1 – Prisoner’s Dilemma (4)

Chapter 4

“Hide inside the house. Time limit is twenty minutes. If you’re caught before then, it’s over.”

Hae-won frowned, rotating his fist. Why did he keep losing? At this point, it was almost surprising. Seeing Hae-won standing there obediently, Seo Hae-young brought over two wristwatches. He handed the one with the leather strap to Hae-won and wore the metal one himself. Hae-won, who was quietly strapping the watch to his wrist, let out a small laugh.

“Aren’t you taking this a bit too seriously?”

He wasn’t a child, but seeing Seo Hae-young so excited over a mere game of hide-and-seek made Hae-won feel that he had no choice but to cooperate, even if it was tiring. Perched on the armrest of the sofa, Seo Hae-young peered at his watch.

“It’s only fun if you do it properly. Then it ends at three-thirty.”

“No bets?”

Hae-won asked, chewing on the inside of his cheek as he stood by the door. If they were going to play, there had to be a stake to motivate him. Since it was a childish game, a childish prize would be fine. Shrugging as if he hadn’t expected it, Seo Hae-young spoke in a light tone.

“Granting a favor?”

It was a prize that suited Hae-won perfectly. If he won, he’d ask to go see a movie. His thoughts had already drifted to the types of popcorn, as if he had already won, until he was snapped out of his reverie by Seo Hae-young clapping his hands loudly.

“I’ll count for one minute. Hide well.”

Seo Hae-young leaned back, wiggling his bare feet. He flopped down on the sofa, covered his eyes, and began counting slowly. Hae-won, who was about to leave the room immediately, looked back as Seo Hae-young spoke. He saw those long legs swinging back and forth.

“If I catch you, you’re dead.”

Then, he started laughing to himself.

Honestly, the guy… Hae-won raised an eyebrow and quickly ran out of the room. The sound of the remaining numbers being counted drifted through the open door.

Seo Hae-young’s house was a three-story home. Originally, his sisters used the third floor, but it had become empty after they moved out, and the first floor was the space for his parents, who hadn’t returned for several weeks. Hae-won stepped onto the stairs leading to the third floor. It was a place that even Seo Hae-young didn’t dare frequent. Occasionally, if his sisters visited and found even a single item out of place, they held him accountable. Blood tells, and they didn’t use words to do it.

Fortunately, they didn’t lay a finger on Hae-won since he was a guest, so when they were young, Seo Hae-young took the brunt of it all. Hae-won quickly ran into the space used by the sisters and checked his watch. One minute had just passed.

The room of Seo Hae-young’s second sister, Seo Ga-young, was familiar to Hae-won. Seo Ga-young was someone who adored Hae-won like a puppy. She would often throw things and tell him to go find them, which, thanks to her, provided quite a bit of exercise. Without time to dwell on memories, Hae-won crawled under Seo Ga-young’s large bed in the middle of the room and held his breath. He probably wouldn’t be found here.

Thanks to a few lights left on in the garden, he could barely check his watch under the light filtering through the window. Five minutes had already passed. It was a game he would win if he could just hold out for fifteen more.

What movies are out these days? Since it’s summer, a horror movie might be good. While he was immersed in his own happy imagination, he began to hear footsteps.

Slowly lowering his hands and clasping them in front of his chest, Hae-won listened intently. Seo Hae-young, whom he thought would start from the first floor, was walking down the third-floor hallway. Step, step—he could hear the sound of bare feet stepping on the floor, approaching.

On the third floor, which had a small living room, there were four rooms in total. If he stayed still, he wouldn’t be caught. Hae-won anxiously peeked his head out from under the bed and let out a sigh of relief when he saw legs pass by through the gap in the open door. And, at that moment, the legs came to a dead stop. Seeing the legs quickly turn and enter Seo Ga-young’s room, he hurriedly pulled his head back in. Thump, thump. His heart raced for a different reason. He saw white feet walking around the room.

“Hae-won-ah—. Are you here?”

As if he would answer just because he was called. Hae-won pouted and breathed carefully. It was all thanks to his obsession with going to see that movie. He lay flat on his stomach, facing the bed frame. The footsteps that had been searching the room disappeared. Checking his watch, thirteen minutes remained.

I’m going to win. Just as a smile of victory crossed his face—

“Is this all?”

His head whipped around. Seo Hae-young was lying flat on the floor, blinking slowly and meeting his gaze. Under the dim light, an expressionless face was revealed. It wasn’t a relaxed face. It was a look that said he would beat him to death if he caught him.

Gasping, Hae-won avoided the reaching hand and crawled out from under the bed in the opposite direction. He ran out of the room with all his might. The sound of someone chasing him down the hallway thundered in his ears. He immediately leaped down the stairs three at a time and entered the first place he saw. It was the study, where he had once been slapped. His eyes darted around, and he quickly ran toward the passage leading to the dressing room.

Entering the dressing room attached to the study, Hae-won urgently searched for a place to hide. Ignoring the clothing racks, he opened one of the built-in closets. A glimpse of the watch hands told him about nine minutes remained. He quickly stepped inside, knelt down, and quietly closed the door.

There were four closet doors in total. The one he happened to enter was the one with the most hanging clothes, and Seo Hae-young’s scent was so strong it made his nose tingle. Burrowing into a long coat, Hae-won grabbed the soft fabric to hide his body and hugged his knees. Despite the air conditioner being set so cold it was freezing, his body felt flushed.

“Hae-won-ah-.”

Seo Hae-young’s voice drifted in faintly. It seemed to be coming from the study. Hae-won’s pupils dilated as he covered both his mouth and nose with his hands. It was so dark inside the closet that he couldn’t even distinguish the color of the coats.

Only now did Hae-won notice a strange omen. For a game played before bed, Seo Hae-young was acting a bit odd. It was as if he had lost his mind over something. Suddenly, he felt afraid. Is he trying to hit me again? I didn’t do anything wrong. He retraced whether he had been late in replying to a text, but since the last time he was hit, he had been diligent in replying within thirty minutes. Even if he tried to think of it as a joke, his racing heart wouldn’t settle. He just had to hold out a little longer. He pressed his lips into his palm and waited for time to pass.

Clunk. A closet door opened. The sound of fabric brushing was coming from the very last closet.

“I think he’s in here…”

Hae-won’s eyes widened, and he held back even the faint breath he had been taking. Being in the closet furthest from where Seo Hae-young stood, Hae-won pulled his feet in further, completely burying himself in the coat. He hoped he would just leave, but he heard the sound of the closet doors being opened one by one. And then, the sound of clothes being rummaged through. He felt cold sweat trickling down. When the presence stopped in front of the closet, Hae-won covered his mouth and prayed that he would remain hidden by the coat.

The next moment, the closet door swung wide open. Because the space was wide and he had burrowed all the way to the back, there was nothing but darkness in Hae-won’s field of vision. The coat right next to him rustled and brushed against the top of his foot. After rummaging a few times, he heard Seo Hae-young take a step back. He was safe. Just as he lowered the hand covering his mouth in relief—

“Ah…!”

Two large hands suddenly reached out and gripped both his ankles tightly. Hae-won was helplessly dragged out of the closet. Falling to the floor, his eyes met Seo Hae-young’s in the darkness. Without time to think, he struggled to free his captured feet and sprang up. He ran without looking back. While rounding the chest of drawers where the watches were kept, he hit his side against the corner.

Clutching his aching side, he rushed toward the study, but Seo Hae-young’s fingertips narrowly brushed the hem of his pajama top. Just as Hae-won stepped out onto the study balcony to cross the room, he frowned and let out a pained groan before he could even take two steps.

“Ugh…!”

Closing the distance in an instant, Seo Hae-young snatched the scruff of the staggering Hae-won’s neck and walked away with light steps. Dragged along with his waist bent, Hae-won was thrown onto the desk. His lower abdomen hurt from hitting the edge, and as he tried to get up, a brutal grip pressed the scruff of his neck down firmly.

“Caught you.”

Seo Hae-young checked his wristwatch while pinning the groaning Hae-won down with one hand. There were three minutes left until the time limit. Hmm, he tilted his head with a dissatisfied expression. It would have been better if he’d caught him with one minute left.

“Hey, Seo Hae-young… it hurts. Wait a second…”

His side was throbbing from the impact, and as Hae-won turned his head to the side, he froze like a stone, feeling a lower body pressing against his buttocks.

“Hey.”

A cold voice dropped from above his head. Then, their bodies slowly overlapped. A heavy weight pressed down on his back.

“I told you that if you’re caught, you’re dead.”

Lying completely atop Hae-won’s back, Seo Hae-young stretched both arms forward and rested his elbows on the desk. Then, he unstrapped the cumbersome wristwatch and tossed it aside. Hae-won swallowed the saliva pooling in his mouth and cautiously gripped the desk. Through the thin pajama pants, he could vividly feel Seo Hae-young’s genitals pressing against his buttocks.

“I tried my best…”

He let out an awkward laugh and tried to lift his upper body, but a large hand pressed the back of his head, slamming it back onto the desk. A sharp pain shot up from his cheekbone where it hit. Hae-won didn’t notice Seo Hae-young burying his nose in the open collar of his shirt to inhale his scent, and he gently pushed away the thighs that were pressed tightly against him.

“Why… are you doing this? Let’s just sleep now.”

“Yoon Hae-won.”

The low voice sounded too close. Hae-won bit his trembling, nervous lips and answered meekly.

“…Yeah.”

“I heard you’ve been sucking Go Tae-gyeom’s cock lately.”

The hand that had been pushing the thigh froze to the very fingertips. He felt suffocated. Even when the hand that had been touching the back of his head tightened and gripped his hair hard, no groan escaped. His lips merely quivered, unable to utter a single word. Hae-won forced his voice up from deep within.

“What… what the hell are you talking about…”

He started with a denial and hurriedly flailed his arms to get up from the desk.

“Wait, I want to get up. Seo Hae-young…”

The weight pressing his back didn’t disappear; instead, it pressed down even harder. The things rolling around on the desk were scattered by his flailing hands, and one hard object caught by his fingertip fell to the floor. Crack. Even as something broke, Seo Hae-young firmly pressed down on his back.

“Ah, I heard he uses this too.”

That it feels fucking great, Seo Hae-young whispered in his ear, chuckling as he tapped Hae-won’s buttocks with his palm.

Hae-won began to tremble all over. That fucking bastard, that piece of shit, he should have just killed him. He remembered sucking that huge cock, not knowing the guy would blabber everything exactly as it happened. Anger and shame filled him, and tears welled up, but he couldn’t cry. Swallowing his indignation, he denied it again. That was all he could do.

“No, that’s not it…”

“It’s not? Did that bastard lie?”

Hae-won nodded vigorously, his head barely moving. After a moment of silence, slowly stroking his buttocks with his palm, Seo Hae-young spoke in a bright tone.

“I’ll know once I put it in, right? Who lied.”

The thin elastic-waist pants were instantly pulled down to his ankles, revealing white buttocks that wore no underwear. Coming back to his senses late, Hae-won began to struggle frantically, as if he had never been obedient.

Under the desk, a picture frame with shattered glass was kicked. Sharp shards of glass scattered over the two people smiling brightly in school uniforms within the wooden frame.

“Hae-young-ah, that guy is just, originally… he says weird things. It’s just, it’s just bullshit…”

No matter how violently he twisted his body, the position didn’t change, and desperate pleas poured from Hae-won’s lips. There was no way a guy who would throw a punch the moment another man touched him would suddenly be like this. It seemed he intended to frighten him and verify the facts before beating him.

“I’ll explain properly. Properly… move for a second, Hae-young-ah…”

“How much did you do? Does it go in just by putting it in?”

Pressing Hae-won’s shoulder with his chin, Seo Hae-young rubbed their touching lower bodies. Against the bare buttocks, soft fabric and the hard flesh within it rubbed. Startled, Hae-won struggled to twist his pinned upper body. As his waist bent, he was barely able to face Seo Hae-young. He tried to make his expression as innocent as possible, but his lips trembled. Because Seo Hae-young, whom he expected to be smiling, had a perfect expressionless face, a surge of terror washed over him.

“No, Seo Hae-young. Hae-young-ah. I really don’t know.”

Seo Hae-young looked down and smiled softly. Just as he felt the weight pressing his upper body lift and began to feel relieved, his legs were lifted.

“Uh…!”

Wrapping his arms around both legs, Seo Hae-young easily flipped Hae-won’s body. Rolling half a turn on the desk, Hae-won faced his naked legs draped over each of the other’s broad shoulders. When he felt the warmth of his calves touching Seo Hae-young’s collarbones, his tear-filled eyes widened.

“Ah…”

Not knowing what to do, Hae-won fumbled with the desk and tried to pull his body up, but before he could make any progress, a white hand gripping his thigh pulled him back down instantly. Thud, their lower bodies slammed together again. Hae-won unconsciously clasped his hands as if in prayer.

“Really, really. I don’t know what Go Tae-gyeom said…”

He felt as if he would be called a filthy brat and beaten nearly to death at any moment. He had to leave the shop tomorrow—no, tonight. It would be troublesome if he had visible wounds. It would be troublesome, but… in truth, he wasn’t afraid of Seo Hae-young’s kicking. He was used to being hit, and as long as Hyun-jeong didn’t find out, it was fine. He was just afraid that if he stayed close for a bit longer, he might unconsciously react. He was afraid that Seo Hae-young, who was just playing around, would discover his secret. That was what terrified him.

“Hey, Hae-young-ah…”

Fearing he might irritate the other’s sharp nerves, Hae-won lay obediently on the desk and smiled. With his eyebrows furrowed and only his lips barely forming a smile, he looked ridiculous, but he also looked appropriately subservient. His emotions had been fluctuating wildly from the moment Seo Hae-young’s hand grabbed his ankle. It was a good thing the long pajama top was covering him; otherwise, he wouldn’t have any excuse even if his lower body were cut off. He had to put his pants back on before he was caught.

“I’m sleepy. Can’t I just sleep? Please?”

“Did you do it—like this?”

Cutting him off, Seo Hae-young gripped both ankles and moved his hips. Their lower bodies touched lightly and then separated, but the force of the rubbing was not weak. The hands clasped in front of his chest slid apart. The corners of his mouth, which he had forced up, dropped down.

Seo Hae-young’s penis was erect. Bewilderment clouded his mind.

“How is it? Does it feel good like this?”

The area covered by the navy fabric continued to collide with Seo Hae-young’s clearly erect lower body. With a tearful face, Hae-won shook his head vigorously. The pajamas were gradually rolling up. He felt like he was about to be caught.

“Can’t you just, just hit me? Instead of doing this…”

“Did you do something wrong?”

Leaning his cheek against the calf draped over his shoulder, Seo Hae-young slightly lowered his pants. The penis that sprang out from the pants brushed against the space between his thighs. Hae-won rolled his eyes downward and stopped breathing. The stiffly erect penis had a menacing shape. Unlike Go Tae-gyeom’s straight penis, this piece of flesh, slightly curved upward, swayed ominously.

“How does this go in?”

Seo Hae-young chuckled as he poked the perineum, hidden by the fabric, with his glans. From poking the soft testicles to brushing the perineum below and touching the tightly closed entrance, Hae-won could do nothing but tremble.

“Seo, Hae-young…”

Is he really going to do it? There’s no way. He once beat the living daylights out of him just for touching his thigh; there was no way he would suddenly want to put it into a friend’s hole.

When he belatedly tried to twist his legs to escape, Seo Hae-young gripped his ankles tightly and, not stopping there, twisted the joints outward. Feeling a sharp pain in his twisted ankle, Hae-won lurched his waist. It was a grip that could have snapped them right there. Whether he had to go to work or not, Seo Hae-young could have easily snapped them without any regard for others.

“Do, don’t do it… okay?”

Even though he knew he was just being intimidated, he had fallen into the trap. When he tried to lift his upper body, his ankles twisted further, and he let out a groan and lay back down. Instead, he stretched out both hands awkwardly and waved them gently. Fortunately, Seo Hae-young understood the plea to stop and loosened his grip. The white hand slid down the smooth shin and wrapped around the thigh.

“Hae-won-ah.”

“…I’ll take the hitting. I’ll just take it, Hae-young-ah.”

He was anxious. Seo Hae-young, who had been quietly watching Hae-won as he tried to push himself up using his elbows on the desk, blinked slowly once. Then, he murmured in a low voice.

“Relax.”

“…Huh?”

His heart beat heavily. The words coming from Seo Hae-young’s mouth weren’t properly processed. He parted his dry lips to ask what he meant, but—

“Hah…!”

There was no time to ask back. The member that had been circling the hole pierced through his body in an instant. Without any foreplay or lubricant, the cock—as thick as a forearm, the same one that had once wounded Hae-won’s pride—rammed in, stretching the folds to their limit. The elbows supporting him collapsed, and his chin snapped back.

“Kk… hng…!”

Hae-won’s eyes flew wide, and he stiffened down to the tips of his toes. An overwhelming pain, too great to even scream, struck him like a bolt of lightning. Even the first time with Go Tae-gyeom, it hadn’t hurt this much. His back arched sharply, and his short-trimmed nails scratched frantically at the wooden desk.

“Ugh, hng… kkeup…!”

“Relax.”

Seo Hae-young gritted his teeth and held Hae-won’s thighs as he gasped for air, forcing the member—which hadn’t even gone in halfway—further inside. Hae-won’s hole could only be described as tight. To add to that, it was hot and narrow. The furrow in Hae-young’s brow gradually smoothed out, and a distinct smile appeared on his lips. With a thwack! sound, Seo Hae-young’s testicles slapped against Hae-won’s buttocks. Simultaneously, tears dropped from Hae-won’s wide-open eyes.

“Hng, aaagh…!”

Blink. His vision went dark. His waist, which had been hovering in the air, sank, and his limbs went limp. Soon, Seo Hae-young let out an annoyed sigh as he pushed up the legs that were sliding away powerlessly. The eyelashes of Hae-won, who lay sprawled on the desk wearing only a pajama shirt, were damp. Seo Hae-young reached out and brushed the long lashes with his thumb. Licking the moisture off his thumb, he gave a shallow thrust upward.

“Hng… .”

A sob escaped from Hae-won’s parted lips. Seo Hae-young moved lightly, pushing the member in halfway and pulling it back, as if clearing a blocked path. He substituted the urge to forcibly ram himself in by chewing on the muscles of Hae-won’s calves.

Yoon Hae-won’s inside was hot, tight, and better than expected. Ah. Not just better than expected, but far more to his liking. Separately, there were a few disappointing points.

“What have you been doing, not keeping this stretched…?”

Holding a leg with one arm, Seo Hae-young reached down to feel the entrance that was gripping his member as if to sever it. The taut folds looked as if they would tear at any moment. No. They did tear. Opening his hand, Seo Hae-young ignored the bright red blood on his fingers and gathered both legs over one shoulder. From what he’d heard, it wasn’t as if Hae-won had only rolled around once or twice; he wondered what the hell Go Tae-gyeom had been doing.

Regardless, there is a pleasure in the other person being awake. It was time to wake up.

Raising his hand high, Seo Hae-young slapped the tear-stained cheek. The closed eyes flinched, but they didn’t open. Seo Hae-young, who turned Hae-won’s head—which was limp as if dead—back to the center, ground his teeth slightly.

He was being irritating. He put more force into it and struck again. This time, beyond the sound of skin hitting skin, there was a smack, and the head snapped sharply to the left. Blood appeared beneath the nose of Hae-won, whose eyelids slowly fluttered open. Blinking a few times to regain consciousness, Hae-won twisted his waist in pain.

“Wake up. Okay?”

“Ah… Hae-young… .”

As soon as he woke, Hae-won turned his tearful face toward Seo Hae-young and murmured blankly. Tears streamed down, falling along his temples. Feeling a stinging sensation in his nose, he reached up to find blood seeping out. His panic grew. Hae-won stammered, wiping his bleeding nose with his sleeve.

“Sorry, I’m sorry… I won’t do it again. I’ll keep in touch properly… .”

He wanted to cut himself in half from the waist. It hurt so much he wanted to lose consciousness again. He could pretend not to know everything and just say that this was a bit too much of a prank, and let it slide. He could view it as an extension of the violence he received for making a mistake, like what happened in the music room. Even if it made no sense, Hae-won could fully accept it. Provided it stopped here.

However, despite the desperate plea, Seo Hae-young raised an eyebrow and shook his head obliquely.

“No.”

“Hng-ack…!”

The large member inside the hole pushed further in. Hae-won reflexively groped for the desk, but there was nothing to hold onto. Seo Hae-young narrowed his eyes, pulling back the legs that Hae-won was trying to push away with his palms to climb up, and rammed the member back in. He whispered with a heated expression, gripping the thighs of Hae-won, who was twisting his upper body and gasping.

“Keep in touch well.”

“Th-then why are you doing this… it hurts… .”

The sorrow he had been barely suppressing finally burst.

Hae-won didn’t know how to cry loudly. He cried sorrowfully, tears falling silently as if he were suffocating. Trembling, with drooping eyebrows and ragged breaths, he wept as if vomiting out the grief he had accumulated whenever his heart felt stifled—and this time was no different.

Even then, remembering that Seo Hae-young hated whining, Hae-won wiped his eyes with hot palms, and when his palms became damp, he rubbed them with the back of his hand while panting. Seo Hae-young looked down with glazed eyes at Hae-won, who was crying with blood smeared on his philtrum, and slowly thrust his hips upward. The blood from the tear made it slightly easier to enter and exit. He didn’t push all the way in, but repeatedly pushed in and pulled out to just under halfway.

“Ah, hng…! Hng, kkeup… .”

“Yoon Hae-won… you like me, right?”

Everything was ruined. The sobbing grew louder. That bastard Go Tae-gyeom must have told him everything. Anger suddenly intruded through the sorrow. He wanted to rip the mouth of the guy who had drained him of everything and then told Seo Hae-young exactly as it happened.

“No, I… I don’t like you… .”

He lied again. Still, Seo Hae-young was closer to him. They had known each other for years; there was no way he would throw him away over the words of some thug-like bastard. There was no way he would be ground down like this. The sobbing grew more intense. Tears flowed incessantly, wetting his face.

Suddenly, the member that had been entering and exiting, tearing through raw flesh, came to a dead stop. Hae-won’s wrist, which had been buried in his sleeve, was grabbed by a hot hand. Seo Hae-young unbuckled the watch from Hae-won’s wrist and let it drop to the floor. Then, as he pulled away the wrist that was covering his face, the mess of a face was revealed.

“I don’t, really… fuck… .”

The reddened eyes were completely drenched in tears. A red nose-tip and distorted lips. The cheek, where the bruise had faded, was once again stained a bright red following the mark of the hand. Seo Hae-young reached out and cupped the relatively unscathed cheek. As the warm, large palm enveloped his cheek, Hae-won slowly turned his gaze from elsewhere toward Seo Hae-young. A tender thumb swept under the eye, wiping away the tears. Seo Hae-young whispered quietly, meeting his eyes.

“I… thought you liked me.”

Hae-won’s heavily furrowed brows slowly smoothed out. The tension in his clenched jaw vanished, and his lips parted. Seo Hae-young’s expression was hard to see against the dim light, but his clear pupils were vivid.

“Was I mistaken?”

The voice that dropped once more carried a hint of trembling. Hae-won knew he should nod here. That it wasn’t true, that Go Tae-gyeom had talked bullshit. That they should act as if today never happened and go back to how they were. That he should just hit him instead. He knew it, but his head shook from side to side unconsciously. Meanwhile, his mouth gave an ambiguous answer. The long days of looking only at Seo Hae-young kept blocking the correct answer.

“No, it’s not… it’s not… .”

Hae-won sobbed and shook his head repeatedly. Not even knowing what the question was, he just denied it over and over. Seo Hae-young, watching Hae-won shake his head wildly with wide eyes, asked in a tone that was inwardly cautious.

“You don’t like me?”

“No, I said I don’t… .”

“Since when?”

“…No, Hae-young… .”

Seo Hae-young was wearing a face that was, in its own way, tender. Hope and confusion mixed in Hae-won’s tear-filled eyes.

“No, I don’t. I really don’t… .”

As Hae-won told a lie that wasn’t believable at all while completely terrified, Seo Hae-young stroked his thighs with his palm, forcing a smile to hide his irritation. He suppressed the tongue that wanted to spit out curses and spoke in a gentle tone.

“Hae-won. This is the end. I won’t ask anymore. Do you like me?”

“Hng… kkeup… .”

Hae-won instinctively felt that he could hide it no longer. As if pouring out the emotions he had tightly gathered in a single moment, he hurriedly confessed with trembling lips that he liked him. That he had always liked him. With Seo Hae-young’s member rammed into his torn hole, and his slapped cheek stained red, he vomited out the emotions that had been left to rot and become filth in a corner of his heart for five years. When he finally closed his mouth, Seo Hae-young opened his with a shy smile.

“But Hae-won… .”

“Yes, yes.”

A tense Hae-won nodded as if he had been waiting. He was ready to hear anything as long as he was forgiven. Seo Hae-young, leaning his cheek against the calf of Hae-won, who was so tense he looked like he might faint, asked innocently.

“Then why did you have sex with Go Tae-gyeom?”

“…Eh?”

“Did you think of me while sucking his cock?”

Ah. In my room. Seo Hae-young added the words and chuckled.

Hae-won, who had been fidgeting with his fingers, froze completely. Seo Hae-young stroked the calf of Hae-won, who was frozen without even blinking, and hooked his long legs over both arms. Pulling Hae-won, who had been pushed up, toward him, he rammed the member in. A scream erupted.

“Ack…!”

“No. I… I don’t really care about stuff like that.”

“Ah, it hurts…! It hurts, Hae-young…!”

The tears that had stopped burst out again. The member, ramming in with a force entirely different from before, stabbed deep into his stomach. His splayed legs shook powerlessly every time Seo Hae-young moved his hips. It was different from Go Tae-gyeom, who didn’t go all the way and thrust shallowly to draw out pleasure. Seo Hae-young rammed in to the very root and pulled out quickly. Every time he hit the bottom, Hae-won’s pupils were half-covered by his eyelids. It was a pain that felt like he would pass out.

“It hurts, ah! It hurts… .”

“Do you hate me… ?”

Blinking and dropping tears, Hae-won discovered Seo Hae-young wearing a sorrowful expression. Despite the cold air conditioner wind filling the house, Hae-won, drenched in cold sweat, gave a faint smile. He had no choice but to deny it. He liked it. Emotions that had been fermented for too long, smelling of rot, made it impossible to judge right from wrong.

“No. I like you… .”

He raised a trembling hand to cover his mouth. Fearing that a scream would erupt if he covered it with one hand, he clamped both hands tightly over his mouth. The moment Hae-won squeezed his eyes shut, Seo Hae-young bit his lip. Since he couldn’t risk ruining it by laughing, he quickly rammed the member into the suffocatingly narrow hole.

“Ugh, kkeup…!”

Hae-won, with both hands covering his mouth, endured the weight with his shoulder blades and shoulders. Seo Hae-young’s breath was ragged as he lifted the lower body to make it easier to fuck. Because it was so tight, he had ejaculated quickly, and since the semen made the inside damp, the movement became easier than before. Seo Hae-young, who wasn’t sweating, continued his hip movements without losing strength, his cheeks flushed pink.

“Haa… Hae-won.”

Hae-won, who had been pouring all his strength into enduring the pain, slightly removed his hands and answered obediently.

“Huu… u, yes?”

He couldn’t see the eyes of Seo Hae-young, who was pressing his lower body against him. Only the lips, stretched wide in a bright smile, were clearly visible. He must like it. Even amidst the terrible pain, a sense of relief washed over him. Go Tae-gyeom also said it felt fucking great while he was fucking him. He was glad that Seo Hae-young liked it too.

“Yours… get it hard.”

Hae-won’s member, revealed as his clothes were pushed up, was shaking along with the hip movements. The smooth member that had been erect when Seo Hae-young touched his body, but had since slumped due to the terrible pain. Swallowing his tears, Hae-won lowered both hands and gripped his limp member.

“Masturbate. Until you cum.”

“Hng, yes… .”

Biting his lower lip hard, he stroked his member up and down. Seo Hae-young didn’t slow down his pace in the slightest. Supporting his shaking body with his shoulders, Hae-won moved his hand to make his member erect. However, it wouldn’t stand well because it hurt too much. Sobbing, he rubbed the glans and stroked the shaft hard.

“Hng, ugh… eup, huu…!”

“Haa, k-h… .”

Hae-won, who had been moving his hand diligently with deeply furrowed brows, lifted his head. He locked eyes with Seo Hae-young, whose lips were buried in his knee. The corners of his eyes were curved sharply. A sound followed, as if he were suppressing a laugh.

“Ah, fuck… why is this funny… .”

“…Yes?”

“No. Nothing… .”

Seo Hae-young moved his hips again. The sound of flesh slapping echoed, and Hae-won rubbed his cheek against the hard desk, moving his hand desperately. He really wanted to get it hard, but he couldn’t find the strength.

“Haa, ugh…!”

“Hurry up, get it hard.”

“…U, yes. Haa…!”

Seo Hae-young’s member rammed in deep. His body stiffened. Even his toes, which had been shaking in the air, went rigid, vomiting pain with his entire body. Seo Hae-young continued to demand that he get his member erect.

“Get it properly hard.”

“Hng… yes… .”

Hae-won wiped the tears from his shoulder and looked at Seo Hae-young’s face. The member, which hadn’t stood even after stroking and rubbing it several times, gradually became hard. The pain grew more intense, but Hae-won forced his hand to move.

“Amazing… it’s so clean.”

“Ah… ah-h… .”

Under Seo Hae-young’s gaze, which stared as if it were always fascinating, the member became stiffly erect. The member that relentlessly pushed aside and dug into his organs caused pain, but if Seo Hae-young liked it, he could welcome even that pain. Before he knew it, a distorted smile hung on Hae-won’s lips. Meeting Seo Hae-young’s eyes, he rubbed his swollen cheek against the desk.

“Haa, ugh… Hae-young… .”

“Do you like it now?”

Seo Hae-young thrust his hips sharply, supporting and spreading the buttocks with both hands. Hae-won nodded as if possessed. In truth, it hurt. But even if it hurt, he could endure it.

Seo Hae-young stared quietly at Hae-won’s face, where no part wasn’t red, then shifted his gaze downward. The smoothly erect member that shook every time he rammed in was straight and pretty. He was certainly a man just like himself. In that moment, a strange emotion bloomed. Frowning and watching the shaking member, he haphazardly poked the hole that gave him a distant sensation.

“Hng, ah…! Hae-young, Hae-young…!”

Hae-won twisted his waist. Whitish semen, forced out, leaked through the gaps of the glans. After a moment of hesitation, Seo Hae-young slid his arm behind the back of Hae-won, who was panting and limp, and lifted him up in one go.

“Ah, ack…!”

Hae-won, who struggled in surprise, clung to him, wrapping his arms around his neck. Seo Hae-young hugged his waist and began to walk. With every step, the member rammed in deep. To avoid falling, Hae-won wrapped his legs around Seo Hae-young’s waist and trembled, burying his face in his shoulder. It felt as if his organs were being pierced.

“Kkeu… u… .”

“Hmm… this is a bit… .”

Hae-won didn’t have the mental capacity to respond to Seo Hae-young’s monologue. Seo Hae-young, who easily lifted Hae-won—who was thin but not small in frame—entered the room and laid him down on the bed. The sensation of the member sliding out quickly rushed through his waist.

“Hwa-ack…!”

He felt as if his lower body had been hollowed out. Seo Hae-young turned the shivering Hae-won over and lifted only his buttocks. Hae-won, whose face was buried in the pillow, soon flew his eyes open.

“Ugh-!”

“Haa… .”

The member that had exited rammed in all the way in one go. He swallowed a scream, clutching the blanket—the one from a text Seo Hae-young had sent once. No. Was it a different blanket? He didn’t know. It hurt so much he couldn’t even breathe; did the blanket even matter?

“Kkeup, uugh! Ugh!”

“Haa… Hae-won. This, feels good… .”

Seo Hae-young pushed the member in without hesitation. Whether blood flowed down Hae-won’s thighs or not, he focused only on the hip movements and the inner walls that gripped him tightly.

“I thought that bastard was lying… this really feels great… .”

The pillow became damp with saliva. Hae-won endured it by biting the pillow with his teeth. He was simply enduring. He struggled with all his might to hold onto his flickering consciousness, laughing painfully, and then, around the sixth thrust, he finally burst into tears.

“Wait, wait a second! Hae-young, Hae-young…! It’s too… it hurts, ah…!”

Putting strength into his arms, he lifted his collapsed upper body and crawled forward. Seo Hae-young waited for a moment, looking down at the member sliding out. The moment the tip of the glans caught the edge of Hae-won’s hole as he crawled toward the headboard with a trembling body, Seo Hae-young grabbed his waist and yanked him down instantly. Along with the blanket he was lying on, Hae-won slid down, and the glistening member pushed all the way in. Hae-won stiffened as if impaled on a spike, and his mouth fell open.

“Ah… eup-!”

But before a scream could tear from his throat, his face was slammed into the pillow. Pressing down hard on the back of Hae-won’s head with one hand, Seo Hae-young drove his member frantically into the squelching hole.

“Our… Hae-won, you do like me, right?”

Seo Hae-young’s eyes were clouded. The bed, large enough to comfortably fit two sturdy people, creaked and groaned every time Seo Hae-young pulled back and thrust forward.

“Hmm? Do you like me?”

“Ugh, eugh! Mmph…!”

The tip of the member kept stabbing something. Something that felt like it shouldn’t be touched, over and over. Hae-won was on the verge of his eyes rolling back. His pajama top had ridden up to his chest, and a part of his stomach, pressed flat against the bed, bulged outward repeatedly. It was a size that could be cupped in a round palm. He could hear nothing, and even his breath was stifled.

Gripping Hae-won’s shaking hair in the absence of an answer, Seo Hae-young lifted his head. Saliva stretched in a long string between Hae-won’s parted, bruised lips.

“Haa…!”

“I asked if you like me.”

“Yes, yes… I like you…”

A stifled voice leaked from Hae-won’s mouth, his neck bent backward. Seo Hae-young let go of his hair and buried him deep into the pillow. The halted motion of his hips resumed.

“Good boy…”

“Ugh, uuugh…!”

The moment Seo Hae-young’s member stabbed too deep, Hae-won’s pupils vanished behind his eyelids. Supporting the lean stomach and thrusting upward, Seo Hae-young gave the suddenly limp body a slight shake.

“Hey.”

There was no response. Frowning, Seo Hae-young had no choice but to grip Hae-won’s waist with both hands and push in violently. It was because ejaculation was near.

“Hah, haa…”

Seo Hae-young’s groin slammed wetly against Hae-won’s buttocks. Chuckling, he turned the head buried in the pillow to let him breathe, gazed at his ruined profile, and pulled the reddened buttocks tight with one final thrust. There was not a single gap between their joined lower bodies.

“Ngh…!”

After ejaculating at the deepest point, Seo Hae-young enjoyed the languid sensation of release and lifted the pajama top Hae-won was wearing. Not only were there bruises from the impact across his clean skin, but it was densely packed with hickeys. His lips twisted as he thought of Go Tae-gyeom’s sly smile.

“What’s with that bastard?”

It wasn’t even marking territory. Covering the unsightly marks with the hem of the clothes, he reached out and turned off the desk lamp illuminating the bed. It seemed he would wake up eventually.

Seo Hae-young scooped up the sliding stomach with one hand and began to move slowly once more.

* * *

Just as Seo Hae-young expected, Hae-won regained consciousness intermittently. Sometimes while lying face down, sometimes while held in a wide embrace.

“Heeu… ah, aeu…”

Leaning against the headboard, Seo Hae-young gripped Hae-won’s waist with both hands, repeatedly lifting him up and letting him down. He simply kept pounding into the hole like a madman. With blurred vision, Hae-won blankly stared at his legs, wrapped in grey fabric, moving closer and further away.

Seo Hae-young didn’t take off his clothes. He only pulled out his member to drive it in. The pajama shirt Hae-won wore also rustled, not a single button undone. And after the first insertion, they never once faced each other.

Aside from his waist, legs, and buttocks, there was nowhere else Seo Hae-young touched. Though he briefly supported Hae-won’s chest when his upper body swayed, he didn’t suck the skin or pinch the nipples like Go Tae-gyeom did. Even now, Hae-won, sitting backward with a cock plugged into his hole, simply shook as he was shaken. After a moment of hesitation, he let out a pitifully hoarse voice.

“Hae… young-ah.”

“…Yeah?”

Responding slowly, Seo Hae-young let Hae-won settle down completely. As the rigid member filled him to the brim, Hae-won’s eyes snapped shut. It was overwhelming.

“Huu…”

“What?”

Wrapping his arm around the waist, Seo Hae-young rested his chin on Hae-won’s shoulder. With swollen eyes, Hae-won fiddled with his own strengthless hands. He had to move tables when he went to the shop tomorrow, but he felt as if all his muscles had melted away. Hae-won opened his lips and spoke the one thing he wanted.

“I want to see your face.”

“Here. Look.”

As Seo Hae-young craned his neck over his shoulder, his hair tickled Hae-won’s cheek. Turning his head to look at Seo Hae-young’s reddened eyes, Hae-won shook his head slightly.

“Let’s do it while looking. I can do it well.”

Go Tae-gyeom had once said he made him work too hard, but now that he’d adapted to the pain, he felt confident he could do well. He didn’t know exactly how, but he figured he’d get it as he went. He felt like it was starting to feel good. Trying desperately to think positively, he glanced at the silent Seo Hae-young. Resting his chin on the shoulder again, Seo Hae-young tapped Hae-won’s legs, which were folded back and open, and spoke.

“How are you going to do it well?”

“…Huh?”

“Did Go Tae-gyeom teach you?”

Hae-won’s head dropped abruptly. His eyes darted around, filled with anxiety.

“…No. It’s not like that.”

“What’s not like that? Hmm?”

“Ah…!”

Seo Hae-young thrust his hips upward slightly. Jolted forward, Hae-won braced himself against the soft bed between Seo Hae-young’s legs.

“Did you climb on top? Do you shake your waist too? Is that it?”

“Augh, heeu…!”

The movement that had paused for a moment resumed. Suddenly pushing himself up from his seated position, Seo Hae-young grabbed Hae-won’s neck and pulled him back. Hae-won, consequently bringing his knees up on the bed, flailed his arms. He couldn’t reach the bed. The moment he managed to reach back and grip Seo Hae-young’s thigh, the member gouged into the wounded inner walls. It hurt enough to make his waist tremble.

“Ah, ah…! Hae-young-ah, wait…!”

“Tae-gyeom said it’s good? So you’re going to try it on me too?”

“No, it’s not… aeu…!”

In the summer where nights are short and days are long, the blue dawn light filtered through the window, illuminating the room. A rough grip held his neck, and a thick arm wrapped around his waist, binding the body trying to escape. Hae-won endured the distant pain, clutching the soft fabric of the pants he could reach. Even if he tried to perceive the sensations Seo Hae-young gave him as pleasure, it was merely a thought. Hae-won’s member, shaking with every movement, was only slightly erect and unable to ejaculate.

Seo Hae-young did not let go of the exhausted, limp body, continuing to thrust while whispering into Hae-won’s ear.

How did Go Tae-gyeom do it. How much did the two of them do for him to say he’s good at it. Did he think of him even once while doing it. How did it feel then.

Dazed, Hae-won couldn’t give any answer and simply shook endlessly, listening to Seo Hae-young’s rough breathing. Thinking that it was a bit a pity that his first sex, where he didn’t even get to kiss Seo Hae-young once, ended this way.

* * *

When he opened his eyes, the room was excessively bright. Gasping, Hae-won reached out. Fumbling by his bedside, he found the hard surface of a phone. He quickly turned on the screen to check the time, and as soon as he saw the blinking numbers through the cracked screen, he slumped. He still had an hour and a half before work. He opened his lips to make a sound.

“Ah…”

His lips immediately contorted. His voice was gratingly hoarse. Looking down with swollen, stiff eyes, he saw the phone with the broken screen. It was Seo Hae-young’s phone. While trying to turn off the screen that hadn’t gone dark yet, he discovered a text from Go Tae-gyeom. Usually, only a part is shown, so the exact content is unknown, but the text Tae-gyeom sent happened to be very short.

[Don’t overdo it]

Frowning for a moment, Hae-won turned off the screen and tossed it back before looking beside him. Fine, reddish-brown hair was scattered across the white bedding. As he leaned his head slightly, the face of the sleeping Seo Hae-young, breathing softly and evenly, was revealed. He sleeps so beautifully.

Hae-won faced Seo Hae-young, who was sleeping on his side. For a moment, a needle-like pain flared up, but it was manageable. He carefully stroked the soft cheek with his fingertips. He touched the tip of the nose once and pressed the plump lips with his index finger.

He had confessed his love in the early hours of the dawn, and while he wasn’t sure of Seo Hae-young’s answer… they had sex. Then, if he followed the proper sequence, all that remained was to officially date Seo Hae-young. The sex was a bit painful and somewhat difficult, but for Seo Hae-young, he could endure it. However… Hae-won fiddled with his reddened earlobe, suppressing his anxiety.

Go Tae-gyeom was a concern, but he could just avoid seeing him. The problem was that he didn’t know Seo Hae-young’s true feelings.

Perhaps Seo Hae-young felt the same way. After all, Seo Hae-young, who had discarded a friend just because he touched a thigh once, hadn’t hesitated to have sex with him. The fact that he got hard meant there was a possibility, right? It seemed unlikely, but he wanted to believe it. Just in case. It could be.

No. There’s no way. He didn’t think Seo Hae-young was the type to grab a hand and say “we’re dating” just because they had sex once. If Seo Hae-young woke up and told him not to come back because he’d had his fill, he might embarrassingly cry on the spot. Despite wanting to sleep with Seo Hae-young so badly, he now felt a selfish desire to pretend it never happened. Stroking the cheek, Hae-won slowly raised his waist and bit his tongue.

“Ugh…!”

His half-raised waist screamed a silent cry. It felt as if he had been beaten. It felt as if he’d been beaten to the brink of death; every single part of him ached. He lowered his legs from the bed first and slid down. Sitting on the rug, Hae-won bit his lip and looked down. When he slightly lifted the pajamas he was still wearing, a disastrous sight appeared.

“What the…”

The area between his thighs was a mess. Not only was there dried semen, but seeing the sporadic pink stains, it seemed he had bled. However, he felt an even stranger sensation. Hesitating, Hae-won pressed his lower abdomen firmly with his palm.

“Heeu…”

Un-dried semen glugged out from the twitching hole. Flustered, Hae-won wiped the semen flowing down his thigh with his hand and stood up unsteadily.

“Ouch…”

Every time his bare feet touched the floor, a tingling pain touched every nerve. He practically crawled out of the room and began to shower in an awkward posture. He wiped away the dried nosebleed from his philtrum and shook his bridge of the nose. Fortunately, there was no pain and the bleeding had stopped, so there was no need to go to the hospital.

Regardless, to remove the remaining semen, he had to insert a finger, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Hae-won hesitated for a long time, fiddling around the hole that was not just swollen but torn, before closing his eyes and inserting only his index finger.

“Ugh!”

It was excruciatingly painful. Rubbing his forehead against the cold tiles, he continued the remaining task.

By the time he finished showering, his clenched jaw was trembling. Leaning against the wall, he passed through the study and entered the dressing room, where he found a new pair of Seo Hae-young’s underwear and borrowed a single shirt. He shook out the pants he had taken off yesterday, tucked the oversized shirt into them, and returned to the chaotic study. A sigh escaped him.

“I’ll have to buy a new one…”

He picked up a broken frame, gently removed the remaining glass, and placed it on the desk. While clearing the glass shards and putting items that had fallen on the floor back in their places, he discovered drops of blood remaining on the wooden desk. Startled, he scrubbed them away with a tissue to erase the trace and hurriedly packed his things. He thought he had plenty of time before work, but he had wasted too much time showering.

Before leaving the house, Hae-won stood at the bedroom door and gazed at the sleeping Seo Hae-young for a moment.

Lovely Seo Hae-young.

When he looked back after his father’s funeral, his entire short life had been Seo Hae-young. He had achieved nothing by his own strength. His friends were Seo Hae-young’s friends, and on weekends, he went to Seo Hae-young’s house to eat and play games. He had no talent for studying, but since he couldn’t just hit rock bottom, whenever he struggled with books, Seo Hae-young would call him over to receive tutoring together. A strange tutoring session where Seo Hae-young would roll around on the bed while the teacher accidentally taught Hae-won. When he beat up a classmate who constantly ignored him, Seo Hae-young would hit them once more and take the blame, saying he was the one who did it; and when he crouched in an alley to avoid his stumbling father and contacted him, he’d be let to sleep in a spacious, pleasant house.

He only made friends that Seo Hae-young permitted, and only did things that Seo Hae-young permitted. It was already too late by the time he scrolled through the few contacts in his phone and realized the reality that Seo Hae-young was the only person he could comfortably contact. He had no choice but to love him, and he had to love him. He was terrified of a daily life without Seo Hae-young. Because if he didn’t have Seo Hae-young, nothing would remain for him.

As he went down the stairs, his trembling legs gave out. Leaning against the railing and limping out of the house, he bit his nails hard to calm his anxiety. He hadn’t had a single drop of alcohol, yet he felt completely drunk. And in a very unpleasant way.

Limping into the still stinging sunlight, Hae-won didn’t realize that his entire body was burning up with fever.

* * *

“Hae! Hae… won-ah?”

“Yeah?”

Hyun-jeong, who had visited during the open preparations for some reason, raised his hand and then lowered it awkwardly. He immediately covered his mouth, strode over, and grabbed Hae-won’s shoulder.

“What’s wrong with your face? Were you hit?”

Under the bright lights turned on for cleaning, his ruined face was exposed vividly. Seeing Hae-won up close and realizing how much worse it was, Hyun-jeong’s jaw dropped. From his temple to his cheek, there were bright red bruises, his eyes were raw, and the body he touched through the single shirt was scorching hot. Hae-won, who couldn’t even keep his balance and was staggering, gave a faint smile.

“No. I just… fell.”

“…Hae-won-ah.”

“I’m serious…”

Taking a step back, Hyun-jeong crossed his arms and scanned Hae-won from head to toe. Seeing him constantly leaning on the back of a chair, it seemed his whole body had been beaten, but he couldn’t exactly strip him down to check. Hyun-jeong, who could never have guessed that Hae-won’s state was the result of rolling around with Seo Hae-young for half a day, had a serious expression. He had occasionally come back after fighting someone, but that was back in their student days; it had been a long time since he’d seen him like this. However, knowing that Hae-won would just shut his mouth and shake his head if questioned, Hyun-jeong gestured toward the shop door with his eyes.

“Go home and rest today. You’re in no condition to work.”

“No, Noona. I’m fine.”

“The tableware in our shop is a bit expensive, Hae-won…”

“I won’t break anything. I’m good at this.”

What a stubborn kid. Looking skeptically at Hae-won, who immediately began wiping the tables, Hyun-jeong let out a deep sigh.

“Then just do it for two hours and go.”

“I can do it all…”

“No. I’m going to give you something difficult.”

Just then, the serving part-timer arrived with a loud greeting, and Hyun-jeong snatched the rag from Hae-won’s hand, handed it to the part-timer, and patted Hae-won’s shoulder.

“Jin-hyung-ah. I’ll give you an extra fifty thousand won. Please handle the closing today.”

“Oh, really? I’d love to. Hae-won today…”

Before the part-timer could see the ruined face, Hyun-jeong stepped in between and blocked the view, pulling Hae-won’s arm. Watching Hae-won’s limping back as he followed, the part-timer tilted his head. He must be hurt. That was his brief thought.

Entering the storage room inside the kitchen, Hyun-jeong sat Hae-won on a plush sofa and brought out emergency medicine. Handing an antipyretic to Hae-won, who was shifting his buttocks in an uncomfortable posture, Hyun-jeong placed some trivial tasks that didn’t need to be done immediately on a low table and put on a serious expression.

“These will be two very difficult hours.”

“…I’m really fine.”

After swallowing the pill with water, Hae-won picked up a cleanly laundered napkin. Hyun-jeong also took a napkin, shaped it prettily, and tied it with a blue ribbon.

“If the ribbon isn’t pretty, I’ll make you do it again. Now. Start.”

“Okay… thank you.”

“What are you thanking me for? I’m going to work you as much as I pay you, kid.”

Hae-won gave a hollow laugh; he struggled at first, but soon he was folding the napkins quite convincingly.

He was fine until the moment the shop doors opened and the air conditioner was turned on. As soon as he started organizing the tables, he felt dizzy, and not only his beaten cheek, but the area between his buttocks where the member had been pounded all night hurt maddeningly. Still, since he had finally gotten to work at Hyun-jeong’s shop, he couldn’t bring himself to say he wanted to rest today. It was a relief that Hyun-jeong had noticed first.

Folding napkins in silence and placing them in a basket, Hyun-jeong spoke cautiously.

“If you’re having a hard time with anything, tell me. Hyun-woo is here too.”

“Huh? I’m not having a hard time…”

“If you ever do. Got it?”

Hae-won nodded slightly. Even though he was just his younger brother’s friend, he was simply grateful that Hyun-jeong always looked after him. While quietly doing his assigned task, he smiled slightly and gauged the reaction.

“Noona.”

“Yeah?”

“Um… what kind of gifts do you give your husband?”

Pouting her lips as she put a napkin in the basket, Hyun-jeong shrugged.

“What would I give? Giving things only spoils them.”

“Then you don’t give anything even on anniversaries or things like that?”

Narrowing his eyes, Hyun-jeong looked back at Hae-won. Their eyes met, and Hae-won quickly averted his gaze, awkwardly folding a napkin. Hyun-jeong sensed something. He poked Hae-won’s shoulder with a playful smile.

“Hae-won, do you have a girlfriend?”

“No. It’s not that… just. Anyway, what kind of gift would be good for a brother-in-law?”

It seemed clear that he was seeing someone. Hyun-jeong chuckled and picked up one of the few remaining napkins.

“For me, anything edible is fine. My wife is driving me crazy lately, asking for an oven because she’s learning to bake. I can’t believe an oven costs tens of millions of won.”

“Ah. He’s good at cooking…”

“Last time, she was making a huge fuss about burying fermentation jars in the yard…”

Hae-won felt a bit intimidated. The only cooking he knew how to do was simple cutting, grilling, and boiling. Even then, it was just passable; he couldn’t produce flavors that would make someone marvel. He certainly couldn’t do the flamboyant decorations like the lunchboxes Hyun-jeong’s husband packed, so cooking was out of the question.

Hyun-jeong, who had been subtly bragging, realized Hae-won looked crestfallen and felt a pang of regret. A great idea quickly came to him. Slapping his thigh, Hyun-jeong pulled out his phone.

“A friend of my sister’s started a jewelry brand. Do you want to pick something from there? I can get a friend’s discount.”

“Oh, really? Is that okay?”

Hae-won’s expression brightened. “Look,” Hyun-jeong said, entering the website and holding out his phone. On the clean site, photos of sparkling accessories were uploaded at regular intervals. Every single one had a simple design, which was exactly what Hae-won liked.

“It might not be a fit if they like flashy things, but a lot of celebrities wear it, so it’s quite popular.”

“No. They’re all pretty.”

Looking at the price written under the photo, Hae-won blinked his swollen eyes. The price was equivalent to his monthly living expenses.

Seo Hae-young’s birthday was approaching. He had always been the one receiving and had never properly taken care of him, so this time, he wanted to give a decent gift. Although Hae-young didn’t seem to enjoy jewelry, he thought a simple bracelet might be okay. He didn’t know what to say while handing over the gift, but it seemed better than spending the birthday empty-handed. He couldn’t help it if he was strapped for cash for a month or two. In truth, it was no different from a bribe asking for forgiveness. Let’s forget we slept together and just keep being friends. No. Maybe he should just properly confess this time. You never know…

Misinterpreting Hae-won’s contemplation, Hyun-jeong took back the phone and typed a message.

“I sent you the site address, so pick one. I’ll do my absolute best to get it cheap.”

Determined to bleed his hardworking and passionate friend dry, Hyun-jeong grinned. After repeatedly urging him to pick something and contact him by tomorrow, Hyun-jeong gave the cold-sweating Hae-won some medicine and kicked him out of the shop. It had been less than an hour since Hae-won had started work.

Walking home through the darkening streets, Hae-won stopped several times due to his blurred vision. It really hurt too much. Since health was the only thing he possessed, he had rarely been seriously ill, but today it hurt so much he wanted to collapse on the street and faint.

“Ugh…”

Completely lacking the strength to navigate the ups and downs of the neighborhood, he headed toward Seo Hae-young’s house. After taking thirty minutes to cover a distance that usually took fifteen, Hae-won pressed the doorbell and slumped down on the stairs. Despite having run away because he lacked the confidence to face him, this was the only place he could go.

His sorrowful vision spun, and his eyes kept closing. He tried to force himself to stay conscious and waited for the door to open, but there was no response from inside. Stretching out his arm, he pressed the bell once more and slid down.

* * *

After Hae-won collapsed, Seo Hae-young stepped leisurely out of the house and looked down at Hae-won, sprawled in front of his gate, with pathetic eyes. As he nudged Hae-won’s leg with his foot, the tightly closed eyes slowly opened. Seo Hae-young slid his hand under the armpit of Hae-won, who was looking up with dazed eyes from the stairs, and hauled him up in one go. Forcing the wobbling Hae-won to stand, he spoke with an expressionless face.

“Hello.”

Because Seo Hae-young was greeting him so abruptly, it felt like a dream, and Hae-won replied with a slight smile.

“Yeah. Hello…”

He wanted to snap his heavy eyelids open, but it was far too difficult. Staring blankly at the lifeless Hae-won, Seo Hae-young shook his burning body without consideration and whispered softly, as if admonishing a child.

“I told you that you’d be sick. Why the hell did you go out… making me upset.”

Dragged inside just like that, Hae-won was thrown onto the wide entryway. Rolling across the hard marble, his dazed mind was forcibly awakened. Every part of him hurt—his shoulders, his waist, his head.

“Ugh…”

He couldn’t get up. Rubbing his hot forehead against the cold floor, he looked up at Seo Hae-young. Unsure of what had offended him this time, a foot wearing a slipper stomped hard on his limp ankle. Hae-won writhed pathetically and slowly shook his head.

“It hurts…”

“Why do you go out as you please? Why are you like this?”

Seo Hae-young circled the collapsed Hae-won, kicking him here and there. He wasn’t putting much force into it, but for Hae-won, whose entire body felt like it was in a furnace, even that was agonizing, and he groaned in pain. Pushing Hae-won’s curled shoulder with his foot to lay him flat, Seo Hae-young leaned over and stared intently at the feverish face.

“Hae-won.”

“Yes…”

Barely blinking to focus his eyes, Hae-won faced Seo Hae-young. After staring down at him for a long while, Seo Hae-young finally broke the silence, his full lips curling into a long smile.

“Let’s have sex.”

The words were completely inconsistent with his previous actions. Hae-won looked up at Seo Hae-young, letting out only thin breaths. The beautiful face swirled and distorted like a monster. Staring blankly at the blurring face, he nodded. Not knowing what to do or what to say, he simply nodded.

His pants were stripped off on the stairs. He had scraped his knee during a fall. He had been slapped across the cheek, and then he walked again. His body, clad only in a loose short-sleeved t-shirt, was pushed onto the sofa.

On the monitor, a movie with calm background music was playing. Listening to the actors’ lines, Hae-won closed his eyes tightly and waited for the coming pain.

However, instead of a penis crudely forcing its way between his buttocks, a hard object was pressed into his hand. Then came the monotonous voice.

“Put this in.”

Opening his eyes, Hae-won looked down at his hand, his dry lips quivering. A cold sensation lingered at his fingertips.

“…Why?”

“Why are you asking?”

Stepping back, Seo Hae-young leaned back against the armrest and lounged. A white instep touched Hae-won’s thigh.

“Just put it in if I tell you to.”

Dropping his gaze toward the transparent object, Hae-won discovered Seo Hae-young’s name engraved in the center.

It was a crystal trophy Seo Hae-young had won at a swimming competition in middle school. He remembered Go Tae-gyeom and Joo Hyun-woo giggling about it when they first visited the house, saying the long trophy with the rounded end looked exactly like a dildo. With a round sphere on top and a conical shape that thickened at the bottom, it did look that way. Hae-won was bewildered. This is sex? Putting this in?

Seo Hae-young gave no explanation. Time passed while Hae-won stared vacantly at the name engraved straight on the trophy. Meanwhile, Seo Hae-young typed a reply to Tae-gyeom on his phone, speaking without even looking forward.

“You said you like me, Hae-won.”

Again, that kind voice was gouging out his heart. He wanted to deny it. If only he could take back the things he had poured out of his own mouth yesterday.

“…That is.”

“Since you took off your clothes so obediently… wouldn’t it be better to just do it?”

Seo Hae-young urged him with a light kick to the ankle, but the hesitation didn’t vanish. With a sigh, Seo Hae-young whispered quietly.

“Do you want to get hit before you put it in?”

As if Seo Hae-young feels the same way… Hae-won realized his mistake. He should have kept his mouth shut, even if it meant getting beaten. Then, sorrow washed over him like a wave. It was like dirty water that didn’t cool his burning head but only made it more dizzy as it passed.

Shaking his head weakly from side to side, Hae-won slowly pulled off the black drawers he was wearing and laid them on the floor. Dropping his phone onto the rug, Seo Hae-young crossed his arms and directed his posture.

“Spread your legs. So I can see clearly.”

Goosebumps rose on the skin exposed to the cold air. Hesitantly, he turned toward Seo Hae-young, lifted his legs, and spread them slightly. He lowered the transparent, hard trophy between his legs, but the moment he tried to insert it, he was suddenly terrified. He didn’t have the confidence to push in something thicker than three fingers with his own hand. And he didn’t really know why he had to do it.

“Why aren’t you putting it in?”

“I think it’ll hurt…”

The entrance was still swollen, so it was certain that inserting it dry would be excruciating. But if he didn’t, he’d be beaten so badly he wouldn’t be able to go to the shop tomorrow. He had already caused trouble for Hyun-jeong today; he couldn’t do that again tomorrow. Despite knowing it couldn’t be inserted without anything, Seo Hae-young raised an eyebrow and shrugged.

“Figure it out yourself.”

Biting his lip, Hae-won lifted the trophy and brought it to his mouth. He thought it would be better if he coated it in saliva. As he opened his lips and sucked on the cold glass, Seo Hae-young, who had been watching silently, burst into laughter, covering his mouth as if appalled. Hae-won’s eyes burned with heat as he warmed the glass with his tongue. Still, he had no choice. He absolutely could not put it in dry.

After diligently rolling it in his mouth to make the glass surface slippery, he lowered it between his legs. As soon as it touched the entrance, a stinging pain shot up, and he instinctively frowned.

“Spread your legs more.”

Following Seo Hae-young’s words, Hae-won spread his legs further, clenched his teeth, and forced the glass inside. The closed folds were pushed wide open, and the rounded tip forced its way in.

“Hng…!”

It hurt terribly. So much that it was hard to believe he had only just inserted the tip. Seo Hae-young, who had tucked one arm behind him as a pillow, nudged Hae-won’s curling legs with his foot, forcing him to keep them wide open.

“Move.”

Breaking into a cold sweat, Hae-won slowly moved his hand back and forth. Every time the round sphere entered and exited, the force pushing it out from inside grew stronger. He gripped the trophy, which tried to slide out on its own, and inhaled sharply.

“Ugh, huff…”

Exhaling a long breath that filled his lungs, he released the tension in his body and pushed the trophy straight in.

“Hng…!”

The entire round sphere slid in. Sweat beaded on the forehead of Hae-won, who narrowed his eyes. He felt dizzy. When he stopped his hand for a moment, Seo Hae-young kicked his leg. Hae-won quickly resumed moving his hand, probing his own inside. Because the glass kept trying to slip out, he held it with both hands, repeating the motion of pushing it in and pulling it out. The sound of the inner walls sticking and peeling away from the glass echoed between his legs.

“Hng, ugh…”

There had been a part that felt good when Go Tae-gyeom did it with his hand. Even though it hurt like hell, it felt like he could survive if he could just touch that spot. Frowning deeply, he shifted directions, searching for the pleasurable spot. But he couldn’t find it on his own, and the pain only intensified. It hurt too much. How long did he have to do this? Stray thoughts drifted in. Before he knew it, Hae-won was forcing the probe inside while tears streamed down his face.

“Hng, ugh…”

Watching the trophy enter and exit the pink-tinged hole, Seo Hae-young, who had been stroking his erect penis over his pants, straightened his waist. He pressed down on the shoulder of the leaning Hae-won with his palm, and with his other hand, he grabbed the trophy that was trying to escape and forced it deep inside. Hae-won, who had been inserting it only in tiny increments, trembled violently.

“Haa… ah…!”

“Does it feel good? I heard you like this kind of thing.”

Tears blurred his vision. Seo Hae-young moved his hand without giving him a moment’s rest. Because he pushed it in so forcefully that veins popped in his thick arm, Hae-won couldn’t even resist and just let tears flow. Lifting Hae-won’s legs entirely, Seo Hae-young inconsiderately rotated the hard object and shoved it in, widening the tightly closed entrance.

“It hurts, it hurts…! Ah…!”

“It feels good, right?”

Hae-won, who was clawing at the sofa, nodded frantically. He thought it would end if he said it felt good.

“I-it feels good… ah…!”

“Then smile.”

The hand pressing his shoulder applied weight as if to crush his collarbone. The trophy, thrusting with a wet sound from below, crushed the inner walls. Hae-won sobbed uncontrollably, unable to answer the question, panting for breath. Just then, Seo Hae-young’s hand gripped his neck. His palm pressed against the Adam’s apple, and his fingers tightened so hard they seemed to dig into the tender skin.

“Kgh…!”

“I said smile.”

The grip was not weak. With blood quickly rushing to his face, turning it bright red, Hae-won forced the corners of his heavy mouth upward. Tears soaked his eyelashes and bruised cheeks, and the corners of his mouth trembled pitifully.

After counting ten seconds in his head, Seo Hae-young smiled with satisfaction and released his grip. Hae-won’s chest heaved as he gasped for air, and the hole where the trophy was embedded twitched. It was a look he liked. Seo Hae-young held the trophy and probed the inside a few more times, watching the shivering Hae-won.

“Good.”

“Haa-ah…!”

In an instant, Seo Hae-young yanked out the crystal trophy that had been buried halfway, grabbed Hae-won by the collar, hauled him up, and threw him onto the floor. Hae-won’s head hit the low table with a thud, and he could only blink repeatedly and moan, but before he could regain his senses, his waist was hoisted up.

His upper body was draped over the cold table, and immediately, a penis far longer and thicker than the trophy pushed into the gaping hole. With glazed eyes, Hae-won hesitantly reached out and gripped the edge of the table.

“Ah, ah…”

“Haa…”

It hurt. It hurt too much. His body was pushed back violently. The hot penis forced a path and buried itself into the deep places the glass hadn’t reached. Every time the waist moved, the table made a creaking sound and slid forward. Leaning over, Seo Hae-young moved away from the edge Hae-won was holding and gripped the table to keep the stand from sliding.

“Ugh, ugh… ah…!”

Seo Hae-young’s lower body slapped against the exposed buttocks. Shaking along with the table, Hae-won’s consciousness flickered in and out as his cheek rested against the cold glass. He didn’t even have the strength to scream. He just hoped it would end quickly.

“It feels… good, doesn’t it, Hae-won?”

Having buried his penis to the hilt, Seo Hae-young rotated his waist subtly. Due to the dizzying pain, Hae-won closed his eyes tight and answered in a choked voice.

“Yes, yes…”

“I… figured…”

Looking down with eyes full of ridicule at Hae-won, who was pretending it didn’t hurt while dying of pain, Seo Hae-young continued his violent movements. Despite having done it so much in the early morning, the inside was too tight, making the movement difficult. Since his vacation was only a few days away, he figured he should stretch him out as much as possible before then so they could both play comfortably.

“Haa… ugh…”

Resting his cheek on Hae-won’s shoulder, Seo Hae-young thrust his waist upward while listening to the pained groans. Thanks to the raging fever, the inside was hot. The inner walls, sucking him in so hard it made the back of his neck chill, felt wonderful.

The movie, rushing toward its ending, finished with an awkward conclusion, and even after the long credits rolled, Hae-won held onto the table tightly and held his breath. His knees, which had buckled under the weight, were stained red. Red streaks faintly seeped into the white rug, rubbing against the knees that had been scraped on the stairs.

Having satisfied his desire to a reasonable extent, Seo Hae-young stepped over Hae-won, who was sprawled under the pushed-back table. He picked up the crystal trophy from the floor, turned it once, and flicked it into the trash can. Crossing his arms, he looked through the trophies in the display case, picking out what to put inside next.

Would a squared one fit? He rolled a trophy with a jagged end in his hand before putting it down and rewinding the finished movie to the beginning. Watching the opening appear as the black screen lifted, Seo Hae-young, sitting on the sofa, lifted the unconscious Hae-won and laid him face-down across his lap.

When he spread the buttocks, the area around the hole was smeared with un-dried semen. Watching the hole still intermittently spitting out semen, he traced the surroundings with his finger. Gathering the leaking semen and pushing it back inside, he inserted two fingers together, making Hae-won groan even in his unconscious state.

“Hng…”

Crossing his legs to raise the height, he poked Hae-won’s hole while watching the monitor where the movie was starting. The mixed, viscous semen made a squelching sound, but it was soon drowned out by the movie’s audio. Focusing on the movie that whispered an incomprehensible story, Seo Hae-young pushed in three fingers and stretched the inner walls. When the movie became tense, he drove his fingers in slowly; when a boring section arrived, he spread the butt cheeks and shoved them in with force.

By the time the movie, which was slightly under two hours long, ended, Seo Hae-young’s hand was covered in semen, and Hae-won’s hole had melted and softened to the point where it could comfortably accept about three fingers. After rolling Hae-won over, Seo Hae-young raised his hand, intending to wake him up and ram himself in once more, but he hesitated, unable to strike immediately. If he hit him where it was visible, Hyun-jeong would notice. Hyun-jeong was a man of many tender feelings. Especially toward Yoon Hae-won. Left with no choice, he wiped his sticky hand against Hae-won’s cheek and stood up.

* * *

He couldn’t even open his eyes properly because of the fever. After being woken up, washed, and dragged to the dining table, Hae-won lay face down on the table, breathing hot, ragged breaths. Seo Hae-young, who had forced him down into a chair by pressing on his shoulders, was making a racket, practically turning the kitchen upside down. The reality that a guy who couldn’t even boil ramen—something nearly impossible to mess up—was trying to cook something was terrifying.

“Seo Hae-young….”

There was no answer even when he called. Hae-won drifted in and out of sleep, groaning in pain, until a large bowl was placed in front of him. Seo Hae-young slid his hand between Hae-won’s forehead and the table and flicked it back, revealing a flushed face. Seo Hae-young pointed to the bowl with a bright smile.

“I made porridge.”

“…You did?”

Squinting his eyes, Hae-won stared blankly at the ceramic bowl, which was as large as a washbasin. It was white rice porridge, but it looked quite different from any he knew. The overcooked porridge had lost all semblance of rice grains, resembling a white mass, and mysterious, neatly squared chunks were embedded throughout.

“It’s in season. So I put them in.”

Seo Hae-young, kneeling on the chair, rested his elbows on the table and held out a spoon. Taking the spoon, Hae-won poked at the questionable chunks and asked back.

“In season…?”

“Peaches.”

Then he chuckled. Hae-won stared at the laughing Seo Hae-young for a moment before dropping his head and digging the spoon deep to stir it. A heap of peach slices came up in the concave spoon. It looked like he had just chopped up whole peaches and thrown them in. Hae-won blinked and let out a short sigh.

“Hae-young… you’re crazy.”

Seo Hae-young began to laugh, his shoulders shaking. His long arm reached out, kneading the bruised cheek before giving it a light tap with his fingertip.

“Eat, hurry.”

“…Stop playing around with food.”

Grumbling softly, Hae-won took a large spoonful of porridge and pushed it into his mouth. The porridge was so bland that it tasted like nothing. The occasional piece of peach mixed with the jelly-like rice created a bizarre flavor. Still, since it seemed there were no other tricks besides the peaches, he forced it down his throat. While he emptied half the bowl, Seo Hae-young simply rested his chin on his hand and smirked.

“Are you done?”

“…Almost.”

Hae-won organized his thoughts while picking at the porridge. His mind, already clouded by the fever, drifted toward the depression lurking at the edge. Did that mean Seo Hae-young only wanted to have sex? And to do it while playing around by putting strange things in his hole.

He was no different from Go Tae-gyeom. He had hoped he would be at least a little different. Since they had known each other for so long, weren’t they… friends? Or not anymore.

“…Hae-young.”

“Yeah?”

“I was wrong. Let’s just pretend this never happened….”

“What?”

Unable to face him, Hae-won’s head kept dropping. A hand reached out, pushing his chin up and tilting his head back. The hand, which tapped his forehead and grabbed his hot ear before pinching his cheek, didn’t quite convey anger, but it gave a pain that was subtly irritating.

“Pretend what never happened?”

“…Everything. Like before, just as friends….”

“Then aren’t we friends now?”

Hae-won couldn’t answer easily and kept his gaze fixed on Seo Hae-young’s hand.

Who puts a trophy in a friend’s hole? Who rams their cock in and shakes their hips to spray semen? He liked Seo Hae-young and wanted to have sex with him, but not like this. Just kissing, stroking skin, and embracing without necessarily inserting anything would have been enough. Not inserting genitals without even looking at each other’s faces. No, just. He didn’t even care about sex; he just wanted to go back to how things were. Talking about trivial things, playing games, like that.

“Fuck… hey.”

A low voice broke his reverie. As he lifted his tense eyes, he saw that Seo Hae-young had already stood up and walked around the table to his side. A large hand stroked the back of his head as if hitting him. It was enough to make his upper body sway. A low voice poured over the crown of his head.

“You said you liked me. Three years? Four? Anyway, you said you liked me for a long time, Hae-won….”

It’s five years. Tears welled up, blurring the half-remaining porridge.

“I’m saying that I, whom you like so much, will have sex with you. You like that too, right?”

Seo Hae-young’s hand gripped the nape of his neck. It felt as if the skin where the knuckles touched would be crushed. He blinked to keep the tears from falling.

“I’m doing it because we’re friends. We’re close, after all.”

You like it, right? Huh?

Seo Hae-young gripped his neck and shook him, demanding an answer. Unable to keep his balance and swaying, Hae-won pressed his palms against his bright red eyes and nodded. He couldn’t let go of Seo Hae-young just because it felt a bit overwhelming.

Hae-won’s ground was soft. With every step, his feet sank deep. It had been that way since birth. On the other hand, Seo Hae-young’s ground was solid. It didn’t budge even with one or two people standing on it. Seo Hae-young willingly pulled Hae-won up to play house. Though Seo Hae-young’s occasional erratic behavior was bewildering, Hae-won didn’t want to return to a reality that felt like a swamp. It was still bearable. For now….

* * *

Hae-won went to work at Hyun-jeong’s shop without his fever breaking. Although he felt drained of energy, he was doing reasonably well compared to yesterday. Since early morning, Hyun-jeong had asked him to tell him which one he liked from a site, so he quickly picked one and sent a photo. The reply came back saying he would stop by around closing time.

He fiddled with his phone, contemplating for a moment. Even if he gave it, would Seo Hae-young accept it? The photo of the simple bracelet suddenly looked shockingly shabby. While he was biting his lip and tidying the tables, the shop door opened.

“Uh… hi.”

As soon as he saw the person entering the shop with a hesitant greeting, Hae-won tilted his head.

“Joo Hyun-woo?”

“Yeah, uh. I heard one part-timer couldn’t make it today. I’m the sub.”

Watching Hyun-woo’s back as he hurried into the kitchen without even making eye contact, Hae-won straightened the napkins tied with ribbons on the table.

Soon, Hyun-woo came back out with a black apron tied around his waist and awkwardly approached Hae-won, reaching for the basket tucked under his arm. In the process, their fingers brushed slightly. Hyun-woo jumped in surprise and jerked his hand away, and Hae-won looked at the awkwardly frozen Hyun-woo with a strange expression.

“Did you get heatstroke? What’s wrong with you?”

Hae-won scanned Hyun-woo’s bright red face and turned back to the next table.

Watching Hae-won’s back as he limped away, Hyun-woo let out a frustrated sigh. What was he supposed to do when he couldn’t stop thinking about the sight of him groaning while being pinned down? He ruffled his hair messily and followed behind.

A few days ago, when he had visited Tae-gyeom’s house, Hyun-woo had asked a mocking Tae-gyeom if they were dating. He asked very carefully, fearing it might be hurtful. Despite his consideration, Go Tae-gyeom laughed loudly as if it were absurd and shook his head. He said they only had sex. That if Hyun-woo said he wanted to do it too, Yoon Hae-won, that bastard, would just spread his legs.

That made no sense. Hyun-woo shook his head while looking at the back of the head with fluttering light-colored hair. It was likely that Go Tae-gyeom, the piece of trash, was intentionally using Yoon Hae-won as a shield because they were caught while dating. Therefore, he had to be nice to him. Swallowing the awkwardness, Hyun-woo approached Hae-won, took out a napkin, and spoke while setting the opposite side of the table.

“What happened to your face?”

“I fell.”

“Bullshit…. Seo Hae-young again?”

Hae-won neither confirmed nor denied it and continued tidying the table. Having guessed the situation, Hyun-woo frowned deeply and glared at Hae-won’s purple-stained cheek. He didn’t know what on earth Yoon Hae-won had done wrong to be treated like a hunted animal. Could it be because he knew he was dating Go Tae-gyeom? But then why was Go Tae-gyeom staying quiet?

“What about… Go Tae-gyeom?”

Hae-won’s neat fingers, which were rotating a scented candle, came to a sudden halt.

“Why Go Tae-gyeom?”

“No, just…. Since we’re going on a trip tomorrow.”

Glancing at the stiff expression, Hyun-woo changed the subject to the vacation starting tomorrow. He burst into laughter while recalling the familiar itinerary of going all the way to the East Sea in Go Tae-gyeom’s car early in the morning.

“We used to go by bus. Buying this much meat.”

Back when all four of them were students, there was a time they had rejected offers for rides and gone on their own. The memory of arriving at the villa after wandering for half a day and falling asleep without even getting to play was vivid. As the memories were unexpectedly brought up, the awkward atmosphere between the two slowly dissolved. “Ah,” Hyun-woo exclaimed, making a square with his hands.

“The photos we took every year, those should still be at the villa, right?”

“Probably.”

Hae-won smiled faintly, thinking of the four photos—one for each year—that would remain, but then he felt bitter. His relationship with two of them had turned strange. One seemed to be over, and one was ongoing. Still, there was a small glimmer of hope. The hope that they could go back to how it was.

“It’ll be fun. I’m so bored at home. Noona isn’t there either.”

Joo Hyun-woo, who took the basket with a beaming smile, was that hope. The guy who knew nothing and remained in the position of a friend. There was a groundless belief that Hyun-woo would mediate the fractured relationships. Hae-won couldn’t fully embrace the vacation arriving tomorrow and only managed a bitter smile.

The shop opened on time, and Hyun-woo handled the work skillfully, leveraging his extensive experience as a substitute. Although he would startle violently whenever their shoulders brushed or they locked eyes while serving, Hae-won assumed it was because of the heat and gave him a meaningless smile. In response, Hyun-woo avoided his gaze and let out an awkward laugh.

“Hae-won-ah.”

Just as the customers were leaving and the shop became quiet, Hyun-jeong appeared with his hands behind his back. The dimmed lighting of the shop perfectly hid the deep bruises on Hae-won’s face. Not noticing the injuries, Hyun-jeong approached with a cheerful stride and abruptly held out a shopping bag.

“Ta-da! I got it for a bargain.”

“Ah. This. Thank you….”

Taking the shopping bag, Hae-won smiled brightly, his voice trailing off. While he was worrying about how to effectively express his gratitude, Hyun-jeong patted his shoulder with an exaggerated gesture.

“I told you the size is adjustable, so just give the gift.”

“What is it?”

Hyun-woo, who happened to be tidying the dishcloths and glanced over the shopping bag, widened his eyes.

“That’s Mi-yeon Noona’s? I heard reservations for this were hard….”

Hyun-jeong quickly covered Hyun-woo’s mouth. “Be quiet,” he muttered lowly with a glare, and the quick-witted Hyun-woo shut his mouth tight. Fortunately, Hae-won didn’t seem to hear because he was looking inside the bag. Hyun-jeong let out a sigh of relief and clapped his hands. Since it was closing time, the employees who had finished cleaning gathered around Hyun-jeong.

“Vacation starts tomorrow, right? Everyone get some good rest, and I’ll see you in a week. It’s the first time we’ve had such a long break. Ah! We have to have a company dinner, a dinner!”

While the employees laughed and chatted during a simple company dinner, Hae-won stayed tucked in a corner, peering into the shopping bag. A pretty ribbon was wrapped around the square box. He decided he should bring this up carefully while giving this. He wasn’t sure if a mere bracelet could change Seo Hae-young’s heart, but since he had received a lot from him in various ways, it was a way of paying him back. It was also a greeting, asking him to look after him in the future.

“Hey, Hae-won.”

Hyun-woo, who had been chatting with the employees, turned to the quiet Hae-won and tapped the table. A tired gaze returned. Hyun-woo glanced at Hyun-jeong, who was drinking as if today were the end of the world, and pointed to the door.

“Go home first. I’ll handle the closing.”

“No. It’s my job….”

“Yeah…. Don’t ruin the mood and just go.”

Hyun-woo wrinkled his nose and gave a playful smile. Then, realizing his mistake, he checked Hae-won’s reaction and added,

“You know I’m joking, right?”

Hae-won burst into laughter and slowly stood up.

“Okay. I’ll say goodbye to Noona….”

“No. If you say goodbye, you’ll get caught, you brat. Just leave.”

Hyun-woo pointed to the back door, and Hae-won, after watching Hyun-jeong drinking like crazy with one of the cooking staff, slowly backed away. Hyun-woo waved and mouthed that he’d see him tomorrow.

After exiting through the back door, Hae-won gripped the shopping bag tightly and rubbed his stiff eyes. Right, since Joo Hyun-woo is there. He might be able to get help in resolving the messed-up situation. He vowed to try and fix things during the vacation. He just had to do his best to go back to the way things were.

He staggered along the street and returned to the neighborhood where his house was. It was always a sparsely populated area, but today, not even a rat was in sight. He was passing through an alley faintly lit by a streetlamp that looked like it was about to go out.

“Are you done with work?”

A familiar voice. Hae-won lifted his head, which didn’t want to move. Under the streetlamp, he saw Go Tae-gyeom sitting on the edge of the passenger door of a black car, smoking a cigarette. Without realizing it, Hae-won hid the shopping bag behind his back and opened his lips, which refused to move. A heavily sunken voice came out.

“…Why.”

“What do you mean why.”

Tae-gyeom crushed the cigarette butt on the ground and beckoned him with a curled finger. A chill ran down his spine. Hae-won increased his stride and hurriedly brushed past Tae-gyeom. There was no other way, so he couldn’t turn back. Instead, his house was just a little further. If he locked the auxiliary lock from the inside, it couldn’t be opened even with a key, so he just had to make it that far.

“Fuck… hey.”

But it wasn’t easy. Tae-gyeom quickly stood up and caught up to Hae-won, who was ignoring him. When he grabbed his forearm, a fierce resistance followed. Without putting in much effort, Tae-gyeom dragged Hae-won back to the car and opened the rear door. He forced the struggling body into the spacious interior and climbed on top, prompting Hae-won to kick out his legs. Tae-gyeom, who easily suppressed the somewhat sluggish resistance, placed his hand on the panting face. As he touched the forehead, he felt a hot fever.

“Are you sick?”

“You fucking bastard…!”

Hae-won gnashed his teeth to hide his fear. He immediately grabbed Tae-gyeom’s collar and threw a punch. The slow, powerless punch, hampered by the fever, was blocked by Tae-gyeom’s palm, and Hae-won’s lips twisted. As soon as he saw Tae-gyeom’s face, a surge of resentment flared up. The past few days flashed before his eyes like a kaleidoscope, and emotions overwhelmed him. Swallowing the lump in his throat to calm his emotions, Hae-won spoke in a trembling voice.

“Why did you tell him, you son of a bitch….”

“What. What did I tell him?”

Tae-gyeom, lifting his chin shamelessly, quickly unbuckled Hae-won’s belt.

“You, fuck…! To Seo Hae-young….”

Tears he had been holding back in front of Seo Hae-young began to well up. The more he kicked his legs and writhed under him, the harder Tae-gyeom’s solid elbow pressed into his upper abdomen. Tae-gyeom replied nonchalantly as he unbuckled the belt and pulled the end out of the loops.

“Seo Hae-young, what. I have to know what you’re talking about, you bastard.”

“I told you, don’t! You said you wouldn’t say….”

Having completely removed the belt, Tae-gyeom sat across his waist and gripped Hae-won’s wrists. As he twisted the wrists slightly, the strength left the thin arms. Taking advantage of that, Tae-gyeom wrapped the belt around the wrists and tied them firmly to the handle above the car door, shrugging his shoulders.

“Ah…. That’s how it happened. I told you. I have a big mouth.”

For a moment, Hae-won lost his words and could only gape.

Then what about the days I obediently sucked Go Tae-gyeom’s cock? What happens to that?

“…Move. Untie this.”

Tears fell, carving paths down his cheeks. Hae-won quickly turned his upper body and pulled at his bound wrists. He tried to undo the belt with his remaining hand, but Tae-gyeom was faster in undoing his own belt.

“We’re going on a trip tomorrow, so I’ll go easy on you.”

At Tae-gyeom’s words, acting as if he were really going to do it here, Hae-won gasped and scratched at the leather belt with his fingernails. No matter how he pulled or pushed, it wouldn’t come loose, regardless of how it had been tied. Fingernail marks were left on the skin of his wrists, but he couldn’t even feel the pain. Tears filled with fear fell in droplets.

Tae-gyeom grabbed the hand with protruding veins and tied it tightly with the remaining part of the belt. Now connected to the handle with both hands, Hae-won kicked his legs wildly and shook his head. This wasn’t right. He didn’t want this. He hadn’t known it would turn out like this.

“Ah. I don’t have condoms today.”

Looking down at Hae-won’s tear-streaked face, Tae-gyeom smirked and unbuckled his pants. The pants were stripped off in the blink of an eye. With the exposed bare legs draped over his shoulder, Tae-gyeom suppressed the resistance, stripped off the shirt, and clicked his tongue lightly. He pulled the undershirt all the way up to reveal the chest, then scratched the nipple gently with his index finger, asking in a tone as if he couldn’t understand.

“Aren’t you hot? Why are you all bundled up?”

Thinking it was quite impressive that Yoon Hae-won was wearing a short-sleeved shirt under another shirt on such a hot day, Tae-gyeom toyed with his nipple.

“Get off me, you son of a bitch….”

Flushed with fever and having cried, Hae-won wiped his burning eyes against Tae-gyeom’s shoulder and kicked Tae-gyeom’s back sharply with his heels. His bound arms had been shaken so much that the skin touching the belt was all chafed. For some reason, every time Go Tae-gyeom came to find him, his physical condition was so poor that it was difficult to resist. His only rebellion consisted of twisting his limbs and letting out a voice laced with sobs. Tae-gyeom leaned down toward Hae-won, who was panting and glaring at him as if he wanted to kill him.

“I told you, if you stay still, I’ll make it quick.”

He murmured, using his tongue to slowly trace the area around the nipple. At that infuriating comment, Hae-won shouted in irritation.

“Fuck…! Has there ever been a time when you said you’d be quick and actually were? Do you even have a conscience?”

He let out his accumulated resentment by slamming his weight against Tae-gyeom’s back as the other chuckled with his lips pressed against Hae-won’s chest.

“You, fuck… You told everything….”

As he vented his frustration, tears quickly welled up. Even as he bit his lip to hold them back, it wasn’t easy. Bound in Tae-gyeom’s car, Hae-won wept sorrowfully. He gasped, shedding thick tears that were enough to make Go Tae-gyeom feel flustered. Intoxicated by drugs, by fever, and by sorrow, he sobbed. Tae-gyeom, who had been silently watching the crying face while rolling his finger over the increasingly erect nipple, let out a short laugh.

“Hey, Yoon Hae-won.”

“What, you fucker. What….”

“Do you think I’ll stop just because you cry?”

When Tae-gyeom pinched the nipple with two fingers and pulled it hard, Hae-won frowned and let out a groan of pain. Relaxing his grip and playing around by pressing down with his thumb, Tae-gyeom slightly pulled down Hae-won’s drawers and felt around the perineum. The kicking intensified, but as expected, it wasn’t at a bothersome level. He patted the white buttocks with a semblance of tenderness.

“Let’s be good, be good.”

“It still, it still hurts….”

Tae-gyeom looked up at Hae-won’s tearful face and nonchalantly pushed his index finger into the hole, then shifted his eyes. It felt a bit different than usual. The strength of the grip that seemed ready to snap off the finger was diminished. As he felt around the inside and pushed in two fingers, he could feel the swollen inner walls. Thinking of something, Tae-gyeom snorted, gripped Hae-won’s thighs tightly, and pressed his fingers in firmly.

“Wow, this little shit….”

He should have loosened it up first. If everything is torn up, how is the next person supposed to use it? Thinking of Seo Hae-young, who always wore a smirk, his hand became even rougher. Hae-won bucked his hips, rejecting the fingers invading his body with his entire being.

“Ah, ah…! It hurts, stop it…!”

“If you don’t want it to hurt, you have to take it, Hae-won.”

Tae-gyeom sighed as he leaned close to Hae-won, who began to resist by violently tugging at his bound arms. He had no intention of ruining the car, but if he continued like this, the hole would surely tear. After a brief moment of consideration, he withdrew the hand that had been stretching the hole. He reached out and rummaged through the seat pocket, pulling out a flat tube of lotion. While he tilted his head, wondering when he had even put it there, and opened the cap, Hae-won—realizing he couldn’t undo the belt on his wrists by himself—painfully swallowed his pride.

“Please…. It really hurts. I can’t do it because it hurts. Next time, let’s do it next time. Okay?”

“You’re the one in pain, so what do you want me to do about it….”

Tae-gyeom squeezed a long streak of lotion onto the skin of the abdomen, which was heaving heavily from the sobbing, and rubbed the thick liquid across his palm. His sticky palm slid down to the smooth penis and gripped it softly. Applying lotion to the penis, he leisurely shook it up and down, stimulating the glans with his thumb.

“Ah….”

Even while resisting and telling him to stop, the toes inside his shoes twitched and curled. It was a sensation distinctly different from that of Seo Hae-young. A strange thought suddenly flashed through his mind. What if he did this with Go Tae-gyeom again? What would happen? Overcome by a sudden fear, words that should have been hidden escaped his throat of their own accord.

“…I, I slept with Seo Hae-young.”

He had only had sex with Go Tae-gyeom a few times using the secret as leverage. Seo Hae-young knew the truth, and there was no longer any reason for this. That was how Hae-won thought.

Tae-gyeom, who had been rubbing the penis to make it erect, glanced at the anxious Hae-won and then looked down. The hand providing stimulation did not stop.

“Was it good?”

The response was far too nonchalant. Looking as if he didn’t understand, Hae-won slowly shook his head and enunciated clearly.

“I said I did it…? That we had sex.”

“And?”

“…What?”

“What do you want me to do about it.”

In an instant, the lotion-covered finger dove into the twitching hole. The pain was greater than the sensation of a foreign object, causing his buttocks to tense up.

“Hng…!”

“I mean, fuck…. Why the hell do I care what you do with Seo Hae-young?”

The finger delved very slowly inside and curved like a hook. It pressed against the swollen inner wall, slid out, and then entered smoothly. The mucous membrane, which had been stiff, absorbed the moisture and loosened. Unlike the trophy that Seo Hae-young had forced in, the soft hand slowly expanded the inside, inducing a ticklish sensation. Despite the hand that had been touching his penis having let go, Hae-won’s penis was becoming more erect as Tae-gyeom’s finger poked inside.

He had to stop here. Hae-won made a pitiful expression and shook his head.

“L-let’s stop. Please, Go Tae-gyeom….”

“Why? I think it feels good.”

Ignoring the plea entirely, Tae-gyeom leaned his upper body down, traced the white nape of the neck with his lips, and gave it a short suck. A red mark immediately appeared on the skin where the blood had rushed, and next was the chest. He traced the tender skin, leaving stinging marks wherever he saw fit.

Hae-won clenched his fists and tried to close his legs to hide his erect penis, but it was difficult as he was draped over Tae-gyeom’s shoulder. Becoming desperate, Hae-won threw away his pride and begged Tae-gyeom, of whom he could only see the crown of the head.

“Hey, please…. I’ll beg you…. Let’s stop, okay?”

“If I were going to stop just because you begged, I wouldn’t have come, you idiot….”

Tae-gyeom rolled his tongue over the erect nipple and sucked it hard, then without hesitation, pulled out his own erect penis. In the car, dimly lit by the streetlights, the menacingly erect penis throbbed. With a distorted face, Hae-won kicked the seat wildly with his free leg and tried to pull his body upward.

“Don’t put it in! You fucker, put it away!”

“I told you it doesn’t hurt.”

“The pain isn’t the problem…!”

As Tae-gyeom pulled his thighs down, the belt binding his arms tightened. Tae-gyeom pushed his lower body between the wide-open legs. Without any gap to escape, the penis, without a condom, was rammed into the hole.

“Hng-ah…!”

His head snapped back. Hae-won’s legs trembled as the back of his head hit the car window. Everything felt distant. He couldn’t breathe, and another layer of guilt piled up in his heart. It was too deep.

“Ah, ah….”

Tae-gyeom, who had pushed the penis in to the root with gritted teeth, gently massaged Hae-won’s stiff thighs as if telling him to relax.

“Ah, fuck…. It’s so tight….”

“Don’t… move…. Take it out….”

“Just a bit, Hae-won….”

Tae-gyeom made a large thrust of his hips. With a slapping sound, their lower bodies locked together without a gap. In an instant, Hae-won lost his strength and went limp.

“Hng-eu, eu….”

“The car is a bit… not ideal. Right?”

Huh? Pulling his hips back and leaving only half the penis inside, Tae-gyeom gave a shallow thrust. Despite bringing the largest car, the space was quite narrow. Since the boy was tied up, the positions were limited. It was good enough, but it wasn’t something he could do twice. He lowered his head, listening to the squelching sound coming from the junction. It was because his head kept hitting the ceiling.

“Ah, ah…. Take it out…, take it out….”

Hae-won twisted his hips, trying to shake off the dizzying sensation. Every time he moved to free his arms, the belt made a clanking sound. After shaking his hands a few more times, he let out a sob and let his arms hang limp. The belt wouldn’t come undone, and Go Tae-gyeom was….

“Stop it…, please….”

It was just as Go Tae-gyeom had said. It wasn’t that it didn’t hurt, but the pleasure was greater than the pain. That was why he wanted to stop even more. Hae-won kept his mouth tightly shut to block the moans trying to escape his throat and sobbed. The sex, while pinned with his hands tied in the back seat of the car, was unfairly good. The hole that Seo Hae-young had torn open without any consideration was, however arduously, accepting Go Tae-gyeom’s cock, and the interior that had been loosened by fingers clung willfully to the raw cock that entered.

Tae-gyeom, glancing down at Hae-won’s erect penis, smiled slyly.

“If you act like that… I’ll want to do it more.”

Tae-gyeom, whose forehead was pressed against Hae-won’s red-rimmed eyes, pulled the buttocks with both hands and thrust hard. Simultaneously, Hae-won’s lips parted and his eyes half-closed. It was clearly a face of pleasure.

“Ah…!”

“Aren’t I better than Seo Hae-young? It seems like that bastard just tore you apart. Right?”

Tae-gyeom, lying atop the slanted Hae-won, lifted his hips and rested them on Hae-won’s thighs. The movement became relatively easier. As he kissed the exposed ear and neck and thrust rapidly, Hae-won, with glazed eyes, let out intermittent moans. The inner walls, where Seo Hae-young had cleared a path, sucked in the penis greedily despite his lack of will.

“Ah, ah…! Hng, ng…!”

“Fuck, you two must have done it a lot…. The inside is completely loosened….”

Usually, it took several insertions to enter without effort, but today it was loosened and lush, wrapping the penis warmly. Tae-gyeom let out a long sigh, stroked Hae-won’s spine with his palm, and gripped the firm buttocks with one hand before letting go.

“Ah, this is really just the right amount….”

“Tae, Tae-gyeom….”

Tae-gyeom, who had been gripping the buttocks and rapidly pulling out and slamming back in, lifted his head at the call. Facing Hae-won, whose tip of the nose was stained red, Tae-gyeom’s eyes were also hazy and unfocused. As their foreheads met again, their breaths tickled each other’s lips. Taking a breath, Hae-won spoke first.

“I, just…. Fuck…. Sorry, I’m sorry….”

“For what….”

Tae-gyeom continued to breathe heavily without pause as he pushed his penis into the hot hole. Hae-won’s trembling eyelashes brushed against Tae-gyeom’s. Their fluttering lips seemed as if they would touch at any moment, but they barely missed.

“Sorry, ah…, so let’s stop….”

“Are you saying that again?”

Tae-gyeom chuckled, spread Hae-won’s buttocks, and slammed the penis in hard.

“Haa-eu!”

Feeling an overwhelming pleasure, Hae-won closed his eyes tightly, hiding his light-colored pupils behind his eyelids. Thinking it was a bit a pity that the brown eyes had disappeared, Tae-gyeom slammed his penis repeatedly into the rigid body. Even as he gasped as if he might pass out, Hae-won could not accept this reality. He bit his lip to suppress the moans, but the faint sounds leaking through his teeth only encouraged Tae-gyeom further.

Suddenly, the inner walls contracted tightly, and Hae-won couldn’t help but jerk his hips. Semen spurted out from the smooth penis that had been rubbing against Tae-gyeom’s t-shirt.

“Ah…, ah-eu….”

“I’m sorry, but…. It’s kind of funny that you’re telling me to stop while doing this.”

Tae-gyeom, feeling the sensitively twitching inner walls, accelerated his hip movements. Hae-won’s wrists, bound by the hard belt and shaking, began to chafe red.

“Ah! Ng, hng-eu….”

In the endless pleasure, Hae-won’s legs repeatedly closed and opened wide, unable to find their place. No one cared even as the soles of his shoes scratched and dirtied the car seat. Meanwhile, a shopping bag rolling at his feet was kicked and fell below.

“Ah, ah-eu…. Go Tae-gyeom….”

“What….”

Following the turning head to finally press their foreheads together, Tae-gyeom looked at the heavily distorted lips and gripped the buttocks in his hand tightly.

“Haa….”

“Ah! It hurts…!”

Tae-gyeom pulled the buttocks, which he held as if to crush them, tight against his lower body and ejaculated deep inside the hole. His vision went black, and as it slowly cleared, he caught sight of Hae-won panting for breath.

“Ugh….”

The blank, unfocused expression was so funny that he laughed. Since there was no need for separate cleanup, Tae-gyeom slowly withdrew his penis and inserted it again, enjoying the afterglow, before diving under the slipped-down t-shirt. He leaned down, sucking on the erect nipples and feeling the ribs.

“Huu, hng…! Don’t suck….”

Hae-won tried to twist his upper body to push Tae-gyeom away from his chest, but sharp teeth bit down on the nipple. Even that was stimulating, causing Hae-won’s lower abdomen to sink and then return as he gasped.

“Ah…!”

And immediately, the hip movements became violent enough to shake the body. The large car body swayed following Tae-gyeom’s movements, and the sound of sucking flesh and the squelching of fluids filled the narrow interior of the car. Emerging from under the t-shirt, Tae-gyeom urgently untied the belt bound to the handle. Even then, the hip movements did not stop, and Hae-won swayed helplessly.

Realizing his arms were free, Hae-won tried to push Tae-gyeom away, but the belt wrapping both wrists was firm. Not giving up, Hae-won rubbed the knot with his teeth, biting at the belt while being shaken up and down under Tae-gyeom.

“Hng-eu, ng…. Huu, mmp…!”

Tae-gyeom, who pressed the inside of Hae-won’s thighs to spread his legs and crashed his groin between them, burst into laughter with narrowed eyes.

“You’re really trying hard….”

“Untie it…!”

Letting go of the belt and suddenly losing his temper, Hae-won reached out a clenched fist toward Tae-gyeom’s jaw, but the end of the belt was quickly caught, and his arm was bent over his head. This time, Tae-gyeom tied the belt to the door handle and teasedly pinched Hae-won’s cheek, shaking it gently.

“Untie it yourself, you fucker.”

Lifting Hae-won’s buttocks, Tae-gyeom drove his penis in deeper. The glans, carrying semen, crushed the part that had made Hae-won’s eyes roll back the moment Seo Hae-young touched it not long ago. Stretching his long legs out, Hae-won’s eyes widened and his limbs trembled.

“Ah, ah….”

His tongue froze and strength entered his lower abdomen. It was a pleasure that felt like a blow to the crown of his head. Thin semen flowed from the penis that had just ejaculated, but he didn’t even notice. It was a deathly pleasure. Tae-gyeom burst into laughter, moving his lips along the sharp jawline.

“You have no intention of untying it… huh? Yoon Hae-won.”

“Hng-aa…, ah….”

He was panting for breath. The sticky, clinging sensation did not easily disappear. At some point, unlike before, Hae-won struggled and pushed Tae-gyeom away as if a knife were at his throat. Seo Hae-young flickered in his tear-filled vision. A white hand strangled his neck.

“Stop it! Stop… Ack!”

Unfortunately, Tae-gyeom was not the kind of person to just stop because of that. He hugged Hae-won’s convulsing waist and continued to ram his penis in. The sound of flesh hitting was louder than the squelching sound. Hae-won, whose upper body had fallen back, swayed without being able to make a sound. From his open mouth, screams that couldn’t become voices burst out, unknown to anyone. How did it end up like this? How?

Lying prone on the car seat ruined with semen, then crumpled as his head hit the car door, then once again forced to take Go Tae-gyeom’s penis to the end while on top of him. Go Tae-gyeom’s ‘quick’ drove Hae-won into a corner again today. If it had been just the body until a few days ago, today it was everything. It wasn’t like Seo Hae-young’s punching, nor was it as painful as when the trophy was inserted. Rather, it felt good. To the point of wailing at the end. Hae-won kept checking the floor while shedding tears.

It feels like it’s going to collapse. The ground, which has become soft from absorbing so much moisture.