I’m Not a Bad Person, I’m a Pitiable Person 34

For an instant, Yeom Hajae’s eyes widened, then quickly narrowed.

It wasn’t because of the sexual marks he’d expected to find.

There are… a lot of scars.

It was the complete opposite of his clean-cut face.

Yeom Hajae’s hand carefully traced along Seo Sinwoo’s side. A large keloid scar had formed there.

He could guess where the wound had come from, and it gave him a slightly aching feeling.

“……”

The heartbeat that had been pounding in his ears had quieted down by now.

His mouth pressed firmly shut, Yeom Hajae studied the exposed scars as if memorizing them.

The real problem wasn’t the scars from battle.

An ordinary person wouldn’t notice the difference, but to someone who’d lived as a hunter for a long time, it was obvious at a glance.

Wounds someone had deliberately left.

Marks that hinted at sadistic intent, too unnatural to have simply come from combat.

These round ones…

They were clearly cigarette burns. Wounds maliciously aimed only at places that wouldn’t show.

Just looking at them made his chest ache, and Yeom Hajae bit his lip. Seo Sinwoo might be in a far harder situation than he’d thought.

Corporal punishment, torture, self-harm…. Countless possibilities rose and fell away.

From what he could see, aside from the neck, there were no marks left by anyone’s mouth. But confirming that fact filled him with complicated feelings instead of relief.

In the silence that had settled over the room, the only sound was the rustle of the blanket as Seo Sinwoo shifted in his sleep. The gaze that had been quietly tracing over his upper body suddenly stopped at one spot.

Yeom Hajae brought his hand to the design on Seo Sinwoo’s chest. At first his attention had been drawn to the scars covering it, and he’d dismissed it as an ordinary tattoo, but the longer he looked, the stranger it felt.

The black design, made of thin lines, was inked exactly over the location of the heart. The color was vivid, as if it had been done not long ago.

Why in this spot, why this design….

He checked other areas, but found no similar marks anywhere else.

Yeom Hajae laid his face against the bared chest. It was firm, but the skin against his cheek was soft.

Listening to the calm heartbeat, he absentmindedly stroked his hand down the chest, when something caught against his finger.

A nipple.

“……”

Yeom Hajae’s eyes wandered without a word.

The chest was rising and falling steadily—he seemed to be deeply asleep. There was no sign of him stirring.

The decision was made in an instant.

“Hyung-ah….”

He took Seo Sinwoo’s chest into his mouth. He sucked hard on the bit of flesh he’d taken in.

Chup, chuup.

When he bared his teeth and gave the areola a slight bite, he felt the once-soft flesh gradually stiffen. Yeom Hajae smoothed his tongue over the nipple as if soothing the now overly sensitive spot.

For a while he stayed latched onto the chest like a child seeking milk. Then, at one point his front teeth grazed the nipple.

“Stop….”

Thud.

A hot warmth touched the hand braced against the bed.

“!”

He lifted his head in a rush. Seo Sinwoo was still sleeping peacefully, breathing evenly.

“…Phew.”

Had he just talked in his sleep? The strength drained from Yeom Hajae’s startled body. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

He carefully moved away the hand that had landed on him. Looking down, he saw Seo Sinwoo, fast asleep, none the wiser. The bandage he’d put on his cheek earlier that day was still there.

When he brushed his cheek a few times with his hand, the bandage came off easily. Less than a day had passed, yet the wound underneath had already faded to the point of being barely visible.

“……”

His hazy gaze swept over every inch of Seo Sinwoo.

His slack face had the corners of his mouth drooping down, unlike usual. Yeom Hajae smiled faintly.

“He looks like a kid.”

His handsome face seemed unusually innocent today. Maybe because the smile he always wore like a mask was gone.

Watching the eyelids twitch every so often, Yeom Hajae thought of the eyes hidden beneath them.

“Actually, I’m gay.”

And then that face, smiling so smoothly.

“Haa, hh….”

In an instant, his lower body grew heavy.

Yeom Hajae pressed the back of his hand against his lips to muffle his ragged breathing.

“……”

He wanted their “first time” to happen when they were both fully conscious.

Steadying his breath, Yeom Hajae wiped the saliva-slicked chest with the blanket. The nipple, once a pale brown, had been stained a flushed red.

He buttoned Seo Sinwoo’s shirt all the way up to the neck, pulled the blanket over him, and was just getting up from his spot when—

Thud!

A dull sound rang out from the door.

“?”

Thud!

As if to prove it wasn’t his imagination, the vibration came again.

“Mmm….”

Maybe because the sound had been quite loud, Seo Sinwoo’s eyelids fluttered.

Yeom Hajae immediately got up from the bed.

The moment he opened the door a crack, a hand suddenly shot out and grabbed the doorframe. The heavy steel door was yanked open, revealing a blond man. He stood with a crooked posture, hands shoved in his pockets.

“Seo Sinwoo’s here, right?”

Yeom Hajae looked up at him with wary eyes.

“…Are you someone hyung knows?”

“Coworker.”

His narrowed eyes swept over Jang Ijung.

There was something off about him from the start—even the veins stood out on his rolled-up forearms. He gave off a dangerous impression in every way.

“Show me proof.”

The moment he answered, Jang Ijung shoved Yeom Hajae aside. While Yeom Hajae stumbled, he walked into the room.

“Ah, wait…!”

“Seo Sinwoo.”

The man strode straight to the bed and yanked the blanket off. The sudden cold air hit him, and Seo Sinwoo, in just his shirt, curled up.

Jang Ijung tapped Seo Sinwoo’s cheek.

“Go back to your room and sleep.”

“What are you doing right now? Please leave.”

At the blunt dismissal, Jang Ijung raised an eyebrow.

“Why, don’t you know who I am? You saw me before. At the Association.”

“……”

The Association’s 10th anniversary ceremony. When the other man brought up, without hesitation, the very topic he’d been pretending not to know, Yeom Hajae was momentarily at a loss for words.

“It’s not like your eyes are bad.”

After that curt remark, Jang Ijung began shaking Seo Sinwoo’s body again.

“Wake up, Seo Sinwoo.”

“Leave him alone…!”

“Ugh….”

Frowning, Seo Sinwoo opened his eyes slightly. Without missing the chance, Jang Ijung brought his face right up close.

“Recognize me?”

“Jang…”

Seo Sinwoo, about to say the name on reflex, shut his mouth. He felt a cold gaze from somewhere.

Jang Ijung glanced at Yeom Hajae standing beside the bed.

“Let’s go.”

His large hand grabbed Seo Sinwoo’s arm. The body, limp like a wet towel, was forcibly hauled up.

While Seo Sinwoo, his upper body hunched, was still trying to grasp the situation, Yeom Hajae grabbed his other arm.

“Hyung, want to just stay here? Is that guy really a coworker?”

Seo Sinwoo shook off Yeom Hajae’s arm and pressed a hand to his head.

“Coworker… that’s right. I’ll head off.”

“……”

Seo Sinwoo’s eyes were still hazy. But compared to before he’d fallen asleep, it was clear his reason had returned somewhat.

Staggering to his feet, Seo Sinwoo grabbed the jacket lying on the side table and leaned against Jang Ijung.

“……”

Yeom Hajae watched the backs of the two as they left, his eyes dark.

***

The moment I got back to my room, I lay down on the bed. My collar felt stifling, so I undid a couple of shirt buttons.

“Whew….”

My head felt like it was spinning.

To get this drunk off just one glass….

I had no idea how I’d ended up in Yeom Hajae’s room. My memory was gone from the moment I left the penthouse. Frustrated, I pushed my hair back from my forehead.

This is why I don’t drink.

I went to loosen my tie, but there was nothing to grab. Feeling around, I realized the tie was already undone, just hanging loosely around my neck.

“……”

On a hunch, I slipped a hand into my jacket. I felt a round shape against the inside.

Good, I managed to bring the giveaway item back with me.

I was relieved I hadn’t dropped it somewhere.

I was letting out a sigh of relief when a shadow suddenly fell over my head. It was Jang Ijung.

“Drink.”

I’d been thirsty, and Jang Ijung had conveniently brought water. I took his hand and sat up.

“Thanks.”

Drinking the cold water felt like coming back to life. I drank as much as I wanted, screwed the cap back on, and Jang Ijung took the water bottle back. My head was still spinning, so I stared blankly at his back as he put the bottle back in the fridge.

Was he waiting up? I told him beforehand I wouldn’t be back tonight.

I turned just my head to check the clock. It was already past 3 a.m.

“Did you have a good dinner?”

“Yeah. It was good.”

“Glad to hear it.”

After that, the conversation paused for a moment. With nothing in particular to say, I stayed quiet, until Jang Ijung spoke up.

“Ah, I ran into that employee at the restaurant.”

He must mean Lulu.

“Did he say something rude to you? Don’t worry about it. He’s always like that….”

“No. He asked me to give this to you.”

What Jang Ijung held out was a small envelope.

Probably more junk, knowing him. The pattern was so predictable that I opened it without much expectation.

Inside were neatly wrapped stick cookies. I peeled off the heart-shaped note stuck to the wrapper.

[A little early, but happy Pepero Day. I made these with love for my senior. Hope you have a great day at work! —From Lulu, who’ll always love only you, senior.]

Below that was even a little winking doodle.

“……”

Is he in elementary school.

…He actually might be, for all I know.

In truth, no one besides the boss knew Lulu’s age.

Predictably underwhelmed by the contents, I tossed the note aside and flopped back onto the bed.

Jang Ijung snatched the fluttering paper out of the air. He stared at the letter for a moment, then said something exasperating.

“So you really are dat—”

“I told you, no.”

I tossed the stick cookies, envelope and all, straight into the trash.

“If you’re throwing it out, I’ll eat it.”

“I wouldn’t recommend that.”

There was no telling what might be inside.

As we kept talking back and forth, I started to feel the alcohol wearing off. Dizzy, I closed my eyes and sat up.

“Ijung. If you’re not going to wash up, can I go first?”

“So, in any case, you’re not seeing anyone, right?”

“What? Y-yeah….”

I opened my eyes to find Jang Ijung looking down at me.

“You’re saying you’re not dating anyone…”

He took a step closer, and a shadow fell over his face in an instant.

“Then I guess it’s fine to do something bad.”

Thump!

I was abruptly shoved onto the bed.

I tried to sit back up the way I was, but Jang Ijung climbed on top of me.

“What the—”

“Shh.”

I opened my mouth, baffled, but Jang Ijung’s hand clamped over it.

“…?”

This habit of his, covering people’s mouths like this—it’s a bad habit. Annoyed, I stuck out my tongue and licked his palm.

His hand seemed to twitch for a moment, but it didn’t come off. Jang Ijung whispered in a low voice.

“Stay quiet.”

Nod, nod.

When I nodded, Jang Ijung took his hand away.

“Yeom Hajae followed me to the hallway.”

What?

“What’s your relationship with him?”

“…We just know each other by face.”

“Yeah?”

Jang Ijung brought his face even closer.

“He’s still standing outside the door, right now.”