2 – Side Story 2

∞ ∞ ∞

He inserted the card key into the dark hotel room. The lights immediately turned on brightly.

The empty hotel interior felt unusually desolate. If he returned to the officetel, he would see the furniture Woo-jin had arranged, the household items touched by his hands neatly placed, and Woo-jin himself. Even if mornings were too busy to see each other much, evenings were always spent with him.

Eating the dinner Woo-jin prepared, burying his face in his back while he did the dishes, embracing him, having various conversations, playing around……

During the time he used to spend with someone, Hae-won was alone.

Hae-won found the emotional investment required for bothersome feelings tedious, so he avoided deep relationships. Being alone felt natural, and if someone was around, it felt cumbersome, so he deliberately avoided it. But now, being alone at this time, a strange, eerie silence washed over him, as if he had been abruptly dropped into a distant, unfamiliar world.

Hae-won leaned his violin against the wall. As he took off his shoes and changed into slippers, his phone rang.

He took off his coat, hung it on a hanger, and pulled his phone from his pocket. As expected, it was Woo-jin.

He was gazing blankly at Woo-jin’s name appearing on the phone screen when the call disconnected.

Hae-won had his own thoughts and plans. In a situation where there were even people sneaking into the officetel to secretly take photos, if he were photographed with Woo-jin, it would be like pouring gasoline on tabloid rumors.

Anyway, it seemed he needed to stay away from him for a while. Either go to Switzerland as Father said, or no, pretend to go somewhere far away and stab Father and Manager Kang in the back to resolve this matter.

Before Woo-jin, who already knew about this, did something, he had to solve it himself. He didn’t want to provoke him.

It was still vivid. The image of Woo-jin standing in the hotel that day, holding the fountain pen dripping with blood like a weapon, mechanically swinging the iron pipe, trying to completely crush the body that had already stretched its limbs like a frog into an unrecognizable shape.

It wasn’t that he was out of his mind or had lost his senses and did such a thing. That was his normal, rational state.

Woo-jin’s actions weren’t impulsive. He wasn’t shocked or regretful about the situation he had caused. As if he had expected such destruction, he calmly looked around, found Hae-won’s violin, and hung it on his shoulder.

Even in that hellish scene covered in blood, he placed the car keys in Hae-won’s trembling hand. He checked if Hae-won could handle driving, and instead, soothed and calmed Hae-won, who was helplessly breaking down, telling him to go to his father’s house.

He still carried that Montblanc product, the same one that had gouged out the thugs’ eyes and burst their eardrums, tucked in his jacket’s inner pocket, and naturally took it out to write when needed. It was even the same color as the one from that time, which had a bluish tint.

Every time he recalled the Montblanc tucked in his breast pocket, Hae-won would shudder as if he had touched something disgusting and repulsive, but Woo-jin, unaware, used it when necessary.

The brutality and cruelty of that time were, like the fountain pen Woo-jin used nonchalantly, merely phenomena or just objects. He was the kind of person who would repeat the same actions if he felt it necessary.

If such a Woo-jin already knew about this matter and found out that Father was opposed to it……

Hae-won didn’t even want to imagine it. A shiver ran down his spine.

He couldn’t do anything immediately, but he needed time to think. Getting photographed would be troublesome, so staying apart for now was best. If Woo-jin knew he was worried, he would try to ‘solve’ it. If he learned that Father vehemently opposed their relationship, he would also try to ‘solve’ that.

That was precisely the part Hae-won was worried about. He didn’t want Woo-jin to try to ‘solve’ anything.

Given time, the rumors would die down, and if Hae-won didn’t show himself, the story would fade from people’s interest.

They just needed to not see each other for a while.

Having thought that far, Hae-won decided to ask Father to handle the reporters and go to Europe. As if scolding that decision, his phone rang.

Hae-won was startled. His heart skipped a beat.

He stared at the ringing phone for a while, then eventually answered.

“……Yeah.”

―Why aren’t you coming?

He asked bluntly.

“Ah, well, Father is really sick. I’m planning to sleep at home today.”

―You’re sleeping there?

“Our father is a huge drama queen. He says he’s dying and where am I going, don’t regret it after he dies, be filial, forcing me so I think I have to sleep here today.”

Even though he didn’t mean it, Hae-won ended up lying. In reality, he had thrown a tantrum, saying he’d never see Father again, and left home. Having nowhere to go, he came to the hotel.

Woo-jin was silent. Hae-won stood by the window overlooking the city nightscape, anxiously looking down. He chewed on the torn skin around his fingernails with his front teeth, the same nails he had been picking at while talking to Father.

―Is he that unwell? I’ll ask Mother. To get him examined right away.

“No. It’s just an act. He does that sometimes. Our father has childish sides.”

Hae-won waved his hand dismissively, even though Woo-jin couldn’t see. Then, realizing his tone was unusually exaggerated, he closed his mouth.

―If it’s an act, why are you there? You should come here.

“I’ll sleep here today.”

His silence grew longer. A lower voice eventually came through.

―……Okay. Got it.

“Yeah……, good night.”

There was no reply. Hae-won hung up first. He quietly stared at the black, turned-off screen. He saw his own face filled with worry.

A deep sigh naturally escaped. Hae-won plopped down on the white bedding.

“I’m hungry…….”

He hadn’t eaten anything. A growling sound came from his empty stomach. Whether it was because his stomach felt hollow, his thoughts kept flowing pessimistically and gloomily.

“Feed me and scold me or something.”

Hae-won grumbled at his innocent father, ordered room service, and took a shower.

The fatigue in his body seemed to dissolve and wash away under the hot water. Feeling refreshed, he came out of the bathroom. He draped the shower robe over his wet body. Drying his hair with a towel, he opened the refrigerator.

As he was gulping down sparkling water, he turned his head at the sound of the chime. It seemed the room service had arrived.

“Yes, just a moment.”

Hae-won, fumbling as the knot of the shower robe wouldn’t tie properly, belatedly opened the door and froze on the spot.

He saw the crown of a man’s head, standing with both hands shoved in his pants pockets, looking down at his feet boredly.

As the door opened, he raised his head.

“…….”

“You told me not to lie to you, yet you lie so casually?”

He was smiling. A refreshing smile lingered on his lips, but his eyes weren’t smiling at all.

He was furious to the core.

Hae-won’s face stiffened in panic.

Woo-jin’s black pupils, like the moist tongue of a snake, meticulously scanned Hae-won from head to toe, even the shape of the properly knotted shower robe, then slowly traveled back up.

Hae-won felt instantly trapped in his gaze.

“……How did you know I was here?”

“Is that important?”

“You said you didn’t put that kind of thing on my phone. Did you have someone follow me again? You said you only had a manager, no other people. Was that a lie?”

“There’s no ‘other people’ or anything. I’ve never lied.”

Woo-jin said he was keeping his promise.

They stood facing each other as if confronting one another with the door still open. Then, the elevator sound was heard, followed by the sound of a moving cart’s wheels. Before Hae-won could shift his gaze, Woo-jin turned his head first. A hotel employee was bringing the ordered food on a cart.

“……You ordered room service, right?”

The hotel employee, who had checked the bill and room number, asked in a subdued voice upon meeting Woo-jin’s eyes. Woo-jin’s pupils were checking the single-serving portion on the tray.

“Can you bring one more of the same?”

The unusual atmosphere, cold tone, and Woo-jin’s polite request with an expressionless face made the employee quickly agree and turn away, almost abandoning the tray.

He hurriedly left down the corridor as if fleeing.

Woo-jin grabbed the tray handle and changed its direction.

“Good timing. I was hungry too.”

“…….”

If the food hadn’t been for one but for two, if the main plate hadn’t been one but two, perhaps the fountain pen inside that jacket would have stabbed someone’s throat.

As he pushed the tray and barged in, Hae-won stepped aside. The door closed.

He shoved the tray aside in any direction and strode in without hesitation, looking around the not-so-spacious hotel room as if searching it.

He yanked open the fluttering beige curtains, flung open the bathroom door to confirm no one was there, and even opened all the closet doors, rummaging through the narrow spaces where no one could possibly hide. After confirming no one was there, he returned to stand before Hae-won.

“What are you doing?”

Even though he was the one who had lied, Hae-won sharply questioned his actions.

“I sometimes forget that our Hae-won likes to spread his legs.”

“……What did you say?”

“I’m hungry. Let’s have dinner.”

He dragged over the tray that had been shoved into a corner and placed the dishes on the table. His gaze urged Hae-won to come over quickly. Standing still, Hae-won glared at Woo-jin.

“What does that mean right now.”

“What does.”

“What do you mean by ‘likes to spread his legs’.”

“You’re asking because you don’t know?”

“Are you doubting me now?”

“No, I’ve never doubted you. Where does it seem like I’m doubting?”

He looked at Hae-won, who was biting his lip and arguing, with an expression of incomprehension.

Expressing his discomfort in that way was his limit, and regardless of how Hae-won felt, visually checking every space where a person could possibly hide was a rational action.

Woo-jin had no idea that such words hurt Hae-won.

“Having room service in a hotel after a long time reminds me of when Hae-won used to touch Hyung’s dick.”

“…….”

“Because Hae-won touched it, Hyung just came in his pants, remember? Didn’t expect you to just reach out and touch there.”

“…….”

“Do you remember, Hae-won?”

You’re that kind of person.

Woo-jin’s eyes ask plainly.

It wasn’t that he was determined to insult, or that he was doubting and being sarcastic; to him, this situation and that question were a natural cause and effect.

“How did you know I was here.”

“Why is that important.”

“It is important. Hyung promised first not to have more people follow me. You also promised not to lie. That you wouldn’t do it again.”

“I can’t do it, but you can?”

“…….”

He was saying the one caught lying was you. It was a fair interrogation, but Hae-won wasn’t that logical of a person.

“Did you track my phone?”

“I don’t do things like that.”

“Then did you attach a magnet?”

“I already said no.”

“How did you know.”

“Sigh…….”

Woo-jin let out a deep sigh as if tired of this circular argument and got up from the sofa. At his approaching figure, Hae-won stepped back, retreating.

Before he knew it, his back touched the full-length window. The hard, cold sensation of the glass felt chillingly through the thin shower robe.

Pushed back to where there was no retreat, he looked up at him.

“Don’t scare me. No matter what you do, I’m not scared.”

“What have I done to you now?”

Woo-jin asked in a hardened voice, as if saying he was just looking, what was he supposed to do.

Hae-won realized anew that Woo-jin usually deliberately acted affectionate. It wasn’t that he showed everything, but having faced his slightly peeled inner self for just a few minutes made his back stiffen and his neck tense up.

The gazing eyes, the looking-down pupils weren’t just pressuring; they were oppressive. The more Woo-jin pressed down on him, the stronger Hae-won’s defiant gaze looking up at him became.

“How did you know I was here.”

“A violin worth over ten billion, that thing perfect for someone to steal, you think I wouldn’t take any measures?”

The blade-like pupils stared at the violin case leaning against the wall and returned to Hae-won.

“What measures?”

“My personality is just thorough like that. Our Hae-won, who lets everything else be as it may be, cherishes his violin like his own life. What if something happens to it? How could I bear to see you cry.”

“What……, what are you talking about? What did you do to my violin?”

“I attached a tracker in advance, in case someone tried something. If anyone steals it, I’ll wipe out their entire lineage. I never intended to use it to track where you are, and I’ve never tracked you before.”

“…….”

“Until you lied.”

Woo-jin’s sharp gaze, threateningly close, painfully struck his body as if hitting him hard.

“Why did you attach that without my permission?”

“To show off later when you’re crying and making a fuss because the violin is gone. That I’ll find it.”

“…….”

“I hate seeing you cry. I hate it because it hurts here.”

Woo-jin’s hand pointed to his own solar plexus.

Whether Hae-won cried in a tantrum or cried from sadness, if even a hint of tears appeared, Woo-jin would be at a loss. Hae-won knew that fact well. When tears welled in his eyes, Woo-jin’s pupils would shake in confusion, and he would try to touch, stroke, and soothe him somehow. Woo-jin said he became powerless when Hae-won cried. He became powerless because he couldn’t do anything, powerless because he didn’t know what to do.

And then it started hurting here.

The person who said it hurts here as if something is stuck when you cry was the same person who had hurt him earlier with the ‘likes to spread his legs’ comment. That was the human named Hyun Woo-jin. Sometimes he made him tremble in fear, sometimes his heart flutter. The man who gave extreme tension and relaxation simultaneously was the person Hae-won loved.

“It’s happening again now. It’s throbbing here.”

“Here?”

Hae-won placed his hand on his solar plexus. Woo-jin nodded that it hurt there. His brow was furrowed as much as possible, and his eyes poured out rough reproach, asking why it gave such an annoying pain.

“Does it hurt a lot?”

“I don’t know. It hurts more because you look like you’re about to cry.”

Hae-won rubbed Woo-jin’s solar plexus as if soothing a child with a stomachache.

The sharpness in his gaze as he expressionlessly looked down at Hae-won, and the sharpness in Hae-won’s gaze as he resisted and looked at him, gradually disappeared and vanished without a trace as the stroking hand on his solar plexus continued.

“I could lose the violin, I’m not a child, why would I cry over that?”

“I’m trying to prevent such an incident in advance.”

“If I lose it, Hyung will just buy me a Guarneri anyway. A three-hundred-year-old one.”

He had heard on the way that Woo-jin’s wealth exceeded his father’s. Hae-won’s father could be said to possess considerable wealth, and if someone had better financial means than Father, it meant they were not at an ordinary level.

“Don’t change the subject. You haven’t explained the lie yet.”

“If I lose my violin, you’ll buy me a new one, right?”

Even though he had made Woo-jin angry, Hae-won pretended not to know at all and sparkled his eyes. It was a somewhat unsettling look. Woo-jin raised one eyebrow awkwardly.

“I’ll buy it. If that happens, I’ll buy you whatever you want, so tell me why you lied. What’s the reason for coming to a hotel instead of staying at your perfectly fine home.”

He interrogated as if questioning.

Woo-jin could only feel at ease if he grasped everything about Hae-won. He needed information. Woo-jin had no intuition, no emotions, so without objective information, he became anxious.

Hae-won grabbed his jacket with both hands. Woo-jin’s black suit wrinkled in a whirlwind pattern.

“I just, wanted to be alone.”

“…….”

What kind of nonsense is that. Woo-jin’s furrowed brow wrinkled even more severely.

“I’m a musician. Being alone is important. I need to contemplate and think about musical depth, as a performer……, sometimes I need time alone.”

“Then you should have said so.”

The tone that had felt terrifying had already softened without him realizing. He was saying that if he had known it was something like that, he would have somehow forced himself to understand.

“Is this related to the two stars from a few days ago?”

“……Huh?”

What sudden star talk is this, Hae-won raised puzzled eyes.

“You said two stars. That you like me as much as two stars. Is this matter an extension of the two stars? Did I barged in without noticing?”

“…….”

It had been a joke.

The fact that he gets serious over star counts is adorable, so I was teasing him. If I say a hundred, he grins slyly; if I say minus a thousand, he ignores me. But if I say two or nine, those ambiguous yet strangely realistic numbers, Woo-jin gets serious from that point on.

“The day before was a hundred, and nothing happened between us, so what does two the next day mean? Is it related to wanting to be alone? Were you angry because we didn’t use a condom?”

“……”

“Tell me. I need to hear it to understand.”

Why do you want to be alone? Has your feelings for me changed? Anxious and uneasy, Woo-jin asked. Hae-won just stared blankly, his eyes looking like they might well up again, making Woo-jin stiffen his expression in bewilderment.

Hae-won firmly resolved to handle things himself before Woo-jin could dirty his hands by doing something reckless.

I’ll protect him. I’ll protect this adorable man, this precious person. It was fine if I was the one to ruin him, but I could never allow, never permit anyone else to ruin him. I won’t stand by and let this man’s career be destroyed. Lost in such thoughts, he was silently staring when the doorbell rang.

He turned his head. It seemed the room service he’d ordered earlier had arrived.

Woo-jin took the food and set it on the table. He grabbed Hae-won’s wrist, pulling him from where he stood leaning against the glass wall. He led Hae-won to the table with the cooling dishes, sat him down, and sat beside him. He placed the cooled food in front of himself and the newly arrived dishes in front of Hae-won.

“You hate eating alone. I’ll just eat this and go. If you want to be alone, be alone tonight. I’ll be in the next room.”

“……”

“Hmm?”

He was trying his best to understand Hae-won. Even if he didn’t understand, he felt he had to, carefully avoiding pushing or pressuring Hae-won.

“I’ll think about it.”

“About what?”

“About trying to hold back liking Hyung.”

“What is it that I like?”

“Pissing inside.”

“……What?”

Woo-jin, who was about to pick up his salad, turned to look at Hae-won with a face that wondered if he’d misheard.

“You said… you wanted to do that in my butt.”

“……”

It was out of context and implausible. A completely random statement. Utterly incomprehensible and impossible to grasp. Woo-jin simply couldn’t read the entity named Moon Hae-won.

“Can’t come inside. Pissing in the butt is dirty, but I’ll try to bear it.”

“Is this also related to the two stars? No matter how I think about it, I can’t connect the dots.”

Woo-jin considers Hae-won’s overt display of desire as a measure of his affection. That’s why Hae-won tends to express his longing for him more directly than with subtle emotional expressions.

There’s a limit to describing feelings of affection with rhetoric, and Woo-jin doesn’t get it. Only by physically pushing forward and staring intently like this does Woo-jin barely grasp the sliver of emotion that words can’t convey.

This is how much I like you.

“Try connecting it. It connects. Two is also a huge number.”

While his mouth spoke beautiful words, Hae-won’s hand, which was not so beautiful, had already pressed firmly on his thigh and was subtly creeping toward his groin.

Woo-jin lowered his gaze between his parted legs. Hae-won’s hand tightly gripped his left thigh, also pressing the flesh resting on his thigh before erection.

He looked at Hae-won’s pale face. The face that looked clean and pure, fresh from a shower, the face that shook Woo-jin’s values, had opened the hotel door wearing only a bathrobe.

Something surged within him, enough to make the back of his neck tense. If the room service that arrived had been for two, he would have thrown one of them out the window, whoever it was.

First, he says he wants to be alone, then glares and asks if he’s attached himself to someone, then cruelly says there are only two stars so he should take the situation seriously, and now he voluntarily places his hand on his groin and touches him as if teasing Woo-jin.

And then he says it’s okay to come. What he said he’d never do even with a knife to his throat, he suddenly, out of nowhere, permits with an angelic face. He’s allowing a disliked act for my sake. Hae-won genuinely likes me. The information he wanted had been gathered.

Realizing that fact, relief washed over him, but his throat also tightened dryly. Woo-jin felt his breath constrict. He hooked a finger into his tie and pulled it roughly.

“It’s not like I’m possessed by a ghost who died from not being able to do that, and I’m not particularly drawn to it right now.”

Woo-jin had caught on to Hae-won’s intention but didn’t want to give in easily. The feeling when he confirmed Hae-won’s lie and learned he was at the hotel was a disgustingly unpleasant nausea.

“You said it’s hard to hold back sexual desire when you’re with me.”

“That was only at the beginning.”

“Not now?”

“Let’s eat. Okay?”

Hae-won, who hates eating alone, ordered room service even if alone. It meant he was hungry. Woo-jin grabbed the back of Hae-won’s hand moving suggestively on his groin, pushed it away, and instead placed a fork in that hand.

“Not now?”

“After dinner, let’s watch the rerun of today’s broadcast.”

“I said, not now?!”

As if threatening to stab him with it if he didn’t tell the truth, Hae-won raised the fork and yanked Woo-jin’s collar.

“Haa…….”

Woo-jin, pulled by Hae-won, let out a deep sigh. Staring at the precarious tip of the metal poised to pierce his eyeball, he spoke.

“It’s still like that now.”

“How much?”

“A lot.”

“How much is ‘a lot’? Say a number.”

“A hundred.”

“……Should’ve said that from the start.”

Only then did Hae-won release Woo-jin’s collar and spear a piece of bread from the plate with his fork.

“Oh, right. That. Wednesday Art Stage. We were going to watch it together.”

Despite having just threatened to stab someone’s eye with a fork, Hae-won cheerfully spoke while chewing bread.

“I watched it live.”

Woo-jin casually replied while fixing his disheveled clothes.

After finishing dinner, Woo-jin turned on the TV. Finding and playing the broadcast clip, Woo-jin placed the remote on the table, raised his arm, and wrapped it around Hae-won’s shoulder, pulling him close.

Leaning his face against Woo-jin’s shoulder and wrapping his arms around his waist, Hae-won didn’t just lean his weight but practically climbed onto Woo-jin, clinging like gum.

The heavy skin scent Hae-won liked mixed with Woo-jin’s body scent, faintly detectable. Hae-won liked that smell so much he rubbed his face against Woo-jin’s shirt. Familiar with this situation, Woo-jin habitually stroked the back of Hae-won’s head.

“It’s starting.”

Still leaning on Woo-jin, Hae-won turned his head. On the large screen, this performance’s collaborating pianist Kim Hee-kyung, Hae-won, and the principal cellist of the broadcasting company’s orchestra walked out together.

“Is that woman a famous pianist?”

“You don’t know who that is? It’s Kim Hee-kyung. You don’t know Kim Hee-kyung?”

“It’s our first meeting.”

“I can’t believe I got to perform with Teacher Kim Hee-kyung. I guess I’ve become somewhat famous too.”

Hae-won didn’t know how happy he was to receive the collaboration offer. Even if it was just one piece for Kim Hee-kyung’s special, it was still an honor.

Even though he was indifferent to everything else, he wondered if this was the reward for never neglecting the violin until now. Then, Hae-won groaned inwardly, ‘Ah.’ This was what Father meant.

He said now that you’re finally being recognized and people are acknowledging your skills, you’ll lose it all. What Hae-won had to fear wasn’t just breaking up with Woo-jin.

If his blindness were revealed and the matter blew up, he might never be chosen by a master like Kim Hee-kyung again. He might even be kicked out of the symphony.

“She must be good. You don’t praise people easily.”

Woo-jin spoke to Hae-won, whose expression had darkened as he became lost in thought.

“Calling a master ‘good’ is a really weird expression, you know?”

“In my humble ears, you’re the master.”

“Don’t spout such nonsense elsewhere. I’d die of embarrassment.”

Hae-won slapped Woo-jin’s cheek, which was stuck to him, with a light smack that didn’t hurt.

The performance began. Woo-jin fixed his gaze on the screen as if being sucked in, appreciating the performance of Hae-won, who was sitting pressed tightly against him.

Hae-won lifted his head from where it was resting and stared intently at Woo-jin. Unaware he was being watched, Woo-jin was already watching the performance he’d seen before, concentrating again. His pupils were deeply, faithfully soaked in a dark hue as if gazing at an idealized world he usually admired. Silently watching that face, Hae-won pinched his cheek and turned it toward himself.

“Hyung listens to music, right?”

“I’ll perform live for you.”

“Aren’t you going to watch?”

“Later, I’ll watch later.”

He blocked Woo-jin’s lips as he tried to speak. Sucking on the thickly wrapped flesh, wetting it with his tongue, he made them lock deeply. He gripped Woo-jin’s cheek even tighter.

Woo-jin’s hand untied the knot of Hae-won’s bathrobe and slipped it off over his shoulders. Helping his touch, Hae-won removed one arm from the robe, then the other.

Now half-naked, Hae-won climbed onto his thigh. The firm arms wrapping his waist tightened around his torso enough to suffocate him. A pained moan leaked from his lips at the touch of hands stroking down his spine and shoulder blades.

“Haa, watching you play the violin… getting excited, huh? That’s not normal, they say, ugh.”

He who said he wanted to be alone, who sarcastically asked why the person who gave only two stars was suddenly acting like this—Hae-won blocked those twisting lips, grabbed his hair, and yanked hard. His chin jerked up. Hae-won, who had risen on his knees, kissed him as if pressing down from above. Excitement enveloped his entire body.

Their wet tongues tangled like earthworms, trying to lick each other even a little more. When their hotly locked lips parted, rough breaths poured out like a waterfall.

“Haa, haa…….”

Holding his face with both hands, Hae-won looked at him. Woo-jin, whose pupils had dilated, quietly asked.

“Do you also get excited hearing your own performance?”

“……What do you mean?”

“I’m asking if you get excited too.”

“Did you imagine doing that every time you heard my performance?”

“Is that why you’re doing this?”

“Unbelievable, really.”

If not, then why are you pouncing on me? He asks curiously. Woo-jin’s hand delved into the bathrobe, caressing the back of Hae-won’s thigh before gripping his buttock. Simultaneously, Hae-won’s body was pulled tightly against him, shaking with a jolt.

His hand rubbed the warming cleft. He pressed firmly on the perineum with his finger. The space between his thighs, braced on his knees, trembled violently. The lewd finger probed and touched between his legs as if rummaging.

“Ah, ngh… that’s vulgar. That kind of, that kind of absurd…….”

“You must have imagined and done every vulgar act possible while elegantly listening to music. I’ve seen it over a hundred times.”

“Trash, Hyung is trash.”

“Yeah, I’m trash.”

Woo-jin, who had been staring intently at the reddened, swollen lips, lowered his head to Hae-won’s shoulder and kissed it. His lips slowly traveled over the flesh down to his chest and bit his nipple. His whole body startled and shuddered. He rubbed the protruding flesh with his lips, taking the entire areola into his mouth and sucking hard.

“Ah, ah…….”

The ticklish sensation of being gently, soothingly sucked soon disappeared, and his lips became as rough as his increasingly ragged breath.

“Ah, it hurts, too, ah, ngh, don’t suck so hard.”

No sooner had the warning not to be rough fallen than he bit the nipple.

“It hurts…! Hyung, it hurts, ah, ngh!”

He pounded Woo-jin’s shoulders hard enough to make thudding sounds, but it was futile. As if determined to reenact that trashy imagination right now, Woo-jin sucked and bit the chest that carries the violin on its shoulder while playing, hard enough to draw pained moans.

The sound of wet flesh slapping and sucking noises flowed into his ears louder than the violin melody. Heightened moans and ragged breaths mixed with Beethoven’s notes.

Hae-won wrapped both arms tightly around the back of Woo-jin’s head. Shrill moans scattered, his breath catching in gulps. As if trying to suck out something that wasn’t even there, with a force that seemed to want to devour something, Woo-jin sucked the flesh so hard his throat constricted.

“Ah, ah, ngh, even if you suck like that…, ugh, nothing comes out. Hyung, Woo-jin Hyung, please, ah!”

Struggling to tell him not to be rough was useless. His chest heaved, his back arched. Hitting, pushing away, even pulling him close and pressing the hot head, he couldn’t detach the firmly clinging lips.

Over the mindlessly squelching noise, Woo-jin’s rough breath burst forth along with his own. It was a determined caress, as if once biting its prey, it wouldn’t allow any intrusion, crushing the jawbone.

Even though the intensity of the vicious biting and sucking lessened, it felt like sharp needle points digging into his flesh.

A soft, warm tongue rubbed against sensations that had become as sensitive as possible. Hae-won stopped his futile squirming to push him away.

“Ah, hheuk, uung, ngh…….”

“Haa, all night long, Hae-won-ah. Hheup, I want to suck this all night long.”

“My chest, stop… stop, stop sucking.”

In response to the plea to stop, he closed his eyes and moved his lips even more intensely. The thick flesh bit the nipple, pressing and rubbing with the tip of his tongue, moving rapidly. Between his legs, trembling as if convulsing, his erect genitals anxiously leaked fluid. Woo-jin’s hand grabbed the thing that surged up, lifting the bathrobe, and simultaneously bit his nipple. He used both hand and mouth to ravage Hae-won’s sensitive areas.

The feverishly heated body temperature, boiling like a low-grade fever, made his vision distant and constricted.

“Hheu, haat, aah, ah!”

Unbearable breaths shuddered, piercing deep into the marrow of his brain like an awl, stimulating pleasure. He felt the area below becoming soaked. Grabbing and stroking up the flesh made sticky with moisture, Hae-won’s helpless buttocks contracted and tightened, flinching.

Woo-jin’s hot breath touched and shattered against his chest flesh. He watched Hae-won, who had lost consciousness and was moaning, as if observing through narrowly opened eyes. He parted his lips and bit the red, swollen nipple between them, crushing it.

“Aah! Hheuk……!”

Whether from pain or pleasure, Hae-won finally burst into tears. Tears flowing down his cheeks hung at the tip of his chin, forming patterns before streaming down his neck.

Tears also flowed onto Hae-won’s chest, which was touching Woo-jin’s cheek. The concentration of the squelching, sucking sound grew thicker, soaked with saliva and tears.

He took the slapping wet flesh into his mouth in a large gulp. When his tongue crushed the fully erect thing, the lower body that had been flinching stiffened with a start, then convulsed.

Semen splattered onto Woo-jin’s shirt and black suit pants.

“Haa, haa, aah…….”

His arms, gripping Woo-jin’s shoulders hard enough to hurt his fingers, trembled violently. Woo-jin intently gazed at Hae-won, who was crying and ejaculating.

Eyes gradually regaining reason looked down at Woo-jin’s ruined clothes. Through the parted bathrobe, raw desire surged. Hae-won covered his lower half with the robe and clumsily put on the stripped upper part. He slumped down as if resting his exhausted body on Woo-jin’s thigh.

“……I don’t think I can move to the next room. Not in this state.”

Hae-won slowly pressed and rubbed his lower body, where the aftershocks of ejaculation hadn’t subsided, against Woo-jin’s thigh.

Woo-jin, who had been quietly watching the low, rhythmic movements as if following a cadence, raised his hand and stroked the wet cheek.

“Trash indeed. How could I leave such a vulgar body alone?”

“Hheuk, ngh… Do it. Do it. Put it in below, please.”

Placing his own hand over Woo-jin’s hand stroking his face, Hae-won pulled that hand down and brought it to his chest, swollen from being bitten and sucked. Woo-jin’s hand pinched and slightly twisted the nipple, thoroughly soaked with saliva.

“Ngh…!”

“Do you like it when I touch you with my hand?”

“Talk more. I want to hear Hyung’s voice. More, talk more.”

Touch me with your hand, caress me with your voice, stimulate me with your whole body—Hae-won sat on his thigh, trembling, and pleaded.

“Hae-won, you just need to be like this in front of me. Whether you’re in heat and leaking below, or can’t hold back and rubbing against me, it’s okay in front of me.”

The touch on his nipple grew lewd. The sexual sensation of rubbing below also intensified. The man’s low voice struck his skin like a violent caress.

“Don’t escape my grasp. Just keep that. Then I’ll hold you in the most depraved way in this world.”

“Ah, ah…, aah.”

Hae-won’s two hands grabbed the hem of his clothes. Pressing his crotch tightly against Woo-jin’s firm thigh, he mindlessly jerked his hips. The flesh that had already ejaculated felt a crumbling pleasure at even the slightest stimulation. It felt like he might come just from his voice alone.

He suddenly drew close to her panting breath. His nose touched Hae-won’s as he came right up to her, breathing in her breath. With each inhale, the scent of his breath and skin flowed down her throat and into her body. It was an unfamiliar, strange odor, as if he were a stranger she was meeting for the first time.

“Ah, hng, ugh…!”

“I’ll fuck you until your hole tears. I’ll cum inside you so much it overflows, until you can’t even swallow it all.”

“Ah, ahh! Do it. Do it…, ah, Hyung, Woo-jin Hyung.”

Woo-jin’s voice felt like a sturdy rope tightening around her body. Breathing was difficult. Her head felt like it would burst, her heart pounded wildly. It beat as if it would shatter her sternum and leap out any moment.

“Hae-won Hyung, you’ve never tasted your own cum, have you?”

“Ugh!”

The lower half of her body, which had been squirming on his thigh, twitched and stiffened. Gripping his clothes so hard the knuckles of both hands turned white, Hae-won trembled all over and froze.

“Ahh…, ah, haa, haa, haak.”

The heat that had been burning her entire body subsided, and not just her mind but her very flesh seemed to fade away. Hae-won slowly loosened her grip and let him go. Raising her disheveled head, she met his piercing gaze.

“Shall we try what I just said?”

Woo-jin’s hand grabbed Hae-won’s hair and pressed it into the pillow. He lifted her collapsing lower body, raising her hips, and as his waist roughly bore down with weight, a choked groan escaped.

Hae-won, buried in the bedding, trembled violently in her limbs. When he pulled up the hair he was holding, her blocked breath poured out all at once as if she were being tortured.

“Haak, haak, haa…!”

“Why are you crying? Huh? Hae-won-ah, don’t cry. We haven’t, ngh, we haven’t even really started yet. Huh?”

Her swollen vulva gripped Woo-jin’s throbbing genitals and wouldn’t let go. His chest and back, heaving as he thrust, gleamed with sweat.

Woo-jin was confused when Hae-won burst into tears during sex. Was it from pleasure, from sadness, from pain? He didn’t know what to do. If it was good, he should push harder; if sad, he should comfort her; if painful, he should stop. But Hae-won never told him why she cried.

“Ahhk, ugh! Ugh! Hngk, ugh.”

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

Hae-won’s cheeks were flushed crimson, as if she couldn’t breathe properly. The wet, slapping sound of flesh against flesh grew louder. Woo-jin spat onto the slick, wet part where they were joined. Hae-won flinched, perhaps feeling the sudden touch of bodily fluid. Simultaneously, her skin stiffened as if contracting.

“I’m going to fuck you until you pass out. Huh? So tell me. Does it feel good or bad, say it…!”

Woo-jin bent his upper body, pressing his chest against her wet back as if sticking to it. As he sped up, moving only his lower half, Hae-won’s crying deepened. The thick testicles slapped hard against her buttocks with a wet, smacking sound.

“Hngk, I’m, I’m going crazy. I think I’ll go mad…, ahh, I think I’ll go mad.”

“Does it feel good? Tell me. Hng, I need you to say it so I know.”

“Ugh, it feels good. Ahh, it’s bad. It’s bad!”

Hae-won, bracing her weight on the bed, grabbed Woo-jin’s forearm in fear of being thrown off by his force. Sticky with sweat, the adhesion of their skin increased.

Even when she spoke, it was hard to guess. Interpreting Hae-won’s language was the most difficult thing for Woo-jin. Now he didn’t know. Woo-jin too had reached his limit. Unrestrained words spilled out randomly. He hadn’t realized before that sex could be an act that destroyed reason to this extent.

He shouldn’t lose his mind over mere lust. He needed to find out Hae-won’s true feelings. Why she wanted to be alone, why she lied to him—he had to figure it out now. But Hae-won’s hot insides were gradually burning away his judgment, turning Woo-jin into someone other than himself.

Damn it, Woo-jin cursed, pulling Hae-won up by her hair and covering her lips with his. He sucked her lips fiercely, pushed his tongue in, licking up the mucous membrane. He sucked as if to pull out the entwined tongue and swallow it.

Gradually, his lower half grew hotter and his head turned white. Woo-jin, who had been thrusting relentlessly even through her screams, groaned like a beast and collapsed on top of Hae-won. Deeply embedded in her perfectly joined lower half, he ejaculated inside Hae-won.

“Hng…!”

The flesh buried deep inside her convulsed finely. Laying his full weight on top of Hae-won, his sweat-drenched back twitched. He let out ragged breaths.

“Haa, haa, haa….”

After the body-shuddering pleasure faded and considerable time had passed, Woo-jin lifted one side of his upper body, leaving what he had embedded inside her as it was.

He saw her pale, bare back. Cruel traces of bruising remained here and there on her nape, and wet, tangled hair clung to it. The sight of Hae-won, perfectly ravished, was excessively sensual.

Woo-jin detached the slickly clinging lower half. As he slowly pulled out the embedded genitals, a thick mucous substance seeped out with it, trickling down the inside of her thigh.

Hae-won didn’t prefer rough sex. She disliked coercive relationships that used force to overpower. When Woo-jin demanded hard play, she would stubbornly refuse, saying she hated it, but in truth, it wasn’t that she hated it—she was scared. For someone who played around so wildly, Hae-won had an innocent, subtly rigid side, and sometimes that tickled Woo-jin’s heart.

Woo-jin’s hand carefully stroked her trembling shoulder. He turned Hae-won over onto her back. Her tear-soaked eyelids trembled blurrily.

“Hngk…, ugh, ugh.”

Her throat struggled to swallow back the tears.

He had tried not to be too rough. If Hae-won hadn’t provoked him, he wouldn’t have hurt her this much. Woo-jin was disgusted by his increasingly uncontrollable behavior in front of Hae-won. Despite having learned patience and endurance for so long, even calming his arousal in front of Hae-won was not easy.

All his plans to slowly hold her, interrogate her about why she wanted to be alone and why she lied to him, and make her confess everything had come to nothing.

Far from making her confess, he had crushed her in an embrace that left him with nothing to say, even if Hae-won were to completely shut her mouth because of this. Although he liked rough sex that made his partner faint, he tried very hard to be careful when he was with Hae-won. He had strived so she wouldn’t dislike him.

Pulling over the edge of the shower robe lying on the floor, he wiped Hae-won’s wet face. Hae-won also gradually quieted her ragged breathing. Grabbing her cheek as she tried to avoid his gaze, Woo-jin persistently tried to look into her eyes.

“Show me your face.”

“……”

“Are you okay?”

“…I’m not okay.”

Her voice, completely drained of energy, didn’t even sound like complaining.

“See, why did you act up? Did you think holding back sexual desire is easy?”

“You said patience was your specialty.”

“I thought I was good at it.”

He reached out and brought over the water bottle Hae-won had drunk from and left. He let Hae-won drink first, then finished the little that remained.

Placing the empty bottle on the side table, he looked down worriedly at Hae-won, who seemed to ache even with the slightest movement.

“If I keep accepting everything Hyung wants to do, I’ll be a wreck. I might not live long.”

“Don’t say such nonsense.”

Once, Hae-won’s faint breathing when she lost consciousness had actually made his heart drop. Since that incident, he had restrained himself from overly rough sex.

Woo-jin gave Hae-won his arm as a pillow and smoothed her tangled hair. He pulled her languidly curling back into an embrace. Burying her face in Woo-jin’s neck, Hae-won mumbled something.

“…I want to go on a performance tour.”

“Huh?”

Her lips, crushed against his neck, made her pronunciation unclear. Letting go of the shoulder he had been tightly holding, he looked at Hae-won. Hae-won, who was trying hard to avoid his gaze, vaguely rested her eyes on his collarbone and spoke.

“I want to go on a performance tour to Europe. Actually…, Teacher Kim Hee-kyung suggested a European tour.”

Kim Hee-kyung had never made such a suggestion. She had only made a passing remark, saying they had good chemistry and she looked forward to the future—a routine compliment. Hae-won had embellished it on her own. If she walked into the officetel with Woo-jin, tabloids would have photos. She just needed to buy some time and resolve it.

“It’s something I’ve always wanted to do. On my bucket list.”

“……”

“Hyung needs to focus on work too, but you can’t because of me.”

“No one makes me unable to or not do my work.”

“Let me go.”

“……”

“Just for a little while. Two months, or maybe three if it’s long. A chance to perform with such a master might never come to me again in my lifetime.”

“That long? If the schedule is set, you can go out and come back briefly, and you can practice in Korea too, right?”

“It takes over a day to go back and forth, how can I do that?”

For a performer, for whom conditioning is paramount, this was physically impossible, and Woo-jin knew that well. He wouldn’t let her touch her before a performance. That’s why Hae-won worked out so diligently for no reason.

“Your manager never mentioned that.”

She had forgotten about the manager who reported her every move to Woo-jin without fail. Hae-won quickly added.

“I haven’t told the company yet. The teacher suddenly suggested it, so I needed time to think too.”

“…So that’s why you wanted to be alone today?”

“Yeah.”

Yes, that’s right. That’s why I wanted to be alone. Hae-won nodded. The downward gaze seemed to see through her lie, making her heart shrink.

“Then let’s go together.”

“…Huh?”

“Let’s go together.”

Hae-won wobbled as she sat up. Woo-jin also sat up.

“What kind of nonsense is that?”

“I’ll be your manager while you’re on your performance tour.”

“What about your work?”

“I’ll quit, whatever.”

His tone was too carefree and light. That made Hae-won angry.

“Hyun Woo-jin, are you really crazy?”

“Don’t use the word crazy. It’s a bad word. And don’t call me ‘you’ to Hyung either.”

He spoke as if scolding an elementary school student.

“You’ll quit your job to go on a trip with me? That’s crazy, is that sane?”

They just needed to be apart briefly until the problem was resolved, but Woo-jin only said things that made her explode. Hae-won was so frustrated she wanted to pound her chest.

“I was never sane to begin with. And my priority isn’t work, it’s you. Nothing else matters much.”

He said it calmly. He didn’t need to handle the worst to prove he wasn’t human trash. Moon Hae-won’s existence made that possible. Simply liking Hae-won, loving her, wanting her, being unable to let go and obsessing over her—that was a later issue.

If Hae-won didn’t provide proof of his existence, Woo-jin would become a monster again, a slaughterer, a snake that eats human flesh. Because she was the only one who made him human, he couldn’t let her go.

“I hate hearing that. Why do I like Hyung? Hyung is most handsome when working. Do you know how exhausting it is to leave the news on all day, even though it’s boring, and not leave my seat because I might see Hyung on it?”

“……”

“Even if it’s very brief, still, still, when I see you, that’s when I like it most. I like that Hyung is in that position. Don’t become trivial.”

Hae-won was sincere. If he were a trivial man, she wouldn’t have liked him from the start. She wouldn’t have been attracted from the beginning. Even if he was twisted elsewhere, he was a man who never compromised when it came to his own work.

“Then perform here. Whether it’s three months or four, it’s not even certain, but I can’t be apart from you for that long. I can’t hold back anymore.”

If Hae-won wasn’t by his side, no achievement at work would feel rewarding, and he disliked being physically apart from her so much that he’d rather quit his job than be separated during that period.

“No matter how much it costs, I’ll bring Kim Hee-kyung here. Do it in Korea.”

“…That’s, that’s not it.”

“I like watching you perform too. I’ll arrange for that master to come so you don’t become trivial, so do it in Korea.”

“You’re not making sense.”

“I compromised, so you compromise too. We just need to find a middle ground.”

“That’s, that’s not it.”

Woo-jin’s lips descended onto Hae-won’s shoulder, which was sitting despondently, and brushed against her bare skin as he muttered.

“Hyung will do everything. However you want it.”

“……”

∞ ∞ ∞

Woo-jin, who had been reviewing a report, looked at his phone screen when it vibrated. It was Jeong Ho-myung. He got up from his seat and went outside. Walking to the trees behind the empty Yeomin Hall, he answered the call.

“Yeah, it’s me.”

―The materials you mentioned last time, I sent them via Telegram.

“Did you dig into it properly?”

―Rather than me digging, wouldn’t it be more certain and better quality information if you looked into it yourself, Seonbae?

Woo-jin had access not only to prosecution system materials but also to intelligence from national security facilities, but because records were left intact, he couldn’t request or view them recklessly. No government agency kept records as thoroughly as the Blue House. That unexpectedly made handling things troublesome.

Not long ago, he had even received a warning call from the Chief of Staff. He planned to lie low for a while.

“It’s a private matter, not official business.”

―Why the journalists?

“Good work. I’m hanging up.”

Before he could even hear “Take care,” Jeong Ho-myung’s voice disappeared. Woo-jin sat on a bench and put the phone back to his ear.

“Manager-nim, it’s me.”

―Ah, I’m sorry. I was just about to send a message. I didn’t forget.

Lee Jin-soo, who had forgotten the report he had to make every two hours, hastily made excuses as if chased by something.

“Hae-won’s SNS accounts disappeared. Is something going on?”

―Well, Hae-won insisted on deleting everything… She said she didn’t like the photos. So I set them to private.

“Weren’t they managed by the company?”

It was an SNS account that the actual owner rarely looked at properly, but Woo-jin enjoyed checking it. Whenever the follower count increased, he felt complicated but also relieved that his judgment was normal.

―She usually showed no interest, but today she suddenly said she hated it. Since it’s an account that isn’t updated often anyway, I just set it to private. Should I make it public again?

Woo-jin hummed, lost in thought for a moment.

―Is that why you contacted me?

“No. That’s not it. I have another favor to ask.”

―Please speak freely.

Lee Jin-soo, who received generous support from Woo-jin, readily accepted his words.

“That person who performed with Hae-won at the recent Wednesday Art Stage, that… Kim Kyung-hee? Kim Hee-kyung? The pianist.”

―Teacher Kim Hee-kyung?

“Yes, that person. I want to make a performance contract with her. Can you look into it? Don’t worry about cost, arrange a program so she can perform with Hae-won and reach out. However much she asks for, pay whatever she asks.”

―…That’s not something I can do.

It was too big a project for Lee Jin-soo, who worked as a road manager.

“Then who can do it?”

―You’d need to discuss that with the President.

“I don’t have the contact information. Then please arrange a meeting with the President for me. Any time after work is fine.”

―I’ll look into it and contact you.

As Lee Jin-soo politely replied and was about to hang up, Woo-jin added.

“Hae-won…, what is she doing?”

―Ah, that… I was actually wondering if I should report this. Hae-won has been in a really bad mood for the past few days. Actually, today she said she wouldn’t go to the orchestra, and I barely persuaded her to come. I was wondering if something happened, thinking of asking you, Secretary-nim.

“Was there such a thing?”

―She deleted her Instagram account and asked to cancel scheduled appointments… Just my thought, but I think she saw that tabloid.

“……”

Ah.

So that was it.

He wiped his face dry. He let out a sigh, making sure Lee Jin-soo couldn’t hear.

The day she lied about needing time alone to think, the story about wanting to go on a three or four-month performance tour… So that was why.

Hae-won, who blamed herself for Woo-jin’s choice to quit his prosecutor job and carried a sense of guilt.

The fortunate thing was that the two stars and Hae-won’s attitude of wanting to be alone were not related.

The day he looked back on was also the day his father, extremely angry after seeing the article, sent it and forcibly dragged Hae-won back to the family home.

So Father found out in the end too.

Since his own father not only ran a hospital but still performed surgeries, he was swamped without a moment to spare, yet even his ears had caught wind of it. It was an issue Hae-won’s father, who was in business, couldn’t possibly be unaware of.

More and more people were finding out. Chief Kwon also seemed to know. He didn’t seem to suspect Woo-jin, and the atmosphere was one of ignoring it as mere gossip. Soon, talk would spread even within the Blue House. It was his own fault for not handling it quickly.

“I think I’ll be late today. Could you make sure Hae-won has dinner? Stay with him until I get back. And please give me the President’s contact information.”

After thanking Lee Jin-soo, who readily agreed, Woo-jin ended the call.

Moon Woo-sik, who had been cutting out the cultural brief from the newspaper featuring pianist Kim Hee-kyung and Hae-won playing the violin beside her with scissors, answered the intercom from his secretary.

“Deputy Lee, what is it?”

―President, a guest has arrived.

“Who? Was there an appointment today?”

He asked while applying glue to the back of the neatly cut-out newspaper, checking its size against the blank space at the bottom of the scrapbook.

―Well…, someone from the country has come?

“From the country?”

―From the government of the Republic of Korea… The Blue House…

“Huh…? The Blue House? The Blue House…?!”

His hand slipped, and the newspaper clipping stuck not in the pre-aligned spot but in a completely wrong place. He shot up from his seat.

“By any chance, is the name Hyun Woo-jin?”

―Do you know him? Yes, that’s correct. Shall I show him in?

“Don’t you dare let him take a single step inside! Call security and kick him out. Kick him out right now! No, call Manager Kang! Call Manager Kang, right now!”

―Understood.

The secretary quickly put down the receiver and hung up the intercom. Startled, Moon Woo-sik fidgeted, not knowing what to do, then hurried to the President’s office door and pressed his ear against it.

“…….”

No sound came from beyond the thick door.

He paced restlessly around the office. He kicked a golf ball rolling on the floor out of the way with his foot, and dragged the indoor golf mat laid out in front of his desk to hide it behind the sofa where it couldn’t be seen.

“Ah, did that bastard snitch? Is this his revenge for telling him to break up, doing it this way to his father? Hae-won, you bastard! I’m not mentally prepared for this yet. Aah, I’m going crazy. This isn’t something I should be hiding from. That damn bastard, right now!”

Belatedly realizing this wasn’t a situation he should be hiding and feeling anxious about, Moon Woo-sik pressed the intercom to call his secretary.

“Deputy Lee, are you outside?”

―Yes, President.

Deputy Lee picked up the receiver and answered, holding it to her ear. Judging by her strained voice, it was clear the guy who was supposed to leave was still holding his ground.

“You still haven’t kicked him out?”

―I called security. I told him to leave, but… he’s still there like that.

Deputy Lee spoke in a voice as small as an ant’s.

“Hmm, did you call Manager Kang?”

―He said he’d come right away. He’s on the floor below.

“Okay. When Manager Kang comes, send that bastard in with him.”

With Manager Kang, a former national judo team member turned violent crimes detective, by his side, he probably couldn’t do any harm. Moon Woo-sik gave instructions in a calmer tone.

He hung up the intercom, sat on the main seat of the reception sofa, tightened his loosened tie, and straightened his clothes. He placed his arms on the armrests and spread his shoulders slightly to appear bigger. Not long after, there was a knock and the door opened quietly as Deputy Lee entered.

“Manager Kang is here. Shall I have him and the guest come in together?”

“Yes. Tell them to come in.”

She respectfully opened the door. Manager Kang entered first, followed by Woo-jin. Woo-jin bowed his head towards Moon Woo-sik in greeting.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Hyun Woo-jin.”

“Is this our first time meeting?”

“Ah…….”

Moon Woo-sik glared fiercely at Woo-jin, who recalled the past dryly. His eyes blazed as if to say, ‘Don’t you remember that incident?’ or ‘Are you trying to play dumb and deny it?’

“We’ve met before. I apologize for what happened then.”

Since he didn’t look apologetic at all, Moon Woo-sik felt a surge of anger.

“Grabbing an innocent person and beating them until the dust flies is the act I despise the most.”

“He wasn’t entirely innocent. It wasn’t important, and since it wasn’t a major crime causing significant harm, I let it slide.”

“…….”

“Because Hae-won didn’t like it.”

“Manager Kang, come over here. Deputy Lee, get me some cold water, filled to the brim with ice.”

The secretary, who had been intensely gauging their moods, quickly went outside. Manager Kang approached Moon Woo-sik’s side and stood guard like a bodyguard. With the large man standing beside him, Moon Woo-sik’s expression grew more confident.

Seeing Woo-jin about to move and sit on the sofa, Moon Woo-sik quickly spoke.

“You stand there. Don’t come any closer.”

Woo-jin stopped and stood firmly in place.

Moon Woo-sik calmly scrutinized Woo-jin. He was tall and handsome, much better in person. He had the pleasant appearance of someone you’d want as a son-in-law if you had a daughter of marriageable age, but unfortunately, Hae-won was not a daughter but a son. Moreover, the eldest son, moreover the only male heir for four generations. Moreover, the son given to him by his first love.

Moon Woo-sik, who had been examining him carefully, opened his mouth.

“About the relationship between you two…”

“My mother has known since long before the gossip started circulating.”

“……What’s this all of a sudden?”

“You’re fond of Hae-won. You sometimes make his favorite foods for him. Last time, you even bought him clothes, saying they’d suit him well. In our household… Hae-won is… cherished.”

“You think I’d dance for joy just because you say your family cherishes our Hae-won? You think I don’t know your family is conspiring to lay hands on our Hae-won? Was it you who made Hae-won leave home saying he’d never see me again?!”

It seemed Hae-won had even threatened that he would never see his father again. As Woo-jin clicked his tongue inwardly, the secretary came in, placed a cup of water filled to the brim with ice on the reception table, and left.

Moon Woo-sik gulped down the cold water. After finishing the water, as if he wanted to chew Woo-jin up like this, he crunched and gnawed on the ice.

“I heard you got very angry.”

“You can’t take responsibility for Hae-won’s life.”

“…….”

“It doesn’t matter if you’re capable or not. Our Hae-won grew up pitifully, losing his mother when he was young. The only thing he knows how to do is play the violin. He’s my child, but unlike you, he’s a naive kid who doesn’t know a thing about the ways of the world.”

“…….”

“He’s just starting to see the light. What do you think you’re doing, turning a kid like that into… that? Think about it, if that gossip had circulated with real names. Do you think our Hae-won could appear on TV again and perform as a violinist? Do you think he could perform again with such famous people?”

Moon Woo-sik showed Woo-jin the newspaper he had cut out to paste into his scrapbook. Woo-jin’s downcast gaze fixed on the newspaper with a conspicuously empty space.

“It’s the same for you. If someone in a key government position gets caught up in such rumors, your future is finished.”

“I don’t care.”

“What did you say?”

At Woo-jin’s reply, Moon Woo-sik frowned.

“I don’t care what happens to me.”

“Is Hae-won more important, is that it?”

“Yes.”

There was no hint of falsehood anywhere in Woo-jin’s consistently serious demeanor. While Moon Woo-sik looked at him with dissatisfaction, inwardly he was grateful for that attitude.

He thought Hae-won, whom he believed had no sense, at least had an eye for people. He looked at Woo-jin regretfully, thinking he had chosen well. No matter how much he smacked his lips, the fact remained he was a man.

“Come here and sit.”

“…….”

Despite the invitation to sit, Woo-jin didn’t budge from his spot. So Moon Woo-sik continued, implying he should just stand and listen.

“……I care more about my child than I do about you. I think you’d feel the same. And if that’s the case, if you have any consideration as the older one, end it. Break up with our Hae-won. I’ll handle the gossip. You go your way, and let our Hae-won go his. I think that’s true love.”

Moon Woo-sik glanced sideways at Manager Kang standing beside him. Manager Kang nodded in approval as if to say it was an excellent speech.

“I feel the same.”

Woo-jin raised his downcast eyes and looked at Moon Woo-sik. His expression, unchanged from the beginning, showed no sign of being affected or impacted by the suggestion to break up. It seemed even if a bug flew at him and he kicked it away, his face wouldn’t show such indifference.

“Feel the same? Feel the same about what?”

“Hae-won is important. Nothing else matters. That goes for you too, Father.”

“Why am I your father?!”

Even if he had asked him to kneel, it wouldn’t have been satisfying enough. The brazen face held high, the gaze and tone as if issuing a command, were extremely displeasing. Moon Woo-sik couldn’t contain his anger and huffed. If Woo-jin said anything more, he was ready to tell Manager Kang, the former national judo representative, to pick that bastard up and throw him into that corner.

“I’ll handle the reporters, so please don’t stir up unnecessary trouble and just stay quiet. That’s what I came to tell you.”

“What? Stay quiet? Don’t stir up trouble?”

“It means don’t make the situation worse.”

“Hey! I’m Moon Hae-won’s father! Do you think I’ll approve of you after hearing such insolent talk? I don’t know if your family cherishes our Hae-won, but I certainly do not!”

“You won’t even listen to what I have to say, so do you think Hae-won will listen to you? Whose words does he listen to anyway? Whether you approve or not, the one who doesn’t care isn’t me, it’s Hae-won.”

Woo-jin retorted, asking if he didn’t know his own child that well. Since it was an undeniable fact, Moon Woo-sik fell silent like a mute who had eaten honey.

“Please don’t make Hae-won anxious by making excuses for me. Don’t say things like it’s a sacrifice or that it’s for his own good. I heard from the agency head that you’re meeting with reporters today.”

Moon Woo-sik had arranged to meet them at a bar today. He had also prepared plenty of cash. He had to at least slip them some money and somehow turn it into a baseless rumor.

“Are you… are you really going to ruin our Hae-won’s life?”

“The one who sent me to prison was Hae-won.”

“…….”

“If you insist on weighing the gains and losses of this relationship, I’m the one at a greater loss.”

He was spouting nonsense with a loose tongue. Moon Woo-sik was genuinely upset.

“What does that mean? That our Hae-won is beneath you compared to you? Is that what you want to say? Our Hae-won is a world-class violinist who performs with Kim Hee-kyung and is the associate concertmaster of the Hangyeong Symphony! He’ll soon become that!”

Moon Woo-sik flared up. Objectively speaking, it did seem like Hae-won was the one at a disadvantage. Woo-jin’s parents were well-respected, and he himself possessed both wealth and power.

No matter how much money Moon Woo-sik had, they were figures he could hardly compare to. Come to think of it, wasn’t his ex-fiancée said to be the daughter of some chaebol family?

Hae-won was his child, but even viewed in the best light, he didn’t reach that level. It wasn’t that he lacked anything, but his personality was fundamentally flawed.

“And yet, I’m the one clinging to Hae-won.”

“…….”

“There’s nothing to gain from it, yet I’m the one clinging to him. I’m sorry, but if you interfere, Father, I’ll have no choice but to employ my own methods.”

“……Methods? What methods?”

The tension heightened momentarily at his calm tone. Moon Woo-sik flinched guiltily even though he hadn’t done anything wrong.

“I will mobilize every means at my disposal to ensure you have no time to concern yourself with this matter.”

“…….”

Although he didn’t specify what those methods were, Moon Woo-sik would have bet his entire fortune that they weren’t good ones. In the quietly meeting eyes, he sensed a consistent, quiet sort of madness.

It was said that once he bit down, he had a knack for grinding someone into a pulp, and he was an expert in that field. He was so good at it that he was recognized by the state and did the work of breaking people down.

It wasn’t a threat, nor was it hurling abuse, yet Woo-jin’s entire being, those quiet eyes, became like icy blades, subtly pressing down on the back of his neck. He was a guy with an extraordinary skill for intimidating people.

“I’m the one who became Hae-won’s father.”

“I know.”

“Do you think Hae-won would be happy if he knew you threatened me?”

“Threaten? I meant that I would handle things on behalf of you, Father, who must be busy.”

“What exactly have you been saying you’ll handle since earlier?”

“The things you’re worried about, Father.”

“And why do you keep calling me Father? Who said I’m your father?”

“That’s…….”

Woo-jin fell silent for a moment as if caught off guard by the unexpected question. Didn’t they usually address each other like this in weekend dramas? Was the situation different? Was there another form of address? His mind became tangled.

“If it displeased you, I’ll correct it. Mr. Moon Woo-sik.”

“…….”

“I’ll meet the reporters. I’ll let you know the results later. Then, I’ll be going now.”

∞ ∞ ∞

The front of the members-only club on a weekday was quiet. Woo-jin parked his car in a nearly empty spot in the parking lot and got out. The still-chilly spring breeze licked the nape of his neck and passed by.

Woo-jin went inside and was guided by an employee. He headed towards a room decorated like a private chamber. The employee knocked on the door for him. When a response came from inside, he opened the door.

“Have a pleasant time.”

Three or four reporters and the head of Hae-won’s agency were sitting together. It seemed a round of drinks had already been poured, as their faces were flushed red.

“Oh? Hello. I didn’t really think the secretary would actually come. Nice to meet you. I’m Lee Jin-hwan, a reporter from Donghae Daily. I requested an interview through the public affairs officer, remember me?”

“Yes, I know.”

Perhaps slightly drunk, one reporter staggered towards Woo-jin and offered a handshake. Even after extending his hand, he couldn’t stand straight and swayed.

Woo-jin merely stared blankly at the offered hand. As if expecting this, the reporter withdrew his unshaken hand without showing any displeasure.

“I made a polite off-the-record request, so what was so upsetting about it? Do you know I got demoted? Thanks to you, Secretary, I’m now running around with first-year rookie grunts doing errands and playing mawari.”

When he hinted that he had not just rumors but solid evidence, Woo-jin, who had been consistently ignoring him, finally reacted. Woo-jin had been the one to demote this reporter to the bottom of the social affairs department.

When he started spreading the gossip in earnest, Woo-jin had now come in with his tail between his legs. This reporter laughed at him heartily. He had no intention of letting this matter slide easily.

“I’m in charge of the entertainment department, so I see this kind of thing all the time. But it’s my first time seeing a former prosecutor, a high-ranking Blue House official, rolling around with a man. Moreover, isn’t the current secretary quite a rising star in politics right now? This kind of thing makes a story. It sells well. People love sensational stuff.”

“Everyone, please, let’s not do this and just sit down. Secretary, please have a seat too. We gathered to have a pleasant drink and sort things out, right?”

The agency head tried to lighten the mood, forcing a smile as he seated the reporter. He poured drinks and tried to placate the reporters whose moods had soured.

Woo-jin also sat opposite them. A few reporters who had received the source from this reporter sat together, wearing sneering smiles. Their eyes held the natural expectation of being handed money, offered an exclusive scoop no one else could get, or being placed in some position.

It was an irrationality Woo-jin would not tolerate or acknowledge. Moreover, to do such a thing targeting Hae-won… Woo-jin, who knew exactly what kind of person he himself was, found them pitiful.

He could finish them off right here, or he could let them live, keeping their necks attached. If he chose to let them live, he had to make it clear who spared them so he could hold their leash and use them later. If he chose the opposite, he must leave no trace. He had to render them incapable of ever wagging their tongues again. That was the power Woo-jin pursued.

Woo-jin took out an envelope from his inner jacket pocket. He took out the contents and passed them around for each to take one.

“You’re quite impatient. What’s this, giving us something like this as soon as you arrive?”

A reporter chuckled as he picked up the documents. Their smiling faces, which had been reading the contents, suddenly froze as if doused in ice water, plummeting straight down.

Woo-jin watched them, then twisted off the cap of an untouched water bottle. Until he finished drinking and set the plastic bottle down on the table, they didn’t even make a sound.

The agency president, wondering what was going on, glanced at the documents of the reporter sitting next to him. The reporter roughly shoved him away and crumpled the paper violently.

“What the fuck is this?!”

“Do you know why people fear a prosecution investigation?”

Woo-jin continued, looking at the messy drinking scene with contemptuous eyes.

“It doesn’t end with just one person dying.”

“……”

“You seem to have a lot of problems with your in-laws, Reporter. Father-in-law, his friends, your brother, your brother’s wife, that wife’s friend, that friend’s friend, and that friend’s friend… Humans are social animals.”

“……”

“It doesn’t end with being demoted or losing your job. We can keep dragging it on. That’s why the Korean prosecution gets criticized. They don’t let it end. The moment I decide to kill you, the moment I decide to eliminate you, the judicial institutions, the power institutions, operate that way. Until you can’t endure it.”

“……Fuck, is it necessary to go this far? We just tarnished a name, gave a hint about someone? It’s just gossip! No one believes that stuff! It’s just gossip!”

One reporter shouted resentfully, venting his anger. A liquor bottle fell to the floor, shattering with an ear-splitting sound. Woo-jin kicked away the glass shards rolling at his feet with a tuk.

“I don’t want to do this either.”

“……”

“Try making up a story to dismiss it as nonsense. You’re all good at that.”

Woo-jin, who had been staring piercingly at each of their pale faces one by one, stood up from his seat.

“President, let’s talk for a moment.”

He gestured for the bewildered agency president to follow and left the room first.

The president was curious about what he had been given to provoke such a reaction, but fearing he might get into trouble if he showed unnecessary curiosity, he pretended not to know and hurriedly got up. He fled the room, which had instantly turned into an execution ground.

Spotting Woo-jin standing in the parking lot outside the building, he quickly caught up.

“Secretary.”

Woo-jin, who had been smoking, turned to look at him with the cigarette between his fingers.

“Try to arrange for pianist Kim Hee-kyung to perform a duet with Hae-won.”

“Teacher Kim Hee-kyung? The one who performed with Hae-won not long ago?”

It was a sudden command, but the president had no time to feel offended.

“Yes, that woman.”

“Given her academic schedule, performing might be difficult. She teaches kids at a German music university.”

It was a sudden proposal. Even if they tried to arrange it, there was no guarantee that world-renowned pianist would easily agree, and it was highly unlikely that she, a music university professor, would perform at such a time.

“And if Teacher Kim Hee-kyung performs a duet with a violinist, that would be her accompanying, so she probably wouldn’t do it. Last time, the piano was the main focus too.”

“Try to structure the program around Hae-won. Don’t worry about the cost. Offer ten billion per piece. With that amount, she probably won’t refuse. I don’t know that field, so handle the deal with an appropriate amount.”

The president was shocked by the ten billion figure that casually came out of his mouth.

“……Yes, I’ll look into it first.”

“I’d like Hae-won to wear black that day. A sponsor can make such a request, right?”

Clothing is usually decided based on the day’s weather or atmosphere—moreover, male artists have limited choices—it wasn’t a very important matter, but Woo-jin suggested it in a serious tone as if it were the most important thing.

“Ah, of course, depending on the case, you can request it. Though if Hae-won refuses, there’s no way.”

“That’s why I’m asking. Black suits Hae-won well.”

For some reason, the president couldn’t meet his eyes and awkwardly averted his gaze.

At the sound of footsteps from behind, Woo-jin glanced over the president’s shoulder.

“You should go now. Contact me once it’s decided.”

Woo-jin put the cigarette, which had been burning all along, back to his lips.

“Then, I’ll be going. Thank you so much for your help today.”

“Go.”

Woo-jin gave his arm a tuk push, as if telling him to stop talking and leave. Wondering what was happening, he looked back and saw one of the reporters approaching with a vicious look, as if ready to stab Woo-jin to death at any moment.

The president, checking Woo-jin’s expression, quickly walked to his car. Fortunately, he hadn’t been drinking, just in case.

Not being an agency that formally handles celebrities involved in incidents and accidents every other day, but the president of an agency managing classical artists, he wasn’t used to such things. He hurriedly drove away as if fleeing.

Woo-jin took a deep drag on his cigarette until his cheek hollowed. The reporter approached, breathing heavily.

“I don’t particularly like gossip spreading that way either. People lose interest over time and forget quickly anyway.”

The reporter warned that it would be easier to throw them what they want and cover it up, asking why they were stirring up a hornet’s nest when there’s no benefit for anyone.

“I suppose so.”

As Woo-jin replied breezily, the reporter’s agitated breath weakened somewhat compared to the forceful urgency with which he had chased after him.

He had only come out hoping to get a free drink, intending to build connections with a high-level contact. He hadn’t expected to face such threats.

Woo-jin blew white cigarette smoke directly into his face. The reporter coughed and stepped back.

Avoiding a car crossing the parking lot, Woo-jin moved his steps under the building. The reporter followed him. Woo-jin offered him a cigarette. Standing in a dark, shadowy corner, they smoked.

“What was your name again?”

“Park Jung-min. Herb Post.”

“So you have nothing to catch on. You must have lived cleanly and kindly. Your people too.”

“Well, such trivial threats don’t work on me.”

Reporter Park smirked and blew smoke back directly into Woo-jin’s face. The ashy smoke enveloped his entire face and disappeared.

Woo-jin looked at him and suddenly laughed. Smiling as if they were accomplices, Woo-jin, with the cigarette between his fingers, suddenly grabbed the reporter’s head like a rugby ball. Reporter Park gasped, his eyes widening.

With brute force, he slammed the captured head straight into the cement wall. With a thud, a heavy impact sound, the back of the reporter’s head crashed against the wall as if being crushed.

“Ugh!”

Reporter Park momentarily couldn’t see. He blinked. His vision turned pitch black, unable to see anything. A faint smell of cigarette smoke reached him. A low voice muttered something near his ear, but he couldn’t hear it.

It was the back of his head that was hit, but something gushed from his nostrils. It was warm, lukewarm liquid. A bloody smell wafted.

“I learned a lot from the last incident.”

“Huuuuh……”

“First, I decided to humbly admit that I’m insane. I’ve been denying that fact for a very long time.”

“Wh-what are you…, ugh!”

The grip that had been tightly holding the gradually recovering Reporter Park’s head slammed the back of his head into the wall again. Thud. Perhaps the back of his head split open, dark red liquid began to splatter on the gray wall.

“What should I do? I feel like killing you right here.”

“Y-you’re insane. Doing such a thing…, you think you’ll be okay…, ugh.”

“Let’s say we got into a bit of a fight, something like that. We were drinking, mental state weakened, there’s nothing more convenient than playing with the sentence for manslaughter…!”

“Ugh!”

“This kind of thing is my aptitude.”

“Sec-Secretary…, ugh, please spare me, spare me.”

“Will you shut up and preserve your life, or shall I make you disappear without a trace?”

“Spare, spare me. Please…, please.”

“That kid is quite pretty, right?”

“Who, who are you talking about…, aah!”

Pulling up the grabbed hair, the reporter’s legs frantically supported the floor as if dangling in mid-air. Pain surged as if his scalp was being torn off.

“He plays well too. I want that kid to keep appearing prettily on TV, playing the violin. As if nothing happened. As if nothing will happen in the future.”

“……Ugh!”

“Will you make that happen, Reporter? Huh?!”

Woo-jin thud, slammed the back of his head into the wall again. Reporter Park’s shirt collar had turned red with blood.

“You’ll make that happen, right?”

“Yes, yes…, yes yes!”

“Thank you. Since you understand well, it’s convenient for both of us, isn’t it?”

“Uuugh!”

“Tell your colleagues. If they want to badmouth me, they can do it to their heart’s content. But not that kid.”

“Uuu…, ah, understood, ugh.”

“Not that kid. Understand? If even a hair on that kid’s head is harmed, then I can’t help it either. Huh? I’m scared because I don’t know what I might do.”

“Ugh!”

“You understand what I’m saying?”

“Yes, yes! I understand. Under…, understand!”

“Good. Seems like you understood well.”

As Woo-jin laughed and released the hair, Reporter Park’s knees buckled, and he slid down the wall, collapsing onto the floor with a thud.

Woo-jin, looking down at him, turned his gaze and finished his cigarette while taking in the busy street lights.

It was nearing one in the morning.

Woo-jin arrived at the parking lot. He saw manager Lee Jin-soo waiting for him in front of the car Hae-won used. Woo-jin parked his car next to it and got out.

“Sorry for keeping you so late. You’ve worked hard.”

“No, not at all.”

Lee Jin-soo shook his head, saying it was fine. Woo-jin took out his wallet from his back pocket. He pulled out all the bills inside and handed them to him without counting. Lee Jin-soo really liked this habit of his, which showed no sense of economy.

“Thank you as always. For being so considerate.”

Lee Jin-soo bowed apologetically and tried to take the money Woo-jin offered. Even before receiving the money, his mouth twitched with unconcealed joy at the extra income that came every month.

Before Lee Jin-soo could snatch the money, Woo-jin’s hand stopped abruptly in mid-air. Lee Jin-soo looked at him.

“The weather was quite cold today.”

“It gets very chilly at night. Seems spring hasn’t come yet.”

“Don’t you think Hae-won drinks too much iced coffee?”

Lee Jin-soo let out a sigh. It was something he had been pointed out about before.

“That… I do tell him not to drink iced coffee if possible. But Hae-won, as you already know well, Secretary, doesn’t listen at all, to anyone’s words.”

“Schedule management isn’t the only role of a manager. Cold drinks lower body temperature instantly, reducing a person’s immunity. Especially in this weather, it’s a perfect condition to get sick. Managing the physical condition and mental state of a performer is also the manager’s job.”

“I’ll stop him from drinking it somehow. Even if I have to throw my body in the way.”

“Yes, please do.”

Lee Jin-soo, realizing he was being pressed for a definite answer, promised earnestly.

Only then did Woo-jin move his hand and place the money securely in his hand. Lee Jin-soo, holding the cash, smiled brightly, then froze with the smile still on his face upon seeing something like dried bloodstains on his hand. It definitely looked like bloodstains.

“Is something wrong?”

“Huh? Ah, it’s nothing. Um, Secretary. There are gifts sent to the company, what should we do? Discard them like before?”

Lee Jin-soo hurriedly opened the car trunk. Various shopping bags and gift packages were piled inside.

As Hae-won appeared in the media, people claiming to be his fans sent gifts and letters to the agency office. Most were disposed of by Woo-jin before reaching Hae-won.

Before, he hadn’t paid attention to that, nor had he the time to. After accidentally discovering some unpleasant, unidentified dried substance inside a gift, he and Lee Jin-soo agreed not to give gifts directly to Hae-won.

It was a natural law of nature that bugs would swarm a face perfectly shaped to be chewed like side dishes, and the problem was there were too many crazy people in the world.

Woo-jin tore open the sky-blue wrapping paper. This fan, who had often sent gifts before, had considerable expertise in classical music. Using sophisticated vocabulary, it was a perfect fan letter containing an overall review of the last concert, sharp impressions, praise for Hae-won’s musicality and technique, and even song recommendations for what he’d like him to play.

Woo-jin, holding the letter as if picking up trash with tweezers, read the contents and flipped the paper over. Contrary to the letter content that seemed like the best fan letter for a violinist, the back of the stationery had several photos of Hae-won from music magazines attached.

This pervert wasn’t a fan because of Hae-won’s musicality but had an extreme interest elsewhere. Not Hae-won’s entire image was captured, but only specific parts were cut out and pasted.

The nape of the neck, fingers on the fingerboard, lowered eyes, earlobes—those parts Woo-jin particularly liked and his lips often lingered on.

The gifts sent along with the letter, hoping Hae-won would use them, were items that would directly touch the body. A custom tumbler, a luxury handkerchief engraved with Hae-won’s initials, underwear that would touch intimate areas.

Woo-jin opened the tumbler lid and looked inside. His brow furrowed slightly. Unable to hide his disgust, he roughly put the underwear gift and letter back into the box with rough hands.

“Fucking disgusting.”

“……Huh?”

“Who knows if someone rubbed their dickhead on that, and things touching the skin are unhygienic and not allowed. Especially food items are absolutely not allowed. Understood?”

“……Understood.”

It was a shame since it was luxury, but there was no choice. Once, company employees shared gifts Hae-won didn’t take, and one employee got severely sick after eating something.

Since then, edible gifts weren’t even opened. It was regrettable that gifts from good-hearted fans were all discarded because of one crazy person.

“Then I’ll be going now.”

“Take care.”

After the manager left, Woo-jin separately kept the address from the wrapping paper that could be used to track the sender.

Lying in bed trying to sleep, Hae-won couldn’t keep his hands off his phone and scrolled through photos of Woo-jin.

It was a picture of him, who once said he couldn’t sleep, looking like he might collapse from accumulated fatigue at any moment, saying things Hae-won didn’t understand what he meant, now sleeping soundly, oblivious to the world.

Hae-won, watching how soundly he slept, felt sleepiness washing over him too. His black hair, lying face down, was messily disheveled, and he wore an expression as comfortable as afternoon sunlight. But for some reason, one fist was tightly clenched.

Woo-jin, who clearly went to sleep in a light t-shirt, always had his top off by morning, no one knowing when it was removed.

Having built his body diligently in the idle prison, his physique isn’t very noticeable when clothed, but when undressed, an unexpectedly good back is revealed. Hae-won wanted to touch those sturdy shoulders with his hands.

Hae-won, who had zoomed in on the sleeping Woo-jin’s face and pretended to poke his finger into his nostrils, quickly turned off his phone screen at the sound of the door lock opening and pretended to be asleep.

Hae-won was in a cold war with him.

Angry at Woo-jin for not sending him on a performance tour, Hae-won hadn’t spoken to him. Earlier in the day, it seemed Woo-jin called the manager, asking what he was doing.

Hae-won placed the bow on the string, pretending to draw it, and pricked up his ears to eavesdrop on what Lee Jin-soo was saying, but it was in vain.

Anyway, he planned to continue his silent protest until he was promised to be sent to Europe. Father said he’d handle the gossip. If he just laid low for a while, everything would quiet down.

Lying with his back turned, Hae-won listened for signs of him entering.

He was quiet for a long time after entering the officetel, perhaps looking at the sleeping Hae-won. After a long period of silence, he began moving quietly.

He changed clothes, showered, and towel-dried his wet hair. For a moment, a soft light on the dining table turned on as he did something.

Hae-won, without changing his lying position, pretended to sleep and listened to his sounds.

Suddenly, his chest ached.

It was nearly two in the morning, and he was still bustling about, not sleeping. Woo-jin couldn’t sleep long either. Remembering the old Woo-jin who suffered from not getting proper sleep even during those short hours, a suffocating pain tightened his chest even more sharply, though it wasn’t happening now.

He wanted to call out to the busy man and tell him to rest now, but Hae-won didn’t move an inch. Not a single word of his about quitting work because of him felt grateful or moving. This was the perfect opportunity to make him realize just how much Woo-jin’s attitude disgusted him.

He was determined not to let him lay a single finger on him. If he climbed onto the bed, he’d kick him off.

On one hand, he felt a sharp ache, pitying him for being so exhausted; on the other, he was timing when to kick him off.

Much later, all the lights went out except for the soft lamp on the dining table. The surroundings darkened. The city lights streaming in from outside faintly illuminated the area.

A refreshing body shampoo scent wafted over. Woo-jin, who had approached without notice, pulled back the covers and lay down beside Hae-won. Hae-won made his turned-back figure even more resolute.

Don’t touch me. If you touch me, I’ll kill you. He firmly tightened his crossed arms.

He felt a gaze fixed on him. That spot tingled.

Since I can’t sleep without you, at least allow me to lie next to you. Otherwise, I’ll end up holding your hand under the bed again, he’d say, subtly groping for his hand, putting on a thoroughly calculated pitiful act to stir Hae-won’s compassion.

Woo-jin’s breath, firmly believing Hae-won was asleep, broke softly near the nape of his neck. Moist lips settled on his neckline. The sound of Woo-jin’s lips rubbing along his neckline occupied his ears. Hae-won didn’t move a muscle. If he went any further, he’d really kick him off.

When he licked his nape, took his earlobe between his lips, and rolled it around, sucking softly, the moonlight’s seductive energy streaming through the window kept scattering his firm resolve. An unpleasant yet strangely thrilling chill arose.

With a thud, a heavy arm that felt suffocatingly weighty rested on him, embracing his waist. Hae-won watched through narrowed eyes as a hand began unbuttoning his pajamas one by one.

“Take your hand off.”

“I want to sleep.”

“You want to have sex because you want to sleep?”

When had he ever touched him with his hands while saying he’d help him sleep? Hae-won asked in a sharp voice, as if he didn’t remember that day. It was Hae-won who had ruined his habits like this.

Woo-jin couldn’t sleep without Hae-won beside him, and even with him there, he couldn’t fall deeply asleep without touching or holding him. Falling asleep while smelling Hae-won’s scent was his joy.

“The biochemical hormones secreted during ejaculation are related to sleep.”

“What?”

At his sudden shift into lecture mode, Hae-won frowned without even turning to look.

“When reaching orgasm, brain activity slows, and oxytocin, serotonin, and prolactin are released—these hormones induce immediate fatigue and drowsiness.”

“What?”

“It’s not just hormones. From an evolutionary perspective, there’s an argument that sleep is the most effective way to recover the energy expended after intercourse. Rapid recovery is necessary to engage in intercourse again, ultimately leading to species preservation, so the human body evolved to feel significantly drowsy after sex.”

“Do I look like I want to listen to your evolutionary theory lecture right now?”

“You asked if I want sex because I want to sleep. It’s not just wanting sex to sleep; there are valid reasons like that.”

“So what, you need hormones because you have to sleep?”

Sensing Hae-won’s unusual mood, Woo-jin realized he’d made a mistake.

Intercourse with Hae-won couldn’t be explained solely by hormones or evolutionary theory. It happened too frequently and took too long. There was something beyond physiological desire.

Woo-jin stopped short of saying that. It felt like he’d become a beast. Honestly, wanting to smear his secretions, his bodily fluids, on Hae-won, even wanting to make him hold them inside, was a desire felt most intensely, surpassing hormones and evolutionary theory. It was no different from dogs lifting a leg to mark their territory with urine.

Woo-jin wanted to mark his territory on Hae-won. The reason he wanted sex was to fully enjoy the feeling of perfectly owning Hae-won’s mind and body without a single gap through intercourse.

He resolved not to let slide the bastard who sent Hae-won underwear of unknown origin.

“That’s not all.”

“……”

“Because I love you. I love you.”

“Don’t change the subject. I’m not falling for it.”

“Hae-won. Hyung is tired.”

“I’m tired too.”

“Can’t you help me sleep?”

“……”

Woo-jin pulled the coldly acting Hae-won into an embrace from behind, burying his face deeply in the space between his shoulder and neck.

As if to prove his words, he pressed his lower body tightly against him. The fully erect, hard volume rubbed starkly against Hae-won’s thin clothing. At the startled reaction, as if a cold hand had suddenly swept down his back, Woo-jin pressed closer below and rubbed.

“Do you know how hard it was to hold back in the office while watching your performance replay during the day? Cut me some slack.”

“I’ve seen plenty of people who don’t listen to my performances with their ears but chew on them with other things, but a psycho like you—no, a pervert—is a first.”

“You said you’d let me do as I want. That you liked me just as I am.”

“That’s the problem.”

Why on earth was liking something a problem? Woo-jin found Hae-won’s words difficult.

“Why is that a problem? If you like Hyung, just like him.”

“The problem is not disliking a pervert psycho like this. Being a pervert and a psycho on top of it… it’s thrilling.”

“Are you insulting me or confessing? Say it in a way that can be interpreted.”

“I like it… When you act like this, it’s thrilling.”

“I get thrilled too when I touch you, when I look at you. This place hurts sometimes. Isn’t that strange? Isn’t that how it is for everyone when they like someone?”

He thought he meant his chest when he said this place hurt. But the place he claimed hurt was the lower body pressing against him, his erect genitals. Hae-won simply nodded.

Yeah, that place could hurt. If you like someone too much, if you’re so thrilled because you like them too much, it’s perfectly normal for that place to hurt.

The effort he’d been steeling himself with to prevent being touched was in vain. Hae-won couldn’t resist Woo-jin’s tricks. The one who liked more was undoubtedly him.

Embracing the turned Hae-won as if binding him, he slightly pulled down his pajama pants too. Heat already emanated from the thrusting body, warming the inside of the covers.

Sweeping over the sticky skin, Woo-jin also pulled his own pants down below his pelvis and pushed the hardened flesh into the cleft between Hae-won’s buttocks.

“……Haa, don’t put it in. Cleaning up is annoying.”

At Hae-won’s request, Woo-jin let out a regretful sigh and nodded slightly. He thrust the leaking genitals deep between his thighs and moved. The inside of his thighs felt tightly filled. The tightly clinging lower bodies writhed together. The rubbing, grinding skin felt like it would burst.

As Woo-jin lifted his hips and thrust strongly, Hae-won’s lower part also grew hot. Hae-won reached back and grabbed his hair. Woo-jin’s lips rubbed against Hae-won’s cheek, chin, everywhere they could reach.

In a distant, hot thrill, Hae-won turned his head to meet his gaze. Facing him, Woo-jin brought his lips over. Rubbing lips, they sucked each other frantically. He gripped the back of his head even more fiercely.

“Haa, ah, aah… Let me go. My performance tour… haa, let me go.”

“……”

“Hmm?”

He knew all too well that Hae-won deliberately brought that up now. When Woo-jin’s shell softened, unable to hide his instincts, revealing his vulnerable inner self, Hae-won never missed the defenseless state where he couldn’t refuse anything or defend against any blade, prodding and entering.

“I want to go. Aah… I want to go… ah. I love you, Woo-jin Hyung. A little more, more. Hmm? Let me go.”

The struggle, pouring out all the words Woo-jin liked, grew even more heated. The tightly gripped hair pulled, causing pain on his scalp.

He was looking at Hae-won. His pupils shook. His flushed lips parted. Hae-won’s sweet breath seeped into Woo-jin’s breathing, sweetly penetrating his throbbing joints.

“Are you listening to me?”

“I’m listening.”

“Let me go. Haa, I want to go. Hmm?”

“Where do you want to go? Want to go? Should I let you go?”

As the genitals wedged between his thighs moved impatiently and chaotically, Hae-won’s also rubbed together. The stimulation intensified, and Hae-won made a dazed gesture.

“Not there, Europe… hmm? Let me go.”

“Haa, don’t say that. Don’t even dream of it. I won’t let you go anywhere.”

“You bastard. Do I need your permission to go? I’ll go. I’ll go, ah…!”

Woo-jin thrust his hips rapidly. He panted as if his breath would give out. The inside of the covers was hot. Even without moving much, rubbing their heated bodies violently made sweat break out. Woo-jin’s forearm squeezing him felt slippery against his skin.

“You can’t go. You can’t go anywhere. You can’t… without my permission, absolutely not.”

“Bastard… ah, bastard… Hyun Woo-jin, you bastard.”

“Hyung will handle it. Don’t worry. I’ll handle everything.”

“Don’t…! Ah, don’t, just for a while, let me leave for a bit… aah.”

Exhaling a heated breath, Hae-won resisted. It was an unclear resistance—whether rejecting the pleasure melting his whole body or the word “handle.”

“I’ll kill them all. Hmm? Hyung will… all of them, everything that interferes, ugh.”

“No. No… don’t do that. No.”

“I’ll kill them. I want to kill them. Let me kill them.”

“No, aah, no.”

Fierce gestures rejected and denied his words, his actions, his entire movement. Woo-jin licked Hae-won’s cheek and bit his nape. He embraced the heated body as if to burst it. The firm tendons on his wrist stood out distinctly.

Imprisoning Hae-won in his arms, he began thrusting his hips in earnest. Hae-won’s body shook. Sensation heightened to an extreme. Hae-won’s chin tilted back, and his waist curved in the shape of him crouching and thrusting.

“Ah, ah! Hyung, Woo-jin Hyung, ah, please, aah…! No, don’t do that!”

“Haa, Hae-won. There are too many things you can’t do.”

“No, ah…!”

The embraced bodies stiffened and shuddered simultaneously. Ejaculating, Woo-jin bit his neckline as if sucking blood; Hae-won’s fingers trembled, gripping his hair so tightly it might break.

“Haa, haa, haa…”

As the pleasure sweeping through his whole body passed, ragged breaths burst out.

Over skin streaming with sweat, Woo-jin calmed his panting breath and kissed him.

Hazy eyes looked up at him. Hae-won loosened the grip of his clenched hand. His hair was disheveled all over.

Woo-jin reached out, took a tissue from the side table, and brought it into the covers, which felt hot enough to burn. He roughly wiped the flowing fluid and pulled up Hae-won’s underwear and pants.

While he threw the crumpled tissue into the trash, Hae-won turned his body weakly and lay facing Woo-jin.

He combed through Hae-won’s sweat-damp, tangled, clinging hair with his fingers. Woo-jin made Hae-won’s face clearly visible in the dim moonlight.

Not the languid, relaxed eyes after ejaculation, but eyes with a sharp intelligence were before Hae-won.

“No.”

Hae-won said firmly.

“There are too many things you can’t do.”

Woo-jin replied as if resigning himself to something. It was the resignation that ultimately, he wouldn’t be able to refuse any request Hae-won made.

“You promised not to do bad things. That you wouldn’t hurt anyone.”

“……”

“If you do such things, I’ll hate Hyung. I won’t see you again.”

“Won’t see me again?”

“Won’t see you again.”

“Only say what you can keep.”

The tone, resembling Guarneri, was chillingly harsh and cold. Hae-won’s two hands gently held Woo-jin’s coolly angry cheeks. His stiff brow stared at Hae-won as if tearing into him.

“So promise you won’t do anything.”

“……”

“Promise.”

“Fine. And you, don’t talk about staying apart for a while or going on some performance tour you don’t even want.”

“……I think it’s because if problems arise for Hyung because of me, I won’t be able to forgive myself.”

Hae-won was sincere. Hae-won’s eyes stared at his bare shoulder. On his sturdy shoulder remained a grotesque scar. It was the mark of being struck with a stone by someone trying to kill him. Delicate fingers traced and touched the now-only-a-trace wound. A deep shadow fell under his lowered eyelashes.

“Hyung… I hope things go well for you.”

“I hope things go well for me too.”

“Right, so don’t do bad things.”

At Woo-jin’s words, Hae-won gave a tired smile.

Orgasm relaxes the body and mind. The hormones secreted during intercourse promote sleep, causing sudden drowsiness after sex.

Hae-won’s eyes flickered.

From an evolutionary perspective, humans expend considerable energy during ejaculation; calorie consumption including foreplay is similar to walking at 5 km/h, but the heightened mental and emotional state is similar to stress overload, leading to strong lethargy after ejaculation. The most efficient activity to recover from that is sleep. That’s why after sex, fatigue suddenly intensifies, and drowsiness floods in. That’s the human body and the law of nature.

Woo-jin watched Hae-won, who had fallen into drowsiness, with clear eyes, quietly, for a long time.