I wanted to ask what kind of relationship we even had, but I was too afraid of the answer that might come back, so I couldn’t bring myself to say it. Even in the midst of that, Ray Jun’s eyes were so fascinating that I kept glancing at them. Noticing my gaze, Ray Jun cupped his hands under his face like a flower holder and blinked.
“Are you staring because Ray is so pretty?”
“No, you crazy— what are you even saying? I was just thinking about why you’ve been hiding them so uncomfortably!”
“I told you, I didn’t like the gossip going around. If people see my eyes, they’ll figure out I’m mixed race, won’t they?”
“You’re mixed race?”
“Yeah. I’m a quarter Chinese, so most people don’t know. My maternal grandmother was a Chinese American who married a Caucasian, and my father is Macanese. I heard there was a Portuguese person in my great-great or great-great-great grandparents’ generation, but I’m not exactly sure about that part… Anyway, my family situation is a bit complicated, so I hate it when people pry.”
Ray Jun said with a shrug. As he said, it was quite a complicated explanation. For Kang Siwon, even terms like “quarter Chinese” and “Caucasian” sounded unfamiliar, so he couldn’t fully understand everything, but at least he understood well enough that Ray Jun had his own complicated circumstances.
“When I met you in Hong Kong, I thought you were wearing colored lenses, but those were your bare eyes, and your usual state was actually the one with lenses.”
“Yeah. Exactly that.”
“I don’t get it. Why didn’t you just take them off comfortably when you were with me? It must have been hard wearing lenses from morning to evening. Your vision gets worse too.”
“So that’s why I couldn’t see anything lately~?”
Here I was worrying about him, and he just brushes it off with a joke. Kang Siwon shook his head, and the hangover came rushing back because of it, making him furrow his brow.
“Ugh…”
I should eat something. Even after Kang Siwon resumed his meal to settle his stomach, Ray Jun was still looking at him without taking his eyes off.
* * *
Getting to work while dragging his creaking body was already an ordeal, but the real problem came after arriving.
First of all, even putting on his uniform wasn’t easy. As he’d confirmed during his shower, Ray Jun had left marks here and there all over his body.
So changing into his uniform in the locker room where several people came and went was out of the question. In the end, Kang Siwon borrowed a bathroom stall and carefully changed his clothes before coming out.
Even during his shift, his body kept screaming. His waist ached so much that he was starting to regret not just taking sick leave like Ray Jun had suggested. Especially that part between his buttocks was the worst. At least he could stand while working at the counter, otherwise he might have really left early.
Even while his whole body was aching, he still had to work, so Kang Siwon recalled the mission the Baeksa Faction had sent down a few days ago.
[Manager Park] Submit a list of customers from the above roster who only exchanged without playing games. Report if the same person applies 2 or more times.
The message included not just the mission but also a list attached. Along with a memo that these were people who had stayed in private rooms for 6 hours or more over the past 7 days, filtered out by Ju Xiang while checking CCTV.
He’d memorized all their names. However, no matter how much he searched through the logs, there were no corresponding people at all. The last mission was the same, and this time it looked like he wouldn’t be able to produce results either.
His head was already pounding thinking about what Manager Park or Ju Xiang might bitch about, but what could he do when there were no corresponding people? Kang Siwon shook his head with a heavy heart.
Come to think of it, there hadn’t been any suspicious flows visible for the past few days either. Did this also have cycles like high tide and low tide? Maybe even tax evasion had a peak season.
Just then, the manager who was working in the seat next to him spoke.
“Now that we’ve finished the handover, everyone can get off work.”
“Yes, thank you.”
“Everyone did well. Especially Xie Wei, hurry on home. You don’t look well either.”
It was embarrassing to be singled out among all the staff. Kang Siwon forced a bright smile as he replied.
“Thank you for your concern. Then I’ll see you the day after tomorrow.”
He bowed his head and then turned in a different direction from his colleagues who were heading out to prepare to leave work. The place he headed to with his bag of clothes in hand was the bathroom again.
“Hah…”
After firmly locking the bathroom door and taking off his uniform, a sigh naturally escaped. There were bite marks all over his chest, and kiss marks remained on the inside of his thighs too. Just a few hours ago they’d been a light red color, but seeing how they’d turned dark red, it seemed like the marks would take about 5 days to disappear.
Kang Siwon changed his clothes in a troubled mood. The moment he left the bathroom, his phone vibrated in his pocket.
Was it the Baeksa Faction again? He checked with a frown. However, the sender was someone else.
[Roommate Ray Jun] Where are you?
[Roommate Ray Jun] I’m waiting by the staff entrance but I don’t see you
[Roommate Ray Jun] Let’s leave work together 😀
It felt like Ray Jun’s glossy face was overlapping with the emoticon, making him irritated for no reason. Instead of sending a reply, Kang Siwon strode forward.
When he reached the staff entrance, he spotted Ray Jun leaning against the wall. Kang Siwon tried to pass by him without a word. However, Ray Jun, who recognized him, blocked his path with a bright smile.
“Wei, let’s go together!”
“…”
“Why are you so late? Did something happen?”
It’s not that he disliked Ray Jun, but seeing that nonchalant attitude made him inexplicably annoyed. Of course, it was probably because of what he’d done. Kang Siwon whirled around to face him and shouted irritably.
“I was late because I was changing clothes in the bathroom, okay!”
“Why? …Ah.”
Ray Jun, who caught on to the situation a beat late, smiled smoothly. He approached close by and whispered softly in Kang Siwon’s ear.
“But I didn’t leave marks where they’d be visible. I did well, right?”
“Did well, my ass…!”
If he had that much self-control, he shouldn’t have been gnawing on someone in the first place. Finally heated up to the top of his head, Kang Siwon smacked Ray Jun’s forearm hard. Then Ray Jun rubbed his arm and whined.
“It hurts, Xie Wei.”
“Even if it hurts, I’m the one hurting, how could you hurt more than me?!”
“Does it still hurt a lot?”
He’s stating the obvious. Kang Siwon glared sharply at Ray Jun and tried to take quick steps… but that place burned, so he slowed down again. Ray Jun matched Kang Siwon’s pace as he walked and held out his hand.
“Give me your bag. I’ll carry it.”
“It’s fine.”
“Should I call a taxi?”
“I said it’s fine.”
Even after the series of rejections, Ray Jun kept glancing over here, watching for any way to help. The consideration was appreciated, but it felt a bit excessive.
Ray Jun had always been kind to him, but he seemed to be acting especially familiar since last night. It was like he was crossing psychological boundaries as if mistaking himself for being his lover or something. Kang Siwon found this Ray Jun burdensome and uncomfortable. At this point, it seemed like he needed to address it properly once.
“Ray Jun, let’s talk.”
As soon as the front door closed after returning to the dorm, Kang Siwon spoke up. Ray Jun nodded like a well-behaved puppy.
“Okay. What about?”
“…Let’s sit down first.”
It seemed difficult to handle even when he was being too obedient. Come to think of it, Ray Jun wasn’t exactly obedient all the time either though. Kang Siwon shook his head to shake off the thought and sat on the sofa.
Ray Jun sat down right next to him, pressed close. He wondered why he was sitting so close, but decided to think it couldn’t be helped since the dorm sofa was narrow.
“…You said you like me.”
“Yeah.”
When asked straightforwardly, Ray Jun answered without a moment’s hesitation. His glossy face was so bright and cheerful that it almost made him feel sorry for bringing this up. But Kang Siwon continued.
“I’m sorry, but I have no intention of dating a man.”
“Why? You know now that men can sleep together.”
“That’s…!”
Did he not understand, or was he pretending not to understand? Kang Siwon felt a surge of emotion for a moment, but sighed and explained step by step.
“No, I just have no intention of dating anyone. Whether it’s a man or a woman. I don’t have those kinds of feelings for you in the first place. …Of course, I do think you’re a good roommate though.”
“Ah…”
Ray Jun’s eyes widened. Did he finally understand? Kang Siwon relaxed a bit as if he’d passed one hurdle. But then he opened his mouth.
“If it’s not because I’m a man and you don’t want to date anyone at all, then let’s just have sex.”
“…What?”
“Think of me as a tool for dealing with sexual desire. That works, doesn’t it?”
Ray Jun’s eyes curved into a smile, seemingly satisfied with the idea he’d come up with. Faced with that bright, cheerful expression, Kang Siwon was left dumbfounded.
