From the Imjin War to the Japanese colonial period, my mind quickly recalled everything and my anti-Japanese spirit began to boil. Satjjang, as someone from Korea who studied Korean history and graduated from senior year of high school, I can no longer trust you. Shaking my head from side to side, I buried Satjjang deep in the bookshelf.
“Dokdo is our—Korea’s land. You should know that.”
Since I currently have American citizenship, it felt wrong to use “our,” so I quickly changed it to “Korea.” Satjjang, let’s never meet again. Please.
“……What are you doing?”
Bryan, annoyingly the only one wearing a mask and in his right mind, asked cautiously. Having inhaled a ton of dust through my nose and mouth, half out of my mind, I gazed into space and murmured distantly.
“……Just, I was recalling my roots and pride as a citizen of the Republic of Korea.”
“…….”
Bryan, having nothing to say, just shut his mouth, turned around abruptly, and left. Right, what would an American with 200 years of history know?
Barely calming my boiling patriotism, I earnestly searched through the bookshelf again. Grandfather Dangun, King Sejong the Great, Admiral Yi Sun-sin, martyr Yu Gwan-soon, please help me! Please!
But this was America, and even inside a drama at that. Meaning it was too far away for those great historical figures’ energy to reach.
From the founding of Gojoseon to the Three Kingdoms period and the rise and fall of Joseon, I was drawing a Korean history timeline in my head when I finally returned to my senses only after breathing in fresh and clean air.
“Ugh, I can breathe now.”
I had only searched through two small used bookstores, but my whole body ached and I was exhausted. Moreover, the sun had already set and the sky was getting dark.
“……Thanks for today.”
Bryan, who had finally taken off his mask, said hesitantly. I smiled brightly and shook my head.
“No. It’s okay! And we couldn’t find anything proper anyway.”
“That’s why……. It would have been nice if we could find One-Eyed Jack…….”
The moment Bryan dejectedly drooped his shoulders, a system window popped up.
<Bryan Roberts’ Wish>
An avid fan of the comic ‘One-Eyed Jack,’ Bryan Roberts’ wish is to own a first edition of ‘One-Eyed Jack’ #1. How can he get his hands on that rare book that he couldn’t obtain no matter how much he prayed to Santa?
Get Bryan Roberts a first edition of ‘One-Eyed Jack’ #1 [0/1]
Reward: Bryan Roberts’ affection +20♥
It must be a surprise quest. But…….
“……Bryan, how much did you say the first edition of One-Eyed Jack #1 sold for at that auction last time?”
I suddenly remembered the story Bryan had excitedly told me and became anxious. And that anxiety hit right on the mark.
“960,000 dollars.”
“…….”
System, how much is 960,000 dollars in Korean won?
At the current exchange rate, it’s approximately 1.19 billion won. 🙂
“…….”
If I emptied out all my trust fund, how much would that be……? 1.19 billion won……. About 1.2 billion……. Is it worth spending that much money just to buy Bryan Roberts’ affection? It came out to about 60 million won per affection point.
“There’s still……. one more used bookstore left, you said……?”
“Yeah, it’s the biggest one in the neighborhood so I was going to go tomorrow.”
“Let’s go. As soon as school ends tomorrow, let’s go.”
I nodded resolutely. Tomorrow I will definitely find ‘One-Eyed Jack.’ And I will absolutely never reunite with Satjjang.
* * *
<Status Window>
【Quest】
- Get broadcasting rights for ‘Pizza Saver’ Season 2!
- Make 3 people with affection level 55♥ or higher [0/3]
- Get Bryan Roberts a first edition of ‘One-Eyed Jack’ #1 [0/1]
【Rotten Pineapple】
Currently [51]%
◈ High-Teen: 100%
◈ Romance: 23%
◈ Queer: 18%
“Ugh, my head hurts.”
I opened the status window and organized the current situation. I had to make three people with affection level 55 or higher, get Bryan the first edition of ‘One-Eyed Jack’ #1 to raise his affection level. And I had to diligently raise Rotten Pineapple too, but at this rate there was no sign of it going up. Should I just grab anyone and kiss them? Huh? Once I’ve thrown away my lips, what’s the big deal if I throw them away again?
“……That would be a big deal.”
I’d get a reputation as a perverted slut. And I’d feel bad……. Let’s say that “anyone” happened to include someone like Bryan. Ugh, even imagining it was unpleasant. Then should I grab one of the kids I’ve already kissed? Dave is a bit much, and next is…….
“……Joel.”
Come to think of it, I don’t like Joel, so why wasn’t I disgusted by kissing that bastard? I was upset because it felt like he was mocking me for being gay. That was all. Is it because Joel is handsome despite everything? Am I really, as that bastard said, an idiot perverted virgin gay who’s only disgustingly into faces?
“…….”
Calling myself an “idiot perverted virgin” made my self-esteem start dropping drastically. Being a virgin doesn’t really matter, it’s just annoying to be teased about it. Those American kids who mess around promiscuously once they become teenagers are the ones who are wrong! Sexual activity between teenagers isn’t necessarily all bad! But teasing someone for not having sex is wrong!
I recalled Joel burying his nose in the pajamas I’m wearing now and sniffing them. For no reason, the crotch area of my pajamas felt hot and tingly.
“Ugh…….”
Feeling too strange, I put a pillow between my legs and lay on my side. And I hugged my blanket……. Right, that bastard Joel sniffed my blanket too. I tried sniffing it, but except for the faint smell of fabric deodorizer I sprayed after coming home, there was no smell. I called him a dog and he really sniffed around like a dog. Isn’t he the pervert?
‘Ah, right. You said you’re a virgin. Then…… masturbation? How did you do it alone? Without such a harmonious and affectionate family knowing, you’d have to do it alone quietly. Then the room would be better than the bathroom, right?’
I covered both ears with my hands, but Joel’s voice remaining in my head kept buzzing around. Joel’s voice was unnecessarily soft and gentle, and damn it, it was exactly my type.
My first love in middle school had that kind of voice. But no matter how early puberty came, the student council president who was my first love’s voice was full of youthful and childish undertones. In contrast, Joel’s was like a fully grown adult, low and somewhat thick.
‘What do you usually think about? You’re incredibly into faces. So you’d imagine the most handsome man possible. His body would be huge and beautiful too. Just like a Renaissance sculpture. What did that sculpture-like man do for you? Did he cup your cheeks and kiss you? He must have touched your whole body, right? And here too…….’
“Ahhhhh! Please, stop!”
Unlike how Joel sarcastically said I pretended to be ascetic, I really hadn’t been that interested in sexual things until now. My parents tried to suppress homosexuality as much as possible, considering it taboo, and no matter how gay I was, I thought a naked male body was burdensome.
But maybe it’s because I’m really a teenager in the secondary sex characteristics period when hormones run wild—suddenly thump, thump, thump! My heart beat fast and Joel’s naked body came to mind. That body standing with the sunlight behind him, water droplets rolling down, looked like a ‘Renaissance sculpture.’ I’m not a pervert, but I kept recalling him swimming in the lake like a pervert, just as Joel said.
“Uuuugh!”
Thud, thwack, thud! I lay face down and rammed my face into the pillow. After doing that for a while, exhausted, I lay with my cheek against the pillow.
“……I’m tired.”
Out of nowhere, I failed to get into Korea University Medical School, entered inside a drama, and had my lips stolen including my first kiss. By handsome foreign boys.
“…….”
Without realizing it, I raised my hand and touched my lips. What was kissing like? When I did it with Dave, it was a bit strange. Maybe because it was my first kiss, the soft lips and wet tongue were like a warm snail. Even the few other times I did it, I didn’t think it was particularly pleasant. I just thought of it as something you do because you’re supposed to.
But, when I did it with Joel, it was kind of……. I hate to admit it, but it was a little good. Is it because Joel is two years older than Dave, like he boasted? The hands touching my back and waist, the tongue stirring inside my mouth, the firm and thick neck that hugged me tight, all of it……. It was too much of a ‘man’s’ things, so…….
“…….”
I can’t believe I’m having these thoughts about Joel Gomez. Thump! Thump! Thump! I put my hand on my noisily beating heart and tried to calm down. It really was because Joel was too skilled. And because I’m gay, I definitely reacted to the fact that Joel is so much of a ‘man’ overflowing with male hormones.
I squeezed my eyes shut, and when Joel in the lake appeared again in front of my dark eyes, I shook my head vigorously.
“Really! I’m going crazy!”
Bang, bang, bang! Kicking the bed, I recalled the cover of the Japanese adult manga I saw during the day. Surprisingly, I calmed down quickly. The breasts were so much like volleyballs. No matter how gay and male I am, I know women’s bodies aren’t like that. They were so artificially round and big……. Real human breasts wouldn’t be like that. Even if I don’t know about women’s breasts, if it’s a man’s chest, then like Joel’s…….
“……Let’s just sleep.”
When Joel’s thunderous shout of ‘You idiot perverted virgin gay! Who would marry someone like you? It’s not that I can’t, I just won’t!’ came to mind, my heart felt at ease. Though my self-esteem was slightly shaved down, it was a pretty good method since my heartbeat returned to normal.
Fucking bastard. Who said they’d marry you?
He really takes people for fools. Thinking that just because I’m gay, I’d drool and like any man. I care a lot about personality.
