TGMND 112
by SpringlilaI wish the Earth would be destroyed. Then I wouldn’t have to go to work. With his anger gauge maxed out from being suddenly assigned overtime just 30 minutes before the end of his shift, Yeo-woon muttered to himself as he trudged along.
On his usual walk home from the office, he noticed that the shop, which had been under construction on the uphill road, had finally opened. The white décor with purple and pink accents seemed cute, so he naturally assumed it was a café and walked past it without much thought. But today, he noticed a small neon sign in the window. The purple neon stood out more in the dark surroundings.
‘ADULT ONLY♥’
Yeo-woon’s footsteps stopped. These days, adult shops were apparently made to look even prettier than most cafés. A couple with linked arms stopped on their way, whispered to each other, and then entered as if entranced. Yeo-woon stared blankly at the sign and found himself following them into the store.
“Welcome!”
“…..”
At the bright female employee’s greeting, Yeo-woon awkwardly smiled and nodded. He was worried they might misunderstand him as some pervert for coming to such a place alone, but surprisingly, there were quite a few solo customers in the store, and there was even a brave soul laughing out loud at an employee explaining a grotesquely large device.
‘Where is that thing?’
Yeo-woon looked around as he moved. Past a pillar blocking his view, he saw the items he was looking for. From rods that looked like pool cues to blindfolds and even red ropes he had only seen in videos, everything was proudly displayed. It was natural for an adult shop.
“Sir, are you looking for something?”
The employee who had just given a very satisfying shopping experience to a female customer he had been helping since Yeo-woon entered the store came over to him. Of course, someone who worked here would know better than him who knew nothing. It was embarrassing, but he needed help.
“My partner…”
“Looking for a gift for your partner?”
“…They seem curious about being hit.”
Yeo-woon lowered his voice to a whisper. Strictly speaking, they weren’t quite lovers yet, but there was no need to explain that in detail. These days, or rather for the past few months, whenever Ji-gu spoke, he seemed to turn the conversation in that direction. He seemed to be in quite a state of sexual frustration. However, while Ji-gu spouted nonsense at every opportunity, he also said he still wasn’t sure about his likes and dislikes.
When Yeo-woon shared Ji-gu’s words about disliking bloodshed and not wanting too much pain yet, the employee spoke kindly. Without any sign of embarrassment about s3xual topics, Yeo-woon felt at ease when he asked if he needed restraints or insertion devices. So this is what this place is like…
When he came to his senses, Yeo-woon found himself standing in front of the store with a shopping bag containing a small beginner’s paddle. He had come in out of curiosity today and only intended to look around, but somehow ended up making an impulse purchase. And why did time fly so fast? Even though he just looked around, 30 minutes had passed in a blink.
“…..”
Did he buy it unnecessarily? As he looked into the bag wondering if he should return it, he saw all the free samples they had generously included. Seeing the condoms rustling in the bag made him nervous.
“I-I should just go home.”
It would be a hassle to return it anyway… and he was starting to sweat nervously. Who knows when he’d ever actually use this stuff, but if nothing else, maybe the paddle could serve as a rice scoop one day.
Yoon Ji-gu: Aren’t you coming to swim?
Yeo-woon belatedly checked the message from Yoon Ji-gu. It was a text that had arrived a few hours ago, but he must have missed it while clearing his cluttered notification bar all at once. Below the message asking if he wasn’t coming to the pool, there were a few more sentences.
Yoon Ji-gu: Hyung ㅠㅠ Are you busy?
Yoon Ji-gu: We have quite a few macarons left today
Yoon Ji-gu: If you’re still out, stop by the cafe on your way home later
Yoon Ji-gu: I’ll be here until 10
Yoon Ji-gu: Or come see me…
Yoon Ji-gu: (emoticon)
It was an emoticon of a striped cat enthusiastically cheering. It looked familiar, and was the same as the one Earth Star used.
“How cute…”
Had he already fallen for him? When Earth Star used that emoji, he hadn’t thought much of it, but when Yoon Ji-gu used it, it looked really cute. Even the “Fighting! Fighting!” written on both sides of the cat’s head looked cute. No, was Yoon Ji-gu just cute? Yeo-woon pressed the stopped emoticon several times to make it move and replied with a satisfied face.
Yeo-woon: (emoticon)
It was an emoticon of a white duck making an OK sign with its fingers. Since it wasn’t far from here to home anyway, he could just go into the cafe and find Yoon Ji-gu without needing to call him out.
There were many other unread chats as well. The guild chat was half nonsense as usual, so he could check it later, and he read and ignored his friends’ messages. And then…
Business Partner: Just in case, I’m asking this lol
Business Partner: You didn’t forget we’re meeting tomorrow, right? ㅡㅡ
“…!”
How could this be!
He had completely forgotten about it.
: Lol as if lolol
If Earth Star’s message just now, he would have been scrambling to prepare last-minute tomorrow. They hadn’t even decided where to meet yet. Trying to play it cool, Yeo-woon pretended nothing was wrong, but inside, he was thinking about how to explain it to Ji-gu.
Business Partner: From your tone, I’m 100% sure you forgot lol I’m right, aren’t I? ㅇ_ㅇ
: Nope lol
Business Partner: Lol you’re lying~
“…..”
What kind of confidence was this guy showing to be teasing him like this the day before a meeting? When they meet tomorrow, he’s going to crush Earth Star’s head just a little.
“Ah.”
While waiting for the signal to change at the crosswalk, he felt a drop of water on his head. Looking up at the sky, this time a raindrop fell on Yeo-woon’s cheek.
“…Without any warning.”
He didn’t have an umbrella, and the rain was coming down out of nowhere. Yeo-woon quickly moved under a nearby tree for shelter. The rain that had been falling one drop at a time now started to fall visibly. A man talking loudly on the phone next to him shouted, “Ah, shit. It’s raining!”
:Gubyeol-ah
Business Partner: What?
: What time and where are we meeting tomorrow?
People started holding their bags over their heads and rushing forward as the traffic light changed. Yeo-woon moved with the crowd. And halfway across, his shoulder lightly bumped into someone walking quickly while looking only at their phone.
“Ah…!”
He almost dropped the adult product he had just bought, but managed to catch it. The man looked at Yeo-woon indifferently and passed by without apologizing, heading towards the bus stop. More than being annoyed at the man, the near experience of spilling condoms all over the middle of the crosswalk was so shocking that he hurried his steps.
Business Partner: If I tell you where to meet now lol
Business Partner: You’ll faint lol
Fainting, really. Yeo-woon wondered where this person lived to be so confident. He had somewhat expected him to be rich from the way he spent money like water, but he might be even more well-off than Yeo-woon thought. Or was he a celebrity?
“…It will not be that surprising…”
After building up so much anticipation, how disappointed would Earth Star be if he showed an indifferent reaction when it turned out to be nothing special? He thought he might have to pretend to be surprised when he meets Earth Star tomorrow.
Whoosh. The rain suddenly intensified. Home was right in front of him, but it was too late to buy an umbrella now. Yeo-woon took shelter under a nearby store and peeled off his wet clothes that were clinging to his body. He was too damp. He distinctly remembered hearing “Today will be clear” on the weather forecast this morning, but now there was this sudden shower.
Business Partner: Oh it’s raining?? This won’t do
It seemed like it was raining where Earth Star was too. Did he have laundry hanging outside or something?
: Is it raining there too?
Business Partner: Do you have an umbrella?
“…?”
Why was Earth Star asking about that? Yeo-woon furrowed his brow, sensing something strange.
: No?
Business Partner: Don’t get rained on, use an umbrella
: I have lots of umbrellas at home lol
Yeo-woon had four umbrellas gathered at home already. Even after losing some, he still had that many left. But now, his house was just around the corner, and he couldn’t stand there waiting for the rain to stop.
Deciding to avoid the rain by taking a slightly different route than usual, he chose to go down a quiet alley instead of the main road, which was always crowded. The alley was in a residential area, much quieter. It was impressive that Yoon Ji-gu’s mother had opened a café in such a place, and even more surprising that it never had a day without customers.
Business Partner: Ah
Business Partner: I’m suddenly nervous >_< lol
Business Partner: What should I wear tomorrow?
: Raincoat
He threw out a thoughtless answer and turned the corner. He could see the brightly lit cafe ahead.
“Huh?”
It’s Yoon Ji-gu. In front of the cafe, Yoon Ji-gu was crouching down, occasionally looking in the opposite direction from where Yeo-woon was walking. Normally, Yeo-woon would have been walking from that direction.
‘Is he waiting for me?’
Seeing him clutching his phone, it seems he’s waiting for Yeo-woon’s contact. Yeo-woon was about to call out his name to greet him, but he lowered his half-raised hand. He felt mischievous.
‘I should surprise him from behind.’
He started to tiptoe quietly, deliberately hiding his presence. As the black back of Ji-gu’s head got closer, his heart pounded, afraid of being caught sneaking up on him.
Business Partner: Is it raining a lot?
Business Partner: Did you buy an umbrella?
When he didn’t reply, Earth Star spammed cat emoticons urging for a reply. But since his phone was on silent, it didn’t really bother him. Yoon Ji-gu was close now. Yeo-woon quietly approached behind him, still holding his phone.
‘Is he playing a game?’
Yoon Ji-gu was frantically tapping the screen with one finger. He was so absorbed in the game that he didn’t notice someone approaching from behind. As Yeo-woon was about to grab his shoulders from behind, he caught a glimpse of Ji-gu’s phone screen.
“…..”
He was sending multiple cat emoticons to someone, the same ones Earth Star used. Suddenly, a chill ran down Yeo-woon’s spine and he looked at his own phone.
: ?
Business Partner: (emoticon)
Business Partner: (emoticon)
The message he sent was quickly swept away by Earth Star’s emoticon spam and disappeared upwards. But Yeo-woon saw it. The moment he sent a question mark, Yoon Ji-gu’s chat partner also sent a question mark.
“…..”
What on earth was this situation? He couldn’t understand. So, does Yoon Ji-gu have Earth Star’s phone?
Business Partner: Lol I win lol >_<
He didn’t know what he had won, but as Yoon Ji-gu moved his fingers with a grin, the same message arrived on Yeo-woon’s phone.
‘No way….’
Yoon Ji-gu?
‘This can’t be….’
Yeo-woon swallowed a hollow laugh. Then impulsively, he raised his hand and placed it on Yoon Ji-gu’s head.
“Aah!”
“…..”
Yoon Ji-gu was startled and dropped his phone. He turned to look at Yeo-woon. Yeo-woon smiled with his usual face and stroked Ji-gu’s hair. Yoon Ji-gu visibly relaxed and smoothed his chest.
“H-hyung, when did you get here?”
“Just now.”
“…Ah, you scared me!”
“Were you surprised?”
“Of course! I was really surprised! Why did you suddenly appear from behind? It’s really annoying.”
“Annoying?”
“Ah, how much is an umbrella that you didn’t buy one? That’s why your clothes are all wet… Ack!”
Yeo-woon suddenly gripped the top of Yoon Ji-gu’s head. The bag he was holding fell to the ground, and at the same time, black hair stuck out between his clenched fingers. Yoon Ji-gu, who had his hair suddenly grabbed, looked up at Yeo-woon with a puzzled face. His eyes shook violently.
“Why, why suddenly!”
“Babe.”
“…What?”
When Yeo-woon smiled and used an unimaginable term of endearment, Yoon Ji-gu swallowed hard.
“Say it.”
“…..”
At that moment, several expressions flashed across Yoon Ji-gu’s face. Seeing that he still seemed unable to grasp the situation, Yeo-woon nailed it down.
“Why aren’t you saying it? You’re usually good at this kind of thing, Gubyeol-ah.”
Yoon Ji-gu looked up at Yeo-woon with wide eyes and closed his mouth. His Adam’s apple moved up and down once, largely. He suddenly started shaking with a frightened face.
“Why aren’t you saying it?”
“Hyung… Your eyes, your eyes are scary…!”
“Hurry up and say ‘babe’. Quickly.”
His face instantly turned bright red. Yeo-woon’s expectation was wrong. He thought Earth Star would act cocky and annoying in real life too, but he couldn’t even call him by his usual name.
“Why aren’t you saying it? Babe, honey, darling, you like this kind of thing, don’t you?”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”
“Hm? What are you sorry for?”
“…Just everything.”
“No, you didn’t do anything wrong. Hurry up and say it.”
Unable to even dare to ask him to let go of his hair, Yoon Ji-gu’s lips trembled, and then he mumbled in a voice so small even an ant couldn’t hear.
“…babe.”
“I can’t hear you.”
“…..”
“Gubyeol-ah, I said I can’t hear you.”
At those words, Yoon Ji-gu asked nervously, watching Yeo-woon’s reaction.
“…Are you angry?”
“Angry?”
Yeo-woon snorted and crouched down in front of Yoon Ji-gu.
“I’m just… dumbfounded.”
“…Why?”
“Hurry up and call me ‘babe’. If you can’t say it, at least make a cute expression.”
Like this. Yeo-woon closed his eyes tightly and imitated the ‘>_<‘ expression that Yoon Ji-gu often used. Even after being shown an example, Yoon Ji-gu shook his head vigorously with a flushed face. How he managed to say such things with a straight face was beyond Yeo-woon understanding. No, from the beginning, Yeo-woon never understood Earth Star’s, or rather, Yoon Ji-gu’s way of thinking.
“I don’t want to! I won’t do it!”
“How can you be Earth Star like this?”
“…..”
“I was planning to half crush your head tomorrow.”
“C-Crush…?”
“Congratulations, you’ve extended your life.”
“…What?”
“It’s a joke.”
“…..”
“Laugh.”
At the command to laugh, Yoon Ji-gu’s face turned pale. He couldn’t laugh at all.
“But you were right about one thing. I almost fainted.”
“…I said that, didn’t I?”
Yoon Ji-gu momentarily gloated with a “hmph,” but then quickly closed his mouth. It looked so stupid that it made Yeo-woon laugh. When Yeo-woon chuckled, Yoon Ji-gu’s expression became even more serious. He seemed scared.
“When did you know it was me?”
“Not, not long ago.”
“Speak properly.”
When he tugged at his hair, Yoon Ji-gu’s mouth opened.
“It’s only been a year! Really!”
“A year?”
“…At first, I didn’t know, either. I even thought you were my stalker.”
It was an incredible coincidence. Anyway, that’s enough about that, Ji-gu knew for a whole year and still teased him like that…. The more Yeo-woon thought about it, the more absurd it seemed. This Yoon Ji-gu is really Earth Star? Even knowing this fact, it didn’t match at all. The thought of someone with that stoic face sending chats like “Babe, where are you? >_<” gave Yeo-woon chills.
“…Are you angry?”
Yoon Ji-gu mumbled pitifully, as if he hadn’t expected this reaction at all. Yoon Ji-gu, who was watching Yeo-woon’s reaction even though his carefully combed hair was now a mess, looked so pathetic. Maybe that was why Yeo-woon feel more amused than angry. It was also funny to see his face alternating between pale and red just from having his hair grabbed once.
“Ji-gu.”
“Yes….”
“I’ve cleared my schedule for tomorrow.”
“…Huh?”
“No, actually, I haven’t made weekend plans for a while. I’ve been keeping it free for you, to watch movies and hang out.”
The moment he heard those words, Yoon Ji-gu’s cheeks flushed red. Yeo-woon could almost hear his heart pounding.
“Hyung… you really like me, right?”
“That’s right.”
“…..”
“So let’s settle things a little today. We can talk about the details slowly later.”
“W-What? Why all of a sudden? What does that have to do with anything?!”
“Well, we have plans for tomorrow, so your whole day is mine. You promised to do whatever I wanted, didn’t you?”
Yeo-woon let go of Ji-gu’s hair and picked up the fallen bag. Yoon Ji-gu’s gaze followed downwards, and he swallowed hard when he saw the paddle and small silver squares visible through the slightly open bag.
“Um… are we really doing this today?”
“Take your time closing the cafe and come up. I’ll go up, shower, and wait.”
Yoon Ji-gu grabbed Yeo-woon’s wrist as he was about to stand up with the opaque bag.
“J-Just a moment. Hyung, does that mean we’re officially dating from today?”
“Come to my place.”
“…Shit, I’m so happy! But I’ve been holding back from saying something because I thought you’d hit me. Can I just say this one thing? Hyung, you look so damn sexy right now. All wet from the rain….”
“Ji-gu.”
“…I got it.”
Yoon Ji-gu nodded, covering his bright red face with his hands. Yeo-woon pressed his palm firmly on Yoon Ji-gu’s disheveled hair and stood up. As he was about to enter the opposite building with his back to Ji-gu, he heard a voice behind him muttering that he felt like he was going to faint.
Alone in the elevator, Yeo-woon checked his face in the mirror on one side.
“…..”
In it, a man with an indescribably confused expression, soaking wet, was staring back at him. Belatedly, Yeo-woon’s nape turned red.
“Ah, it’s hot.”
Was the elevator’s air conditioning broken? Yeo-woon grabbed the front of his wet shirt, fanning it, and shook his head slightly.