4 – Side Story 4

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“Long time no see, prosecutor. Ah, but you’re not a prosecutor anymore, right? Congratulations on your promotion.”

Kim Seok-ho from the Criminal Investigation Unit extended his hand to Woo-jin, who was getting out of the car, offering a handshake. Woo-jin buttoned his jacket and shook his hand firmly. The thick hand gripped his tightly before letting go.

“You must be busy with official duties, so thank you for handling this so quickly.”

“How could I neglect a complaint from you? It had to be dealt with first. Shall we go up then?”

At Kim Seok-ho’s nod, two investigators waiting in the black van, the Criminal Investigation Unit vehicle, got out. Their location was an apartment complex in the city center.

The four dark-clad men moved in a group and boarded the elevator. Kim Seok-ho pressed the button. They got off on the 14th floor. Standing before the front door visible as soon as the elevator opened, Kim Seok-ho rang the bell.

—Who is it?

A man’s voice was heard.

Kim Seok-ho, who had been looking around as if surveying the area, spoke in a slightly raised tone.

“Gas meter reading.”

—No one’s home right now. Could you come back later?

It seemed he didn’t even consider himself a human. To the man inside who said no one was home and to go away, Kim Seok-ho, instead of saying something like ‘Aren’t you a person over there?’, posed a normal question.

“There’s a fine if we can’t do the reading today. Is that okay with you?”

—Ah……, then come in.

The fact that he didn’t even know exactly how a gas meter reading was done showed he was only an adult in voice.

The man let out an irritated sigh as if it were quite a bother and opened the door. Through the half-opened door stood four men who looked nothing like gas meter readers. The face of the man who opened the door immediately turned pale. Just as he seemed to realize something and tried to close the door again, Kim Seok-ho yanked the doorknob hard. The rough recoil caused the man’s body to spill outwards.

“Ah, what the hell!”

As the man stumbled forward, almost falling, Kim Seok-ho swiftly twisted and grabbed his arm. He skillfully bent the arm behind the man’s back and slammed him against the wall. With a thud, the man’s chest was pressed against the wall.

“Ugh……! What is this? Why are you doing this? Let go! Fuck! Let go, I said!”

“Stay still! What was it, Mr. Choi Woo-jin, trespassing, special theft, and what else? Prosecutor?”

Woo-jin, who had been watching from behind, added.

“Violation of the Psychotropic Substances Control Act.”

“Arrest him for that.”

“Ugh, let go! What on earth are you talking about?!”

“Never sent a drink laced with stimulants to violinist Moon Hae-won? Never sneaked into an officetel and stole things? You bastard, you should have picked your stalking target more carefully!”

As the captured body heaved and struggled, Kim Seok-ho pressed down with force, restraining him so he couldn’t move an inch. It was a strength impossible to resist.

“Fuck, I never did any of that!”

“Mr. Choi Woo-jin, mind if we take a quick look inside your home?”

As Woo-jin smoothly opened the door, into which he had wedged the tip of his shoe just before it closed, Choi Woo-jin turned pale and screamed not to.

Ignoring Choi Woo-jin’s plea as if he hadn’t heard it, Woo-jin went inside. Passing through the clean and tidy living room, he opened the first door he saw. It wasn’t the room of Choi Woo-jin, who had just become a college student. Kim Seok-ho and the detective dragged Choi Woo-jin inside.

“Let go! I said let go!”

“Stay still before we cuff you and drag you away.”

“Don’t! Hey! Don’t open it! You fucking bastard!”

Choi Woo-jin cursed with all his might. Kim Seok-ho, keeping his face at a distance, grumbled that his eardrums would burst.

When Woo-jin opened another door, Choi Woo-jin screamed. The room looked utterly ordinary, fitting for a college-aged youth. He first confiscated the laptop and rummaged through the desk drawers. He pulled out a Nike shoebox stashed in a corner.

From the moment he saw it, he felt something foul. Ever since this punk, not knowing his place, had bothered Hae-won, he had sensed he was rotten seed.

“Twelve years younger, huh.”

Woo-jin muttered coldly, as if disgusted. Several photos of Hae-won and personal items he hadn’t even realized were missing came out. There was even a disposable cup that looked like Hae-won had drunk from.

“We should make him completely lose his reproductive ability.”

His hand crumpled the empty cup with a crunch and threw it into the trash can.

Before the clear evidence, Choi Woo-jin groaned in despair.

“Mr. Choi Woo-jin, where’s the package?”

“What……, what are you talking about?”

Avoiding the piercing gaze, Choi Woo-jin’s pupils darted somewhere and back. Woo-jin looked where his pupils had pointed. The bed. Swiping under the bed, a flat, wide package box came out. The shipping label with Hae-won’s officetel address was still attached, unopened.

“Seems we have sufficient evidence. Shall we take him in now?”

“Then we’ll be going ahead. Take care, sir.”

“Ah, let me call my mom. Let me use the phone. Ah, mister!”

“Quite a problematic friend.”

Woo-jin walked toward Choi Woo-jin, who had called him ‘mister’, with a terrifyingly cold face.

“I, I’m sorry. I just, just……! Just, I liked Hae-won hyung, we even ate together once! Liking someone isn’t a crime, is it?”

“It is.”

“Huh?”

“It’s a crime.”

“Ah, ah, wait a minute. Mister! Mister!”

“Inspector, Choi Woo-jin live burial, no, secret burial. No, no.”

As if finding his own word choice absurd, Woo-jin shook his head alone when no one laughed and chuckled emptily before continuing.

“Please book him and process it as swiftly as possible.”

Kim Seok-ho said he would do so and almost dragged away Choi Woo-jin, who was thrashing about. Woo-jin handed the insignificant shoebox and laptop to the other investigator. He only took the package box and left Choi Woo-jin’s apartment.

Woo-jin was preparing dinner, having rolled up his dress shirt sleeves to his elbows. The moment he put down the violin, Hae-won hugged his waist from behind, standing at the kitchen counter, and rubbed his face against his back.

It was the broad back of the man Hae-won liked and loved. The dress shirt hem touching his cheek was soft.

“Darling, when did you get here? You said you’d be late.”

“Just a while ago. Go wash your hands. Time for dinner.”

At the ‘darling’, Woo-jin chuckled softly. He laughed emptily at whatever Hae-won said. He often chuckled to himself with a time delay, pondering something, and at those times, he looked like a villain plotting some conspiracy or scheme.

“Don’t wanna. It’s bothersome.”

“Do you know how many bacteria are on your hands? It wasn’t penicillin that changed humanity’s paradigm, it was soap.”

“My hands are clean. Nothing’s on them.”

As if putting his own words into practice, he turned on the faucet at the sink and washed his hands again, though he had already washed them multiple times while washing ingredients. Water splashed noisily onto the watch on his wrist. He clearly wore a waterproof watch because he washed his hands so much.

“Hurry up.”

He urged in a mature voice, but Hae-won didn’t loosen the strength of his arms clinging to his back. While he busily chopped something, put it on the fire, and stir-fried, Hae-won had to hang onto that back and follow him around.

“Hyung, you said when you cook, your dick is mine.”

“Yeah, it’s your dick.”

“Haven’t touched it all day. Darling, I need to touch your dick now.”

As if touching this would bring good fortune, Hae-won subtly lowered his hand and brought it to his pants. He grabbed and lifted as if clutching the entire groin area. A substantial weight was felt. It was truly fortunate it wasn’t the age of random erections. Carrying something like this between your legs without showing it was no ordinary feat.

As he fiddled and toyed, his thing took shape and grew as if filling out. The playful touch gradually deepened. As his thing increased in volume, Hae-won became excited. Collecting his uneven breath, he carefully exhaled and diligently kneaded and fondled the plump, soft chili pepper, stroking it swish swish swish swish until the soft thing hardened. Hae-won breathed shallowly through his nose, wholly absorbed in the act.

Woo-jin, who was actually on the receiving end, was focused on cooking as if nothing was happening.

“Hey, does it feel good?”

“…….”

“Doesn’t it feel good?”

“It feels like being molested.”

Woo-jin replied after a moment’s thought.

Actually, he was annoyed. He wanted to focus on cooking right now. He was picky about taste. Food eaten outside didn’t suit his palate, and what others made didn’t satisfy him either. He couldn’t have every meal at a five-star restaurant, and he didn’t have the time or leisure for that. In that case, it was more efficient to make it himself with his own hands.

He wanted to make it delicious and feed Hae-won too, but the hand causing trouble was so bothersome he wanted to detach it.

“If you’re being molested, why does it keep getting bigger the more you touch it? Aren’t you enjoying it?”

“Touch it after eating. Go wash your hands. Dinner’s almost ready.”

“I told you my hands are clean.”

“Hae-won.”

“Woof woof woof.”

Woof woof woof, yap yap yap, Hae-won pressed his lips against his back and made dog barking sounds.

Woo-jin’s hand, which had been slicing onions at regular intervals on the cutting board, paused.

Hae-won often made dog barking sounds like that when Woo-jin said nagging things he didn’t want to hear, meaning ‘stop talking nonsense’.

It wasn’t to annoy him, but to provoke him into madness by dredging up that time when Woo-jin had grabbed his own hair, barked ‘woof woof’, and hurt him. Without any warning or heads-up.

“…….”

Woo-jin turned to look at Hae-won hanging on his back. Hae-won raised his eyes and looked at him.

Black pupils devoid of luster gazed quietly at Hae-won. His vast, dark world where beings not in human form, animals that couldn’t breathe, plants that couldn’t take root existed. When Hae-won looked into his eyes where nothing could be felt, his spirit felt buried, as if someone had blocked the air passage.

“Woof woof, I told you not to do that.”

“Woof woof.”

“Hae-won.”

A knife was in Woo-jin’s hand. Hae-won subtly lowered his gaze. He was holding a kitchen knife in his right hand. The genitals of Woo-jin he was touching with his hand weren’t swelling with excitement but had hardened like stone.

“Seems that phrase really puts you in a bad mood. It’s not getting any bigger.”

“Don’t woof woof.”

As if warning not to stir up that memory, not to set fire to the flammable liquid sloshing at a dangerous level, and that he wouldn’t warn twice more, he spoke in a dry tone. His sharp gaze was like tender skin getting cut on casually flipped paper. In his tone, something like a murderous intent he couldn’t hide by nature precariously resided. It struck Hae-won and passed through.

“Grandfather’s dick.”

“…….”

“I like Grandfather’s dick.”

“Moon Hae-won.”

“Yes.”

“Stop it.”

“……I’ll go wash my hands.”

Hae-won, who had subtly avoided his gaze, slid his hand off his lower body and went into the bathroom.

He deliberately turned on the strongest water pressure, making a loud gushing sound as he washed his hands. Simultaneously, he keenly observed Woo-jin’s figure, of which only his back was visible beyond the open bathroom door.

Woo-jin wasn’t moving. He wasn’t slicing more onions or cleaning up, just standing there. After being quiet for a while, he slowly started slicing onions again.

Hae-won let out a sigh of relief as if he had survived a death crisis, his heart collapsing.

Hae-won, coming out of the bathroom, approached him setting the dinner on the table.

“……I washed my hands clean.”

“…….”

Without a word of praise, he placed plates on the dining table. Hae-won sat on the chair and just watched Woo-jin setting the dinner without moving a finger.

Woo-jin sat side by side next to Hae-won. The moment he took his seat, Hae-won pulled his chair straight closer.

“Are you mad?”

“…….”

“Darling, sweetheart, Grandfather, mister, hyung.”

“…….”

He subtly reached out his hand and kneaded the genitals he had touched earlier. As Woo-jin picked up his fork, he lowered his gaze and looked at his own lower body and Hae-won’s impure hand.

“Do it in moderation.”

“You told me to wash my hands and touch it.”

“Stop it.”

“…….”

The hard tone was frighteningly severe. He seemed truly angry. Hae-won, gauging Woo-jin’s mood, withdrew his hand. With a sullen face devoid of appetite, he picked up his fork. Poke poke, he fiddled with the dinner he had made. They ate without any conversation. The dining table atmosphere was chilly.

That time when he lost control of himself, was swayed by Hae-won, and hurt Hae-won remained as a dirty memory for Woo-jin. He had shown the side he had desperately hidden, never shown to anyone, never wanted to be seen, to the one person he least wanted to see it. Hae-won had found out. In the eyes looking at Woo-jin, steeped in that vicious fear, resided the identity he had so vehemently denied. In that moment, Woo-jin was the snake and monster that frightened everyone. That was his definitive reality.

“I want to drink wine.”

While lost in such thoughts, Hae-won muttered as if talking to himself. As if newly realizing Hae-won was beside him, Woo-jin turned his head.

Hae-won was looking at him with worried eyes. Eyes that, despite having seen all that, remained unchanged.

“I want to drink wine. I want to drink wine?”

Hae-won said again.

Was he not scared now? Or was he never scared from the beginning?

Back then, Hae-won had desperately tried to escape Woo-jin’s grasp. Shuddering with intense fear as if sulfur fire that would ignite and vanish upon touch, a filthy contagious disease that would make him vomit blood if transferred, were about to touch his body.

Having seen that state, yet still barking ‘woof woof’ in front of him again, Hae-won wasn’t in his right mind either.

“I’ll get it for you.”

Letting out a deep breath, Woo-jin stood up. He selected the wine placed in the dark inner part of the shelf. Holding two glasses between his fingers, he returned to the dining table.

He sat down and opened the cork with an opener. He placed the wine bottle on the floor and turned it several times to let air in. He poured wine into Hae-won’s glass, and Woo-jin poured about half for himself.

Hae-won pressed his lips together and watched as if admiring those neat, clean movements like a sommelier.

As Woo-jin didn’t seem in the mood to clink glasses, Hae-won swirled his glass and drank alone. He took a sip and gulp swallowed it down his throat.

Woo-jin also drank his wine. As Woo-jin quietly continued eating with only the sound of utensils clinking, Hae-won spoke.

“It’s delicious. Goes well with the cooking.”

“Seems so.”

“Why are you so good at cooking, hyung?”

Woo-jin’s mood had sunk to the point where he didn’t want to say anything, but touched by Hae-won’s effort to somehow open a conversation, he opened his mouth.

“Got good at it from doing it. You should try it too.”

“You must have been busy studying, did you have time to learn cooking?”

Hae-won ate instant food, delivery food, and things like hamburgers that Woo-jin claimed were cheap just fine. As long as it was food that could go into his stomach without causing trouble and convert to energy, anything was fine.

“When I was in school, someone played a prank on my school lunch. After that incident, food made by others felt unclean and was hard to eat. Thanks to that, my palate became picky too. It felt better when I made and ate it myself. So I started. Since I was doing it anyway, I wanted to learn properly too.”

“Someone put something in your lunch? What, were you bullied, hyung?”

“…….”

While putting another bite into his mouth, Woo-jin looked at Hae-won. He instantly lost his appetite and put down what he was eating.

“So you were bullied. Kids played pranks and harassed you with food and stuff.”

“…….”

“Ahh, so our darling learned to cook because he was bullied. His palate became sensitive since then too. Hmm, but I saw you eating pork belly and soju just fine before. Is your palate really sensitive?”

Already dumbfounded by Hae-won’s rudeness in repeating that unpleasant word three times, Woo-jin finally laughed as if exasperated.

“When Moon Hae-won personally wraps ssam and feeds it to me, how could it not taste good?”

Woo-jin just laughed it off.

That incident hadn’t left a wound on Woo-jin, but it wasn’t a pleasant memory either because he had to go through so much trial and error.

School couldn’t blindly solve the socialization he hadn’t experienced as a child. Being in a group actually made adaptation harder. Group life became easier once he started imitating someone in a similar environment with similar intelligence, but in his earlier school days, many children subtly avoided and distanced themselves from him, and some attacked and ostracized him.

The children feared Woo-jin, who was different from them in some way. They feared him more because they didn’t know exactly how or where he was different. Ostracism was a struggle to dilute that fear.

They would mix dirt into Woo-jin’s school lunch or sprinkle eraser shavings over it. That level was considered cute. After entering high school, there were occasionally more severe incidents. The reason Woo-jin learned mixed martial arts, hapkido, and any other combat sport he could find was also because of those kids.

Natural selection in evolution ultimately means survival of the fittest. To become someone who could survive even in extreme situations, Woo-jin had to spend a school life almost indistinguishable from a struggle. He was merely trying to overcome it, but people around him kept dying. And someone blamed Woo-jin.

You killed them, they said.

“You… what about you, Hae-won?”

“When I was in school?”

As if to cut off that connecting thread, to prevent Hae-won from thinking any further, Woo-jin abruptly asked.

“I just… went to school. I wasn’t bullied. I just didn’t like the kids because they were too much like kids.”

Even though I was a kid too, I found kids that age childish and immature, and I hated being part of that group itself. From that time, Woo-jin seriously began learning cooking and martial arts, and Hae-won from that time began liking older people.

“Ah, you didn’t like them because they were childish?”

“They all seemed to have intelligence problems, every single one.”

“Hmm.”

As he looked at Hae-won with a subtle smile at the corner of his mouth and a meaningful gaze, Hae-won asked with his eyes, ‘What?’

“Our Hae-won must have been much more precocious than the other kids.”

“I was a bit like that. Half an adult.”

“Ah, so that’s why.”

“What do you keep ‘ah, so that’s why’-ing about?”

Hae-won asked sullenly, what exactly are you agreeing with, to Woo-jin who seemed to be ruminating on some amusing thing only he knew.

“Flirting with teachers, flirting with instructors, was that why?”

“I never did that. I lied back then to make you jealous.”

To make Woo-jin, who showed no interest in him, jealous, Hae-won at seventeen would claim he had seduced his piano instructor, had his first kiss then, or hadn’t, dredging up past fingers and toes. Some parts were true, some were exaggerations.

“Not even dry behind the ears, not studying.”

“I did study. Why do you keep forgetting we graduated from the same university?”

“If it weren’t for me back then…”

“…What are you talking about?”

The hair and nape of the male student wearing clean-looking white summer uniform were damp, soaked in transparent, cold water.

It was summer. Woo-jin recalled that the weather was extremely hot that day. Perhaps because his flushed cheeks from the heat were wet with water. The moisture was stubborn. Hae-won, having soaked his entire body like that, looked back at Woo-jin with wary eyes.

Woo-jin stared at him intently, recalling Hae-won standing in front of the bathroom sink that day. Hae-won’s expression grew puzzled in his clear eyes.

It was something that happened over a decade ago. Over a decade ago, Woo-jin and Hae-won had met. Normally, he would have passed by. No, he wouldn’t have paid any attention at all. It was only much later that Woo-jin realized why he had pointlessly meddled back then.

“Want to keep touching?”

“Huh?”

The eyes that had been facing Hae-won, who was looking back as if to say ‘what are you talking about?’, looked down at his own lower body. Hae-won followed his gaze downward. It was the space between his legs, spread to a moderate width. Hae-won reached out his hand without hesitation. It seemed Woo-jin’s mood had completely softened, as he became quite talkative.

“It feels good when you touch it. It’s mine. Mine gets bigger when you touch it. I think becoming rich feels like this. Like the feeling of a fixed deposit you put in growing steadily.”

“If our Hae-won is going to preserve his chastity, Hyung has to work hard.”

As Hae-won came closer and kept touching below, Woo-jin instead scooped up food and fed it into his mouth. The gripping strength of his touch gradually increased, and he moved his body uncomfortably.

Feeding Hae-won a bite, taking a bite himself, continuing the awkward meal, Woo-jin, having reached his limit, suddenly let out a frustrated sigh.

“Haa… come up here.”

“Huh? Where?”

“Sit on my lap.”

Hae-won showed no sign of hesitation and tried to get up to sit on Woo-jin’s lap. He stopped Hae-won’s movement and spoke.

“Take it off.”

“…Huh?”

“Take off your bottoms.”

“While eating dinner…?”

“Yeah, while eating dinner.”

Hae-won stood up awkwardly. He gave a gentle urging look, telling him to hurry up and take them off.

“You’re such a pervert.”

“I know. I’m trash.”

Instead of Hae-won, who was just standing there with his hands only on his pants buckle, Woo-jin reached out as if to take them off for him. Hae-won lowered his arms. He stood facing Woo-jin as if entrusting himself to him.

Staring intently up at Hae-won, he slowly undid the pants buckle. Zzip, he lowered the zipper too. Hooking his fingers into the underwear, he pulled them down along with the pants. His buttocks and bare legs were revealed, white. Eyes that seemed to bore holes stared, taking in every corner of Hae-won.

Each time those feverish eyes swept over him, Hae-won felt as if he were being subjected to blatant voyeurism. The raw sensation of his exposed pubic area feeling exposed wasn’t due to the unfamiliar air, but due to someone’s gaze.

“Come here.”

Woo-jin pointed to his own lap. Hae-won hesitated and sat on his legs.

Sitting on his thighs like a chair, he fidgeted uncomfortably. Woo-jin’s hand reached over from behind and picked up the utensils on the table.

He scooped food and fed it into his mouth. Hae-won had to open his mouth and lick the already cold food and the cold touch of the utensil entering his mouth with his tongue.

This wasn’t the first time he had sat squashing his thing, but because he was wearing pants and only Hae-won was half-naked, the feeling was extremely unfamiliar.

Woo-jin continued the meal, one bite for Hae-won, one bite for himself. One utensil went back and forth fairly between their mouths. The thing below was swelling to the point where the foreign object sensation of the seated part was uncomfortably noticeable.

“Should I get down?”

It was an awkward and embarrassing position. Hae-won wanted to get down now. Eating wasn’t easy either. Unable to receive it properly, some food spilled, some messily smeared around his mouth. Onion fried in oil fell onto his bare leg. Woo-jin’s hand brushed off what had gotten on his leg.

“I want to get down.”

“…Stay still.”

A suppressed voice came from behind. Hae-won, who had started to get up, paused.

“It’s uncomfortable. I want to get down.”

“Just stay. Hyung will feed you.”

Woo-jin scooped a generous amount of sauce and fed it into his mouth again. He tried to receive it well, but it wasn’t easy. Like a child with a bib, red sauce wet his chin and dripped splatter down Hae-won’s leg to the floor.

Hae-won looked down at the mess below. He fed something else into his mouth again, but Hae-won couldn’t eat at all. Again, it fell between his legs, onto the inside of his thigh, and sauce got on his clothes too.

“Keeps spilling like a baby.”

Woo-jin’s finger swept up the sauce that had dripped down the inside of Hae-won’s thigh. What was meant to wipe it away pushed it further inward instead. He put the scooped-up sauce directly into Hae-won’s mouth. Hae-won sucked his finger. He licked the tangy, sweet sauce and swallowed it down his throat. The sticky, sucking sound came through as peculiarly obscene.

Woo-jin wiped the remaining residue and messy saliva on his hand onto Hae-won’s thigh with a few swipes. The hand with tomato sauce smeared between the fingers reached for the wine on the table. Alcohol was useless to him, who never got drunk no matter how much he drank. It was directed toward Hae-won’s mouth.

Not feeding, but as if deliberately spilling it, the red wine he couldn’t swallow in time wet his clothes damply as it flowed down. Woo-jin’s hand dug under his top, swept over his stomach, and came up to his chest.

Because he bit and sucked so much, his nipples were always sensitive. Sometimes, even just his collar brushing against them caused unpleasant pain. The sticky hand smeared with tomato sauce touched his nipple. Hae-won’s spine trembled weakly.

“Ung…”

Woo-jin wrapped one arm around the waist of Hae-won sitting on him and lifted him slightly. With his other hand, he undid his belt and pulled open his own pants buckle. He lowered the zipper and pulled out his erection, which seemed about to burst.

Hae-won grabbed the firm forearm holding him. He tilted the angle of his genitals downward. There was no space to enter. He had no choice but to sit back down on it.

“Haa…”

Woo-jin let out a stifled breath. Each time he exhaled, Hae-won’s body faintly surged up and heavily sank down in tandem.

Woo-jin tried to push inside. His lower body twitched on its own, and his buttocks gave a weak, twisting motion as if squeezing his thing.

His hand suddenly took the olive oil that had been in the salad. Hae-won, who hated sauce, couldn’t say ‘don’t put that on me, don’t let it touch my skin,’ and even when he shook his head, Woo-jin ignored him.

He calmed his unstable breathing. It felt like something slippery was being poured onto his skin. His pants would get dirty. He might not be able to wear them. Spreading the oil onto the blunt end of his own flesh, he slowly lowered Hae-won’s waist, which he was embracing.

“…Ah, ah, aah, u…”

Hae-won bit his lip. The teeth biting into the red flesh trembled. Woo-jin also let out a painful groan. Because of the olive oil, the flesh slid in too smoothly. At the large volume pushing aside the organs inside his body, Hae-won had to gulp, huk, his breath. His lungs tightened to the point his chest felt stuffy.

Once he pushed it all the way to the root, Hae-won’s buttocks sat completely on his pubic bone. Hae-won couldn’t move an inch, as if impaled on a harpoon.

“Uht…”

“Haa, we have to eat. Hae-won-ah. We have to… finish dinner.”

He also seemed to feel considerable pain from the pressure. Woo-jin scooped the remaining food and fed it into his mouth. Hae-won, whose lower back had stiffened rigidly, forced his mouth open.

Less than half the food entered properly, the rest spilled out. Red tomato sauce spread on his lips and dripped down his chin. Hae-won chewed what had entered his mouth. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed the meatball. Hae-won grabbed his hard thighs and slowly moved his waist. He could clearly feel his thing squirming inside.

“Tasty? Haa, why do you eat while spilling so much. Is our Hae-won a baby?”

“Ah-uht, uht…, ah, too, it went in too deep.”

His genitals had reached a position that could cause internal injury. It was a creepy sensation, as if the immovable iron pillar would split his lower body at any moment. Terrified by the foreign object sensation, Hae-won was bracing on his tiptoes, trying not to sit down fully on it, trying not to let his weight press it in deeper.

His two legs and arms, barely supporting his weight, trembled and shook. At the same time, his body, groping to find the point of pleasure, squirmed minutely.

Woo-jin’s two hands grabbed Hae-won’s buttocks, slowly swept down the flesh, and grabbed the back of his thighs. His hands slowly lifted Hae-won’s body, then slowly lowered it. His genitals inserted into the vulva scraped Hae-won’s body.

“Ung!”

Hot lips chewed on the soft, plump earlobe. The sound of wet, sticky soaking came loudly. Hae-won’s limbs, shuddering, trembled violently.

“Want more? Huh? Want to eat more? Haa, hungry?”

“Ah-uht, ah, no. Aah, ah.”

Hae-won, who had momentarily lost language, shook his head frantically. Woo-jin’s arms lifted his weight and then suddenly let go. Flesh met flesh, and the erection like a pillar of fire wedged into and penetrated Hae-won’s organs.

“Ah-yuk!”

The crown of his head tingled. He repeated lifting and lowering the body again. Little by little, speed was added, intensity increased. Pressing Hae-won down from above, he bent his waist inward from below, making it penetrate deeply. Woo-jin’s unseen breathing also grew increasingly violent.

“Haa, fuck. You should have… should have seen this.”

It was impossible to know what he was looking at and muttering about. Hae-won grabbed Woo-jin’s thighs and helped his hands, jiggling his buttocks. The more his body was pushed by the accelerating force, the more fiercely he pumped as if his heart would burst.

“Hyung’s dick, haa, Hae-won-ah, is it that tasty? Gulping it down so well.”

“Ung…, uht, u-uht, tasty. Tasty. Ah, ah!”

“Want more? Huh? Hae-won-ah. Look at me. Look at my face.”

Grabbing Hae-won’s jawbone, which was moving as he sat on his pubic bone, painfully enough to crush it, he forcibly turned it. The area around Hae-won’s eyes was red and wet.

Hae-won lifted his wavering gaze and looked at him. The flesh clamping his genitals trembled padulpadul as if in turmoil.

“Look at my face.”

“…U-uht, uht.”

“See who’s fucking you. Who is it. Me, huh?”

“U-uk, uk, Woo-jin Hyung. Woo-jin… Hyung.”

His neck, forcibly turned, ached dully. Hae-won spoke almost tearfully.

“What did you call Hyung earlier? Want to call me that again?”

“Ahjussi… old man… u-uht, Hyungnim…!”

“Haa, not that. What did you call me earlier. Made my ears melt, huh? Fuck, what, huuht, what did you call me?!”

“…Ung!”

His thing shoved in, kuk, urging an answer. The hip movements gradually sped up. An excitement that knew no bounds enveloped them. When Hae-won pressed down from above, he thrust up from below with obscene body movements.

“Call me that again. Haa, again, u-uht, call me that again.”

“Ahjussi…!”

“Haa, you always do everything at once, huh? When have you ever done anything, uht, at once?!”

Grabbing both wrists fiercely and yanking them, he made him sit down. His heat entered so deeply it made all the hair on his body stand on end.

“Hua! Aah, yeobo, yeobo…! Yeobo! Ah-ung!”

“Hyung is Hae-won’s yeobo? Huh? Haa, Hae-won-ah. Am I Hae-won’s yeobo?”

Woo-jin, whose excitement had reached its peak, wrapped both arms around Hae-won’s waist. As if detaining him so he couldn’t escape even though he wasn’t going anywhere, he embraced him, rested his chin on that shoulder, kissed the cheek turned to look at him, and frantically sucked and licked here and there as if craving the unreachable lips. Tomato sauce messily smeared on his lips and cheeks too.

As if pinning Hae-won, who couldn’t move an inch, in place, he held him tightly and began jiggling his waist with excited movements. He rapidly thrust below. Following his violent movements, Hae-won’s lower body undulated along. Hae-won’s eyes were becoming distant, unfocused.

“Huuht, uht, u-uht, can’t breathe. Breath, breath… can’t breathe.”

“Haa, Hyung’s dick feels like it’s going to burst. U-uht, Hae-won-ah, say it. Say you love me.”

“U-uht, u…, lo, love you. Love, ah…! Love you.”

His arms were squeezing his torso as if to crush his bones, and below, his genitals were steeply embedded, stealing the space to breathe.

Hae-won, who couldn’t fully pronounce ‘I love you’ and instead made choked sounds like a shrill moan, grew faint before his eyes from respiratory distress. He felt pleasure that made his whole body crumble. His inner walls contracted, tightly clamping the deeply embedded genitals. His crotch tightened sharply, and his toes curled together. His body, unable to control the physical ecstasy, trembled badeulbadeul.

Woo-jin grimaced. Veins bulged on his forehead, and his face flushed red.

“K-uuht…!”

Woo-jin and Hae-won came, embracing each other as one body. His senses had become overly sensitive. His eyes, as he came, grew turbid, soaked in a hazy light.

Holding Hae-won tightly and embedding a part of himself in the hot inside, he poured out the hot stuff ulkeokulkeok without filter. His whole body grew hot as if burning. His head felt like it would explode.

“Haa, haa, haa…”

He exhaled the breath he had been holding to the limit. As Woo-jin’s arms, which had been tightening around him, loosened, Hae-won slumped limply. Only then did Hae-won gasp sharply for breath, panting.

“Haa! Haa, haak, haa.”

His tongue licked up the sweat that had broken out on Hae-won’s nape. The clear moisture of that summer night he saw back then was still soaking Hae-won’s body. He closed his eyes and savored Hae-won.

He lifted Hae-won’s cheek, which seemed dazed, mind unraveled.

“Was it hard?”

At Woo-jin’s question, Hae-won shook his head no. Woo-jin finished shampooing Hae-won’s hair, which was covered in white lather.

“I’ll rinse it for you. Close your eyes.”

Hae-won covered his face with both hands like a baby. A stream of hot water poured down from the showerhead onto his head. Hae-won leaned his body against him as he washed him. His body and mind were so languid and comfortable he wanted to just fall asleep like this.

The olive oil didn’t wash off well even after several soapings. Woo-jin bent his knees and sat, meticulously wiping between Hae-won’s legs.

“You don’t want to do it again here, do you?”

Woo-jin, who had been holding the showerhead close to Hae-won’s soapy back and shoulders and letting the water flow, asked in a low voice. Hae-won swept back his wet hair and turned to look at him. Amidst the abundant pubic hair that had darkened noticeably from being wet, his genitals were erect. Veins and blood vessels bulged red, almost grotesquely, and they dangled at a loose angle, unable to bear their own weight.

Hae-won could handle everything else about Woo-jin, but even he found the relentless, lewd dangling exhausting. The Hyun Woo-jin who had once armored himself in abstinence and restraint, tormenting Hae-won, was now a distant memory.

At times like this, using his hands would do. It was fortunate that Woo-jin liked his hands.

Hae-won turned back to him. He moved closer, pressing their bodies together until he could smell the damp, watery scent. The genitals were so fully erect that it was almost too much to grasp with both hands. They were ferocious. He buried his lips against Woo-jin’s collarbone. Licking the wet skin, he swept his hand upward along Woo-jin’s lower body.

Woo-jin rested his forehead on Hae-won’s shoulder and stood quietly. With each stimulation, the twitching movement of his eyebrows could be felt against Hae-won’s shoulder.

With their heads resting on each other’s shoulders, Hae-won meticulously stroked and caressed him.

“Hyung, you’ll never… haah, never be able to stay celibate for life.”

“It won’t get hard without you. I can’t get excited.”

He muttered in a low voice.

“So take responsibility.”

“……”

Even though Woo-jin was the one receiving it, Hae-won felt his entire body ache.

“Haah, just a little… just a little more.”

His voice cracked. The rough sound of his breathing traveled through Hae-won’s ears, heightening his own breath.

“…Good?”

“Hngg, uh… good. Your hand… haah, Hae-won-ah.”

The already wet moisture and the slippery pre-ejaculate made his entire palm sticky, intensifying the sense of friction. Woo-jin’s waist writhed. Hae-won fixed his dazed eyes on a single spot in the steamy shower booth and moved quickly.

His flesh pulsed as if it were a living creature. He could feel Woo-jin’s body, pressed against his, stiffening rigidly. As Hae-won applied pressure and swept up to the distinctly raised glans, the abdominal muscles, which had been completely tensed, suddenly heaved powerfully.

“Ugh… Haah, haah, haah…!”

Woo-jin’s body shuddered rapidly as he exhaled. A hot mucous substance spurted toward their touching stomachs and lower bodies, soaking Hae-won’s hand and rolling down his skin in thick streams.

“Ahh, fuck. Agh, ngh…!”

What spurted from Woo-jin’s swollen genitals, as if about to burst from heat, wasn’t just semen. In that moment of lost control, his body, like an animal, soaked Hae-won’s hand and lower half as he urinated.

Hae-won, still gripping him with both hands, blankly received the stream of hot urine flowing over his own body. Woo-jin’s genitals twitched and trembled, and the stream that had been fiercely striking his body grew cloudy and weak before finally stopping.

A sour, animalistic scent, no different from that of a beast, filled the air.

Though he tried to hold back, his eyes, bulging with veins, scanned Hae-won, who was standing there covered in his own excretion, with detached objectivity.

“…Did you just… pee on me?”

Woo-jin’s chest rose and fell heavily. Hae-won, still holding Woo-jin’s genitals in shock, asked in disbelief, his face pale.

“You said you’d let me do it?”

“Th-that was supposed to be after mental preparation, after that…!”

“From now on, we’ll do even more than that?”

“Y-you crazy… crazy bastard!”

“Everyone has their fetishes. Don’t be disgusted.”

“Don’t be disgusted? Look at this!”

“Keeping it in my hand is making me more excited.”

Ugh, grabbing Hae-won’s chin, who was at a loss while still holding his genitals, Woo-jin roughly pressed their lips together in a kiss.

After thoroughly washing Hae-won, who was throwing a fit about killing him, Woo-jin finished his shower with the refreshed expression of someone who had achieved his goal. Every time Hae-won shouted about killing him, Woo-jin kissed him as if biting his lips, until Hae-won, exhausted on his own, forgot his anger and wrapped his arms around Woo-jin’s neck.

Hae-won put on a bathrobe and sat on the sofa, turning on the news. Woo-jin, who had approached unnoticed, dried his wet hair with a towel as Hae-won fixed his gaze on the screen. Woo-jin wasn’t the type to fuss over anyone, but when he was with Hae-won, he found himself tending to him without even realizing it. Hae-won hugged his waist and rested his cheek against his stomach.

“You haven’t been appearing on TV lately.”

“It’s usually the spokesperson or occasionally the public relations officers who get filmed. There aren’t any reporters where I work.”

“You used to appear before.”

“You have the real thing in front of you, so focus on the real thing.”

Hae-won pouted his lips.

Even with the real thing he was so obsessed with right in front of him, Hae-won often ignored the real thing chattering beside him as he put on headphones to listen to recordings of Woo-jin’s voice, and he would leave the real thing lying right next to him, waiting for his touch, to search for Woo-jin on the news late into the night. Whenever Hae-won did that, Woo-jin felt terribly shabby.

Glaring resentfully at Hae-won, who wasn’t even listening to him and was only staring at the news, Woo-jin turned off the TV with the remote. Only then did Hae-won tilt his head back to look at him.

“You’re noisy.”

“What does it feel like to be jealous of yourself?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Woo-jin genuinely didn’t know and was asking. Hae-won looked at him and refused the towel that was tousling his hair, signaling that it was enough now. Woo-jin’s claw-like fingers swept through the hair sticking out in all directions. Then, the scent of soap wafted strongly.

Only then did Hae-won realize it. Whenever Woo-jin touched him, he had always washed his hands. Every time he touched Hae-won’s cheek, his hands always carried the fresh scent of soap. Woo-jin always washed his hands before touching Hae-won. Not because he valued cleanliness, but because he cherished Hae-won.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“……”

How could anyone not love a man like this?

Hae-won tightly wrapped his arms around Woo-jin’s neck. Woo-jin, who had paused for a moment, patted him with a half-hearted touch, like someone soothing a puppy nudging its owner for affection.

“I won’t make you clean it, so don’t worry.”

“……”

He loosened his arms, which had been wrapped around Woo-jin’s neck as if strangling him. Hae-won stared at him blankly.

“Change your clothes.”

Woo-jin, who had been staring intently, tousled Hae-won’s hair and turned to clean up the kitchen, which had been left in disarray from their earlier sex. The chair and table where they had shared their intense passion were askew.

He swept up the food scraps spilled on the floor and capped the half-drunk wine, placing it on the shelf.

Woo-jin liked the process of things neatly returning to their places. It was fortunate that one of them enjoyed cleaning. If both had liked it, they would have clashed over their respective cleaning philosophies, and if both had disliked it, they would have rolled around in a filthy environment, breathing in all sorts of bacteria and germs.

Woo-jin and Hae-won were as different as if their strengths and weaknesses were at opposite extremes, and they complemented each other so well that their differences were actually a good thing.

“Huh? This is my package? How did you find it?”

Hae-won, who had changed into pajamas and was lying on the bed scrolling through his phone, finally noticed the package he had thrown somewhere on the floor and sat up abruptly to ask.

“Ah, that.”

“Where did it come from? Wasn’t it stolen?”

“I got it back.”

“Did you catch the culprit?”

“Yeah. Buried alive, haah, filed charges.”

Unrefined words kept slipping out. It was because Hae-won allowed his true nature to surface. His caution kept diminishing. He should have used the words ordinary people use, but his unrestrained sincerity kept popping out.

“What did you order that you were so desperate to find?”

Woo-jin, having finished tidying up, approached Hae-won and asked.

“A wedding gift.”

“……”

Woo-jin stared intently at the couple’s ring worth tens of millions of won on Hae-won’s finger.

“You bought my wedding gift through online shopping?”

“Yeah.”

Why are you asking something so obvious? Can’t you see what’s written on the invoice? Are you illiterate? Hae-won looked up at him with reproachful eyes.

“I was planning to ask for something else as a wedding gift.”

“You’re not talking about that thing from earlier, are you?”

“If it’s that, then what…?”

One of his eyebrows raised curiously.

“Forget it. There’s nothing else. I’ll gratefully accept whatever you give me.”

Hae-won retorted sharply, but Woo-jin reached for the package. Hae-won quickly hid the box behind his back.

“You said you’d gratefully accept whatever you’re given.”

“What are you going to give me as a wedding gift?”

“I’ll pick something out through online shopping.”

Letting go of his attachment to the hidden box, Woo-jin stepped back as if uninterested and answered Hae-won’s shameless question.

“Instead of a gift, I have a request.”

“I’d rather you ask for a gift.”

“What are you doing Friday evening?”

“I’ll get off work and feed our baby dinner.”

“Let’s do something else besides that.”

“Then will our baby make dinner for Grandfather?”

“Let’s meet outside.”

“Outside? Okay, let’s eat out for a change. I’m tired of cooking every day too.”

Woo-jin gave up on the gift and sat back against the headboard of the bed. He took out the documents he had brought from the office. They were preliminary questionnaires he hadn’t finished reviewing. Once their statement verification was complete, he would also need to conduct private interviews. If he didn’t prepare in advance, he would end up rushing, and rushing often led to mistakes.

When it came to work, Woo-jin pursued perfection almost obsessively. It wasn’t because he had a perfectionist personality that couldn’t tolerate mistakes, but because he liked the feeling of being in control, and in his case, that meant work.

Sitting close beside him as he flipped through the documents in comfortable sleepwear, Hae-won also peered at the papers.

“It’s confidential.”

Woo-jin turned his head slightly and gave a warning glance, pressing the documents against his chest so they were truly out of sight. Half of what Hae-won glimpsed was in Chinese characters, so he couldn’t even read it.

“We’re meeting outside on Friday evening.”

“Got it.”

Hae-won added to Woo-jin, who was flipping through the documents without much interest.

“Wear my wedding gift.”

“……”

Woo-jin, who had been underlining with a pen, turned his eyes to Hae-won, who was smiling prettily.

“Suddenly, I don’t feel like doing it anymore.”

“It’s a wedding gift. Aren’t you going to accept it?”

“No.”

“…Honey, it’s a gift?”

“…What is it?”

Only then did Woo-jin become serious. He abruptly stood up and swiftly reached out to grab the package Hae-won had set aside. Hae-won blocked him with his body.

“It’s confidential!”

“Why are you being so anxious?”

“Wear that and come for dinner at seven-thirty on Friday. To the restaurant we often go to.”

“Whatever it is, if it’s something absurd, I won’t wear it.”

He spoke coldly, but it was obvious it would be absurd.

“If you come out without wearing it, I won’t marry you.”

“I’ve already finished all the paperwork.”

It was too late for such threats, Woo-jin snorted dismissively.

“What paperwork?”

“The contract stating that Moon Hae-won is my property as long as he’s alive. Of course, I’m also your property. I’ve already had it notarized. I’ve also taken out guarantee insurance. No matter who messes up, it’ll be hard to handle with money.”

“What is that? Is that what marriage is?”

“Ah, maybe I should have added a special clause stating that ownership is maintained even if you’re not alive.”

Woo-jin belatedly went, “Oops.”

“Who said you could do that?!”

“You said you wanted to get married.”

“I said I wanted to get married, but who told you to get it notarized? When did you even do all that?”

“The next day.”

“Is that it? Is that all? What about the honeymoon? What, aren’t we doing anything?”

He hadn’t expected any lavish engagement ceremony, but he thought they would at least travel somewhere nice. Wasn’t it a day that should be properly commemorated?

“Did you want to hold hands and have a wedding march or something? That’s just a formality.”

“So we’re not doing anything?”

“We’ve already been newlyweds for a long time. It’s just that the paperwork wasn’t done. I only trust paperwork. Paperwork doesn’t lie.”

He said with a mocking smile.

“What, so you only proposed marriage to tie me down on paper? You didn’t actually want to marry me.”

“Hae-won-ah.”

Stopping everything he was doing, Woo-jin grabbed Hae-won’s cheeks with his hands as if amazed. Hae-won’s cheeks were squished in his hands, causing his plump lips to pout out.

“…Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Haah, what a relief. I thought our Hae-won was a fool. Turns out he’s not. We really did graduate from the same university. I thought the music college was a place where even the dumbest could get in as long as they were good at practical skills.”

“I’m canceling the marriage. Cancel it right now. I’ll get rid of the paperwork. I’ll cancel the notarization too.”

“Don’t do that. Do you want to bankrupt Moon Woo-sik? Suing me is the stupidest thing in the world.”

Lowering his gaze to the documents, Woo-jin patted Hae-won’s buttocks, telling him it was time to sleep. Hae-won bit his forearm hard.

∞ ∞ ∞

Friday evening at seven-thirty, the restaurant they often visited had been reserved in advance, allowing them to secure their usual seat. Hae-won followed the waiter’s guidance and sat at a table with candles flickering softly.

“I’m waiting for someone. We’ll order together later.”

“Please call me whenever you’re ready.”

The waiter poured water and left. Hae-won checked his wristwatch again.

He had sent a message saying he would hire a divorce lawyer if Woo-jin didn’t wear the wedding gift, to which Woo-jin replied after a long pause with a single word: [Enough]. It was a desperate plea to just stop already.

He imagined Woo-jin’s expression when he opened his wedding gift. He might have thrown it aside, or found it so absurd and ridiculous that he just tossed it in the trash. Not being able to see that absurd and displeased expression in person was an eternal regret. He should have just made him try it on at home. A wave of bitter regret washed over him.

Placing his phone on the table, he typed a message to send to Woo-jin.

[I’ve arrived. Should I order in advance? Is there anything you want to eat?]

As he was diligently typing the message, a shadow fell over him. Hae-won, who had been tapping his phone screen, looked up.

“……”

“……”

He saw a splendid police uniform with a black sheen. Hae-won raised his head a little more.

It was Woo-jin.

His forehead was wrinkled in displeasure, as if he had been forced to wear something he disliked.

Woo-jin awkwardly tugged at the collar of the shirt as if he had stolen and worn someone else’s clothes. The uniform was a bit small. It was evening and all, but he was uncomfortable and uneasy, wanting only to take off the uniform quickly.

To possess Hae-won’s past, present, and future, there were things he had to endure no matter how unwilling he was, and he had actually prepared himself for this level of sacrifice.

If he could sustain Hae-won’s longing for him through such trivial methods, he could endure any humiliation.

The mere act of standing before Hae-won in such clothes was a severe humiliation for Woo-jin, who was six years older, but he endured it. He was someone who had even withstood prison.

He convinced himself that it was an indispensable act to possess all of Moon Hae-won. Hadn’t Hae-won endured urination for his sake too?

He planned to grant one thing Hae-won wanted, and in return, he would demand the hardcore play he desired.

He wore it, so don’t nitpick anymore, let’s just go, he thought as he looked at Hae-won, but Hae-won’s eyes were completely fixed on him, unwavering, as if in shock.

Woo-jin smiled inwardly. As expected, Hae-won was someone who showed results beyond the effort made, and the reaction was better than expected for the slight shame he had endured. Through his eyes and expression, he fully conveyed the heart that was so delighted by the person before him that he didn’t know what to do.

It was the face of Hae-won that Woo-jin loved and missed the most.

The eyes that looked at him lovingly.

It was the gaze of a passionate boy who had fallen head over heels in love. With eyes sparkling as if falling for him all over again, Hae-won opened his mouth.

“Officer, what’s the matter? Did I do something wrong?”

At Hae-won’s question, Woo-jin went, “What,” and scrunched one side of his eye.

“Did you come to arrest me?”

“……”

A deep sense of frustration surged from within Woo-jin.

There was no choice. To possess all of Hae-won’s past, present, and future, he had to endure a bit of shame and humiliation, and to maintain the longing directed at him, he had to make appropriate efforts. If this was part of that, then endure, bear, and so on, he repeated to himself, suppressing the rising emotions, and spoke.

“Yes, I’ve come to take Moon Hae-won into custody. Let’s go now.”

“What did I do wrong?”

“You’ve done… many things wrong.”

That part was sincere. Don’t you know what you did wrong, asking such a thing? he said with eyes brimming with anger.

“Am I being arrested as a suspect in the act?”

“If that’s what you want, I’ll do that for you.”

He, wearing the deep black police uniform, drew the attention of those around them.

“Are you a bad cop?”

“I wouldn’t say I like it.”

“I like bad cops. The kind who say nasty things, bad cops.”

“Do you want to hear some nasty things?”

“……Yes, I want to hear a lot. Spank me too.”

“Then get up.”

Hae-won quickly stood up, grabbing the jacket and phone he had taken off. Woo-jin grabbed his forearm as if arresting him. The forceful grip made Hae-won stagger. Thinking he was really being taken away as a criminal caught in the act, people around whispered and fixed their eyes on them.

“Sir, are you all right? What’s going on?”

A waiter who recognized Hae-won hurried over and asked. He also shot a wary glance at Woo-jin.

“I’m being arrested right now, I’ll come back another time.”

“Huh? No, what’s going on all of a sudden? Will you be all right?”

“Officer, please arrest me quickly.”

Woo-jin strode forward. He pulled Hae-won’s wrist, which he was holding. Hae-won followed as if being dragged. They left the restaurant and headed toward the parking lot. Woo-jin’s car, parked in a corner, flashed its headlights.

“Get in.”

“It really suits you.”

“Get in.”

“Seriously. It looks real.”

“Get in quickly. Mr. Moon Hae-won.”

Woo-jin pressed down on Hae-won’s head, who was half-dazed staring at him in the police uniform, and forced him into the car. Woo-jin, who had walked around the hood and sat in the driver’s seat, closed the car door and finally took off his cap and threw it into the back seat. He swept back his hair and looked back at Hae-won, who was staring at him intently.

“I knew it would suit you……, but it really suits you.”

In an admiring tone, Hae-won reached out and stroked his uniformed arm and shoulder. It didn’t seem like a cheap cosplay uniform.

He had bought the largest size, and although the top was a bit tight, it fit surprisingly well.

Seeing how well the uniform suited him, he was indeed meant to be a salaried civil servant.

“Officer, I did something bad, punish me.”

“What bad thing did you do?”

“I cheated with some handsome civil servant.”

“The premise is a bit annoying, but what can I do. Cheating with some handsome civil servant instead of me, you must be out of your mind. You’re going to get punished a lot today.”

Since Hae-won liked it so much, Woo-jin didn’t mind playing along with the joke. Hae-won was looking at Woo-jin with an expression Pygmalion might have made seeing his statue Galatea come to life.

Woo-jin started the car. His car blended into the traffic on the road.

“Ah, really. With spring here, all the horny ones are flocking to the Han River.”

“I told them not to pitch tents, and now they’re doing it in cars.”

Due to the flood of complaints, the patrol officer who had come out to crack down on public displays of affection in the civic park pointed to a car parked under a secluded bridge.

“Well, they think they won’t be seen like that. The car is already shaking. There are kids and elderly people around, it’s embarrassing, really.”

The precinct patrol officer clicked his tongue as he watched children giggling while riding bicycles. He approached the black car. He knocked on the driver’s side window.

The car body, which had been shaking and moving, quieted down as if doused with ice water.

The tint was dark, so the inside wasn’t clearly visible, but something was vaguely moving.

“Hey, you can’t do this here.”

The patrol officer irritably spat out that they should move the car quickly. After a moment of stillness, the quiet window whirred down.

The upper body visible in the driver’s seat was wearing a police uniform, with four rose of Sharon buds on the epaulettes.

“Oh, my apologies.”

The patrol officer stood at attention, giving a flustered salute. Woo-jin swept back his disheveled hair and raised his head toward him.

“Keep up the good work.”

“We’re conducting a major crackdown in the civic park right now. There are many complaints. I’m sorry, Sergeant.”

“No, I should be sorry. Please overlook it just this once.”

“Don’t say that. Continue……, with your work. No, if possible, not here but somewhere else.”

“…….”

“I’ll be going.”

Woo-jin gave a nod of thanks for pretending not to know. He rolled up the window. The patrol officers, hesitating outside, turned away, unable to do anything more since he was of a higher rank.

Woo-jin watched their retreating backs in the side mirror as if confirming they were gone. Only when they completely disappeared from view did he straighten his gaze.

The jacket Woo-jin had hastily thrown over the passenger seat like a cover was wriggling. Hae-won slightly pulled down the jacket covering him and asked with a flustered face.

“……Are they gone?”

“They’re gone.”

“Ah, that was a scare. I was really startled. I thought I was going to be arrested for public indecency.”

“That’s not the problem; I almost got arrested for impersonating a police officer.”

He took off the uniform with one hand and started the car with the other. Hae-won quickly stopped his busy hands.

“Keep it on.”

“Hyung, are you trying to make things difficult?”

“Wear that all night today. I’ll take off the Sergeant’s uniform myself.”

“Be reasonable. How are you going to handle this later?”

“Punish me in that. Hard.”

“…….”

His hand roughly stroked his own chin and cheek as if troubled. His eyes moist, Hae-won was squirming as if about to pounce on Woo-jin any moment.

“I think I’ll die young because of you.”

“Punish me. Make it sting.”

“Okay. I’ll do it. I’ll do it, so……, stop.”

“I want to be punished by the Sergeant. Don’t take it off. I’ll take it off. I’ll strip it all off and devour you.”

“Haah, Hae-won, please.”

Not a reaction beyond expectations, but a reaction hard to handle, Woo-jin pressed Hae-won’s forehead with his chin and pushed it away to prevent him from coming closer. Hae-won’s hands, stretched out trying to touch Woo-jin somehow, couldn’t reach further and fluttered in the air.

∞ ∞ ∞

It was a spring day with dazzling fresh greenery. Sitting on the café’s outdoor terrace, the President watched the cars coming and going on the street intently and brightened up when a familiar car stopped in the parking lot.

Hae-won, wearing sunglasses, got out of the car with manager Lee Jin-soo.

“Mr. Hae-won! Mr. Jin-soo!”

The President raised his hand and called them in a lowered voice. Warm sunlight shone on the outdoor seating of the restaurant, where flowering trees were placed here and there.

Hae-won, who climbed the café steps to the terrace, plopped down in front of the President without greeting and took off his sunglasses as if they were stifling, covering half his face.

His glossy brown hair fell disheveled over his forehead. Facing Hae-won’s mask revealed in the sunlight, a regretful thought arose that if he had shot the commercial advertisement he was recently offered, it would have been at least a moderate hit.

Since he wasn’t short on money, Hae-won had no reason to work hard at anything. He was indifferent to everything, as if everything was someone else’s business. So, it was thought he was just lazy by nature.

When Hae-won first contracted with him, he made the sudden demand to make him unconditionally famous.

He thought Hae-won was one of those empty-headed types who wanted to live comfortably by selling his face as a celebrity rather than being a hardworking violinist.

But Hae-won was a violinist with considerable skill, surprisingly so for someone whose name wasn’t well-known, and showed unexpected sincerity in his performance activities.

According to Lee Jin-soo’s account, on days he didn’t go out, he practiced for hours, skipping meals. Even when there was no particular orchestra schedule, going to the practice room to practice alone was routine, and he consistently took lessons from a music college professor.

He was a practice bug who practiced basically three to four hours a day, almost never putting down the violin.

Heard that Secretary Hyun Woo-jin separately asked Lee Jin-soo to take care of him because he often forgot to eat while immersed in playing.

In fact, the fingerprints on Hae-won’s left hand, which pressed the strings, were completely worn down, so fingerprint recognition didn’t work. Also, he cherished his instrument so much that he wouldn’t let anyone touch it, not even allowing others to hold it for him.

His strictness toward the violin was an unexpected twist for both the President and manager Lee Jin-soo. It was also why Lee Jin-soo took charge of him, considering Hae-won’s personality.

“Mr. Hae-won, have you been well?”

“Yes.”

A curt, off-putting reply came to the affectionate question. It was fortunate he was good at his main job. If he hadn’t been, the President would have washed his hands of it and notified contract termination for such rudeness.

Hae-won frowned and tilted his head sideways. Sunlight piercing through the green leaves shimmered at the corners of his eyes.

“The weather is getting hotter. Summer must really be approaching.”

“Iced latte.”

“Ah, yes. Mr. Jin-soo, what would you like to drink?”

The President asked Lee Jin-soo sitting beside him. Lee Jin-soo sighed and spoke toward Hae-won.

“You can’t have an iced latte.”

“Didn’t you hear your CEO just say summer is here? Am I the only one hot?”

“Whether it’s summer or winter, I’ve repeatedly explained that eating things too cold has a bad effect on the body’s immune system.”

“Who said they wanted to know about my body’s immune system? I want to drink an iced latte.”

“No. Mr. President, I’ll have an iced Americano, and for Mr. Hae-won, hot green tea, please.”

Lee Jin-soo cut off Hae-won’s words and said to the President, emphasizing ‘hot.’ The President checked Hae-won’s expression and placed the order. Hae-won, perhaps fed up with Lee Jin-soo’s attitude, slumped further in his chair in a gesture of surrender, as if to say do as you please, and vigorously expressed that he was hot.

“Mr. President, please understand. Mr. Hae-won is currently quitting iced coffee, so he’s having withdrawal symptoms.”

Lee Jin-soo signaled with his eyes to understand it that way.

Hae-won’s eyes were fixed intently on Lee Jin-soo, who was gulping iced coffee and going ah, refreshing, feeling clear as if a ten-year-old constipation was relieved. In front of him was steaming hot green tea. The President was deliberately drinking hot coffee to humor Hae-won.

“What did you want to see me about?”

Without even touching the green tea, Hae-won asked the President. Then, as if remembering something, he added, “Ah.”

“I heard Teacher Kim Hee-kyung is performing in Korea, you know?”

“Of course.”

“Get me some tickets. Just two.”

“Huh?”

The President looked at Hae-won incredulously, wondering what on earth he was talking about.

“Tickets. Don’t you have connections for that?”

Was that such an unreasonable request? Hae-won had no confidence in successfully getting tickets. He heard that tickets for the performance of the pianist who won the last Chopin Concours sold out in 5 seconds. Kim Hee-kyung would be no less of a bloodbath.

The President looked at him beyond incredulity, as if it were absurd, making Hae-won feel awkward.

“Mr. Hae-won, are you teasing me now?”

“No, it’s not like that. If you can’t, just forget it.”

What’s with that embarrassing reaction? Hae-won grumbled inwardly.

“You really don’t know?”

“Know what?”

“Really……, you don’t know?”

“I thought since you work in that industry, you could get tickets that are released early. I didn’t know it was that hard. If it were another agency, they would have told me to pick the seat I want, but here that doesn’t work. Why are there so many things that don’t work? There are so many things they tell me to do.”

Openly sarcastic about whether their agency president lacked even that much ability, Hae-won looked back at Lee Jin-soo drinking iced coffee. Lee Jin-soo flapped his hand as if to say looking at him was useless and to turn away.

“The reason I wanted to see Mr. Hae-won today is because of Teacher Kim Hee-kyung’s performance.”

“You’ll get me tickets?”

“I’m not sure if I should say this……”

The President bit his lip in difficulty. He knew well about Hae-won and Woo-jin’s relationship.

He had even called and met Woo-jin a few times to deal with the tabloid fallout.

Kim Hee-kyung’s Korea performance was arranged with Secretary Hyun Woo-jin covering all expenses. He presented an offer hard for Kim Hee-kyung to refuse, making it happen under his sponsorship.

Was it some kind of event between lovers?

The President was hesitant to bring it up. Woo-jin hadn’t said anything to Hae-won, so it didn’t seem like his place to spill. Being involved in their overly large-scale romance wasn’t very pleasant.

“Actually, the accompanying performer has been decided to be you, Mr. Hae-won.”

“……What?”

“The reason I told you to keep your schedule completely clear next month was because of this performance. It took some time because I was coordinating the contract with Teacher Kim Hee-kyung and planned to tell you once it was decided. I’ve also finished discussions with Han-gyeong Symphony.”

It was something arranged with Hae-won in mind from the start, but the President didn’t go into detailed background.

“With me?”

“You can do it, right?”

“The Teacher is performing with me?”

“You’ve done it before.”

“That time was……”

That time, it was just the role of a violinist accompanying a piano concerto, a position anyone could have filled, but this time was different. It meant she had chosen Hae-won as the soloist for a performance under her name. It was a completely unexpected proposal. Surprised, Hae-won just blinked.

“The Teacher……, Teacher Kim Hee-kyung is accompanying me? There are Associate Concertmasters.”

Han-gyeong Symphony’s first violin had two Associate Concertmasters who were Juilliard graduates and also taught at art colleges, and there were three principals who were no less, if not better.

Although Hae-won had been promoted recently and was an associate principal, he was significantly behind them in experience. He had become known through TV appearances, and he was confident his skill wasn’t inferior to the Associate Concertmasters, but regardless, it wasn’t something that should come to him, completely ignoring order and discipline.

“The first part will proceed as a recital with you, Mr. Hae-won, and Teacher Kim, and the rest is planned as a piano concerto. We’re in final coordination with Han-gyeong Symphony. Teacher Kim Hee-kyung must have remembered performing with you last time. She specially nominated you as soloist this time.”

He looked at him with a nervous heart, wondering what if he didn’t accept. Hae-won looked at the President with a slightly dazed expression, then tilted his head.

“By any chance, has Director Seo Okhwa returned to Korea?”

“Huh? Who is that?”

“Never mind then.”

“You’ll do it, right?”

“Unless I have a hole in my head, I have to.”

“Then I’ll proceed with that understanding?”

Drinking the half-cooled green tea, Hae-won neither jumped for joy nor worried under heavy pressure. He accepted refreshingly, as if giving an obvious answer to an obvious question.

Now it seemed Hae-won wasn’t just indifferent to others’ affairs but also to his own.

Somehow, not living up to expectations, the President felt inwardly disappointed and thought he should contact Woo-jin.

∞ ∞ ∞

After finishing a private interview with a minister candidate serving as a Supreme Court justice, Woo-jin left the judge’s chambers. Outside the Supreme Court building was noisy. It seemed there was some important ruling today. The plaza in front of the building was crowded with civic groups and journalists holding placards. Having spent over four hours on the candidate interview, he hadn’t known it was so chaotic outside.

Woo-jin changed direction toward the back of the building, which led directly to the parking lot, avoiding them instead of the crowded central hall elevator.

The elevator doors were just closing.

“Hold on.”

Woo-jin quickly caught up and stopped the closing doors with a thud. The half-closed doors opened again.

“Thank you.”

He stepped inside and greeted those already in the elevator.

When Woo-jin raised his gaze, the man standing in front of him flinched. Seeing the person before him, Woo-jin’s lips formed a smooth curve. As if he had been waiting, as if he had expected it, not surprised at all.

It was Lee Seok-joong, awaiting final sentencing. His face, recognizing Woo-jin, immediately turned pale.

“Was that commotion outside because of you?”

“……Fuck.”

Clenching his bound fists in the escort line until his fingers might break, Lee Seok-joong ground his molars and spat out curses.

“If you committed a crime, admit your wrongdoing and get out of detention now. Are you keeping up the fight because you like solitary? Aren’t you lonely alone?”

“Fuck off, you crazy bastard.”

Lee Seok-joong had been dragging out the trial to the third instance, holding out in detention as an unconvicted prisoner. He turned his head away as if trying to ignore Woo-jin. Woo-jin’s two hands grabbed Lee Seok-joong’s cheeks firmly. Lee Seok-joong, his face seized, widened his eyes.

“The Chairman seems to be suffering hard in prison due to his age, but our Seok-joong’s skin has gotten finer.”

Lee Seok-joong flinched, trying to avoid the hand reaching for him. His body stiffened like a frog placed before a snake, unable to move. Only when Woo-jin’s hand stroked his cheek did he finally reveal a murderous intent, as if he were about to slice Woo-jin into pieces with a knife right then and there.

“Get it off! Get this off, I said! What are you all doing?!”

Lee Seok-joong shouted at the petition police and the lawyer.

They hesitated, trying to remove Woo-jin’s hand, which was gripping Lee Seok-joong’s cheek as if about to plant a deep kiss, urging Woo-jin to stop.

Woo-jin didn’t budge under their feeble attempts to pull him away. It was as if only he and Lee Seok-joong existed in this space; he neither saw nor heard anything else.

Lee Seok-joong shuddered at the piercing gaze fixed on him.

The large hand swept over his face with an eerie, deliberate sensation. Lee Seok-joong, who had been shaking his head and trying to evade, roughly shoved Woo-jin away with his shoulder. Their bodies swayed together and collided with the elevator wall with a heavy thud.

With his wrists crossed and bound, Lee Seok-joong staggered, unable to regain his balance. Woo-jin, like a well-mannered gentleman, wrapped an arm around his wavering waist and lifted him up.

“Don’t touch me! You fucking bastard!”

Trembling with disgust, Lee Seok-joong tried to push him away, but with his hands bound, he couldn’t move as he wished.

Staggering, he glared fiercely at Woo-jin with bloodshot eyes. Woo-jin looked at him with pity and patted his cheek lightly.

“Take it easy. Did you think I’d be nothing when you got out, acting like this?”

“……”

Lee Seok-joong’s eyes twitched as if he’d been threatened with murder. His entire face contorted painfully, as if terrified of something.

“Did you think it was over?”

“……Fuck, you fucking bastard.”

“Did I say I’d end it for you?”

“Fuck! You fucking bastard! Get him! Get this bastard!”

Lee Seok-joong screamed hysterically.

The petition police and lawyer didn’t grab Woo-jin as instructed but instead restrained Lee Seok-joong. Woo-jin took a step back and stared at him as if watching a madman causing a scene.

The elevator doors opened. Lee Seok-joong thrashed like a dog on a leash desperately lunging for a piece of meat just out of reach. The police forcibly dragged him away.

“Wait a moment.”

Lee Seok-joong, panting and flailing his limbs noisily, and the police restraining him all paused, breathing heavily.

Woo-jin approached him. The corners of his eyes, fiercely rebellious, had turned crimson, as if blood vessels had burst.

“I’d like to stay with you if possible, but I have an important appointment today, so I should get going. I’ll just watch the sentencing results on the news.”

“Get lost, you son of a bitch!”

“Answer the judge’s questions well. Call me when you’re out. Let’s have a drink.”

“……”

“Though I don’t know when that’ll be.”

“……Ugh, fuck, you son of a bitch, I’ll kill you, I’ll kill you! Hyun Woo-jin, you crazy bastard!”

Woo-jin gave a nod to the petition police, who were struggling with the madman, and walked away, leaving Lee Seok-joong screaming loud enough to split eardrums.

Hae-won, sitting in the soloist’s waiting room, lowered his bow as he gave his violin a final check at the sound of a knock.

“Yes.”

Click—the door opened, and an agency employee entered. She was holding a garment wrapped in plastic. It was a black suit.

“This is the outfit for today. The President brought it earlier. You’ll go without a tie, a bit more casual.”

The employee hung the suit in the small wardrobe provided in the waiting room, careful to avoid wrinkles. As she turned to leave, her foot knocked over a flower basket placed on the floor.

The waiting room was so filled with flower baskets there was hardly any space to step. She moved the obstructive basket to a corner. Still, the flower baskets took up a lot of room, so she asked,

“Should I clear away the flowers?”

“No. It’s fine.”

Hae-won hastily replied to the employee’s question.

There were times when he’d pluck all the flowers and hysterically demand they be cleared away right in front of him, but today, he was handling the flower baskets with the eyes of someone seeing something uniquely lovely and precious. Hae-won kept looking at the card tucked inside.

“What’s written on it that you keep looking?”

“It’s confidential.”

Hae-won placed the small card he was holding inside his violin case.

“Where’s Jinsoo?”

“Someone came to pick him up.”

“Who?”

Had his father come? Or had Woo-jin already arrived?

It was an hour before the performance, and Woo-jin had promised to be on time despite having work.

“I didn’t catch who. Since they went to the parking lot, they’ll be back soon. I’ll be outside, so call if you need anything.”

“Yes.”

The employee left the waiting room. The surroundings grew quiet again.

Assuming it was probably his father, stepmother, and Hae-jeong who had come, Hae-won thought little of it and placed the violin back on his shoulder.

To loosen his tense fingers, he played scales and repeated the opening section of today’s piece. The violin melody spread softly through the waiting room.

While practicing, there was a knock. Hae-won responded without lowering his bow, telling them to come in.

Hae-won, who had been keenly focused on drawing the bow across the strings while glancing in the mirror, widened his eyes in surprise.

It was Choi Hyun-mi. Hae-won hurriedly lowered his violin and turned around.

“Hello.”

“Sorry, were you practicing? Should I come back later?”

“No, it’s fine. Please come in.”

Placing the violin on the case, Hae-won tidied up the already neat surroundings.

“You come here too.”

Choi Hyun-mi turned and urged someone. Hae-won’s puzzled gaze followed her and the man walking in behind her.

“I didn’t know there were already so many flowers, but I brought more. Congratulations on your performance, Hae-won. Honey, say hello. This is Moon Hae-won.”

Even though flowers were already everywhere, she held a bouquet in her hand. Hae-won absentmindedly accepted the flowers she offered and stared at the middle-aged man who was unmistakably Woo-jin’s father.

“Finally meeting you. I’m Woo-jin’s father.”

“……Ah, hello. Nice to meet you. I’m Moon Hae-won.”

Hae-won bowed in greeting. His neck, which he had just relaxed, stiffened again, and his mouth went dry with tension from nervousness. The guest the manager had gone to pick up must have been Woo-jin’s parents.

“I’ve been asking to meet you, but Woo-jin should have brought you over. I’m sorry for dropping by like this.”

Dr. Hyun, Woo-jin’s father, extended his hand for a handshake. Hae-won stared at the hand for a moment before slowly reaching out to grasp it.

It was indeed his father. Warmth melted into their touching palms.

“Is Woo-jin not here yet?”

Choi Hyun-mi asked.

“He said he has work but will be here on time. Would you like to sit?”

Pointing to the waiting room sofa, Hae-won fumbled with a slightly tense expression. Dr. Hyun and Choi Hyun-mi politely declined.

“No, we should go. Hae-won needs to prepare for the performance. Sorry for barging in suddenly.”

“No, it’s fine.”

Under Dr. Hyun’s gaze, which observed him as if he were some rare artifact, Hae-won awkwardly averted his eyes.

“Why are you staring like that?”

Choi Hyun-mi jabbed Dr. Hyun’s side with her elbow.

“It’s fascinating. How all the features fit on that small face.”

“I told you, he’s better-looking than most celebrities.”

“I had no idea our Woo-jin would be so taken with a face.”

“He takes after you in that.”

Choi Hyun-mi slapped Dr. Hyun’s arm.

“We’d like to have dinner with you and Woo-jin sometime. Can you make time? Woo-jin seems afraid we might do something to Hae-won. He’s hiding you away and won’t even think of introducing you.”

“I’m sorry. I’ll discuss it with Hyung and get back to you.”

“Good, it’s not like we’re going to eat you, no need to be scared.”

“It’s not that. Hyung never mentioned it, so I didn’t know.”

If his mother knew, it was natural his father would too.

Hae-won’s father would sometimes contact Woo-jin directly if Hae-won ignored his calls, and frequently summoned Woo-jin, so lately Hae-won had no choice but to visit his family home quite often. It seemed Choi Hyun-mi, unable to reach Woo-jin, had swiftly shifted her target to Hae-won.

“Ah, Hae-won needs to prepare, and we’ve been inconsiderate staying so long. Honey, let’s go.”

Choi Hyun-mi tugged at Dr. Hyun’s collar, indicating they should leave.

“Thank you for coming today.”

“We’re the ones who should be grateful. Please give a good performance today.”

Hae-won bowed his head in thanks. Dr. Hyun looked at Hae-won with a regretful expression, as if he had more to say. As Choi Hyun-mi stepped out, Dr. Hyun, still staring blankly at Hae-won standing there, asked,

“Is our Woo-jin treating you well?”

“……Pardon?”

“Our Woo-jin…… I’m curious if he’s treating you well, how he acts.”

“……”

“So, I mean, I’m curious about what kind of relationship he has. I know it’s a personal question. But it’s very important to me, so I’d appreciate it if you could tell me.”

“We’re just dating normally.”

“Normally? How normally? Is he treating you well?”

Dr. Hyun asked again, genuinely curious.

Setting aside the absurdity of the rude question, Hae-won felt a pang of pity. Woo-jin had always lived under such scrutiny in his family. Constantly tested and observed to see if he was normal or abnormal.

Perhaps the pressure to prove his existence had driven him to that state. To show there was nothing wrong, he blindly clung to his goals, destroying everything around him to prove he was right and gain recognition.

If he had just been accepted and loved as he was, no one would have been hurt, no one would have suffered.

“He treats me well. All these flowers here, Hyung sent them all. I don’t like flowers, but he said on a day like today, he wants only beautiful things around me. Even though I said I don’t like them, he sent this many.”

“……”

Dr. Hyun’s eyes scanned the dozens of flower baskets filling the waiting room without a gap.

“Hyung never hangs up first before I do. He waits until I hang up. Even if the wine isn’t to his taste, he drinks it because I like it. Even though there’s no chance of getting lost, he always comes to pick me up wherever I am. When I get in the car, he always holds my hand tightly.”

Once, Woo-jin’s affection was merely a means to an end. To someone, it was a soul-devouring poison, no different from striking a wounded area.

Dr. Hyun, who knew this better than anyone, listened to Hae-won’s words with a confused expression.

“I want to tell you everything, but there’s no time. For giving birth to Hyung…… I’m truly grateful.”

His sincere voice carried gratitude as he spoke.

Dr. Hyun gazed intently at Hae-won, lost in thought for a while. He seemed both unable to comprehend and as if he couldn’t believe it, but a faint smile spread across his face.

“Yes, I see. That’s how it is.”

“……”

“Don’t break up with our Woo-jin, and even if he does something wrong, let it slide. In his own way, he’s trying. He’s making an effort because he likes you, so I hope you’ll understand. Please take good care of Woo-jin.”

Dr. Hyun firmly grasped Hae-won’s hand and earnestly entrusted Woo-jin to him, just as Choi Hyun-mi had.

“By the way, does Hyung’s childhood room still exist?”

Hae-won suddenly thought of something and asked.

“Woo-jin’s childhood room? It’s still there as it was. We keep it cleaned just in case the kids visit anytime.”

He answered curiously but honestly.

“Then, when can I visit with Hyung? There’s something I want to bring.”

“Sure. You’re welcome anytime.”

Though unsure what he meant to bring, Dr. Hyun spoke brightly, telling him to do as he wished.

Until Choi Hyun-mi, who had stepped out earlier, returned and dragged Dr. Hyun away, he held Hae-won’s hand tightly, conveying gratitude he couldn’t fully express in words.

Hae-won changed his clothes. Though not the type to get nervous before a performance, remembering Woo-jin’s parents were in the audience brought a considerable burden.

His eyes, which had been checking his reflection in the mirror, turned toward the monitor showing the audience seats. The seats were already full.

He thought Woo-jin might stop by the waiting room, but there was no contact from him. He considered calling but stopped himself. There was a time before a performance when he waited all day for Woo-jin’s call. Woo-jin hadn’t come then. He lied as if he had, deceiving himself, even though he hadn’t seen or heard the performance.

He wouldn’t do that, and if he were in his right mind, he wouldn’t do such a thing again, but anxiety crept in.

Hae-won took a deep breath in and out to shake off the unease, burden, and tension.

“Five minutes.”

A staff member knocked and announced. Hae-won gathered his violin and bow. He also picked up the handkerchief to place on the chin rest.

Leaving the waiting room, he headed toward the backstage area. At the bottom of the stairs leading to the stage, pianist Kim Hee-kyung, dressed in a white gown, was already waiting.

“What’s wrong with your face? You look very tense.”

She gestured for Hae-won to come closer.

“The person I’m waiting for…… doesn’t seem to have arrived yet.”

The stiffness in his face wasn’t from tension but from a sliver of anxiety that he might not come.

“Is someone supposed to come?”

“If he doesn’t come this time either, I’ll really kill him.”

“Kill him after the performance. For now, focus here.”

“I’m sorry.”

Hae-won apologized for causing unnecessary worry. Kim Hee-kyung smiled elegantly and, at the staff’s signal, lifted the hem of her gown slightly and began walking. Hae-won also took a deep breath, filling his chest, and followed her.

On stage, the grand piano looked unusually large today. Lights poured down overhead, accompanied by applause. The enthusiastic applause from the packed two-thousand-seat hall hit the acoustic reflectors and surged back to Hae-won like crashing waves.

Kim Hee-kyung, holding Hae-won’s hand, bowed to the audience. Hae-won also bowed politely. Warm applause welcoming and encouraging them continued.

If he doesn’t come, if he makes some excuse and arrives late, then it’s really over.

What’s the priority? Am I more important than work?

You bastard, I should’ve known when you sent those ridiculous flower baskets.

I won’t forgive you. I absolutely won’t forgive you. If you really don’t come, Hyun Woo-jin, you deserve not just the death penalty but immediate execution.

I’ll wipe out your entire lineage.

Hyun Woo-jin, you piece of trash, you piece of trash, you piece of trash……

I don’t want to see you. I don’t want to see you. I don’t care if you’re not here.

His mind was filled with all sorts of thoughts. An overwhelming tidal wave of emotions crashed over him. Anger, resentment, and a heart-wrenching longing toward Woo-jin, who hadn’t arrived yet…… Hae-won wanted to see him right now. He wanted to see him unbearably. A thirst and sorrow for him rose like water, filling his chest.

If Woo-jin doesn’t watch, this performance has no meaning. There’s no need to do it. If he doesn’t listen, Hae-won can’t become anything.

He had to start the performance soon. Hae-won swallowed dryly. Even during his entrance exam for the arts school, he hadn’t trembled, but now, just because Woo-jin wasn’t here, he was panicking like a lost child.

Kim Hee-kyung sat at the piano, adjusted her seat, and gazed at the keys for a moment. Hae-won placed the handkerchief on the violin’s chin rest.

Stay calm. He persistently pushed away the presence of Woo-jin that filled his mind.

He lowered the violin as if tucking it between his shoulder and chin. Raising the bow, he made final tuning adjustments to match the keys she pressed. His bow hand felt sticky, so he wiped it on his pants.

Hae-won’s eyes quickly scanned the front row right before the stage. One VIP seat was conspicuously empty.

He slightly turned his head and met Kim Hee-kyung’s eyes watching him. She glared fiercely with one eye, as if asking what he was doing.

Focus. I need to focus.

Hyun Woo-jin is a fool who gets two stars and agonizes all day, a psychopath, a deficient bastard, so don’t mind him. As if I’d care about someone like you?

Hae-won’s eyes grew clear, and he signaled he was ready.

Kim Hee-kyung lightly placed her fingers on the keys and swallowed her breath; simultaneously, Hae-won inhaled. Just before Kim Hee-kyong pressed the keys, Hae-won hesitated.

He saw Woo-jin walking in confidently, as if he were the protagonist making a late entrance.

Kim Hee-kyung noticed Hae-won’s hesitant demeanor and stopped moving, turning to look at him.

Woo-jin sat down in the empty VIP seat. Hae-won’s eyes met his. He gave a slight, apologetic squint with one eye.

You bastard. You son of a bitch, I waited. Why are you only coming now?

I’m going to execute you. I’ll execute you right now. It’s divorce. Let’s get divorced right now.

In response to the stream of curses pouring from Hae-won’s eyes, Woo-jin made a placating gesture in the air.

Stop it and start quickly. I came anyway, didn’t I? Aren’t you going to play?

Hae-won, who had been glaring at him as if to kill him, hurriedly averted his gaze. He signaled to Kim Hee-kyung. She touched the keys with a serious, profound hand movement.

Hae-won’s expression, as he drew the bow strongly across the strings, was instantly swept into the melody and transformed into someone else.

Under the hot stage lights, even the slightest movement caused sweat to pour. Having played a piece over thirty minutes long, his body felt sticky with sweat.

He washed his face at the sink placed in a corner of the waiting room. He had performed many times and received much applause, but he couldn’t remember ever receiving such thunderous cheers. The sound of applause echoed in his ears like tinnitus, refusing to leave.

A strange sense of weakness washed over him, making him not want to move even a fingertip. His arms, braced against the sink basin, were trembling slightly.

Knock, knock. Hae-won didn’t answer the knock. If he had the energy, he wanted to lie down on the sofa and rest for a moment. Then he felt he could manage the greetings or the encore. He had given his all, and no strength remained. It was as if he had been completely burned up in a fire.

He had wanted to do well. Not because Woo-jin’s parents were there, nor because of the heightened confidence of being the violinist performing with Kim Hee-kyung.

It must have been because of Woo-jin’s eyes watching him play Bach’s Partita at the Yangpyeong villa.

Today, for the first time, Hae-won realized how Woo-jin had been looking at him. He saw it for the first time today.

Those pupils of his, distant and far below, wrapped around Hae-won like they were strangling his neck. When connecting the dazzling cadenza, his knees nearly buckled with dizziness, enough to make his head spin.

He had been watching with those eyes all along.

His gaze was a fervent courtship that made one’s face burn, a heated breath that ignored time and space and reached every part of his body. It was a desperate desire that seemed to say if he couldn’t have him, he’d rather break his neck.

He had been looking at him with those eyes from the very beginning.

From that time, from the villa until now. Consistently.

Even after washing with cold water, Hae-won stared blankly and indifferently at his own cheeks in the mirror, which were growing increasingly flushed.

Knock, knock. The knocking sound came again.

“Just a moment.”

Hae-won answered irritably. He was still holding onto the sink basin, trying to steady his breathing, when the door clicked open.

He looked up. Reflected in the waiting room mirror was Woo-jin. He looked around outside the door as if checking the surroundings, then turned his head and met Hae-won’s eyes in the mirror. Hae-won saw his hand, having entered and closed the door, press the small metal button on the doorknob to lock it.

“The performance isn’t over yet.”

The nape of Hae-won’s neck glistened with sweat and water. Ignoring the warning, Woo-jin approached without hesitation, abruptly pulled Hae-won’s body into an embrace, and pressed his lips to his neck.

Hae-won watched the scene in the mirror. Woo-jin’s hot lips and heated breath seethed fiercely, as if about to devour Hae-won at any moment. A vicious strength filled Hae-won’s hands gripping the basin, making the knuckles of his fingers bulge white.

Licking the sweaty, slippery skin with his lips, Woo-jin’s arms wrapped around Hae-won.

“Ugh, not yet…, don’t do this.”

It was just as his trembling voice was trying to pry loose the arms binding him.

The moment those words fell, an almost violent knocking sound pounded loudly.

“Encore! Mr. Moon Hae-won, please come out!”

The staff member’s voice calling loudly for Hae-won soon chased after Kim Hee-kyung.

“Haa…”

“You’re crazy. I have to go.”

He had no means to shake off Woo-jin’s arms, which showed no intention of letting go. Hae-won was already exhausted. The moment he barely pushed him away and turned around, Woo-jin grabbed the back of his head and covered his lips with his own. Hae-won’s staggering arm knocked over the violin case.

Pushed by Woo-jin, their two bodies collapsed onto the sofa. An empty water bottle and various items placed on the table fell to the floor with a clatter.

“Hah, ugh…”

The probing tongue that licked and bit swallowed Hae-won. Their lips rubbed together as if being crushed. Hae-won sucked Woo-jin’s saliva like thick honey. As if swallowing the only sap that could soothe the hunger of his weary flesh, he licked frantically. Woo-jin’s scent and a strong floral fragrance wafted thickly. The air catching in his nostrils was sweet.

“Mr. Moon Hae-won!”

The staff urged him to come out quickly. He barely managed to peel Woo-jin off, who was clinging with a hot, adhesive force. Woo-jin’s eyes were not sane. Having completely lost self-control, they were half-crazed, as if he were on drugs.

“……”

“……”

Mr. Hae-won!

Hae-won, who had been staring blankly, his spirit sinking into the gaze fixed on him, snapped back to reality at the sharp call from outside.

Hurriedly grabbing his violin and bow, he rushed out of the waiting room with a reddened face. On his neck, the vivid red mark left by Woo-jin stood out clearly.

“Haa…”

Left alone, Woo-jin swept back his disheveled hair and plopped down on the sofa.

His eyes slowly scanned the floor.

Woo-jin picked up the fallen handkerchief. Hae-won’s warm, sweaty scent wafted faintly from it. Inhaling Hae-won’s heated body odor, he felt a pain as if someone were painfully squeezing his heart.

He covered his face with the handkerchief. As if it were Hae-won himself, he rubbed it all over his face. He sniffed Hae-won’s scent as if inhaling it. His chest swelled greatly.

Someone entered through the half-open waiting room door. It was the staff member in charge of Hae-won’s wardrobe.

“……Who are you? You shouldn’t be in here.”

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

He indifferently stuffed the handkerchief into his pants pocket and left the waiting room. The staff member, who had been watching him with a strange look, glanced around the waiting room, which looked disheveled as if something had just happened.

“What’s this, a staff member?”

The staff member hurriedly picked up the fallen water bottle and straightened the toppled violin case. She carefully checked to see if anything was missing.

Inside the wardrobe, Hae-won’s bag and phone were neatly placed just as she had first seen them, and nothing seemed to be lost.

Finishing a quick tidy-up, the staff member stood up and paused. Under the sofa, a small card that Hae-won had hidden, saying it was confidential, had fallen. She bent her knees and sat down to pick up the card.

As she was about to place the card back inside the violin case where it originally was, she glanced around at the empty surroundings.

“…….”

Her eyes, brimming with curiosity, hesitated over whether to open the card, but she soon gave up. She neatly placed the card in the case and left the waiting room. The door clicked shut.

The well-sealed card had opened.

Only one short line of message was written on it.

[When it’s over, let me kiss your neck.]

Into the thrill END