I had written on my desk before going to Seoul.

[Eat well, and don’t cry missing me lol. Mom will contact you often]

Given Mom’s personality, she would have thrown it away immediately, but for some reason, she had stuck that little memo on the refrigerator. So she could see it whenever she wanted. Looking at it, my heart ached. I never knew she would keep and look at my hastily scribbled memo every day.

“Mom, really, why would you stick this on the refrigerator?”

“Me too… I should have stuck it like this.”

I was about to dismiss it as nothing, but I looked at Jun’s face. Before his parents passed away, he must have exchanged such memos.

“Jjuni, when I go home, I’ll write and stick them up for you often.”

Jun’s eyes, which had held loneliness, softened slightly.

“Okay.”

Jun said that and then stuck the memo on the most visible spot on the refrigerator. It was truly thoughtful of him to stick it at our Mom’s eye level. Below his own chest.

“Go rest in your room. There are comics, and if you’re bored, you can watch TV in the living room.”

I put on the rubber gloves again and stood to do the dishes. As I applied detergent and picked up a bowl, Jun wrapped his arms around my waist from behind. Then, his face rested squarely on my right shoulder.

“There’s a lot of dishes. Should I do them?”

“No, you’re a guest. I’ll do it.”

“Okay.”

Then, as I picked up the bowl again, he wouldn’t let go.

“Jjuni, you’re making it difficult for me.”

“Now?”

He slightly loosened his arms and let go, but he was still close. It felt like I was carrying a child on my back.

“Please listen to me.”

“Alright.”

Only then did he release his arms, and I went to the bathroom. This should be a place of complete comfort since it was my house, but I felt tense by the minute because of him. Maybe it was because I had taken a psychological test yesterday, but it felt like a foregone conclusion, even though he hadn’t explicitly said he liked me. I tried to shake off those thoughts as I scrubbed the pot.

Around that time, Jun came out of the bathroom and went into my room. He must have turned on the radio, as faint voices drifted out. It was something he had bought in middle school, and it was still working. I kept things that weren’t broken, so I just left it there, but I hadn’t used it in a long time and didn’t even know if it worked.

After finishing the dishes, I went into the room.

“Do you want some fruit? I have grapes.”

“No, I’m full. But Hyung, what is this?”

It was an old square tin case. It used to hold children’s vitamins, and I used to put anything I could grab into it when I was young. It probably contained a lot of old items. Useless things, of course.

I wiped the lid of the tin case with a wet wipe and opened it in front of Jun. I wished there were old coins inside, but as expected, it contained cards, spinning tops, and mini cars, things at an elementary school level that I had collected when I was young.

“I collected these too.”

Jun picked up a card from among them. He boasted about having many rare cards, showing off his privileged background.

“That was the best card I had. I dominated our neighborhood with it.”

“Huh? Just with this? If I had come, this neighborhood would have been in chaos.”

The person who still wreaked havoc in games was truly different from the start. As we rummaged through it together, an item that I hadn’t bought appeared.

“Hmm…? Did I have this mini car?”

“Isn’t this a basic item?”

“This is what Mom refused to buy me until the end. Because…”

I was about to talk about my father but stopped. The car my father had been in when he had his traffic accident was a sports car similar to this mini car. It was similar to the car Jun drove now. My mother, who had been deeply hurt, would look unhappy just seeing a mini car displayed at the stationery store. Of course, she didn’t mind it at all now.

“Why did you stop talking?”

I closed my mouth and looked into Jun’s eyes. Since I had heard from the hardware store owner how Jun’s parents had died, I couldn’t bring up that topic. While we could have comforted each other through shared suffering, I didn’t want to bring up his pain over something like a toy.

“Because it was expensive.”

“If you were my friend, I would have given you a few.”

“I know. But who gave this to me?”

“This was a limited edition back then, quite expensive. It was made by the car company as a commemorative item, given only to VIPs. Even my friends didn’t have it.”

Was it Hanwoo? No, he only kept the good things for himself. Sang-cheol also came from a similar family background, so it wouldn’t have been him. I listed other friends, but I couldn’t recall anyone.

“Did I just pick it up somewhere?”

“Who would throw this away? It would sell for money even now.”

“Really!?”

“I have a friend who collects these for a car club. Should I ask him? To see how much it’s worth.”

“Yeah!!”

Perhaps I had thrown away the entire tin case while cleaning, but it contained such a rare treasure. Indeed, you have to open things up to know.

Jun, who had taken pictures of the item and the detailed markings on the bottom and sent them to his friend, suggested we look for more. However, after that, there were only truly useless items. Even though they were trivial, finding items with memories from childhood gave Jun and me a lot to talk about. He truly felt like a younger brother I had grown up with.

Ting—*

A message sound came from Jun’s phone. He checked the reply and smiled with satisfaction.

“They’re offering 1 million won for it.”

“I’ll sell it. Right now.”

Jun nodded and sent a reply. Then, he asked again if it was really okay to sell it. If I couldn’t even remember who gave it to me, then… I thought it didn’t matter if it was gone, and nodded.

Old music continued to play on the radio. Perhaps because of that, I kept feeling nostalgic for old memories.

“Want to go for a walk to digest our food? Around the Geum River.”

“Okay.”

I carefully placed the mini car on the headboard and closed the lid of the tin case. The sun was about to set, so I grabbed a jacket and went outside with Jun.

“Want to grab a can of beer?”

I asked as we passed a convenience store.

“I’ll buy it.”

Duseon went into the supermarket to buy beer, and at the entrance, a small arcade game was placed. It was Tetris. Sitting on the small chair brought back childhood memories. When he was young, it wasn’t cramped at all even when friends played side-by-side, but now it felt cramped even sitting alone. Jun, who was just coming out after buying beer, saw the arcade game and said, “Tetris,” with a smile.

“Junie. Want to bet on a round?”

“I was the best in our neighborhood.”

“Me too. Then, let’s have the two presidents go head-to-head.”

“Okay. How about the winner gets their request granted?”

“Deal.”

Though I confidently said “Deal,” I felt a sense of unease as Jun sat next to me. His large hand gripping the joystick made it look like he was holding a small lollipop.

If someone looked from behind, it would probably look like two large adult men hunched over. I erased my giggles and focused seriously on the match.

“Put the money in.”

As I said it with solemnity, Jun put the change from buying beer into the arcade machine. The familiar melody flowed, and I truly played for the honor of this neighborhood. He had been boasting about conquering the neighborhood in something since earlier, and I wanted to knock him down a peg.

Jun also shed his usual docile, puppy-like demeanor and became combative. His rapid button-mashing was no joke. We attacked each other, trading blows.

“Ugh… Why isn’t the straight piece coming out, the straight piece.”

“Take it, Hyung. Heh heh. Huh! What? The straight piece is here?”

“How about this? Take another one.”

As consecutive attacks succeeded, Jun’s screen filled with puzzles. With a couple more successful attacks, I would win. To think I’d be settling the grievances of Blood Planet right here in front of this supermarket.

I entered my stacking technique again. Straight piece! Only the straight piece! Just one more!!!!

“Isn’t that Duseon?”

“Huh? Yes?”

Someone called my name, and I turned my head. It was my elementary school teacher. I stopped what I was doing, stood up, and bowed deeply. The teacher said my actions were the same as when I was young and handed me an envelope, telling me to stay well.

“Please give my regards to your mother.”

“Thank you. I’ll enjoy it, teacher. Please stay healthy.”

Looking inside the envelope, I saw croquettes. They were still warm, as if just bought from the market.

‘Wow, they look delicious… Ah, that’s not it!’

When I turned back, my screen was indeed game over.

“Junie, let’s play again. This was unavoidable.”

“No. Once a move is made, it cannot be undone.”

“I, once a move is made…”

When I used to say that to my friends when arguing, a passerby elder said I was like an old man for a child. Now, seeing Jun say it, he really looked like one.

“You’ll stop playing again if someone you know passes by and you have to greet them, won’t you?”

“I have to, of course.”

“You chose the location. You have to accept this as a handicap too.”

“…Junie. Why have you become so cold?”

“I’m always cold. I only lost to you.”

“Then could you lose this too…”

“Are you kidding? I have to win if I’m going to grant your request.”

We were bickering in front of the arcade machine. In the meantime, some kids squeezed between us and sat in front of the game. Our argument naturally ended, and we walked towards the Geumgang riverside. The plastic bag on my wrist dangled.

“So, what do you want to ask for?”

“I want to keep it on hold for now.”

I asked if he had something he wanted to ask for, and Jun seemed to ponder for a moment before answering. I just accepted it. If he forgot, it was good for me.

There seemed to be a festival going on at the Geumgang, with paper sculptures floating on the water. They were just floating debris, devoid of purpose, now that the lights were off.

“Let’s sit here.”

We sat down, gazing at them. When I saw the Han River in Seoul, I thought of the Geumgang. Of course, the Han River is bigger. We opened our beers and took a sip. The sun was slowly setting, and the river’s surface was turning red.

Jun wrapped a croquette in tissue and gave it to me. I reached out to pick it up, but he pulled his hand back.

“I’ll feed you. Your hands will get oily.”

Since there were no other people around, I just did as Jun wanted. After I took a sip of beer, he held the croquette to my mouth. After I took a bite, Jun brought it to his own mouth. One croquette disappeared as if eaten by a hungry wolf.

♩♬♪―.

The quiet atmosphere was broken by Jun’s phone ringing.

“One moment.”

Jun stood up and went to the back to take the call. It seemed like it would be a short call, but it went on for a long time. He glanced at me once and continued talking. It wasn’t until the beer was about half gone that he returned to his seat.

“What’s wrong? If it’s urgent, you should go back to Seoul.”

“No, it’s nothing like that. Besides, I’ve been drinking.”

“Ah, right. Even a sip is alcohol. We can’t get a designated driver here.”

At the mention of “a sip,” Jun gulped down his beer. This time, I held the croquette and brought it to his lips. Jun took a bite and licked his lips. His lips looked even redder in the light of the setting sun. I was momentarily lost in thought, then took a bite of the part he had eaten.

“Indirect kiss.”

He, who had been eating like that himself, clarified the meaning only to me. He wiped his mouth with his thumb, saying, “No, it’s nothing like that.” As I lowered my hand, he suddenly grabbed it, and my thumb went into Jun’s mouth.

Slurp―.

Looking at Jun, who was sucking on my finger, I saw a hint of lust in his gaze. My body heated up as if another part of me had been sucked. It was the alcohol. I calmed my emotions, telling myself that a few sips of beer could do this. Clearing my throat, I clasped my thumb into a fist.

“Stop playing around.”

“This is the only playfulness.”

Kiss.

Before I could finish speaking, Jun gave me a peck on the cheek. I cupped my cheek where his lips had touched and looked around.

“Don’t be so jumpy. No one’s here.”

“Hey. I know a lot of people around here.”

Feeling embarrassed for no reason, I lowered my head, but Jun grabbed my cheeks with both hands and turned my face towards him. My cheeks were squeezed, making my lips pucker like a duck’s.

“Shall we try something that’s not a joke now?”

“Y-yah. St-stop.”

As Jun leaned in, I pushed his forehead with my palm and said desperately, “Stop it! Stop it!” After I said it a few times, Jun chuckled and eventually threw his head back and burst out laughing. Fortunately, his hands fell away from my cheeks, but Jun’s hearty laughter didn’t stop.

“Heh heh. You look like a duck. Haha.”

“…Don’t laugh.”

My cheeks throbbed from how hard he had squeezed them. I was about to say something while rubbing my cheeks, but Jun was smiling so innocently that I couldn’t.

The sunset light shattered brilliantly on the river. Like that, Jun’s smile was tender and beautiful. I don’t know what expression I had on my face, but Jun’s smiling face softened. His true feelings, not his usual cold expression, were revealed.

However, while his mouth was smiling, his eyes were deep, as if on the verge of tears. What was he thinking? What could he be thinking to have such a sad, vulnerable, and lovely expression? As if I were the whole world… he was looking at me.

Jun’s tightly closed lips parted slightly. A heavy word, whose weight I could gauge, was thrown into my heart.

“I like you.”

Like a stone dropped into calm water, ripples spread through my heart. My mouth slowly opened. I was surprised. That relationship test was real! Moreover, I had worn blue underwear according to the advice from that day’s test, and I had actually received a confession.

No, now wasn’t the time to be surprised by that.

“Junie. That’s a confession, right?”

“Of course. If it’s not a confession, what is this, a good evening greeting?”

Jun really liked me. The items I had checked made sense. As I recalled each item, Jun poked my cheek.

“Hyung?”

“Hmm?”

“Do you like me?”

Wait, if we like each other, do we date? Do Jun and I become a couple? Do we become real lovers? With a strange expression, I couldn’t answer. Jun chuckled lightly and opened another can of beer. After taking a sip, he looked straight ahead with a slightly bitter expression. Like the flow of thought, the river also flowed slowly in one direction.

“I know you’re not gay.”

“…”

“So don’t make that face. I know everything.”

I was about to answer his feelings but was blocked by reality. If my mother found out I was dating a man, would she accept it? My friends? Foolishly, I wasn’t the type to stake my life on love. Then why did his words, saying we weren’t lovers, make me feel strange?

‘…I’m such a selfish bastard.’

As I fiddled with the beer can, I squeezed it, and it crumpled weakly. I tried to straighten it, but the dented part wouldn’t return to its original state. I wondered if I had hurt Jun like this.

“Junie, you know…”

“Hyung, should we stop the role-play?”

“…Huh? Right, I wasn’t much help, was I?”

I squeezed the beer can in my hand even harder, making it crumple further.

“No, I don’t want to force you to stay because of something like that.”

“There was my consent in that contract too. I wasn’t dragged along by force.”

“It’s not that, it’s me. I keep mistaking things…”

“Could it be, that person and I—”

“I mistake you not as a Master, but as a lover.”

Jun covered his face with his hands and lowered his head. I stood at a major crossroads. Would I accept Jun’s feelings, or would I end our Master-Servant Relationship and return to my previous life?

The sun had set, and the streetlights came on. The sculptures floating on the dark river began to glow one by one, emitting their own light. The multicolored lights reflected on the water’s surface. During the day, they were hard to see due to the surrounding objects, but at night, they stood out.

As I sorted through my thoughts, I felt the same. I thought of the people around me, my friends, my mother, but at night, I could only think of Jun. If he had been the wrong person from the start, I wouldn’t have agonized for so long. My heart had grown enough to consider everything before agonizing, and I realized it now.

‘I… I really like Jun.’

As I reached a conclusion, my vision cleared. It wasn’t about being bisexual or any other sexual identity; this was what I should have been contemplating. Now that I acknowledged it, the path was clear. I couldn’t let him go at this moment. Just then, Jun, who had been staring straight ahead, stood up.

“It must be uncomfortable for you, Hyung. I’ll sleep somewhere else tonight and head back tomorrow. Since I’m breaking the contract, the penalty fee—”

“Junie, sit down.”

“We’re not in a commanding relationship anymore.”

“Me too! Me too…”

I whispered that I liked him. After saying it, I felt so shy that I covered my face with both hands. My heart was pounding so hard that it echoed in my ears.

‘Jun confessed first, but I missed the timing, so it feels like I confessed first…’

Rustle, the sound of stepping on grass. I felt Jun standing in front of me. He bent down, grabbed my wrist, and tried to pull my hands away from my face.

“…Wait, just a moment, Junie, just a moment. I’m embarrassed.”

I couldn’t bear to look at his face, so even as my hands were being pulled away, I turned my head to avoid his gaze.

“What’s there to be embarrassed about?”

“Ah, I don’t know, you punk.”

I kept my head down, but he forced me to lift it. His long arms wrapped around my waist, and Jun buried his face in my neck, taking a deep breath. He hugged me so tightly that there was no space between us.

“I… like you so much, Hyung.”

I couldn’t gauge how long he had liked me. I hugged him back and patted his back. Then I stopped, and he demanded, “Do more.” However, as night fell, people started gathering by the river. Urgently patting Jun’s back for a different reason, I told him we should separate. After we pulled apart, he clasped my hand.

“Let’s go home, Hyung.”

“Yeah. Well, we’ve seen enough. Ah…?”

“Why?”

As Jun pulled me along, I stopped abruptly, and he looked back. We had confirmed each other’s feelings, and going back to a house where only the two of us were… Thinking about what came next, I let out a sigh of relief at the fact that he was an Impo.

“Don’t be so relieved so openly. It’s disappointing.”

Jun said that as if he had read my mind.

‘So, are we a couple now?’

Though stubborn, I felt the need to define our relationship. As I hesitated whether to ask, Jun answered his phone. I tried to let go of his hand and distance myself a bit, but he pulled me closer more stubbornly.

“I’m here in the provinces.”

Being so close, I could hear not only what he was saying but also the voice of the person on the other end. The caller asked why I was there, about some gathering, and then asked if I was with my lover.

I heard that question clearly. Jun replied with a “Hmm—,” glanced down at me, and smiled.

“Yeah. I’m with my lover.”

Wow, the word “lover” was so sweet. As that word, like candy, rolled off his tongue, I couldn’t help but smirk.

“I’ll call you back later.”

After Jun hung up, I quickly coughed and wiped the expression off my face.

“Let’s go home quickly.”

“Why? Because of the bathroom? There’s a restroom in the shopping area over there.”

“No.”

As he pressed himself against me and whispered in my ear, the words “I want to suck you” came out.

We were passing through the food street, so the chatter of people was loud everywhere. Fortunately, only I could fully hear Jun’s words. Nevertheless, my face turned red as if the whole world had heard. The part where our fingers were intertwined felt like it was burning. It was fortunate that my mother wasn’t home today.

After passing through the food street and exiting the market, we entered a quiet alley. Unlike the bustling market scene, the alley was silent. Only our long shadows accompanied us. And, naturally, our house gate was wide open.

“Hyung, I really need to fix the gate tomorrow.”

“Yeah. Let’s call after breakfast.”

But as we entered the yard and tried to open the front door, it was unlocked.

“Huh? Didn’t I lock it?”

“I saw you lock it earlier.”

“Did Mom come?”

We went inside, turned on the living room light, and opened the bedroom door, but no one was there. Mom’s shoes weren’t in the shoe rack either. I worried that the front door might be broken too.

“I’ll have them check the front door when they fix the gate tomorrow.”

Jun went to the car to get some clothes to change into. In the meantime, I took a shower and changed into comfortable clothes. I almost put on cheetah-patterned underwear, but I ended up wearing the blue underwear I bought as a two-for-one deal. Then I went into my room and looked around, but my mini car was nowhere to be seen.

‘I definitely put it on my bedside table.’

Puzzled, I tilted my head and checked under the bed and the tin case I had opened earlier, just in case. But it was nowhere to be found.

“Did Jun put it in the car? When?”

I decided to ask him when he came in. Then, I went to the master bedroom to get a blanket for Jun.

Jun opened the driver’s side door and took out a shopping bag. Holding it, he looked at the black gate a little further away. There was a CCTV camera above it. As he watched it, a white figure approached from the side. And, as if it were natural, got into the passenger seat. Jun slowly sat in the driver’s seat and closed the door.

“Are you coming all the way here now?”

“Can’t I come to my lover’s house?”

“…Lover?”

Bin’s face contorted beautifully. It was a look of pure disgust. It also contained surprise, as if to say, ‘How dare you?’

“He’s gay…”

“Of course not. He only likes me.”

I delivered a truly satisfying blow. In that short moment, Bin seemed to have many thoughts flashing through his mind. He blinked several times, trying to regain his composure. Then, he slammed his fist on the passenger side window, shouting, “Damn it!”

“…Seomun Jun. Don’t cross the line.”

“I’m getting tired of talking to you.”

“I… I asked you to return him completely.”

“Wow, look at this bastard. What do you mean by that?”

“…He’s mine. He belongs to me.”

“You’ve completely lost it. If it were pure love, I’d tolerate it out of pity, but your mind is rotten. You bastard, get out.”

With that sharp retort, Jun was about to get out, but Bin stubbornly grabbed his arm.

“…If you break what’s mine, I won’t stand by idly.”

“Have you been standing by idly until now? You, who’s been stirring things up. You introducing Hyung to Lee Hyun-soo, was that an action of standing by idly?”

“Let him go. This is the last time.”

“Fuck off, you piece of shit.”

As if he couldn’t bear to listen any longer, Jun opened the car door and got out. Bin then quietly followed him out. As Jun was about to enter the yard, he turned around and threw his shopping bag at Bin. It hit his face and fell to the ground with a thud.

“What the hell?”

Thwack—! A fist landed on Bin’s face as he stared down at the shopping bag. A slight smile touched the corner of his face, which had turned nicely.

“Haa… damn.”

“Oh, you’re smirking?”

Seeing that expression, Jun roughly shoved Bin’s shoulder and pushed him against the wall. As soon as Bin’s back hit the wall, his collar was grabbed, pulling his upper body away from the wall again.

“Scum like you should be thrown in jail.”

“Heh heh. How? As a stalker? At best, you’d get a fine. Go ahead and report me. I’ll testify that Duseon was seeing another man. Then, well, rumors of being gay in this small town would be nothing.”

“You’re not right in the head.”

“If you can’t have it, that’s how everyone feels.”

Jun’s fist tightened again. Even with blood trickling from the corner of his lip from the blow, Bin didn’t let go of his venomous gaze.

“Don’t go near Hyung. I can expose everything you do on the 6th floor.”

“Ah… that would be appreciated. I was getting tired of that position anyway.”

“It’s not just a simple threat.”

“I’m serious too. Ah! Before you do that, bring Duseon to that studio—”

Thwack—! Another punch landed squarely on Bin’s face, making him stagger and barely manage to brace himself on his knees. Bin spat blood onto the ground, dotting it with crimson.

“Haa, shit, let’s just talk.”

“That’s because you only say things that deserve a beating.”

This time, Bin didn’t hold back and threw a punch. In that instant, Jun lightly twisted his body and kicked Bin in the side with a thwack. The impact sent Bin crashing into the side of a car. Then, two burly men rushed over from the opposite gate. Bin, leaning against the car, raised a hand to signal them to stop. Jun glanced back and let out an incredulous laugh.

As Bin’s choking coughs subsided, he lifted his head and ran his hand through his hair, just as he had before. Deep shadows, like furrows of emotion, fell across their faces standing under the streetlight.

“We can’t resolve this through conversation, can we?”

“Because you’re not normal.”

Only then did the burly men approach and step between them. To an observer, it might have looked like they were breaking up a fight, but in reality, it was a move to intimidate Jun.

The sound of Bin’s shoes scraping the ground could be heard. Without a word, he turned his back, and the men who had been blocking the way followed him back through the gate. As the opposite gate closed, Jun, who had been glaring, withdrew his gaze and picked up the fallen shopping bag.

Then, as he entered Duseon’s yard, which was now eerily empty, he swept his hand across his furrowed brow. Before opening the front door, Jun glanced back at the gate once more.

“Should I install the most expensive gate in this neighborhood?”

He took off his shoes and entered the room, seeing Duseon asleep, lying on his stomach. The bedding was a single set with one pillow. This meant he was to sleep in the bed, and Duseon would sleep on the floor.

‘They’re a couple, why would they need to sleep separately…’

He changed his clothes and washed up. As he re-entered the room, he considered waking Duseon to do what he had jokingly suggested earlier, but decided against it. Duseon was sleeping so peacefully, so comfortably, that he didn’t want to disturb that tranquility.

Jun placed the pillow from the bed on the floor and lay down next to Duseon. He could feel the warmth of the floor, as if the boiler had been turned on, and sleepiness washed over him. He wrapped his arms around Duseon’s waist from behind as he slept with his back turned. Then, he tucked his legs between Duseon’s thighs and pressed his lips to the nape of his neck.

He smelled of Duseon’s skin. It might have been an illusion, this comforting scent from an adult male, five years his senior. With every breath he took, deeper and deeper, his consciousness slowly sank.

And then, that night, he had a dream.

His parents had never appeared in his dreams since they passed away. Perhaps it was guilt for leaving their child alone, or perhaps they had forgotten him while living happy lives elsewhere. He had resented them a lot once.

As he entered the kitchen, he saw his mother’s back, wearing an apron. In front of her was the blender that Jun had broken when he was a sophomore in high school. His father was sitting at the dining table, and as Jun approached, his mother turned around and asked.

“Junie, drink your green juice and go. You’ll be punished if you don’t eat it like before.”

At his mother’s scolding, his father, who had been reading the newspaper, looked at him.

“Honey. It’s bitter even for me, so it’s no wonder he dislikes it. Right, Junie? Come sit here.”

As he sat opposite, his father folded his newspaper, as if to talk. The familiar smell of ink wafted strongly. Behind his father, his mother was chopping vegetables to put in the blender.

On mornings like this, Jun used to say, “Mom, I’m not drinking that. I won’t eat breakfast.” But now, those words wouldn’t come out. He was afraid he would wake up from the dream if he said them.

Tears welled up as he watched them. Even as tears streamed down his cheeks, they chided him about breakfast as they always did, and his father secretly slipped him some allowance money under the table.

He felt the crumpled bills in his hand. Without even unfolding them, he just shed silent tears. His mother urged him to go to school, saying he would be late. He could feel, even in the dream, that it was time to part. Until Jun got up from the table and left the kitchen, his parents were watching him with fond smiles.

They spoke to him like a final farewell.

“Junie, have a good day. See you later.”

As if promising to meet again in the distant future, Jun had his final farewell with his parents in his dream.

“Ugh…”

As he tossed and turned, he felt something tightly bound and his eyes fluttered open. The first thing he saw was the wall with the fallen poster, and he felt something holding him from behind. He managed to turn his head and saw Jun sleeping with a peaceful expression. It was then that he realized Jun’s hand had slipped inside his t-shirt and he slowly pulled it out.

Even after washing up yesterday, Jun hadn’t come in for a long time. He thought Jun was on the phone or smoking, so he decided to lie down for a bit, but it seemed he had fallen asleep then. And he had naturally given his bed to Jun, but now Jun was holding him tight, sleeping on the hard, bare floor.

“Hmm…”

When he gently shook him awake, Jun groaned and woke up for a brief moment.

“…Hyung.”

“You’re awake?”

“I… call me.”

“Junie.”

When he called his name, Jun smiled contentedly and wrapped his arms around his waist.

“Sleep in the bed. Why were you sleeping on the floor?”

It was a single futon, meant only for him to sleep on, but he felt pity for Jun, who had stayed right beside it. In his half-asleep state, Jun crawled onto the bed. As he reached for the pillow to place it under his head, Jun grabbed his arm and pulled him, causing him to fall on top of him.

“…You went to sleep first yesterday. How unfair.”

“You waited for me, didn’t you? Sleep a little more.”

As he patted Jun and tried to get up, Jun tugged at his clothes, accidentally pulling down his pants.

His blue underwear was clearly revealed. Jun, looking with one eye open, buried his face in the pillow and burst into laughter, gasping for breath. Suddenly having his underwear exposed, he wondered if it was because he was wearing plain colors instead of the leopard print he sometimes wore, and he unnecessarily searched for other reasons.

“What time did you even get in?”

“Before ten.”

“Then why are you so restless? Was it uncomfortable?”

“How could I possibly sleep when my lover was lying there so defenseless…”

Such conversations were not appropriate on a sacred morning. Fearing that more would come out if he engaged further, he deliberately ignored it and took the blanket from the floor outside. Then, he went out into the yard to shake out the blanket and looked around. It seemed to have rained briefly in the early morning, as dew had settled on the yard’s grass.

It was past nine, so he called the owner of the repair shop. It was his friend Yong0seok’s father’s business. When he called the shop’s number, Yong0seok’s mother answered. She said he had gone out to help with some work.

[Duseon, try calling Yong0seok. They went out together.]

“Yes, I understand. Please take care of yourself too, Mother.”

[Oh my. You take care too.]

Next, when he called Yong0seok, the surrounding noise was loud. It was a sharp sound, as if someone was welding.

“Hey! Yongyong!”

[Oh? Kkokji! When did you get here?]

“A few days ago. Anyway, my gate fell off. Come fix it.”

[Okay. I’ll come later.]

The call ended. It was simple. No need for long explanations. Yong0seok was a neighborhood friend, along with Hanwoo and Sang-cheol.

After hanging up, he went to the kitchen and heated the beef bone soup his mother had made. He opened the living room window for ventilation and went outside. He stood looking at the fallen gate, thinking about how to repair it.

“I guess I’ll have to install a new one, right?”

Seeing rust marks everywhere, it was obvious it would just end up like this again if he reinstalled it. He went outside and looked at the gates of other houses; none were as dilapidated as his.

It was then that he realized he had been somewhat neglectful. This was especially true when he looked at the house diagonally across the street. As he looked ahead, he saw the burly men who had stopped him yesterday walking along the wall again, so he quickly retreated back inside the gate.

Yesterday, the security hadn’t been this tight; it seemed a bit more chaotic. He stretched and moved the gate, which was leaning against the wall, further into the corner. Then, he heard murmuring sounds from outside, so he poked his head out. He saw the white vehicle that had been parked in front of the gate yesterday. The tightly shut gate opened, and someone came out.

“……Huh?”

Yesterday, it had been a man in a white suit, but today it was a different color. And he was someone he knew very well.

“Bin?”

He had been peeking out, but without realizing it, he slowly walked towards him. Bin, who was about to get into the vehicle that someone had opened for him, saw him and gave a gentle smile.

“Duseon-ssi.”

The burly men who had tried to snatch my phone yesterday looked at each other, feigning ignorance. He cautiously approached them. Before I could even reach him, Bin came forward and took my hand.

“But… why are you here, Bin?”

“Me? This is my house.”

“What?”

“We used to hang out a bit when we were young. I was a little disappointed you didn’t seem to remember.”

“…What a coincidence. I just thought you were a customer I met in Seoul. Ah… so that’s why you asked if we’d met before when you first saw me. I really didn’t know.”

“It was so long ago. I understand.”

“But, what happened to your face? Did you get hit by someone?”

“Ah… I got into a bit of trouble. It’s nothing.”

At that moment, a man standing behind Bin approached and whispered something in his ear. Their conversation was thus interrupted.

“So, are you leaving now? When did you arrive?”

“I came yesterday, but I have to leave again today. Duseon-ssi, when are you going?”

“Me? Well… Ah, right. Junie is also here at my place.”

“Hmm. Is that so?”

Seeing that the car’s engine was still running, it looked like he had to leave immediately. Bin, with a look of regret, said he had to go and let go of my hand.

“Seeing you in the neighborhood… I’m quite taken aback. Anyway, let’s talk again next time we meet.”

“Yeah. It was nice seeing you. Good to see your face, even like this.”

Bin, taking a step closer, hugged me lightly. As expected, the perfume scent was strong. He got into the car, rolled down the window, and waved once more.

As the white vehicle drove away, everyone went back inside the gate as if by prior agreement. The burly men who had been wary of me went back to their positions along the wall, but they no longer paid attention as I looked at the house number. It was like an unspoken permission, as if they knew the owner of this house.

“The world really is small.”

Then, since I was out, I headed to the supermarket. I planned to buy a long sausage and fry it with eggs for breakfast. I had a friendly chat with the supermarket owner, whom I hadn’t seen in a while, and left.

Upon arriving home and taking off my shoes, I heard the soup boiling over from the kitchen. I remembered I had left the stove on and rushed in to turn it off. Fortunately, the heat was low, so it hadn’t overflowed.

I went to the refrigerator and checked the number of eggs. Sausage fried with eggs is delicious. I remembered it was my favorite side dish my mother used to make and wanted to make it for Jun too.

After roughly preparing the meal, I sat on the living room sofa. Just then, I saw Yong0seok entering the yard.

“Oh! You’re here?”

“What’s with breaking the gate like this?”

“I just kicked it and it fell off.”

“You should have kicked it with some restraint. Did you kick it while drunk?”

As Yong0seok was measuring the gate leaning against the wall, his father came in. I bowed respectfully, happy to see him.

“You’ve gotten brighter since going to Seoul. Did you get a lover?”

“Me? Ah, well. Haha.”

I scratched my head and smiled meaningfully, and he took it as an affirmation.

“You should introduce our Yong0seok too. Is it okay to meet alone?”

“Ah, Father. I’ll handle it myself.”

“Handle what yourself? If you live like that, your… will rot, kid.”

“Ah, why are you saying that in front of your friend!”

As expected, Yong0seok and his father still seemed to have a good relationship. I had always seen them bickering since Yong0seok started helping him, so I just accepted it. While exchanging insults, they had already unloaded a gate the size of our house from a truck, and the broken one was cleared away.

Even while welding, Yong0seok kept grumbling, and his father didn’t back down.

“While you’re at it, weld your mouth shut too.”

“Father, really. Am I just leaving? Huh?”

Yong0seok acted as if he was going to leave, then came back in with a doorknob part. Apparently, another order had come in, as Yong0seok’s father was on the phone outside.

“Did you really get a lover? Is she pretty?”

She was far from pretty. Should I say handsome? Then Yong0seok said, “Ah, right,” and brought up some welcome news.

“Your first love, Hae-jin, is back. After her divorce.”

“She’s divorced?”

She had moved to Seoul at 21 and was a friend who swore a lot throughout school. She was also the siren from the game. At Yong0seok’s words, I just nodded absently.

“Hae-jin asked about you, so I told her you were in Seoul.”

“Yeah. Everyone is returning to their hometowns.”

“Is Hanwoo doing well?”

“Well, he’s always been lucky. He’s doing well, even bought a watch by playing games.”

After a few whirs of the screwdriver, the digital lock was installed. Yong0seok, packing his tools, invited me for soju at the barbecue restaurant at the intersection that evening, but I said I’d contact him again since Jun was here, and then I saw him off.

“Okay, call me later.”

His father, who had already started nagging Yong0seok as he started the truck, coolly left after telling me to send the gate fee slowly.

Replacing the gate with a good one definitely put my mind at ease. I opened and closed the front door, checked it, and sat down in the living room. Just then, Yong0seok contacted me saying his number had changed, so I was looking at the account number on the business card he gave me and making a transfer.

“Hyung.”

Jun came and sat next to me, I didn’t know when he had woken up.

“What are you doing?”

“Ah, I’m about to pay for the gate repair.”

Jun snatched my phone.

“I’ll do it. Give me the card.”

“No, the gate was already in bad shape.”

As I tried to get my phone back, Jun suddenly grumbled that he was hungry. It was already well past ten. I had no choice but to stop what I was doing, go to the kitchen, reheat the beef bone soup, and take out the side dishes. I put the sausage I had fried that morning on a plate and placed it on the table.

“Ah, right. Junie, I saw Bin earlier. By the tall wall of the house next door. He came out of that house. I was so taken aback. How could he have lived next door? He said they used to hang out sometimes when they were young, but I don’t remember.”

As my words grew long, Jun came into the kitchen and sat at the table.

“If you don’t remember, it means you weren’t that close.”

“Is that so? It must be.”

Jun nodded quietly, then got up again and served himself rice. It felt like they were a long-time family. He poured the milky beef bone soup into a bowl and added chopped green onions. He mixed pepper and salt and placed them in a small soy sauce dish on the table.

“They say eating too much pepper isn’t good. Do you need more?”

“No, this is fine. Hyung, you sit down too.”

As we sat facing each other, I looked at Jun. He took a spoonful of soup, a warm smile on his lips.

“It tastes like my mom made it.”

“Really? I try to cook it like this, but I can’t. Ah, right. Junie, when are you going back to Seoul?”

“When are you?”

“Me? I…”

I thought as I added salt to the soup and stirred. It felt a bit off to go right away today. Moreover, I had to treat Yong0seok, who installed the door lock for me, to a meal as thanks. Lost in thought, I was about to add more salt without realizing it when Jun grabbed my hand.

“Stop adding it. It’s salty.”

“Huh? Oops… Anyway, I can’t today, maybe sometime this week? Don’t worry about me, go ahead.”

“No. I don’t have anything to do either.”

“Really? Then the friend who fixed the door today invited me to dinner, would you like to join if you’re not uncomfortable?”

“Is it okay if I tag along?”

“Of course. But please understand if I can’t introduce you as my boyfriend.”

“Don’t worry about that.I looked at Jun as I mixed rice into the bear soup and ate. He also mixed rice into his soup, saying that he had come out as gay early on, so it came up naturally, and he reassured Hyung that there was no need to do so with the people around him.

I swear, Jun was the first man I had ever been interested in. Before that, I had shuddered at the thought of having a male stalker. When Bin showed interest, I had firmly rejected him on the spot.

Jun picked up a sausage fried with egg and put another one in his mouth.

“The sausage is delicious.”

“Right? I like it too.”

Following his lead, I picked up a sausage and put it in my mouth, and Jun looked at me intently.

“……I like you too, Hyung.”

I had heard those words yesterday, but hearing them on this crisp morning felt clearer than the confession I heard in the darkness. It felt like receiving a confession on TV after hearing it on the radio.

“……Uh, yeah. Try this side dish too.”

Feeling awkward, I pushed other side dishes towards him and poured him some water. I calmed my fluttering heart by chewing and swallowing the rice. Hearing him, who was usually so cold, keep saying he liked me, I couldn’t control my emotions at all. I was surprised by this unfamiliar side of Jun, but it felt like cheating for someone so handsome to say such things.

Thump-thump.

Eating facing each other was such an uncomfortable thing. I watched Jun slowly chew and swallow, my gaze falling on his Adam’s apple, then his lips. Suddenly, I remembered what we had done in the past. Jun parted his lips and picked up a side dish… I suddenly remembered that those lips had bitten mine.

‘Ah, my heart feels like it’s going to burst.’

Jump!

“What, are you done already?”

“Uh-huh… I’m a little indigestion. Eat, e-eat slowly.”

I got up and went straight to the bathroom to brush my teeth. ‘Why am I thinking of that while eating?’ I spat out the foam, thinking I had a serious case of lustful thoughts, and rinsed my mouth. Then I looked down at the front of my pants.

“……Why is this thing acting up again.”

It seemed to have perked up in the meantime, and the memory had made me erect. I tried to calm myself down, but it wasn’t working, so I pulled down my pants and grasped my semi-erect penis. Then, leaning against the sink, I exhaled hot breaths and was moving my hand when there was a knock on the door.

“Hyung, you really aren’t eating any more? Then I’ll clear it.”

“Ugh… yeah!”

Ah, what am I going to do? I was imagining putting it in Jun’s mouth. Let’s finish quickly. I need to erase these thoughts. Ah, this is driving me crazy!

“Haaah…”

Fortunately, I was able to finish not long after. I washed the semen off my hands and took deep breaths. I told myself it was because it had been a long time since I dated. Then I opened the bathroom door and went out. Jun was leaning against the adjacent wall, watching me. I felt a pang of guilt and jumped in surprise.

“Ah, you startled me! What are you doing?”

“What were you doing? Inside.”

“……What was I doing? Do I have to say it? Ah, I’m done eating, so I should clear the table.”

They say people talk more when they’re awkward, and that’s me right now. I rambled on, saying things like, “You finished your bowl, huh? I’ll eat more later if I’m hungry. This side dish was really delicious.”

After clearing everything and starting to wash the dishes, Jun called out, “Hyung!”

“Come here for a second.”

“Huh? Why? Are you looking for something?”

Jun was standing in front of the sink, holding up his index finger. As I looked, asking, “What’s that for?”, he came right in front of me and put his finger in front of my face. Then, I smelled that scent that any man would recognize. I realized my mistake. I should have cleaned the area with the shower, not just washed my hands!

“Did you… did you do it alone?”

Jun chuckled softly as I hesitated. I felt so embarrassed standing there that my toes curled.

I started answering questions he hadn’t even asked. I quickly said he could use the shampoo there, and the towels were here, and muttered to myself that I should go wash the dishes, then escaped. As I turned on the water to wash the dishes, I finally heard the bathroom door close.

“Haaah… What a mortifying situation, this is.”

It felt like getting caught by my dad while masturbating.

‘I feel like I’m going to die of shame.’

After finishing the dishes, I vacuumed lightly. Around that time, Jun came out of the bathroom. Having done something diligently, the embarrassment from earlier had faded a little. Just then, the laundry machine’s melody signaled that the wash was done. Jun approached and took the vacuum cleaner from me.

“Hyung, you hang the laundry.”

“Uh-huh.”

Yes, if we stay a little apart like this, that incident from earlier will be as if it never happened. I put the laundry in the basket and took it to the yard. After hanging everything, I lay down on the wooden bench for a while, resting my head on my arms. Perhaps because it was autumn, I felt a chill in the wind. I opened my eyes and looked at the sky, then turned my head slightly to look at the two-story house a little distance away.

‘So that’s Bin’s house.’

Since the curtains were always drawn, as if it were an empty house, I just thought someone was using it as a vacation home. Maybe Bin only visited during vacations. If he really lived there, we would have gone to the same elementary school.

Suddenly.

At that moment, Jun’s face blocked my view. He was looking down at me upside down from directly above. Jun smiled, and I smiled back.

“Jjuni. You’re handsome no matter how I look at you, even upside down.”

“Hyung… you look the same, even upside down.”

“That’s not a compliment, is it?”

“Who knows.”

Like a mischievous joke, his lips lightly bit my upper lip. Because he was upside down, it was reversed from his usual habit of biting the lower lip first. The feeling of his tongue sweeping my palate instead of my lips was so stimulating that I tightened my grip.

They say people have more erogenous zones than they think, and I was discovering them one by one through various physical interactions with Jun. It was the first time I had experienced this with someone, so everything was new.

My head turned, and I sucked his tongue more deeply. After exploring each other’s mouths and sharing hot breaths, our lips finally parted. Only then did the cold autumn wind enter my mouth again.

“Let’s go inside, Hyung.”

I was pulled up and dragged by Jun. My shoes were quickly taken off, and we clung to each other on my bed. Jun lowered his head to my face and kissed me, then slipped his hand inside my pants.

“Hyung, touch mine too.”

As soon as he finished speaking, my pants were pulled down, and his hot hand grasped mine.

“Ah!”

I was much more excited than when I had held it alone in the bathroom, perhaps twice as much. I hastily pulled Jun’s pants down a little and grasped his. Even though it wasn’t erect, it was thick and large. In that regard, my pride was a little hurt. Perhaps seeing my surprised expression, Jun looked at mine and his alternately, a triumphant smile on his face.

“You should be grateful… that I’m Impo.”

As he said that, Jun squeezed hard, and the sensation made me lift my upper body.

“Haa, ah. Jjuni… …Ahk!”

Jun, who was on top of me, kissed me briefly, then lowered his face towards my chest. He took my name, which he usually had on his lips, into his own mouth. He lightly pressed the tip of his tongue against the glans and took it into his mouth. It felt as if all my nerves were extending from my chest, and my whole body began to tingle. It felt like something was melting, though it shouldn’t have been.

“Aah, hhh…”

Jun, who had been sucking my breast to its limit, suddenly relaxed his grip and licked the tip in a circle with his tongue. He opened his mouth wide as if to lick my entire breast, encompassing the area. Only after one side had been tormented for a long time did he move to the other.

Just when I thought I was freed from his mouth, the glans were being played with again by his fingertips. As he pinched and rubbed it, the other breast became wet with his saliva.

“Hauuk, eu, euut…”

My flat chest seemed to swell, turning a reddish hue. Looking down, I saw the tip of Jun’s prominent nose against his hair that had fallen forward. That nose tip also passed over my skin wherever his lips touched.

I wanted him to stop sucking, so I gently pushed Jun’s shoulder. He seemed to have had his fill, and after one last moist lick of the glans, he let himself be pushed down. Further down… further down…

As Jun’s face moved below my navel, I couldn’t help but think about what would happen next. I hadn’t pushed his shoulder with that intention, but Jun naturally grabbed my thighs on either side and buried his face in the middle.

The moment I tried to confirm the act, Jun’s hot lips opened, and my erect penis was sucked inside. As the tip of my glans touched somewhere on his palate, an unbearable tremor ran through me.

“You like it?”

Jun asked, his mouth on mine, rolling it around like a candy. Words that were more like moans than answers came out. The sound of wet skin, Jun’s swallowing sounds, his words saying it was delicious as he licked and sucked it long, all of it blew my mind away.

“……J-just a moment. Jjuni, just…”

“Whyyy?”

As expected, he looked up at me with my penis in his mouth. He gave a little smack and pulled his mouth away, and mine sprang forward.

“Is something bothering you?”

Jun asked, cupping the back of my head with one hand as I lay there. My head lifted, and I could meet his eyes, but my vision was blurred with ecstasy.

“It’s not fair if only I receive… Let’s do it… together.”

Jun licked his lips, which were red from the friction, and smiled.

“Okay. Come on top of me.”

He took off his t-shirt and lay down next to me. As I sat on top of Jun’s waist, I also took off my t-shirt.

As I sat directly on top, Jun, with a playful expression, raised his index finger and spun it around. Ah, right. It’s upside down, I thought, and turned around. But this position was also incredibly embarrassing in its own way. If I bent over, a part that is never visible to others would be facing his face… Worrying about that, I couldn’t bring myself to bend over. As I hesitated with a creak, Jun grabbed my thighs and pulled me towards him.

“……Uh, ah, j-just a moment.”

“Bend over more. Bring your knees up.”

“Uh-huh…”

Wondering if this was right, I looked behind me and carefully positioned myself near his face.

‘This is really… too much…’

Should I blame the bright room because the curtains weren’t drawn, or should I blame my own mouth for suggesting this? I was so embarrassed and overwhelmed that my whole body felt like it was burning.

“Ah!”

But when I looked behind me, Jun had already lifted his chin and was sucking mine. Being sucked from below made me feel like all my vital energy was being drained. My hips involuntarily lifted.

My arms lost strength, and I was supporting myself with my elbows when I saw Jun’s penis in front of me. I grasped it with one hand and took it into my mouth. Then, Jun’s hips lifted slightly. Although I had agreed to do it, I moaned several times as his penis stimulated me, and the urge to ejaculate surged.

“……S-stop, stop!”

Feeling like I was about to ejaculate, I tried to straighten my hips and pull away, but he firmly gripped my thighs and wouldn’t let go. I spat out Jun’s penis from my mouth and, shaking my hips, repeatedly hit his arm, saying, “I’m coming, I’m coming.”

As expected, it seemed like he was just tasting it. In the end, I ejaculated into his mouth at the peak of my climax. Jun’s Adam’s apple went down several times. He didn’t stop sucking even as I ejaculated, so I felt the climax layering. In the overlapping pleasure, I was on the verge of collapsing, even though I had managed to bring my knees up. Then, as if someone had flipped a switch, my strength suddenly gave out.

“You came once earlier, so it’s watery.”

I stopped Jun from getting up by grabbing his wrist.

“This time… you come on top.”

“Don’t overdo it.”

“……I want to do it a little more.”

Jun, who had moved down a step, climbed back onto the bed. Then he brought his knees up and moved towards my face.

“Just a moment.”

Then, as I was about to take him into my mouth, he made me wait a moment and brought a pillow to put under my head. His fingers dug into my hair. The sensation of him pushing my hair back made me feel languid.

His touch was very gentle, as if he were praising me. He meticulously examined the area around my mouth as I held his penis, and watched my actions intently.

After that, the act continued without conversation, but we communicated through each other’s touch, breathing, and actions. As I lightly held his penis in my mouth, Jun held onto the headboard and slowly moved his hips back and forth. Even so, it only went a little past the tip of my glans. His low breaths were heard continuously.

“You can put it in more.”

“No, this is enough. Hyung… split it with your tongue at the tip.”

Holding his penis, I slowly extended my tongue and probed the tip of the glans. I heard an unbearable moan from above.

“Haa, ah… Good.”

I felt Jun’s hand stroking my cheek. He gently touched my lips with his thumb and even put it slightly into my mouth. As I parted the tip of the glans with my tongue again, I felt a strong twitch in the shaft I was holding.

“Huh?”

“Ah!”

We both looked at each other in surprise. I had definitely felt it, and Jun must have too.

“Jjuni, did something feel different just now?”

“Yeah. It felt… tight down there…”

Is this the answer? As I was about to exclaim Eureka, the doorbell rang.

Ding-dong— Ding-dong—

“Soooooon!!!”

I heard my mother’s voice, loud enough to shake the neighborhood. We quickly started gathering our clothes.

“Ah, right! Mom doesn’t have the gate key.”

“Heh heh. Ah, I can’t believe this. Hyung, can I use the bathroom first?”

“Uh-huh. Go ahead.”

We were both in light clothing, so we could dress quickly. Wow, I almost came out like this. If my mother had seen this scene, she might have gone to the emergency room for entirely different reasons from shock. I quickly opened the window of my room, put on my shoes, and ran out.

“If you changed the gate lock, you should have told Mom.”

“Sorry, Mom. I changed it in a hurry today. It fell off while I was opening it. Oh, right. My younger sibling from Seoul is here.”

“Oh, really? Did you give them something?”

Jun, who had emerged from the bathroom looking neat, bowed at the entrance.

“Hello. I am Seomun Jun. I’m indebted to Hyung.”

“Oh, you’re handsome. Make yourself at home, Moon Jun.”

“Mom, it’s one syllable. Jjuni.”

My mother really likes handsome faces, just like me. Even if they were villains in dramas, she always liked them if they were handsome. She looked more pleased to see Jun than her son she hadn’t seen in a while.

“Mom, I also changed the door lock. It seemed broken.”

“Why are you spending money as soon as you arrive?”

“Yong0seok did the door lock as a service.”

After giving her the password, we organized the side dishes and food my mother had brought from Auntie’s house. When I reported that I had done the laundry and cleaning, she stopped praising her son and approached Jun.

“Jjuni. Is there anything you want to eat for dinner?”

“It’s fine. Please don’t worry about it.”

“Mom, I’m going to eat samgyeopsal with Yong0seok tonight.”

I felt a pang of jealousy and stepped between them.

So this is the expression Jun makes when talking to adults. It was the first time I had seen it. He had a surprisingly mature expression, his usual fierceness completely gone. It was the look of someone’s son. After my mother went into the master bedroom, I turned around and saw that Jun’s face had changed back to its usual self.

‘You sly fox.’

He had definitely mastered the expressions and behaviors that adults liked. Glancing at him, he gave me a smirk with a ‘What?’ expression and went into my room.

Anyway, I felt so languid after coming once. My mother’s arrival had momentarily jolted me awake, but as my body returned to its normal rhythm, I couldn’t help but feel myself collapsing again.

“Jjuni… Can I sleep for a bit?”

“Yeah, sleep.”

“…Um.”

Like a final will, I raised my finger and pointed to the laptop on the desk. I told him to use it if he was bored and closed my eyes.

My eyes opened naturally. I felt completely refreshed, as if I had slept very well. “Mmm, good,” I said, getting up and looking around. But Jun wasn’t there, and the laptop on the desk was gone. I thought he might be in the living room and went out, but he wasn’t there either, nor were his shoes.

“Jjuni! Mom!”

I called out, going back and forth between the kitchen and the master bedroom, but no one was there.

“Where did he go? Did he go home?”

I put on my shoes and went outside, but Jun’s car was still parked there. I thought he might have gone to the convenience store, so I looked to the end of the neighborhood, but he didn’t return even after a long time.

Finally, I went back to my room and called Jun.

“Hello. Huh? Jjuni, where are you?”

[I’m at the village hall right now.]

“What are you doing there?”

[……Fix the computer.What?”As I listened to the chatter from the side, I could also hear my mother’s voice.”

“Jjuniya.” Please change to mom.”Mom might have received a call urgently while talking to some elderly person.”

“Mom.” Why is Jjuni fixing the computer over there?”Earlier, when I was alone on the computer, I asked if they were good at it, and they said they knew a bit, so I brought them along.” I almost fixed everything. Are you coming here? When you come, bring the pot that is in the refrigerator.This was what you said to me up to this point, and then [and I mean.As they spoke, their voice faded away. Jun answered the phone again, said he was going there, and then hung up.

She took a pot out of the refrigerator and went to the town hall, as if she had made something in a full pot. It was quite a distance from my house, so I was panting the whole way while carrying it. Meanwhile, Yongseok’s porter stopped next to me.

“Huh?” Are you going to fix something again?”Dad’s errand.” But hey, about your younger sibling you brought from Seoul. He/She is good at fixing computers. I received a message from my mom saying that she fixed the youngest one’s as well.”…Really?” How many times did you spin around?”Anyway, see you later.”As I passed through the city, I looked at the clock hanging on the electronics store, and it showed 4 PM. I guess I slept longer than I thought. It seems that Jun has been going here and there with his mom.

“No, with that appearance, you should at least refuse a little.” Why are you being dragged around like that?I arrived at the village hall and was catching my breath in front.

“Sigh…””Then, holding the pot again, I pushed the door open with my back and entered.” There were a few elderly people, and I also saw a middle school student who brought a computer case.

“No, there are repair shops in the city.” Why are you making the child do this?”It was something I said to my mom, but the lady next to her responded instead.”

“How am I supposed to get there carrying this?” Well, after Dusun went to Seoul, the kid has become a bit spoiled.”Mom heard it from the side and said it was originally like that.” I placed the pot in the kitchen and went inside, where I saw Jun sitting cross-legged in front of a small computer desk.

“Jjuniya.””Jun’s lips, which were firmly drawn in a straight line, changed to a curve.” As I placed my hand on his shoulder while sitting close, his hand lightly touched and then fell away from the back of my hand.

“Are you awake now?””Yes.” But why are you doing this? Take a proper break.”It’s nothing special.” I did it all.”Brother…” Mine too.”At that moment, a male student approached us while carrying a computer case.” Although I wasn’t wearing a school uniform, it was obvious that I looked like a middle school student.

“Why aren’t you at school and are here instead?””It’s the anniversary of the school’s founding.””Put it next to here.”The middle school student was a friend’s younger sibling. In response to my question about whether it was broken from watching adult videos, she turned red and made excuses, saying it happened while playing a game. He threatened that if he got caught using a nuclear weapon, he would go to the police station.

“This guy knows exactly what you broke, man.” Right, Jjuni?”…Really?””Jun nodded firmly once.” The presence of someone looking down at a middle school student sitting on the floor with their arms crossed was no joke. Well, I was nervous at first even though I’m 5 years older, so I can only imagine how much a child would feel.

After fixing all the computers in the village hall and trying to connect the main unit that the middle school student brought, the middle school student suddenly wrapped both hands around Jun’s hand, which was holding the mouse.

“Brother, I’m sorry.” Can you keep it a secret?”What were you doing?””That is…””The middle schooler, who couldn’t answer Jun’s question and was hesitating, whispered so that only the two of us could hear.” Even that was hard to hear as he bowed his head deeply.

“……ha……, Kingyo.””Hacking?””I couldn’t respond to that, and Jun scolded me in a stern tone.”

“Did you use a free tool?””Yes.” I was just trying to find out my friend’s game password…”If you don’t study that properly, it’s dangerous.” And you know that’s a crime, right?”…Yes.””If you are a beginner who can’t even fix a computer by yourself, this is definitely an area you should never venture into.” Jun warned again not to do it while connecting the main unit to the monitor.

“So, is he a hacker?””I quietly approached Jun and asked him, and he just laughed, saying it was nothing special, just a skiddy.” Come to think of it, I didn’t know anything about Jun. Just that I often go out at night? I don’t know what he majored in, his job seems to be just a property owner, but he also seems to have extensive knowledge of computers.

As I quietly sat and watched Jun press the keyboard with his long fingers, should I say I was struck by my man? It gave off a somewhat intelligent vibe. An aura that usually doesn’t come from Jun was felt.

“Stop staring at me.” Worn out.”Cough cough…”

While I was pretending to be distracted by what Jun said, my mom called me. What was in the pot earlier was potato soup, which was made to share with the neighbors. I was very grateful for the help from those around me when my mom was sick. I went to the supermarket and bought a few bottles of makgeolli. I was getting up and loosening my neck left and right, wondering if the meeting was almost over.

“Have you had lunch?” I couldn’t take care of it because I was sleeping.”They gave me various things while wandering around.””…I heard it.” How many places have you been to?”Seeing Jun quietly open his hand and fold one by one, I felt completely sorry.” Mom, feeling both grateful and sorry, grabbed his arm and pulled him along.

“Jjuni, sit here and eat.””I was also trying to sit next to him, but my mom hit my back.”

“You take that and fly away.”I stopped Joon from trying to get up and placed the rice cakes that someone had brought from the mill onto a plate.

The middle schooler from earlier intentionally sat next to me and started asking various questions. Joon answered sincerely and then patted the child’s head. But, what is there to be jealous about…?

Thud!

“Don’t just stand there dazed, hurry up and fly.””Mom, really…” Anyone who sees me thinks I’m an adopted son.”In that way, several people sat around and had a late lunch.” Then suddenly, the village hall door opened and a familiar voice was heard. It was Haejin.

Hello. How have you been?”This is.” Welcome. Come and eat.”Mom told me to bring this to you.”A dish has been added. While greeting the adults, I made eye contact with her.

“Huh?” Doo Seon-ah! This bird―! Ah… Ha ha.”Looking at the shape of his mouth, it seemed like he was about to curse unconsciously but stopped.” Coming closer, I said, “I’ve been doing well.” How have you been?”He/She said something like what you would find in an English textbook.”

“It’s awkward because you don’t curse from your mouth.””I feel the same way.” Ha ha.”Seeing us greet each other with an awkward handshake, a lady clapped and jokingly said this.”

“It’s nice that Dusun is meeting their first love.””Oh, why are you like this?””I’m sorry, Haejin.”The reason this came up is that when I was young, I sent a letter to Haejin, thinking I was confessing, but I wrote the address wrong and it went to another house. That house was the one belonging to the lady you are talking about, and the letter came to our house only after it had been passed around among the neighborhood ladies.

As the person involved in the letter, I only learned about the news after the rumors had spread throughout the neighborhood. It was during my second year of middle school when I was in the midst of puberty and very sensitive. Because of that incident, I threw a tantrum about transferring to my relative’s house on the island, and my mom lightly brushed it off, saying that no one pays attention to what a kid just starting to grow hair on his private parts says.

But what is this? At 28 years old, I was still labeled as a pure-hearted man who had a one-sided love for Hae-jin. She was quiet after she got married… The spark was trying to grow again.

“Huh?” Who are you?At that moment, Hae-jin looked at Jun next to me and bowed her head to greet him. Jundo quietly greeted and ate his food silently.

My lover.If I say this, it will probably spread as a rumor all over the neighborhood and even to the next town. Duseon is dating a guy.

“I opened a real estate office in Seoul.” It’s my younger sibling who lives nearby.”Wait a moment.” and pulled me out. Seeing that, the lady burst into laughter and asked if you two were going to whisper sweet nothings to each other.

I closed the village hall door and approached Haejin.

“I’m sorry.” Because of me.”It’s done.” It’s much better than getting sympathy for saying I got divorced, you know… But, hey. The boy next to me is really handsome. Are you popular?”Yes.” It’s really a lot. I have at least five partners in Seoul.”As I was spreading my hand, Haejin said, ‘Ah, damn.'” and then made me slap my hand down hard.

“Damn it, get rid of it.” Why do all the good ones have partners? But, don’t you have a boyfriend/girlfriend?”Me? What…”I should remain silent, but I couldn’t hide the corners of my mouth twitching upwards.”

“What is it? You exist too!””What do you mean by someone like you?” It hurts my feelings with words.”The dog that was ××.””If you want to meet someone… then reduce that desire a bit.””I can’t tell you not to curse, but Jun came out after opening the door.”

“Brother, the food is getting cold.” Come in quickly.”Yes.” Hey, see you later.”Hmph.””Hae-jin barely lifted the corners of her mouth and waved her hand in response.” As I entered and took off my shoes, I looked at Jun, and the smile had completely vanished from his face. Well, it would be uncomfortable to be in a place with adults.

“Jjuniya.” Shall we go home now?”I should eat before I go.” You must have been hungry from sleeping all this time.”No, you just look a bit uncomfortable.””It was fine until just now, but seeing you talk to that girl made me uncomfortable.””Ah, that.””I tried to tell him it was nothing while scratching the back of my head, but he didn’t listen and just went inside.”

What is it…? Are you jealous of that?”It’s really something to live a long time and see.” I was never meant to do something like that in my lifetime. Jun packed my things for me from the seat where he was sitting earlier. Rather, I should have taken care of Jun, but it was the opposite.

The rice cake was cut into large pieces, so Jun brought scissors and cut it into smaller, more manageable pieces before placing it in front of me. 누군가 “Doo Seon-ah! Come here with this!”As I was trying to get up, Jun grabbed my shoulder to stop me and brought it to me.”

What I do is taken for granted, but when Jun does it, the adults see it with hearts in their eyes. How can it be that the appearance is right, but the actions are even more right?

If I had received such compliments when I was young, I might be living in this place now. In such a short time, Jun received the love of the elders all at once. Mom really has her true son here, but she took care of Jun as if he were her younger brother.

“Mom, we’re going to go.””Okay.” Take this and keep it at home. Make sure to take care of it when Jjuni goes later.”Mom likes Jjuni more than me.” You should take better care of me.”Jjuni lives alone without parents.” You know someone who does that. Sigh… that’s really unfortunate. Take me quickly.I blinked while holding the envelope my mom gave me. Perhaps Jun talked about their parents while wandering around with their mom. Well, it was common for adults to ask how many siblings you have and whether your parents are doing well when they meet.

At the sound of someone calling me, Jun was the first to go and was moving something again. I followed and moved it, then hurriedly pulled Jun.

“Let’s go.””I haven’t finished all of that yet.””If you stay here, you’ll have to live completely pressed down.” Let’s go.”Jun was tall, so he couldn’t sneak out secretly.” It was the best option to quickly escape when doing outside work. As I held the envelope with my laptop tucked under my arm, Jun took it away from me.

“Did you eat well?””Yes.” It seems that they always gather here to eat together.”Well, I used to do more in the past.””…it was endearing.””It was true that it was a neighborhood filled with the smell of people.”

At that time, Jun said, “By the way.”While doing so, they looked at me with a smile.”

“Did you like seeing your first love, brother?””…Hey, why are you like that too?””It was pretty.””Hmm…. That’s true. But it’s because I haven’t seen you badmouthing him. He’s the type of person who hits others with words. There are probably many people who liked him just based on his looks. But it’s all pointless. A person should have a kind heart.”Am I kind-hearted?””Really beautiful.””Juni burst into laughter at my answer.” We were walking down the neighborhood street, laughing together. I also passed by the supermarket where I played Tetris with him yesterday.

“But when are you going to use that favor?””When it’s really needed.” Why?”I have a bad feeling.” I should have set a deadline. It feels like I’m living with a burden of debt on my back.Looking at Jun’s expression, it seemed like a really mischievous request was about to come out. This was 100 percent certain.

Then I remembered the morning work that was abruptly interrupted when my mom came. When I licked Jun’s genitals, there was a slight tension. At that time, I thought it would be possible if I just pushed a little more… That place was a hot spot!

“Where are you going?”At that moment, my body leaned back while my arm was held. I passed by our front gate while lost in thought. However, there was also a reason for that. After changing the front door, it felt like a different house. It was originally a rusty sky blue gate, but it has been changed to a sturdy silver gate.

I opened the door that no longer creaked and went inside. I paused after entering the door lock password and looked back at Jun.

“Ah!” Juna. Do you know where the mini car I mentioned yesterday is?”That?” Did you not put it by the head of the bed?”It wasn’t there.” Did you put the battery in and roll away somewhere by yourself?”When did it disappear?””Was it yesterday?” The day I just walked in because the front door was open.”Where did it go?” I wondered as I tilted my head and opened the door. Jun, who was following behind, quickly scanned the yard before coming in.

I put what my mom packed into the refrigerator and went into my room. During that time, Jun was taking something out from my bookshelf and looking at it. It was a novel that I didn’t even know when I bought it. I called my friend Yongseok and asked when we would meet later.

“Oh, did some work come in?” It’s okay to meet a little late. We are full. Oh, okay. See you there.Jun took the book he was standing and looking at, brought it out, and sat down to start reading. I used to think he was just a carefree person, but seeing him like that made him seem like a studious type as well.

“Jjuni, over there…” Did you talk to mom about your parents?”Yes.””That was all I heard from the hardware store owner.” I was starting to feel a bit disappointed, but Jun just looked up at me with his eyes.

“Don’t you know, brother?” You are close with the hardware store owner.”Still, I didn’t hear it from the person involved.” I wanted to take better care of you, but I couldn’t even show it… I’m sorry for asking.”Ask me, now.””Jun answered nonchalantly while flipping through the pages again.” The sunlight coming through my room’s window spread over Jun’s black hair. The sound of his long fingers turning the pages filled my room.

Right now, a page of my life was being filled with Jun. I sat on the bed and watched how many pages he turned. I felt good just watching it, as if I was sharing time with him. At that moment, the sound of paper being regularly flipped suddenly stopped.

“Brother.” Do you have any questions?”Just tell me one by one whenever you’re comfortable.” I like that.”Whether he liked the answer or not, Jun turned his gaze back to the book with a gentle expression.” He was reading a book, and I was browsing the internet on my laptop, while we shared stories from our school days, enjoying a leisurely late afternoon.

I received a confession around this time yesterday, and now we are together. That alone was enough. Before we knew it, we were lying side by side on the bed, talking. Unlike me lying flat on my back, Jun propped his head to the side and looked at me. I don’t know when mom will show up, so be decent. Sometimes he would put his hand, which was resting on my waist, inside my t-shirt, and I would stop him.

Jun, who tried to touch the chest by putting his hand inside the T-shirt of the two lines, replaced it with a kiss on the cheek when he was stopped. In the air, the two lines of sight met, and just as the atmosphere was about to become more ripe, the phone rang.

On Duseon’s mobile phone, the name Yongseok was displayed. It was almost 8 o’clock when we slowly went to the barbecue restaurant at the intersection. Many people had already settled in and were raising their glasses. There were no empty seats, only places where someone had eaten and left.

“Jjuni, sit here.” Just a moment.Then, Dusun entered the open kitchen and came out holding a large silver tray. And without hesitation, we cleared the place where we would sit.

“Why are you cleaning this up, brother?” Is there no staff?”Yes.” There are no employees here, the boss is doing it alone.”There were about 10 tables, but it was strange that there were no staff.” And, above all, the boss was nowhere to be seen. As Dusun cleared away an empty bowl, it felt awkward to just sit still, so I got up and helped clean up.

“No, Jjuni.” Just stay there. The kitchen here is small.But Jun brought a wet towel and wiped the table.

What kind of place is this? The guest has to clean the table and sit down. However, upon closer inspection, it wasn’t just the two lines. Other tables rushed out, and others came in and began to clear the table in the same way.

“What… this.” Is this an unmanned restaurant?”Unmanned restaurant?” No, the boss is here.”

Duseon brought over side dishes and sat down. At that moment, from the table next to us, someone took out soju from the refrigerator and said, “CEO! Bring another bottle of soju here!” and from a table somewhere else, the word “Service!” was heard. That meant the CEO was among the people drinking and mingling with the customers over there.

“Oh! Here!”

Just then, the shop door opened, and Duseon waved towards it. Then, someone who seemed to be Yongseok entered, made eye contact, and sat next to us.

“Is it this busy every day?”

“If it were this busy every day, I would have endured? I would have run away. Hey, good to see you. Good to see you.”

“Speak comfortably. You’re five years younger than us. Junie, is that okay?”

“Please, feel free.”

After toasting with a shot of soju each, Yongseok went to the back of the kitchen, asking if they hadn’t started the fire yet.

“I’m not good at starting the fire.”

“…Is even the fire self-service?”

“No, only when the CEO has been drinking.”

“Are there days he doesn’t drink?”

“No, he drinks almost every day.”

Yongseok brought over the charcoal fire and placed it at our table. When Duseon asked, “What should we eat?”, Yongseok suggested samgyeopsal and some offal, and thankfully, the CEO himself went to the kitchen to cut the meat. As he brought the meat over, the CEO patted Duseon on the shoulder, greeting him warmly.

“Oh my, it’s good you came. Eat a lot.”

“Yes. I’ll eat well.”

However, we had only ordered for three people, but it looked like at least a pound. Only Jun seemed to harbor doubts about the quantity.

“Hyung, is this… three servings?”

“Just eat what the CEO wants to give you.”

Duseon went to get the radish salad, and when someone from another table called out, “One doenjang jjigae!”, he stopped halfway, went to a refrigerator, took out a ttukbaegi with doenjang jjigae already prepared, poured water into it, and placed it on the fire before returning to our table.

“Now you’re even taking other people’s orders.”

“This is your first time seeing this? What’s your name? I’m Park Yongseok.”

“Seomun Jun. It’s a single syllable.”

“Ah, Junie. Eat a lot.”

The people here called Jun ‘Junie’. They called him that everywhere he went to fix his computer.

When he brought the meat over and placed it on the grill, it sizzled and cooked deliciously. Instead of ssamjang, they gave us doenjang here, and strangely, it tasted even better.

“Originally, the CEO’s father is the son of a well-known butcher, so he sources ingredients from there. That’s why it’s delicious.”

As Duseon said, apart from having to get things ourselves, the food tasted excellent. At first, Jun stared strangely at customers clearing their own tables and going back and forth to the kitchen, but the other customers took it all in stride. Whenever people took out soju, the CEO still shouted, “Service!”

“Oh, right. Duseon, you said you were looking for a real estate spot here?”

“Huh? I haven’t decided yet.”

“Don’t hesitate, come here. I’m lonely too. The real estate agent is getting old and having a hard time. My aunt was looking for farmland, but she suddenly went for acupuncture while on her way to see it and couldn’t even look at it.”

“True, he was already old when we were kids.”

Jun chewed his meat slowly, listening to their conversation. He knew Duseon would have to return here someday, but the timing seemed too soon.

“Doesn’t it suit your taste?”

As Jun put down his chopsticks for a long time, Duseon asked again, “Shall I get you something else?” Jun didn’t want him to go into the kitchen, so he replied that it was fine.

“But, when are you getting married? You have a girlfriend, right? Hae-jin mentioned it earlier.”

“Why are you asking such things? I don’t know yet.”

“Oh, come on. Your mother is also expecting you to bring a daughter-in-law back from Seoul.”

“My mom has always said that. You should get married quickly yourself.”

“My partner… might be in a faraway land.”

Duseon patted the shoulder of his friend who was roughly downing soju, telling him to cheer up.

There was indeed a shortage of young people in the countryside. Duseon must have also dreamed of an ordinary marriage. That fact made Jun uncomfortable. He felt an unpleasant emotion, wondering if he was forcing himself into Duseon’s life, and got up from his seat.

“Hyung, I’m going to smoke.”

“Junie.”

Duseon urgently grabbed Jun’s hand and looked up at him with a slightly worried gaze.

“It’s okay.”

Jun carefully pulled his hand away and went outside. The words they exchanged were nothing unusual for friends, so there was nothing to be bothered by. But why was he feeling this way…?

He stepped out of the shop and leaned against the adjacent wall, exhaling a sigh. Perhaps because it was night, the smoke dispersed without substance. He felt anxious that his own existence might become meaningless like that.

“It’s bitter.”

As he exhaled smoke and looked up at the night sky, Jun tried to stub out his cigarette, intending to stop smoking.

However, as his gaze shifted, he saw a spark of fire that then disappeared. In the dark alley, someone was smoking, just like him. Smoking on the street was a common occurrence, but the fact that the person disappeared the moment Jun looked towards them was strange.

“What was that?”

Jun, staring at the spot in disbelief, was about to re-enter the restaurant but turned back and ran towards the alley.

As expected, there was the sound of footsteps in the place that seemed to have nothing, and someone was running away, trying to evade him. Since there were few streetlights, he could only see a dark figure as he pursued. Judging by the build, they were similar to him, and judging by their agility, they were young.

He couldn’t identify who it was exactly, but he could guess who might be involved. Jun stopped chasing and turned back, walking away while cursing. Perhaps because he ran suddenly after eating, he felt a bit indigestion. He returned to the restaurant entrance, caught his breath, and went inside.

Duseon was serving someone else’s doenjang jjigae from the kitchen, and the restaurant owner was sitting at our table.

“Oh! Seoul friend. Sit here.”

The restaurant owner treated Jun warmly, even though he hadn’t greeted him. His face was flushed red, clearly quite drunk.

“Junie, why did you take so long?”

Duseon, wiping his hands, sat at the table and asked if he had run. Then he gently smoothed Jun’s disheveled hair.

“If you ran out of cigarettes, you should have said so. We have cigarettes at the counter.”

“…Yeah. I guess I should have.”

Yongseok poured himself a drink and spoke.

“Oh, right! Mister, Duseon’s birthday is next week.”

“Whoa! Really?”

Despite his slurred speech with a crooked nose, the restaurant owner sang a birthday song to Duseon. The people around glanced over, and Duseon, embarrassed, lowered his head and covered his eyes with one hand. Hearing the restaurant owner say ‘Beloved Yuduseon’, it seemed he hadn’t completely lost his mind.

“Then today, I’m treating. Eat more, alright?”

Saying that, he got up again and went to the next table.

We slowly sipped our drinks, reminiscing about the past. After the conversation deepened and five bottles of soju were emptied, we got up from our seats.

When we tried to pay, the restaurant owner genuinely refused to take our money. Duseon handed him cash, but he put it back into Duseon’s pocket, leading to a back-and-forth. Finally, after Duseon swiped his card for the amount we consumed, things quieted down. He closed the shop and approached us.

“He’s my dad’s Hubae.”

“So that’s why he treated you so well, Hyung.”

Yongseok, who had brought coffee, explained belatedly, “No.”

“No, when it’s someone’s birthday, he usually tells them to go for free. When I was a student, he even gave me money to go to karaoke.”

Jun looked at Duseon with a “Really?” expression, and he grinned. He said he had received many free meals because several friends had birthdays. It made sense why he found it somewhat uncomfortable but still came here to eat.

Yongseok said he needed to walk to sober up and went in the opposite direction from us. It was an alley with sparse streetlights. Very dark, then bright. Then dark again.

Jun looked down at Duseon’s face as he talked about his school days related to the samgyeopsal place. He saw a brightly smiling face, then it was obscured again. When his face reappeared, he wore a slightly bitter expression.

As darkness fell again, Jun pulled Duseon towards him and pressed him against the wall. Then, he plunged his lips between theirs, marking him. Duseon’s lips, which had been chattering incessantly, bit into Jun’s tongue and mumbled. Jun pressed his lower body against him and pushed his tongue deeper.

He wanted to dilute the bitter feelings, the confused thoughts, and the uncertain future. As their lips met and collided, Jun realized he wasn’t the only one feeling anxious. Duseon felt the same way. Just like this kiss.

“Haa…”

Jun slightly parted his lips, which had been clinging tightly, and looked at Duseon. Both breathing heavily, they leaned against the wall, bodies intertwined, and kicked a nearby box. Someone had discarded an empty box, and Duseon scowled down at it.

The empty box looked remarkably similar to the delivery boxes he had received from the stalker. Jun opened his mouth, intending to tell Duseon about Bin’s identity.

“Hyung, about that stalker—”

“Junie, I think you’re right.”

“About what?”

“That he wants me to be obsessed and look for him. So I’m not going to do what he wants. I’m just going to ignore him.”

“…But you were curious.”

“More than that, everything gets complicated the more I do. So… if the stalker comes, you can get rid of him like before. For now, I just want to think about you.”

“…Okay. I’ll get rid of him anytime.”

Seemingly pleased with the answer, Duseon’s arms wrapped around Jun’s neck. Duseon’s hand, burrowing into Jun’s hair, cupped the back of his head and pulled him closer. As Jun lowered his head following the touch, Duseon’s warm breath reached his ear.

“Just once more…, let’s do it, Junie.”

At those words, Jun bit Duseon’s lower lip and pressed his body closer.

Back home, in the bright light, I saw my lips were quite swollen. Jun had been kissing my lips incessantly, and I had begged him several times to do more. I knew the alley wasn’t a place people usually frequented when I did it, but I was inwardly anxious that someone might pass by.

Jun’s hand, stroking the front of my pants where I had become aroused from his kiss, tried to slip inside my trousers. At that moment, I grabbed his wrist and stopped him.

He readily listened to my words, saying we should stop and go. So I thought that perhaps Jun hadn’t kept me to establish a Master-Servant Relationship, but rather proposed that contract to be with me.

When we returned home, Mom was asleep in the master bedroom. We quietly washed up and went to our room, spreading out the futon.

“I want to sleep together.”

Jun, who was about to come down to the floor again, was sent back up to sleep on the bed. Then he said, “You should come up, Hyung,” and pulled me.

I lay down on my stomach on the bed and stroked Jun’s head on the floor. Feeling my touch, he quietly closed his eyes. Thinking he had fallen asleep, I stroked him a few times, then removed my hand and lay on my back.

As I lay straight and took a breath, I heard a rustling sound from the floor. I tried to ignore it, thinking he was going to the bathroom, but I strangely felt his gaze. When I opened my eyes, the room was bright enough with just the moonlight, as if my eyes had already adjusted to the darkness. Jun was sitting there, staring at me motionlessly.

“…Why aren’t you sleeping?”

“Today feels like a dream. I might forget everything when I wake up.”

“It’s not a dream. Sleep.”

He looked so precarious, like a child having a nightmare, and I wanted to hold him. I leaned my back against the wall and patted the space in front of me, and Jun silently climbed up.

Into that cramped space, where we couldn’t lie straight, Jun squeezed in. Our bodies intertwined like threads. Someone’s arm became a pillow, and someone’s leg became a blanket. On that narrow bed, we shared one dream.

“Junie, aren’t you tired of gomguk?”

“No, I’m fine.”

Well, Mom was in the living room, so I couldn’t tell her the truth. Mom usually ate breakfast early, so she didn’t join us as we slept in.

As I was eating rice mixed with gomguk, Mom came from the living room into the kitchen and asked,

“By the way, when are you going back up?”

“If Mom is okay, I’ll go.”

“I’m fine now. If there’s nothing else, go up today.”

Leaving the office closed for three days was weighing on my mind. The rent was still being paid, so it was a loss for not doing business, and customers might find it strange if we kept the door shut.

“Then, are you going this afternoon?”

“I told you to go.”

“Make sure you pack food from the refrigerator before you leave.”

Just then, Mom’s phone rang in the master bedroom, and she went inside. I stopped eating and looked at Jun. He said he would go with me since there was nothing special going on.

After eating, and helping the neighbor grandmother with her field a bit around lunchtime, it was well past 3 PM. I returned home and started packing my bags. I told Mom I’d visit again soon and to contact me after her outpatient appointment, then left the house. As I opened the gate and stepped out, I felt a sense of pride, thinking it was good I had replaced it with a new one.

“Well, go safely, and call me when you arrive.”

“Mom, can I stay a little longer?”

“Just go. It’s a hassle.”

After waving goodbye to Mom through the rolled-down car window, I settled in properly. As I put my hand on my shoulder and massaged my neck, turning it left and right, Jun, seeing this, suddenly apologized.

Yesterday, sleeping together on that narrow bed, I had become one with the wall. I had been in one position for so long, and with Jun holding me, my blood circulation had stopped. It was the first time I had gotten a cramp in my leg and had spit on my nose.

But it felt too mean to push away the child sleeping soundly, and I didn’t want to pull my cheek away from his small, thumping chest. As a result of giving up on my body, I was stiff all day.

“You should have just woken me up.”

“You were sleeping so soundly. You must have been tired from running around yesterday.”

As we left the neighborhood, I saw Bin’s house with its high walls. It was still quiet, as if no one lived there.

“Hyung, don’t get too close to Namgung Bin.”

“Why?”

Jun’s lips moved as if to explain, then closed. After a moment, he continued,

“I don’t like you getting close to anyone else besides me.”

“…Okay.”

I already knew that, so I answered casually and turned my gaze back to the car window.

When I was young, the neighborhood seemed so vast, but traveling by car, we quickly left it behind. Before getting on the highway, I saw the Geum River flowing beside us. The structure that was there when Jun confessed was still floating on the water. Something so insignificant could be so beautiful at night. Jun’s usually expressionless face had been radiant that night. Like the lights reflected on the river.

“Are you sad to leave?”

“…Mm. A little?”

“Just come often, with me.”

Before coming here and now as we leave, we had changed. Jun was driving much more calmly than before. The guy who used to speed when there was no traffic was now maintaining the speed limit.

“Junie, why did you like me?”

Without answering, his Adam’s apple moved.

‘What, is he flustered?’

Cute. Hmm, the reason this proud guy fell for me must be because I’m attractive, I thought, congratulating myself, but Jun, as if reading my expression, said firmly.

“Because you’re ordinary.”

“What?!”

“You’re like gomguk. Bland, but comforting to have around. And the longer you know me, the richer you become.”

Hearing it, it sounded like a good expression, so I asked for more details.

“Then, when did you start thinking of me as gomguk?”

“From when I was throwing away cigarettes.”

Cigarettes? If it was cigarettes, it must have been… from our first meeting. Was it from when I told him not to throw them away? But if it was from then, he was quite cold to me.

“You didn’t even answer my calls.”

“I was testing you. If you had given in easily, would you have clung to me?”

I thought I was at his feet in the past, but it turned out to be an act to simmer me down. I was surprised and suddenly felt scared of him. Coincidentally, it was a section with traffic lights, so the speed gradually slowed down. As we inevitably stopped and started, we made eye contact more often while talking.

“Junie. Just in case I’m asking, on the day you confessed, you weren’t going to withdraw the contract even if I rejected you, right? You were going to change your mind later, saying you couldn’t give me 30 million won and that it was off, right?”

“…No comment.”

“Wow, damn… You!”

“I’m driving. Don’t distract me.”

Even with the stop-and-go traffic, Jun looked ahead seriously. Occasionally, he would turn his head the other way, cover his mouth with his hand, and cough. But it was obvious from the corners of his lips that he was smiling with pleasure. However, when he looked forward again, he maintained a poker face.

‘To be played by Jjuni’s scheme.’

He was a scary guy. He seemed to act with at least three moves ahead. A terrifying guy who made me, who isn’t even gay, flustered.

“So, do you regret it now?”

“Huh? Regret what?”

“Being lovers with me. You love it to death, don’t you?”

“I like it, but not enough to die for.”

He mumbled, trailing off like calligraphy. Then Jun intertwined his fingers with my left hand and brought it to his lips.

Peck.

Seeing him kiss the back of my hand and smile, I felt that a gay life like this wouldn’t be so bad in this lifetime. Had I ever been treated like a Prince by someone before? It felt like even if I just held a basket, love would be poured into it automatically.

“You had many lovers, didn’t you?”

“Me? I… I met many people.”

“Like that 7 million won man?”

As I pointed out the person specifically, Jun coughed dryly. It meant he was promiscuous. It also meant he preferred casual physical encounters.

“Are we having a past audit now? How many have you met, Hyung?”

“Me? Two? The last one was in college, so 5 years ago.”

Strangely, even though it felt like my encounters with the opposite sex would lead to something, they never did. When I worked at the company, a female employee from a client company expressed interest in going to the movies with me, and we even made plans, but she didn’t show up on the day. After that, a girl who worked part-time and gave me rides home quit her job at some point and lost contact.

“I guess they weren’t meant to be. It’s strange, it felt like we had mutual interest, but then contact would suddenly break off.”

“Me? Do you think I’ll be like that too?”

“You and I are already ‘that kind of relationship.’ That won’t happen.”

Lovers. I stretched out the two words into seven to avoid saying them, which Jun seemed displeased with.

“That’s right. Between lovers.”

Hearing Jun utter the word ‘lover’ made my chest tingle. As our slow conversation ended, the road ahead suddenly cleared up. I couldn’t understand why there was congestion when the road wasn’t blocked anywhere. There were no exits, nor had the road narrowed.

Isn’t it the same with people’s hearts? If we express ourselves honestly, the relationship could clear up, but instead, we tiptoe around each other, taking detours and getting unnecessarily congested.

If I had only worried about my sexual identity alone, I wouldn’t have ended up in a relationship like this with Jun. The heart that says “I like you” because I like you, as I’ve gotten older, has become more conscious of others’ gazes than my own feelings.

We drove for about an hour without any further congestion, and then we arrived at the apartment complex. I told him to go home since he must be tired from driving, but Jun didn’t hide his disappointment.

“No.”

In the end, he parked the car and we went to the apartment entrance. Coincidentally, there was mail, and as I was picking it up, Jun suddenly grabbed me and pulled me towards the emergency exit.

“Why?”

Shh.

With a playful expression, Jun glanced outside and smiled. The emergency exit was always left open, so it was easy to see if anyone was passing by in the hallway. Of course, they wouldn’t be able to see us in the dark.

Curiously, a pair of blue tracksuit pants walked by. It was Rovan. Jun had pulled me aside and hidden because he didn’t want to get into troublesome conversations with Rovan.

“Shall we take the stairs?”

We went up slowly since it was only the fourth floor. Then Jun said, “Ah,” and brought up the topic of games.

“I went to Saint Island last Saturday.”

“That place is overrun by archers.”

“We went as a group and wiped them out. After we cleared it out once, on Monday, I think? Other rankers went in. Now, it’s basically open to everyone.”

“Hmm. I should tell Hanwoo about this later.”

After reaching the fourth floor and catching our breath, Jun chided me for lacking exercise. He had done most of the talking, yet I was the one panting.

As I opened the front door, the frantic situation from that day came to mind. The TV remote was somewhere on the living room floor, and a few clothes were scattered on the floor in the small room.

First, I went inside and cleaned up the mess. When Jun also tried to help clean, I told him to just rest. He had driven all the way here, and even if it’s comfortable, staying at someone else’s house for a few days can be mentally exhausting.

“You can go to the room and take a nap. You must be tired.”

“Should I vacuum?”

“No, I told you to rest.”

Although he asked like he was asking, Jun went straight to the balcony and brought out the vacuum cleaner. Even in an empty house, dust accumulates after a few days. I picked up the piled-up clothes and took them to the washing machine. I told Jun to bring the extra clothes he had packed in his car, but he refused, saying he would wash them at home.

After a rough cleaning, it was awkward to go out. As evening approached, thinking of a light meal, I ordered pizza.

“Hyung, hurry up. It’s getting cold.”

“Okay. Just this last bit!”

I wanted to finish organizing the side dishes my mom had given me, so I told him to eat first, but Jun waited patiently.

After I roughly finished tidying up, we sat facing each other in the living room. After a few slices, I was quite full, but Jun was still picking up the remaining slices, as if he intended to finish it all. As the cold pizza cheese started to fall apart, Jun put the slices onto a plate.

“I’ll warm it up.”

He took care of me like a guest, making me wonder if this was my house or his. While I was watching TV, the microwave beeped. Jun was standing in front of it even when the timer went off.

“Junie, why are you standing there?”

I got up and approached him, but he was holding a box, not a pizza plate, in his hand.

“That… Ah, yes.”

Aneros.

My words came out disjointed, like fragmented memories.

I couldn’t remember why it was on top of the microwave. It was still in its unopened packaging. Although I couldn’t tell from the outside, Jun had asked me if I had ever used an Aneros before, so I knew what it was. That’s why he was standing there like a statue.

“Give that here—”

I reached out to take it, but the box was lifted upwards. Holding it with his arm, Jun looked down at me and slowly opened his mouth.

“Hyung, give me this.”

“Huh? Why would you…?”

Jun took out the pizza, holding the box with his arm, and called me to come and eat quickly. He placed the pizza plate on the coffee table and sat on the sofa holding only the box. The Aneros packaging was quickly peeled off, revealing a device about two adult finger lengths thick.

It resembled the end of a sea cucumber at a seafood restaurant, with a ring attached. I had searched for its usage, but only cross-sections like anatomical diagrams appeared, and I didn’t know exactly how it worked.

Jun hooked his finger into the Aneros ring with practiced ease and smirked. His hand holding it fit as if it were custom-made.

“You bought a pretty good model. For beginners. You didn’t buy it knowing, did you?”

“No, it was a gift…”

“From whom?”

“Um, Rovan. He sells adult toys.”

“Fortunately, you haven’t used it yet.”

Jun put the Aneros back in the box and sat down, finishing the pizza. While he was eating, I casually raised my arm, thinking of throwing it straight into the trash, but Jun grabbed my wrist with his free hand.

“Don’t touch it. It’s mine.”

“…I looked up how to use it, but it doesn’t seem to match my preferences.”

“You haven’t tried it.”

“The very idea of putting something inside…”

“Hyung, you’re not dating me because you feel safe since I’m an Impo, are you?”

Jun knew exactly. Honestly, that was the case. Separate from my feelings of affection, I was hesitant about the physical aspect, but thankfully, I felt safe in that regard.

“Just so you don’t change your mind later, I’m telling you now, if I get hard, I’ll go all the way.”

“Ugh!”

“What does it make me look like if you react so openly surprised?”

No matter how I thought about it, I couldn’t imagine his enormous size penetrating me from behind. As my face flushed with thoughts of torture, Jun shook the box containing the Aneros and said confidently.

“I’ll tame you. Then there won’t be any problems.”

“…The size is different to begin with.”

“We can just increase it gradually.”

He said it as if one could wear pants that were too small by stretching the waistband. While the human body has endless wonders, I didn’t want to test its limits with my own body. Suddenly, Jun seemed frightening. He looked like a medieval torturer.

“Why are you so scared? I won’t do it if you hurt or dislike it. So, don’t worry.”

To reassure me, Jun told me about his past experiences playing with toys. He said he bought a dildo because he couldn’t get hard and inserted it for someone. He even mentioned that a few more fingers could fit after that, saying it as a form of comfort.

“Junie, if you’re done with the pizza, go home now. I want to rest.”

“Are you kicking me out?”

“You need to rest too.”

“I was about to make a request.”

“What request?”

Jun made a motion like playing an arcade game with both hands.

‘Ah… right. That was there.’

A chill ran down my spine.

Of course, I had a rough idea of what that request would be.

“Th-this position is too…”

I was embarrassed. My raised buttocks were exposed to Jun’s gaze.

Of course, I had tried refusing, begging, threatening, commanding, mentioning my age, acting like an old man, invoking seniority, and even bringing up my mother, but I couldn’t break Jun’s stubbornness. He had persuaded me by saying, “Let’s just get it over with if we’re not going to do it all night,” so I took off my pants and underwear and was doing as he instructed.

“Ah, won’t it hurt? Ugh…”

Jun went to the car for a moment and came back with something, condoms and oil. When I asked why he carried such things, he calmly replied that he didn’t know when he would be with me. This guy had no intention of ending our Master-Servant Relationship.

“Try to relax your muscles.”

Jun gently massaged the folds with his finger, which was covered in a condom. The area felt ticklish and sensitive, making me involuntarily tense my buttocks. As I couldn’t relax and kept clenching, Jun spread my buttocks with both hands.

“Ah!”

And then, something other than fingers touched that place. On the soft, moist skin, a slurping sound and a wriggling mass of flesh began to probe the entrance. A shiver ran through me, making my toes curl.

“…J-Junie. Don’t suck there!”

I reached back, fumbling for his arm or shoulder, but the sensation of being sucked and penetrated continued. As the area became sufficiently lubricated with saliva, Jun finally pulled his head away.

He then re-applied oil to his finger and brought his fingertip to the opening. Unlike the first time when it was tightly closed, the now gaping entrance began to swallow his fingertip, slowly. Like a swamp. As Jun’s inserted finger bent, a tingling sensation spread through my lower abdomen.

“If you move… don’t move. Hng…”

“Like this?”

Jun asked with a look of enjoyment and deliberately moved his fingers in larger circles. It felt like another finger had joined, as the probing expanded beyond just one direction.

“Hng…”

I gripped the blanket, trying to suppress my moans, but when I couldn’t hold it in any longer and let out a dying groan, Jun pulled his fingers out. My waist was grabbed, and my body was turned to face him.

“I want to do it while looking at your face.”

My legs were lifted, and my body folded. Looking down, Jun was now holding the Aneros, not his fingers. He lowered his upper body and bit my chest. Then, he kissed my lower lip persistently, like he was sucking on it.

Jun’s bangs were scattered on my chest. I gently grabbed the back of his head, and I could feel him moving his head and licking. Even though I couldn’t see it, I could imagine the scene. He pulled his lips away from my chest, his lips flushed red, and leaned in. This time, he kissed my earlobe and whispered.

“Hyung’s moans… they sound good. It turns me on.”

I never knew my plain chest could become such an aphrodisiac. As the pleasure concentrated on my chest, I belatedly realized something was being pushed inside me from below.

“Ah, aah…!”

Simultaneously with Jun’s whisper, the device, swallowed again, made my legs tense. However, since Jun had spread my thighs wide, I couldn’t clench them. Fortunately, it didn’t feel like it was forced in, so apart from the foreign sensation, it was okay. As my expression relaxed, Jun kissed my cheeks and lips thoroughly.

“Agh, hng…!”

While doing so, he used his wrist to stimulate me inside with the Aneros. It felt similar to when he used his fingers, but heavier. At that moment, my eyes snapped open, and my mouth fell open.

‘…Ha, what is this? What kind of feeling is this…?’

Jun, observing my surprised expression, smiled and asked, “Here?” before moving in the same pattern again. From then on, I think I started begging, grabbing his arm. I told him not to do it there, to do more! To do more! I felt it intensely. I felt a tingling sensation and the urge to climax, but nothing came out. To think that such a dry orgasm actually existed in the world.

And then, Jun’s eyes were wet, as if he were inserting his own. His tongue entered my open mouth, and I clung to it, continuing to beg. I trembled, begging him to make me climax, letting out moans, and after a few times, Jun moved down below my navel and took my penis into his mouth.

“Agh…! Ah, aah!”

The moment I was sucked, what had been blocked burst forth. I let out a moan, almost a cry, and grabbed Jun’s shoulder. He held my penis in his mouth and endured.

The feeling of ejaculation, the sucking, the urging motion of his hand. Everything was leading to a single climax, and my consciousness exploded like fireworks and then vanished. As I watched Jun intermittently swallow my semen, I arched my back from another climax rising from below.

“Ugh. Ju, Junie. Stop…”

After the urge to ejaculate receded like the tide, my consciousness returned, and I sat up, stroking Jun’s cheeks as he held my penis in his mouth. My penis was sucked out of his moist mouth with a slurp.

“It’s delicious.”

Jun licked his lips and came up, kissing my lower lip. My lips, warmed by the friction of skin against skin, touched various parts of my face. It felt like a flush of heat was spreading from there.

I tentatively placed my hand between Jun’s thighs to check. I wished he would get hard, even a little, but despite his flushed face, his lower half was calm.

As Jun followed my gaze, he clicked his tongue. I tried to sit up and change into a prone position. I wanted to take Jun’s penis into my mouth. But at this moment, Jun placed his hand on my chest and stopped me from leaning forward.

“That’s enough for today. Hyung is tired and can’t.”

It was true. His eyelids were half-closed from the ejaculation. Feeling guilty and unable to move, Jun lay down on top of me again. Kisses were heard incessantly from the side of my mouth to my earlobe. Our naked bodies intertwined, and Jun’s penis touched mine.

“I like it like this.”

I replied that I liked it too, and my eyes closed.

It was a familiar weekday morning. The only difference was that Jun was coming to the kitchen after showering in the bathroom.

I took the bread out of the toaster, spread jam on the crispy side, and then Jun approached me. I poured him a glass of milk and put another slice of bread in the toaster.

“It’s nice being together in the morning. How about you, Hyung?”

I was so busy stealing glances at Jun’s naked body, only covered by a towel, that my answer was delayed.

“Huh? Ah, yes. It’s nice.”

Jun seemed to notice my gaze, took a bite of the toast, stood up, and yanked off the towel. Even as a man, seeing such a sight suddenly is instinctive.

My gaze immediately fixed on his center, and Jun smirked, saying I was subtly perverted. Contrary to my expectation that his penis would be visible, he was wearing underwear. No, then why was he wearing a towel? Hearing my grumbling, Jun smiled faintly.

This morning too, my penis was in Jun’s hand. Of course, it was hard since it was morning, and he didn’t let it pass. As he held my penis from behind and moved it, I woke up from my sleep and let out a groan.

When I said I was about to cum, Jun bent down to take my penis into his mouth, so I quickly got up and went to the bathroom. No matter how harmless semen is to the human body, I felt it was a bit much to keep eating it. It’s not like it’s meant to be eaten…

Even after masturbating, my mind, dulled by the urge to ejaculate, was brought back to reality by splashing cold water on my face. Being with Jun felt a bit inconvenient in this regard. He touched my penis constantly. As if protesting his own un-erect state.

“If you’re done eating, get dressed.”

“Why are you in such a hurry?”

“I haven’t been able to open it for three days. I have to be on time on my work day.”

Jun finished his toast and wiped his hands with a wet wipe.

“You said it takes an hour? By bus.”

“Hmm, probably?”

After getting dressed, Jun approached me as I stood in front of the mirror. He smoothed down the collar of my shirt from behind. I usually leave earlier than this, so I urged him to get dressed quickly. As Jun pulled on his pants, he casually asked.

“Hyung. Should we just live together instead?”

“…Huh?”

I was checking my belongings by opening my backpack when I made eye contact with Jun. When I said cohabitation, it hit deeper than the word roommate. The meaning is probably similar, but still.

“That’s a bit…””Think about it.” Seriously.”Jun kept staring at me intently while wearing a t-shirt.” I am not even familiar with the word ‘partner’ yet, and here I am receiving such a proposal. I was keeping up with the speed of a bicycle, but Jun felt like he was doing things at a sports car level, where going from zero to a hundred was just a part of everyday life.

“Let’s take it slow, slowly.”I got into Jun’s vehicle and gently closed my eyes. It was a world of difference compared to commuting during rush hour. It was morning time, so it was crowded, but it was a different level compared to being jostled by people on the bus. I was leisurely listening to the morning radio while sinking into the seat.

At that moment, a hand touched my forehead. It felt like the bangs had fallen down, and someone gently brushed them to the side. That was quite cautious, and a smile formed inside. This is what it feels like to be loved. To feel that at the age of 28 from a man. That too, to a kid who is 5 years younger than me.

‘……Huh?I don’t remember when I fell asleep; by the time I opened my eyes, I had already arrived. I did some light stretching and looked at the time on the dashboard; it was past 10 o’clock.

“Huh?””Hey, are you awake?””Jun was looking at his phone while drinking the coffee he bought from somewhere.” I wondered if it took this long, and when I looked, Jun was sleeping, so I said I wouldn’t wake him up.

“Still, wake up.””I was going to wake you up after you finished your coffee.” Why don’t you come over to my house and sleep a bit?”No.” I should work.I got out of the car easily and stretched again. He followed suit. When I finally opened the office door and walked in, it felt like an empty house since it hadn’t been opened for a few days. I opened the door wide, lifted the platform, and shook it off.

“Bro, I’m going to head out now.” Call me if anything happens.”Yes.” Thank you.”Saying that, I entered the office, and Jun followed in.”

“Why, is something wrong?””I looked at Jun next to the monitor while turning on the computer.” He was standing with his arms wide open without saying a word. I got up and walked over without saying a word. As I wrapped around his waist, strong and long arms wrapped around from behind. Jun buried his face deeply into my nape, to the point of being buried.

Pat. Pat.

“I think I will be a bit busy today.” How about your older brother?”Me too a little?””Then let’s support each other.” Consider living together.”Yes.”After receiving a few pats, Jun finally fell. He turned around and entered the building directly across from him.

I returned to my desk and checked my missed calls. Originally, I would forward calls to my mobile phone and leave work, but that day I didn’t have the energy to do so. My legs were hurting, and suddenly my mom had something come up.

Fortunately, there weren’t many missed calls, but there was a familiar number among them. He was the owner of the hardware store next door. First, I cleaned the floor and made coffee before going to the hardware store. As expected, you were fixing something.

“Hello, boss.” Did you call?”Oh my, you came today.” I thought they had completely closed the door.”Suddenly, due to overlapping work, I went to visit my mom who lives in the countryside.””I see.”The hardware store owner set aside what he was fixing and received the coffee.

You mentioned that several guests visited while the office was closed. When I heard the descriptions of their appearances, it turned out that Seung-joo was among them, and since they mentioned a red-haired person, it seems that the church brother also came by. And within a few days, another store moved into the clothing store that Hyesun had worked at. It was the same clothing store, but the sign had changed.

“Hyesun also came by.” He said he was sorry. Did you get dumped?”No.” That’s not it. Well, that can happen.”And the hardware store owner hesitated for a moment before saying something.”

“I’m also trying to organize here.””What?”This hardware store has been here since before this neighborhood developed into a shopping district. And although it was next door, the building owner was also a friend, so it was a place that didn’t necessarily need to be vacated. The hardware store owner smiled helplessly at my confusion.

“I plan to go down and live with my parents in the countryside.” You may be getting old, and the hardware store doesn’t necessarily have to be here.”Still, there are quite a few people around looking for the boss.” Just like now.The hardware store owner looked down at something like a humidifier and said, “What good is such a trivial thing?””While doing so, you smiled once and looked at me.

“So I’m planning to leave the business here and only list it with a friendly real estate agent.””Ah…, I wonder if I can take it out quickly…””I am planning for next year, but it doesn’t matter if it’s early.” Take it slow.Thank you. When I first opened the friendly real estate office, it was this owner who came over to talk to me first, and it was also this person who gave me various pieces of advice. He was the only boss who treated me warmly even when I was receiving cold treatment from nearby real estate agents, claiming it was a fight over the rice bowl.

“…That’s a pity.””What are you missing?” That’s how it is.”I told the boss that we should have a meal together again soon and then left the hardware store.” Certainly, there were imported furniture stores and art galleries lined up next to the hardware store. The old hardware store stood out like a sore thumb among the obviously upscale shops, enduring for a long time.

In fact, you might wonder where there are stores that are disliked or liked, but there are stores that get expelled depending on the atmosphere of the neighborhood. Stores that are essential in daily life were gradually disappearing for aesthetic reasons. It was bitter. It was like an office worker about to retire.

I returned to the office, issued cash receipts for the brokerage fees, and consulted with customers who left inquiries via messenger. I was away for three days, so there were quite a few consultations piled up, and the morning passed quickly.

I was typing away and looking at the monitor when the phone rang. It was the owner of the Evergreen Real Estate across the street.

[Let’s become a friendly real estate boss? I received a message that the person I helped with the officetel at the intersection wants to move out. I contacted Jun, and he said to do it here.Yes, that was the case. I will visit once to check the management fees and settlement.The boss’s tone was gentle. I could understand why Jun entrusted the management to Evergreen Real Estate, apart from his mother’s friend.

But then they also pushed their belongings onto me and suggested we live together… It still doesn’t feel real. Whether I deserve to receive such love and attention.

After finishing the phone call, I was editing the listings I had posted online when the office door suddenly swung open. It was a familiar face, but the hair color had changed.

“Kind boss!””When they entered wearing a black mask, I thought they were a thief.” When I saw the face with the mask lowered, it was Muyul.

“Boss, why has the store been closed for a few days?” You don’t even come into the game.”It’s just that I have something to do at home.” But what is that in your hand?”Ah. Is this it?When Mu-yul placed the bag he brought on the table and opened it, a lot of food came out. It used to be tteokbokki, but now it looked like it had been robbed from a convenience store.

“Let’s eat together.””Did you come to our office every time to eat this?” The hardware store owner said so.”Oh, no, I just wanted to vent a little.” I’ve been feeling really down lately, and when I leave my accommodation, I have nowhere to go… Boss, I think I’m going to quit being a trainee.”Why all of a sudden?””No, it doesn’t let me eat anything.” From the morning, they made us practice and do various evaluations, and for dinner, they only gave us some salad. They only gave me one side of the sweet potato… Even in war, I would eat more than this!Mu-yul was grumbling while biting into the triangular gimbap and chewing, but his chewing speed gradually slowed down. Finally, just one bite left, and I dropped my hand.

“…It would be better to stop eating, right?””There’s one bite left, so go ahead and finish it.””Should we?”Mu-yul put the remaining food in his mouth and wiped his hands with a wet tissue. Then it seemed like rummaging through the bag again would not end with just one triangular kimbap. I couldn’t help but wonder how hungry the child must have been to come here and act like this, so I just said nothing.

I was looking at my phone while bringing him water. Moo-yul was looking at his photo and lamenting, “I have some fat on my chin, why do my legs look so short?”

“Please eat too, boss.””Yes.”I picked up a triangular rice ball from inside the bag. I ate bread in the morning and didn’t feel very hungry when I came out, but I felt a bit embarrassed eating alone, so I shared it with someone.

“Mr. Doosun.””I knew right away because of the scent of perfume before I even turned around.” Muryul stopped chewing what was in his mouth, got up, and bowed in greeting. It was a respectful demeanor towards the benefactor who bought the beef.

“Mr. Bin.””Today, it has opened.” I came because I was glad to see you.”Yes.” Oh right, if you haven’t had breakfast, come and have one.”Is that so?””Bin sat next to Mu-yul and rummaged through the envelope.” He was also trying to eat the triangular gimbap, taking it out and turning it this way and that. However, I was unwrapping it on both sides like someone who had never eaten it before.

“I’ll do it for you.””I took a triangular gimbap from Bin’s hand, tore open the packaging starting from the middle, and Bin’s eyebrows shot up.”

“You’re doing well.” I have only seen the staff eat, but I have never eaten it myself.”Don’t you dislike convenience store food?”I held the corner of the torn triangle kimbap and handed it over. Bin smiled as he held my hand.

“No, I like you.””It’s saying that I like gimbap, but why are you looking at me and saying that?” Feeling awkward, I got up and took a drink from the refrigerator and brought it to Bin. Bin was taking a big bite of the triangular rice ball and chewing.

“Mr. Doosun, about the outing.” How about this Saturday?I scratched my forehead while sitting across from him. Jun’s words about not getting close to Bin weighed on my mind. However, the appointment with Bin was made before Jun said that, so it felt a bit unreasonable to refuse it outright.

“Photo shoot?” Are you a photographer?”Well, it’s similar.””Can I go take that profile picture later?” Are you becoming a celebrity DC?”You’re not a celebrity yet.””Because it’s ‘soon’.” Can’t you just let it be?”Fortunately, I was able to buy some time to think while Mu-yul and Bin were talking.” Bin finished the conversation with Mu-yul and looked at me.

“So, shall we do it next Saturday?””However, only the schedule would change, but he wanted to go take pictures with me.”

“Well, it’s a bit…” Mr. Bin, how about Mu-yul instead of me?”Muryul?”Mu-yul was drinking a beverage next to me and smiled when he saw the empty can. Bin rolled his eyes and looked at me, seemingly displeased. His gaze, which was always smooth and gentle, was quite different.

“You promised me.””That’s right.” But, I am a bit…”Can’t we just be neighborhood friends?””

“Huh?” Were you two neighborhood friends? Childhood friend? Wow, childhood friends?The atmosphere, which had significantly lowered, was somewhat revived thanks to Mu-yul. Still, he did not stop eating.

“To you, my promise might seem insignificant.” Yeah… that could be possible.Bin leaned against the sofa with a gloomy expression. I felt a bit ungrateful towards the benefactor who hurriedly took me to the hospital when I was sick. The puppy is making a rain-soaked expression, how can I ignore that?

“Ah, no.” Then let’s do it this Saturday.”The corners of the mouth slightly lifted and then settled down from a gloomy expression.” It was as if they were trying to suppress a smile.

Even while talking with Bin, Muyul kept eating without a break. Hot bar, cheese stick, quail eggs… There was nothing that was missing. Bin seemed to have regained his composure and said something to Mu-yul.

“Are you going to eat all of this?” They said they are taking a profile picture. Can I eat like this?”You can just ask them to take a photo and edit it.””There are things that can’t be fixed even with correction.”Binnie lightly grabbed the cute belly fat of Muyul sitting next to her. Mu-yul, startled while eating, looked at him in confusion.

“I’m worried about that.” You should also consider the agency that manages you.”…You really talk like a manager.” Do you also manage models, Mr. Bin?”Well, it’s similar.””After that, when Muryul continued to ask questions, Bin responded that everything was similar, which allowed me to guess a little about what kind of work he was doing.” It seems that you not only do photography but also work in a model agency; I thought of it that way.

Muryul couldn’t finish the food in the bag and got up from his seat. Upon reflection, I realized that I had a pathetic expression on my face while binge eating here.

“…I will go now.””Take this, take this!””I won’t eat.”It seems that Bin’s words deeply pricked his conscience. Bin weakly added a comment to Mu-yul’s back, saying that if he gained more weight, he wouldn’t be attractive.

“…If you look closely, Bin seems generous, but there is a cold side to him.””From the administrator’s perspective, one must be ruthless.” But she is endlessly generous to Mr. Doosun.”Bin is unaware that Joon and I are in a relationship, so he keeps showing interest.”

I have a partner, so I hope you don’t do that. I should say this, but I couldn’t bring myself to say it. I was going to talk about my relationship with Jun after keeping this promise. While saying that, I intended to emphasize that I hoped there would be no personal meetings in the future.

It was best to ignore Bin’s gaze for now. First, I got up from my seat and opened the door to ventilate the surroundings. And then Bin seemed to be thinking about something, got up, passed by me, and went outside.

“Then I’ll come to pick you up around 10 AM on Saturday.””To my house?” I can come out.”That’s comfortable.”I thought while looking at the distant back of the empty. Once I repay my debt this time, let’s keep our distance as Jun said.

After ventilating, I closed the office door and sat down. As I was working, I picked at the food that Mu-yul brought, so I didn’t think about lunch. And while I went to look at other properties for a moment, Jun’s vehicle had disappeared.

Jundo seemed busy filling the days he had been away, just like me. I went to his officetel to talk with the tenant who was about to move out, and after consulting with another guest, the day was over. I called my mom to check in and then closed the office.

When Jun’s car was in front of the office, it felt suffocating, but now it feels empty without it. I checked the message he sent while looking at the bright floor.

I don’t think I can make it by quitting time. Do you want to stay at my house?No. I’m going home. I replied to the message from Jun and walked to the bus stop. Here, since I was mainly dealing with nearby properties, I hardly ever had to drive clients around, but if I were to work in real estate in the countryside, I would probably need to buy a car.

As I was lost in various thoughts, I suddenly arrived at the entrance of the apartment. For some reason, Roban was not seen today. I took a quick look inside the convenience store just in case, but it wasn’t there.

As I opened the front door and entered, the house, which I was usually accustomed to as my own space, felt unfamiliar. I lived without a moment to feel loneliness, yet strangely, I felt like there was an empty space in my heart.

While I was simply preparing dinner and doing the dishes, my phone rang. I answered the call after using the speakerphone. It was June.

[Bro, what are you doing? Have you eaten dinner?”Yes.” Currently doing the dishes. You?I’m eating right now. Were you busy today?”Yes.” I talked to the owner of the Evergreen Real Estate and also met with someone who is moving.”Just finished washing the dishes, turned off the water, and dried my hands on a dry towel.” Then, I sat on the sofa holding my phone. Jun told Jae-ah about what happened today while I was going to the living room.

I think I’ll be going out the week after next. Brother… have you thought about living together?”Um……”I have thought about it a lot, but I couldn’t make a firm decision.” A suitable distance was necessary for each other.

“I’ll think about it a bit more.””Why, do you think I would bother you?””There is a reason for that.””Only then did they both smile and the atmosphere relaxed.” I don’t know if I was born unable to refuse, but strangely, when people around me ask for something, I just can’t ignore it.

“By the way, does that mean we can now go to Saint Island?””When I brought up the game to change the subject, Jun asked if I wanted to go fight a boss.” I wanted to visit that island once, and I thought it would be nice to play a game with Jun after a long time, so I suggested it.

I wanted to express my desire to see Jun like this. Of course, I know that just saying I want to see him would make him come here, but I didn’t want to impose like that. After all, I can see you tomorrow.

‘And, in the game, Joon can also have sex…It’s embarrassing, but I was also thinking about that.

“Then I’ll connect in 10 minutes.””After finishing the call, I took out the device and sat down.” I was trying to put on my helmet to connect, but another call came in.

“Uh, it’s Hanwoo.””Hey, I heard you went home this time.”It seems that Yongseok said it. I asked if she was okay since I said I went out for my mom’s work. Actually, my mom said she was okay, but I wasn’t okay. Thinking about you being alone makes me feel like I’m being unfilial, and it has made me somewhat gloomy.

When I first came to Seoul, I thought I’d have to succeed and bring them here, but once I arrived, I missed my hometown again. And meeting neighbors like the folks back home seemed impossible in Seoul.

“Oh, right. Hanwoo, do you know someone named Namgung Bin?”

[Namgung Bin? Who’s that?]

“I met him while working in real estate. He said his hometown is our neighborhood. You know that black gate, right? The house with really high walls.”

[Ah…, that house! Tsk. I vaguely remember. The family name was Namgung, that’s right.]

“Right? I thought I was the only one who couldn’t remember.”

[Could it be that pretty-looking boy? I don’t know his name, but anyway, there was a kid who brought something really nice when we played with mini cars. Someone who said he was from Seoul.]

Hearing “mini car” reminded me of the one I had at home, and a young boy flashed through my mind. As I couldn’t answer, Hanwoo fumbled through past stories, saying, [You know, the one where your mom wouldn’t buy you mini cars, so she kept giving you game cards and you kept asking to touch it just once. Then you lost mine.]

“Right. I dropped your mini car down the drain.”

I had turned the switch to ON and placed it on the floor, but I put it down in the wrong direction, and it fell into the drain. My mom eventually paid Hanwoo for his mini car, but after that, I was relegated to a state where I couldn’t even touch a mini car.

So I just watched, but then a boy I’d seen somewhere before appeared between us. And he was carrying an incredibly nice mini car. Unlike the ones roughly assembled from plastic, his mini car was exquisite. The car doors opened, the trunk opened, and everyone stared, mesmerized.

[He played with us with mini cars a few times, but then he stopped showing up one day.]

“……”

[Isn’t that Namgung Bin? The kid you’re talking about. There were no other new faces.]

“Ah, I guess so. That mini car kid, yes, that’s him.”

[You sometimes forget people easily. Oh, right. Did you meet your first love well? Hae-jin came down too, didn’t he? He’s still the same, right?]

“He still curses a lot. You should go see him later too.”

As Hanwoo and I chatted about various hometown matters, the time I had promised Jun flew by. Hanwoo said he was still working overtime and would log in later to play, then hung up. Hurriedly putting on my helmet, I logged in.

To be continued in Whatever You Do Vol. 5