#93

The call from Detective Oh came just as Tae-heun was about to step into the motel elevator with a bottle of water in hand. It was only then that he remembered the S.O.S message he had sent from the church earlier. Almost ten hours had passed. It felt somewhat unexpected. It was a rescue message, not just any text. Although it was unlikely, if he had been kidnapped, he would have already been dead by now.

Detective Oh, who surely knew better, had ignored that message among countless others. Perhaps he was too busy with the search and seizure, or maybe he was running around handling follow-up actions, but it still bothered Tae-heun. Protecting and caring for him was Oh’s primary duty, so ignoring it was almost a dereliction of duty.

“Yes, Detective Oh.”

Where are you?

Without any greeting, Detective Oh immediately asked for his location. He didn’t even mention the earlier text, let alone apologize. He just asked where he was again.

“What’s going on at this hour?”

The words came out a bit sharp. However, the other party didn’t seem to care at all.

You need to come out to the town now.

He said this abruptly. As if trying to suppress his anger, he added, ‘It’s a request.’ It was a desperate tone.

“What’s the matter?”

When Tae-heun asked, a deep sigh escaped from the other end of the line. It felt like he was holding back anger. Someone should be angry at someone else. It was absurd.

I’ll explain when we meet. It’s urgent.

The call ended. A text arrived immediately after. It contained the name of the motel and the room number. So, Detective Oh was at a motel in Hwangmu-eup and had called Tae-heun there. It was clear that he wasn’t inviting him to spend the night; something had definitely happened. Various reasons crossed his mind, but he couldn’t be sure of any.

As he got off the elevator and walked down the hallway toward the room, he saw a man just stepping out of a door. He was staggering, barely able to walk. It seemed like he had just regained his senses after Tae-heun had left, and one would think he should stay in the room instead of coming out when he couldn’t even stand properly. The man, unable to manage himself, was moving along the wall for support.

“Ki-beom!”

Tae-heun called out to the man.

The man flinched at Tae-heun’s voice and soon looked up. His eyes were red. Tae-heun thought it was just the lighting.

He walked briskly toward the man.

“Why are you out? Why aren’t you sleeping?”

The man’s expression was dark. He looked almost like he was about to cry. No, he had cried. Tae-heun’s heart sank.

“Why? Is something wrong?”

He had only been gone for about 20 minutes. Nothing should have happened to the man in that time, but suddenly, a child came to mind.

“Is Ji-hye sick? Did she get hurt?”

He grabbed the man. The man shook his head and pushed Tae-heun’s arm away.

“Then? Is Ki-beom sick? Do you feel like throwing up?”

He shook his head again.

“Then? What’s going on?”

The man remained silent.

He wouldn’t even look at Tae-heun.

“Ki-beom, look at me. What’s wrong?”

Tae-heun asked desperately. Only then did the man lift his head.

“I… I’m sorry.”

The man spoke in a barely audible voice. Then he immediately lowered his gaze to the floor.

“What do you mean?”

He couldn’t grasp the situation.

“Did you have a bad dream, Ki-beom?”

He asked jokingly, trying to laugh. But the man didn’t smile. Instead, he raised his arm and covered his eyes with the back of his hand.

“I’m sorry… I ruined our date….”

The man’s voice trembled.

“I really only wanted to drink a little. But… I think I ended up drinking too much without realizing it. I was so focused on myself that I didn’t think about you, Tae-heun. I’m hopeless.”

The man was self-deprecating like never before. It wasn’t a light comment like ‘you’re clueless.’

Tae-heun was taken aback. It was the first time he had seen the man like this, and it was painful to watch him despair over something so trivial. The so-called date was just watching a movie and having a beer. Tae-heun himself had been too nervous to do anything. Yet the man was agonizing over what he perceived as a huge mistake.

“Ki-beom.”

“I’m sorry. I have no words, even if I had ten mouths.”

The man didn’t even seem to listen to Tae-heun. He kept nodding, saying he was sorry. He was almost bowing as if he were about to kneel. Meanwhile, he kept wiping his tears.

“Ki-beom, stop it! Why are you doing this?”

Tae-heun grabbed the man.

“Let’s go inside and talk. Not out here, okay?”

“I’m sorry.”

The man moved away from Tae-heun as if he had no intention of talking. When Tae-heun reached out to grab him, the man tried to twist away. Still drunk, he couldn’t keep his balance and nearly fell. Tae-heun caught him and pushed him against the wall. He pinned the man’s leg with his knee and held his arms down with both hands.

“Ki-beom!”

He called the man’s name firmly.

The man looked at Tae-heun with tear-filled eyes.

“Please! Let’s talk.”

He shouted softly. He didn’t raise his fist or even pretend to, but the man flinched and shrank back as if Tae-heun were about to hit him. It was a small gesture that he wouldn’t have noticed if he hadn’t lived in such a world. Tae-heun frowned. What on earth was this man thinking? He desperately wanted to know what was going on in his head.

He let out a faint sigh and tried to soothe man.

“Ki-beom, don’t cry. It’s not that I don’t want to see you cry, but I don’t want to see you sad.”

Look at me. Please.

He pleaded with the man.

As the man blinked, tears like chicken droppings streamed down his face. He pressed his lips together to avoid making any sound.

Understanding the man’s despair, and having cried for similar reasons himself, Tae-heun didn’t ask why. Instead, he pressed his forehead against the man’s. Then he looked into the man’s eyes. He thought the dark, watery eyes were truly beautiful. Suddenly, the man sobbed. His closed lips trembled to suppress the sound. His lips, moist with tears and saliva, were red. They were luscious lips that perfectly fit the cliché of ‘like cherries.’ For some reason, he wanted to kiss them.

Tae-heun pressed his lips against the man’s. The touch was warm. It was quite soft and much more tender than he had expected. He must have been caught up in a preconceived notion that the man would be far from soft. After all, he had marveled at how soft his back had been when they bathed together before. And what about the flesh of his thighs?

As Tae-heun pulled away, the man exhaled sharply. His breath carried the scent of alcohol, but it was not unpleasant at all. In fact, it was sweet.

He cupped the man’s face with both hands. Not too tightly, so the man wouldn’t feel threatened. Then he looked into the man’s eyes.

“What do you have to be sorry for, Ki-beom? I felt the same way. It wasn’t our first time being together, yet I was so nervous that I couldn’t do anything. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

He explained gently, as if to a child.

He kissed him again, pressing his lips against the man’s more firmly this time. The man tilted his head and opened his mouth. Their lips met between the parted ones. They were moist and soft, fitting together perfectly. It was a proper kiss. Through the gap of their joined lips, they breathed in sync, at the same pace.

Tae-heun bit the man’s lips. He sucked with all his might. The man’s mouth opened wide. Without thinking about who was first, they both lunged at each other. In their haste, their teeth clashed, causing them both to let out a short ‘ah’ in unison.

For a moment, their tongues tangled together. It was closer to a headbutt than a kiss. Both men were too excited to find a rhythm. Whenever their lips touched, they bit and sucked, and when their tongues met, they licked first. They opened their mouths wide, exploring each other. They nibbled on each other’s noses and swallowed each other’s cheeks.

Tae-heun licked the man’s tears over and over. Then he bit his lips and sucked on his tongue. The man was just as proactive as Tae-heun. He didn’t shy away. He caressed Tae-heun with all his might. It was clumsy and rough, but it was hot. The squelching sounds of their friction and moans echoed throughout the hallway.

After a long while, the two finally pulled away from each other, both panting heavily. They looked at each other, breathless, as if they had just run a hundred meters. They couldn’t take their eyes off each other. Tae-heun smiled. The man smiled back.

He kissed the man’s lips again. Then the man pecked at Tae-heun’s lips like a bird pecking at seeds.

“My little sparrow.”

Peck, peck. Tae-heun mimicked the man.

They laughed, their lips still touching. At first, it was a low chuckle, then it turned into a burst of laughter.

It was only then that they realized they were both aroused.

“Shall we do it here?”

Tae-heun asked. He was trying to be serious, but he happened to be laughing, so the man took it as a joke.

The man shook his head, his face turning red with shyness.

“Let’s go inside.”

“Can’t we do it here?”

Tae-heun pressed.

“What if someone reports us?”

“Who would report us from a motel? Can’t you hear this noise?”

The man listened to Tae-heun’s words. He could hear moans from nearby, but they weren’t as loud as theirs.

“Let’s hurry inside.”

The man took Tae-heun’s hand and pulled him along. As he tried to walk ahead, his feet got tangled. Tae-heun embraced the man from behind. The man laughed like a child. Tae-heun buried his face in the man’s back, feeling his body shake with laughter.

“You’re still drunk.”

He said against the man’s back.

“I’m completely sober.”

“Prove it.”

Tae-heun let go of the man.

The man stood proudly, spreading his arms wide. He walked down the hallway, illuminated by the red light. He danced unsteadily. As the man turned around, he said, ‘See? I’m sober, right?’

“Where do you see that you’re sober? At this rate, you’ll end up in a completely different room.”

“What are you talking about? I’m walking just fine.”

The man pouted and walked again. But he kept heading toward the opposite room.

“Do you have a hidden lover in that room?”

Tae-heun teased the man.

“Who is it? Is she prettier than me?”

Tae-heun asked, spreading his arms like the man.

“Yes. She’s really pretty.”

The man played along.

“Is she taller than me?”

“What do you mean?”

“Her height.”

Tae-heun exaggeratedly swayed his lower body back and forth. The man laughed heartily at that.

“Is she better than me?”

Tae-heun asked as he approached the man.

“Well, you have to try to find out.”

The man didn’t even realize how provocative his words were.

The man reached the front of the room first and waited for Tae-heun. He urged Tae-heun with a look that seemed to ask why he wasn’t opening the door quickly. By now, the smile had vanished from Tae-heun’s face. The hand holding the key trembled. As soon as he opened the door, he grabbed the man’s hand and pulled him inside. Bang! He closed the door behind them.