By Zephyria 
At Lee A-gon’s command, Yang Road immediately turned on the navigation and searched for the nearest hotel, then drove off. He asked no questions about why they were going to a hotel or what would happen to the friend.
Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at the hotel. Lee A-gon got out of the car, telling them to wait there. The stranger followed him.
Hae-jun also got out of the car. And he grabbed Lee A-gon. Lee A-gon turned to Hae-jun with a hint of annoyance on his face.
“Where are you going now?”
“To the hotel.”
They were in the hotel’s underground parking lot. The destination was, of course, the hotel. Hae-jun, suppressing his trembling, asked again.
“What are you going to do?”
“Are you asking because you don’t know?”
Lee A-gon’s voice sharpened. Hae-jun swallowed hard.
“Do you love that person?”
“What did you say?”
“That man. Mr. Kim Seong-ho. Do you love him?”
As if incredulous, Lee A-gon let out a hollow laugh and shook off Hae-jun’s hand. He gestured for the man to go ahead. The man nodded obediently and got into the elevator connected to the parking lot.
“Is that what you were curious about?”
With only the two of them left, Lee A-gon asked in a slightly softer tone. Hae-jun nodded.
“I saw that person for the first time today. He’s the same for him.”
“Then why….”
“For assistance, of course. Is there any other reason?”
“Assistance.”
Hae-jun felt both relief and anxiety. It had been months since they were apart. It was time for him to receive assistance.
“I can help you.”
“No.”
“I’ll just provide assistance. You can’t accept assistance from anyone other than me, right?”
“I’ll try until I can. Who knows? Maybe I’ll find an assistant better than you.”
Lee A-gon shook Hae-jun off and turned away. Hae-jun desperately blocked Lee A-gon’s path.
“A-gon.”
“……Ah, really.”
“A-gon. A-gon. Lee A-gon.”
Lee A-gon swept his bangs back with an annoyed gesture. Lee A-gon’s attitude, treating him like a bothersome insect, hurt his heart, but Hae-jun still blocked Lee A-gon and kept calling his name. It was all Hae-jun could do. Call his name. Moreover, he was in no position to tell Lee A-gon not to meet other men anymore.
“Please….”
His eyes welled up. It was the first time since parting with Lee A-gon that he felt like crying. The man he liked was about to go to a hotel with another man. The person he loved hated him. It hurt as if the ribs encasing his heart were breaking. He wanted to hold on, but he had no words to do so.
But Lee A-gon passed Hae-jun indifferently and got into the elevator. Hae-jun clutched his chest and groaned. The sight of his retreating back was so painful that he couldn’t even breathe for a moment.
“Manager hyung, are you okay? What did the actor say this time?”
Yang Road approached Hae-jun, who stood rooted to the spot, and asked. Hae-jun lowered his head without answering.
A salty, spicy tear dripped down his cheek.
An hour later, Hae-jun received a call. It was from Lee A-gon.
“Hello? Lee A-gon?”
Hae-jun answered almost as soon as the phone rang. Yang Road, dozing beside him, stirred awake with a startled movement.
―Hyung, where are you?
“I’m still there. In the underground parking lot. Should I come up? Is everything okay?”
Seeing how frantic Hae-jun looked, Yang Road mouthed, Did something happen to the actor?
―Buy some condoms.
Then Lee A-gon stated his request. Hae-jun blinked.
“Condoms?”
―Yes. I forgot to bring them. Buy them and bring them to room 1701.
And the call abruptly ended. Hae-jun stared blankly at the disconnected phone.
“The actor wants me to buy condoms?”
Yang Road, who had been listening, asked. Hae-jun nodded blankly and asked,
“Condoms… where do they sell them? Where did they sell them….”
“Hyung, you’ve never bought condoms before? They sell them at convenience stores.”
Yang Road chuckled.
“He really seems like he’s going to do it with that guy. I didn’t know the actor’s preference was men. I’ve heard there are many gay people in the entertainment industry, but I didn’t think it would be actor Lee A-gon. When you think of gay people, you imagine them being a bit feminine and all. But our actor isn’t like that….”
Yang Road continued to chatter, but Hae-jun couldn’t hear him. With a deathly pale face, he opened the car door.
“Hyung, are you okay? Your face is so white.”
“I’m fine. I’ll be back.”
Leaving Yang Road, who looked concerned, behind, Hae-jun went to a convenience store and bought condoms. He had no memory of paying, entering the hotel, passing the lobby, or getting into the elevator. When he came to his senses, he was standing in front of room 1701.
Knock, knock. The door to 1701 opened, and Lee A-gon appeared. Hae-jun was stunned. His hair was wet, as if he had showered, and he was wearing a bathrobe.
“Did you bring them?”
Lee A-gon asked, snatching the bag from Hae-jun’s hand. Hae-jun stared blankly at Lee A-gon. Facing Lee A-gon, who had just showered, his chest felt tight. This scene was so familiar. Lee A-gon standing before him with a wet body. Then a kiss would begin, they would embrace each other, burst into laughter…
“Do you think this will fit me?”
At that moment, Lee A-gon asked. Hae-jun, belatedly, replied, “Huh?”
“Do you think this will fit?”
Hae-jun looked at the condom Lee A-gon held out like evidence. The packaging read: M size, length 180mm, width 49mm. Recommended for wear. Hae-jun quickly shook his head.
“Sorry. I just grabbed the first one I saw.”
“Go buy another one.”
Lee A-gon threw the condom box on the floor and slammed the door shut. Hae-jun picked up the discarded condom box, looked at the closed door with trembling eyes, and took the elevator back down to the first floor.
There were three sizes of condoms sold at the convenience store: Small, Medium, and Large. Hae-jun picked up a box of Large condoms and hesitated. No matter how he looked at it, he didn’t think this would be enough for Lee A-gon’s size. While he was dithering, his phone rang. It was a text from Lee A-gon, containing only one word: ‘Hurry.’
There was no choice. Hae-jun bought the Large size condoms and went up to the hotel room where Lee A-gon was staying. With trembling hands, he knocked twice. Lee A-gon appeared. When Hae-jun handed him the condoms, he checked the box’s exterior and immediately threw it at Hae-jun’s face.
“Are you playing games with me, hyung?”
The box of condoms hit his cheek and fell. Hae-jun, clutching his cheek, looked up at Lee A-gon blankly. His cheek hurt. It shouldn’t have hurt from being hit by a thin condom box, but it strangely hurt a lot.
“Don’t you know my size? Are you doing this on purpose? Are you trying to make me come back to you by preventing me from getting assistance from other men?”
“No… I….”
He tried to make an excuse, but his lips were sealed shut. Meanwhile, Lee A-gon continued to pour out scathing remarks.
“Ah, perhaps you confused me with another man? After breaking up with me, you’ve been sleeping around with so many men that you’ve forgotten my size? Otherwise, you wouldn’t make such a mistake twice.”
“Stop it.”
“There’s a limit to how incompetent you can be as a manager. If you keep this up, you’ll be fired before you quit. If you don’t want that, do it properly.”
“Stop….”
“There won’t be a third time. Buy the right one. If you don’t buy condoms, I’ll do it with that man raw, so don’t interfere anymore.”
Bang. The door closed. Hae-jun stared at the white door and whispered again, “Stop….” Then he realized. He hadn’t been able to utter a single word since earlier. His voice was quieter than the wind blowing through his lips.
Hae-jun lowered his head, clutched his chest, and groaned. He had never felt such pain. It felt like his heart, exposed by an incision, was being thinly sliced with a knife.
After standing in front of the firmly closed room 1701 for a while, Hae-jun leaned against the wall and slowly moved away.
He had to go buy the condoms Lee A-gon had mentioned.
He finally managed to find condoms that fit Lee A-gon’s size at an adult shop in Itaewon. The owner, saying that this size was actually for display and not for sale, scanned Hae-jun’s crotch with his eyes.
“If it’s not absolutely necessary, don’t buy it. It’s an imported product, so it’s a hassle to get again.”
The owner politely conveyed that he didn’t think it would fit Hae-jun’s size and advised him to leave. Hae-jun didn’t even reply and just handed over his card.
Standing in front of room 1701 again, Hae-jun hesitated. It took courage to knock on the door. Lee A-gon’s words still hurt him deeply. After much hesitation, he finally managed to knock after taking a deep breath.
A long time passed. Lee A-gon didn’t come out. Hae-jun knocked a little louder.
“Lee A-gon.”
“…….”
“Lee A-gon.”
“…….”
Hae-jun kept knocking, but Lee A-gon never came out.