“You’re joking, right? Right?”
Seongyeom said, pushing away the check in front of him with the back of his hand. Tears welling up in his eyes shimmered as if they would spill over at any moment.
“Tell me it’s a joke….”
Siwon turned his head, forcibly suppressing the desire to wipe away the tears. He couldn’t indulge the tantrum until Lee Seongyeom signed it himself. He could force him to sign it. But this plan required Lee Seongyeom’s will above all else.
“President….”
The pitiful voice held Siwon back. Siwon clenched his jaw muscles so hard his veins bulged and coldly stood up. At Siwon’s angry appearance, Seongyeom was too afraid to hold onto him any longer.
“……”
As he took one step with feet that wouldn’t move, he stepped on the check Seongyeom had pushed away beneath his slipper. When Siwon picked up the crumpled check, the tears pooled in Seongyeom’s eyes finally fell in drops onto the bed sheets. Starting with that one fallen drop, tears burst out uncontrollably along with hot breaths.
“I… huk, I don’t understand. You were so nice just a moment ago… and now why again….”
“Shut up. Stop crying.”
When he spoke in a stern voice, Seongyeom quickly covered his lips with the back of his hand. At the sight of him looking completely on guard with rabbit eyes, Siwon couldn’t help but lower his glaring eyes.
Anyway, he’s remarkably good at understanding when he’s being scolded.
“Take it. Go spend it freely and if it’s not enough, come sign and I’ll give you as much as you want.”
He shoved the check into the palm covering his mouth.
“Urk…!”
Pushed by Siwon’s force, Seongyeom collapsed onto the pillow. Not missing the opportunity, he pulled the blanket up to his shoulders. And when he raised his hand, a flustered Seongyeom squeezed his eyes shut.
“…?!”
He felt a hand gently patting his waist.
Seongyeom couldn’t understand the current situation at all. As he stiffened his body and rolled his eyes, Siwon continued patting him and said,
“Choose. Whether you’ll earn more at 5,200 like now, or quit completely here.”
“…Completely? Even tutoring and housekeeping work?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s…!”
Not expecting to be told to quit the other jobs too, his turned body trembled greatly. It wasn’t that Siwon didn’t understand Seongyeom’s shock, but he had no choice. If he didn’t intend to stay by his side, remaining in the organization itself would be dangerous.
“Why… does it have to be me….”
The voice that forcibly swallowed tears hit Siwon’s chest heavily. The hand that had been patting his waist swept through the air very briefly, then patted Seongyeom’s waist again.
“You like money.”
“Geez…. It’s not even like I like it….”
“…Go to sleep quickly.”
He probably wouldn’t understand why he was obsessed with pretending to be lovers, but it was much better to secure safety in advance even like this. If Seongyeom ended up rejecting the proposal, Cheong would hate him a bit but…
At the sound of sniffling, Siwon pulled out another tissue.
“Look at me for a second.”
“I don’t want to.”
“Hurry.”
“Ah, really….”
At the force turning his head, he reluctantly showed his swollen face. Even though it was an ugly face with tears and snot, to Siwon it only looked lovable enough to want to kiss. He endured the urge to kiss his tear-stained eyes and cheeks over and over, where he’d been hurt by his own words, and wiped them indifferently.
May your wandering not be long.
Just as I’m ready to risk everything for you, may you also realize the value beyond that and come back.
Siwon, who had thrown away the tissue clumped with tears, chose to embrace Seongyeom’s waist instead of kissing him. As he pulled his thin waist close and buried his nose behind his ear, a languid sigh burst out. It felt like he was finally breathing the breath he’d been holding.
“For now, don’t think about anything….”
“……Nng.”
His heart pounded like it would burst at Siwon’s heat touching his back. Not wanting to be caught with his rough breathing, he almost held his breath and it was killing him.
“…Just focus on recovery.”
How am I supposed to focus on recovery when you’re doing this?!
At the hot breath settling on the back of his neck, even his lower abdomen tightened. Seongyeom became tearful again at his legs closing on their own.
“Geez…. Gangsters are all so selfish.”
“…Right.”
“Liar.”
“…Yeah.”
“Conman.”
“…That’s right.”
Every time Seongyeom spat out a word, Siwon felt like invisible needles were poking his chest. But it was all true, so what could he do? When he was about to completely devour someone sixteen years younger, he could sublimate any insult into interest and affection.
“I hate you, President.”
…That one hurts a bit.
No one could guarantee what choice this brat who was most greedy for money would make. Still, Siwon decided to bet on Seongyeom choosing him. It wasn’t just because of money. Just… if it was Lee Seongyeom, it seemed like he naturally would.
“Idiot, scumbag, dictator, psychopath, sociopath! Dog eyes!”
“…Go to sleep.”
“Money waster— mmph!”
The more he brought out the words he’d been holding back, the more his insides seemed to feel better. It was when an excited Seongyeom was adding momentum to his insults. Just as he was trying to get the rhythm going, a large hand covering his face simultaneously blocked his eyes, nose, and mouth. Startled by his vision going black and the pressure, he urgently grabbed and pulled down the large hand.
The two looked at each other simultaneously with surprised eyes. In the too natural atmosphere, he’d completely forgotten about Seongyeom’s claustrophobia. Siwon quickly apologized.
“Ah. I’m sorry.”
“…It’s okay.”
Seongyeom pushed away Siwon’s hand and turned over.
Where did it go wrong? If you like someone, you just ask them out—why go so far as to give money and ask to pretend to be lovers? Is it because I only looked for money too much? That was just because I was embarrassed to have my feelings discovered…. His head throbbed at the complicatedly tangled thoughts.
***
3 days later.
“…Apply the ointment frequently and make sure to take your medicine on time.”
Daerim said while clearing away the mountain of bandages piled on the table. Seongyeom rotated his stiff left shoulder widely and got up from the sofa. While at it, he walked around the area once. Although the ankle sprain had healed long ago, he’d had to stay locked up for the full 3 days since then due to Siwon’s orders not to leave the room until fully recovered.
“Wow, I finally feel alive. I thought I’d die from stuffiness!”
“You must have felt very stifled.”
“Don’t even get me started, seriously!”
Siwon had spent most of his time with him, supposedly out of consideration for someone who couldn’t be alone—working at the desk in the bedroom, eating meals together on the sofa outside the bedroom. Thanks to that, he didn’t have claustrophobia or panic attacks, but words had been exchanged. Now, time with him couldn’t just be purely good.
“…You won’t have to be locked up anymore. I was worried because it’s hot… but it healed pretty nicely.”
“Really? That’s a relief. Thank… you.”
Seongyeom turned to look at Daerim with an excited face while stretching. For a moment, a fishy smile appeared on Daerim’s face before disappearing. Seongyeom didn’t miss it.
“Ahjussi…?”
“Ah, yes. Seongyeom-nim. What did you say?”
Daerim, who had been organizing medical equipment, raised his head and made eye contact. Seongyeom looked back and forth between Daerim’s eyes, searching for traces of the suspicious smile from just before.
“Seongyeom-nim?”
When Daerim, with his characteristic good-natured smile, adjusted his glasses and called out to Seongyeom, the situation became one where Seongyeom was blatantly watching Daerim instead, and a flustered Seongyeom scratched the back of his head.
“Ah, I said thank you. For stitching up my shoulder well.”
“Not at all. More importantly, you said you’re starting work again from today, right? Then, could I ask you to prepare breakfast for the organization members?”
Right, I must have seen wrong. Why would Daerim ahjussi make that expression?
Seongyeom nodded, thinking he was just still tired.
“Of course. I’ll wash up quickly and go down to prepare.”
“Understood. I’ll notify the lower floor.”
Leaving behind Daerim who was finishing packing the used medical equipment, Seongyeom entered the bedroom. As he took off his clothes one by one and entered the bathroom, he saw the circular shower booth located in the center.
“Right…. This is all because I’m still tired. If I wash with hot water, it’ll get better.”
He entered the booth and turned the valve toward hot water. Not long after, as the hot water began to flow, moisture gradually filled the glass booth. His figure wasn’t visible from outside. Only his silhouette occasionally showed.
“Hmm, hmhm. Hmm.”
Seongyeom hummed an indistinct tune while repeatedly rubbing his arms and legs in the warm water. Interjections came out automatically at the feeling of blood circulation. At least for this moment, there was no fear of being alone. He focused all his attention solely on showering.
The reason Seongyeom had such high energy was all because of Siwon. Even though he could wash alone after his ankle healed, Siwon would barge into the bathroom at every opportunity, saying he’d help. Really, there wasn’t a single peaceful day.
“He says absolutely no sex until the body is fully healed, really. But he does everything except penetration. That perverted ahjussi….”
At first, he really thought he was trying to help wash. When he asked him to scrub below his right knee a bit, instead of rubbing his calf more than a few times, stopping the hand that kept moving up to his thigh was quite an ordeal.
“Ugh, I feel alive….”
Always doing things that left him hanging, not knowing if it was a shower or water play, properly showering for once felt cathartic. After finishing shampooing and soaping like that, Seongyeom closed his eyes under the flowing lukewarm water. It was heaven itself.
Before long, the thickly settled water vapor overflowed from the shower booth and filled the entire bathroom. Seongyeom, who had been facing the flowing water, lowered his head.
“…Hheut! …What?”
Just stroking the back of his neck with his hand made his body heat up. A flustered Seongyeom looked down. Absurdly, his member had already stood up stiffly and was giving a greeting.
“Ah.”
Seongyeom leaned his head against the shower wall. It was because he remembered Siwon, who always targeted the back of his neck after kissing when touching his body.
“Haah…. Have I gotten used to it?”
Seongyeom tried hard to ignore his erect member. It didn’t seem like it would go down unless he took care of it. He needed to hurry and wash up, then go down and prepare breakfast for the hyungs….
“Geez… this is all because of Kwon Siwon.”
It bothered him that he hadn’t locked the bathroom door, but there were several precedents of climaxing in Siwon’s hands before long each time. With the complacent thought that he’d finish quickly before anyone came in, Seongyeom grasped his member below.
