The figure in the darkness took a step forward. Not the sound of sneakers, but dress shoes. The end of the leg revealed by the pale light coming through the emergency stairway window was wrapped in expensive fabric. In the moment of hesitation, a familiar hand reached out and grabbed Jaeha’s collar. At the same time, a familiar cologne scent pierced through.
“Why are you so late?”
As a voice tinged with faint anger resonated, a hot mass of flesh touched his lips. The hand that had grabbed his collar wrapped around the nape of his neck.
“Shi…”
The curse he let out in surprise disappeared into Kyungwoo’s mouth. Their tongues intertwined hotly. It was a sensation he hadn’t felt in a long time.
Damn.
“You scared me.”
Jaeha, pulling his lips away, glared at Kyungwoo.
“Do you know how long I’ve been waiting? I’m the one who should be cursing.”
“You could have at least called first.”
“You would’ve told me to come another time because it’s late and you’re tired.”
It was true.
“Still, you can’t just do this.”
“Shut up. Just open the door.”
“Who do you think you are to order me around?”
As soon as they entered through the front door, Kyungwoo pounced again. Unlike Kyungwoo’s luxury apartment, despite it being a modestly sized ordinary apartment, it took a long time to reach the bedroom.
Clatter. Thud. Bang. Plop.
Two pairs of dress shoes tossed off carelessly. Backs bumping against each other intermittently. A tie grabbed and thrown off with enough friction to generate heat. A belt hastily unfastened. A shirt stripped off simultaneously with the jacket.
“Hah.”
“Mm.”
Hastily removed clothing led all the way to the bedroom. As soon as the two bare bodies pressed together, they collapsed onto the bed. The two men’s hungry breaths crossed hotly.
After a long while, Kyungwoo regained consciousness along with a sense of fulfillment. This was the first time he had slept in a stranger’s bed.
‘What time is it?’
Aside from his throat being slightly dry, his limbs were fine. He moved his arm absentmindedly and felt the texture of a shirt. Looking at his wrist, he saw loosened cufflinks.
‘Hm? Am I mistaken?’
It was definitely Seo Jaeha’s bedroom. He remembered doing it too. He lifted his head slightly to check his condition. He was only wearing a shirt; everything else was completely naked.
“Hmm.”
He sighed again and lay back down. He could feel an air different from his own apartment. A man’s body scent was faintly perceptible. It was very far from the unpleasant or dirty smell that single men typically give off. It was just as if traces of that excellent bastard named Seo Jaeha had pooled in the room.
The space beside him was empty. He wanted to sleep a bit more, but spending time alone was boring now.
Kyungwoo staggered into the auxiliary bathroom attached to the bedroom.
Being an auxiliary bathroom, there was no bathtub. Only a shower was available. A clean towel and a new guest toothbrush were prepared on the sink. Seeing that made him chuckle spontaneously.
Kyungwoo soon stood under the shower stream.
Swoooosh.
Hot water pounded his entire body. At the same time, his dazed mind gradually became clearer. While washing his body, he used the bathroom products that Jaeha had been using without hesitation. Before, this would have been unthinkable.
“So the shampoo is this one and the body soap is this?”
Next to it was a shower towel. Thinking that the one boasting generous length was none other than Seo Jaeha’s gave him a slightly strange feeling. Rather than unpleasant, it was fascinating and made his heart race a little.
The body soap scent was too strong and he didn’t like it much. However, he liked that it smelled the same as the homeowner.
After finishing washing, Kyungwoo fell into slight contemplation. Clothes were the problem. He didn’t want to put back on the completely wrinkled clothes after washing. At least the rest except for the shirt and boxers were outside the bedroom.
“Since I’ve already used it.”
He entered what appeared to be a dressing room next to the bathroom. Suit jackets and pants and shirts were hanging neatly on hangers.
He opened several drawers. Among them, he found the underwear box. With such a neat disposition, he surely had a few new pairs of underwear.
“As expected.”
In the back of the drawer, he found new boxers still not removed from the plastic.
While in Korea people wash new underwear before wearing it, in America they don’t go that far. Especially men.
They looked similar in size, but when he actually put them on, the front area had plenty of room left. Even though they were short boxers, he didn’t feel secure.
“…”
Ignoring the sense of incongruity, Kyungwoo found and put on a suitable cotton t-shirt and cotton pants. The t-shirt was also a size too big, and the pants had plenty of extra room at the waist. The most humiliating thing was that the length was long, so the pants were stepping on his heels.
“Must be nice having everything big, Seo Jaeha. But why are your car and house small? The bathroom is smaller than the elevator, enough to give me claustrophobia.”
While cursing the absent person, he pulled out training pants with an elastic waistband. They even had an anti-slip drawstring, so they were perfect.
Ignoring the pant legs catching under his feet, he ruffled his wet hair and went outside.
As expected, Seo Jaeha was in the kitchen.
“You were sleeping well.”
True to the cramped house, Jaeha noticed Kyungwoo’s movement without even looking this way. Instead of answering, Kyungwoo went to the refrigerator and took out a water bottle.
Bubble bubble.
Something was boiling on the range. Peeking in while drinking water, it was clams. A pan was also prepared next to it. Seo Jaeha was in the middle of chopping onions and peppers.
On the dining table was a bag with a mart logo printed on it, evidence of when he had been out. And the living room floor, which had been a mess last night, was also completely cleaned up.
He hadn’t felt any sign of it at all. He felt slightly embarrassed.
Seo Jaeha was accustomed to cooking; the way he used the knife was very skilled. Vongole with onion, and chili. There was also meat on the side.
“Are you making vongole pasta?”
If so, Kyungwoo was going to boil the pasta himself.
“Pasta from the morning? What? This is clam soup for a hangover.”
“It’s not morning though.”
“The first meal after waking up is breakfast.”
It was somehow logically plausible.
“Then the pan?”
“To grill meat.”
“Meat in the morning?”
“A man’s breakfast is always meat.”
While saying this, Jaeha turned to look at Kyungwoo as if asking an obvious question. He had also washed up, wearing a light shirt and cotton pants. He was showing off his well-developed arm muscles with his sleeves rolled up for cooking.
Seeing Kyungwoo’s face, his expression twitched subtly. It wasn’t precise, but if he had to classify it, it was pleasure slightly mixed with embarrassment. So… why are you grinning like that?
“That looks like my clothes.”
“I borrowed them.”
“Without even asking. That’s theft.”
“If you feel wronged, sue me.”
“Be glad it’s a holiday.”
While saying this, Seo Jaeha added a long speech that not working on holidays is the duty of an office worker.
“If they pay generous holiday pay, you’d do it.”
“Of course I would. But the very fact that such an option is given is stressful. I really don’t want to do it, but I end up doing it.”
Jaeha, who had thrown all the chopped peppers and onions into the clam soup, suddenly looked directly at Kyungwoo.
“This is why the treatment of workers in our country is like that, because the owner family acts like this.”
“Shut up, you perverted illegal photographer and corrupt job placement soliciting prosecutor.”
“You planning to milk this for life?”
“Of course.”
When he firmly drew the line with one word, Seo Jaeha shut his mouth and just stirred the clams around with a ladle.
After eating their fill and cleaning up, they lazily sprawled out. Just as Jaeha had done, Kyungwoo was given the privilege of monopolizing the TV channel as a guest. Flipping through channels quickly, he found a broadcast of a past MLB game. The team he supported happened to be in the middle of the 3rd inning.
“Mm.”
As he settled into position and immersed himself, before he knew it, Jaeha had brought him a chilled beer.
“MLB?”
“Can’t hear you. Can’t see you. Hurry up and move aside.”
Having claimed the prime spot on the L-shaped sofa that extended straight instead of a recliner, Kyungwoo was immersed in the American baseball game for the first time in a while.
“Is it fun?”
“Just, well. Watching it.”
“That’s not a ‘just watching’ posture. Which side?”
“Mariners.”
Jaeha, who opened his own beer, nodded and took a gulp.
“Seattle, there’s no Korean players there now.”
“I’ve been a Mariners fan since I was a kid, even when there were no Korean players.”
“Did you say you lived in Seattle?”
“You’re not asking without knowing, right? You did a background check.”
Kyungwoo briefly took his eyes off the screen and gave Jaeha a look as if his time was too precious, then threw his gaze back toward the TV.
“A background check, hardly. Just typing your name into a portal brings it up.”
“Argh! That bastard, how does a swing and miss make sense there?”
While saying this, Kyungwoo spat out a curse in English. He then completely ignored Jaeha and made various exaggerated hand gestures toward the screen, like someone who grew up in North America.
When the next batter stepped up, having finished his beer, Kyungwoo put the can on the floor and held out his empty hand to Jaeha.
“One more.”
“It’s in the fridge.”
“Bring it.”
“Really bossing me around.”
Even so, Jaeha went to the fridge and took out the rest of the beer cans and placed them within Kyungwoo’s reach.
“Damn it! And you get paid for that? Someone like you will be released next season.”
The sight of him getting angry and yelling was quite new and fascinating.
“What are you looking at?”
“Just thinking you’re also an ordinary male bastard.”
During the change after a strikeout, Jaeha backed off toward Kyungwoo, who was glaring fiercely, saying, “I don’t mean it in a bad way, so there’s no need to look at me like that.” He felt like he might get hit otherwise.
Instead of disturbing Kyungwoo, who was glaring at the screen with terrifying eyes, Jaeha lay down on the sofa. Having nowhere to rest his head, he squirmed around and used Kyungwoo’s thigh as a pillow.
“Phew.”
As he let out a languid sigh, Kyungwoo’s hand rested on the area where Jaeha’s neck and chest connected. Even while glaring at the players on screen, he didn’t push Jaeha away.
“I’m sleeping. Wake me when it’s over.”
“Hey. How could you send him out like that?”
Whether Jaeha said anything or not, as if he couldn’t hear, Kyungwoo now started pointing accusingly at the pitcher. Even so, he didn’t move his legs or tap the hand resting on Jaeha. Although it was a bit firm, it was a comfortable pillow, so Jaeha, who had been suffering from constant sleep deprivation, quickly fell into a nap.
