# Chapter 43
“…”
As their lips pressed together, Jiho’s long fingers slowly worked their way through Yeomin’s hair. The gentle motion pulled Yeomin’s head closer.
Jiho’s tongue boldly intertwined with his inside his mouth. Yeomin turned his head and actively opened his mouth wider.
Saliva mixed, and their tongues brushed against the slick mucous membrane and the roof of the mouth.
“Mmm…”
The muffled sound blended with the friction of their lips.
Though this was Yeomin’s first time experiencing such an intense kiss, he could tell that Jiho was skilled at kissing.
His mind felt completely empty. No, he could only focus on the thirst to be closer, to touch deeper.
Led by instinct, Yeomin found himself gripping Jiho’s collar.
Jiho let out a pained sound.
“If you grip too hard, I’ll choke, hyung.”
Jiho said playfully during the brief moment their lips parted. The wrinkled neckline of his t-shirt was quite a sight.
“Hmm…”
Yeomin covered his mouth with his hand in embarrassment. Then in a mumbling voice, he requested:
“Put me down.”
“Let’s do it a little longer.”
“Then put me down… I want to stand.”
“You need to be more specific. When you talk like that, I misunderstand.”
What are you saying? Yeomin muttered, “Crazy…”
“Kiss! I want to kiss while standing!”
“So you like doing it standing up. I’ll remember that preference.”
“You crazy bastard. Don’t remember anything!”
As soon as Yeomin snapped, his body was lowered to the ground.
With both feet touching the floor, he felt much more stable than before. Though he did slightly miss being at Jiho’s eye level.
Despite being much bigger than him, Jiho was bending his entire body toward Yeomin. Then, like a child not knowing what to do while looking at a small kitten, he muttered:
“I want to bite and suck.”
“…”
“Sometimes I even imagine chewing you up.”
“Are you… hungry?”
Was this that kind of genre…? A chill ran down his spine.
“You need to know, hyung. How much I’m holding back.”
Yeomin was dumbfounded by his tone, which suggested he was doing some great service.
‘What is he holding back so much? Is holding back what made my lips swell to twice their size?’
He was incredulous, but at the same time, he understood. Seol Jiho wasn’t an ordinary, normal guy after all.
For someone like him, Yeomin knew that he was doing his best to listen to him and be considerate.
But he also knew well that it wouldn’t last forever.
Yeomin was a realist no matter what anyone said.
“You don’t have to hold back.”
Jiho’s eyes widened at these unexpected words.
Of course. He probably couldn’t have imagined it. Yeomin noticed that Jiho’s hand holding his cheek was trembling slightly.
Yeomin looked directly into Jiho’s eyes as he spoke. He didn’t avert his gaze or blink.
Like training a puppy. Looking straight into the eyes, with a calm tone devoid of emotion, speaking clearly.
“I said you don’t need to hold back. It’s a contract. It’s all going to end anyway.”
“…”
“While we’re pretending to be lovers, I’m prepared to put up with everything anyway. As long as it ends cleanly, I don’t care.”
Jiho’s flushed expression instantly cooled. But even this reaction was something Yeomin had anticipated before speaking.
What he and Jiho were doing looked like dating, but it wasn’t real dating. Yeomin wanted to make that clear. To himself and to Jiho.
He didn’t dream of a Cinderella life. Rather than an ending with a romantic, century-spanning love, a realistic and financial happy ending was much better.
Things like ‘love’ or ‘dating’ gave Joo Yeomin no sense of security.
Jiho responded without a hint of humor.
“Sure.”
It was a dry answer. But he still held Yeomin’s cheek.
“I’ll end it for you, someday.”
“…”
“But not tonight.”
With a serious face, Jiho grabbed Yeomin’s shirt collar and pulled it open. A button popped off with a clicking sound and fell onto Yeomin’s foot.
“…”
Yeomin barely managed to exhale.
Jiho’s fingers, having opened the shirt, touched Yeomin’s collarbone. Softly, like pressing piano keys.
Since it was a place where no one else’s hands had ever touched, Yeomin reflexively flinched.
“Ngh…”
“Should I make it around here?”
“Make what?”
“A mark that you’re mine. So people will know. That we’re dating.”
Whether Yeomin liked it or not, he showed no reaction, but it seemed Jiho didn’t need an answer anyway.
Jiho lowered his head without hesitation. The act of burying his lips in Yeomin’s collarbone through the open shirt was both strict and solemn.
Jiho bared his teeth and bit into the flesh. Yeomin squeezed his eyes shut at the extremely unfamiliar feeling. His toes involuntarily curled at the force of the painful bite followed by sucking.
“…Seol Jiho, don’t do this here—”
“If I’m going to leave a mark, it should be pretty, right?”
Jiho, seemingly intent on not listening, focused on leaving his mark. Yeomin groaned as he unconsciously backed away and hit his head on the refrigerator.
As if he would have eaten him to the bone if Yeomin were food, Jiho chewed on his flesh for quite some time before pulling away.
Yeomin, who had been tense, now had a stiff neck and shoulders.
“Haah.”
The stimulated skin was not just red and swollen but clearly showed teeth marks.
Jiho looked at the mark and smiled with satisfaction.
“I’ll pick out your clothes for tomorrow. Something that will show it well.”
“…Fine. Do whatever you want.”
You crazy kid.
Yeomin gave up. Covering the burning spot with his hand, he fled the scene.
If he hadn’t, he might have revealed the heat rising below his abdomen.
“Oh, right. Hyung.”
“What?”
“You can take care of it in your room, no need to go to the bathroom. I won’t come in.”
Damn it… it seems I’ve already been found out.
* * *
On a rare day off from work.
Yeomin selected new textbooks for Jiwoong at a bookstore and met with Taeyang for a meal after a long time.
Taeyang was amazed. That Yeomin seemed fine. No, even that he was doing quite well.
‘Why don’t you just move in permanently? I don’t think Seol Jiho would kick you out first.’
‘How long could this last? It’ll end soon enough anyway.’
‘Hmm… I don’t think so.’
Recalling that unsettling conversation, Yeomin headed home. On the way, he bought two servings of takoyaki from a food truck near the subway station.
“Hehe.”
It had been a while since he’d seen the takoyaki truck, so Yeomin simply felt happy.
Walking while preciously holding the warm bag to his chest, Yeomin suddenly stopped.
“Four-zero-six-nine…”
He took note of the license plate that had been bothering him.
The car had been following Yeomin at a consistent distance along the same route for quite some time.
Yeomin continued walking briskly and muttered:
“…This is really tiring.”
If Yeomin’s guess was correct, the tail had been following him for three days. Right after visiting Jiho’s family home.
From when he went to work at the PC bang, unknown cars followed him, and whenever he went out, they were right behind him.
In truth, he had already been prepared for being followed. At first, he was afraid he might be dragged off somewhere without a trace, but in reality, they weren’t doing anything special.
They just watched from a distance, monitoring his daily routine.
‘…Though I don’t know if they’ll continue to just watch from now on.’
Conscious of the car following him, Yeomin walked a little faster.
Still holding the warm takoyaki tightly to his chest.
“I need to hurry home and eat them before they get cold.”
Being followed or not. That was the most important thing right now.
* * *
Having arrived home, Yeomin spoke while munching on takoyaki:
“I think I’m being followed these days.”
Jiho was watching Yeomin eat intently. As if he were watching a mukbang YouTuber.
Yeomin had bought two servings, but he was in the process of devouring both of them himself.
“Ha, I should have bought one more pack of takoyaki. Anyway, they followed me all the way here too. Four-zero-six-nine.”
At Yeomin’s casual remark, Jiho smiled brightly.
“Oh that~ I ordered them to watch what you do and how you move around, and report back to me.”
“…What the hell?”
Yeomin threw down his chopsticks. This crazy bastard!
But Jiho didn’t even flinch.
“I figured President Ahn might make a move soon, so I asked them to keep an eye on your surroundings. Since you definitely wouldn’t be careful.”
“Then you should have told me beforehand!”
I was unnecessarily scared! Yeomin felt aggrieved for having spent the last three days in tension.
‘Or not? Should I be more tense about getting involved with such a scary guy?’
Jiho looked like he had no idea what he’d done wrong.
“Also to check if you’re secretly meeting anyone. Killing two birds with one stone.”
“Is that something you should say so proudly?”
“By the way, why do you keep meeting Lee Taeyang? Eating things like gopchang and chicken feet with him every time is why your stomach hurts at night.”
Yeomin lost his appetite at Jiho’s nagging. What was he supposed to do with this crazy guy who knew everything down to what he ate today?
“Though Taeyang paid, right? If he calls you out and then freeloads, he’d really be garbage.”
Who’s calling who garbage?
“But from now on, you pay. I don’t like you owing anyone but me. I’ll give you my card.”
“I’ve lived my whole life being indebted to everyone.”
Yeomin dismissed Jiho’s opinion as if it was absurd.
‘I’d rather eat kimbap for every meal.’
While Yeomin never refused money, the card Jiho was offering now felt uncomfortable to accept. It felt like it would become a shackle on his ankle.
He already had the contract money he received from him. That was more than enough to live on.
It was just Joo Yeomin’s lifestyle to freeload off others.
“Actually, I was planning to pay next time because I’ve been freeloading too much. I’ll pay with my own money. Next week is payday at the PC bang…”
Before he could finish speaking, Jiho interrupted.
“What about me?”
“What?”
“What will you do for me?”
‘Would anything I do for that guy even register? Would he be moved if I bought him three servings of pork belly?’
That was the first thought that came to mind.
But it wasn’t completely unreasonable either. In fact, he was more indebted to Jiho than to Taeyang.
Yeomin cautiously asked:
“…What do you want to eat?”
“Whatever you like. I like that too.”
“Alright. Let’s eat out when I get paid.”
“Ah, before that. Cancel tutoring this weekend. I have somewhere to go.”
“Where are you going?”
It was a sudden announcement. Jiho smiled as he poked Yeomin’s surprised nose bridge.
“Why are you surprised? We need to go on a date.”
Oh right. I’m in a contract relationship with him…
While Yeomin was reminding himself of this, Jiho slipped his finger into the stretched neckline of Yeomin’s t-shirt and pulled.
It was so natural and subtle that Yeomin barely noticed anything strange.
As the t-shirt opened to reveal the collarbone, Jiho looked satisfied.
“Hyung, your skin must be sensitive. You’re the type whose kiss marks don’t fade easily. And you’re ticklish too.”
“I’m bruised because of you. Can you see the redness?”
“It turned out even prettier than I imagined.”
Every time you smile so sincerely like that, it turns me off, you jerk.
Yeomin removed Jiho’s hand and stabbed the last remaining takoyaki with his chopsticks.
But he still felt somewhat unsettled.
‘A date…’
For a date with Seol Jiho, shouldn’t he wear bulletproof vest?
At the very least, he should wear clothes with about a hundred buttons.
