“Crazy bastard.”
Chaehun finally cursed at Seunggeon for booking a hotel.
“Does he think I’ll go?”
He didn’t want to meet him feeling like this. He felt like he’d hit him as soon as he saw his face. If by any chance Seunggeon insisted on having sex as per the contract, he felt like he’d really become miserable.
At the worst-case scenario, Chaehun grimaced.
Today had been a pretty decent day. He’d been excited since last night, thinking it was like a date. He’d decided to just accept that he liked him one-sidedly and enjoy it. But the ending was a mess.
Swallowing a sigh for who knows how many times, Chaehun ran his hand over his stiff face. He needed alcohol.
*
*
Chaehun arrived at his studio apartment with both hands full of beer and soju he’d bought from the convenience store. As he closed the front door and took off his shoes, he ran into Seo Jumyeong who had just come out of the bathroom.
Seo Jumyeong was drying his wet hair with a towel as if he’d just washed.
“Weren’t you staying out? You’re back already?”
Seo Jumyeong asked in surprise, and Chaehun nodded. Since he’d made a big show of going out on a date but returned with a gloomy face, it was understandable that Seo Jumyeong was surprised.
“That’s how it turned out. Don’t you have plans?”
“Uh, yeah.”
“Good. Let’s drink together.”
“What? Is all that alcohol? Did you fight with your lover?”
“I have snacks too. Should I order chicken?”
Without answering whether he’d fought with his lover, Chaehun lined up the beer and soju on the table. Seo Jumyeong, who had been pacing while drying his wet hair, opened his eyes wide.
“Huh? What’s that on your face?”
“Why?”
“Under your left eye is red.”
Chaehun reflexively touched under his left eye, then grimaced at the throbbing pain. It was the spot where the bodyguard had hit him. It hadn’t hurt that much until just now, but once he became aware of the injury, it started aching.
“You got hit, right? Don’t tell me your lover hit you?”
Because Seo Jumyeong was making a huge misunderstanding, Chaehun quickly corrected him.
“No. I got into it with someone else.”
“You got beat up?”
“It just happened that way.”
Chaehun deflected appropriately. When he showed his intention to keep his mouth shut, Seo Jumyeong didn’t persistently ask either.
“Geez. Let’s put medicine on it before drinking. Where’s the medicine?”
“Is it bad?”
“It’ll bruise. One hundred percent.”
“That won’t do. The medicine box is in the TV drawer.”
Just as Seo Jumyeong opened the drawer and was lifting up the medicine box asking if this was it—
Ding-dong.
The doorbell rang from the entrance. Chaehun looked back and forth between the entrance and Seo Jumyeong.
“Jumyeong-ah. Did you order chicken or something?”
“No.”
“Is it someone who came to the wrong place?”
Chaehun tilted his head and stood up. Since it was a corridor-style officetel building, there were occasionally people who pressed the doorbell at the wrong unit number. Just in case, Chaehun walked toward the entrance.
“Who is it?”
—It’s me.
It was a voice that shouldn’t be heard here. It was Seunggeon. Chaehun was momentarily dazed.
He wondered why the guy was here. And this quickly at that. Catching a taxi and stopping by the convenience store to buy alcohol seemed to have taken up quite a bit of time.
But even taking all that into account, he couldn’t understand why Seunggeon had come to his house.
Could it be. Because I said I wouldn’t meet him?
Just as the reason flashed through Chaehun’s mind, the door lock released. He remembered that he hadn’t changed the door lock password since he’d had a cold. The door opened and the person who appeared was, as expected, Seunggeon.
“Kang Chaehun.”
“Why did you come all the way here.”
Chaehun asked sharply. Seeing Seunggeon’s neat face, nice words wouldn’t come out.
“I told you to go to the hotel.”
“I said I’d rather not see you today.”
“Are you hurt?”
Seunggeon, who had taken one step into the front room, asked with a frown. Chaehun reflexively tried to touch under his left eye but lowered his hand.
“I just got hit once. I’m fine.”
“How can you be—”
“Huh. Isn’t that Seunggeon?”
In the middle of their conversation, Seo Jumyeong’s voice cut in. Chaehun turned around. Seo Jumyeong was standing there with a bewildered expression, holding the medicine box.
“Are you two in contact?”
“No. It’s just.”
“Come out.”
At Seo Jumyeong’s question, Chaehun couldn’t find a suitable answer. And Seunggeon gave an order. Caught between Seo Jumyeong and Seunggeon, Chaehun looked back and forth between the two.
Seunggeon was tensing his body as if he would drag Chaehun out right now.
“Right now, you need to give in. Kang Chaehun.”
It wasn’t difficult to understand that he was saying to handle it himself if he didn’t want to make this bigger. Chaehun gritted his teeth.
“Or should I drag you out?”
“Fine.”
“Crazy bastard.”
At the threat of using force, Chaehun finally cursed to Seunggeon’s face. The problem was that Seunggeon was the kind of guy who would do it if he said he would.
“Chaehun-ah?”
Chaehun turned to look at Seo Jumyeong who was calling him. Seo Jumyeong had bewildered eyes. If he dragged Seo Jumyeong into this, it was obvious things would get more complicated.
“Sorry. I have to go.”
“What’s going on?”
“We fought. I’ll explain the details later. Sorry.”
It was hard to explain the complicated tangled situation. When he said later, Seo Jumyeong approached with a serious face.
“Hey, use words. Words.”
“We will use words.”
“Should I come along?”
“No. It’s okay.”
Chaehun firmly stopped Seo Jumyeong from following and left the house with Seunggeon. As soon as he confirmed the door closing, Chaehun looked at Seunggeon and growled in a low voice.
“What are you trying to do right now?”
“Follow me.”
Seunggeon abruptly grabbed Chaehun’s wrist. Chaehun tried to shake it off but failed. His mood sank even lower at the sense of injustice.
“Do you think I’ll follow you right now?”
“I know why you’re angry, but just follow me for now.”
“Hey, Choi Seunggeon.”
Chaehun stood firm, refusing to be dragged. Then Seunggeon grabbed his chin and kissed him. He didn’t push his tongue in. However, the act of biting his lips and rubbing his cheek was no different from one-sided caressing. Chaehun twisted his body trying to escape from Seunggeon, but ended up firmly caught. In the end, he had no choice but to shout with Seunggeon’s face right in front of him.
“Are you crazy?! What the hell, what the hell are you doing?!”
“Today is my time. That’s the contract. Isn’t it?”
Here came the contract talk again. Chaehun felt what it meant to have his insides turn upside down.
“So what? You’re going to fuck me here?”
“I’m not that crazy.”
“Then let go.”
“Follow me.”
“Are you really going to do this?”
“Either you get dragged or walk on your own two feet.”
Seunggeon’s threat, holding his chin while offering a choice, was real. Seunggeon’s eyes flashing right in front of his nose, not to mention his appearance, were nothing short of menacing. A chilling and burning emotion filled Chaehun’s chest.
Don’t you even think about my feelings?
