There was no one in the bedroom. Instead, on the table were a bottle of whiskey and two glasses, along with a plate containing dried fruit and finger food. It seemed the service had already arrived while he was taking time to dry his hair.
Instead of looking for Seunggeon, Chaehun stood there and started drinking whiskey, pouring it halfway into a glass. The whiskey of a brand even Chaehun knew tasted good and was also strong. As he drank it mouthful by mouthful, the intoxication rose instantly.
Originally, Chaehun was the type to drink leisurely while enjoying it. But right now he needed to get drunk in a short time, so he gulped down the whiskey like coffee.
After finishing one glass, when the second glass was nearly empty, Seunggeon appeared. He too was wearing only a bathrobe.
His hair, which until a moment ago had been perfectly styled, was wet and covered his forehead. Perhaps because of that, he looked a little younger. It was like seeing Seunggeon from his high school days.
“You already drank that much? Alcoholic?”
Seunggeon frowned after checking the amount of alcohol in the bottle. Chaehun, who had gotten moderately drunk, scoffed.
You shouldn’t treat someone as an alcoholic just because they drank a little fast.
Chaehun was strong with alcohol. He didn’t get drunk easily and had never blacked out. It just made his courage well up a bit more.
“I’m strong with alcohol. You have a glass too.”
Chaehun filled the empty glass moderately with whiskey and then held it out to Seunggeon. Seunggeon took the glass, took a sip, and wrinkled his brow.
“It’s bitter.”
Seunggeon reacted as if he’d eaten something he couldn’t eat, making Chaehun laugh without realizing it. It was fascinating that someone who looked like he’d drink strong alcohol without any trouble would do that. He was definitely very different from the Seunggeon he knew.
Ten years ago, Seunggeon as a high school student was a somewhat crooked model student. He was good at studying but lacked social skills and affinity. He didn’t have many close friends and didn’t engage in common delinquency.
Still, there was nothing Seunggeon couldn’t do. He was good at both studying and sports. He vaguely thought he might drink well too, but it seemed to be a prejudice.
“You can’t drink?”
“I don’t enjoy it.”
Seunggeon put down the glass and sat in the chair next to the table. Instead of sitting in the chair, Chaehun filled his third glass while standing in place.
“If you drink like that, you’ll collapse from acute alcohol poisoning.”
“Aren’t you bothered at all?”
“By what?”
“Isn’t it awkward, kind of strange?”
Taking advantage of drinking, Chaehun asked bravely. Even though he was quite drunk, the uneasiness hadn’t subsided. But Seunggeon seemed unbothered. Well, they weren’t in the same position. Strictly speaking, they were in a creditor and debtor relationship. It was right that he should be a bit more tense. Still, seeing Seunggeon so indifferent made him curious.
“Not really. It’s just sex.”
Chaehun nodded. There was nothing to expect. It was just having sex. Chaehun emptied the third glass in one gulp. If he hated being awkward and reading the room, he just had to get it over with quickly.
“Right. Let’s get it over with quickly.”
“Get it over with?”
“Yeah. Like you said, it’s just sex.”
Seunggeon asked back as if shocked by the words “get it over with.” Chaehun was uninhibited. As Seunggeon said, this was just sex.
Chaehun, who had spoken challengingly, put down the empty glass and approached Seunggeon. Thanks to Seunggeon sitting down, he was in a position looking down at him. His hair was still wet, and although he was wearing a bathrobe instead of a proper suit, his handsome face overwhelmed everything.
Chaehun shoved all his complicated thoughts into one corner.
“I’ll smell like alcohol, but can I kiss you?”
“You can.”
As soon as permission was given, Chaehun lightly placed both hands on Seunggeon’s shoulders and bent down to press their lips together. At first he gently bit the lower lip, then inserted his tongue. Their tongues wetly intertwined. Seunggeon was still good at kissing. Perhaps because of that, or maybe because of the alcohol, heat rushed to his head.
As the kiss deepened, Seunggeon’s hand groped up Chaehun’s thigh. Chaehun wasn’t wearing underwear. Seunggeon’s large hand roughly grabbed his bare buttocks, making him flinch and tremble. Seunggeon’s hand passed the buttocks and went up to his waist. Chaehun pulled his lips away to hold back a moan.
“You smell like alcohol.”
“I told you I would.”
“You did.”
This time Seunggeon kissed him first. And then, embracing his waist, he stood up. Chaehun stepped backward as Seunggeon led, their tongues deeply entwined.
The moment he thought something touched his heel, Chaehun realized he was lying on the bed. And he met eyes with Seunggeon, who had half-mounted him, pulled his lips away, and raised his body.
The gaze that seemed to be observing resembled that of the first night. His taste was definitely bad. But he wasn’t drunk enough to say that out loud, so Chaehun kept his mouth shut.
Meanwhile, Seunggeon got off the bed. Then he opened the nightstand drawers one by one next to the bed and took out a small black paper box. Chaehun tilted his head slightly. He wondered why the box with the hotel logo stamped on the lid was needed at this moment.
“What’s that?”
“Something necessary.”
Chaehun smiled bitterly as he watched Seunggeon take out a box of condoms and gel from the box and place them on the nightstand. He was diligent in strange places.
Even while laughing, his heart trembled. In one corner of his head, the whisper that he was doing this for money didn’t disappear. It wasn’t a situation where he could say he couldn’t do it now.
“Why?”
As he stared, Seunggeon, who was sitting on the bed, asked why. Chaehun shook his head. He was slightly drunk but not out of it enough to convey gloom. Instead, he reached out, grabbed Seunggeon’s face, and pressed their lips together. It seemed better to get it over with quickly so he wouldn’t think other thoughts.
* * *
Bzz. Bzz. Bzz.
A phone kept vibrating somewhere. When it stopped once and then the vibration rang again, Chaehun woke up from a light sleep. However, his eyes wouldn’t open properly as if they were glued shut. His head and body were heavy. Thinking if it was an urgent call they’d call again, he tried to ignore it when he felt someone next to him getting up.
He realized the person making the movement was Seunggeon, and that he himself was naked. And at the same time, he remembered everything from last night. It seemed they had mixed their bodies several times, washed up, and then he fell asleep when he meant to just close his eyes for a bit.
His mind cleared and he woke up completely. He forced his eyes, which still wouldn’t open properly, to blink and slowly raised his body. His eyes were swollen and his waist ached. He had frantically thrown himself into it yesterday, so he was in terrible condition.
“Yes, Grandmother.”
Chaehun, who had been rubbing his eyes hard, turned to look at Seunggeon.
Grandmother?
In his dim vision, he saw Seunggeon’s back as he had just gotten off the bed. The curtains weren’t drawn, but outside where the sun hadn’t risen was still dim. Seunggeon’s backside in shadow was splendid. But he too was completely naked. His slim and shapely buttocks and firm thighs came into view.
“At a hotel. Yes, no. It ended well past midnight, so it was awkward to go in. That can’t be. I told Director-nim in advance.”
Chaehun listened to Seunggeon’s voice. The unknown person on the other end of the phone seemed to be Seunggeon’s maternal grandmother. He had said that because of interior construction, Seunggeon was temporarily staying at his maternal grandfather’s house.
He couldn’t hear what Seunggeon’s maternal grandmother was saying. But from the context of the conversation, Seunggeon was definitely being scolded for staying out last night. It seemed his grandmother was pressing him quite hard. Although he was responding in an indifferent voice, he seemed somehow troubled. It was fascinating and funny that the guy was playing the role of a good grandson.
“Yes. I slept.”
Chaehun, who had been suppressing laughter alone, met eyes with Seunggeon, who turned his body while brushing back his hair. This time he saw his front completely. His broad chest, abdomen with distinct six-pack abs, faint scars, and even his morning erection were all swept over at once. He’d thought so from the first time he saw it, but his thing wasn’t a penis but a weapon.
But perhaps because he didn’t like the staring gaze, Seunggeon narrowed his eyes and glared.
Sorry.
Chaehun smiled awkwardly and moved his lips soundlessly to apologize, then turned his head. He wasn’t sorry, but he knew it was time to be polite.
“No. It’s fine.”
Seunggeon’s voice answering that it was fine grew distant, then he soon left the bedroom. Watching the door to the living room close, Chaehun finally let out a big breath.
It was the first time he’d seen a grandmother contact her thirty-year-old grandson early in the morning because he stayed out overnight. He thought she was quite overprotective, then remembered that Seunggeon had a history of almost being kidnapped in the past. Since he was not only almost kidnapped but even stabbed with a knife, she had reason to worry.
He had found out on the internet that his parents were divorced, but he hadn’t heard anything from Seunggeon’s mouth. Not only during high school, but even when they met last time, Seunggeon had only talked about his maternal grandmother and grandfather.
The news that Chairman Jeong of Taehwa Group had collapsed from a cerebral infarction six months ago had been on the news. And he clearly remembered that before that, Chairman Jeong’s only son had died of acute myocardial infarction because it happened early after he joined the company. But other than that, he knew nothing about Seunggeon’s family.
