ACJY C53

A variety of sounds from beyond the curtain mingled with the rhythmic hum of machines. It had a calming effect. Taeheun passed the time watching the sleeping man.

The man had been lying just like this, legs slightly apart, while Yongjun sucked his dick. He’d been wearing shorts, but they’d been rolled up to his groin, making it practically the same as wearing only underwear. Even while his cock was being sucked, the man had been sound asleep.

The wet sounds Yongjun made while sucking the man’s cock were vivid in his ears. At the time of discovery, he had been furious, but now, why did it feel so erotic in retrospect?

You seem to enjoy the erotic, don’t you?

He frowned.

Soon, he began to worry that the heating pad might be too hot. The physical therapist had told the man to say something if it was too hot, but the man was fast asleep and wouldn’t know. Taeheun shrugged as if to say he had no choice but to check himself.

He tried to insert his hand between the man’s calf and the heating pad. Or rather, he struggled to insert it. Due to his large, rough hands, he could barely slip his fingertips into the almost nonexistent gap. He wouldn’t be able to check properly like this. With careful movements, he peeled off the Velcro attached to the heating pad, loosening it before inserting his palm between the pad and the man’s calf.

Despite the already hot weather, the man was essentially getting a heat treatment, but it didn’t seem hot enough to warrant calling the physical therapist. He reattached the pad and then moved to the man’s thigh. Having learned from his previous attempt, he was able to insert his hand between the thigh and the pad much more easily.

Unlike the calf, the thigh, though firm, was much softer. Was it okay for a thirty-three-year-old man’s skin to be this soft? Taeheun marveled, unconsciously stroking the inside of the man’s thigh. The sensation of kneading another person’s thigh, especially one of the same sex, was quite novel.

I wonder if mine is as soft as his.

He was so curious that he almost unzipped his pants, but just then, the machine beeped.

Beep—

As soon as the machine sounded, the curtain was pulled back. The physical therapist moved the heating pad to the left thigh and calf and then disappeared again.

As soon as the physical therapist left, Taeheun boldly slid his palm inside the heating pad on the thigh. As a result, the back of his hand, rather than the man’s thigh, received the heat treatment. But he indulged in the soft skin, thinking it wouldn’t matter just this once.

After ten minutes on each thigh and calf, the physical therapist finished the heat treatment and began attaching electrode pads. It was time for electrotherapy.

“Tell me if it’s too uncomfortable.”

“Yes.”

Taeheun answered on behalf of the sleeping man.

Although the electrotherapy lasted longer than the heat treatment, Taeheun wasn’t bored at all. He stared intently at the man’s face. He scrutinized every detail, as if playing a hidden picture game, counting how many freckles had increased and where his moles were located.

It was entertaining. Every time the man’s long eyelashes fluttered slightly, he felt a slight thrill at the thought of the deep, black pupils he would soon see. But the man just slept soundly, even as Taeheun touched and stared at him.

The man didn’t wake up even after the physical therapy was over. Taeheun wanted to let him sleep more, but the physical therapist woke him up with a rough shake. The man opened his eyes very slowly. Taeheun stood beside him, gazing down at him.

The man, meeting Taeheun’s gaze, smiled faintly.

“Were you bored?”

He asked in a sleepy voice.

“No, not at all.”

Taeheun replied.

He wanted to say he had enjoyed it, that he hadn’t known the man’s thighs were so soft and tender, and did he know how cute the freckles on the bridge of his nose were? But he stopped himself, simply smiling.

Before returning to Dongjamri, they went grocery shopping in Chungju. At the large supermarket, the man picked out pink sausages and Spam, which were also available in town, for his child, who had been left alone for two days.

“He loves eating this with kimchi jjigae. He likes it even more when I pack it in his lunchbox.”

Then he picked out snacks for the child. They were mostly items difficult to find in town, mainly Pokemon-themed, and mostly bread. The man explained happily that the town’s supermarket only stocked a few of these, so his child had never even seen most of them.

“You should have said something. I would have bought a whole box.”

“Who would eat that much? They have short expiration dates.”

The man smiled.

The man’s shopping basket was filled with things only for his child.

Taeheun bought cans of beer and three bottles of soju for them to share, along with two bags of dried squid. He also browsed the snacks, as beer wasn’t complete without them.

“What kind of snacks do you like, Mr. Gibeom?”

Taeheun hovered around the man, picking up and showing him various snack bags, asking about his preferences. The man shook his head at everything he picked up.

“You like sweet things, don’t you? How about this? Do you like it?”

The man shook his head again.

“How about this? This looks delicious.”

He asked persistently. Finally, as Taeheun was blocking other shoppers with his relentless questioning, the man picked up a bag of Nunettine. Taeheun laughed, finding his choice endearingly simple. He added two bags of savory snacks to his own basket.

After finishing their grocery shopping, the man went to a clothing store near the mart and chose a summer t-shirt and shorts for his child. They were white shorts and a pink t-shirt with glittery hearts. Taeheun wondered if they would suit the child, whose skin was as dark as the man’s, but recalling the child’s pink-filled room, it seemed like a natural choice. After some back and forth, Taeheun paid for the clothes.

The journey back to Dongjamri felt much shorter. Just like on the way there, they sat side-by-side on the express bus, chatting constantly. This time, Taeheun also drank the same canned coffee as the man. The sweet and slightly bitter taste in his mouth didn’t bother him at all, thinking that the man was experiencing the same sensation.

The short, three-hour round trip had brought them much closer. Even Taeheun felt the distance between them had significantly decreased. Even though he wasn’t drunk, the man smiled frequently in front of Taeheun and talked more than before. Taeheun often thought that the man’s voice was very pleasant to listen to. He even found the man’s swollen lips, which parted foolishly when he smiled, endearing.

The man’s lips became increasingly unsightly as time went on. The bitten areas were a mess of bruises and scabs. Taeheun was in no position to judge, though. The man’s gaze occasionally landed on Taeheun’s injuries before quickly darting away. Taeheun’s gaze also lingered frequently on the man’s lips.

They exchanged knowing smiles, sitting close together as if afraid to break the contact between their bodies. It was a dreamlike time.

Both returned to reality as they got off the bus at the urine-smelling terminal. The man’s face, which had been constantly smiling, became serious again. However, the shortened distance between them didn’t revert back. A sense of intimacy, known only to them, lingered in the air. He felt strangely overwhelmed and couldn’t quite collect himself.

“I guess Lotte Less Bee is pretty sweet.”

“Why?”

“I feel dizzy.”

“Huh?”

“It’s so sweet that I feel dizzy.”

The man didn’t understand what Taeheun meant. Taeheun just grinned and said, “It happens sometimes.”

✽✽✽

The child was very happy to see that both the man and Taeheun had come to meet him. But his joy was short-lived, as he immediately glared at them upon seeing their condition. He nagged them incessantly all the way home. Even after lecturing them to the point where they felt their ears would fall off, the child, still seemingly upset, slammed his bedroom door and went inside.

The man looked at the door with a dejected expression.

“It’s okay. It happens.”

Taeheun comforted the man and then, carrying the shopping bag with the clothes, knocked on the child’s door. There was no answer.

“I’m coming in.”

He slightly opened the door. The child, who had been sitting at his low desk, pointedly lay down on it.

“Jihye, I’ll make sure your father doesn’t drink anymore. I promise. Don’t be angry.”

He placed the shopping bag down.

“I bought these clothes for you, Jihye. Try them on and see if they fit.”

The child flinched. Taeheun smiled silently.

“And your father is going to cook Spam and sausages for you. It’ll be delicious with kimchi jjigae, right? I’ll call you when dinner is ready.”

Having said all he wanted to say, Taeheun closed the door and quietly left.

The man, already changed into different clothes, looked at Taeheun with a worried expression. Taeheun winked at him, approached him, and said, “It’ll be alright.” The man sighed softly and headed to the kitchen with the groceries.

“Do you need any help?”

“Yes. Go change and wash up first.”

“I’ll just change and come out. I’ll cook the Spam and sausages, so wait for me.”

Taeheun said to the man, unbuttoning his shirt.

A smile touched the man’s lips. Even though it wasn’t the first time he had seen the man smile, he felt a flutter in his chest. A pleasant shiver ran down his spine, like the feeling of touching something soft and squishy. His face flushed, and he scratched his eyebrows, feeling inexplicably awkward.

He went to the bathroom, washed his hands, and splashed cold water on his face. Even though he should have calmed down, the heat in his face didn’t subside. Fortunately, his face didn’t turn as red as the man’s.