Magic on the Dead Chapter 16

Next to the sink, beyond the murky glass partition, the naked body of an adult male was visible. It was Eden.

Shwaaaa— Right on cue, water sprayed out from the shower hose.

“Oh, I didn’t know you were in here.”

Hajin, hiding his fluster, fumbled for a moment before draping the dress shirt he had been holding over his arm back onto his shoulders.

“Let’s just shower together.”

Hajin’s hands, which were about to fasten the buttons, froze.

“The water pressure is unstable. In a situation like this, it wouldn’t be strange for the water to cut off at any moment, so it’s better to wash up quickly together while we can.”

…He had a point. In an emergency, being shy around someone of the same sex was more strange. Hajin, without much thought, threw off the dress shirt he had put back on. Too embarrassed to take off his pants, he shuffled awkwardly towards the sink.

He kept his gaze fixed on the floor, trying his best not to look at the man’s body. Was it a physiological aversion, or the result of their subtle power struggle? Hajin glanced around the awkward bathroom before spotting a toothbrush in a glass cup and squeezing toothpaste onto it. The sharp mint scent refreshingly soothed his stale mouth.

The old mirror was plastered with strange waterproof stickers for things like outcall massages. Hajin, who had been rolling his eyes to count the number of stickers, finally furrowed his brow. He tried his best to ignore it, but his own reflection in the mirror was too much of a mess.

‘Ha… this is the worst.’

His rain-soaked hair was matted as if he hadn’t washed it in days, and there was a scratch between his right jaw and neck, though he didn’t know when he’d gotten it. The skin under his eyes, from snatching bits of sleep, was sunken and dark. He never dreamed he would return to the motel in such a state.

Where did it all go wrong? Would it have been better if he had held his solo show somewhere other than Sangwon City? What if he had invited Junseok, like Miso said? His thoughts sputtered here and there like cooking oil poured onto a hot pan.

Hajin brushed his teeth, staring blankly at his reflection in the mirror.

The memory of the beer cans he had put in the fridge to celebrate his first solo show made his mood sink even lower. It was out of the question to fall asleep sober, so the thought of having a beer before bed crossed his mind.

While he was brushing his teeth, the floor beneath his feet became damp. When he looked down, he saw cheap shampoo foam and water flowing from under the partition. The foam was a light pink, as if blood had been washed away with it.

“Ugh.”

Hajin stepped back, his body shuddering. Just then, Eden, having finished his shower, fixed the shower head to the wall. He emerged, sweeping back his wet bangs, and turned his head toward the fussing Hajin.

“What are you doing?”

He glanced at Hajin, who was still stubbornly wearing his stuffy suit pants, as if he were a strange sight. Hajin, with an awkward face, spat out the foam in his mouth.

“I just wanted to brush my teeth first.”

The reply sounded like an excuse even to his own ears. He bent down and cupped water in his palm to rinse his mouth. Hajin, vigorously swishing his cheeks, lifted his gaze from the sink and glanced at the mirror. Eden brushed past him, shaking out his bangs. Huh.

‘What did I just see.’

The man’s flaccid penis hung down to the middle of his thigh. Along with his dark pubic hair, its shaft, which was twice as thick as most men’s even before an erection, swayed before his eyes. The 멋지게-angled, trainer-like muscles next to it, and the faint tattoo on his left forearm, didn’t quite register.

Eden pulled a large towel from the towel rack.

“I’ll use this for a bit.”

He nonchalantly dried his hair. Hajin, who had been staring with his mouth agape, dazedly, quickly turned his eyes to his own lower body. It was a good thing he hadn’t taken his pants off. If he had, he might have witnessed a sneer flash across those damn eyes.

While Eden quickly dried himself off, Hajin scurried to hide inside the shower stall. Eden, whom he thought would leave first, was standing in front of the sink.

Even through the murky glass partition, the intimidating difference in their builds was palpable. Hajin, who had never once been told he was small compared to others, felt his shoulders instinctively hunch next to him.

Hajin, watching him cautiously, slowly peeled off his suit pants and drawers. He roughly pushed the discarded clothes behind him, and the moment he turned on the water, a horrified groan escaped him.

“Ah, ts!”

Cold water droplets poured down on his head. As he stomped his feet and quickly turned the knob toward hot, a level, humorless laugh echoed through the old bathroom.

“For your information, there’s no hot water.”

Nice of you to tell me so soon. Hajin, his jaw chattering, glared at Eden’s silhouette. When he ducked his head under the water and held his breath, the ice-cold temperature began to feel lukewarm. After wetting his stuffy hair, he squeezed a generous amount of cheap shampoo into his palm.

While he was vigorously massaging his scalp, he heard the rough sound of wet clothes rubbing against each other from beyond the partition. Hajin narrowed his eyes and looked at the silhouette washing clothes by hand. If it were transparent, he wouldn’t know, but looking at the tantalizing body through the opaque, water-stained glass partition made him frown.

To conserve water, Hajin turned off the tap and meticulously scrubbed his scalp. Splish, splash. Amidst it all, the fierce sound of hand-washing echoed through the quiet bathroom.

“Why did you do that earlier?”

At Eden’s sudden question, Hajin’s eyebrows twitched.

“Excuse me?”

“Mr. Do Hajin and Ms. Yoon Miso could have been in danger, too.”

…At this timing, he’s asking this question? Between them, who were practically strangers, while they were stark naked and washing themselves—isn’t asking such a serious question against the rules?

When a flustered Hajin didn’t answer, the man continued. He was expressing a fundamental doubt about Hajin’s rescue mission.

“Besides, I’m the one who abandoned you.”

Eden’s low voice bounced off the bathroom walls and lodged itself in his ear. His already low-pitched voice had a resonance that instilled an unwarranted tension in the listener.

Hajin finally understood why the man hadn’t hastily offered him words of thanks. Well, look at this, Hajin thought, narrowing his eyes.

“Aha. Mr. Jung Taegeon must be afraid I’ll try to cling to you again.”

“…….”

“To the point where you’re even timing your thank-yous.”

At last, creak, the sound of the faucet being turned off was heard, followed by the sound of a shirt being wrung out. Eden didn’t answer, seemingly because he had hit a nerve.

As he squeezed out body wash and rubbed his stomach, foam trickled down his thighs. A sharp voice popped out along with a sigh.

“Like you said, I risked my life to save you, so let’s at least get a thank you.”

Even as he said it, Hajin’s pride was wounded. This wasn’t even begging for praise, it was…

Snap, snap! Eden, after shaking out his shirt, retorted nonchalantly.

“I apologize for acting like a jerk earlier. I’m grateful you saved me just now, and thank you for providing the place.”

“So where’s your next destination?”

Hajin asked, glossing over the forced thanks without any emotion. His opponent was silent for a moment, as if flustered.

“…I’m still trying to sort out my thoughts.”

Turning the water back on, Hajin rinsed all the foam from his body and then shut off the valve. As the loud sound of the water cut off, his ears felt momentarily deaf.

Hajin stuck his hand out from behind the partition. Eden, understanding the signal for a towel, handed over the large one he had been using.

“Aren’t there any new ones in that drawer over there?”

“There are not.”

Hajin pouted. Even though he wasn’t particularly a clean freak, the thought of it being a towel Jung Taegeon had used stirred up a pointless resentment. Fiddling with the damp towel, Hajin, hmph, let out a short breath through his nose. Having no choice, he placed the towel on his head and diligently dried his hair.

While shaking his hair, he suddenly heard a clear, refreshing sound. A chill ran down Hajin’s spine, and he urgently called out to him.

“Wait a minute, Mr. Jung Taegeon.”

“…….”

“Are you brushing your teeth right now?”

“Yeh.”

Eden answered as if he had something in his mouth, and the sound of him brushing his teeth started again. Hajin stammered and shouted.

“The only toothbrush out was mine, wasn’t it?”

“…….”

“You didn’t use mine, did you?”

Brush, brush….

“Mr. Jung Taegeon, why aren’t you answering?”

Hajin’s face gradually turned pale. He was about to rush out from behind the partition but stopped himself with an Oops, and stepped back again. Hajin stretched the towel vertically to hastily cover his chest and groin. Still feeling unsure, he anxiously peeked his head out from behind the glass.

His view was filled with Jung Taegeon’s broad, V-shaped back. His shoulder blades moved ceaselessly.

“You’re not, right? You’re just kidding, right?”

Brush, brush…. Amidst it all, Jung Taegeon’s shoulders were shaking slightly, as if he was laughing. Hajin’s face finally turned red and blue with rage.

Finally unable to bear it, Hajin stepped out from behind the partition.

“I mean, have some common decency, are you really crazy? No matter what, to use someone else’s toothbrush…!”

Eden, who had bent his head to rinse his mouth, glanced up. Over the old mirror, Hajin’s and Eden’s gazes met.

Eden didn’t avoid his gaze and, through the mirror, slowly scanned Hajin’s eyes, nose, philtrum, neck, collarbones, and chest. At the ensnaring gaze, Hajin’s throat tightened. He unconsciously crumpled the towel he was holding clumsily below his nipples.