EAR Ch 14

“When can we do more than just kiss?”

Jaemin looked at Seungpyo with an expression that seemed to say, “Why ask such a thing now?” There was also a hint of the awkward atmosphere one gets when asked a difficult question.

“I told you, I don’t know.”

For Ryu Jaemin, the top student, to admit “I don’t know” repeatedly might have been a first.

Last night’s dream might have been a premonition. Or perhaps it was a divine revelation to guide Oh Seungpyo towards his goal. Seungpyo spoke up as he had in the dream.

“Then let’s make a bet.”

“What kind of bet?”

“I don’t want to wait indefinitely for you to say yes. We’re not even dating, and I’m not chasing you because I like you, so why should I go that far?”

“Then what should we do?”

Both had no shortage of competitive spirit. Ryu Jaemin had even made bets over basketball, where his skills were far inferior. He was not only first in academics but also in pride. Seungpyo was certain Ryu Jaemin would accept this bet.

“There’s a mid-term exam next month, right?”

“Yeah.”

“If I beat you, let’s take things further.”

Jaemin’s eyes widened at Seungpyo’s unexpected proposal.

The suggestion was so out of the blue that Jaemin didn’t immediately agree. Thinking this was too cautious for someone who had monopolized the top spot in school for a year, Seungpyo continued provocatively.

“Why aren’t you answering? Are you not confident?”

“No.”

Jaemin finally spoke, still looking bewildered.

“I was just surprised by how much you overestimate yourself.”

“Isn’t it more likely that I’ll get one more question right than you beating me in a basketball match?”

He was referring to the reckless bet Jaemin had made last year. Jaemin scoffed.

“But that was a team game, so there was some possibility. Even if it was low.”

“Whether you’re first or second in school, it’s just by a margin. Our grades aren’t that far apart.”

“You never caught up to that margin last year.”

Threat with threat, provocation with provocation. Perhaps Ryu Jaemin’s life philosophy was akin to the Code of Hammurabi. His face, uttering such annoying words, remained as indifferent as always.

Seungpyo’s eyes narrowed. He really should shut him up. If it were before, he might have wanted to punch that annoying face for using terms like “overstepping your bounds,” but since they had been kissing occasionally, even irritating words didn’t make him want to hit. After all, if he bruised Jaemin, he’d have an ugly face to look at every time they kissed, which would only harm himself.

“You talk like that, and now I really want to make this bet.”

Instead of dampening his spirits, it only fueled his competitive fire. In any field, the fight for the top is really just a matter of one or two points. If Seungpyo got just a couple more questions right, the name at the top of the honor roll could easily change.

When Seungpyo laughed, Jaemin tilted his gaze, pondered for a moment, then spoke.

“What if I win?”

“Then you set the terms for when you win.”

“I’m not really interested in doing more than kissing with you yet.”

“Then set something else.”

Jaemin nodded as if remembering something he had forgotten.

“Send me a video.”

“Video?”

“You promised a picture at first and then changed your mind. Send that. Since it’s a bet condition, video is better than a picture. Make sure your face and voice are in it.”

“Are you that eager to see me masturbate?”

“Saying that won’t change the terms.”

Seungpyo had seen Ryu Jaemin’s masturbation video before. But that video was gone after Jaemin’s social media account exploded, and since it had no face or sound, even if seen, there was no way to identify Ryu Jaemin.

Yet, Ryu Jaemin was asking for something much more daring. A video with his face and voice, not just a picture but a masturbation video…

“I can do without such a low-quality bet, so if you don’t like it, we can call it off.”

Before Seungpyo could even seriously consider it, Jaemin cut his thoughts short decisively. Seungpyo knew it too. Ryu Jaemin’s high-stakes demand wasn’t because he really wanted to see Seungpyo masturbate but to make him give up on the bet altogether.

Despite what he said, Jaemin wasn’t sure of his victory. Indeed, if the second in school knows something, the first wouldn’t be ignorant of it.

Just as Seungpyo was about to respond, his phone vibrated. The group chat with classmates was buzzing.

Seung, what are you doing? Hurry up.

The teachers are coming.

Did you get locked in the storage?

The break time was almost over, and the conversation was dragging on. Seungpyo put his phone back in his pocket.

“Let’s go back to class since class is starting, and we’ll continue this conversation later.”

“If you’re not confident, just drop it.”

“It’s not about confidence; it’s about time.”

When Seungpyo grabbed his hand to pull him along, Jaemin frowned. As they walked, Seungpyo continued talking.

“Give me your number. We can do this over the phone.”

“I don’t want to talk about this over the phone.”

What a pain. But there was no more time to grumble. Both of them, without needing to decide who would go first, started running across the playground after leaving the gym. Seungpyo was slightly ahead, but their short-distance running speeds were nearly matched.

When they arrived at the classroom, they sat down at their respective desks, catching their breath.

📚

Today was entirely unlucky.

There were so many interruptions all day, and even after PE, petty disruptions continued, preventing them from concluding their bet discussion. No matter how quietly they spoke, it wasn’t a conversation to have around others.

‘If only he’d given me his phone number.’

After taking a shower, Seungpyo flopped onto his bed and opened the messaging app. School friends, middle school and elementary school classmates, cousins, dad, aunt, uncle, grandfather, grandmother…

In this small device, there were countless little rooms where he could talk with close people whenever he wanted. Even channels with people he rarely spoke to were still open, yet there was no chat window with Ryu Jaemin, whose lips he had touched just this afternoon. It felt like a puzzle where one piece was missing, leaving a strange void.

Even if you aren’t close with classmates, exchanging phone numbers is easy. He could find out Jaemin’s number by asking the guys who practiced basketball with him in their first year, but contacting him with a number he found out secretly might just lead to getting blocked, which would only make him frustrated.

“Hmm?”

A notification popped up on his phone.

User ‘betting_1_2’ has started following you.

Even though Seungpyo had been active on social media during middle school, he had since cooled down, only occasionally checking his friends’ accounts. As a result, his follower list had not been updated for a while, and now, out of the blue, a new follower appeared on his neglected social media.

“Betting?”

Is this some illegal gambling ad account? Seungpyo’s hand, about to press the block button, hesitated.

He clicked on the ID that followed him to go to the main link. A large lock image greeted him, indicating it was a private account that required the owner’s permission to view.

‘Betting, 1, 2… Betting… Bet?’

No way. Seungpyo sat up abruptly. After hitting the follow-back button, he received a message within minutes.

Because you said to talk over the phone

Coming straight to a private social media account without even an introduction or any small talk, how selfish. Without further confirmation, it was definitely Ryu Jaemin. Seungpyo replied.

Why here instead of messenger?

I find this more convenient

He always liked to set things up quietly from behind, this scheming, dark-minded guy. Tsk tsk, while Seungpyo clicked his tongue, another message from Jaemin came in.

If we’re going to bet, we need to clearly define how far you want to go

Although Seungpyo had no practical experience, he had seen and heard enough in his eighteen years to know that sexual stages are quite detailed.

And Ryu Jaemin would have much more knowledge about these things than him, given that dirty talk with perverted strangers was once part of his daily life. Seungpyo raised his eyebrows in annoyance as he typed his reply.

How far are you willing to go?

What do you want to do?

Sex.

The final boss word popped into his head reflexively, but Seungpyo shook his head to push away the ominous red word.

The first kiss was impulsively given and cannot be undone, but there was still a vast, unknown world left for Seungpyo. He had never dated or even gone on a date.

There were plenty of signals suggesting he should date, but… he didn’t know. He had many good female friends, but none he felt particularly attracted to enough to date. Moreover, the thought of everyone becoming awkward after a breakup made him reluctant.

In the end, if his first experience was with Ryu Jaemin, another guy, especially before he had even had a first girlfriend, it would be beyond impulsive, it would be insane. He wanted to save sex for when he was in college, with someone he truly liked. He was already regretting the first kiss he had thrown away so easily…

‘This guy is a cyber wanderer, and it’s my first time, so it’s a shame for me.’

He should keep the new parts preserved and use the used ones. Seungpyo sent his reply.

I want to kiss places other than the lips

And

I’ll help you masturbate

You’re crazy

And then you show me doing it from behind by yourself

Even after reading the message, Ryu Jaemin was silent. Seungpyo knew this wasn’t the first time Jaemin had received such a request.

Back when he was browsing Jaemin’s old social media, there were often perverts asking for videos of him masturbating from behind, which allowed Seungpyo to make such a demand now. It was a condition he wouldn’t have dared to imagine on his own, given his ignorance.

Jaemin had never agreed to such requests before. Seungpyo had only seen Jaemin’s polite refusals, saying he wasn’t ready, but never any pictures or videos of him actually doing it from behind.

If those refusals weren’t lies, this might be a first challenge even for a cyber wanderer. Jaemin’s long silence was understandable. The reply that came after some time was not a conclusion but a question.

Why the hell do you want to see that???

The three question marks showed he was genuinely curious.

Why do I want to see it? After a brief self-questioning, Seungpyo replied.

I’ve seen everything else on your account before it got destroyed

He had seen photos of Jaemin undressed outdoors, live streams of him masturbating, pictures where he wrote requested letters on his bare thighs, and even images of him in weird underwear…

His pure imagination couldn’t top the seasoned perverts who commented on Jaemin’s posts, and repeating something already done would be boring. Thus, the only condition left for the bet was this one.

Anyway

After sending those three letters, Ryu Jaemin was silent for a moment before continuing.

You can’t beat me

Seungpyo smirked. His fingers on the keypad moved faster.

So, you’re agreeing to the bet?

First, make it clear about sending the video

I’m not even asking for your photos, but you wanting to keep the video just seems unfair

Is it fair for me to do it from behind while you do it from the front?

I’m a low-level player, and you’re high-level, so this is relatively equal

If you don’t want to do it, then drop it

So, we agree that no face will appear in the video?

After a long silence, a single word popped up.

Agreed

Done. Seungpyo gritted his teeth. Suddenly, a burning desire for victory surged through him.

It wasn’t the time to lie calmly in bed. In about a month, the mid-term exams would come. It was a fact, annoyingly pointed out, that he hadn’t closed the gap with Ryu Jaemin last year, and to overtake him in just a month would require an effort incomparable to last year’s.

Seungpyo jumped up and sat at his desk. A motivation different from before surged like a fierce wave in his chest.