WANL Ch 2

“Go inside. It’s cold.”

“I’ll go if you give me your number.”

“Your friends are waiting for you inside.”

The woman was drunk. Her grip on Hyunjae’s jacket was surprisingly firm, and he hesitated to forcibly shake her off. The cold seemed to seep even through his sneakers, and her trembling shoulders, bare without a coat, caught his attention. For now, the alcohol seemed to dull her awareness of the cold, but if this continued, it would surely take a toll on her.

“Give me your phone,” he finally said.

After a brief internal debate, Hyunjae took her phone and entered his number. It seemed like the quickest way to get her back inside, away from the biting wind.

The woman beamed and disappeared into the bar, leaving Hyunjae to turn and walk away. That’s when he felt it—the weight of someone’s gaze from nearby.

It was impossible to ignore. A man stood a few steps away, a cigarette between his fingers, staring at Hyunjae with such intensity that pretending not to notice wasn’t an option. Even when their eyes met, the man didn’t look away.

Hyunjae decided to ignore him and continued walking. Just as he passed, the man spoke.

“Do you give your number to men too?”

Hyunjae’s steps faltered. He stopped, unsure if he had misheard, and glanced down at the man.

That was how Hyunjae first met Nanyeong.

The opening line left Hyunjae irritated. Perhaps it was because it came from a man. The comment felt mocking, and Hyunjae’s expression hardened as he turned to look at him. He had no intention of being as polite as he had been to the woman earlier.

But then, he got a good look at the man’s face and was momentarily startled. Hyunjae had assumed he was some kind of pervert or a drunkard with a strange hobby, but the man’s face was strikingly neat and handsome.

After a moment, the man looked away.

“You don’t have to glare at me like that.”

The man’s lowered head left Hyunjae feeling a mix of irritation and confusion. After making such a bold remark, he now seemed almost deflated. What kind of reaction had he been expecting?

When Hyunjae remained silent, the man lowered his head further.

“Forget it. Go.”

He waved Hyunjae off with the hand holding his cigarette, his eyes avoiding Hyunjae’s entirely. His posture, somehow, seemed defeated.

Hyunjae stepped back slowly, observing him. The man was drunk, his face marked with the exhaustion of someone who’d endured a hellish day. Smoke from his cigarette curled up in thin threads, and the short, almost burned-out cigarette looked as though it might scorch his fingers. Yet, his perfectly styled hair and clean suit made him appear strangely out of place.

A drunk man in a dingy alley, asking another man for his number—Hyunjae found the juxtaposition puzzling. Maybe it was the man’s extraordinary handsomeness that made the situation seem so contradictory.

If that’s his type, he must be incredibly popular. Why, then, was he alone, drunk, and approaching strangers?

Hyunjae turned to leave without a word. There didn’t seem to be any need for a farewell.

But then, a sharp winter gust blew through the alley, making the man’s coat flap. The cold carried a hint of his cologne, reaching Hyunjae’s nose even from several steps away. In the glow of a passing car’s headlights, the man’s profile caught Hyunjae’s attention. His eyelashes, the fine hairs on his cheek, and the faint wisps of smoke rising into the cold air all seemed surreal. His striking features stood out starkly against the dim backdrop.

Perhaps that was why Hyunjae felt there might be more to the man’s story.

Without thinking, Hyunjae approached him again. He reached out, took the cigarette from the man’s fingers, and discarded it. His fingers brushed the man’s briefly, and he was startled by how cold they felt. Telling himself it was a small act of kindness for someone who might otherwise freeze out here, Hyunjae held out his hand.

“Your phone.”

The man hesitated but eventually handed it over, confusion evident on his face. Hyunjae entered his number and returned the phone.

“Wow. You actually gave it to me.”

“…”

“You’re going to regret this when you sober up.”

“Me?”

“No, me.”

The man brushed his cheek with his hand, his voice laced with exhaustion. His expression already carried the weight of regret. From Hyunjae’s perspective, it was a baffling reaction. The man had asked for his number, and he’d given it—yet now he looked as though it had all been a mistake. That contradiction irritated Hyunjae. Being targeted by someone he hadn’t sought out and then treated so dismissively left him feeling distinctly annoyed.

Hyunjae held out his hand again.

“Then give it back. I’ll delete it for you.”

“……”

“You can pretend it never happened once you sober up.”

The man kept his head down, remaining silent. He didn’t seem inclined to return the phone, so Hyunjae coldly turned away.

“Then figure it out yourself.”

“Don’t be so cold…”

Hyunjae had just started to turn when he heard the small, almost vanishing voice again.

“It’s hard to look at you.”

“……”

“If I told you I want to sleep with you, would you act even colder?”

It was one shock after another.

Hyunjae turned back to look at the man, his mouth slightly open in disbelief. He wanted to ask, “Are you crazy?” but the man still had his head lowered. The way he seemed to muster every ounce of courage to say that—it didn’t feel like an act.

Up until that point, Hyunjae’s impression of Nanyeong was simply that he was a man full of contradictions. The fact that he could drink until dawn while dressed sharply in a pristine suit, that he remained composed even while visibly drunk, and that he approached another man for a phone number with an oddly hesitant attitude—it all felt out of place. Not to mention the way he looked at Hyunjae with a strange, lingering sorrow, despite being a complete stranger.

“What did you just say?”

“Forget it.”

“Isn’t it convenient to just say ‘forget it’ after sexual harassment?”

At the mention of “sexual harassment,” the man flinched and lowered his head in apparent shame. Then, he reached into his coat and pulled out a wallet.

“Sorry. I’ll give you some money.”

“Hey, you…”

Hyunjae almost cursed at the crudeness of trying to smooth things over with money. He sighed, looking down at the frustrating man.

“This is all I have.”

“Haa…”

The man held out crisp new bills, bent slightly where they’d been folded in his wallet. Several fifty-thousand-won notes were offered to Hyunjae.

Hyunjae could have taken the money. Or, if he wanted, he could have intimidated the clearly irrational man into handing over the rest of his cash. Or he could have simply walked away, dismissing the whole bizarre incident. Especially in the bitter cold, the last option was tempting.

But then Hyunjae noticed the man’s chapped hands. When their fingers had briefly brushed earlier, they’d felt like cold stone. Now, under the harsh winter air, his hands were reddened, with white, frostbitten knuckles and raw, cracked skin.

“Take it quickly. If you don’t, I’ll come find you again. You work around here all the time, right?”

“Me?”

“Yeah. I’ve been watching for a while…”

Hyunjae was startled to realize this wasn’t the first time the man had seen him.

Perhaps that was why he couldn’t leave the drunk man alone in the street.

Hyunjae had an unfortunate tendency to be overly compassionate. That was why he half-carried the staggering man to a nearby motel and laid him down on the bed. It was also why he didn’t take the phone and delete his number from it while the man lay sprawled like a corpse. Despite feeling uncomfortable about being targeted by a man, Hyunjae couldn’t help but think the pitiful figure begging in the cold seemed deeply unhappy.

The winter night had been too harsh to leave him there. Hyunjae justified his actions as no more than that.

And then, a week later, the man contacted him.

When Hyunjae met Nanyeong again, he was nothing like the drunken mess from their first encounter. This time, he was impeccably polite. He invited Hyunjae to a private room in a high-end restaurant, a place Hyunjae had never been to before. The man wore an even sharper suit than last time, complete with a buttoned-up shirt, a neatly tied tie, a subtle tie pin, and silver cufflinks that gleamed softly.

Though there was a hint of nervousness on his face, he didn’t seem servile. The conversation, which involved confirming exactly what had happened that night, was focused solely on clarifying the facts.

“So, nothing happened that night at the motel, right?”

“Yes. Except for the things you said.”

“I see.”

The man let out a small sigh and leaned back in his chair, looking somewhat relieved.

Upon seeing that expression, Hyunjae thought he finally understood the meaning behind the words “you’ll regret it the next day.” It was because the man in question was someone who would never normally behave that way.

The man who had drunkenly switched between informal speech and tossing him around—where had he disappeared to?

It was when Hyunjae found himself unexpectedly submerged in a feeling of regret he hadn’t even been aware of. Nanyeong lowered his voice slightly and said:

“You gave me your number freely. On the other hand, aren’t you curious about having mine?”

“Why would I be?”

The reply came out more quickly than expected, and even Hyunjae was surprised by the speed of his own response.

The man smiled faintly, as if pleased by the answer.

“What I mean is, you could’ve accused me of being a molester, threatened to report me to the police, and extorted money from me, yet you did none of that. Why?”

Finding the question odd, Hyunjae shook his head. Even if the person he’d encountered that day hadn’t been this man, he would’ve reacted the same way.

“Not really… But since you gave it to me, I should’ve taken the money at least.”

The 50,000 won note the man had waved had been a small regret. Yet, for some reason, Nanyeong burst out laughing at Hyunjae’s words. It was the first time Hyunjae had seen a genuine laugh from him. The slightly mischievous slant of his long eyes curved into a smile.

Seeing that human expression, Hyunjae finally felt that the man in front of him and the drunken stranger from that day were indeed the same person.

And before leaving for home, the man made a proposition.

He said what he’d spoken that day had been a truth brought out by alcohol.

“…If you’re not strongly opposed to men, how about seeing me? I’ll accommodate whatever you want.”

“Whatever I want?”

“I’m not asking for a romantic relationship. I promise there will be no messy emotional entanglements.”

At the time, Hyunjae thought those words were just a ploy to keep him from walking away. He could see the nervousness in the man’s eyes, as if he feared rejection.

“So, you’re just saying we should sleep together.”

“Yes.”

In the past, Hyunjae would’ve immediately furrowed his brow at such a suggestion, but surprisingly, he thought it might not be such a bad idea.

It wasn’t that no one had ever approached Hyunjae in this way before. (Though, of course, this was the first time it was a man.) The problem was that he didn’t have the time for a serious relationship right now. Even though there were plenty of women around him, he couldn’t easily form connections with them because if they secretly desired a deeper relationship, he wouldn’t be able to reciprocate.

Currently, Hyunjae barely had enough time in a day. His life was overwhelmed with countless worries about his reality. Adding romantic feelings to that would inevitably lead to hurting the other person.

And yet, Hyunjae also sometimes wanted to lean on someone, to hold warm skin close and fall asleep while feeling its softness. He wasn’t unfamiliar with that warmth. But if he were to seek a relationship purely for satisfying desires, the price might outweigh the fleeting satisfaction. He didn’t want to take on a risk he couldn’t handle.

“I’ve never tried something like that…”

Hyunjae muttered awkwardly.

“If you’re not opposed to men, it might not be a bad choice. At least when it comes to desires, we’d both know exactly what we want. There’d be no concerns about contraception, either.”

As Nanyeong openly said the word “contraception” with his refined face, Hyunjae stared at him bluntly. Perhaps he was right. Between men, handling physical desires without romantic feelings might align their interests.

“What if I say no?”

Hyunjae asked. The man lowered his gaze slightly, as if lost in thought, before answering.

“Then there’s nothing I can do.”

His voice sounded weak.

“Maybe I just can’t do it with a man.”

“Of course… That would make sense.”

Hearing that voice, Hyunjae realized the man’s nonchalance was just a facade.

For some reason, Hyunjae felt curious about where the man’s aura of despair stemmed from. So, impulsively, he said:

“Then call me when you’re free. I have a lot of part-time jobs, so you’ll need to contact me in advance.”

The man sat frozen, looking slightly shocked, as if he hadn’t anticipated a positive response.

After giving a light bow, Hyunjae left the place.

About two weeks later, Hyunjae received a call from Nanyeong.

[Are you free on the night of the 23rd?]

Hyunjae wondered if the reason for the delayed message was that Nanyeong had been busy, or if he had wrestled with some internal conflict.

The time Nanyeong suggested unfortunately clashed with one of Hyunjae’s part-time shifts, leading to several reschedulings before they finally settled on a date. Heading to the hotel Nanyeong had mentioned, Hyunjae was struck by how straightforward his own sexual curiosity turned out to be.

Of course, it would be a lie to say he felt no resistance to the idea of a first encounter with another man. If Nanyeong tried anything strange to seduce him, Hyunjae figured he might panic, punch him, and flee.

Yet, contrary to Hyunjae’s preconceptions, Nanyeong was exceedingly passive. He kept the hotel room as dark as possible to obscure his appearance and barely spoke. Without touching or kissing, he simply lay there, responding to sex like a lifeless doll, suppressing even his moans.

“This isn’t sex; this is just masturbation,” Hyunjae thought.

Hyunjae, who had no intention of treating his partner like a convenient toy, took the lead and began to caress him slowly. Uncertain of how to engage with a man, he did what he knew worked for himself.

He licked the nape of Nanyeong’s neck, then trailed his tongue down the trembling line of his back. Habitually reaching for his chest, Hyunjae was startled by the flatness, which brought him back to his senses, and he moved his hands downward more deliberately. At his touch, Nanyeong’s slim abdomen, defined by a slight hollow in the center, quivered faintly in time with shallow breaths.

“Men and women must have the same basic principles,” Hyunjae thought, beginning what would turn into an unexpectedly absorbing night.

Nanyeong’s skin was smooth and soft, and his body responded sensitively despite his attempts to stifle any noise. The firm muscles in his arms and legs felt good under Hyunjae’s hands. His body had the fragrance of cologne deeply embedded into his skin, exuding a mature allure.

As physical desire grew, Hyunjae’s initial resistance evaporated quickly. He was stunned at how starved he seemed to be, able to engage with a man so naturally. But even more surprising was Nanyeong’s behavior.

Hyunjae had come unprepared. He hadn’t researched or made plans, assuming that since Nanyeong had initiated, he would take care of everything.

Oddly enough, Nanyeong seemed even more nervous than Hyunjae. It was disorienting how stiff and awkward he was, as though he didn’t actually want to be there. He avoided Hyunjae’s gaze, and his hesitance was at odds with the boldness he’d shown when making the proposal.

It became increasingly clear that Nanyeong wasn’t experienced. He flinched at Hyunjae’s touch, and when asked directly, he couldn’t identify his own sensitive spots.

“Is there anywhere you like to be touched?” Hyunjae eventually asked.

“Why do you— Ah, your lips. Your hands are nice, too,” came the somewhat off-target response.

Trying to please him, Hyunjae kissed the areas he had complimented—his eyes, the corners of his mouth, and various parts of his body.

Each time Hyunjae’s lips brushed against his skin, Nanyeong closed his eyes tightly. The trembling of his long lashes revealed a quiet excitement. While he might not have known his erogenous zones, it was clear he enjoyed the kissing.

As Hyunjae explored further, he discovered that Nanyeong had prepared himself in advance. The lubricated and relaxed opening seemed ready for penetration. Though Hyunjae had never been with a man before, the desire to enter overwhelmed him.

Hyunjae pressed his thumb gently into the opening, whispering, “I’m going in.”

“Mm, hnn…”

Nanyeong trembled unusually at the moment of penetration.

The way his fingers clutched the sheets and his unsteady breathing spoke of fear. Watching his arched back, Hyunjae began to suspect something—could this be his first time?

Hyunjae, who had experience with women, instinctively felt it might be true. However, the fact that Nanyeong was a man and had initiated the encounter clouded Hyunjae’s judgment. He mistakenly believed there must be something inherently different about gay men.

Of course, it was possible Nanyeong was just pretending it was his first time. That explanation was easier to accept. After all, wasn’t he someone who propositioned strangers on the street?

“Ahh!”

Nanyeong twisted his body, covering his mouth with the back of his hand. The tight pressure of his inner muscles, gripping so firmly that the folds seemed to pull inward, nearly made Hyunjae see stars.

“Haa, you’re so… tight…”

The suspicion that it might be Nanyeong’s first time vanished. The way his body skillfully contracted and clung suggested otherwise. The tight grip pulled back with every withdrawal and clenched harder with every thrust.

“Mm, uh… ngh…”

Nanyeong was biting his hand and groaning. However, after struggling in pain for only a moment, he soon began panting and trembling every time Hyunjae thrust into him. Watching him clearly get aroused from being penetrated, it was evident this couldn’t be his first time.

Right, he must have had plenty of experience, enough to have his own way of seducing others.

It wouldn’t be easy to excite even a heterosexual man like this. Somehow, even that fact felt stimulating.

That night, during their first encounter, Hyunjae came five times. If counting the dry orgasms on Nanyeong’s side, he probably surpassed that.

Hyunjae clung to the man’s body, biting and licking his pale skin as he relentlessly pushed him to the edge.

Had he ever had sex like this before? No, not once.

The reality that his partner was a man and that he was having sex with another man was entirely forgotten. The fire inside him wouldn’t die out, and he tormented Nanyeong’s body to its limit, leaving him drenched in bodily fluids and sweat. He was so lost in the moment that he even forgot about condoms midway, but Nanyeong didn’t refuse anything.

What drove Hyunjae to such a state wasn’t his own intent but Nanyeong himself. The low, quiet voice urging him to finish inside, combined with the sensation of penetrating Nanyeong’s thoroughly slicked and prepared insides, brought Hyunjae to heights of pleasure he’d never imagined.

Even though his partner was smaller than him, Nanyeong was still a man. It was Hyunjae’s first time with a man, but he quickly learned the differences between male and female bodies.

Men’s bodies don’t break down so easily. While sex with a partner demands a certain level of care, Nanyeong didn’t want Hyunjae to hold back his instincts.

Until now, Hyunjae had thought that cherishing his partner and treating them gently was the essence of sexual joy. This new, unrestricted form of pleasure shook him to his core. Losing his reason so completely was a first for him.

An older man who allowed everything purely for the sake of pleasure.

Thanks to this, Hyunjae was able to forget the drudgery of reality and release all his pent-up stress.

“Once might not be enough…”

Though he thought that, the sight of Nanyeong after their encounter made him realize that any man with a conscience would have to shut their mouth. The state Nanyeong was in was enough to accept being told, “That was the worst,” and kicked out. His disheveled appearance looked as though he had endured the relentless advances of a rampaging beast.

Hyunjae was briefly overcome with fear—what if he was later accused of assault?

“Are you okay?”

Finally regaining his senses, Hyunjae froze as Nanyeong, instead, suggested meeting again.

“Yeah… I’d like to meet again.”

“…”

“Would that be alright?”

The man’s face, soft-spoken with a voice hoarse from moaning and eyes red and swollen, hesitantly asking, was impossible to refuse. Hyunjae nodded without realizing it. He thought that any man would have difficulty saying no if asked like that.

Ꮺ

For their second meeting, Nanyeong invited Hyunjae to his officetel. A high-rise building in Yongsan, gleaming so brilliantly it made Hyunjae wonder when it had been built. One of the square units overlooking the Han River was Nanyeong’s home. It was as clean and neat as his personality suggested.

When Hyunjae arrived, Nanyeong was brewing tea. Although Hyunjae didn’t know much about him yet, he thought that this suited Nanyeong perfectly.

“Would you like some?”

Accepting Nanyeong’s offer, Hyunjae sat across from him.

He was sure they had spoken informally before, but…

He found it slightly off-putting that Nanyeong had reverted to formal speech as if they were strangers again. However, Hyunjae’s attention was soon drawn to Nanyeong’s hands. The pale, slender hands that delicately held a white porcelain cup were beautiful. They were noticeably larger than the average woman’s but still elegant, with distinct knuckles that revealed their masculine nature.

At that moment, Nanyeong received a phone call. “Hello,” he answered in a low voice and stepped aside. While he was on the phone, Hyunjae, left alone, picked up the teacup and held it.

A short while later, Nanyeong returned after ending his call. Hyunjae noticed that he’d switched to a phone he hadn’t seen before.

“This is called a gaiwan,” Nanyeong explained, picking up the cup and tilting its lid slightly. “You hold it like this, but be careful with the steam.”

He demonstrated how to grip the cup naturally, pressing the edge with his thumb and middle finger while bending his index finger to steady the lid. As Hyunjae fumbled with the unfamiliar cup, Nanyeong corrected his grip with his own hands, naturally brushing against him. It wasn’t intentional, but even that brief touch made Hyunjae’s palms feel warm.

“You’re good at this,” Nanyeong said softly.

Hyunjae’s hands were much larger than Nanyeong’s, making the gaiwan in his grip look almost like a toy.

“How old are you?”

Hyunjae asked suddenly. Nanyeong raised one eyebrow slightly.

“Why? Does it seem like an old man’s hobby?”

“That’s not what I meant.”

The call Nanyeong had taken earlier seemed to be work-related. Based on his professional attire, it was clear he was older, but Hyunjae was curious about his exact age.

“I’m thirty-one.”

He hadn’t expected him to be ten years older. With his mouth slightly open in surprise, Hyunjae couldn’t immediately respond, and Nanyeong shrugged, seemingly interpreting his reaction.

“You already knew I wasn’t your age.”

“Yes, I knew you were older, but I didn’t think it would be that much.”

“You’re twenty-one, right? At that age, I must feel like an old man.”

Nanyeong chuckled softly as he spoke. The unexpected use of informal speech pricked at Hyunjae’s heart.

Old man?

To Hyunjae, an “old man” was typically someone his father’s age — convenience store owners, laborers, or the landlord of his rented room. But Nanyeong was unlike any of them.

Rather than an old man… he seemed more like a mature, adult man.

Especially a man in his thirties with sexual appeal, a type Hyunjae had never encountered before. Nanyeong’s smooth, youthful face bore no traces of hard labor, and yet the air of calm confidence and maturity surrounding him made him stand out. Most of Hyunjae’s peers in their early twenties, even those who were good-looking, often resorted to pretentiousness or reckless behavior.

Hyunjae found himself wondering what path one had to take to grow into a man as refined as Nanyeong.

Then, Nanyeong picked up a small teacup and said, “You can shower if you’d like.”

A moment later, as he imagined peeling off that white shirt himself, a sharp ache stirred below.

When Hyunjae emerged from the shower, Nanyeong was seated in a recliner by the window, gazing out. Beyond the window, a view of the Han River stretched out—a sight Hyunjae had never seen before.

Standing beside him, Hyunjae murmured with admiration, “You’d never get tired of this, no matter how often you see it.”

“Would you? You can come by whenever you want to see it,” Nanyeong replied.

“Feel free to speak informally.”

“What, now that you know my age, you’re feeling pressured?”

Nanyeong chuckled softly. Flustered, Hyunjae stammered in response. “That’s not what I meant…”

When they first met, Nanyeong had been tipsy and had spoken casually. Looking back, that unguarded side of him was rare and endearing.

As Hyunjae thought about it, he wrapped his arms around Nanyeong from behind, pulling him close. The heat radiating from his already heightened body temperature seeped through to Nanyeong, who smiled faintly.

Ꮺ

From then on, their meetings naturally became regular. The first time had been at a hotel, but afterward, all their encounters took place at Nanyeong’s apartment.

Twice a month — not a frequent schedule by any means.

Hyunjae’s days were packed with part-time jobs, crammed to the limit of his physical endurance. Meanwhile, Nanyeong’s schedule was unpredictable, making it difficult for the two to coordinate. As a result, their meeting times were irregular, often at dawn or occasionally on weekday afternoons.

Once his libido had ignited, Hyunjae found himself longing for Nanyeong, surprised by how eagerly he waited for his calls. On the days they met, he would forgo sleep, dedicating himself entirely to their encounters, and Nanyeong never turned him down. Even when he was exhausted and begged for mercy, he would open his legs whenever Hyunjae wanted him. Even on the brink of collapse, he never asked Hyunjae to stop.

Despite his composed demeanor, Nanyeong’s submissiveness in bed often caused Hyunjae to lose control. Though he would start with the intention of keeping things moderate, he invariably found himself pushing both their limits. Over time, Hyunjae learned the resilience of a man’s body firsthand—how it rarely broke down, which paradoxically made it harder to know when to stop.

Eventually, Nanyeong noticed Hyunjae hesitating to spend money on transportation to visit. From then on, Nanyeong began picking him up himself.

“You should have told me earlier. It’s no trouble to pick you up. Your workplace isn’t far from my office, anyway.”

At those words, Hyunjae recalled their first meeting. What he had thought was a chance encounter had actually been intentional.

And on the first day Nanyeong came to pick him up, Hyunjae was slightly surprised by the car, as it differed from his expectations.

The car Nanyeong drove wasn’t sleek and stylish to match his image but was instead a heavy, broad vehicle with a stately design. The car was impeccably maintained, without a single speck of dust or scratch, its exterior always gleaming as if someone polished it regularly.

Hyunjae’s family had never owned a car. As a result, sitting in the passenger seat of a car someone else was driving was a novel experience for him.

Nanyeong was undoubtedly a man of a different class from Hyunjae. Hyunjae’s life had always been constrained by the limits of his financial means, making his daily life monotonous and dry.

Through Nanyeong, Hyunjae caught a glimpse of a more affluent lifestyle. Everything about Nanyeong seemed “good” to him—the complex and indescribable scent of his cologne, the fresh and subtle fragrance of the car air freshener, the type of car he preferred, and even the classical music he habitually played.

That was to be expected since Nanyeong’s tastes had been refined over 31 years of enjoying and filtering out the best of what life had to offer. In contrast, Hyunjae, who was accustomed to “choosing the cheapest option,” had no concept of personal taste. Essentially a blank slate, he unquestioningly accepted and absorbed everything Nanyeong liked.

Of course, there are always things one cannot have, even if they recognize their value. Nanyeong’s apartment in Yongsan and his car were prime examples.

As Hyunjae came to understand the value of such things, he sometimes found himself sinking into a new kind of melancholy he hadn’t known before.

That day, like clockwork, he had plans to meet Nanyeong. Hyunjae finished his part-time job at 4 p.m., and Nanyeong arrived to pick him up, timing it perfectly.

Now accustomed to climbing into Nanyeong’s car and fastening his seatbelt, Hyunjae casually asked, “Isn’t today a weekday?”

“Yeah, it’s Tuesday, I think,” Nanyeong replied nonchalantly.

“Don’t tell me you just got off work?”

“That’s right,” Nanyeong answered lightly. His breezy response made Hyunjae wonder if he was the only one with questions.

Getting off work at 4 p.m. on a weekday? Even though Hyunjae had no experience in the corporate world, he knew it was rare for office workers to leave work at that hour. Moreover, judging by Nanyeong’s recent lifestyle patterns, he didn’t seem like someone with a typical nine-to-five job. He never appeared to have a fixed time when he was entirely free from work, yet he wasn’t chained to an office desk all day either.

Curious about what Nanyeong did for a living, Hyunjae asked, “Why don’t you ever tell me what you do?”

“Oh, I’m in sales,” Nanyeong replied.

“Sales?”

“It’s boring. All office jobs are the same,” Nanyeong said evasively, quickly steering the conversation away. Hyunjae found himself lost in thought again.

Recently, Hyunjae had realized something. At 31, it would be difficult for an average office worker to afford a car like this.

When he had no sense of such things, he’d simply assumed that people working at large companies all drove cars like this. He figured that, for those who could afford cars, brand preference came down more to taste than money.

But that had been a naive assumption born of someone without a license who never had reason to think about owning a car.

Out of pure curiosity, Hyunjae had looked up the model of Nanyeong’s car. He wanted to know what kind of people favored such a heavy, conservative vehicle that didn’t seem to match Nanyeong’s image. As Hyunjae’s fascination shifted from Nanyeong’s body to the man himself, he began paying attention to the names of the things Nanyeong owned. He thought that preferences could reveal something about a person and might help him understand Nanyeong better.

However, as soon as he saw the car’s price, Hyunjae immediately realized it wasn’t something one would choose based on taste alone. Moreover, the internet provided more information than he expected.

Thanks to that, Hyunjae learned that this stately and somewhat old-fashioned car, often referred to as a “chairman’s car,” wasn’t typically a brand favored by wealthy men in their early thirties.

So, had he inherited it from his father?

Or was it truly just an unusual taste?

The more Hyunjae learned, the less he seemed to know. Instead of shedding light on Nanyeong, digging deeper only made him more enigmatic.

“But this car… doesn’t it feel a bit outdated? Like a chairman’s car,” Hyunjae remarked.

From the driver’s seat came a choking cough. Glancing over, Hyunjae saw Nanyeong covering his mouth lightly with the back of his hand, suppressing a sudden burst of laughter. His reaction was so unexpected that Hyunjae’s eyes widened in surprise.

“That… that does look a bit like that, doesn’t it? I thought so too before I started working… but getting used to it makes me think I’m definitely aging. But… calling it tacky… tacky is a bit much.”

Seeing him clumsily making excuses, Hyunjae couldn’t help but smile. What particularly caught his attention was that Nanyeong’s ears remained flushed red for quite some time afterward.

The next time they met, Nanyeong had already switched to a different car.

“Hyunjae. Jung Hyunjae!”

Startled by the familiar voice calling him from behind, Hyunjae turned around.

There was Nanyeong, seated in a car Hyunjae had never seen before. The matte black exterior reflected the light like it was deflecting it, and Hyunjae’s eyes widened. It was the kind of car that only seemed to exist in movies.

“Hurry up. I can’t park here for long.”

Even passersby stopped in their tracks to glance at the car. Embarrassed and feeling his ears heat up, Hyunjae quickly approached the vehicle. He bent low to get into the car, given its low height, closed the door, and asked hesitantly.

“…Is this your car?”

“You were so shocked about the ‘tacky’ comment, so I brought this. Is this young enough for your taste?”

“Yes. It’s amazing.”

Hyunjae managed to reply. Young taste? Was he kidding? Having a car to suit someone’s taste?

“How many cars do you even have?”

“Hmm…”

Nanyeong just smiled enigmatically without giving an answer. More than surprise, a strange, unnameable feeling swirled in Hyunjae’s chest. If someone had so many possessions that even their cars couldn’t define them, what was the point of trying to guess the kind of person they were based on their car brands? Right now, Hyunjae was less excited about the luxury of sitting in such a great car and more overwhelmed by the sheer disparity between them.

‘I knew he was well-off, but…’

It might be beyond what he had imagined. Feeling strangely deflated, Hyunjae glanced at Nanyeong. The gap between them felt immeasurable, almost surreal.

It was on the way to the officetel when it happened. Honk! A short honk blared, and Hyunjae’s body jerked forward slightly as the car abruptly slowed down.

Looking around in confusion, Hyunjae tried to figure out what had happened. Perhaps Nanyeong had made a mistake, as the car behind them sped past while muttering something angrily.

“What… what was that?”

“They’re mad I hit the brakes. They shouldn’t be tailgating, then.”

Nanyeong murmured in a slightly disheartened voice.

“I really hate people who take out their anger with the horn.”

“That’s it?”

“What is?”

“Everyone says people change when they get behind the wheel. But you seem exactly the same.”

“Do you want to hear me curse?”

Nanyeong smirked, then refocused on driving. Watching his profile, Hyunjae thought to himself. His driving might not be perfect, but it was exactly this demeanor that seemed so mature.

Nanyeong didn’t let his emotions get unnecessarily heightened. Was he just not angry, or was he hiding it?

Whatever the case, there was an elegance in how Nanyeong managed his emotions.

It was strange. How could he now see someone who had casually suggested sleeping together, someone ten years his senior, as mature and elegant?

But that’s what sex does, Hyunjae thought. Even saints reveal their baser sides.

Perhaps it was because they started at rock bottom that every new facet of this person felt so fresh to him.

Maybe… he was even being captivated, Hyunjae thought.

Ꮺ

Afterward, Hyunjae often reflected on his impulsive decision to get involved with someone so different from himself.

Each time, he came back to the same conclusion: he must have been mesmerized by the first impression. If it hadn’t been for Nanyeong’s elegant and clean-cut appearance, he wouldn’t have even glanced back, let alone handed over his number.

Or maybe it had been the magic of the early morning hours. The shimmer of lights in the night, the faint noise of traffic at dawn, the subtle scent of cigarettes… and Nanyeong’s melancholic profile backlit by headlights.

Or maybe he’d just been terribly lonely.

Whatever the reason, up until now, Nanyeong had been accommodating and considerate in many ways but never emotionally clingy, as he had promised from the beginning.

At first, that had been a relief for Hyunjae.

But now, three months later, something felt different. Lying next to Nanyeong, who had fallen asleep before him, Hyunjae found himself lost in thought.

What kind of relationship do we have?

They were certainly not lovers.

But to say they were just sleeping together…

‘There’s definitely something more, isn’t there?’

Hyunjae thought this as he gently brushed Nanyeong’s cheek, who had fallen asleep before him.

‘I like you, I like you so much.’

Was it true?

Right now, he pictured Nanyeong’s eyes hidden behind his closed eyelids.

Those eyes, which had grown teary at the tender question, “Are you okay?” Hyunjae wanted to probe the meaning behind them. He wanted to uncover the nature of the longing reflected in the way Nanyeong looked at him.