“Well……”
However, as soon as he opened his mouth, his mind snapped awake as if doused with cold water.
No matter how clouded his judgment had become, how could he have thought to spill his circumstances?
If it were simply being threatened over borrowed money, he might have discussed it already. But what Kang Siwon was hiding wasn’t just that.
He had entered Sovereign hiding both his name and nationality. Though it wasn’t his intention, in the end it was he who had accepted the Baeksa Faction’s proposal. This was a choice that anyone with proper morals could never condone.
Moreover, Ray Jun was the roommate he’d lived with for the past seven months. If he found out that the person who ate with him, slept with him, and breathed in the same space was actually a spy, he would get chills. Any affection that existed or didn’t exist would definitely disappear.
“Xie Wei.”
Ray Jun subtly pressed him. However, that name wasn’t his. Kang Siwon, with his head lowered, barely moved his lips.
“I……”
The lingering attachment to just tell Ray Jun everything wouldn’t easily subside. If he did that, he felt he could at least somewhat reduce the guilt of having deceived him. However, in exchange he would have to face a confused Ray Jun.
He imagined those pretty hazelnut-colored eyes being brushed with disgust. Receiving such cold eyes from Ray Jun would be more painful than any condemnation.
“……You’ll keep what I tell you secret from Ju Xiang, right?”
“Of course. I won’t tell Ju Xiang or anyone else.”
“Okay. I did borrow money from Ju Xiang. It happened while trying to pay off the debt my father incurred.”
Kang Siwon raised his head again and confessed. It was true that he was being pressed by Ju Xiang—more precisely by the Baeksa Faction—to repay the debt, and it was true that it was debt created because of his father. Perhaps because of that, this much at least wasn’t too difficult to tell Ray Jun.
“Getting hit today was because I couldn’t pay the interest on time…… I know it looks serious, but don’t worry too much. It’s my problem.”
“How much is the debt?”
“Over 1.5 million patacas.”
He deliberately reduced the amount lest Ray Jun worry excessively. Though 1.5 million patacas was still a sufficiently overwhelming amount.
Fortunately, Ray Jun didn’t even seem suspicious. They say it’s more effective to cleverly mix truth into lies, and it really seemed to be true.
“Then what are you going to do from now on? No matter that you couldn’t pay the interest, assault isn’t acceptable. Are you planning to just take beatings each time?”
“Today was the first time I was hit. ……I don’t know about the future though.”
In fact, for Kang Siwon, being hit was rather better. Better than being pressed to dig up information from Sovereign, or being forced to sleep with Feng Tao.
“Just what percentage is the interest rate? Xie Wei, if you’re okay with it, I can help you.”
“It’s fine.”
Ray Jun pressed his lips tightly together. He seemed hurt by his firm refusal. Kang Siwon added as if to appease him.
“I’ve already received a lot of help from you. Besides, they say if friends carelessly do financial transactions, relationships get severed.”
“We’re not just friends though.”
“……Anyway.”
As if displeased with Kang Siwon’s response, Ray Jun let out a deep sigh. Soon he released his hand and asked.
“Are there any other injuries? I’ll finish applying the ointment.”
“There aren’t.”
“You’re not just pretending to be fine, are you? I need to check.”
Ray Jun grabbed Kang Siwon’s t-shirt. Kang Siwon hastily gripped the hem of his clothes and resisted.
“I said I’m fine. Trust me, please.”
“But I’m still worried, Xie Wei.”
“It’s my body, so why are you making such a fuss worrying?”
“Because it’s your body, I’m worried. If it were my body, I wouldn’t be this upset.”
What kind of logic was that? He was so dumbfounded that the strength drained from his hands. Taking advantage of that gap, Ray Jun lifted up the hem of his t-shirt.
“……”
He was silent. Sensing something ominous in the atmosphere, Kang Siwon also looked down at his stomach. It was perfectly fine without any swollen or torn parts.
“You said you were fine.”
After a long while, Ray Jun muttered in an extremely subdued voice.
“You have a bruise. This is fine to you?”
“……A bruise? Where?”
“Here.”
Ray Jun poked his left side. Kang Siwon flinched involuntarily. At the same time, a faint pain rose up and when he looked again, there was a faint bruise spreading there. It was so faint that it was barely visible in such dim lighting, but Ray Jun had a serious expression as if it were a major wound.
“Take off your t-shirt. It’ll get ointment on it.”
“……Okay.”
Though Kang Siwon still thought Ray Jun was worrying unnecessarily, he obediently took off his t-shirt. It wasn’t even a difficult thing, so there was no reason he couldn’t do it.
Ray Jun applied ointment to the bruised area. His touch was extremely careful, as if worried he might touch the wound. When in fact, rather than hurting, Kang Siwon only felt ticklish from that gentle touch.
While he looked after the bruised area with slightly furrowed eyebrows, somewhere in his chest ached faintly. This was the first time receiving such excessive overprotection. And also the first time someone hurt more for him than he himself did after being hit.
“How could you get hurt like this……”
“……Um…… Ray Jun, I’m really fine though?”
Anyone who heard would think he’d been in a traffic accident. No matter what, this seemed like excessively exaggerated concern, but Ray Jun had such a serious expression that he just left it alone. Meanwhile, the hand that had been caressing his stomach was gradually moving downward. Was there a bruise there too?
“……Can’t you stop applying ointment now?”
“I’m checking. To see if there are other injuries.”
“There aren’t. So stop……”
“You said that earlier too, but you had a bruise on your stomach, didn’t you?”
“I really don’t have any now.”
He felt a strange sensation from the touch sweeping over his body like soft silk. Blood was rushing to his lower abdomen and his center was swelling. Setting aside reacting to a man’s touch, he felt self-loathing for feeling sexual desire even in this situation.
“Hmm, your upper body seems fine…… Take off your pants too.”
“If you’re that worried, just leave the ointment and go. I’ll apply it myself.”
“So there is a place that needs ointment applied?”
“No, there isn’t, so please just go, okay?”
“This is my bedroom too though? Where should I go, Xie Wei? Are you telling me to sleep in the living room?”
It was a valid point but also seemed like sophistry. The bedroom might be shared, but the bed was his, and above all, what he was groping was his body. However, Kang Siwon couldn’t immediately argue back because he was biting his lower lip to suppress the moans trying to escape.
“Mm? This seems swollen too?”
“Ray Jun, please……”
Despite the plea that was close to begging, Ray Jun unbuckled his pants. Unable to push him away, Kang Siwon picked up a pillow and covered his face. But that was a mistake. When his vision was blocked, his senses became even more sensitive, making him react to the fingers moving as if tracing the outline of his genitals.
“Stop…… Stop it.”
“Xie Wei, are you hard by any chance?”
His lower half was clearly in an erect state for anyone to see. Ray Jun couldn’t not know this, yet asking anyway was detestable. Kang Siwon buried his head deeper into the pillow and mumbled.
“This is all because you kept groping me. I clearly told you to stop……!”
“Ah, sorry, sorry. Checking if you were okay got a bit excessive. But…… you seem fine, Xie Wei.”
Ray Jun lightly tapped the base of Kang Siwon’s genitals. A shiver ran through him at that stimulation, making his hair stand on end. His now fully erect genitals were being pressed by his briefs to the point of throbbing.
“Is that enough now? If you’ve confirmed I’m fine, now leave me alone.”
This wouldn’t do anymore. Judging that if he couldn’t send Ray Jun out, he needed to escape from this place himself, Kang Siwon tried to get up.
“Where are you trying to go?”
Ray Jun pushed down on his upper body, making him flop back down. Since it was on the bed anyway it didn’t hurt, but he was quite flustered.
“Your bed is here. Where would you be going?”
“What kind of bastard stays on my bed knowing that?”
“You said you got hard because I was groping you. Of course I should take care of it.”
He pulled down both the pants and briefs at the same time. Though his body felt more comfortable with the constricting clothes removed, for Kang Siwon this situation was quite embarrassing.
“Wh-what do you mean take care of it? Are you trying to suck me off again?! It’s fine, so go to your bed!”
“Today I was going to do something better than a blowjob…… Were you secretly looking forward to it?”
“Did you hear me tell you to fuck off with only half an ear?!”
Ray Jun paid no mind to Kang Siwon’s resistance and finally gripped his genitals. As the grip strongly pressed the shaft, Kang Siwon stopped cursing and curled his body.
