“If you’re curious, go up and check.”
His mood plummeted at those words. When his thoughts were exposed, irritation surged up. Taeju unconsciously slammed his fist down on the table.
“Oh my, what’s wrong!”
The ajumma, startled by the loud noise, rushed out from the kitchen to the table and asked in an exaggerated manner. Neither of them answered. Taeju only looked at Iseo without even glancing at her.
“Who said I’m curious? Why, how much did you send?”
“If you’re not curious, check slowly.”
When there was no response, the flustered ajumma went back toward the kitchen. Taeju slowly relaxed his fist on the table. Even as he leisurely picked up his utensils, he glared at Iseo.
“I feel like I’ve been slapped with money.”
It was a phrase that perfectly summed up Taeju’s current feelings in one sentence. His cheek stung.
Really as if he’d been slapped, Taeju swept the inside of his cheek with his tongue. One cheek bulged out and then deflated.
He’d come to ask for financial help, directly or indirectly. However the circumstances and events had unfolded, he’d received help. Though it had taken the form of prostitution fees.
He knew everything, he’d done it willingly and even enjoyed it, yet belatedly it felt fucking awful.
Iseo lightly snorted. The corners of his mouth didn’t move at all. The two finished their meal. It was an excellent way to shut Taeju up.
Taeju didn’t open his mouth until he finished eating. He couldn’t really think of anything. No, more precisely, he couldn’t think of anything because of the amount he’d sent.
And right now, he felt even more fucked because he was devoting all his energy to pondering his ejaculation count. No other thoughts could squeeze in.
After finishing the meal, simple refreshments came out. Coffee came out for Taeju too. Taeju picked up the coffee, pretending not to care about money.
Though he was dying to go upstairs right now and check his phone, his pride wouldn’t allow him to show it.
Iseo slowly chewed and swallowed the fruit in his mouth, then cast his gaze toward Taeju.
Feeling his gaze, Taeju looked at Iseo. Iseo’s mouth opened slowly.
“If you’re done eating, go up first.”
Taeju’s fierce eyes shot up. Since the flower money talk, he hadn’t been able to draw a proper smile. If he wasn’t smiling, Taeju, who had a fierce impression, looked at Iseo with sharp eyes.
“I have coffee left.”
Iseo obediently lowered his eyes and munched on another grape. His swollen lips were particularly plump.
His lower lip was already thicker than his upper lip. Swollen from crying, plus sucked on viciously yesterday, they were so plump it was obvious they’d done the deed.
Probably his whole body was like that. His lower parts must be beyond words. How much must it have been for him to say with his own mouth that he’d tear?
Taeju narrowed his eyes and examined him. He slowly lifted his coffee cup to cover his mouth. Come to think of it, his sitting posture looked very uncomfortable.
“If you’re uncomfortable, go up first.”
Iseo’s face slightly contorted. A shadow fell slightly on the front of his eyebrows, so subtle you wouldn’t notice unless you looked closely. Taeju leisurely leaned back as if lying down.
“Hm? You don’t look well.”
Without answering, Iseo swallowed what was in his mouth and stood up, gripping the table. Taeju’s gaze was meticulous. Iseo, who had slowly stood up gripping the table, stretched his legs in a somewhat unstable gait.
“Isn’t it too obvious?”
Iseo turned his head sharply to glare at Taeju, then closed his mouth tightly without answering.
“Should I carry you?”
“Nonsense.”
His hunched back straightened. Taeju leisurely watched Iseo leave.
When the bottom of the coffee cup became visible, Taeju got up too. His steps going up to the room quickened without him realizing it. Even when he’d looked at his phone right after waking up, there hadn’t been any particular notifications.
It was the same when he came into the room and looked at his phone. Taeju even checked his account just in case. As expected, there was no change in his balance.
What? Seok Iseo wouldn’t have said it for no reason. Moreover, he wouldn’t have said he sent money when he hadn’t. It wasn’t light enough a topic to joke about like that, nor was he that mischievous.
Without realizing it, wrinkles formed on Taeju’s brow.
How did he give me money, calling it flower money, where did he put the flower money…
Taeju, who’d been using all his might to track down the whereabouts of the money, sighed at the self-deprecation he suddenly felt. His fingers flipping through texts and messengers slowed.
What was so good about this that he’d rushed upstairs and was tracking down this so-called flower money amount?
“Fucking hell, for real…”
An absurd curse burst from Taeju’s mouth. Resentment rose up to his chin. If you’re going to give flower money, give it classically in cash. Or if not that, safely through an account. Making a person look petty and shabby by making them search like this?
If Seok Iseo hadn’t called it flower money, Taeju would have kicked the door and left a hundred times.
Taeju took a deep breath rising from his core as if swallowing his anger. He decided to check just one more time. Just in case, he even opened his email. If he checked this far, he’d have checked everything.
There wasn’t really anything that would come by email, so it was truly the final check. He had no intention whatsoever of checking received emails in detail.
He was half ready to give up and half wanting to run to Seok Iseo and confront him. Separately from that, his anger at him for making him petty made his breathing rough.
There were numerous unread bolded titles. He was casually scrolling past advertisements, personal information consent, and automatic transfer confirmation emails when he saw an unfamiliar phrase at the very top. [Sanun Capital Prepayment Notice]
No way. That was his first thought. Taeju hesitated to click and check that ominous title.
Despite that hesitation, his fingers quickly pressed the title and scrolled down.
[Sanun Capital Prepayment Notice] Number of payments [14/14] Total amount [26,320,000 won] Prepayment complete. Next payment cycle [19/60]…
A hollow laugh burst out. Twenty-six million three hundred twenty thousand? More surprising than the size of the amount was the frequency. Did Seok Iseo come five times yesterday? That was his thought. Taeju let out another hollow laugh.
Soon disorganized thoughts followed. Seok Iseo knew his credit information and repayment account. His rising smile twisted diagonally, absurd. Did he investigate him?
Taeju, checking once more to see if what he saw was correct, closed his phone. If it’s twenty-six million three hundred twenty thousand, he should have just given it in cash. Such a thoughtless idea came next. Twenty million won for one night.
His feelings were strange. Because of the seriousness of the amount, flower money and hurt pride and everything became blurry.
“Ha, ha!”
Taeju now laughed out loud. He really didn’t know what kind of reaction to have. Rather, he was glad he saw Seok Iseo’s face this morning without checking this.
Taeju spun around the room in circles. It felt stuffy to sit down, and he couldn’t quite bring himself to go outside.
Taeju, who had been circling the room several times, stopped. He thrust his hand between his hair and tousled it. Leaving his hair sticking out randomly, he picked up the phone he’d left on the bed again.
The numbers and content hadn’t changed. Should he question how he knew the repayment details and personal information? He didn’t particularly have the will to question him about it.
His broad shoulders heaved several times. Taeju lay down full-length on the bed.
He should have just asked for cash. It was an excuse he’d made because receiving cash seemed somehow unsatisfactory, but he’d underestimated him too much.
Taeju covered his eyes and laughed several more times as if letting out a long breath. He didn’t know what it was, but he seemed to have caught a proper sucker.
He would make it so Iseo couldn’t even masturbate without him. So that he’d want to pour out not flower money but everything he had. Taeju’s face, with his eyes covered, was smiling.
* * *
“Hyung, are you asleep?”
Iseo turned his back to the other side. Hot breath followed even to the opposite side where he’d turned his back. Even in his sleep, Iseo breathed out roughly selected breaths, uncomfortable with another person’s breath and body heat.
“Mm…”
“I can’t sleep.”
A hot hand as hot as the hot breath pouring onto the nape of his neck swept over his bare skin. Iseo twisted his waist. His expression crumpled briefly. His muscles pulled as if he had a body ache from last night’s aftermath.
“Help me sleep.”
Iseo twisted his body to avoid the hot breath and heavy weight. But this time his body wouldn’t listen. No matter how he twisted his waist and squirmed his buttocks, it was useless.
“If you press like that, it gets harder.”
“Ah…”
His chest was pinched. A moan burst from Iseo’s mouth at the sharp pain. In his dazed state, he felt his top being pulled up to his neck.
The hand struggling to pull down his clothes was firmly gripped. Iseo’s struggling intensified. Regardless, his nipple was pinched so hard it seemed like juice would come out. His mind snapped awake.
