Gutter Chapter 19.1

The area in front of Haengbok Dabang was still quiet. It was partly because there were no other buildings nearby, and now that it was around the time the dabang was about to close, it looked even more deserted.

Although it was not a place where he had stayed for very long, from the moment the bus entered the edge of the neighborhood, a familiar and pleasant wave of emotion rushed over him.

He was sure that when he had first come here, he had thought it was nothing but a desolate field, but new sprouts were budding on the trees and the flowers that had been dormant all winter had begun to bloom, making the surroundings incredibly beautiful. It looked like a charming little village one might see in a storybook or on a postcard. His heart warmed each time the strong scent of spring flowers brushed past the tip of his nose.

With a somewhat tense expression, Yeonjo stood at the entrance of the dabang. He checked the fruit basket and ham set he had brought with him once more. Even though the fruit was well packaged, the contents tended to get a little jumbled while he was walking and carrying them, so he needed to be careful.

“Hoo…”

In case he became short of breath from nervousness, he used his inhaler in advance. Picking up the baggage he had set on the floor for a moment, Yeonjo opened the dabang door.

Tinkle.

The familiar, cheerful sound of the bell echoed through the interior.

“Welco… Huh?”

As soon as Yeonjo entered the dabang, he made eye contact with Yi Yeonsu, who was in front of a mirror applying tint to her lips. She was still in her school uniform, her hair tied up high in a ponytail.

Yi Yeonsu’s half-closed eyes widened in surprise.

“Minwoo oppa?”

“Hi. Have you been well?”

“Oppa! Is it really you? Where did you go!”

Forgetting to even finish applying her lip tint, Yi Yeonsu made a continuous fuss as if she had seen a ghost.

“Who’s here?”

“Mom! Cha Minwoo oppa is here!”

“Who did you say came? Aren’t you seeing things?”

The sound of clattering came from the kitchen, and a few seconds later, the owner of Haengbok Dabang came running out, still wearing red rubber gloves.

Before he came, he had worried about whether it was a bad idea to visit, and what he would do if she got angry and asked why he had come back after leaving without a word, but all that worrying was for nothing; Haengbok Dabang was just as it had been.

“Hello, Sajangnim.”

As Yeonjo, his tension suddenly melting away, smiled and greeted her, the owner’s eyes busily scanned him from top to bottom.

“Minwoo-ssi. My… what in the world is going on.”

“I know! You just disappeared all of a sudden. Oppa, where have you been?”

The mother and daughter pressed in on Yeonjo, so close it was almost burdensome.

“I’m sorry. I left a memo in the room, did you not see it?”

“We saw it. But still, you know. How could a person just leave so heartlessly without even saying goodbye?”

“Something really urgent came up back then, so I couldn’t help it… I’m sorry.”

“First, have a seat, here. No, you should have at least called before coming. We’re all closed up for the day now, so there’s nothing I can serve you!”

The owner grumbled as if frustrated and guided Yeonjo to a large table.

“Mom, take off the rubber gloves. Are you going to keep wearing those while you talk?”

“Oh my, was I? Look at me, I’m losing my mind.”

Yi Yeonsu naturally plopped down right next to Yeonjo. She then began to fiddle with the gift sets placed on the table.

“Why are you touching someone else’s things? Get your hands off, Yi Yeonsu, won’t you?”

“It’s obvious he brought this for us. Do you think oppa would have carried this all the way here when his body is so weak?”

“Goodness, who does this child take after, talking back to her own mother so pointedly.”

“Oppa, what do you want to drink? An Americano?”

As the owner and Yi Yeonsu started to bicker, the dabang quickly became noisy. Since it was closing time and there were no customers, the three of them could sit comfortably at the table and chat.

He had vaguely kept it in his heart that he should come and say hello someday, but meeting the two of them again in person was more welcoming and enjoyable than he had expected. After leaving the dabang, he had been anxious that some harm might have come to them simply because he had stayed there, but thankfully, nothing here seemed to have changed at all.

“Your face seems to be okay… Or maybe not, have you lost some weight?”

“I’ve actually been trying to gain some weight.”

“You need to eat more! But Minwoo-ssi, what brings you here? You’ve been well all this time, right?”

“Of course. Oh, and I thought of you on my way here, so I bought a few things. It’s not much, but…”

“Oh, my. Why did you bring all this. This ham and fruit, isn’t this the kind they only sell at department stores? This is expensive. Good heavens, did your face turn pale from carrying all this?”

“I know, right. Oppa, you need to work out a bit.”

“Just sit here for a minute. Let’s at least have some tea while we talk.”

The owner, though seeming burdened, was clearly in a good mood. She quickly went into the kitchen and brought out tea brewed with deodeok root, along with a paring knife, and began to peel the fruit for them.

Yeonjo sipped the tea and began to share the stories he had missed. He couldn’t tell them that he had been kidnapped and then collapsed, so he mixed in some things that were slightly different from the truth as he told them about his recent life. And also that his name wasn’t Cha Min-woo, but Cha Yeonjo. He had expected to get a good scolding, but the owner easily accepted it, saying she’d felt something was suspicious and thought it seemed like a fake name anyway.

And Haengbok Dabang was still the same. A quiet, warm, and cozy atmosphere. Yeonjo came to the fresh realization that he had missed this place.

As he talked with all his tension gone, he found himself rambling on about what had happened at the resort, down to the last detail.

“Ah, and at the resort, the employees get accommodation vouchers. I don’t have any use for them, so if you have time, you and Yeonsu should come visit sometime.”

“What would we be doing at a resort like that… We’re too busy watching the dabang.”

“Are you still getting a lot of customers these days?”

“It’s not so much that, but this one, Yi Yeonsu, is starting to prepare for her college entrance exams, so she’s busy now, and well. Anyway… My heart is stretched thin trying to prepare to send her to a university in Seoul all the way from this hick town.”

“That’s right! Mom!”

“What is it, you rascal.”

Yi Yeonsu, who had been listening quietly to Yeonjo and the owner’s conversation until now, shot up like a spring.

“The writing contest I’m entering! Can’t I ask Yeonjo oppa to take me?”

“What?”

“A writing contest?”

“Oppa! I’m participating in the National High School Writing Contest held in Seoul. But I’ve only been to Seoul a few times so I don’t know the way. If you have time, can’t you take me there?”

“That Yi Yeonsu, she says the darnedest things. Will you be quiet?”

“Whyyy. Minwoo, no. Yeonjo oppa is from Seoul, right? He must know the way well.”

As Yi Yeonsu insisted, the owner scowled and muttered, “that little troublemaker.”

“You can just stay at your aunt’s house in Seoul the day before and then find your own way there, can’t you.”

“Ugh, the Seoul subway is complicated, I don’t know my way around! And my aunt said she’s too busy to take me to where the writing contest is held!”

“If you don’t know, then ask your way there, ask! It doesn’t cost money to ask!”

“What if I’m late because of that? You can’t come with me because of the shop, either. How am I supposed to go to Seoul and come back all by myself?”

“I’ll take you there. When is it?”

Yeonjo stepped in to mediate the mother and daughter’s ceaseless argument. At the same time, Yeonjo mentally calculated the days he could take off from work. Since he was getting medical treatment in Seoul once a week anyway, it wouldn’t be difficult to match his schedule with Yi Yeonsu’s.

“No, it’s fine. That girl is just talking nonsense.”

“I go to Seoul often, so if it’s okay with you and Yeonsu, I can take her.”

“See! Oppa said it’s okay.”

“Goodness. That, that mouth of hers, I ought to just.”

“Yeonsu, when is the writing contest? If you tell me the date, I’ll clear my schedule for it.”

“Yeonjo-ssi, you really don’t have to do this…”

“It’s complicated for a high school student to find their way around Seoul alone. Please let me take her. Okay?”

“Yes!”

When Yeonjo went that far, the dabang owner didn’t try to stop him any further. Although the owner glared fiercely when Yi Yeonsu threw her hands up in a victory cheer, the matter was thankfully settled peacefully just like that.

🚬

The day of the high school writing contest. Yeonsu, who had supposedly come up to Seoul the day before and slept at her aunt’s house, had terribly puffy eyes. Yeonjo, who had come to pick her up in front of her house, approached her with a worried look.

“Yeonsu, couldn’t you sleep? Your eyes are…”

“My dark circles are insane, right? Ah, what do I do? I didn’t sleep a wink!”

Yi Yeonsu sighed, clutching at her messy, sticking-up hair. It seemed she had tossed and turned all night from nervousness.

It was over a thirty-minute drive from Yeonsu’s aunt’s house to the location of the high school writing contest. Since it was conveniently in a bustling area, Yeonjo had already calculated their route, planning to buy her breakfast and stop by a cafe.

“I’m going to catch a taxi, so wait here a moment.”

“Minwoo oppa, no, I mean. Yeonjo oppa. I know you’re busy, so thank you for taking me.”

“It’s fine. I’m the one who said I’d do it. Let’s go get some breakfast first. You haven’t eaten, have you?”

“No. But I don’t digest well when I’m nervous, so I think I’ll just skip it.”

Yi Yeonsu mumbled dejectedly. In the taxi, Yeonjo glanced worriedly at Yi Yeonsu sitting next to him.

If she goes in without eating at all, she’ll probably be hungry later. What should I do in a situation like this? Would it be better for her to eat after the writing contest is completely over?

Yeonjo stared quietly at the road lined with rows of tall buildings. Come to think of it, it was really unexpected that Yi Yeonsu was participating in a writing contest. He had no idea she had a talent for writing. It was a completely different side to the image he usually had of Yi Yeonsu.

Maybe it was because he had only ever seen her cleverly dodging her mother’s nagging to put off her homework. He found it fascinating, and was also newly proud of her. Since he hadn’t graduated from high school and had never participated in contests or competitions even when he did attend school, he also felt a bit envious.

“Are you sure you’re okay going in without eating?”

“Yes. I’m really fine!”

“What about coffee?”

“I don’t need coffee either!”

When they arrived in front of the building, Yi Yeonsu smiled brightly, as if she had regained her energy. Although her eyes were still a little swollen, she looked much better than when she first came out of her aunt’s house.

“Do well. I’ll be waiting at that cafe over there.”

“Okay. I’ll be back. I’ll come to the cafe when I’m done!”

After a final check of the scrap paper and pencil case in her bag, Yi Yeonsu crossed the street and scurried into the building. It looked just like a rabbit hopping in an animation, which made him smile.

Yeonjo’s plan for the day was to wait for Yi Yeonsu to come out, feed her, and then take her to the bus terminal. Though he didn’t show it, Yeonjo was also tired from coming up to Seoul so early in the morning. To wake himself up, he decided to go into the cafe he had spotted earlier.

The area was full of buildings with floor-to-ceiling glass windows, and the weather was nice, so it was fun to look at the scenery. The vividly blue sky and clouds were all reflected in the glass panes, making it feel as if he were floating in the sky.

The cafe also happened to have floor-to-ceiling glass, so he could see in detail not only the people passing by but also everything across the street. Yeonjo ordered a cup of coffee and sat down by the window.

Usually, when he went to a crowded place, his nerves would quickly become frayed with an unidentifiable anxiety, but perhaps because it was the morning, the cafe was quiet, and so far he felt perfectly fine.

For the first time in a long while, Yeonjo sat comfortably in an unfamiliar place and blankly killed time. He felt like he hadn’t had a moment of leisure recently. It seemed like it would be okay now to come out like this from time to time.

He realized anew that the past four months had not been a short period of time. He had been certain that things could only get worse, yet a day where he could feel such peace had arrived.

How much time had passed like that? As Yeonjo observed the people walking in front of the building, a black car came into his view. Perhaps it was just a feeling, but it was a model that looked familiar, so his gaze lingered on it for a long time.

Yeonjo nonchalantly watched the car stop in front of the next building. Until that moment, Yeonjo had been thinking about things like what to eat when Yi Yeonsu came out.

But the moment a man in a suit who had been waiting in front of the building opened the back door of the car, and he spotted the person getting out from inside. Yeonjo almost dropped his mug.

Tightening his grip, Yeonjo barely caught the shaking mug. At the same time, he doubted his own eyes.

Gu Muncheon?

Incredibly, the man who got out of the car was Boss Gu. In the midst of his shock, Yeonjo thought that this was an impossible situation.

To run into him by chance in the middle of this vast city of Seoul. No. Perhaps. It wasn’t a coincidence, but he had intentionally come looking for him?

Once his thoughts reached that point, Yeonjo hurriedly got up. He started to get scared that he might suddenly storm into the cafe. But if that was his plan, why would he get out at the building next door?

Yeonjo, frozen like a stone statue, held his breath and watched Boss Gu. His mind became a complicated mess with thoughts of whether he should run away now, and if he did run away, how he would get Yi Yeonsu to the terminal.

However, contrary to Yeonjo’s worries, Boss Gu stood still in front of the building and talked with his subordinate. When he put a cigarette to his lips, the subordinate took a lighter from his pocket and lit it for him.

He smoked the cigarette leisurely and gave some sort of instruction with a face that revealed no emotion whatsoever.

Yeonjo, watching the scene with his nerves on high alert, began to think that perhaps discovering him here was truly a coincidence.

Boss Gu seemed completely unaware that he was even here. Even as the cigarette burned down to its end, his and Yeonjo’s eyes never once accidentally met.

Moreover, the fact that this was a district Boss Gu managed came back to him a beat too late. Now that he had entered his territory, the possibility of running into him like this was bound to exist to some extent.

So he really was just passing by.

Even though his head understood that a simple coincidence had created this situation, the frantic pounding of his heart showed no signs of stopping.

As if some courage had sprung up from somewhere, Yeonjo had, before he knew it, moved a little closer to the window and was observing him as if mesmerized.

The black gloves holding the cigarette, his slightly shorter hair, and as always, his indifferent face. Seeing him for the first time in four months, he still looked fierce and strong.

Or maybe not, has he lost some weight? It wasn’t a close distance, so it was not easy to examine the changes over the past months in detail.

Yeonjo suddenly realized he was stuck to the window in an unsightly manner. A wave of anxiety washed over him at the thought that he could be discovered like this. Forcing himself to calm his turbulent heart, Yeonjo moved his body back.

He would be going into the building soon anyway, so it didn’t seem necessary for him to leave his spot. All he had to do was let him pass by. To ensure he wouldn’t run into him until Yi Yeonsu came out, Yeonjo decided to move to a spot away from the window.

Just as he was about to stand up with his mug, he saw two unfamiliar men outside the window abruptly approach Boss Gu.

Yeonjo’s attention was once again drawn to him. The men in khaki jumpers took out something like an ID to show Boss Gu and spoke to him. They didn’t seem like colleagues or subordinates.

Could they be police? As Yeonjo anxiously turned his head, he saw that there was indeed a police car parked on the other side of the street.

Why the police all of a sudden? No, actually, it wasn’t strange for the police to be after him. He was, after all, in charge of all sorts of illegal activities. Even so, as far as Yeonjo knew, this was the first time the police had approached him so directly.

It was hard for Yeonjo to understand why the police, who had been quiet all this time, had come to find him only now.

Before Yeonjo could even sort out his thoughts, Boss Gu started walking toward the police car with them. It seemed like they were having a conversation intermittently, but naturally, there was no way he could hear the voices of those outside the building. Just watching, Yeonjo’s mouth went dry.

Boss Gu obediently got into the police car. And without a single scuffle, the engine started and the police car drove away just like that.

It was a scene that was hard to believe even after seeing it. Yeonjo was so dumbfounded that he forgot to even sit down and anxiously swept his hair back. Then, unable to bear the frustration, he went outside the cafe.

The car had long since left the road and was nowhere to be seen.

“Oppa! Were you waiting long? I’m all done!”

At the sound of someone calling him, Yeonjo barely came to his senses. Yi Yeonsu had appeared in front of him while he had been lost in a daze.

“Oppa? Aren’t we going?”

“Ah, yeah. You’re back already? Think you did well?”

“I don’t know. I guess I’ll have to see when the results come out…”

“…Let’s go eat first. You must be hungry.”

🚬

After having a late lunch with Yi Yeonsu and taking her to the bus terminal, he did not know how he had managed to get back to the resort in his right mind.

The scene of witnessing Boss Gu in Seoul was so much on his mind that he couldn’t concentrate on work at all, even into the next day. The fact that they were not in a relationship where they could contact each other made him burn up inside with even more anxiety.

At one point, he considered just closing his eyes and calling to ask what had happened, but Yeonjo didn’t know Boss Gu’s number. He had deleted his number, which had been saved on his old phone, at some point, so it was not synced to the phone he was currently using.

If he was caught by the police, does that mean he’ll be imprisoned? I should have run over and asked him right then. He kept regretting that he had just stood there dumbly and missed his chance. Yeonjo sat at his desk and repeatedly rubbed his dry face.

In fact, if he thought about it a little more rationally, the idea of Boss Gu going to prison lacked credibility. If the police could have arrested him so easily from the beginning, why hadn’t they caught him until now?

Besides, even if Yeonjo had known his number, he wouldn’t have been able to call and ask him directly. They weren’t in that kind of relationship. Coldly speaking, it was no longer his business.

He knew that him worrying wouldn’t change anything, and that there was no need for him to worry, but ever since returning from Seoul, a symptom like his insides were all blocked up, as if from indigestion, continued.

At first, he thought it might be a precursor to an attack and even took his medicine, but instead of the symptoms easing, his worries only deepened.

“Manager-nim. What are you doing?”

As Yeonjo sat in the same spot for a long time without moving, one of the employees approached him.

“Min-guk-ssi. I was just… looking at this and that.”

“Aren’t you overdoing it? You were so busy today you couldn’t even have lunch.”

“I should eat now.”

Yeonjo closed the equestrian club proposal he had been writing and took out the schedule.

“I’ve finished the schedule for next week, do you want to check it?”

“Ooh, of course.”

“Ah. Min-guk-ssi, and. Your fixed day off on Wednesday, that was you, right?”

“That’s right.”

Yeonjo hesitated for a moment before his next words.

“…For next week’s day off, would it be possible to switch with me?”

“That’s fine. As long as it’s not the weekend, any day is okay for me.”

“Thank you. I have something urgent I need to go up to Seoul for then.”

“The hospital again this time?”

“I have to go to the hospital, and I have some other personal matters to take care of… to check on, as well.”

Though he hadn’t been asked, Yeonjo rattled off a string of excuses. The employee, seeming uninterested, was busy taking a picture of the schedule with his phone camera to post in the employee group chat.

Watching him blankly, Yeonjo let out a quiet sigh. He didn’t know if this was a wise thing to do.

🚬

A single week barely passed. He could count on one hand the number of times in his life when time had felt like it was passing this slowly. It was as if someone had tied a heavy weight to the clock as a prank; each day was as tedious and long as a week.

Yeonjo headed for Seoul early on Wednesday morning. It was exactly one week from the day he had seen Boss Gu. It was the same day of the week, at the same time.

This time too, he ordered coffee at the cafe and sat glued to the window, watching the outside.

Even he thought he was going crazy. Boss Gu might already be in prison, so there was no way he could meet him again just by coming to the same place at the same time. He was dumbfounded by his own simple-mindedness.

Nevertheless, some kind of stubbornness shook Yeonjo with the compulsion that he absolutely had to come back one more time. Without doing so, he felt that he, Cha Yeonjo, would not be able to bear it.

What should I do if Boss Gu does not show up today? Should I go find a shop he manages and ask them for his whereabouts? After leaving him of my own volition?

Yeonjo was appalled at the idea that had inadvertently crossed his mind.

Go all the way to a shop? You are crazy, Cha Yeonjo. It is a thought that goes beyond recklessness to being foolish and dimwitted. If I can no longer see him here… then this is the end. I am not in a position to do anything, and above all, we are nothing more than distant strangers who cannot even be called acquaintances.

“Haah…”

It really was a crazy thing to do. Coming all the way back here. It is none of my business whether he goes to prison or not.

Let’s go back. I need to shake off this lingering attachment now. Just as Yeonjo, with his shoulders slumped, was packing up the things he had brought, he froze in his tracks.

The familiar car was pulling up in front of the next building, as if it were a lie.

“…”

Forgetting that he had just decided to return to the resort a moment ago, Yeonjo quickly sat back down. His eyes were now tracking the movements of the black foreign car as if to pierce through them.

Just like last week, his subordinate approached and opened the back door for him. And Boss Gu got out of the car.

Yeonjo blinked his eyes with a somewhat dazed expression at the déjà vu-like situation.

Wasn’t he caught by the police? How did he get out? What on earth was that I saw last week…

While Yeonjo’s mind was tangled in a jumble of thoughts, Boss Gu once again put a cigarette to his lips in front of the building. Just like before, his subordinate approached and lit it for him.

Yeonjo squinted his eyes to get a better look at him. But this time, he was turned completely away from Yeonjo’s direction, so his face was not visible at all.

I do not know what happened in the meantime, but in any case, he looked perfectly fine. It turned out I had worried for nothing.

While Boss Gu finished his cigarette, Yeonjo stared blankly at his back. Soon, he threw the cigarette butt on the ground and entered the building next to the cafe.

Yeonjo, who had watched until his subordinate followed behind him, got up from his seat. Then he packed his things and left the cafe with slow steps, heading for the building next door.

Perhaps he had already gone up in the elevator, because when Yeonjo arrived, the building lobby was already empty.

Yeonjo checked the small sign posted at the building entrance. The 3rd to 18th floors were general offices, and above that, it said there was a hospital. It did not seem like Boss Gu would have business in a place like this.

As he was looking at the sign carefully, the words ‘Loop Lounge 101’ written on the 22nd floor caught his eye. It was a name that, unlike the general offices and hospital, anyone could guess was a bar.

Yeonjo’s expression, who had intended to leave after just seeing where Boss Gu was headed, hardened in an instant. It was early to be frequenting a bar, but Yeonjo knew that if he were to visit, there would be a line of establishments that would come running out to greet him with open arms.

Loop Lounge 101. The moment he read the name of the establishment again, scenes of Boss Gu sitting in a bar and drinking with other women floated unbidden in his mind. The glasses of alcohol and laughter offered to him, the excessive physical contact. Considering the work he did, it was a situation that was more than likely to happen.

It was an unpleasant thought. Even though wherever he was and whatever he was doing, it had nothing to do with me anymore.

Shaking off the thought that rose on its own, Yeonjo hurriedly turned his steps.

I should just go back to the resort. Being foolishly swayed by him would truly end from this moment on.

🚬

‘Suck it, Cha Yeonjo.’

Boss Gu ordered, holding his cock in front of Yeonjo’s lips. Yeonjo opened his mouth and sucked on the massive cock. The hot, hard head, so big it was suffocating, filled his mouth.

His jaw was sore. His lips felt like they would tear. Nevertheless, Yeonjo, his face flushed red, sucked on the cock with such devotion that a wet, sucking sound was made.

He then took the cock, which was now completely wet with saliva, and brought it to Yeonjo’s hole. Without even a moment to catch his breath, he thrust it all the way to the root into Yeonjo with a rough movement of his hips.

‘Ahk!’

The shaft filled his insides so deeply it felt like it would burst. As soon as Yeonjo let out a moan, he violently bit down on the nape of his neck.

His eyes, glistening with excitement and obsession, and his thick, veiny arms, swam before his eyes. All his senses were so sharp they were almost too much to bear.

Yeonjo watched his sensual, twitching muscles and became lost in ecstasy.

Finally, as he began to thrust his hips quickly and bit down on Yeonjo’s areola, a moan close to a scream burst out.

‘Ah!’

His eyes flew open.

Pitch black darkness. The sound of a clock’s second hand and the humming mechanical noise from the refrigerator.

He was in his room in the resort dormitory.

“…”

Yeonjo quickly awakened his dormant consciousness to figure out what had just happened.

“No way…”

So, it was all a dream.

On the off chance, he kicked off the blanket, and his nether regions were damp.

“Fucking lunatic.”

Yeonjo berated himself in a hoarse voice. He shook the inhaler he always kept by his bedside, inhaled the medication, and hurriedly got out of bed and went into the bathroom.

Yeonjo, in a miserable state of mind, washed his underwear, quickly finished showering, and came out to meticulously check if the bedsheet was also wet. Fortunately, the sheet was fine, but feeling uneasy, he took it off and replaced it with a new one.

Since there was no space in his room’s bathroom to wash the bedsheet, Yeonjo got dressed in the middle of the night when all the other employees were asleep and headed to the laundry room.

Walking down the empty hallway, he checked the clock on the wall; it was 4:35 AM. Naturally, the communal laundry room, like the hallway, was also empty. There was no way anyone would come out to do laundry at this hour.

Yeonjo put in detergent and started the laundry. Then he plopped down on the chair in front of it.

A wet dream. And with Boss Gu, of all people. The self-loathing was indescribable.

In the mirror hanging on the laundry room wall, Yeonjo’s face was flushed red. Just like in the dream.

Yeonjo unconsciously turned his head and checked the nape of his neck. Of course, there was no mark left there.

“Am I going crazy, for real.”

Otherwise, how could I have a dream about having sex with him. When I came all the way here, struggling so hard to get away from that.

Could it be because I saw him in Seoul? But even so… How.

Yeonjo covered his face with his palms and let out a long sigh.

🚬

In the end, he came again.

This time too, on a Wednesday, same place, same time.

To get here, he had to go through countless worries and self-pity.

Nevertheless, he just could not bear not to come. Yeonjo, knowing he was not in his right mind, could not control his foolish actions.

Now, more than self-loathing, curiosity and the desire to see him just one more time took precedence. At first, it was certainly a concern that started from worry, and then it was close to an impure curiosity.

This is really the last time. After today, I am going to stop all this foolishness.

Making a vow similar to the last time, Yeonjo entered the cafe. After picking up his drink and sitting at a window seat, Yeonjo stared out the window with hollow eyes.

It was morning, after rush hour, so there were not many cars on the road. It was a peaceful atmosphere with few people passing by. In contrast to the relaxed surroundings, Yeonjo had to burn with self-reproach that he had not yet shaken off.

What on earth are you trying to confirm, Cha Yeonjo? To see for yourself that Boss Gu is going to a bar? Even if he goes and sits next to another woman and drinks, so what.

Wasn’t it Cha Yeonjo himself who ran away from him? Unable to bear the wounds he had received from him, he left the hospital entirely of his own choice.

But why were the miserable and precarious days fading away so quickly, while only the pitifulness of that boy who begged for forgiveness was becoming so clear?

‘Ye, Yeonjo hyung-ah.’

‘O, today, if I fo, follow you too, i, isn’t that okay?’

‘Why is it, Cha Yeonjo… that you never once choose me? Not even once! Not even one single time!’

‘Sorry. I’m sorry, hyung. I won’t do it.’

‘I’ll never hurt you again. So don’t hate me.’

The difficult moments with that boy, deeply pooled within him, could not be easily severed just because he wanted to. Perhaps they had now become an inseparable part of him. Everything remained so vividly clear in his memory.

I left everything behind because it was so horrible. I vowed never to see him again…

A few hours later. Today too, in the same pattern, Boss Gu got out of the car. Yeonjo watched him with a complicated expression, a mix of various emotions. This time too, he cleverly stood in the direction opposite to where Yeonjo was.

If he just turned his head a little, I think I could see his face. During the short few minutes, he could not even see the faint outline of his face. Yeonjo took in the entire sequence of events, from him smoking a cigarette as usual to him entering the building, without missing a thing.

Before he knew it, Yeonjo was leaving the cafe to follow him to the next building. His mind was filled with nothing but the thought of having to check where Boss Gu was going.

Yeonjo, who carefully looked left and right to see if anyone was watching him, entered the empty lobby. As he stood in front of the elevator, which had already closed its doors and started moving, the numbers indicating the floor began to change.

Basement 1, Basement 2.

Seeing the numbers going down, Yeonjo tilted his head. He went down to the basement, not up? There should be nothing but the parking lot down there. What is he up to? For a moment, he doubted whether it was really Boss Gu who had gotten on this elevator.

The elevator finally stopped at Basement 3. And it did not move anymore.

Looking at the stationary number, Yeonjo bit his lower lip. Now that he was actually about to follow him down, he hesitated on whether to press the button or not.

To give up and go now would be a waste of the time it took to come all the way here. Even if he went back to the resort, it was obvious that his mind would be so preoccupied that he would not be able to concentrate properly on his work. It had been like that for the past few weeks. So, wouldn’t it be right to check it out while I am here?

Only after giving justification to his own irrational behavior did Yeonjo finally press the button.

The elevator quickly arrived at the 1st floor. As soon as Yeonjo got inside, he pressed the button for Basement 3. His curiosity, which had grown larger than ever before, was clouding his reason and shaking his nerves.

Ding. The elevator stopped at Basement 3 with a notification sound. With a wary expression, Yeonjo cautiously got out of the elevator. As expected, it was a regular parking lot.

Cars were lined up tightly like a puzzle. Remembering that he had faintly heard footsteps from a distance, Yeonjo moved forward as if possessed by something.

As he passed by several cars, he kept looking around, but he could not find Boss Gu, as if he had already gone somewhere else. It was not easy to distinguish his car among so many cars either.

In the first place, I only wanted to check if he was going to a bar, so was there really a need for me to follow him down to the basement parking lot instead of the bar? There were too many contradictions in my actions.

“Hah.”

Yeonjo let out a self-deprecating sigh and stopped his hurried steps.

What am I even doing. My situation, circling around like a dog trying to chase his shadow somehow, became a little ridiculous.

What did I think I would do, following him all the way here. If he knew, he would laugh at me for a long time to come.

I should really go back. Perhaps because I walked faster than usual to chase after him, my stomach felt nauseous. The air was also stuffy because it was a parking lot, and my lungs began to hurt. As he felt the signs of his breath gradually becoming shorter, Yeonjo took out his inhaler from his pocket and took a puff of the medication. Fortunately, his condition was not bad enough to trigger an attack, and the nausea subsided quickly.

It was just as Yeonjo was about to turn his body back toward the elevator to leave the parking lot.

“Ah…?”

A large hand suddenly shot out and wrapped around Yeonjo’s arm.

Yeonjo’s eyes widened at the sudden grip. His body felt like it was tilting, so he barely caught his balance and lifted his head, and there he was.

“Why are you following me.”

Boss Gu.

“…You… here, why…”

Now that the person he was looking for was right in front of him, Yeonjo was at a loss for words. As he met his cool eyes, a tingling sensation rode up from his solar plexus and spread throughout his chest.

“That is what I want to ask. Stalking a gangster bastard.”

“No… I.”

“A brilliant idea.”

“St, stalking, what are you talking about. I have never done that.”

“So you were just peeping from here at the same time every week?”

He recited Yeonjo’s past actions one by one, muttering softly.

“What, are you talking about. I.”

“Get in.”

As if he had no patience to listen to his lame excuses, Boss Gu opened the car door and pushed Yeonjo inside. His actions were not rough, but because Yeonjo’s body was so weak, he was easily pulled into the back seat of the car he was pushed toward.

Thud. The door closed, and in an instant, the two of them were facing each other in the narrow interior of the car.

His face felt like it was on fire with the shame of being caught by him. He was debating whether to get out and run away right now, but without giving him a chance to decide, Boss Gu pressed him.

“Speak.”

“What?”

“I am asking what you plan to do, continuing to hang around.”

“I told you I did not do that.”

He took a cigarette out of his pocket with a face full of annoyance. He put it to his lips out of habit, but then, seeing Yeonjo, he crumpled it and threw it out the window.

“Well, it is fine if you want to deny it. Then why do you keep sending money?”

So he knew about the monthly transfers.

“To pay you back. I owe you a debt, don’t I.”

As if he did not like Yeonjo’s answer, Boss Gu’s lips twisted strangely.

“Ah. So you came all the way here to let me know that you are depositing that paltry sum of money well?”

“No? Are you crazy?”

Provoked by his sarcastic tone, Yeonjo immediately shot back.

“Why do you talk like that? Then you shouldn’t have accepted it.”

“Who said I wanted to receive that kind of money?”

If he hated receiving it so much, he could have sent it back to my account. I resented him for laughing at me now as if it were pathetic, when he had silently accepted it for months. All my efforts, struggling to pay him back every month even with a small amount, felt like a useless act.

“You did not say anything all this time either!”

“That is because that is the only point of contact I have with you…!”

Boss Gu was about to yell but then stopped himself. As he clamped his mouth shut, he roughly stroked his jawline.

“Fuck, you have no idea how shitty a person can feel.”

“Didn’t you tell me to pay you back for sure?”

“You do not have to pay it back. Is that clear? Was this the reason you were following me around all this time?”

“No. I…!”

Yeonjo, whose emotions had also flared up, glared at him. Asking me if I came to talk about money?

“…I just wanted to check on how you were doing.”

“What?”

At Yeonjo’s faint voice, Boss Gu’s face hardened fiercely as if he had heard something he should not have, and he asked again.

“…”

“What did you just say.”

“I said I wanted to check on how you were doing.”

The words flowed out of his mouth on their own. Yeonjo, surprised by the words he himself had uttered a beat too late, lifted his head.

I do not know why my heart is pounding so much just for saying this. Honestly, I wanted to ask if he had gone to the bar, if he had met someone else. So unexpectedly, even after experiencing that terrible time, the things I was curious about him were such simple and childish questions. It is pathetic.

“Why are you spouting such bullshit now.”

Boss Gu spoke as if it were wrong for Yeonjo to harbor any curiosity about him.

A brief silence followed.

“Honestly, I do not know.”

I do not know myself well either. Yeonjo thought painfully. And Boss Gu stared at him with his head tilted to the side.

“What does it look like to you.”

“…”

“Do you think I would have been doing well?”

Yeonjo flinched at the pointed words. They blatantly contained a negative meaning. Paradoxically, Yeonjo felt a strange thrill. He even felt delighted. It was because from his cracked voice, he could read in detail how angry and pained he had been.

Was I such a base human being? Perhaps I had been obsessively coming to Seoul all this time for this very moment.

To hide his twisted inner thoughts, Yeonjo changed the subject of the conversation at will instead of answering his question.

“What about Hong Ki-hyuk?”

“You know, so why ask. I killed him.”

“…”

“If you were anxious because of that, he died a while ago, so you can stop worrying about it now.”

Boss Gu spoke of killing a person as if it were nothing. It was something Yeonjo had expected to some extent, so his reaction was calm.

“The police last time… did they come because of Hong Ki-hyuk?”

“Police?”

He asked back as if asking what he was talking about. Then, as if he had found the answer himself, he nodded his head.

“Ah. Yes. I took care of him quite flamboyantly, so I almost got caught. It is all over now.”

So the matter of being taken away by the police was nothing. To the point where he could not even recall it at once when I asked him.

The past days when I had been burning up with anxiety over it felt trivial. It turned out I had made a fuss over nothing. Yeonjo became ashamed of his obsessive behavior.

“…That is a relief. Then, I will get off now.”

“Stay. I will take you.”

Without giving him a chance to refuse, Boss Gu fastened the seatbelt for Yeonjo. Then he opened the door, got out, and sat in the driver’s seat.

Fiddling with the belt pressing against his chest, Yeonjo made a puzzled expression. How did he know where I was going to take me there?

“I am not in the mood to joke around with you.”

“I am not joking.”

“I will go on my own, so stop the car.”

“No. Think of it as the price for stalking me.”

He was being stubborn. I was so dumbfounded that I could not even think of what to argue with.

As it turned out, Boss Gu knew exactly where Yeonjo worked. Seeing the car he was driving enter a familiar highway, Yeonjo let out a sigh. It was the way to the resort. It was obvious without even having to ask what had happened.

Yeonjo debated whether to stand on his pride and insist on getting off here, or to just stay quiet like this. In his heart, he wanted to say he would go back on his own, but because he had been moving around busily since early in the morning to chase after him, he had no energy left in his body. His legs, which had gone weak when he was caught following him in the parking lot, still seemed to be trembling.

So he had no choice but to sit quietly as he drove him, just this once. To be honest, it was convenient not to have to go to the terminal, check the bus schedule, and buy a ticket.

As if to mock his earlier declaration that he would get off, Yeonjo fell fast asleep in an instant, less than twenty minutes after the car had started.

And a good while later, when they arrived at their destination, Boss Gu stopped the car not in the parking lot, but in front of the resort entrance.

“We are here. Get out.”

He said, as if commanding a subordinate. At that, Yeonjo, who had just opened his eyes, looked around with a face still heavy with sleep. It felt like he had only closed his eyes for a moment, but he could see the familiar building in front of him, wondering when they had arrived.

Flustered, Yeonjo hurriedly got out of the car as if he were being pushed. Then, without a word, Boss Gu’s car turned around and left the resort.

Did he really come all this long way just to drop me off?

Once the distant car was no longer visible, Yeonjo’s chest belatedly began to churn. He raised his hand to rummage through his pocket to take out his inhaler out of habit, but there was something heavy in his hand.

“What… is this.”

It was Boss Gu’s jacket. He was bewildered, unable to understand how he had ended up carrying this out with him.

Yeonjo blinked his eyes, fiddling with the jacket that was several sizes too big for him. It seemed that while he was asleep, it had been placed on his lap, and he had gotten up in a daze and brought it with him.

He wanted to return it, but the car had already been gone for a long time. Yeonjo stared blankly at the empty road.

🚬

Yeonjo clutched the medicine bag he had just received from the pharmacy. Inside were emergency medication for seizures and the medicine he took regularly.

The doctor suggested that he try gradually reducing the dosage. The interval between his seizures was getting longer, and even the most recent bout of breathing difficulty was manageable by Yeonjo himself.

Normally, this would have been good news for Yeonjo, enough to keep him in high spirits all day. After all, it meant that his treatment was showing some progress.

But Yeonjo’s face, as he came out of the pharmacy, was tinged with tension and as hard as stone.

“…”

He had crumpled the paper of the medicine bag from fidgeting with it so much. A beat too late, he noticed the crumpled bag and folded it neatly again before putting it in his bag. And Yeonjo let out a deep sigh.

Even though he had been standing motionless in the middle of the alley for several minutes, his feet refused to move.

From the moment he woke up in the resort dormitory in the morning and got dressed to come to Seoul, his mind had been filled with nothing but thoughts of Boss Gu and the jacket.

Would it be okay to go and return this? Is it the right thing to return it? He had brought the jacket with him, but his heart felt very uneasy at the thought of meeting him again.

Boss Gu probably would not demand compensation even if he threw away the jacket, but inside the pocket were his leather gloves and a small envelope containing an unknown contract. At a glance, it was not a document he could dispose of carelessly.

Since he did not know his number, he could not call him and ask him to come get it, so today too, he had no choice but to go to the cafe where they always met.

This time, I am not going because I really want to. Repeating that to himself, Yeonjo stared uneasily at the jacket, which was neatly folded inside the shopping bag.

It was a Saturday afternoon, so the streets were very crowded. Yeonjo entered the now-familiar cafe. The part-timer now recognized Yeonjo and greeted him, asking how he had been. Yeonjo smiled sheepishly and exchanged some polite greetings.

As he came to the window and took a seat, he had a clear view of the people hurrying along the street. Most of them were dressed up, as if they were out to have fun.

Parents pushing strollers, friends who had finished shopping, children running with large bags on their backs, and couples out for a stroll. They all looked healthy and full of life. People living lives far removed from Yeonjo’s quickly passed by.

Several hours passed by in a flash, even though all he did was sit and watch the outside without doing anything.

“Sorry, Wooyoung-ah. I’m really late, aren’t I.”

“No, hyung! I haven’t been waiting long.”

“Aww, our little one. Look at how cute you are when you talk. Hyung ran all the way here, so I’m hungry.”

“Hyung, hyung. What are we eating?”

A male student in a school uniform who had been sitting at the next table packed his school bag and shot up from his seat when his companion arrived. The student, who was said to be the youngest in his family, seemed to have a lot of aegyo for a male student.

“Let’s see. Let’s eat whatever Wooyoung likes. What do you want to eat?”

“I want raw fish! But hyung, what time do you have to be back? Mom said you’re busy because of your company, so she said to just eat quickly and come back.”

“No, no. I have a lot of time today, so let’s eat until dinner.”

The student and his brother who had been sitting next to Yeonjo diligently packed their things and left the cafe. Yeonjo, who had accidentally overheard their conversation, felt his mood sink strangely as he watched the two of them walking away side by side.

The now-quiet seat next to him felt somehow out of place. An old memory of that boy unexpectedly seeped into his consciousness.

Yeonjo’s gaze turned to the shopping bag containing the jacket, which was placed on the chair right next to him. Yeonjo’s brow furrowed tightly as he stared at it.

The jacket. I do not want to return it.

The moment I return this, the excuse to meet Boss Gu will completely disappear. And now, I might really have to live as a stranger.

I had to accept and admit that I would never be involved with him again. Cowardly, that was why I did not want to return it.

The unidentifiable melancholy that he had been barely ignoring from the moment he arrived here took shape and shook Yeonjo.

Yeonjo impulsively got up from his seat. And as if running away, he left the cafe and walked quickly in the direction of the terminal.

Not now. Let’s return it later. When my heart is more settled.

Contrary to his urgent desire to get far away from this place, his body would not follow. In an instant, he was out of breath and his chest hurt. A panting sound began to escape his lips. It was hard to tell whether it was because of sobbing or because of breathing difficulty.

“Haah, haak.”

Yeonjo sat down in front of a small fountain he saw right in front of him, hugging his knees. As he tucked his head into his knees and caught his breath, the corners of his eyes grew damp.

In retrospect, his relationship with Boss Gu had always been a form where he was just being dragged along, like a buoy swept away by the waves. He had never once thought of turning around and facing him.

He had only ever thought that he was being forcibly and reluctantly swayed against his will. But as time passed and the sea grew calm, he realized at some point, in the vast, quiet expanse of the sea, that he missed the waves that had battered him. At a point when it was far too late.

Why was he always like this? Nothing had changed from the day he ran away from the single room and crouched down on the market floor. This time too, he was back in the same place.

“Heuu…”

A sob escaped through his clenched teeth. Yeonjo, his eyes closed, clutched the shopping bag in his hand tightly, as if it were a lifeline.

Just then, a smooth touch gently covered the nape of Yeonjo’s white neck.

“Why are you crying. Are you in pain?”

Yeonjo knew this feeling. Pitch-black leather gloves.

As Yeonjo lifted his head from his knees, Boss Gu was standing there, as if it were a lie.

“…How did you get here?”

At Yeonjo’s dazed question, he made a look of disbelief. Soon, at his gesture, the subordinate standing behind him approached with a coat.

Boss Gu draped the coat over Yeonjo. In an instant, his scent filled his entire body.

“Get in the car first.”

“Wait…”

Before Yeonjo could refuse, a black car glided to a smooth stop right in front of the fountain. Boss Gu opened the back door and gestured to Yeonjo with his head. Get in.

With a man of such a large and fierce appearance holding the car door open and standing there, it was impossible not to attract the attention of those around. Instead of arguing that he did not want to, Yeonjo obediently got into the back seat.

“To the hospital.”

Boss Gu, who had also sat in the back seat, ordered the subordinate at the wheel.

“Yes, Siljangnim.”

“It is not because I am in pain.”

“I knew it when you were wandering around. Being so frail.”

“I said no. I am really fine.”

“…”

“This. I came to give you your clothes. And I am perfectly fine.”

He narrowed his sharp eyes, as usual, to gauge whether Yeonjo’s words were bluff or truth.

“Turn the car back to the resort.”

“I said I am fine!”

“…What do you want me to do.”

“…”

It was an utterly childish tantrum. Yeonjo, unable to justify his own capricious behavior, clamped his mouth shut. In the face of such stubbornness, the man named Boss Gu was extremely cold.

“Siljangnim. Where should I go?”

“The resort.”

“I said I do not want to.”

“Then get out.”

“…”

What did I just hear. Yeonjo, surprised, opened his eyes wide and turned his head toward Boss Gu.

His face and voice were endlessly cold. Even though it was all his own doing, his indifferent reaction was just sorrowful. Tears welled up in Yeonjo’s eyes again. It seemed he was definitely crazy.

“Why am I like this.”

He turned his head straight away, not wanting to be caught crying, but Boss Gu had already seen.

“Cha Yeonjo. Are you crying?”

His expression, which had seemed like it would never soften, was now tinged with bewilderment.

“I will get out. Let me out.”

Yeonjo began to pant as if he had been running, his breath growing short. His head was dizzy.

Soon, cold sweat beaded on his forehead. Even though he was wearing Boss Gu’s jacket, his body felt like it was growing cold.

“Cha Yeonjo. Yeonjo hyung.”

Boss Gu called Yeonjo several times, but he could not hear him. A seizure. This time it was really a seizure.

Yeonjo fumbled in his pocket for his inhaler. But his fingertips were so stiff, as if from frostbite, that he could not make a fist. An unbearable pain began to ache in his lungs, and Yeonjo’s body trembled.

He managed to grasp the inhaler with all his might, but before he could inhale the medication, his vision went dark.

🚬

A soft bed and a blanket of familiar thickness. And a scent that calmed his frayed nerves.

Yeonjo opened his eyes, feeling a sense of stability and comfort. At the same time, he stretched languidly, but he could not help but be shocked at the sight of the room that came into his view.

“What the.”

The place where Yeonjo had been confined until a few months ago. It was Boss Gu’s house.

As if shot up, he bolted upright, and on the bedside table were his inhaler and the coat Yeonjo had been wearing. Snatching them up, Yeonjo hurriedly got off the bed.

When did I come here? I think I collapsed. Why did I wake up in Boss Gu’s house instead of going to the hospital?

Yeonjo was confused by the unexpected current situation. What was most confusing was that when he opened his eyes, he had felt a sense of relief in this space where his scent naturally lingered.

“You are awake.”

As he moved about busily to leave the bedroom, Boss Gu opened the door and came in. Yeonjo stopped his movements abruptly and glared at him.

“Gu Muncheon. Why am I here?”

“Because you threw a fucking fit, saying you did not want to go to the hospital.”

“…Did I really do that?”

“Yeah.”

Honestly, he did not believe it, but since he had no memory of it, he could not think of anything to refute him with.

“I am leaving.”

Not wanting to stay here a moment longer, Yeonjo rushed out of the bedroom. It was because the painful days he had spent in this villa came to mind. A chill ran down his spine at the fear that he might block the door and lock him up like before.

Yeonjo stopped walking for a moment and hastily took a puff from his inhaler.

“Wait. I will take you.”

“No, I do not need it.”

He pushed the man standing in front of him with all his might and then hurried toward the entrance.

At his unpredictable behavior, Boss Gu’s patience reached its limit. He clenched his molars tightly and lifted Yeonjo’s chin. As their eyes met, he said, as if chewing his words.

“What the hell do you want me to do.”

“…”

“Should I lock you up again as I please and fuck you whenever I feel like it?”

Yeonjo’s shoulders flinched at the voice laced with cruelty.

“Even if you look at me with that disgusted face, that is the only way I know. But you said you did not like it.”

“Yes, it is horrible and I hate it.”

“So you left me, and I let you go!”

He shouted like a thunderbolt.

“What the hell are you so dissatisfied about! Why do you come looking for me and stir things up?”

It was a raw voice, as if a layer of the temper he had been suppressing all this time had been peeled away. He glared at Yeonjo as if demanding an answer.

However, the strength in the hand holding his chin was extremely loose. So much so that Yeonjo could have pushed it away and left if he had wanted to.

Yeonjo, feeling the touch of the fingertips on his chin, debated whether to push him away and leave, or to face him and answer his question.

“If I tell you what I am thinking… you will call me a lunatic and curse at me.”

Before he could even make a decision, his plump lips moved on their own.

“What are you thinking.”

Boss Gu’s eyebrows twitched, not understanding the meaning of his words. Yeonjo avoided his gaze, not having the confidence to meet his eyes.

His insides are churning again. To the point where it is confusing whether it is a seizure or not. This extreme situation repeats itself whenever he stands in front of him. And yet, ironically, it was he who had gone looking for him first.

“Just… simply.”

Yeonjo’s lips trembled slightly. His heart was pounding so violently it felt like it would jump out of his mouth.

“I missed you. That is all. …Actually, the jacket might have just been an excuse.”

“…”

“But I am not supposed to do that to you, am I.”

At Yeonjo’s heavy confession, Boss Gu’s expression crumpled miserably. As if he had heard something unpleasant.

He huffed and puffed, unable to control his emotions, and then opened his mouth after a long while.

“Hyung, how could you… treat me like this… so casually? I, fuck, every day…”

He pushed Yeonjo away and then stepped back. This time, Yeonjo took a step toward him and grabbed his firm arm.

“What are you doing.”

“I even dreamed of you. I really think I have gone crazy.”

Boss Gu’s angular jaw twitched. As if he had never retreated, he wrapped his fingers around Yeonjo’s hair, pulled him closer, and said, as if spitting out the words.

“Why is that crazy. Shit, then I should have been locked up in a mental hospital long ago.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he roughly crashed his lips against his. The hot breath rushed in, and it felt as if it was being delivered deep into his lungs.

Yeonjo willingly responded to his kiss and wrapped his arms around his neck. And to press closer, he pulled the man toward him and entangled their tongues in a frenzy.

I am crazy. I must be really crazy. What will I do if I regret this again?

Warnings blared continuously in his head, but Yeonjo ignored them.

The sticky sound of sucking lips tickled his ears. As if they had been waiting, they explored every soft mucous membrane in each other’s mouths, sucking and licking each other’s lips stickily.

Boss Gu lifted Yeonjo’s body up in a flash and walked to the bedroom. His steps were more urgent and faster than ever before. Being held by him, their hard nether regions pressed together, and heat rushed to Yeonjo’s face.

Boss Gu, who had entered the room, carefully placed Yeonjo on the bed. And he began to undress him. His hands were endlessly hasty, but in between, he barely held on to his reason and repeatedly, slowly, undid his clothes.

Yeonjo lifted his waist to help him take off his pants more easily. As the pants came down and the cold air touched his bare legs, goosebumps rose on his skin.

Boss Gu let out a gasp of admiration as he stroked Yeonjo’s exposed hips and waist with his hands.

“You… you take yours off too. Quickly.”

Yeonjo whispered, grabbing the large hand that was kneading his body.

“You undress me, hyung.”

At Yeonjo’s request, Boss Gu straightened up and opened his arms. Yeonjo, who had been panting and looking up at him for a moment, soon began to unbutton his shirt.

Yeonjo’s hands were trembling slightly. Stimulated even by that small gesture, Boss Gu’s chest heaved greatly up and down. He could clearly feel how excited he was through his fingertips.

Finally, when his bare chest was revealed, Yeonjo slowly traced his thick, hard chest with his palm as if drawing on it. The skin, woven with muscle, was warm and soft. So much so that it was hard to believe that even a man like him had such tender flesh.

“What are you doing.”

As Yeonjo slowly clasped his hands, Boss Gu asked in wonder. Instead of answering, Yeonjo grabbed the end of the glove on Boss Gu’s hand and pulled it. The black glove soon fell to the floor below the bed.

The scar on the back of his exposed hand looked like a tangled spider web. Every time Yeonjo thought of all the scars and wounds on Boss Gu’s body, he felt a dull ache in his solar plexus.

Touching his bare hand as if it were glass, Yeonjo asked.

“…Why do you always wear them? The gloves.”

Boss Gu looked down at Yeonjo’s fine, white hand layered on top of his large, rugged one.

“Because it is grotesque.”

“Who said so?”

Yeonjo slowly pressed his lips onto the back of Boss Gu’s hand, where the skin was all gnarled from the burn.

“It is not ugly at all.”

“…I am going crazy.”

Boss Gu let out a pained sound and growled. It was a deep bass that seemed to scrape his vocal cords, like the cry of a beast.

He could not hold back any longer and completely stripped off Yeonjo’s underwear. And he spread his white legs and settled himself between them.

“Ah.”

His calloused hand unhesitatingly grabbed and stroked Yeonjo’s groin. As he was already somewhat erect, Yeonjo’s body trembled and he let out a moan even at the small stimulus.