Spark Chapter 1.3 - Spark

Cha Hongjo needed to lie low for a while. It wasn’t clear how sincere Kim Hyesun was about him, but at the very least, until she forgot about him. And until Park Jungjin’s anger cooled.

“Go somewhere, anywhere, for a while.”

Whether he was agreeing or ignoring him, Cha Hongjo only pulled out a new cigarette and put it in his mouth. Go Baekwoo continued.

“School… you don’t go to school anyway, do you? And…”

The moment his gaze, lowered toward the cigarette’s tip, met Cha Hongjo’s as it rose again, Go Baekwoo wanted to say, let’s go together. But something held him back. His mother. Besides, if he suddenly suggested running off together, there was no telling how Cha Hongjo would take it. They hadn’t known each other long, and it wasn’t like this was some romantic elopement between men.

It wasn’t even funny.

Romantic elopement…

Love.

Love?

A needle-like pang of anguish stabbed through Go Baekwoo’s temples.

“And.”

It was a proposal born of irrational emotions and impulsive thoughts that even he couldn’t rationalize. There was no way Cha Hongjo would simply agree.

“And…”

What more should he say?

Regardless of the circumstances, Cha Hongjo was a guy who fooled around with someone else’s woman. Worse, his friend’s girlfriend. If Park Jungjin found out Go Baekwoo was acting like this for Cha Hongjo today, their friendship could end that very day. He didn’t believe their bond was merely casual, but it felt that way. Go Baekwoo had good instincts and knew Park Jungjin as well as he knew himself. That’s why he’d come to the tobacco shop, anticipating what Park Jungjin might do.

But now, reflecting on it, it didn’t feel entirely fair to pin all the blame on Cha Hongjo. Kim Hyesun should have ended things with Park Jungjin before seeing Cha Hongjo, and Park Jungjin needed to sharpen his judgment of people. So, making Cha Hongjo flee like a criminal felt unjust.

More than anything, leaving home would require money, and did Cha Hongjo even have any? Asking and answering himself, Go Baekwoo shook his head inwardly. He didn’t have the means to help Cha Hongjo financially either. So.

“No, never mind.”

In other words.

“Cha Hongjo…”

Though he knew it was wrong, his selfish thoughts kept producing solutions that were far from ideal for either Cha Hongjo or Park Jungjin. Solutions that only benefited Go Baekwoo himself.

For instance, what if he brought Cha Hongjo to his house and hid him in his room?

He wanted to lock Cha Hongjo away where Park Jungjin couldn’t find him. He wanted to hide him so no one else could see him. Not women, not men—no one should even glimpse Cha Hongjo’s fingertips…

Confronting the weight of his own desire and obsession for the first time, Go Baekwoo shuddered at himself.

Why… am I like this with Cha Hongjo?

Unbeknownst to him, the emotions, hopes, intentions, and resolve built around Cha Hongjo had taken root. They wouldn’t break under Go Baekwoo’s will anymore. If anything, they multiplied. Growing and swelling, they filled his insides completely.

“Stay at my place. Even just for a few days.”

Even after spitting out the words he’d held inside, his chest felt tight. It churned.

“Damn… what a mess.”

Despite offering the best solution he could, Cha Hongjo let out a disbelieving huff, as if dumbfounded. At that moment, the back door of the small room burst open with a violent crash. Rattle, bang—!

Cha Hongjo immediately turned his head toward it, and Go Baekwoo, whose gaze had been fixed on Cha Hongjo, belatedly shifted his eyes.

“Damn it, Baekwoo… what are you doing right now?”

The person who entered through the open door asked with a slurred tongue. It was Park Jungjin, soaked in alcohol and rage.

“Park Jungjin.”

At the appearance of his friend, who should’ve been passed out at home, Go Baekwoo forced himself to stay calm and stood up. He intended to stop Park Jungjin before he could clash with Cha Hongjo.

“Go.”

“Go where! What the hell are you doing here!”

“…”

It was a headache that Park Jungjin had seen him with Cha Hongjo. Dragging out a drunken Park Jungjin would be easy enough, but he’d face relentless questioning afterward. Explaining why he’d come to the tobacco shop was a dilemma.

“Hey! You bastard, move!”

Park Jungjin, his neck flushed red, shouted loud enough to make heads ring and lunged forward. Go Baekwoo stepped in front of him, blocking the door to keep him from entering the small room. Park Jungjin, his path obstructed, shoved Go Baekwoo’s chest. Go Baekwoo didn’t budge.

“Come back when you’re sober.”

“Sober? You call that advice?”

Go Baekwoo had told him this believing Park Jungjin wouldn’t find Cha Hongjo if he returned later. But, as expected, a raging, irrational Park Jungjin wasn’t about to leave quietly.

Park Jungjin persistently tried to push Go Baekwoo out of the way, and Go Baekwoo stubbornly held his ground. As the two grappled, Cha Hongjo pieced together the situation.

It wasn’t the pretty boy.

Listening to their near-hostile exchange, it clicked. Kim Hyesun’s boyfriend, Park Jungjin, was the guy yelling his head off. The pretty boy seemed to be his friend. Come to think of it, the “Park Jungjin” Kim Hyesun had mentioned was a different breed from the pretty boy. A coward who’d raise a hand to a woman if she didn’t suit him. The pretty boy could act like a bastard sometimes, but he wasn’t low enough to hit a woman. Cha Hongjo didn’t know him well, but he vaguely believed that. Having dealt with all sorts of people, his judgment wasn’t entirely baseless, and he didn’t doubt it.

“Hongjo, this kind of relationship with you. If it gets out, it’ll be chaos, I might die.”

Kim Hyesun had said something like that one day. She’d added that they should leave the neighborhood together. Cha Hongjo naturally refused. If he left, he’d leave alone.

“That bastard… you haven’t seen him, Hongjo. I might really die, I’m telling you.”

“You’ll know when death comes, Hyesun. Right?”

Snapping out of his recollection, Cha Hongjo refocused his hazy gaze. He stared intently at Go Baekwoo, locked in a struggle with the unmistakable Park Jungjin. A chuckle slipped out.

“Damn cute…”

He’d thought it odd that he’d suggest letting the guy who cheated with his girlfriend stay at his house. Maybe it was about keeping tabs on the other guy since he couldn’t control his girlfriend. But Park Jungjin being someone else made it all add up.

The pretty boy, with his meddling as broad as his shoulders. Taking his friend’s side would’ve been enough, so why…

“Pretty boy.”

Cha Hongjo, standing behind Go Baekwoo, spoke.

“Step aside.”

His tone was bland, as if Go Baekwoo were blocking an ordinary customer from entering. Almost simultaneously, Park Jungjin, spotting Cha Hongjo over Go Baekwoo’s shoulder, unleashed a torrent of curses.

“Ha…”

Go Baekwoo, steadfastly holding back the raging Park Jungjin, let out a sigh. It was absurd. Even if Park Jungjin had reason to go berserk, what was Cha Hongjo thinking, acting so nonchalant?

As the commotion continued, residents of the rundown neighborhood began to gather, proving people still lived there. The more onlookers, the more wildly Park Jungjin thrashed. Cha Hongjo kept repeating for Go Baekwoo to step aside. Go Baekwoo, taking increasingly fierce punches from Park Jungjin, turned to glare at Cha Hongjo.

“Cha Hongjo, go out the front door.”

“Come out when I’m talking, you bastard!”

“I said step aside.”

The chaos escalated.

“Tch…”

Clicking his tongue, Cha Hongjo, as if giving up, headed toward the front door connected to the tobacco shop. Park Jungjin tried to charge after him, but Go Baekwoo grabbed him by the scruff. Comically, he could only yell, his body tilted forward.

“Let go, you bastard!”

“Jungjin, come on.”

“Damn it, let go…!”

With control slipping, there was no choice. Go Baekwoo struck Park Jungjin’s face. Caught off guard by the sudden blow, Park Jungjin collapsed.

“Hey… you, you bastard… are you crazy?”

Go Baekwoo had never imagined receiving such a betrayed look from Park Jungjin. But what could he do? No other option came to mind. He’d explain later, and Park Jungjin wasn’t the type to never understand. Go Baekwoo, nursing his aching chest, grabbed the scruff of Park Jungjin, who was staggering to his feet, and pinned him against the wall.

He planned to buy enough time for Cha Hongjo to get far away and then calm Park Jungjin and take him home.

“Some friend you are.”

But Cha Hongjo reappeared, muttering with an easy expression.

“Cha Hong…”

“Pretty boy, you get out of here.”

Before Go Baekwoo, wide-eyed, could finish saying his name, Cha Hongjo, after a few murmured words, grabbed Go Baekwoo by the collar and roughly shoved him outside the shop. Startled, Go Baekwoo let go of Park Jungjin and stepped back a couple of paces. At the same moment, Park Jungjin, finally face-to-face with Cha Hongjo, bared his clenched teeth and swung his arm. Cha Hongjo raised his hand as if to counter.

“Cha Hongjo!”

Seeing the object Cha Hongjo raised, Go Baekwoo shouted. But Cha Hongjo’s hand, aimed at Park Jungjin’s head, was faster.

The soju bottle smashed into Park Jungjin’s head with a shattering sound. Green glass fragments flew and scattered in all directions.

“Argh…!”

“Kyaa!”

“Damn, damn it!”

“Police…!”

“Call the police!”

It was pandemonium.

The moment he saw Park Jungjin’s face turn crimson, the world stretched out, and time slowed to a crawl.

Amid the chaos, Cha Hongjo raised the broken-necked soju bottle to swing again.

“Cha Hongjo!”

This time, Go Baekwoo succeeded in stopping him. Cha Hongjo, who’d been looking down at the unconscious Park Jungjin, tilted his head toward Go Baekwoo.

“Stop, he’s out.”

“Yeah, he’s out.”

Cha Hongjo smirked, as if finding something amusing.

“But I was trying to kill him.”

“…”

Was there more to the story Park Jungjin hadn’t told him? Hearing Cha Hongjo’s chilling declaration of intent to kill sent questions swirling in Go Baekwoo’s mind. But now wasn’t the time to dig into details. Go Baekwoo opened his mouth, intending to first separate Cha Hongjo from Park Jungjin.

“Don’t you know what happens if you kill someone?”

Unless he was an idiot, he’d know. Go Baekwoo was angry at himself for throwing out such an obvious question in an attempt to dissuade him, frustrated by the childish query needed to hold Cha Hongjo back, and anxious as Cha Hongjo gradually dropped his smile. The only saving grace was that his grip was stronger than Cha Hongjo’s. If it weren’t, Park Jungjin would already have green glass embedded in his forehead, crossing the river of death.

“So, pretty boy, instead of telling me to run.”

Cha Hongjo, his mocking smile completely gone, muttered with a hardened face.

“You should’ve taken your friend and bolted.”

“…I’ll make sure Jungjin doesn’t come back here. So stop.”

The hand gripping Cha Hongjo’s wrist trembled.

It was a predictable battle of strength. Cha Hongjo inwardly marveled at Go Baekwoo’s power. He’d never been overpowered before. With the pretty boy holding him back like this, it was hard to lay another hand on Park Jungjin.

What a shame. Cha Hongjo had genuinely meant to kill Park Jungjin. Seeing the guy charge at him, yelling, sparked a sudden urge.

I want to kill him.

The impulse to kill wasn’t originally aimed at Park Jungjin, a stranger. Cha Hongjo had wanted to kill something since yesterday—no, the day before—no, for a very long time. He wanted to kill the father who didn’t spare him five minutes, the relatives who cursed him in his mother’s name without knowing her face, and the aunt and uncle who clung to him, not out of care but to avoid shame, even after swallowing his father’s life insurance money. Recently, he’d nearly killed his uncle.

It was the day his uncle, enraged by the mess Go Baekwoo left, stormed into the small room, shouting, “You worthless dog!”—nothing new.

At the time, Cha Hongjo was passed out drunk from drinking with Go Baekwoo. But he wasn’t one to sleep deeply by nature, and his uncle’s thunderous yells made sleep impossible.

At first, as always, he planned to just take the blows. Cha Hongjo hoped his uncle, who often resorted to violence, would accidentally kill him. He always wanted to die. But he didn’t want to end his life foolishly like his father. So, he silently endured the violence, waiting for his uncle to slip up. Imagining his uncle committing murder and falling into ruin was oddly satisfying.

If he hadn’t been drunk that day, his wish might have come true, and Cha Hongjo regretted it.

When steeped in alcohol, a person sinks, and only buried truths float up. That was the problem.

As slaps landed and kicks crushed his stomach, something flew at his face. A pot with a rotting plant. The moment the foul dirt stung his skin, Cha Hongjo realized. I’ll kill him first, my uncle.

It was as if someone had sliced away his memory. When he came to, he was at the police station. His aunt, hypocritically red-eyed, was pleading for leniency.

“It’s a family matter… Well, if the lady says so, we can’t do much.”

Whether due to his aunt’s stellar acting or the police’s laziness, the incident ended anticlimactically.

His uncle was hospitalized. Cha Hongjo wasn’t in a position to visit, nor did he want to, and his aunt didn’t force him to.

Returning to the tobacco shop from the police station, Cha Hongjo poured liquor into his empty stomach that evening. Suddenly, he felt the need to erase traces. Rising from his spot, he swept away the dirt, threw out the dead plant, cleared the empty bottles, and emptied the ashtray. While at it, he cleaned the entire small room.

There wasn’t much to begin with, but now it was completely empty.

Standing in the middle of the small room, looking down at the bare floor, Cha Hongjo finally faced it.

The betrayal toward his father, the resentment toward his aunt and uncle, the grudge against his mother.

He thought it had all burned away completely. No, it had burned, but…

A pile of black ash still remained inside. Stuck to the bottom. Fossilized, unscrapable.

The flames that had consumed everything still flickered. Searching for kindling.

And today, the kindling that caught the flame’s eye just happened to be Park Jungjin. Cha Hongjo had no particular grudge against him.

🔥

“Hey, kid. You’re gonna end up living at the police station at this rate.”

The police remembered Cha Hongjo from his uncle’s incident just days ago. Cha Hongjo let their tongue-clicking slide, leaning back deeply in his chair. To his right sat his aunt, to his left, Park Jungjin’s mother. Despite the uncomfortable seating, Cha Hongjo’s expression remained unchanged.

The uncle’s incident was settled as a “family matter,” but this time, he expected punishment was unavoidable. When Park Jungjin’s mother entered the station, Cha Hongjo wondered if he should offer his cheek first. Yet, she said she’d let it slide quietly this once. Glass shards were embedded in her son’s head. He couldn’t help but be surprised.

Kim Yisoon, Park Jungjin’s mother, saw her son in Cha Hongjo’s unrepentant face. He’d always been rough, but since puberty, Park Jungjin caused troubles that nagging couldn’t fix.

Her leniency toward Cha Hongjo carried a sense of gratitude. It was repayment to those who’d forgiven and settled with her son, deemed a “problem child” by society, sparing him legal consequences. It was also atonement for her failure to teach her uneducated son properly, and a meager act of grace, unable to give materially due to a harsh life.

After settling and leaving the station, Kim Yisoon reflexively rummaged in her handbag for a cigarette but stopped upon seeing Go Baekwoo, her son’s friend, outside.

“Auntie.”

“Hey, Baekwoo.”

Outside the dim, low-ceilinged pub, Baekwoo looked even taller and refined. Jungjin still felt like a baby to her. Seeing her son’s peer made her suddenly wistful, realizing these kids would soon leave their parents’ hands, all grown up.

“Heading home?”

“No… I came to say hi. Are you going to the hospital?”

Heejin-unnie had said Baekwoo was quiet and stiff, which worried her, but he was a well-mannered kid who’d only end up at the police station because of Jungjin. He’d grown up so well, she envied Heejin-unnie. The thought struck her anew.

“I’ve got to. You going? Wanna come?”

“…I’ve got something to do, so I’ll go later. Please tell Jungjin that too.”

“Alright. Have you eaten?”

“No… I’m planning to eat with my mom when she closes the shop later.”

“If only Jungjin were half like you.”

Kim Yisoon patted the admirable friend’s shoulder firmly.

“Come to the shop next time, with your mom. I’ll make something tasty.”

“Yes, I… take care.”

Saying he had things to do, he bowed abruptly, as if in a hurry. Kim Yisoon patted his shoulder again and turned away.

As she walked further and eventually disappeared from sight, Go Baekwoo leaned against the alley wall, facing away from the police station. He lit a cigarette. He planned to wait there until Cha Hongjo sorted things out and came out. And when Cha Hongjo came out…

When he comes out, what do I do?

He didn’t know, but Go Baekwoo waited.

When three cigarette butts piled at his feet, Go Baekwoo’s eyes followed a car passing on the main road. It was the car driven by the woman who’d come as Cha Hongjo’s guardian. The woman who sometimes manned the tobacco shop counter in Cha Hongjo’s place. From her appearance, she didn’t resemble Cha Hongjo, but Go Baekwoo had naturally assumed she was his mother. He was wrong. She’d introduced herself as “Hongjo’s aunt.”

Did Cha Hongjo live with his aunt? What about his parents?

With that question in mind, Go Baekwoo, realizing his mistake, quickly stubbed out his cigarette and started walking. It would be troublesome if Cha Hongjo was in the car that had already vanished from sight. Waiting would’ve been for nothing…

“Cha Hongjo.”

But fortunately, just before his hurried steps turned into a sprint, he ran into Cha Hongjo at the corner in front of the police station.

“…Where you going?”

Unfazed and staring blankly at him, Go Baekwoo hesitated on what to say first and settled on that question. Cha Hongjo subtly opened his palm. The gesture’s meaning clicked immediately. Go Baekwoo pulled out a crumpled “Rose” pack from his pocket.

He’d smoked three while waiting, but Go Baekwoo lit a cigarette alongside Cha Hongjo. Only one remained in the pack. It didn’t matter; he could buy more. The tobacco shop’s son was right beside him, wasn’t he?

A faint summer breeze carried a moment of silence past them. The cicadas screamed so loudly that there was no room for awkward stillness to settle.

After leisurely burning through half a cigarette, Go Baekwoo spoke.

“Did you get scolded?”

Cha Hongjo, leaning against the wall, slid his eyes toward the corner of his gaze.

“By who?”

“That aunt, the one you called your aunt.”

She might not actually be his aunt, so Go Baekwoo spoke cautiously. At that, Cha Hongjo let out a soft laugh, collapsing like grass under a breeze.

“Go Baekwoo.”

Instead of answering a question he wasn’t particularly curious about, Cha Hongjo called his full name. It was the first time he’d been called by his actual name instead of “pretty boy,” and Go Baekwoo was slightly startled. Hearing his name in Cha Hongjo’s voice felt as unfamiliar as a newly learned word.

“…Yeah?”

“Me.”

Cha Hongjo, starting with just that, peeled his back off the wall and turned to face Go Baekwoo directly. Go Baekwoo forgot to smoke and stared at Cha Hongjo. It was unlikely, but Cha Hongjo seemed to deliberately drag out the moment, taking two slow puffs of his cigarette before speaking again.

“Is it okay if I crash at your place?”

“Yeah…”

Go Baekwoo’s lips twitched as he dropped his gaze to the ground, then slowly raised it back to Cha Hongjo’s face.

Why my place?

It was sudden. But there was no reason it couldn’t happen.

“…Yeah.”

There was no reason it shouldn’t happen, and it even made him happy. Yet, all of a sudden, the cigarette smoke lingered in his throat instead of going down, leaving his mouth dry and parched. It made it hard to spit out even a single word in response.

“If you don’t want it, just say so.”

And then.

“I don’t mind.”

“Really?”

Cha Hongjo stepped closer, suddenly grabbing Go Baekwoo’s cheek and gently brushing his eyebrow with his thumb.

“Then why’s your face like that?”

“…”

The touch and warmth seemed to take shape and weight, sinking heavily into Go Baekwoo’s chest.

Go Baekwoo couldn’t say a word.

🔥

They decided to stop by the tobacco shop before heading home. Perhaps he’d noticed while sharing cigarettes, but as soon as they arrived, Cha Hongjo tossed five packs of “Rose” into a black plastic bag and threw it to Go Baekwoo. Catching the bag as it flew toward his chest and holding it close, Go Baekwoo stood still, tracking Cha Hongjo’s movements with his eyes.

Carrying the black plastic bag, Cha Hongjo went into the small room and emerged shortly after. The bag, once rustling emptily, was now bulging full.

“Clothes.”

Noticing Go Baekwoo’s gaze, Cha Hongjo explained.

“For staying a few days.”

Is it okay if I crash at your place? That must not have meant just one night. Go Baekwoo’s lips parted slightly. No words came out. Cha Hongjo, as if unbothered by the need for a response, passed by Go Baekwoo with a detached expression.

“What are you doing? Let’s go.”

His urging words tugged at Go Baekwoo’s back, and only then did Go Baekwoo turn to follow.

Rattle, tap. Cha Hongjo closed the tobacco shop’s sliding door and walked ahead with the natural stride of someone returning to their own home.

Doesn’t it need to be locked?

Go Baekwoo glanced at the latch on the door handle, then looked away and followed the path Cha Hongjo had taken. He retraced the day’s events.

At dawn, Park Jungjin had shown up. Kim Hyesun, Park Jungjin’s girlfriend, had cheated with none other than Cha Hongjo. So, he’d gone to Cha Hongjo. Park Jungjin had come for Cha Hongjo too. Cha Hongjo had smashed Park Jungjin’s head…

He should have been watching Park Jungjin, not Cha Hongjo. He shouldn’t have left a drunk guy alone. He should’ve stayed by his side until he woke up, made ramen to sober him up, and offered a word of comfort. Or drunk with him again until his burning anger cooled, drinking and drinking and drinking, and then…

Either way, today he’d gone to the police station where Cha Hongjo was taken, not the hospital where his lifelong friend was sent. He’d waited, and now he was taking Cha Hongjo home.

So much had happened in a single day. The path home was quiet. Yet his mind was noisy. He hadn’t done anything terribly wrong, but the question “Is this okay?” kept looming over his forehead. Though unintended, his steps, synced with Cha Hongjo’s, felt inexplicably heavy. But he didn’t stop. There was no reason to. He was just going home…

🔥

“You’re making it so I can’t hold my head up!”

The voice shouting about pride was far too loud for the topic. Having to visit the police station twice in such a short time must have infuriated his aunt. If it weren’t for the station, she’d likely have raised her hand.

“What’s wrong with you, huh? What’s wrong with you!”

Cha Hongjo stared calmly at his aunt’s face, flushed red as if spewing lava.

“Feeding you, housing you! What more do we need to do? You don’t even know gratitude!”

Feeding and housing… It was laughable. Who was it that allowed a guy running a rat-hole tobacco shop, barely scraping by, to move into a proper house and drive a new car? Who was the one who didn’t know gratitude?

Holding the answer to himself, Cha Hongjo stayed silent. He wasn’t in a position to boast either. The “gratitude” bestowed on his aunt and uncle was his father’s life’s worth, so only his dead father could claim any pride in it.

“Like father, like son…”

His aunt, oblivious to the point, finished her rant by lumping her dead brother and his son together in her blame.

Ignoring the predictable drivel, Cha Hongjo left the police station, mentally listing the faces he knew.

A summer filled with screaming cicadas. It was sweltering, but his chest felt cold. Venomous glares stirred within him. He knew a way to shake off these feelings: getting drunk enough to become a fool and rolling around. It didn’t matter with whom. Honing primal instincts and dulling reason. Then everything would be fine.

As of today, things with Kim Hyesun were over. A relationship started for simple reasons became useless the moment it got complicated. So then, Choi Sunyoung, Min Jihee, Yang Yeonji, Lee Soyeon, Kim Jin…

“Cha Hongjo.”

Pretty boy, Go Baekwoo.

“…Where you going?”

The face he ran into the moment he turned the corner made Cha Hongjo stop picking names.

🔥

Even so, it was his second time, so he wasn’t as flustered as the first. The existence of the red-labeled video had already been exposed. That wasn’t all. He’d watched it with Cha Hongjo, and Cha Hongjo had even stripped down to his lower half. Plus, as Cha Hongjo had said, a room with clothes and stuff strewn about was typical for a guy’s space, so Go Baekwoo could let it slide. With a relaxed mindset, Go Baekwoo opened the door without hesitation.

Cha Hongjo entered the room before the host. He tossed his so-called luggage bag onto a visible spot and flopped onto the crumpled blanket. Resting his head on his arm, he faced the ceiling, blinking three or four times. Only then did he notice Go Baekwoo, standing awkwardly as if he were a guest in someone else’s house.

The moment he saw the pretty features—clearly a mistake by the goddess of childbirth who must’ve been half-blind and attached the wrong parts—Cha Hongjo remembered. He’d forgotten the liquor. Going back to the tobacco shop to grab some was too much hassle. Cha Hongjo roughly wiped his forehead, irritation surging.

“You resting?”

Go Baekwoo interpreted the action as tiredness and asked. At the same time, his gaze lingered on Cha Hongjo’s knuckles, noting that his fourth finger was particularly long.

“Food…”

“No need.”

Go Baekwoo had been about to ask one last time, assuming Cha Hongjo, who hadn’t eaten since morning, must be starving, but Cha Hongjo cut him off.

Withdrawing his knobby hand from his forehead, Cha Hongjo looked more displeased than when he’d faced Park Jungjin or heard harsh words from the police.

“Got any liquor?”

“Yeah.”

Go Baekwoo answered without hesitation.

The liquor belonged to his mother, who occasionally shared drinks with Jinhee-noona, who’d worked at the coffee shop for two years. Touching it would surely get him caught, but his reply slipped out before he could think. With Cha Hongjo making that face, he couldn’t bring himself to play dumb.

“Get it.”

Cha Hongjo ordered as if he’d left the liquor in Go Baekwoo’s care. If it were anyone else with that attitude, Go Baekwoo would’ve frowned.

“You’re not hungry?”

Go Baekwoo turned to fetch the liquor but paused, looking back to ask. Cha Hongjo didn’t answer, rolling onto his side and closing his eyes, as if avoiding the gaze that had settled on his cheek.

He’ll eat if I bring something. Go Baekwoo left the room quietly without pressing Cha Hongjo further. The liquor was in the kitchen, but he headed for the front door. He needed to stop by the coffee shop first to tell his mother something. That a friend would be staying at their house for a few days, that his name was “Cha Hongjo,” and why he was staying at their place instead of his own…

He knew his mother wouldn’t pry too much, but Go Baekwoo mulled over excuses. For some reason, bringing Cha Hongjo home felt like a mistake. It was the same feeling as when he’d first drunk alcohol, started smoking, or when his mother got a call from school.

Entering the coffee shop, the bell on the door rang unusually loud. Go Baekwoo swallowed dryly and ran his tongue over his parched lips.

“Oh, Baekwoo’s here?”

Sohee-noona, wiping down an empty table, greeted him with a beaming smile. Go Baekwoo briefly lifted the corners of his mouth in an awkward smile before returning to a blank expression and nodding.

“Where’s my mom?”

“Inside.”

“Ah, okay.”

“Have you eaten?”

He was about to head straight to where his mother was when Lee Sohee asked. Go Baekwoo tilted his chin to look down at her and replied simply, “Not yet.”

“Perfect. Eat here. The boss and I were just about to eat.”

The unappealing invitation made Go Baekwoo glance at the wall clock. Seven-thirty in the evening. Neither he nor Cha Hongjo had eaten anything since morning. Yet he wasn’t hungry. And if he was going to eat, he wanted it to be just with Cha Hongjo. That’s why he’d come to the coffee shop first.

But since he’d have to explain Cha Hongjo anyway, it might not be a bad idea to bring him here and introduce him. So, Go Baekwoo softened his stubbornness and spoke.

“A friend came over… I’ll go get him.”

“Really? Yeah, hurry and bring him.”

Lee Sohee’s bright voice faded. Retracing his steps and opening the door, Go Baekwoo realized his mistake the moment he heard the bell.

He didn’t know for sure, but Cha Hongjo really liked women, and Sohee-noona was quite beautiful. Not his type, but enough that regular customers visited the rundown coffee shop just to see her.

“Noona.”

“Huh, what?”

Lee Sohee, wiping the table again, looked up toward the entrance. Go Baekwoo, running a large hand through his short hair, stared at some corner and said.

“On second thought, my friend’s a bit shy, so it might be better if we eat alone.”

“Oh.”

“Please tell my mom that too.”

“Okay, okay.”

Is this friend who came over a girlfriend, maybe?

Noticing Go Baekwoo’s ears turning red, Lee Sohee made a guess. She’d wondered why he’d stopped dating after frequently seeing girls. With his striking looks, tall stature, and easygoing personality, he was popular. It was about time he got a new girlfriend.

“Got food?”

Pretending not to notice anything, Lee Sohee smiled brightly and asked. Go Baekwoo gave a short nod.

“Have fun with your friend, and I’ll tell the boss. Don’t worry.”

He probably didn’t want to keep his girlfriend waiting. Suppressing the urge to pry, Lee Sohee waved her hand to shoo him off. Sure enough, Go Baekwoo bolted out of the coffee shop like he’d been pricked by a spark.

“Something’s up…”

As far as she knew, Baekwoo had never acted like this even when dating. He must really like this girlfriend.

Seeing Go Baekwoo, who’d always seemed too mature for his age and earned the boss’s pity, act his age felt oddly endearing. “Haha.” Lee Sohee laughed aloud, swishing her wet rag.

🔥

Rummaging through the cupboard, Go Baekwoo found the ramen he’d bought the last time Cha Hongjo came over. He cooked three packs right away.

Maybe I should’ve done four. He could eat two himself, so three might not be enough. Regretting it belatedly, Go Baekwoo placed the steaming pot on a small tray. Then he went into the cramped utility room and grabbed all the beer there. It was meant for his mother and Jinhee-noona’s stomachs, so he planned to buy more tomorrow and sneakily replace it.

Cha Hongjo was lying in the same position as when Go Baekwoo left. Go Baekwoo kicked aside the blanket near Cha Hongjo’s feet and set the tray down in the cleared space. Only then did Cha Hongjo sluggishly sit up.

“Eat and drink first.”

Handing chopsticks to Cha Hongjo, who was opening a beer, Go Baekwoo said. At the same time, pop, the cap came off with a crisp sound, falling to the floor. Cha Hongjo locked eyes with Go Baekwoo and deliberately tilted the bottle to his lips, throwing his head back. Gulp, gulp… He downed the beer smoothly. His prominent Adam’s apple bobbed. So did Go Baekwoo’s, though he wasn’t drinking.

“…”

Wiping his wet lips, Cha Hongjo finally picked up the chopsticks. But he only stared at the pot, unmoving.

“…”

Tap, Cha Hongjo set the chopsticks down on the tray and grabbed the beer bottle again.

“Drinking alone’s boring.”

Cha Hongjo held the bottle out to Go Baekwoo, who’d been watching him like a spectator. For some reason, Go Baekwoo tilted one eyebrow, then picked up a new beer bottle. Like Cha Hongjo, he used the back of a lighter to pop the cap.

Clink. As if by agreement, they tapped their bottles together. They took a sip. Then two, three, four… Ignoring the swelling ramen, they drank relentlessly, like men parched for ages.

Having quickly finished one bottle, Cha Hongjo and Go Baekwoo grabbed new ones, holding lighters to the caps’ edges in unison.

“I.”

Cha Hongjo, twisting his wrist to pry off the cap, spoke. Go Baekwoo lifted his gaze from the bottle’s mouth. At the same time, Cha Hongjo, having popped and discarded the cap, continued.

“I don’t usually drink alone with guys.”

The cap rolled across the floor, clattering to announce its landing. Clatter… A low voice mixed with the continuous sound.

“Why do I drink with you?”

Clatter, the fallen cap spun wildly.

“Guess.”

Clatter… It finally settled somewhere, and silence fell. Cha Hongjo wrapped his lips around the bottle’s mouth. Now it was Go Baekwoo’s turn to speak. Why did Cha Hongjo, who didn’t drink with guys, drink with him? It was his turn to guess.

An answer came to mind immediately.

Go Baekwoo pursed his lips, lowered his head, finished opening the beer cap, and looked at Cha Hongjo again. Cha Hongjo’s expression was relaxed, but he stared at Go Baekwoo as if eagerly awaiting an answer, not even drinking.

“Because I…”

His tightly pressed red lips parted.

“I’m pretty.”

“Damn it.”

The moment the answer landed, Cha Hongjo tilted his jaw crookedly and laughed.

“That’s insane.”

“Or not.”

Having spoken without hesitation, Go Baekwoo belatedly backtracked, and Cha Hongjo studied his pretty face, wondering if he was embarrassed. There was no sign of shame. Go Baekwoo only tilted the bottle with a subdued expression.

Sometimes he acted like a guy who’d never even touched a girl’s collar, but now he was like this, fresh and entertaining. Very…

“No way.”

Taking a sip with a light smile, Cha Hongjo declared.

“What’s the point of being pretty if I can’t eat the rice cake?”

“Then why do you drink with me?”

His light brown eyes flickered. The pretty boy even seemed a little angry. It got even more fun. Cha Hongjo propped his chin on his elbow, leaning on the tray.

“Because…”

Tapping his cheek with his fingers, he pretended to ponder before speaking.

“I still want to take a bite.”

The moment he finished, Cha Hongjo, lowering the hand propping his chin, pushed the tray aside. Scrape, the tray’s legs scratched the floor. The liquid in the brown bottles lined up sloshed, and the red broth, half-eaten by the bloated noodles, rippled.

As soon as the tray blocking them was moved, Cha Hongjo pressed Go Baekwoo’s shoulder, pushing him down.

The pretty boy obediently lay back on the floor. His lush eyelashes lowered, blinking once or twice, but that was all. As if determined not to be teased as naive, he kept a calm expression, showing no surprise. No, he was faintly smiling.

“What if you get indigestion?”

Go Baekwoo asked with a smile. His tone was light, as if playing along with the joke, but also sly, as if probing for truth under the guise of humor.

Cha Hongjo returned the smile.

“Chew and spit it out.”

Muttering, he traced Go Baekwoo’s sleek jawline with the edge of his hand.

“…”

Cha Hongjo’s hand, sliding from the chin, traveled down the neck to the chest. The unabashedly bold touch rendered the t-shirt between them useless. The sensation, like touching bare skin, made Go Baekwoo catch his breath. His sucked-in lower abdomen tensed hard.

Soon, a cold hand slipped under the t-shirt. It caressed his bare waist. Go Baekwoo didn’t move, only staring at Cha Hongjo’s shadowed face. Submissively.

The first button had to be fastened correctly. Go Baekwoo, given the situation, was prepared to go along with Cha Hongjo’s lead to a certain extent. He couldn’t risk doing something foolish and causing Cha Hongjo to bolt. Knowing the difference in their physical strength, Go Baekwoo wasn’t in a hurry. Besides, it didn’t seem likely that Cha Hongjo would go “all the way”…

Cha Hongjo’s face, just a handspan away, tilted to the side. Hot breath enveloped Go Baekwoo’s ear. Then something soft gently licked his earlobe. The delicate start, contrasting with the usual impressions Go Baekwoo had of Cha Hongjo, made him raise his eyebrows. So this is how he is with women.

The sound of upper and lower lips meeting and parting, the wet tongue brushing against skin, and the fleeting, suppressed breaths escaping in a rush stimulated Go Baekwoo’s hearing. Unlike Go Baekwoo, Cha Hongjo’s hair, falling over his forehead, tickled his cheekbones and temples. The hand caressing his waist slid upward, inching along like a crawler…

Lips that had nibbled on his earlobe without grazing teeth moved down to his jawline. Go Baekwoo covered the back of Cha Hongjo’s head with his palm, feeling the tongue trace his neck, and shifted his right leg. His raised shin soon pressed against the space between Cha Hongjo’s thighs.

“…”

The front of Cha Hongjo’s pants, touching Go Baekwoo’s shin, was hard.

Go Baekwoo nearly burst out laughing. To suppress the laughter swirling on his tongue, he bit his lower lip.

From Cha Hongjo’s usual demeanor and certain past incidents, Go Baekwoo had sensed that Cha Hongjo regarded him as somewhat “rational.” But that feeling could just be his own delusion, born from his attraction to Cha Hongjo, so he tried not to jump to conclusions.

But now, witnessing this reaction, Go Baekwoo felt confident enough to make bold assumptions, free from any anxiety stemming from unconventional emotions or a lack of confidence. Whether rationally or purely sexually, in some way, Cha Hongjo was drawn to him. Just as he was to Cha Hongjo.

Realizing this felt like achieving a monumental feat, enveloping him in a fiery sense of accomplishment. Go Baekwoo understood that his desire for Cha Hongjo was far greater than he’d realized.

He’d never had anyone he could call a first love. He’d equated romantic feelings with mere sexual curiosity. When someone showed interest in him, his own feelings often became opaque.

He’d never desired or pined for anyone. People passed through his life like seasons, changing or drifting away. He didn’t try to hold on, letting them go as they pleased. He accepted those who came close but never let them sink in deeply.

But Cha Hongjo…

Go Baekwoo pushed his t-shirt up to his chest and touched Cha Hongjo’s ear with his fingertips, as if measuring the intensity of his own feelings for him, while Cha Hongjo buried his nose and lips in his skin.

“Cigarette?”

He recalled his first meeting with Cha Hongjo. Asking if he wanted a cigarette and then satisfying himself first was so typical of him.

He pictured Cha Hongjo tilting his sharp jaw diagonally while lighting up. His downcast gaze. The flame rising sharply, as if to burn his thick eyelashes. The hazy smoke curling from the red-hot cigarette tip. The lips that bit and released the ochre filter, rich with color, veiled in the exhaled smoke.

As if grasping that moment’s Cha Hongjo, Go Baekwoo curled the hand resting on the back of Cha Hongjo’s head. Thick hair filled his grip.

At the same moment, Cha Hongjo licked his left chest deeply, and his skin prickled all over. His lower abdomen contracted, and his engorged front twitched erratically.

“Ha…”

His breath slipped through his lips involuntarily, as if to cool his rapidly rising body temperature. Cha Hongjo paused his movements. He lifted his head and met Go Baekwoo’s eyes. Their gazes hooked into each other, pulling tightly, as if barbed. At their first meeting, Go Baekwoo had been the only one drawn in, but now it was different.

Cha Hongjo raised his body. Their eyes aligned perfectly vertically.

Their nostrils brushed first. A rigid, straight nose and an elegantly curved one crossed, and lips breathing in similar rhythms overlapped.

As Go Baekwoo slid his tongue into Cha Hongjo’s mouth, Cha Hongjo lowered his eyelids in a familiar sequence. But Go Baekwoo, ignoring learned habits, kept his eyes open, taking in every detail of Cha Hongjo. The black hair scattered over his neat forehead. The tidily closed eyelids. The crease between his brows where his high nose began. Eyebrows so refined he wanted to trace them with his fingertips.

Go Baekwoo explored Cha Hongjo with his tongue too. Cha Hongjo’s palate was smooth. When he licked a hollow spot, Cha Hongjo’s tongue froze for a moment.

Cha Hongjo, with no rough edges even in his hidden places, was pristine and sleek. His teeth were so even that tracing them with a tongue was effortless.

As if the drink earlier had been honey instead of alcohol, Cha Hongjo’s tongue, curled around his, was sweet. Doubting the sugary taste, Go Baekwoo licked once or twice, then slipped his tongue between Cha Hongjo’s lips and sucked. Cha Hongjo’s brows drew closer.

When Cha Hongjo raised a hand to cover Go Baekwoo’s cheek, Go Baekwoo lowered the hand gripping Cha Hongjo’s hair to wrap around his nape. His thumb caught on Cha Hongjo’s Adam’s apple. Pressing under Cha Hongjo’s tongue, he licked upward. The Adam’s apple under his thumb surged up and settled back down.

Go Baekwoo was skilled at kissing. The surprise pleased Cha Hongjo immensely. In contrast, Go Baekwoo was irritated. If Cha Hongjo’s tongue weren’t so sweet, his insides would’ve been filled with bitter bile. Why the hell is he so good at kissing…

The longer their tongues intertwined, the more his patience wore thin. Knowing they were both guys yet still aroused made restraint feel unnatural. Cha Hongjo had already pulled his pants and underwear down to his thighs, and Go Baekwoo, lifting his hips slightly, tugged his own pants below his pelvis.

“Haa…”

Supporting himself with his arms on either side of Go Baekwoo’s face, Cha Hongjo was the first to break the kiss. Go Baekwoo, as if reluctant, raised his head and gently bit Cha Hongjo’s lower lip. Without time to catch their breath, the kiss resumed. Go Baekwoo slowly sat up from his reclined position.

Caught off guard, Cha Hongjo ended up sitting on Go Baekwoo’s thighs. Surprised by the firm muscles pressing against his lower body, he raised his knees to lift his hips. But as if he had no intention of escaping, he gripped Go Baekwoo’s broad shoulders tightly. Go Baekwoo hooked his left arm around Cha Hongjo’s nape and wrapped his right arm around his lower back.

“…”

“Ha…”

Their noses still touched, but their lips parted. Cha Hongjo lifted his eyelids, which had been closed all along. Thanks to Go Baekwoo, who hadn’t closed his eyes once, their gazes collided immediately. Go Baekwoo tightened the arm around Cha Hongjo’s slender lower back, pulling him closer. Their deeply carved abdominal muscles pressed together tightly.

“…Ah.”

Cha Hongjo’s eyebrows twisted as he lowered his gaze.

“This bastard…”

Muttering, Cha Hongjo confirmed Go Baekwoo’s member rubbing against his own.

“Carrying around a damn bat…”

Go Baekwoo wasn’t surprised by Cha Hongjo’s reaction. Everyone, regardless of gender, who’d seen his lower half reacted similarly. Some gaped and stared, some, like Cha Hongjo, spat out curses, and others tried to touch it outright.

It was a predictable reaction, but coming from Cha Hongjo, it felt fresh. Even cute. For the first time in that moment, Go Baekwoo felt something delicate, like cuteness, from Cha Hong personally.

“Not heavy?”

Cha Hongjo asked abruptly, fumbling on the floor. It was a gesture searching for a cigarette.

“Not heavy.”

Go Baekwoo replied in a flat tone. Cha Hongjo stuck a cigarette between Go Baekwoo’s lips. His lips, reddened from arousal, moved as they gripped the filter. Watching until the end, Cha Hongjo belatedly tucked a cigarette between his own teeth.

“Damn…”

Muttering, Cha Hongjo cut himself off and flicked the lighter’s flint. Go Baekwoo, about to ask what the rest was, held the cigarette between his fingers and leaned toward the flame flickering between them.

Two streams of smoke rose quietly, and Cha Hongjo carelessly tossed the extinguished lighter aside. Thud.

Being so close, the smoke they exhaled hit each other sharply. Go Baekwoo angled his jaw outward to blow his smoke, but Cha Hongjo puffed it out as if no one were there. Even in the gray haze, his pale face only slightly narrowed its brows, showing no particular reaction. Flatly.

Holding Go Baekwoo’s gaze, Cha Hongjo sucked hard on the filter, chewing it. The paper wrapping the tobacco burned with a sizzle… He blew smoke into Go Baekwoo’s face again. This time, Go Baekwoo visibly furrowed his brows. One eye nearly closed. His flushed, frowning expression, reddened by heat, was worth seeing. It was like a peach about to be crushed in his grip.

“What’s it mean to blow smoke in someone’s face?”

Cha Hongjo, cigarette angled outward, muttered the question. Go Baekwoo, loosening his scowl, answered languidly.

“Means you want to fight.”

“Yeah.”

Cha Hongjo, returning a curt reply, kept the cigarette between his lips and lowered his hand.

“Ah.”

Go Baekwoo parted his lips. With the short syllable, a chunk of cigarette smoke sliced through the air. It was right after Cha Hongjo had wrapped their touching members in his hand.

The moment he felt Cha Hongjo’s palm, heat surged through Go Baekwoo’s body. It hadn’t been this intense even the first time. Biting his lower lip against the urge to climax pulsing in his abdomen, Go Baekwoo tensed.

“Ha… This is insane.”

Cha Hongjo frowned, lowering his gaze. The smoke still curling from the cigarette in his mouth stung his vision. The members in his hand, far larger than average, overwhelmed his grip. Go Baekwoo’s kept slipping out.

“Hey, pretty boy…”

Cha Hongjo murmured through the cigarette, which bobbed with each shift in pronunciation.

“…Yeah.”

His lips, tightly clamped around neatly aligned front teeth, parted at Cha Hongjo’s call, regaining their shape.

“Hold the rest, you.”

“…”

With no energy to reply amid the surging urge to climax, Go Baekwoo answered by moving his hand. Without thinking of the cigarette burning down on its own, he pressed it into the floor to extinguish it. Since puberty, his mother hadn’t entered his room, so the blackened burn mark wouldn’t be noticed.

Go Baekwoo immediately grasped the part Cha Hongjo’s hand couldn’t reach. Their hands interlocked, entwining around the joined members.

“Ah, damn…”

“…”

Cha Hongjo, tilting his head back, muttered through clenched teeth, pursing his lips to inhale. Hazy smoke drifted from the red flesh that parted again. Watching him, Go Baekwoo bit his lower lip once more.

Cha Hongjo, sitting on Go Baekwoo’s thighs, pulled one arm behind him, propping himself on the floor and arching his back. The arm Go Baekwoo had wrapped around him naturally fell away, returning to its place.

Leaning back, Cha Hongjo began to slowly rock his hips up and down. Within their loose grips, the joined members slid and rubbed.

“Ah…”

“…”

Go Baekwoo dropped his heated gaze downward. The tips of Cha Hongjo’s toes, knees bent and legs spread, curled slightly. As his slender waist moved fluidly, the shadow cast below his abs grew darker, deeper.

It didn’t seem like Cha Hongjo had done this with another guy… Watching his uninhibited, natural hip movements, Go Baekwoo swallowed the saliva pooling under his tongue.

They stayed still, hands wrapped around the members. The stimulation was already overwhelming, so the thought of doing more didn’t cross their minds. Curious about Cha Hongjo’s expression but unable to lift his gaze, Go Baekwoo stared at the dampening skin. Looking at Cha Hongjo’s face might make him finish instantly.

“Pretty boy…”

But of course, Cha Hongjo called him. Go Baekwoo pursed and released his lips, raising his eyes toward Cha Hongjo. His eyes kept trying to squeeze shut on their own.

“I…”

Clearly not drunk enough to be incoherent, Cha Hongjo wore the expression of someone completely wasted. His drooping eyelids were half-closed.

“Ah, the cigarette.”

His lips, holding the burnt-out stub, glistened with moisture. Whether from their kiss or his own saliva, Go Baekwoo couldn’t tell.

“Quick…”

Anyway… the cigarette… Go Baekwoo’s Adam’s apple bobbed again as he reached out with his empty hand. Cha Hongjo tilted his head toward the extended fingers. Suppressing the urge to touch those flushed lips, Go Baekwoo plucked the dangling stub from them and tossed it aside. Immediately, thud, Cha Hongjo dropped his forehead onto Go Baekwoo’s shoulder. His forehead was feverishly hot.

“Ha…”

Now even their grips felt constricting. His abdomen ached and itched, hard to endure.

“Should we, again?”

Asking, Go Baekwoo cautiously buried his nose in Cha Hongjo’s fragrant hair and moved his wrist without waiting for an answer. Cha Hongjo’s body twitched subtly for a moment.

“Shake it well on your own…”

Cha Hongjo murmured in a low, flowing voice, removing his hand from their fronts.

Go Baekwoo, gently stroking Cha Hongjo’s back with his free hand, tightened his grip with the other. Thanks to his large hand, he had no trouble continuing alone without Cha Hongjo’s.

At first, he gripped tightly, ensuring the two were seamlessly joined, and slowly stroked up and down.

“Ha…”

“…Ngh.”

Then, setting his own aside, Go Baekwoo firmly grasped only Cha Hongjo’s. Cha Hongjo let out a stifled moan, clutching Go Baekwoo’s opposite shoulder.

Go Baekwoo curled his palm, encircling Cha Hongjo’s tip and rolling it roundly. Coating his hand with the precum leaking from the slit, he gripped the shaft. Applying extra pressure with his thumb and forefinger, he tightly rubbed and tapped the groove below the head.

“Ngh, ugh…”

At Cha Hongjo’s moans, rubbing his forehead against Go Baekwoo’s shoulder, Go Baekwoo faintly curled his lips into a smile. Inhaling deeply through the nose buried in Cha Hongjo’s hair, he shifted his head, exhaling against Cha Hongjo’s ear. Cha Hongjo twisted his hips.

“Cha Hongjo.”

“Ah…”

“How am I doing, shaking it well?”

Go Baekwoo whispered, licking Cha Hongjo’s ear. Without pause, he rubbed the throbbing member from root to tip at a rapid pace. Sensing Cha Hongjo was close, he was leaking heavily. In the brief moment his palm reached the base, clear liquid seeped from the slit, forming droplets. The spaces between his fingers, sliding up the shaft, grew slick with precum. Squish, tap, squish, tap. The wet sounds quickened.

“Haa, damn well… ah.”

Cha Hongjo sluggishly raised his head, then jerked it back sharply. His parted lips, unable to finish speaking, stayed open. His closed eyelids and lashes trembled faintly.

“Hongjo-ya…”

Guessing Cha Hongjo was about to climax, Go Baekwoo focused on the tip, rubbing it intensely with just his thumb and forefinger.

“Come in my hand.”

He deliberately pressed his lips close to Cha Hongjo’s ear and whispered. Cha Hongjo curled his fingers and toes tightly, furrowing his brows deeply.

“Haa, ugh…!”

Biting his lower lip, Cha Hongjo arched his back sharply and came. Go Baekwoo kept touching him until no more semen emerged. No.

“Stop… enough, stop.”

He touched until Cha Hongjo grabbed his hand to stop him. Go Baekwoo slowly released the semen-smeared member, still erect, and pushed Cha Hongjo to lie beneath him.

“…Ha.”

Drained by exhaustion, Cha Hongjo was defenseless. Even lying under Go Baekwoo, he felt no threat. Having finished, he didn’t care what Go Baekwoo did. He just wanted to clean up quickly and pass out.

Go Baekwoo also had no intention of pursuing what he truly wanted with Cha Hongjo right now. He was still nineteen, naive. And he wanted to look good to Cha Hongjo.

But he was also a desire-filled nineteen. He wouldn’t refuse the object of his longing right in front of him.

“Cha Hongjo.”

Calling his name, Go Baekwoo smeared the handful of semen onto his own member and pushed one of Cha Hongjo’s legs outward.

“I’m borrowing.”

“…”

Cha Hongjo, with half-lidded eyes, gazed at Go Baekwoo’s face and stayed still. A guy was pressing himself against him, yet, surprisingly, it wasn’t unpleasant. If it were, he’d have felt it long ago.

“Ha…”

Go Baekwoo let out a deep, sigh-like breath, scattering it thinly, and began rubbing his member against the inside of Cha Hongjo’s thigh. Slowly.

The semen-coated member glided smoothly over the firm thigh.

“…”

The sensation wasn’t unpleasant, but the unfamiliarity gave Cha Hongjo goosebumps. Reflexively, he gripped the blanket tightly and swallowed the saliva that had seeped out. Looking down at him, Go Baekwoo’s clear brown eyes gleamed as he smiled faintly.

“Don’t like it?”

Crushing the smile like dry petals, he asked. All the while, he continued rubbing his member against the thigh.

Cha Hongjo ran his tongue over his lower lip once before answering.

“Come quick.”

It wasn’t unpleasant, but unsure of the chills running up his spine and the queasy feeling, he gave an evasive reply.

Nodding briefly, Go Baekwoo thrust his hips forward sharply. The sensation of the member sliding deep into the inner thigh made Cha Hongjo adjust his arm under his head and close his eyes. Suppressing the urge to bite the thigh. Doing so now would make things weird. For some reason, he made that judgment.

“…”

Confirming the fully closed eyelids, Go Baekwoo lowered his gaze. His heated, drenched vision burrowed between Cha Hongjo’s spread thighs. The shadowed, intimate area. Imagining himself thrusting into it, he rocked his hips vigorously.

“Ha… Cha Hongjo.”

His ears weren’t closed, thankfully.

Pressing his member into the crook of Cha Hongjo’s groin, Go Baekwoo murmured toward the closed-eyed Cha Hongjo.

“Hey…”

“…”

“…”

The words didn’t continue. Go Baekwoo, lips sealed, climaxed.

“Ha…”

When was the last time he’d masturbated? The semen that spurted out was thick and plentiful. Go Baekwoo, chest heaving with orgasm, held his member and pressed the tip against Cha Hongjo’s groin, rubbing it like a stamp.

Drip… The viscous white liquid slid down Cha Hongjo’s skin.

Down, further down. Go Baekwoo watched it, repeating inwardly. Go deeper inside.

“…”

Even after Go Baekwoo’s breathing calmed, Cha Hongjo lay still with his eyes closed. He didn’t seem asleep. Go Baekwoo alternated between looking at the still-spread leg, the semen that had flowed into the shadowed area, and Cha Hongjo’s face.

“Cha Hongjo, hey…”

He rolled the words he hadn’t finished in his mouth.

“Next time, I want to put it in you.”

🔥

Waking to a foul smell at dawn, Go Baekwoo frowned. Slowly sitting up from where he lay, he scanned for the source of the odor. It wasn’t a bad smell, just strong enough to fill the room and rouse him. As his senses cleared, he recognized the scent of half-drunk beer and untouched ramen.

Seeing the tray with bloated ramen soaked in red broth and open beer bottles, he sensed movement beside him. Go Baekwoo looked down at Cha Hongjo with slightly startled eyes, like someone discovering something unknown. Cha Hongjo was still asleep. His face was clear, as if nothing had happened the previous night.