“We’re here. Get off.”

The sharp voice mixed with the rumbling of the bike engine, ringing in his ears. Jaewon, who had been squeezing his eyes shut as if dead, only lifted his head when the engine noise died down.

“Stay if you want to stay longer.”

At the tone that sounded like he was doing him a favor, Jaewon finally realized he’d been rubbing his cheek against that firm, broad back. He’d been plastered against it without even a finger’s width of space between them, like a cicada clinging to an old tree trunk.

“…Shit.”

Startled, he scrambled to get up, and a low laugh followed. The back of his neck burned.

Jaewon staggered weakly. He’d worked hard and run around all day, but nothing had gone as planned. No matter how spectacular a stage he prepared, it was useless when the actors wouldn’t follow the script. He’d invested aggressively here and there, brimming with confidence and certainty, but it felt like checking his account balance at closing time only to find it awash in red.

There are four elements that Field Marshal Moltke of Prussia said were necessary for victory in war. The so-called 4Gs: money (Geld), ideas (Gedanken), patience (Geduld), and luck (Glück).

‘I have none of them right now.’

He was a complete defeated soldier. A deep sense of helplessness washed over him.

“Where are you going?”

As he headed home with slumped shoulders, Dojun grabbed his arm. Jaewon looked back at him, bewildered.

“You should bark.”

“What?”

“Woof woof.”

Dojun made dog barking sounds. The way he neatly folded his hands together and mimicked a dog was remarkably natural. Watching this with a hollow laugh, Jaewon’s gaze gradually dropped lower.

Broad shoulders and firm chest muscles stood out even through the school uniform. The solid sensation of that body still lingered on his palms. Jaewon unconsciously clenched his fists. Dojun, wearing a rather obedient expression despite having such a body, made him feel strange.

‘Why is it suddenly so hot?’

While he was flustered by his suddenly spiking body temperature, Dojun smiled loosely. Between his lips, particularly sharp canine teeth caught the eye. Was this how vampires, who created sexual illusions to bewitch people, lured their victims? Lost in such thoughts, Jaewon only belatedly registered what he’d said.

“Bark? Why should I…”

His mouth, which had been about to argue reflexively, snapped shut.

‘If I get back on that thing! I’m a dog, a dog!’

His own boastful declaration replayed vividly like a video. Jaewon’s complexion turned ashen, and Dojun nodded gently, urging him on. Jaewon’s eyes darted around wildly.

“Come on, that was just something I said. How can a person make dog sounds?”

He tried to weasel out with a servile smile, but it was futile.

“You do it every day.”

“Good people hear it as human sounds.”

“Then should we do something else instead of barking?”

The grip on his wrist became sticky. Looking into those pitch-black eyes, Jaewon was strongly convinced that if he didn’t bark now, he’d end up crawling on all fours.

‘To think I’d do all sorts of things after being born human.’

Jaewon, who had firm standards about human dignity, barked gloomily.

“Wo… woof.”

“What? I can’t hear you well.”

Dojun frowned and leaned in. At that detestable sight, Jaewon made a face and cleared his throat.

“Woof woof (fuck you).”

“It doesn’t touch my heart.”

“Grrrr woof woof (you fucking bastard)!!”

Now fully immersed in the role, he barked loudly. Only then did Dojun seem satisfied, wearing a contented smile.

“Good job.”

He praised him while gently scratching under his chin. It was both playful and delicate. Jaewon felt somehow endangered and backed away hesitantly.

“You live here?”

Usually when someone asked that, it led to an evaluation of the residence. But Kim Dojun wasn’t such a conventional person. He definitely had other intentions. Jaewon looked at him suspiciously before reluctantly answering.

“Yeah.”

“Nice.”

Jaewon’s eyes widened slightly. With cigarette butts and flyers scattered from the alley entrance, this densely packed studio apartment area with buildings pressed together was embarrassing to call nice even as empty flattery. But Dojun, looking around casually, didn’t seem to be mocking or being sarcastic at all. Nor was it the kind of naivety that made one laugh hollowly.

Jaewon had a habit of categorizing people either consciously or unconsciously when dealing with them. And he would select and implement countermeasures by applying protocols established from past experiences. People’s personalities and tendencies varied, but ultimately they were all much the same, so there were no major problems with this method.

To someone who had lived this way, Kim Dojun was a puzzle. He was relaxed and confident but not arrogant. He did as he pleased but didn’t act carelessly. He clearly had everything yet seemed empty. Such an undefinable person was like an algebra problem that remained unsolved even after covering three door-sized boards with formulas, making him increasingly curious.

“What’s so nice about it?”

“You can see the sun well.”

Dojun gestured to the side with his eyes. Jaewon unconsciously followed his gaze and turned his head, and the crimson-dyed sky filled his vision. The studio complex where Jaewon lived was located on high ground, putting it that much closer to the sky. The sight of the setting sun’s deep vermillion mixing with the blue of the sky was as splendid as a masterpiece. It was a view he’d never paid attention to before.

A rather chilly wind wrapped around them and passed. His particularly black hair fluttered, revealing his straight forehead. Dojun closed his eyes long and opened them. Looking at that unburdened face, he could tell.

He didn’t judge anything. He accepted things and facts as they were and expressed them the same way. It was the freedom of someone without measuring sticks. Jaewon became puzzled.

‘Is that possible?’

Everyone lives in their own wells. Some enjoy their natural lifespan in kingdom-like wells, commanding wealth and people, while others spend much time alone in deep, narrow wells.

The experiences one life can have are limited, and social animals tend to gather individual experiences to create big data to lower failure rates. This is why human affairs are inevitably full of prejudice. The larger the well one lives in, the more one relies on preconceptions—it’s human nature.

Yet Kim Dojun, who was in a position where his word might as well be law, possessed endlessly flexible thinking. His unpredictability that repeatedly defied expectations came from this. The more Jaewon experienced him, the more lost he felt.

A face quietly dyed in the sunset light stared straight at him. Dark shadows fell heavily on his sharp, solid features. Jaewon felt somehow ticklish in his stomach and whipped his head away. Scratching his earlobe, he grumbled unnecessarily.

“I can’t see the sun from my room though.”

“Really? Then should we live together?”

His tone was as casual as suggesting they grab a meal together. Jaewon almost nodded unconsciously before his mouth fell open.

“What? Why is that your conclusion… How many steps did you just skip?”

“I can see it well from my house.”

“……”

“Too well.”

He threw his gaze toward the horizon and frowned. My house. From this expression that felt out of place, he could tell the man was currently living alone.

Jaewon’s expression became strange. There couldn’t be any pleasant story behind a student living alone. Not knowing what to say, he hesitated and scratched his cheek.

“Well… houses with good lighting are nice.”

“It’s so bright there’s nowhere to hide.”

The words slipped right into his heart. They seemed random and nonsensical, yet didn’t feel that way. When he turned his head, that inscrutable face made his gaze linger.

Dojun slowly leaned in. He stopped only when their skin was about to touch. His breath reached his ear.

“I wish someone would block it for me.”

Jaewon thought it took talent to make such a vulnerable sound so dependably. Yet he couldn’t look away from those eyes staring straight at him. They were close enough for their noses to touch. Jaewon decided to make a decision before his racing pulse burst his arteries. Swallowing hard, he barely spat out a word.

“Buy blackout curtains.”

“You won’t come over.”

Dojun clicked his tongue as if disappointed. Jaewon was shocked by the utterly practiced response.

He wiggled his shoe tips with a brazen smile. Perhaps because of his long legs, even that trivial action looked stylish. Thinking somehow that those sleekly tapered sneakers looked like dress shoes, Jaewon shook his head vigorously.

“Aren’t you going home?”

“Why. I’m waiting for you to tell me to stay for ramen.”

Dojun answered nonchalantly while tilting his head to the side. It was a gesture asking what he was going to do. Jaewon unconsciously started calculating his ramen inventory at home before startling and widening his eyes.

“What are you talking about? I don’t have even a drop of broth for you.”

“That’s harsh.”

He chuckled. Though he said that, he continued the conversation peacefully as if he’d expected this reaction.

“Coffee then.”

“I can’t drink caffeine. Makes my heart race.”

“Ah.”

When Jaewon explained his constitution and symptoms, Dojun lifted his chin and nodded as if understanding. Watching him grin with that black-hearted face made him anxious for no reason, so he fidgeted with his hands.

“Brown rice green tea.”

“Don’t have it. But do you really have to drink even green tea with brown rice?”

“Hangover drink.”

“Would I have that?”

“Stock some.”

‘Is he planning to suck out a flea’s liver?’

The saying that those who have are worse is science. Jaewon showed him his middle finger and turned around. But he hadn’t gone a few steps before his ankle was caught again.

“Get home safe.”

The words left a lingering impression. They would have been perfect as the protagonist’s line after a first date with their destined partner. From any angle, they weren’t words to say after kidnapping an unwilling bread shuttle and forcibly giving them a ride. Yet those words tugged at something inside him.

“Don’t run around everywhere and get sick.”

There was a strange familiarity to Dojun as he offered what might have been nagging or concern. Like someone who had known Jaewon for a long time. His face, bathed in the day’s last light, looked both weary and lonely. He gazed at Jaewon standing still for a moment, then looked away and started his bike. With the loud engine noise, the sleek machine like a stealth fighter quickly disappeared into the distance.

“……?”

One side of his chest stung. Jaewon frowned and felt his chest. He looked down at his palm but there was nothing there. In the end, he couldn’t turn away until Dojun was completely out of sight.

***

Saturday morning with spring breezes tickling nose tips. For an hour now, Jaewon had been sitting on the playground seesaw like leftover rice.

He’d been feeling life’s difficulties more acutely lately. Though he’d been placed in unfortunate circumstances, his extraordinary cunning, shameless lack of embarrassment, and bulldozer persistence that pushed through even when things wouldn’t work had let him mostly have his way in life, so this was an unfamiliar feeling.

It seemed like both his head and body were thoroughly broken, but not knowing the cause meant the solution was also obscure.

Money is like people—the more you cherish it, the closer it comes. Conversely, if you treat it lightly and carelessly, money gradually moves away.

Recalling a proverb he’d once heard, Jaewon sank into grief. If it comes closer the more you cherish it, why was his 2 billion won only getting farther away?

He deeply reflected on whether he’d ever treated Toegye Yi Hwang, Yulgok Yi I, King Sejong, and Shin Saimdang[1] carelessly. But no matter how much he thought about it, the only time he hadn’t felt awkward about money was when he was caring for his grandmother.

‘It must be a curse after all.’

That day when he’d been slapped by King Sejong’s royal visage and his face had reddened, he’d been cursed. Since then, whenever he saw Kim Dojun, his back would inexplicably heat up, his throat would burn, and his stomach would churn. At first he thought it was anger, but the emotion boiling his body was more complex than that. And that wasn’t all. His mental state was far more serious. His pride in his thinking ability, judgment, integration skills, and logic all shut down, turning him into an idiot. As if a villain had infiltrated and released the latest malicious virus.

To make matters worse, that bastard’s shadow followed him even when he was alone.

‘Get home safe.’

The now-familiar voice echoed in his ears. Jaewon shook his head hard to drive away the delusion, but it was useless. Only the twilight-dyed face floated before his eyes like a painting.

“Fucking hell… I’m really going crazy.”

Jaewon clutched the back of his head in anguish. His overloaded brain was burning hot. As if things weren’t bad enough with nothing going right, he tormented people even when not around. While holding his head and groaning, he decided to think realistic thoughts to drive that guy out of his mind.

Time was flowing even at this moment. This fact made Jaewon extremely anxious. Like the saying about not knowing the axe handle is rotting while playing with immortals, if the world had changed into a utopia when he returned to reality, he wouldn’t be able to avoid becoming a beggar.

Considering inflation rates, even 1 billion won was barely retirement funds. The money he’d left in reality was woefully insufficient compared to his goals.

Of course, if he’d taken an index fund[2] approach, the more time passed the better the game, but Jaewon, who hadn’t had seed money, didn’t even have a proper portfolio. So diversified investment was out of the question. Even more so since he’d planned to pay off student loans first as soon as money came in. He had no virtual currency buried for fun like Meatcoin, and whether the few stocks he’d bought would become Microsoft or Freddie Mac[3] was anyone’s guess. Considering that major economic crises occur roughly every 20 years…

“Mister! How long are you going to sit there?”

A shrill voice shattered his calculations. The chain of thoughts that had been continuing link by link was abruptly cut. When he looked up, a fierce-looking boy and his following gang were glaring at Jaewon.

“Obviously until I want to get up.”

“The kids are all waiting because of you!”

“Who’s calling who mister? Have you seen a mister this firm?”

The boys flinched at his sharp reaction, but Jaewon didn’t stop at the appropriate line as usual. When he slapped his own cheeks to show off his skin elasticity, the children made horrified expressions. The leader boy rolled his eyes, desperately searching for something to say before raising his voice.

“Still, you’re older than us!”

“But I’m younger than your dad!”

“Old man! Geezer!”

“Rainbow reflection, kiddo.”

For the children encountering such an adult for the first time, it was an unlucky day. When protests didn’t work at all, the boy shouted, thoroughly provoked.

“Ah, why is an adult riding the seesaw for an hour!”

“That’s my business. Is this seesaw yours? If you have ownership, bring it. I’ll move right away.”

“Then you! Did you buy this seesaw?”

“Don’t you know adverse possession? If I’ve been sitting for an hour, it’s mine.”

When he argued unreasonably, the boy’s face turned red.

“Damn… I’m telling my mom.”

“Go ahead, tell her, you Japanese sympathizer.”

“You Lee Wan-yong[4] bastard.”

The boy spoke harshly. Jaewon flinched at the savage intensity. It was a strange insult to hear from a boy who looked like Mao Zedong. But on the other hand, it was commendable that domestic history education was being properly conducted.

Zzzzzing—

Just then his phone alarm rang. It was time to go tutor. Though he wasn’t in the mood to work at all today, workers must lift their shovels upward even as tears flow downward. Jaewon promptly got up and slung the bag he’d set beside the seesaw.

“Where are you going?”

“Did we bond already? How touching.”

“W-who said I was touched? You’re running away because you’re scared!”

“I’m busy now, but I’ll play seesaw with you next time.”

“I don’t need it!”

“See you again, Mao Zedong.”

After parting with the boy, he left the playground and headed for the bus stop. Luckily, he could immediately catch a bus going directly to his destination. But life, as always, wasn’t all smooth sailing.

‘Why do rich people build houses on hills?’

Climbing the endless uphill road, Jaewon swallowed various curses. The road was smoothly paved, but it was ultimately a convenience for car wheels, not considering the incline for pedestrians. He walked below the fortress-like walls, vowing to request pickup service next time.

Passing through alleys draped in unbelievable quiet, a magnificent mansion appeared. As he walked diligently toward his destination, something was out front by the gate. Jaewon squinted and craned his neck. He thought it was a 100L garbage bag, but approaching closer, it was a person.

Though they must have heard footsteps, the person crouched by the door didn’t budge. Their deer-like long neck and stretched limbs caught the eye. Light-colored hair was scattered over pale exposed skin. Jaewon looked down at the person at his feet expressionlessly before pressing the doorbell.

“You’re here?”

The moment the buzzer rang, the crouched person looked up. At the same time, a radiance flashed, and Jaewon frowned at the brightness.

“What. Why are you outside?”

“I wanted to see you quickly.”

Pausing at the unexpected answer, Haeyul smiled broadly. Was he saying he’d been waiting outside because he was looking forward to tutoring time? For Jaewon, who had spent years doing slave-catching disguised as tutoring, this was a fresh experience.

“Your academic enthusiasm is outstanding. A good phenomenon.”

Jaewon answered indifferently and gestured toward the door with his head. Haeyul gazed at him with a smiling face before guiding him inside.

“Didn’t you want to see me?”

“(Call me) Teacher.”

“You’ve gotten cuter since I last saw you.”

The beautiful one still used a manner of speaking with no hierarchy, but Jaewon didn’t bother correcting it. His motivation had been halved by consecutive investment failures. So he decided to close shop today and rest his brain.

“Why don’t you answer your phone?”

“I don’t take calls outside work hours.”

“Then if I extend work hours to 24 hours, will you answer?”

Jaewon, who had been walking busily along the garden stone path, stopped. Haeyul seemed simply curious with no other intentions. However, the attitude of naturally excluding the employee’s wishes wasn’t very pleasant.

When cost has no limits, thinking patterns are bound to be different. Having lived as high-grade labor and had many opportunities to encounter other classes, Jaewon had a high understanding of the elite. But that didn’t mean moments of facing their essence were welcome.

Jaewon turned toward Haeyul and stood.

“Do you think I’d stick by your side 24 hours if you just pay me? Do I look that easy?”

“Aren’t you?”

Haeyul asked back with round eyes. Jaewon momentarily conflicted and missed the timing to say no.

“So how much will you give?”

“How much do you need?”

“Make an offer. Someone wanting to buy a person’s time should at least prepare that much.”

“Hmm, would about… ten times more than now work?”

Jaewon’s heart thumped. Obviously an offer he wouldn’t think twice about. If this were reality. Feeling the disappointment of his cardiovascular system constricting, Jaewon whipped his head away.

“Heh, hmph. Still no.”

“Your ears are flapping like an elephant’s.”

“If I say no, it’s no.”

“Who are you talking to?”

Jaewon, who had been speaking as if making a vow to himself, glared. Haeyul, who had been teasing mischievously, said “Alright” in a voice suppressing laughter when he glared and didn’t tease further. Jaewon felt slightly deflated by the obedient response. It was because he’d gotten used to Kim Dojun, who approached everything with a mutual destruction attitude.

Walking silently, he glanced up at Haeyul. Gently drooping eyes, a smiling face, and an affable attitude down to his demeanor—he had an appearance that would win everyone’s favor. Yet despite that, he never looked easy. That disconnect made thoughts coil.

When their eyes met, Haeyul’s eye corners curved in an arch. Watching him swish like a fox made him feel like his liver was being targeted. Jaewon kept his guard up and walked a little apart.

‘I must not forget this person is an omnivore who doesn’t discriminate between men and women.’

Of course, the book was for all ages. But no one knew what might happen in the story’s blind spots, and extras’ safety had always been self-service, so Jaewon protected his rear.

“Did you do your homework?”

“Of course.”

“Look me in the eyes and say it.”

[As much as you want.]

Suddenly fluent English popped out. There was nothing more disgusting than people who babbled in foreign languages to their countrymen, but Haeyul seemed special. Rather than looking ridiculous, it only reinforced his uniquely aristocratic image.

“Is your mother home?”

“No.”

Haeyul answered curtly, then added a bit later.

“She’s usually not home. She’s so busy.”

Jaewon secretly sighed in relief. Haeyul’s mother who exuded white lion-like pressure… It was troublesome not being able to pull any tricks where that Big Brother-like woman’s eyes reached.

“I’m used to it. I’ve been alone since I was young.”

“Hmm… I see.”

“Feel sorry for me?”

“No.”

“I said that so you would feel sorry.”

Jaewon grimaced at the shameless words. Haeyul laughed naturally.

“Why should I feel sorry for someone whose parents are perfectly alive?”

“Oh, just mother, not father.”

Looking at him when words failed, Haeyul winked. While standing like a honey-eating mute, he brushed past.

“What are you doing? Come sit here.”

Haeyul beckoned from a little distance away. Above his head, a huge old tree cast green shade. That place, where ivy-covered walls, an antique table, and fresh wildflowers harmonized, was like a secret garden.

“Picnics are nice. But shouldn’t study come first? Both you and I need to earn our keep.”

“Let’s study here today.”

“Why?”

“The weather’s nice.”

Looking up where he gestured, the sky was picturesquely clear. Sunlight falling through the leaves created a warm, peaceful atmosphere.

It was amazing to enjoy such sunlight inside a house. Jaewon took a short breath and set his bag on the table.

“Give me your homework. Let’s grade it.”

“Yes.”

Jaewon began grading, alternating between the problem sheets and answer key. His face gradually contorted as he mechanically moved the colored pencil.

“It’s raining, raining. It’s the very rainy Honam Line.”

He clicked his tongue with narrowed eyes. The answers that couldn’t even reach approximations made grading meaningless.

“I told you to solve problems and this bastard did Sudoku.”

“Must be nice having lots to teach.”

“Is that something you should say?”

“That way we can see each other longer too.”

Haeyul rested his hands under his chin like flower petals and smiled with his eyes. Jaewon put down the colored pencil with a snap and tilted his head crookedly.

“You keep speaking informally.”

“When’s your birthday?”

“February.”

“Wow, early.”

“Then show some cheap respect since you know.”

“Mine’s January.”

“Okay. Let’s continue. Open your book.”

“Teacher when we’re not even a year apart.”

“Being shameless because you don’t look the type.”

“I hear that often.”

Jaewon answered curtly and opened the workbook. While pondering what to input into a brain as white as fresh snow, Haeyul propped his chin on the desk and blinked. Large pupils stared straight at him. Iris transparent as glass beads sparkled like stars, and Jaewon gazed at the sight as if entranced.

“You said you’ve never lost first place?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“Really?”

Red lips slowly parted and closed. Those luscious things reminded him of freshly picked cherries. Jaewon focused his brain to regain his senses.

“Your doubt is groundhog-level. Want to see my report card?”

“How do you always get first place without studying at all?”

“Because I’m a genius.”

“Eh, why would a genius live in Korea?”

‘This bastard is more logical than I thought.’

Left speechless, he looked at Haeyul suspiciously.

“How do you know whether I study or not?”

“What’s the capital of Saint Kitts and Nevis?”

Jaewon’s mouth lagged at the question that struck his weak point. But he soon responded calmly.

“In the age of civilization, accessible information is infinite while human memory is limited. We need to use our brains efficiently.”

“So?”

“Do you know the capital of America?”

“Washington D.C.”

“Wrong. It’s Wall Street.”

Jaewon spoke solemnly. He brought his interlaced hands to his mouth and made his eyes gleam sharply.

“We don’t need to remember that much real estate in life. We just need to properly grasp the prime locations.”

When Jaewon finished speaking, Haeyul, who had been listening quietly, smiled brightly.

“You even make bullshit sound cute.”

Light brown eyes gazed at him as if finding him absolutely adorable. Jaewon felt like a pet beetle but pretended not to notice.

“How to get first place without studying? It’s nothing special. Repetitive learning effect.”

“Aha.”

“A learning method that ran as one of the twin pillars of Korean education along with simple memorization, but these days it’s becoming obsolete with criticism of being ignorant and inefficient. But you can’t deny it’s still the most classic method.”

“Do you talk this much to other people too?”

“The point is, you too can become like me if I teach you the same thing three billion forty million seventy times.”

“You really just say anything.”

Haeyul laughed, frowning as if exasperated. But Jaewon was serious.

He was sick of tutoring. He’d done it steadily for living expenses but always struggled with the urge to quit. Trying to improve grades with idiots who didn’t know L from a scythe was no ordinary hardship.

“Now, shall we start with calculating salt water concentration?”

“What’s the point of knowing salt water concentration?”

“Don’t ask Koreans that.”

“Hyung.”

“Teacher.”

“Where were you hiding before showing up now?”

The hand turning workbook pages paused. Jaewon slowly looked up. The smile had disappeared from Haeyul’s face.

“Why would I hide? I have nothing to be ashamed of.”

“Then why didn’t I know?”

The sharp voice caught his words. Having answered without much thought, Jaewon lowered both corners of his mouth and shrugged. Haeyul gazed at him expressionlessly before leaning forward.

“This face.”

He lightly lifted Jaewon’s chin to make him look at him. A persistent gaze swept evenly across his face.

“I never would have forgotten after seeing it even once.”

Looking into his rapidly muttering eyes that gleamed strangely. The pupils glistening like swamp rocks made Jaewon recall a scene from a movie where a killer observed their target.

“Well, how could anyone forget such a handsome face? Right.”

Jaewon nodded with an arrogant expression. It was a statement that deserved a beating, but Haeyul showed no reaction.

“But you appeared before me.”

“……”

“Not me.”

Jaewon brushed Haeyul’s hand off his face.

Tap.

Skin lightly brushed and gazes tangled. Jaewon stared straight into the turbid pupils.

He was experienced at hitting climbing ones on the nose, but this one somehow wasn’t easy. The more he hit the nose, the more excited he got, eyes rolling back and charging like a mad dog.

Jaewon, who valued cost-effectiveness above all, usually cleanly discarded ones this uncontrollable. But Jaewon absolutely couldn’t give up on him.

A sticky silence continued. Haeyul’s lips twitched, then he began to laugh.

“Ah, really. I thought I’d get bored quickly.”

Jaewon raised both eyebrows. It was an unexpected evaluation for someone who’d mainly heard he was boring.

Haeyul’s delighted face overflowed with childlike vitality. The moment he faced that strange innocence, Jaewon stood up.

Screech—

The harsh noise of the chair dragging grated on his eardrums. Birds chirping could be heard through the well-like silence. His face mottled with shadows gleamed coolly.

“Just come over already.”

An impatient voice crawled into his ears like a snake. The words were a request but the tone was quite coercive. Haeyul smiled, revealing neat teeth.

“Did I call you here just to play nice number games?”

“I came to play number games with you.”

Jaewon tried to stay calm but sweat beaded on his palms. The radiance drifting on the surface of his eyes was far removed from anything normal.

“Let’s do something more fun.”

“Let go.”

The grip on his wrist made his hand open involuntarily. Jaewon swallowed a groan.

“Let go before I hit you.”

“Want to hit me? Just say so.”

He threatened quietly but it had no effect. Haeyul brightened and offered one cheek, closing his eyes smoothly. As if receiving a kiss. His porcelain-white smooth face gleamed.

“You think I won’t hit you.”

At the low mutter, Haeyul opened his eyes slightly. He looked at Jaewon intently, then made a languid, pleased expression. His lips curved up in an arc, and a coquettish smile dazzled his vision. Jaewon stared straight at it and raised his fist. It was a moment of taut tension.

“Right. How could I hit that face? What a waste.”

Suddenly Jaewon sighed and dropped his arm. Haeyul’s eyes went round. He blinked as if unexpected, then let out a light chuckle. He seemed to find Jaewon’s reaction refreshing.

Jaewon roughly pulled his arm free while Haeyul’s grip loosened. He put both hands on his hips, looked at the ground breathing shortly, then collapsed into the chair.

“So let’s keep it moderate and sit down, you bastard. I really want to do this tutoring for a long time.”

Jaewon frowned and tapped the table irritably.

“You might think this is a game, but it’s my livelihood.”

And it was the key to returning to reality. Jaewon was serious and desperate.

Haeyul looked at Jaewon with slightly dazed eyes before sitting down. Jaewon sighed at his now-obedient appearance. His heartfelt plea seemed to have worked.

Quietly staring at the table, he suddenly let out an irritated sigh.

“Ah, why do you keep seducing me?”

“I didn’t plan to be born this attractive either.”

“I’m committed to staying single…”

When Jaewon spoke coldly, Haeyul trailed off and held his forehead. Rubbing his face down as if frustrated, he looked like a forget-me-not caught in tragic love. The eyes glimpsed between his fingers flowed beautifully like the Milky Way. Soon Haeyul asked in a sighing voice.

“…What’s your ideal type?”

“I’ll tell you if you solve all of these.”

Jaewon pushed the prepared workbook forward. For confirmation, he folded the corner of the last unit’s final page in a triangle to mark it. Watching this, Haeyul let out a scornful laugh.

“Playing hard to get.”

“Of course. Whose work do you think it is?”

“Whose work is it?”

“A collaboration by the late Bae Sang-sik and Jeong Hyeon-myeong.”

“……”

When Jaewon answered indifferently, Haeyul’s eyes widened slightly. He moved his lips as if to say something, then pressed them shut. Silence flowed, and Haeyul, who had become incomparably docile, began solving problems. The sound of the garden clock hands clicking and the scratching of pencil filled the quiet space.

Jaewon silently observed the blue chip before him. Haeyul solving problems with poor posture looked like a Renoir painting. Each time he blinked, his long eyelashes fluttered, casting shadows on his cheeks. Fair white skin as if containing moonlight, red lips, a long slender neck like a deer’s, the back of his hand with delicately prominent veins. His painted appearance was at the level of having torn through the pages of a book. And what about his rough, fierce personality like a beast? Ban Haeyul, perfect down to his name, was a character who fit the conditions of a protagonist better than anyone.

But Jaewon wasn’t pleased or excited like before. Instead, he fell into thought. As investment predictions repeatedly missed the mark and plans became useless, he no longer had the same confidence as before.

Much time had passed since he’d fallen into the book. How long had it been since the story began, yet nothing had progressed? No matter how he tried to entangle these hotshots, nothing happened. It was a bad sign. Looking back at the book’s contents, most relationships were fatefully intertwined from the moment they first met.

‘If this guy isn’t it either.’

Jaewon felt hopeless. What tormented him was doubt about his own judgment. That doubt, wearing the mask of caution, made him lose confidence and furthermore tied his hands and feet, making him unable to do anything. He swept his forehead with a desolate feeling.

“Tell me now.”

Haeyul, who had scrawled an answer on the last problem, put down his pencil with a snap and spoke. Jaewon moved only his lips to reply.

“What.”

“Your ideal type.”

“Someone good at math.”

The pretty face contorted beautifully before slamming the desk. Jaewon didn’t even blink. It was an utterly despicable tactic, but effective on students who’d fallen for his beautiful appearance, so he used it often.

“I’m good at everything except math.”

Haeyul spoke, forcibly twisting his lips into a smile. His crescent-folded eye corners were twitching. Not getting his way seemed to thoroughly upset him.

“I like people who are good at math.”

“Why?”

“I get orgasms from people who solve math problems beautifully.”

Jaewon spouted whatever came to mind. If he had either educational ethics or conscience, he wouldn’t have, but he uniquely had neither.

“That’s your preference.”

Haeyul agreed surprisingly quickly. He slowly nodded with a dazed expression before opening his mouth again.

“If I get good at math, will you like me?”

His eyes sparkled as he asked, and his face, now devoid of ferocity, held innocence. Jaewon thought he was like an untamed wild animal.

“I’ll do more than like you. I’ll love you.”

When Jaewon answered arrogantly with crossed arms, Haeyul’s eyes became bright and sparkling. It was exactly like a puppy’s eyes looking at dog treats, making him feel a bit uncomfortable.

“Really?”

“Would I lie?”

“What’s the criteria for being good?”

“Getting informal again.”

“What’s the criteria… sir.”

Haeyul answered through gritted teeth. He immediately showed aggression when his actions were restricted. It seemed he hadn’t been exposed to many situations requiring patience in life.

“Get a first grade.”

“That’s too hard.”

When he rebelled, Jaewon’s eyebrows twitched.

“What are you talking about? I’m already adjusting to your level. To go around saying you’re somewhat good at math, you need to sweep awards at various competitions and Olympiads every year, be called a genius when young, and during vacation go to Las Vegas casinos and win at least $200,000 at blackjack…”

Jaewon, who had been babbling fluently, suddenly shut his mouth with a hup. The moment he realized there was someone who exactly fit the conditions he’d unconsciously listed, a spine-chillingly handsome face popped into his mind.

‘I’m not in my right mind.’

He hurriedly took out his mental eraser and scrubbed away that face. Even after diligent erasing, the hawk-like sharp eyes and the mole beneath them stubbornly remained. Gritting his teeth, he erased those too. When he barely came to his senses, the surrounding air had cooled as if doused with cold water.

“Who are you talking about now?”

A toneless voice broke the silence. The voice with a constant tone like machine sounds was alien. Haeyul didn’t even blink, like a frozen screen. Though Jaewon himself was in a panic, he composed his expression to appear calm so as not to show it.

“Who am I talking about? It’s just an example.”

“Right?”

Jaewon answered with feigned indifference while unnecessarily flipping through the workbook. Then Haeyul, who had been watching with persistent eyes, smiled brightly as if nothing had happened.

“Then we promised.”

“What.”

“To love me if I get first grade.”

Jaewon stuck out his lower lip and nodded with a drowsy expression. Only then, as if satisfied, did Haeyul’s eyes curve like a crescent moon. He repeatedly went through confirmation procedures.

“Keep your promise.”

“Of course.”

Jaewon naturally had no intention of doing so. The discipline of mathematics was so profound that only those who had given up and those who hadn’t given up yet existed. The probability of someone who’d given up on math getting first grade before the protagonists’ romance reached a happy ending was extremely low. Even if he luckily achieved the goal, he could just use his success story as a stepping stone to recruit new tutoring students.

Hiding such dark intentions, Jaewon became a gentle lamb and proceeded with the lesson as Haeyul enthusiastically did math.

“That’s it for today. For homework, just do up to the marked parts.”

Time flew like an arrow, and it was already time to end tutoring. Jaewon got up immediately at the exact time and prepared to leave. Haeyul, looking up at him disapprovingly as he efficiently packed, said,

“What’s the rush? Anyone would think I’m going to eat you.”

“I can’t delay leaving work even one second.”

Though that was the surface reason, Jaewon planned to avoid situations where he was alone with him outside work hours as much as possible.

“Stay for dinner.”

As he pushed through the bushes, Haeyul called from behind. Jaewon tied his loose shoelaces tightly and turned to stand. Haeyul, who had been leaning obliquely against the wall with arms crossed, added,

“There’s braised short ribs, marinated crab, royal hot pot, and nine-sectioned plate.”

“Tempting, but it’s not time to eat yet.”

“Will you die if you eat when it’s not mealtime?”

“Overeating is the shortcut to adult diseases and a short life.”

When he armored himself like a pine tree on Namsan, Haeyul lowered his head and raised it again. Uncrossing his arms and standing straight, he strode over.

“Then don’t eat, just hang out. There’s lots to do at home.”

“I’m busy. I have somewhere to stop by.”

Jaewon answered curtly and pulled the gate handle. The smoothly opening door slammed shut again. The hand pushing the door had blue veins standing out.

“Playing so fucking hard to get.”

The voice that had been coaxing gently turned cold. The smile had disappeared from the face that had been grinning like a fox.

“Teasing.”

His gaze poured down vertically. Haeyul stared piercingly and swept his molars with his tongue. He looked like a snake hissing and flicking its tongue after discovering prey. Jaewon gazed at him absently before pushing his forehead with a tap.

“You need to play hard to get to make catching fun.”

The fiercely narrowed eyes went round. Thinking that face was quite cute, Jaewon opened the other door and went outside.

“I really won’t let you off.”

A low growling sound came from behind. Glancing back, Haeyul was glaring as if he’d devour him. His face, beautiful like another species, was smeared with naked desire. Jaewon chuckled at the appearance reeking of inexperience.

“Just do your homework properly. I’ll check.”

He waved without looking back. He walked down the hill road just like that, took the bus at the stop, and headed to the shopping district. It was to obtain boost items.

“Welcome.”

Entering through the department store’s revolving door, the interior decorated with white marble spread out. Jaewon headed to the perfume section, bathed in gorgeous halogen lighting.

“Welcome, customer.”

After bowing to the clerk who greeted him briskly, he turned his gaze to the counter. Beautiful perfume bottles of various colors were nicely displayed in the store. Jaewon surveyed the counter with sharp eyes like a hawk targeting prey.

“Are you looking for something?”

“Where are the cool water scents?”

“Pardon?”

The employee who had frozen as if a switch had been flipped soon guided him smoothly.

“Ah, if you mean Davidoff products, they’re this way.”

The employee took Jaewon to a secluded, hidden corner. Where her fingertips pointed was a blue bottle. It emitted a mysterious, brilliant radiance with the color of deep sea light.

Jaewon picked up the perfume bottle, sprayed it on a test strip, and pumped twice into the air. Smelling the cool scent scattered in the air, countless expressions flashed through his mind.

“Will you take this one?”

The employee waiting beside him asked as if seeing right through him. Just as he was about to nod as if entranced, voices came from behind.

“Isn’t that right?”

“No…”

“I think it is.”

Not far away, a group of female students were peeking at Jaewon and whispering. When they made eye contact with Jaewon, they flinched, then suddenly stuck out their chests and approached with dignified steps.

“Well, well. If it isn’t the king’s man?”

A thoroughly mocking voice echoed through the store. Jaewon tried to ignore it, but the voice was nightingale-like and the diction ridiculously clear, so it went straight into his ears.

“What brings you here alone?”

“Where’s the king you were following around so devotedly?”

“Where did you leave your tail? You were wagging it so prettily in front of Dojun.”

They surrounded Jaewon, each throwing a comment and sneering. The way they chewed gum noisily while shaking one leg was quite threatening. Jaewon, who had been on self-mute, discovered a particularly beautiful silhouette among them.

“Isn’t it pretty one? We meet again here.”

When he greeted her cheerfully, Min Yerin, who had been hiding behind the female students, turned her head with a prim expression.

“Why are you greeting Yerin? You really have no shame.”

“Unbelievable, really.”

“Don’t you think it’s too much after stealing Dojun away like that?”

Criticism poured from all directions. Jaewon was upset by the groundless slander but decided to reason with them nicely since they were still young teenagers.

“Steal what? If you’re frustrated, you guys can be bread shuttles.”

“What…!”

“And you’re too pretty to work with Kim Dojun, so give up early.”

Jaewon turned his head and threw advice at Min Yerin. At being told to give up, her beautiful face contorted strangely. It was an expression that couldn’t decide whether to laugh or get angry.

“Anyway, you guys came at a good time. Try smelling this.”

Jaewon, struck by a good idea, brightened and sprayed perfume on them.

“How’s the scent?”

“What is this. Cool Water?”

“Ugh… Who wears Cool Water these days?”

“Must have grave-robbed it.”

While the female students who smelled it grimaced and showed disgust, only Min Yerin made a strange expression.

“What about you?”

“…I think it’s nice.”

When Jaewon asked with sparkling eyes, Yerin muttered awkwardly. Her sulky face was flushed. Jaewon confirmed the difference in taste between protagonists and extras and smiled victoriously.

“That’s settled then. I’ll take this.”

“What, why…”

“And this too.”

He pointed to a bottle that looked like a pink diamond. It was a perfume with a strong, sweet scent that suited Min Yerin well.

“Thank you. Have a nice day.”

The employee who skillfully took the money finished calculating and wrapping in the blink of an eye.

“From now on, only wear this.”

“What?”

When Jaewon semi-forcibly handed over the perfume, Yerin asked back with wide eyes.

“Why…”

“Why? Because it suits you well.”

“……!”

When Jaewon replied carelessly to Yerin’s stammering question, her face, mottled with embarrassment, turned red as a pomegranate.

“What about us? Pick for us too.”

“Me too, me too.”

While a strange atmosphere flowed between the two, the female students rushed to cut in.

“I just applied this new product.”

“Tint, tint.”

“Which one is prettiest?”

They each said something while sticking out their lips. Three red chicken anuses were lined up before him. Jaewon looked at the sight expressionlessly before speaking.

“You guys are pretty without that stuff. At that age, you’re pretty just breathing.”

He spoke with rare sincerity. In fact, he’d always wondered. He couldn’t understand why they spent time and money dressing up at an age when they’d shine just by washing properly.

“Students are pretty just being still. Do you know how great being young is?”

Of course, it wasn’t something someone who was only twenty-three at most should say. Still, it couldn’t compare to high schoolers with downy fuzz. Moreover, he originally couldn’t hold back words when seeing groups pursuing inefficiency.

The group of female students said nothing. They just stared at Jaewon with wide, blinking eyes.

“What are you saying?”

“Such old man preaching. I’ll confiscate your dentures.”

“So which one is prettiest?”

The female students pushed their faces in threateningly. Jaewon entered a spot-the-difference game with resigned eyes. However, to find differences, all three had lips that looked like they’d eaten rats.

“They all suck.”

When Jaewon moved his mouth of truth, the female students’ complexions rapidly darkened.

“What are you saying? Are you crazy?”

“Ah… this oppa doesn’t know how to navigate society.”

As if dumbfounded, they snorted and cracked their necks left and right with popping sounds. The momentum was somewhat threatening, so Jaewon instinctively stepped back.

“Hey, grab him.”

When one who seemed to be the leader gestured with her chin, the other two restrained Jaewon’s arms.

“Why, why are you doing this?”

Jaewon resisted somewhat, but the executioners’ strength was considerable, so his bound body wouldn’t budge. The leader student approached, chewing gum noisily. A thoroughly frightening atmosphere was created.

“You need to pay the price for moving your mouth so honestly.”

She spoke ominously and opened the tint cap with a pop. The brush dripping with bright red liquid gradually approached. Jaewon’s face turned white as paper and he began shaking his head frantically.

“Girls. Let’s not do this and talk. What are you going to become when you grow up, already using force? Hm?”

“Hmm. Your lips are pretty for your attitude.”

“Wait. Ah, no…”

“Yes.”

A cold word fell and something cold touched his lips. Screams echoed in the department store where symphonic melodies flowed softly.

***

“What happened to you?”

Ma Chayoon asked upon seeing Jaewon the next day. Jaewon looked at him with a haggard face before weakly shaking his head.

‘Strong ink tint! Saves you from purple lips!’

The product, which combined crazy color payoff and lasting power as advertised, generously showed off its technology on Jaewon’s lips. The lips with perfectly drawn lip lines looked even redder in contrast to Jaewon’s pale skin.

“Did you catch a rat somewhere? You’ll get the Black Death soon.”

“If I had, at least it would come off.”

Even though he’d scrubbed with a loofah in the morning, the tint remained strong. That effort only resulted in side effects of his lips swelling more lusciously and the skin around his mouth reddening.

“Do you know how to remove this?”

“Though I’m quite knowledgeable, I don’t have connections in that area.”

Ma Chayoon showed a cold reaction. His eyes looking as if at a monstrosity were full of pride and prejudice.

“I know what you’re thinking but it’s not like that, man. I was attacked in an instant.”

“Attacked? You?”

Chayoon’s eyes went round as if hearing a loan shark had been robbed. Jaewon sighed and explained the whole story.

“…That’s what happened.”

“You made the worst move. Screwing over three women equally and eating the golden apple yourself… You’re a true warrior.”

Listening intently, he nodded as if impressed.

“It lasts 168 hours once applied. Damn.”

“The tenacity is just like you.”

“What should I do? Red lips on this face are too lethal.”

“How about tearing your mouth a bit and pretending to be the Joker?”

“Good idea. While we’re at it, let’s tear yours too.”

They grabbed each other’s faces and wrestled for a while. But both ran out of stamina quickly due to lack of exercise. Despite their energetic start, they separated panting before any spectators could gather.

“What’s that?”

Ma Chayoon asked with a frown. What he pointed to was a pouch containing cypress wood pieces. They dangled all over Jaewon’s body like Christmas tree decorations.

“Are you trying to exorcise something? Then how about starting with yourself?”

“The trend is phytoncide scent.”

Jaewon said with a sweet expression. Cliché adjectives were classic. Male protagonists were bound to go crazy for subtle, refreshing scents rather than sweet ones. Though hard to obtain, he planned to gladly gift them to Lee Ga-ryeong.

‘What shampoo do you use?’

‘Hm? Just soap.’

‘But why do you smell so good?’

Romance properly starts with olfactory stimulation. Fantasies bubbled up above his head. While he was immersed in sweet dreams, running heated brain simulations, someone yanked him from behind.

His nape was instantly pulled back and his vision spun. In the flipped perspective, a tanned face flashed by, and the assailant buried their head in his exposed neck. When breath touched his defenseless skin, goosebumps rose sharply. At that moment, Jaewon covered his mouth, feeling like strange sounds might come out. Dojun slowly raised his head and looked down at Jaewon with indifferent eyes.

“Nice scent.”

He left those words in passing and strode into the classroom. Watching his back blankly, Jaewon suddenly came to his senses and hurriedly fixed his clothes.

“It really is the trend.”

Ma Chayoon spoke indifferently to him as he trembled like a scholar violated by bandits. Jaewon bit his lips hard, feeling like curses and tears would come out, and trudged into the classroom.

Kim Dojun, sitting in the back row with arms crossed and legs stretched out long, showed his strong presence as always. Behind him, curtains fluttered like victory banners. Bathed in light and gleaming, Kim Dojun was like the emperor of the sun. Jaewon, now accustomed to that radiance, approached his seat without agitation.

He collected the cypress wood pouches attached to his body with a dejected face. Those things that had lost their purpose in an instant fell into the abyss of his school bag. They were quality items he’d obtained by sweet-talking the woodshop owner… Injustice and resentment quietly raised their heads.

Jaewon planted his sharpened gaze on Kim Dojun. Dark eyebrows, sharply extended nose bridge, appropriately thick lips… Looking at them, the parts they’d touched heated up anew. Was there a furnace in his stomach? How could breath be so hot? Jaewon rubbed his neck broadly with his palm while rolling his aimless gaze.

“Why do you smell people like that? Are you a dog?”

“If I were a dog, I would’ve bitten already.”

When Jaewon grumbled and picked a fight, Dojun bared his teeth like a hunting dog. It was a chilling but convincing sound. Agreeing with his words, Jaewon backed away hesitantly to secure a safe distance. Then he carefully moved his desk away.

“Asking for a kiss?”

The heavy voice spun idly in his ears. Jaewon, who had been carefully moving his desk, recognized the words a beat late. When he reflexively looked up, his eyes met Kim Dojun’s. Jaewon looked around, confirmed no one was there, and pointed at himself with his finger. Dojun nodded with the expression of a tyrant bestowing mercy.

“Me?”

He obviously wasn’t asking because he didn’t know. However, Jaewon, who had spent his life being the one spouting nonsense rather than hearing it, had poor response capability when the tables were turned.

“……”

Dojun didn’t reply. He just stared. His blue-black lustrous pupils had clear focus. His mouth fell open at the gaze that couldn’t find even a speck of playfulness.

“Unless you’re crazy?”

“You’re already crazy.”

“But I’m not crazy in this, this direction.”

“Then.”

He cut off Jaewon’s stammering before he could finish. Dojun uncrossed his arms and slowly raised his body that had been leaning on the chair. Though only his upper body moved, it gave the illusion of an anaconda encountered in the Amazon uncoiling and slithering over with its thick body. Jaewon, who swallowed hard looking at the vast shoulders and thick torso, couldn’t move.

“Who are you showing off to, painting your lips so red?”

Kim Dojun, who had approached right in front of him, asked lowly. It wasn’t a difficult question to answer. He wasn’t the one who painted his lips red, and he had even less intention of advertising this state widely. But it seemed like he wasn’t asking expecting an answer. During military service, he’d realized a surprising fact—there were people in the world who asked questions knowing the answer and people who asked things they weren’t curious about.

“Jaewon.”

Noticing Jaewon had frozen, he called in a much gentler voice. But it sounded more dangerous than any other sound. Just hearing the voice made his legs go weak, but Kim Dojun didn’t stop and grabbed his arm. His neat hands caressed the inside of his forearm before sliding to his wrist. Fire ignited on his skin as if sparked by flint. At the unexpected heat, Jaewon reflexively tried to twist his arm free but it wouldn’t budge. Only the rubbed skin hurt.

“I’m asking you.”

The concise comment carried weight. Kim Dojun’s words, needing no further elaboration with just “I,” were power itself. An arrogant light was clear on the copper-colored face looking up at Jaewon.

Since males across species had bravado engraved in their genes, it was common to puff up their bodies or occupy high ground first to look down on opponents. But from Kim Dojun, who consistently lowered his posture and looked up whether angry, dumbfounded, bullying, or threatening, an immeasurable composure could be felt.

It wasn’t difficult. He just needed to explain calmly and naturally, as he had to Ma Chayoon, that he’d been victimized by ruffians while passing through the department store.

“Oh, um, I, well, bought bread.”

However, what actually popped out of his mouth was completely different. Either his thought circuits had gone bad or his head and body were playing separately. Jaewon creakily moved his joints like a robot and took out bread from his pocket.

Rustle.

When the bread fell on the desk, the plastic made a loud rustling sound. The bread package, mercilessly crumpled in the narrow pocket, looked particularly shabby. Moreover, the ‘Gatokkae’s Nutty Cream Pastry’ label was squished to read ‘Balls Cream Pastry.’ Jaewon hurriedly smoothed the wrinkles with hand ironing. Kim Dojun watched him flapping busily like a grasshopper in a field. At that warmthless gaze, Jaewon felt his mouth go completely dry.

‘Is this worth being so anxious about?’

He defined the emotion he faced as fear. Otherwise, there was no way he’d be such a mess.

Sell in fear, buy in euphoria. A famous investment saying. Realizing that the maxim he’d held in his heart without a doubt was useless in practice, Jaewon grew angry. Damn it, what was he supposed to do when his head was this hot and his heart beat like an arrhythmia patient’s? Just maintaining his sanity was impressive.

“You bought bread looking like that?”

Dojun chuckled, looking him up and down like a shaman. Despite the seemingly affectionate tone, his mood didn’t look very good.

“Since when do you listen so well?”

“If I get cursed even when listening, how should I plan my future career?”

“No, you’re good.”

He lightly lifted Jaewon’s chin with his fingertips to close his mouth. It was a skilled, unhesitating touch as if handling a pet. Jaewon, whose mouth closed with teeth clicking together, felt robbed of his job.

Dojun picked up the bread package and put it in his mouth. Crunch. One corner of the plastic crumpled against his canine tooth, making a stimulating sound. He turned his head and tore the wrapper with his mouth. His brows furrowed slightly, wrinkles formed on his nose bridge, and jaw muscles stood out roughly, strangely reminiscent of tearing open adult tools. The previously refreshing surrounding air became sticky and thick. Jaewon shook his head until his cheeks jiggled, wondering if he was seeing things.

“Did you see? How can someone tear bread crust so sexily?”

“Every single gesture is art…”

“As expected of Kim Dojun.”

Students who had somehow gathered whispered praises. They were reminiscent of French citizens who gathered in front of Versailles Palace every Sunday during the Renaissance to watch Louis XIV peel boiled eggs and admire his elegance. Unlike the Sun King who peeled five eggs in one sitting to meet citizens’ expectations, Dojun held out the well-opened bread to Jaewon.

“…For me to eat?”

When Jaewon asked in bewildered surprise, instead of answering, he slowly closed and opened his eyes while pushing the bread forward. A savory smell wafted from the golden pastry baked to perfection. The syrup-coated surface sparkled sacredly along the grain.

“Why? I bought it… for you.”

He swallowed mid-sentence. It was the moment the formula that people who give food are good people broke. Jaewon became confused. From what he’d observed so far, Kim Dojun was someone who engraved Hammurabi’s Code in his heart and took the lead in putting it into practice. If someone fed him shit, he fed them carefully made artisanal shit, and if someone tarnished his honor, he gladly became a water ghost. As a result, no one dared harm Kim Dojun’s eyes or teeth.

By the same mechanism, having fed him bread (albeit involuntarily) until now, it seemed he wanted to personally feed him bread too. Normally when this happened, Jaewon would open his mouth without hesitation like a believer receiving communion from a priest during mass. But now he had to be careful given who the other party was. He gravely stared at the soft, appetizing bread.

“Can’t eat by yourself?”

“Of course I can.”

“Ah.”

Dojun ignored Jaewon’s firm intention as always and held out the bread.

“Ah.”

Dojun made the sound again, opening his mouth neatly. His nicely sized lips parted slightly and inside, a red tongue moved sensually. Unable to take his eyes off as if seeing a forbidden relic, he suddenly looked away.

‘Why is a guy’s tongue so red?’

Jaewon was weak to the color red. Red was an endlessly fascinating color. The pleasure of starting each morning looking at stock windows dyed red[5] had been engraved on Jaewon’s soul over a long time.

“My arm’s getting tired.”

Dojun urged him on with exaggerated complaints. His muscular arm didn’t look like it would tire, but Jaewon couldn’t object. The handsome delinquent’s stylish smile dulled his thinking. The sight of the male student revealing his teeth smoothly in the sunlight streaming through the window was utterly refreshing.

Jaewon hesitated before opening his mouth. There was no reason to refuse when daily bread was being offered. It wasn’t because the sky behind him was particularly blue, or because the rustling sound of his uniform shirt tickled his ears. It definitely wasn’t.

Crunch.

As he bit into the bread, dozens of pastry layers crumbled at once, and butter’s richness and custard cream’s sweetness whirled in his mouth. The festive heat on his tongue spread tingling throughout his body via his blood vessels. Crispy icing and chewy chestnuts stewed in sugar harmonized to create flavor. The fantastic flour lump melted on his tongue, and his empty morning stomach cried out. Jaewon opened his mouth as soon as he swallowed the bread.

“…Ah.”

But perhaps he’d misjudged the aim, as nothing touched his tongue. The bread was farther away than expected. Like a fish following bait, Jaewon’s body tilted forward chasing the bread. A warning voice grazed by and a solid arm wrapped around his waist. Somehow he ended up practically embraced by Dojun, but Jaewon, fixated on the bread, didn’t notice. When his posture suddenly changed, he couldn’t close his mouth in time. Saliva pooled in his mouth stretched down in a thin line.

“Drooling.”

A low laugh scattered near his ear. Strange. It felt like the laughter was transmitted through his body rather than his ears. Dojun kept a mischievous smile on his lips while teasingly shaking the bread slightly. As vibrations spread through where their skin touched, his pulse gradually quickened, and he felt like ten snakes had filled his empty stomach. Unable to tell if it was thirst or hunger, Jaewon snapped at the bread, driven by unknown craving.

Dojun, quietly watching him eat ravenously, looked pleased. His slightly downcast eyes were lazily relaxed.

“You eat well.”

The leisurely voice tapped his nose bridge. It must be his imagination that the words sounded mocking. Watching with satisfaction like a zookeeper feeding animals, he looked amused. Though it felt like being a spectacle, the bread was too sweet for proper thinking.

“You’ll get indigestion.”

He gently chided as Jaewon practically buried his nose in the bread eating. Ignoring him and trying to take another bite, the bread suddenly pulled back. When he immediately followed, a palm blocked him.

“Wait.”

He spoke firmly as if commanding a dog. The hand covering his mouth was large enough to hide half his face. The palm giving off a subtle sweet scent had a firm yet soft touch, showing traces of a life far from rough work. His stomach gradually churning, Jaewon swallowed unnecessarily.

The hand soon fell away. Fingers brushed his lips, and a triangular pack was held out before him. Coffee milk. Jaewon blinked and looked up at Dojun.

“I can’t drink coffee…”

“I know.”

His words were cleanly cut off. When Jaewon just stared blankly, Dojun met his gaze. Looking at that composed face, Jaewon realized the fact that he couldn’t drink coffee meant nothing to him. What mattered was his will to feed. At that arrogant firmness, Jaewon felt an irresistible subjugation. It was mysterious for someone with rebellious blood flowing hot.

“It’ll make me… stupid.”

“Who says?”

“My mom.”

Of course, that was when he was seven. The word he hadn’t spoken in so long rolled awkwardly in his mouth.

“You’re grown now, so it’s fine.”

It was strange to feel like a nursing baby at those words. Dojun, who dismissed it so simply it seemed questionable, tore the milk pack corner with his teeth. The moment he saw the nose wrinkles and smooth canine, Jaewon unconsciously squeezed his eyes shut. Perhaps his caffeine sensitivity had gotten worse without him knowing—now even seeing coffee made his heart race.

A cold, hard sensation touched his cheek. Opening his eyes, he saw the milk pack placed right before him. Light brown liquid sloshed enticingly between the cut edges.

This isn’t right. Contrary to his thoughts, his lips gradually parted. The pointed corner of the milk pack touched his lips, and soon cool, sweet liquid poured into his mouth.

Gulp. Gulp.

His Adam’s apple bobbed smoothly as he swallowed the milk. The gulping sounds seemed abnormally loud. Sweat gradually seeped into his palms. One sip, two sips, four sips—he seemed to have drunk more than half, but the milk pack showed no signs of leaving his mouth. Jaewon grew increasingly overwhelmed. He tried to pull back but the thick arm held his waist firmly, making movement impossible.

“…Mmph.”

He tapped Dojun’s shoulder and chest signaling to stop, but he paid no attention. Rather, he applied silent pressure by squeezing the arm around his waist. Each time, the writhing of packed muscles transmitted clearly under his palm. That sensual movement felt vivid as if touching bare skin, making Jaewon unconsciously shudder.

“Puhah, hah.”

The milk pack only fell away after swallowing the last drop of liquid inside. Jaewon burst into coughs on the verge of choking. Gasping frantically for breath, he didn’t notice the unswallowed milk flowing down from his mouth.

“Why are you making such a mess while eating?”

“Well, who just shoved it in my mouth…”

“So sloppy.”

He swept his lips with his finger. At that moment, the fine hair on his neck stood on end. As the thick thumb roughly rubbed his lips, his back heated and his limbs tingled.

Clatter.

The desk kicked by his toes slid away slightly. A finger pushed between his lips, making him open his mouth. Though there was no force, just an inviting touch, his mouth opened helplessly. When the round tip caught between his teeth, mild goosebumps rose.

The finger swam through his mouth, stirring. The fingertip with neatly trimmed nails lightly swept his teeth, pressing here and there meticulously on his tongue and inner cheeks. It was a touch as if gauging something.

“Your mouth is narrow.”

Eyes carefully examining his lips frowned. He clicked his tongue lightly and moved his hand to press down on the tongue. The flesh pressed by the unadorned force clung stickily to the finger.

“But you use your tongue well.”

Satisfied with the sticky response, Dojun muttered that it was better and withdrew his hand. As the thick flesh pulled out, a strand of saliva stretched long between finger and lips. Dojun stared at his hand wet with saliva, then slowly began rubbing his fingers. It was a considerably explicit gesture.

“Sticky.”

“……”

His tone was indifferent as if describing the phenomenon before him. But it didn’t sound that way. The slowly, subtly moving hand seemed to be touching fluid from somewhere other than a mouth. Eyes smooth as carved stone gazed this way. The adhesive gaze never left Jaewon’s face for a moment. It was the look of someone holding cards while watching the opponent’s reaction. Feeling something between displeasure and discomfort, he turned his head to avoid those eyes when a large hand grabbed his chin and turned it back.

“Hey, come on…”

Unable to bear it, he burst out speaking but his voice came out weakly. Jaewon couldn’t understand. Having done every part-time job, he was an expert at handling turbulent teenagers. No matter how much Kim Dojun had a build like a foreign swimmer, eyes fierce as a wild beast, and a temperament for pushing people around that rivaled a conglomerate chairman’s—he was still just a high school student, so why couldn’t he keep up? Just seeing that face made his well-functioning brain stop and the words produced year-round ceased forming. For someone who’d never given up freedom of expression even in the most terrifying and dangerous situations, it was bewildering.

While Jaewon was lost in puzzled silence, Dojun, who had been holding his lower jaw and turning it this way and that, lowered his eyebrows as if troubled.

“Oh no. Your face got dirty.”

“Cleaner than your personality…”

“Need to wash it.”

“No, I think I’m perfectly fine, ugh.”

His face smeared with saliva, sugar water, and bread crumbs was far from fine, but Jaewon wanted to refuse further contact. The guy was thorough in slave management like a true alpha male. After the body inspection followed by dental examination, he was already thoroughly battered. But Dojun pulled him to his feet as if he hadn’t heard. Being dragged along like paper fluttering in his hands, Jaewon heard the bell ring. Fortunately, it was the class bell.

“The, the bell rang.”

“You don’t care anyway.”

Jaewon seized the opportunity, pointing at the speaker above while speaking, but Dojun dismissed it without looking back. That was true. Surprisingly weak to facts, Jaewon had nothing to say and was muted.

Following Kim Dojun’s large strides, they instantly arrived at the bathroom at the end of the corridor. As the protruding sign with blue pictogram approached, Jaewon dug in his heels and resisted. But Dojun simply pulled him with one arm tug.

Holding Jaewon who dangled like a keychain, he grabbed the bathroom door handle. The sight of his straight-jointed fingers wrapping around the long, thick stainless steel handle imprinted on his pupils in slow motion. The moment veins stood out on the solid back of his hand, Jaewon impulsively spilled words.

“I suddenly want to study.”

“Good thinking. You look like you need life lessons.”

“What? No, I mean…”

He tried a pathetic trick to return to the classroom, but Dojun smoothly deflected. While Jaewon, who’d ended up poking his own eye, stuttered, he pushed open the door. Humid air brushed his cheek, and the bathroom’s characteristic sharp, damp smell clung to his nasal membranes.

The school bathroom was empty with classes started. Stagnant negative energy surged in the blue-tinged space as if time had stopped. Jaewon had an intuition that he shouldn’t enter there with Dojun.

“W-wait. Playing hooky when your head’s still wet behind the ears? What will you become when you grow up?”

“That’s why I’m doing it while it’s wet. Do it when grown and life’s ruined.”

Desperately trying a stale but classic excuse didn’t work either. Jaewon, silenced by accurate words, squeezed out words with all his might.

“Still, students should attend class…”

“It’s all stuff I know.”

It was a regular line appearing with ‘I’m smart but don’t study,’ but Dojun’s words somehow didn’t sound like bluster. He couldn’t tell if it was the indifferent tone speaking plain facts or the eyes showing even boredom.

One thing was certain—that casual confidence looked incredibly stylish.

From what Jaewon had witnessed in life, the number of domestic males not needing breed improvement was extremely small, and even picking out promising sprouts, the spectrum wasn’t broad. Only model students and delinquents. Even then, handsome model students were endangered rare species hard to find, reflected in popular literature where delinquent male leads gained overwhelming preference. Those called rebels showed uniform patterns in speech and behavior, and Jaewon was full of confidence from the benefits of repeated reading.

But Kim Dojun belonged to neither side. While modestly reading textbooks during break preparing for the next class, he committed delinquencies like smoking or skipping class without concern. Yet he showed no symptoms of the incurable disease that so-called popular teenagers caught—eighth-grader syndrome[6] or consciousness inflation. Kim Dojun was clearly the object of the whole school’s envy and admiration. While taking such attention for granted, he didn’t particularly care. That transcendence made him feel uniquely special.

Derailment. Commonly expressed as crossing lines, but for Dojun, lines seemed not to exist in the first place. Dojun’s behavioral standard depended solely on his mood and will. Unable to be confined by any frame, he was utterly unpredictable. Jaewon looked up at Dojun with troubled eyes.

‘What the hell is this guy?’

The top dog repeatedly diverging from clichés was frustratingly incomprehensible. Thoughts linked in succession, and Jaewon found himself stepping over the bathroom threshold. Seeing the shoulder blades with thick muscles rising and the tendon-prominent forearms, his pulse quickened. Feeling a desperate crisis, Jaewon blurted out anything as a last resort.

“Actually, I’m not in the mood to wash.”

Dojun looked down expressionlessly at him posturing as if starting a marital fight and said,

“Then should we wash together to get you in the mood?”

“Fuck, no?”

“Right?”

He caught and pulled Jaewon who rebounded like a rubber ball as if he’d been waiting. Caught in the either-or trap, Jaewon was swept inside the door.

As the thick glass door closed, whoosh, wind with mass pushed his back. The faint hinge sound repeated regularly then slowly died away, cutting off from outside. Only the sound of water dripping from the faucet echoed in the quiet space.

Without time to catch his breath in that silence, he was thrown before the sink. A rather shabby sight reflected beyond the mirror. His red-painted lips were dirty with dried coffee milk and bread crumbs around them, and his cheeks and neck were mottled from heating up while tussling with Kim Dojun.

Whoooosh—

Clear water pouring from the tap swirled around the sink and disappeared down the drain. Water droplets bouncing into the air sparkled in sunlight. The moment his gaze was stolen by the transparent whirlpool, a large hand covered his mouth. With a wet sound, cool moisture touched his skin.

“Mmph, mph.”

At the unfamiliar contact, Jaewon reflexively struggled. But with a body like an iron fortress blocking behind him, it was useless. While struggling and letting out choked groans, the wet hand began scrubbing his mouth. His lips were rubbed wildly by the ruthless touch, losing their original shape.

“Hmph, ugh, puhah.”

The grip was so strong his mouth felt like tearing and skin stretching. Each time the palm rubbed his mouth, sensation disappeared from his flesh and his mind grew hazy. With water constantly rushing into nose and mouth, it felt like water torture.

“Wait… What, ugh, do you have sandpaper on your hands, hmph.”

Each time his body jerked, rock-hard thighs rubbed against his buttocks, and the hand gripping his wrist tightened strongly. Jaewon frantically grabbed Dojun’s forearm with his free hand but only left feeble nail marks. Thick tendons bulged under his palm. Unable to endure, when he burst out his blocked breath, fingers pushing between his lips swept his teeth. A chilling sensation raced down his spine.

“St-stop…”

Cough. Feeling his limit, Jaewon burst into coughs. His randomly ransacked mouth already stung, and having his lips sandpapered on top was killing him. Whether from friction heat, his body temperature rose and his earlobes burned as if scalded. His vision darkened and strength drained from his limbs.

“Puhah, hah, ugh…”

As he staggered losing balance, the hand that had been wiping his lips fell away and grabbed his chin firmly. Without time to hurt from that rough strength, Dojun forcibly lifted his chin to make him face forward. In the mirror, he was gasping held by a huge hand covering half his face. Behind him, Dojun brought his face close to Jaewon’s with an utterly peaceful expression. As flesh brushed and breathing sounds approached, Jaewon gulped and squeezed his eyes shut then opened them.

“It won’t come off.”

Dojun held Jaewon’s chin, turning it this way and that, then muttered indifferently. His expression and gestures were alien. It was closer to examining a possession with foreign matter than dealing with a person. His seemingly ordinary eyes persistently lingered on Jaewon’s mouth. The plumply swollen lips were still reddishly stained with tint.

“You fu… ugh.”

The moment Jaewon spat out curses after panting, his head snapped back. With the brutal sound of joints popping, his vision spun. A large shadow fell on his whitening vision, and a perfectly sculpted face reflected inverted on his retina.

“Should I peel off the skin?”

Low words settled on his skin with breath. The clearly focused irises held a refined light like looking at specimens through a microscope. It wasn’t a threat or intimidation. It was closer to thoughts leaking out. The moment he saw the indifferent gleam in those black pupils, chills ran down his spine.

“Calm… down. I’m not a banana. I know I look sweet but…”

“It’s swollen.”

“When you touch like that… how can it not swell? It’ll burst from swelling.”

“You can talk dirty too.”

“Crazy, you have lust demons in your ears…”

“I thought it was a snout, not a mouth.”

Fingers pressed firmly on his lips. As nails slowly scratched the tender flesh, the back of his neck pulled sharply. Water soaking his face flowed down his neck. The moment the water stream that had pooled at his throat flowed long down his chest, Jaewon twisted his body attempting escape. But the grip holding his chin was too strong, ending in failure.

“Ah, let go already…”

Letting out a sigh close to pleading, Jaewon crumpled his face irritably. Tears pricked his eye corners from frustration. He couldn’t understand why he had to suffer this hardship. He couldn’t even guess what had touched this foul-tempered guy’s nerves. It would be better if he could ask, but perhaps from the water torture’s aftermath, heat boiled in his head and his legs trembled so he could barely stand, let alone speak.

Dojun, who had been staring down at that pitiful sight, turned him around and cupped his cheeks with both hands. Now facing Dojun directly, Jaewon let out a small sigh. He was troubled because he kept forgetting words when looking at his face, wondering what he’d applied to it.

“Jaewon.”

His attractive lips moved slowly. The tongue glimpsed between them moved sensually like a red snake. Jaewon frowned and turned his head, but the force squeezing both cheeks prevented it.

“You should answer.”

“Yes, yes, hai, sí.”

Though it was a gentle call as if soothing a child, the brilliant gaze and grip on his face were threatening. Jaewon answered by country while roughly nodding. He had to match his mood as much as possible to escape his grasp even a moment sooner.

“…I was curious anyway.”

He tilted his head obliquely and muttered. Cracks appeared in his always casual face, and an expression of maddening curiosity instantly spread. The moment he witnessed that violent gap, chills roughly scraped his skin.

“When you make it this red.”

Fingers swept long over his lower lip. The increasingly low voice flowed stickily into his ears. Receiving that tar-like clinging gaze, Jaewon unconsciously stepped back. Just meeting those eyes made his mouth dry and lumped heat heavily filled his stomach. He’d drunk plenty of water earlier but his throat burned.

“Makes me want to suck on it.”

Before understanding the words, Dojun pulled Jaewon’s face and tilted his head, swallowing his lips.

“Mmph.”

His lower back hit the sink. Soft, pliant flesh rubbed against his lips, then a hot tongue parted them and entered, sweeping the membrane. At that moment, intense sensation pierced from the base of his spine to the crown of his head, and Jaewon’s eyes bulged. In his widely opened vision, the handsome face filled completely. Meeting that persistently black gaze, the fiercely torn eyes gradually curved into arcs.

“No mood.”

Low laughter tickled his lips. The face smiling with slightly squinted eyes made his head go blank. Lips with one corner pulled up glistened wetly. Unable to look away from that sight, Dojun’s hand closed his eyelids so he couldn’t see anymore.

As darkness fell, a hot tongue licked his lips then crawled into his mouth like a snake. Swoosh, lips parted and the invading tongue sliding in licked the area between lips and teeth. His legs weakened and his mind grew hazy. Instinctively sensing he shouldn’t allow further invasion, Jaewon squeezed his eyes shut and clamped his mouth closed. As he gritted his teeth and endured, the hand stroking near his jaw gently squeezed his throat.

Squeak, the sharp sound of shoe soles rubbing against floor tiles rang out. Feeling life-threatening, Jaewon pushed whatever he could grab but the concrete-like body didn’t budge. Grabbing the rock-hard muscled arms and groaning, he stepped back. But with the sink blocking behind, there was nowhere to retreat.

“…Hah.”

The thumb feeling the prominent veins pressed firmly on his Adam’s apple. As Jaewon burst out a breath with a gasp and opened his mouth, the tongue that had been stickily sweeping his teeth pushed in as if it had been waiting. The moment the thick tongue filled his mouth, dull pleasure struck the back of his head.

“Hmm…”

Touching tongues rubbed together, and the wet sound of mixing saliva hit the tile walls, echoing lewdly. The skillfully moving tongue tangled with his shrinking tongue tip, rubbing messily before sucking strongly. Unable to overcome the rushing sensation, Jaewon squeezed his eyes shut. His hands unconsciously gripping Dojun’s arms tightened as biceps bulged.

It was a kiss like being devoured. Roughly shoving his tongue deep in his mouth, sucking on membranes, then grinding lips with teeth. The movements soft enough to make eyes glaze over yet turning fierce in an instant scattered thoughts and vision darkened distantly. Sensations he’d never experienced poured like a flood and sparks burst continuously over closed eyelids. Jaewon couldn’t even open his eyes properly and let out heated moans.

“Mmm, mm…”

With a smack, lips separated and breaths mixed. Strands of saliva thinly connected between them, and hot, humid breath clung to wet flesh.

“Hah, huff, mmph, hah…”

Only then did Jaewon burst out his held breath. His frantic panting was pitiful, but he showed no mercy and locked lips again. When he reflexively pursed his lips, the invading tongue swept broadly across his palate and burrowed under his curled tongue. The long, thick flesh stirring tender flesh heightened arousal.

“Hmm…”

As Jaewon pulled away letting out a weak moan, the hand squeezing his throat slid back to gently rub his nape. Then it stably cupped his heated head. At the touch gently threading through his hair, his back stiffened straight.

Fingers with solid joints caressed the back of his head. Gripping and releasing as if to pull his hair while dangerously rummaging through, that skilled pace control completely drained his soul. Jaewon had to anxiously wait, repeating tension and relaxation as if walking a tightrope.

The angle of lips changed. Parting lips while tilting his head, he was sensual. Moaning at the sensation of lips locked and rubbing, Jaewon’s hands twitched. The leisurely, skilled movements like a satiated carnivore rendered prey helpless. Elegantly drawn eyes like fine brushwork stimulated the senses. Each time he changed angles, appropriately long eyelashes fluttered.

Heat starting from his tailbone crawled up his back. He couldn’t think at all. Hazily unfocused eyes gradually closed. As he staggered losing lower body sensation, he pushed his leg between Jaewon’s knees. When rock-hard thighs touched his center, Jaewon jolted as if electrocuted.

“Mmph, mph! Hey, hey…!”

He shouted urgently but with lips locked, pronunciation was mangled. Shocked, Jaewon struggled but the body before him didn’t budge. The moment his heated lower body rubbed against thick thighs, Jaewon scratched Dojun’s shoulders and forearms with his nails. But he paid no attention and pushed harder.

The moment lower bodies overlapped without gaps and something heavy touched his lower belly, Jaewon felt his mental state blow like a light bulb filament breaking. Holding his breath, he wanted to lose consciousness but unfortunately his mind was too clear. Pushed by the constantly pressing body, he perched his bottom awkwardly on the sink. And immediately regretted it.

“…Hah.”

Like avoiding a fox only to meet a tiger, Jaewon, who had inadvertently taken a stable position, gasped as Dojun burrowed deeper. Quickly trying to guard by bringing his legs together, he firmly grabbed both knees, spread them, and wedged his body between. His heavy build practically crushed Jaewon. When he struggled in shock, he grabbed his hair tightly, tilted his head back, and shoved his tongue down to his throat.

“……!”

Something tingling, whether pain or pleasure, pierced from crown to toes. Eyes rolled back, and his frozen body convulsed. Having roughly ransacked his mouth, when Jaewon stopped moving, he became docile like a beast meeting a trainer. At the gentle kiss as if giving a reward, Jaewon moaned shallowly.

Bulging chest muscles rubbed against his meager chest. Kim Dojun was solid all over but his lips and tongue were meltingly soft. That gap made his whole head hazy. Perhaps it was oxygen deficiency, Jaewon thought, and urgently tapped Dojun’s shoulder. Perhaps sensing the unusual momentum, this time he obediently pulled back.

Swoosh, the tongue slowly withdrew from the wet hole. Lips separated from redly swollen lips with a smack, and strength left Dojun’s hand that had been gripping his head. Freed from hellish sensations, Jaewon coughed with a face about to faint.

“Puhah, cough, hah, huff…”

Spilling out lumped breath, Jaewon’s back heaved wildly. Dizziness arose and his vision spun. Gasping frantically for breath, when Dojun showed signs of approaching again, he dodged in fright. But with nowhere to run, he decided to go under the Eiffel Tower instead.

“Let me breathe… you pervert…”

Jaewon panted with his forehead against Dojun’s shoulder. When Dojun tried to peel him off, he stubbornly clung and hung on. Meanwhile, the thick body scent brushing his nose made his toes tingle.

“Trying to kill… cough, a person…”

“…Ah.”

Dojun, who had been looking down quietly, slowly lowered his head. And let out a long sigh. When he chuckled, humid heat spread on his neck, tickling flesh. Even at the trivial stimulation, Jaewon shrank his neck and trembled.

“Unbelievable.”

“Crazy bastard, hah, who’s talking…”

“More than I thought…”

He buried his eyes near Jaewon’s neck and muttered lowly. The sunken voice had lost its composure. Rough breathing nakedly revealed excitement, and goosebumps rose along his spine.

This shouldn’t happen. But he didn’t even know what shouldn’t happen. Jaewon closed his eyes and regulated his breathing, feeling like an idiot. The heavy weight on his shoulders, hot breath on his neck, languid breathing sounds—such things interfered with thinking, preventing proper judgment. He just let out groaning sounds tangled messily with an unfamiliar body.

“Let’s do it.”

Eyes snapped open at the cracked voice. Dojun, who had somehow lowered his body, was looking up at Jaewon. His eyes were completely unfocused. The moment he saw dangerously black, empty pupils, a tingling sensation filled his stomach.

“Wh-what…”

“What else.”

Dojun cut him off before he could finish. Baring his teeth, he pulled up one corner of his mouth, letting out a strange smile that might have been mockery.

“……”

A tongue crawling from slightly swollen lips swept over them. Where the red flesh passed glistened glossily. At that moment, Jaewon’s throat gulped down saliva, feeling unknown hunger.

“If you don’t know, stay still.”

Dojun spoke after silence. Perhaps the waiting time was long as he spoke in a suppressed voice. Jaewon, who had been staring blankly at his lips, finally came to his senses but it was already too late.

“I’ll take care of it.”

“Hey, wait, time, ti—mmph.”

He urgently called ‘time’ while twisting his head but it was useless. Lips wearing a devilish smile swallowed his mouth, and a large hand rested on his chest. Jaewon, who had been struggling like a drowning person, flinched. His heart, beating so hard it might jump out if he opened his mouth, pulsed under his palm. Dojun, who had been feeling Jaewon’s flat chest, must have sensed something as he removed his lips and looked down at his hand with slightly widened eyes.

“Coffee’s effective.”

He smiled slyly with curved eyes. It was a coquettish smile that would make even a thousand-year-old serpent cry. His heart that had been pounding hard enough to misalign breathing stopped in an instant, feeling like collapsing at his feet.

“You, then you fed it on purpose…”

“Why ask such things? How embarrassing.”

He spoke with an expression showing not a hint of shyness. His wavering gaze touched the mole at the crescent-curved eye corner. Jaewon recalled a muscular Latin model he’d once seen on a skyscraper billboard, glaring as if to devour people. The memory of thinking the beauty mark under eyes intensely radiating wildness was random spread through his mind like spilled water.

As if entranced, Jaewon stretched his neck forward. When gasping lips brushed under his eye, Dojun raised one eyebrow and watched Jaewon with a ‘look at this’ face. It was the moment strange light swirled in pitch-black pupils.

“Whew, thought I was gonna die!”

The bathroom door opened and noisy commotion poured in. Rhyming lyrics continued to a quick beat.

“Bladder test thrill was sick and crazy, almost pissed my pants…!”

“Dirty, filthy, terrible bastard. How do you hold it for an hour?”

“Losers bow your heads, respect my superior bladder. The price losers must pay for the bet is ten thousand! Ten thousand WON!”

The male student who entered the bathroom with a hunched back and zigzag walk diligently collected from his following friends.

“Don’t beatbox, you fuck. You’re spitting.”

“My amylase is holy water too good for you corrupt ones!”

“This guy annoys me. Can’t we just kill him and not pay?”

“Not a bad idea.”

Students handing over money in turn like paying admission suddenly discovered two men tangled in a very intimate position.

“…Hm?”

They stretched their necks long and widened their eyes like a meerkat group witnessing lions mating. Dead silence flowed, and a desolate wind swept through once.

“Aaaah!”

Crack! With the clear sound of a skull cracking, a death cry rang out high.

“…Ugh.”

Dojun groaned, holding his head after being defenseless against the surprise attack. Jaewon took advantage of him staggering to push him hard and dash out. The spectators standing dazed and blinking hurriedly made way for Jaewon charging like a shot put.

Tap, tap, tap!

Running footsteps mixed with the break bell, leaving echoes in the corridor. A teacher leaving class after finishing warned not to run, but Jaewon didn’t stop. Completing the run to the opposite corridor end, he jumped down stairs several at a time, pushing through students as he continued running. Breath filled to his chin burst out incoherently, and his legs weakened, nearly tumbling several times. Running forward like a racehorse, he only stopped upon reaching the deserted incinerator.

“Hah, hah, huff…”

Jaewon leaned against the building wall, catching his breath for a long while. Though no one was watching, he hid in the shade and collapsed.

Emergency lights lit up in his cerebrum. Jaewon’s instincts, rarely in danger, accelerated self-rationalization hormone secretion to maximum and ran the happiness circuit at full power.

It was nothing. People experience various things in life, and two guys bumping lips was an unprecedented event. Still, considering Koreans are affectionate people who kiss hello when meeting, but what Jaewon did was a kiss. Though abroad they freely kiss as a simple greeting, this was Korea.

“Ah, fuck…”

The thought circuits with all lines burned out finally shut down. Jaewon lowered his head and clutched it. Profanity flowed between puffy, swollen lips. His tautly inflated thighs and lower belly throbbed. Grasping at straws, he activated his long-term memory storage.

He’d received a cheek kiss from his kindergarten partner at a talent show. Though hazy, he remembered kisses when dad left for work, when mom hugged him. During middle school field trip, a female student with a crush had kissed his cheek during truth or dare and run away. And, and…

No matter how much he thought, this was his first kiss.

“What is this…”

He buried his reddened face in his arms. It felt like watching a soaring graph plummet and the board turning blue.

System: Sidecar[7] activated.

Protected translation courtesy of Moonflower Verse.