CH-034

Yeom Ha-jae's eyes, which had momentarily expanded, quickly furrowed.

It wasn't because of the anticipated sexual traces.

'He has... a lot of scars.'

It was the complete opposite of his neat face.

Yeom Ha-jae's hand carefully brushed Seo Shin-woo's side. A large keloid scar was located there.

He felt a bit pained because he could guess where the wound had come from.

"......"

The heartbeat that had been ringing in his ears had subsided before he knew it.

Yeom Ha-jae, with his mouth firmly shut, observed the exposed scars as if engraving them.

The real problem wasn't the scars from battle.

An ordinary person wouldn't know the difference, but to someone who had lived as a hunter for a long time, it was distinguishable at a glance.

Wounds that someone had deliberately left.

Marks that were unnatural to be simply from battle, where a sadistic intent could be glimpsed.

'These round ones...'

They were definitely made by a cigarette. Wounds that maliciously targeted only the areas not visible on the outside.

At the heart-aching feeling just from looking, Yeom Ha-jae bit his lip. Perhaps Seo Shin-woo was in a more difficult situation than he had thought.

Corporal punishment, torture, self-harm.... Numerous possibilities arose and vanished.

From what he had examined, except for the neck, there were no traces where a person's mouth had touched. But in the eyes that confirmed that fact, instead of relief, a complicated feeling welled up.

In the room where silence had settled, only the rustling sound of the blanket as Seo Shin-woo tossed and turned echoed. The gaze that had been silently scanning the upper body suddenly stopped at one spot.

Yeom Ha-jae brought his hand to the pattern on Seo Shin-woo's chest. At first, his attention was drawn to the densely engraved scars, and he passed it over thinking it was an ordinary tattoo, but the more he looked, the stranger it felt.

The black drawing made of thin lines was engraved exactly where the heart was. The color was also vivid, as if it had been done recently.

Why in this location, why this kind of drawing...

Even after examining other places, no similar marks were visible.

Yeom Ha-jae laid his face on the clearly exposed chest. It was firm, but the skin touching his cheek was soft.

Listening to the calm heartbeat while blankly stroking the chest with his hand, something caught on his finger.

It was a nipple.

"......"

Yeom Ha-jae rolled his eyes without a word.

Perhaps because he was deeply asleep, the chest was rising and falling steadily. There seemed to be no sign of him coming to his senses.

A decision was made in an instant.

"Hyung-ah..."

He abruptly bit Seo Shin-woo's chest. He sucked the flesh that entered his mouth as hard as he could.

Chup, chup.

When he set his teeth and lightly chewed the areola, he felt the soft lump gradually becoming stiff. Yeom Ha-jae crushed the nipple with his tongue as if comforting the highly sensitized thing.

For a while, he clung to the chest like a child seeking milk. Then, at some moment when his front teeth grazed the nipple.

"Stop..."

Tap.

A hot body temperature touched the hand pressing on the bed.

"!"

He hurriedly lifted his head. Seo Shin-woo was still sleeping soundly.

"...Hoo."

Was it sleep talking? The strength drained from his startled body. Yeom Ha-jae wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

He carefully removed the hand that was touching him. Looking down, he saw Seo Shin-woo sleeping, not knowing anything. The bandage Yeom Ha-jae had put on his cheek during the day was still attached as it was.

When he stroked the cheek a few times with his hand, the bandage came off easily. Not even a day had passed, but the wound had already faded to the point of being almost invisible.

"......"

A hazy gaze thoroughly swept over Seo Shin-woo.

The corners of the relaxed face's mouth were downturned, unlike usual. Yeom Ha-jae gave a small laugh.

"Like a child."

The handsome face looked innocent today. Perhaps it was because the smile he always wore like a mask had disappeared.

Yeom Ha-jae, watching the occasionally twitching eyelids, recalled the pupils that would be hidden underneath.

"I'm actually gay."

And even the face smoothly smiling.

"Haa, heu..."

In an instant, his lower half grew heavy.

Yeom Ha-jae pressed his lips firmly with the back of his hand to stop his breathing from becoming rough.

"......"

He wanted the 'first time' to be when both were fully conscious.

Yeom Ha-jae, having steadied his breathing, wiped the chest that was glistening wet from saliva with the blanket. The nipple, which had been a light brown color, was now tinged a reddish hue.

It was the moment he fastened Seo Shin-woo's shirt buttons tightly up to his neck, covered him with the blanket, and stood up from his spot.

Thud!

A dull sound rang from the door.

"?"

Thud!

As if to prove it wasn't a mistake, a vibration occurred once more.

"Nngh..."

Perhaps because the sound was quite loud. Seo Shin-woo's eyelids trembled.

Yeom Ha-jae immediately got up from the bed.

As soon as he opened the door slightly, a hand suddenly appeared and gripped the doorframe tightly. The heavy iron door was flung open, and what appeared was a blond man. He was standing crookedly with his hands shoved in his pockets.

"Seo Shin-woo, you're here, right?"

Yeom Ha-jae looked up at him with wary eyes.

"...Are you someone hyung knows?"

"Co-worker."

Slightly narrowed eyes scanned Jang Yi-jung.

The atmosphere alone was unusual, and the veins on his rolled-up forearm were even bulging. He was a man who gave off a dangerous impression in many ways.

"Show me proof."

As soon as the answer fell, Jang Yi-jung pushed Yeom Ha-jae. Then, while Yeom Ha-jae was staggering, he entered the room.

"Ah, wait...!"

"Seo Shin-woo."

The man, who had strode straight to the bed, yanked the blanket off. The cool air suddenly rushed in, making the shirt-clad Seo Shin-woo curl up.

Jang Yi-jung tapped Seo Shin-woo's cheek.

"Go in and sleep."

"What are you doing right now? Please leave."

At the blatant order to vacate, Jang Yi-jung raised an eyebrow.

"Why, don't you know who I am? You saw me last time. At the Association."

"......"

The Association's 10th anniversary commemoration event. When the other party unhesitatingly brought up the topic Yeom Ha-jae had been pretending not to know, he was momentarily at a loss for words.

"It's not like your eyes are bad."

After shooting back shortly, Jang Yi-jung started shaking Seo Shin-woo's body again.

"Wake up, Seo Shin-woo."

"Leave him alone...!"

"Ugh..."

Seo Shin-woo, frowning, gently opened his eyes. Not missing the opportunity, Jang Yi-jung thrust his face right up to his nose.

"Can you recognize me?"

"Jang..."

Seo Shin-woo, who was about to say the name reflexively, shut his mouth. He felt a chilly gaze from somewhere.

Jang Yi-jung glanced at Yeom Ha-jae standing beside the bed.

"Let's go."

A large hand grabbed Seo Shin-woo's forearm. The body, sagging like a wet towel, was forcibly pulled up.

Seo Shin-woo, having straightened his upper body hunchedly, was assessing the situation for a moment when Yeom Ha-jae grabbed his other arm.

"Hyung, do you just want to stay here? Is that person really a co-worker?"

Seo Shin-woo, having shaken off Yeom Ha-jae's arm, held his head.

"Co-worker... that's right. I'll go."

"......"

Seo Shin-woo's eyes were still hazy. But compared to before he fell asleep, it felt like his reason had returned.

Seo Shin-woo, staggering to his feet, grabbed the jacket on the nightstand and leaned on Jang Yi-jung.

"......"

Yeom Ha-jae watched the retreating backs of the two leaving with dark eyes.

***

As soon as I entered the room, I lay down on the bed. My neck felt stuffy, so I unbuttoned a couple of shirt buttons.

"Whew..."

It felt like my head was spinning.

'To get this drunk from one glass...'

I don't know how I ended up going to Yeom Ha-jae's room. The memories from after I left the penthouse were gone. I swept my bangs back in frustration.

'This is why I don't drink alcohol.'

I tried to untie my tie, but nothing caught on my hand. As I groped around roughly, the tie was already untied and just draped around my neck.

"......"

Just in case, I put my hand inside my chest. I felt a round sensation inside the jacket.

'I brought the complimentary gift well.'

I was glad I hadn't dropped it somewhere.

I was letting out a sigh of relief when a shadow suddenly appeared over my head. It was Jang Yi-jung.

"Drink."

Just as I was thirsty, Jang Yi-jung brought water. I grabbed Jang Yi-jung's hand and got up.

"Thank you."

After gulping down the cold water, I felt like I could live. When I drank enough and closed the cap, Jang Yi-jung took the water bottle back and put it away. My head was still dizzy, so I stared blankly at Jang Yi-jung's back as he returned the water bottle to the refrigerator.

'Was he waiting? I told him beforehand that I wouldn't be coming back today.'

I just turned my head and checked the clock. It was already past 3 AM.

"Did you eat dinner well?"

"Yeah. It was good."

"That's a relief."

The conversation paused for a moment after those words. I was staying quiet since I didn't have anything particular to say, but Jang Yi-jung opened his mouth.

"Ah, I met that employee at the restaurant."

Is he talking about Ruru?

"Did you get cursed at? Don't mind it. He's always like that..."

"No. That person told me to give this to you."

What Jang Yi-jung held out was a small envelope.

He probably gave some trash again. The pattern was obvious, so I opened the envelope without much expectation.

Inside were neatly packaged stick snacks. I peeled off the heart-shaped memo attached to the wrapper.

[It's a bit early, but this is a gift for November 11th. I made it with my love for you, Sunbae. Good luck with work! -From Ruru, who always loves only Sunbae.]

And a drawing winking underneath that.

"......"

Is he an elementary schooler?

'...He really might be an elementary schooler.'

Actually, no one knew Ruru's age except the boss.

As expected, at the deflating content, I tossed the memo carelessly and sprawled back on the bed.

Jang Yi-jung caught the fluttering paper as it fell. He seemed to be staring blankly at the letter for a moment, then said something frustrating.

"As expected, you're dat—"

"I said I'm not."

I threw the stick snacks, envelope and all, straight into the trash can.

"If you're going to throw it away, I'll eat it."

"I can't recommend that."

There was no telling what was inside.

As we exchanged conversation, I gradually felt the alcohol wearing off. I closed my eyes and raised my upper body because of the dizziness.

"Yi-jung-ssi. If you're not going to wash, can I wash first?"

"Anyway, you're saying there's no one you're dating, right?"

"Huh? Yes..."

When I opened my eyes, Jang Yi-jung was looking down at me.

"No one you're dating..."

As he took a step closer, a shadow instantly fell over my face.

"Then I guess I can do bad things."

Thwack!

I was suddenly pushed onto the bed.

I tried to raise my body back up, but Jang Yi-jung climbed on top of me.

"What..."

"Shh."

I opened my mouth dumbfounded, but it was blocked by Jang Yi-jung's hand.

"...?"

This habit of blocking people's mouths so freely, it's a bad habit. With a dissatisfied heart, I stuck out my tongue and licked his palm.

It seemed like the hand flinched for a moment, but it didn't fall away. Jang Yi-jung whispered in a small voice.

"Stay quiet."

Nod nod.

When I nodded, Jang Yi-jung removed his hand.

"Yeom Ha-jae, he followed us to the hallway."

What?

"What's your relationship?"

"...Just someone I know by face."

"Really?"

Jang Yi-jung brought his face closer.

"That person, he's still in front of the door right now."