Foot Worship Chapter 21

I found Kwon Raewon’s number and pressed the call button; a boring connection tone followed. Soon, a hard, dry voice was heard.

―Why.

“Connect me with a lawyer.”

―A lawyer? Why all of a sudden.

“There’s a problem with Foot Worship. A fem-sub says she’s being sued for adultery, and I want to help her.”

―You really do have an endless supply of nosiness.

“…”

―Send the post number by text and don’t you worry about it. I’ll take care of it.

“Uh, thanks.”

No matter how much Kwon Raewon or Goo Jihoon might claim to have no interest in Foot Worship, whenever something like this happened, they offered a helping hand without a word of complaint. Goo Jihoon was a doctor, so he tended to provide medical advice and miscellaneous knowledge, while Kwon Raewon had plenty of money, so he was in charge of things that could be solved with cash. It was a perfect triangular formation.

We were people who lived with worries we couldn’t tell anyone. Because of the unpleasantness or revulsion that the words “masochistic” or “sadistic” carried, it was hard to even meet people outside of a community like this. Because I knew that feeling, I paid even more attention to the site and clung to managing it. It was a heart I knew well, too.

In fact, I had no obligation to take responsibility for this as the operator. It was just a matter of moral responsibility. I left the aftermath to Kwon Raewon and began cleaning up the mess of a bulletin board. Just as I was finishing the deletions to some extent, my cell phone rang. With one hand still on the mouse, I dragged the phone over with the other and answered the call without even checking the caller.

“Hello.”

―It’s me.

Reflexively, I looked up to check the wall clock. When did the time get like this? It was already 1:39 PM. Jerome had told me in the morning to call at 1:00, but I had been so distracted by Foot Worship that I had completely forgotten. Biting my lip in frustration, I took my hand off the mouse.

―I believe I told you to call me.

“…I’ve been out of my mind since this morning.”

―Give me the reason you couldn’t call, keep it short.

“Something came up at Foot Worship, and I was so distracted tidying things up.”

Jerome was silent for a while. I suppose he was accessing Foot Worship on his phone and scrolling through the bulletin board, right? I rubbed behind my ears and adjusted the angle of my chair to sit up straight. I roughly tidied up the cluttered desk and rubbed the back of my hand against my prickly stubble. Because my stubble had grown out, it didn’t feel as refreshing as it had yesterday.

―You need to be scolded.

“…Yes.”

―And I’m asking again just out of caution, if there is anything I should know about you before we play, or anything you haven’t told me, tell me now.

“But are you still nervous…”

For a moment, the words Yang Suho had said flashed through my mind. I hesitated for a moment, but soon calmly ignored them.

“…There is nothing.”

―Then I’ll be there to pick you up in front of your house at 7 o’clock, so be ready.

As the appointed time approached, I couldn’t keep my body still due to the tension. I paced the living room with quick steps like a dog that needed to go to the bathroom, then flopped down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. The fact that I had completely forgotten my appointment with him because I was managing the site stuck in my solar plexus and wouldn’t go down. He didn’t seem angry, but I had an ominous feeling that today wouldn’t pass smoothly.

My heart felt queasy for no reason. I wanted to play with him, but at the same time, I was scared. This was because it was the last meeting we had promised. What if he doesn’t like me after we play? I had already developed a human fondness for him, so my worries were doubled.

If Jerome reached the negative conclusion of not wanting to do anything, let alone long-distance or play-partnering, I was thinking of begging him at least once. Even if I would have to accept it if he pushed me away, I was hoping that wouldn’t happen. Since he was someone I was drawn to, I felt a compulsive need not to make any mistakes. If possible, I wanted to continue our connection in any way I could.

I sat up and pulled over the backpack I had set aside. The bag contained a change of clothes and underwear. Unlike the days when I would hurriedly get dressed and slip away after a play session, today I had to stay at his house even after we were done. It was burdensome and uncomfortable to show him my messy body after play, but since I had already agreed with Jerome, there was nothing I could do. Once the play was over, I would have no choice but to go into the bathroom as quickly as possible, wash up, get dressed, and come out.

It was time to get ready. I took off the clothes I was wearing, put them in the laundry basket, and went into the bathroom. It was 6:00 by the time I finished my shower and came out. I dried my wet hair and took out the clothes I had prepared in advance. I planned to wear a gray half-roll neck sweater with slacks, a jacket, and a coat over that. It was an outfit that covered my body. After playing, marks were bound to be left, and I didn’t want to show those marks to others.

I took off my robe and let out a deep sigh. There was something I had to put on before that. It was the underwear Jerome had sent me. I let out a long sigh and inserted my legs into the straps. My brows knit together automatically at the straps wrapping around my buttocks. Even though I had it all on, I let out a dry laugh at the feeling of my backside being empty. It was an ambiguous feeling—it felt like I wasn’t wearing anything, yet not entirely naked either.

Trying not to be conscious of the underwear, I put on my slacks. It felt strangely erotic to have the prickly fabric of the slacks brushing against my bare skin. I put on the half-roll neck and neatly folded the neck part to finish. I stood in front of the mirror, groomed my hair, and slightly trimmed my overgrown stubble to give it shape. It had been a long time since I had grown out my beard, so the reflection in the mirror felt unfamiliar.

As I was getting ready, it was already 10 minutes before the appointment time. I hurriedly put on my coat and went outside. The weather was cold enough to see white puffs of breath rising. However, I didn’t feel like it was that cold. Perhaps it was because of the heat filling my body, but it actually felt refreshing. I rubbed my stiff shoulders from the tension and looked up at the dark sky. Winter nights were truly long.

Soon, a car stopped in front of me with a short honk. He reached out and opened the passenger door for me, then gestured for me to get in.

“Hello.”

As soon as I closed the car door, Jerome brazenly pulled up my coat and smoothed over the strap that went from below my pelvic bone to my buttocks. I could feel the strap brushing against his fingertips vividly. I couldn’t even breathe properly and just stiffened in place. Shame welled up, and my face turned bright red. After he finished his check, he finally greeted me in a refreshing tone.

“Have you been well?”

“Yes.”

Hearing the voice I had only heard over the phone for the past few days in person made my heart flutter before I knew it. The play with him, which had felt vague, finally started to feel real.

“Did you eat?”

“…No.”

“Then let’s have a meal and watch a movie.”

“Pardon?”

Jerome looked at me and smiled handsomely. I was already as out of breath as if I had just finished a 100m sprint, but a meal and a movie? It was breathtaking. However, Jerome, as if he had no intention of withdrawing his decision, searched for a restaurant name on the navigation and pressed the guidance button. I was dissatisfied, but I didn’t have the courage to protest. Will I even be able to focus on a movie in this state of mind?

“I told you to call at 1:00, and you broke it; you forgot my instruction to consult with me if anything related to Foot Worship came up; and you skipped dinner for the past two days because you didn’t have an appetite. So I decided I needed to give you a punishment, but for you, Jin, doing nothing is the punishment, isn’t it?”

“…Then when is the play.”

“After we eat and watch the movie, we are going to my house.”

I answered quietly with a sulky face and pulled the front of my coat together, curling my body up. I could have easily refuted the items Jerome presented if I had gone through them one by one. In particular, skipping dinner was something I had already asked for and received permission for from Jerome. Jerome chuckled at the sight of me and turned the steering wheel.

Friday evening road conditions were the worst. The car crawled at a speed that made me think running would be faster. Jerome seemed relaxed, humming to the music playing, but I was in a state of turmoil.

Like Jerome said, doing nothing to me was indeed a punishment. It was like showing an empty candy wrapper to someone who was drooling and dying to eat some candy, but not giving them any. I had been anticipating so much, but for it to unfold like this—I felt deflated and let my shoulders slump.

“Why do you have such a look on your face like a beast caught in the rain?”

“…It’s nothing.”

“Nothing? Your face is full of dissatisfaction.”