WYK 57

“I want to put it in….”

His mumbling faded away with a deep sigh. It was a voice like a child who, despite having a delicious candy right in front of him, felt too gloomy to eat it. Jeong-yoon let out a ticklish laugh. Kang Chae-heon was showing a side of himself that was unfamiliar in many ways.

Jeong-yoon grabbed his wrist and removed the hand that was fidgeting at the entrance. He also gently lowered the leg that had been resting on his waist. In truth, he felt quite stirred himself. After all, his own was already half-erect.

He wanted to turn the ecstasy he had felt earlier back into reality, but doing so felt like it would truly ruin his body. It already hurt this much; anything more was beyond his capacity.

Jeong-yoon pulled Chae-heon closer and wrapped his arms around his neck. He looked at his face that was getting closer, bit down hard on his lower lip before letting go. There was a slight sense of embarrassment in Chae-heon’s eyes looking down at him.

Jeong-yoon simply smiled. Chae-heon was bold when it came to approaching him, but he would flinch at even the smallest gesture if he was the one being approached first. That sight now felt endearingly cute.

Chae-heon responded to Jeong-yoon’s kiss by gently pressing his lips against Jeong-yoon’s.

“Let’s go to Jeju Island during winter break.”

“Jeju Island?”

“Yes. Jeju Island.”

“…Sure, I’d like that…”

Jeong-yoon nodded readily. It was an unexpected suggestion – someone like Kang Chae-heon seemed more likely to suggest going abroad…

But they immediately agreed since it was a good idea. Why would they refuse an invitation to go together? Even if they had to pay for the plane tickets, accommodation, or even pilot the plane themselves, they would definitely go.

Chae-heon rubbed his nose against Jeong-yoon’s bridge, adjusted the angle of his face to brush their lips together, and continued,

“Because of my current situation, it’s difficult to set a specific date… but we’ll leave as soon as we can. Please understand.”

“Current situation?”

“I’ve been changing my mind lately and trying to work things out with my father. After all, having more money would be better.”

“…I see.”

What did he mean by “working things out” with his father? Wasn’t he already wealthy? Though they weren’t sure exactly what he meant, the hint of bitterness in his voice made it clear that the situation wasn’t pleasant.

Jeong-yoon gently pulled Chae-heon’s neck closer, embracing him as he gave a bitter smile. Then, licking his lips, they whispered softly:

“Come to think of it, Kang Chae-heon. You don’t smell like cigarettes… though you never did…”

Their lips brushed, exchanging warm breaths. Without letting their t0ngues meet, Chae-heon playfully bit and licked Jeong-yoon’s lips as he laughed softly.

“I quit. There’s no reason to smoke anymore.”

“Were there reasons to smoke before?”

“I was going through a tough time back then….”

Chae-heon languidly answered before sliding his t0ngue between Jeong-yoon’s lips. They wanted to ask what had been so hard. If only they could help solve his problems, they wanted to be like Superman – fixing everything and carrying his burdens.

Chae-heon caressed the inside of Jeong-yoon’s mouth, wrapping their t0ngues together. Jeong-yoon just closed their eyes. The moist sounds escaping between their lips echoed like a fantasy. They tilted their head slightly while accepting his slow, entwining t0ngue. Chae-heon followed the angle, pressing in gently.

Jeong-yoon embraced him, softly stroking his hair as if to console him. Their pressed bodies were warm and comfortable. It felt like they might melt into the bed.

***

After sleeping for a while, he woke up to find it was morning. The first thing Jeong-yoon did upon waking was to wash up. He accepted Chae-heon’s kisses with a dazed expression. Then he got dressed and left the house.

“How do you usually eat your meals?” Jeong-yoon asked while rubbing their hungry stomach. Chae-heon turned the steering wheel.

“I cook for myself.”

That was unexpected. Kang Chae-heon cooking his own meals? Jeong-yoon had thought surely he had a housekeeper. But somehow he could picture him standing in the kitchen, chopping ingredients and washing rice. He wondered what his cooking was like.

They headed to the nearest steakhouse. When Chae-heon had asked what he wanted to eat, Jeong-yoon had immediately blurted out “Meat! Steak!”

“But why didn’t you cook today? I want to try your cooking.”

“I wanted to feed you quickly. You spent all evening exerting yourself.”

“…You were the one exerting yourself, not me…”

Jeong-yoon answered hazily while scratching his flushed neck. It was true. All he’d done was lie beneath him, swaying or being intensely driven. Kang Chae-heon was the one who’d worked hard alone. So it was Kang Chae-heon who needed to eat and replenish his energy.

Remembering last night made him shy and squirm anew. Jeong-yoon turned his flushed face toward the window. The leaves passing outside were stained yellow and red.

He’d slept with Kang Chae-heon. They had finally done it. He had intertwined his body with Kang Chae-heon yesterday.

He had touched him and made him moan with excitement.

Now Jeong-yoon knew how hot and firm his body was, how solid and magnificent his chest muscles and abs were, and how beastly he could become on the bed. It felt like he had peeked into a secret world.

It was an unbelievable dreamlike reality. What had happened yesterday felt like a blissful fantasy, yet his stomach was so hungry that it felt painfully real.

After all, thinking back, they had spent the entire day on the bed, moving vigorously without even having dinner right after coming out of the movie theater. What had gotten into them? Both Chae-heon and he were out of their minds. It was an act that could be described as sparks flying.

All Jeong-yoon had eaten was a sandwich for lunch yesterday and popcorn and cola at the movie theater. That was it. Having been tormented by him without even eating a proper meal, he had fainted and woke up in the morning with an empty stomach.

Chae-heon’s situation was probably not much different. Jeong-yoon had just been lying still, but Chae-heon, who had been moving actively, would be even hungrier.

Soon they arrived at the restaurant parking lot. Jeong-yoon had his hand on the door handle before the car even stopped.

Moments later, they ordered an enormous amount: two pastas, two steaks, two risottos, two salads, one french fries, one coconut shrimp. And they devoured it all right there.

Jeong-yoon ate hurriedly like someone who hadn’t eaten for days, and Chae-heon was the same. When the fries came first, the usually composed Chae-heon quickly put one in Jeong-yoon’s mouth before popping one into his own. He hadn’t even dipped them in ketchup.

Jeong-yoon smiled slightly while chewing the fry Chae-heon had given them. It made Kang Chae-heon seem so human.

“You move faster when you’re hungry too, huh?”

“I could chew this plate too.”

Chae-heon said seriously after swallowing his fries.

Jeong-yoon laughed again at that. How adorable he looked, mechanically putting fries in his mouth after saying that… It made his heart flutter unbearably.

Every single thing Chae-heon did was lovely and endearing. He wanted to pat that broad-shouldered young man’s back, hug his head, and kiss him all over. Love’s rose-colored gazes were terrifying – they made the big Kang Chae-heon look cuter than a two-week-old puppy.

‘Next time, I should eat something before we do that.’

If they were to spend the night together again, he thought he should calm him down a bit in between and order some jajangmyeon. With that thought, Jeong-yoon stuffed another fry into his mouth. It was the most delicious fry he had ever tasted.

Suddenly, he gazed out the window. The golden sunlight was hovering over the ripening fruit trees. When he turned his head back to the front, he found Chae-heon resting his chin on his hand, smiling at him, though he didn’t know for how long he had been watching.

His gentle expression made Jeong-yoon’s insides tingle.

“…Why?”

He asked sheepishly. Chae-heon tilted his supported head slightly and answered quietly,

“Because I like you.”

“…”

Ah. It was such a simple statement, yet it made him blush, which felt like a pure reaction.

His emotional control faltered, and his ears began to heat up. But even while feeling shy, he didn’t avoid Chae-heon’s gaze. Now he could fully accept the affection and love contained within those eyes.

In his eyes, he was a person who sparkled brighter than the sunlight outside. The man he had loved in his fantasies for a long time. That Kang Chae-heon was gazing at him with eyes full of affection.

Jeong-yoon reached out and lightly touched the back of Chae-heon’s hand. Kang Chae-heon sparkled so brightly under the clear sunlight that he suddenly felt anxious.

Chae-heon lowered his hand to gently grasp Jeong-yoon’s. His warm temperatures overlapped as warmth wrapped around their intertwined fingers. Jeong-yoon carefully looked around, and only relaxed his hand after confirming no one was watching him. Chae-heon squeezed his hand more firmly.

Jeong-yoon smiled quietly. Why was he so kind to everyone but him? There was a time when he had thought that way.

But now…

The music playing in the restaurant and the customers’ conversations faded like afterimages. Everything around was blurry. Only Kang Chae-heon was clear – sitting right in front of him, looking straight at him with tender eyes.

Warm sunlight from the window fell between them. A new season was about to begin.

Chapter 11. Finally, The Path We Face

Looking up suddenly, he saw a bare tree standing on the freezing ground. Winter was coming.

Kang Chae-heon. Time had flowed well since they became lovers. Every day was dreamlike happiness – just walking together, eating together, simply being together.

Sitting in the library reading room, Jeong-yoon stretched. Next to him was Kang Chae-heon, across the aisle sat Kwon Mi-hee, and beside her was Seo Hyang-gi. During the final exam period, everyone was diligently fulfilling their duties as college students. Kim Min-soo was about to graduate and had lost interest in the exams, so he was no longer part of the group.

Jeong-yoon pressed his tired eyelids, grabbed his bag from the chair, and tapped Chae-heon’s shoulder. Then he mouthed silently:

‘Let’s go out.’

Chae-heon stood up immediately.

Soon they were sitting at a table next to the campus store where crickets chirped. Perhaps because the library was at the foot of a mountain, the night air that brushed their ears was refreshingly cool. It was the perfect atmosphere for lying in a cozy cabin and watching the stars.

Jeong-yoon rummaged in his bag and pulled out a small container. Inside were two red apples.

“Kang Chae-heon. Wait a moment.”

Jeong-yoon took out a red knife and began cutting the apple into pieces. Once before, Chae-heon had peeled an apple until it was tiny as a baby potato, but Jeong-yoon was different. He was confident in his fruit-cutting skills, having always been in charge of it as the youngest at home.

Speaking to Chae-heon who was just watching the moving knife, he said,

“Mom bought these from someone who owns an apple farm and they’re really delicious. I brought them for you, so try some.”

Jeong-yoon’s mother somehow knew so many people and would bring home this much fruit, that much fish every season. And amazingly, everything she brought was delicious.

It happened yesterday too. Something about Fuji apples or well-aged apples – he hadn’t listened carefully so he couldn’t remember exactly, but what was certain was that these apples were truly delicious. That’s why after devouring them right there, he quickly packed two more to let Chae-heon taste them too.

At some point, whenever Jeong-yoon ate something delicious, he wanted to feed it to Chae-heon; whenever he saw something nice, he wanted to see it with him. Whatever he did, his mind was full of Chae-heon. You could say Jeong-yoon’s daily life was simply Kang Chae-heon.

He cut the peeled apple and offered it to Chae-heon on a fork.

“Here. Try it.”

“…”

“I washed my hands. They’re clean. Don’t worry and eat.”

Jeong-yoon emphasized cleanliness, thinking he might be hesitating because it seemed dirty.

Chae-heon smiled quietly at that, then caught Jeong-yoon’s free hand and suddenly bit the tip. A warm t0ngue wrapped around his fingertip as Chae-heon slowly sucked his finger. The sensation was quite sensual, making Jeong-yoon pull his hand away and blush deeply.

“Why, why are you suddenly sucking…”

“Even if you’d just rolled in mud, I could lick you from head to toe.”

“…Okay. I get it, so stop and just eat the apple.”

Jeong-yoon pushed the fork forward insistently. Chae-heon’s touches always came at unexpected moments, catching them off guard.

Taking the fork from Jeong-yoon, Chae-heon picked an apple piece and put it in his mouth. Jeong-yoon also took a bite.

“Delicious, right? When I ate it yesterday, it was so good I brought some for you.”

“Thank you. Next time I’ll make pasta for you.”

“You’re good at making pasta?”

“Is there anything I’m not good at?”

“Right, how nice that you’re good at everything.”

“That’s right. It is nice.”

Jeong-yoon just smiled. Now he could only laugh whenever Chae-heon bragged so shamelessly with such a straight face.

“Have another.”

Chae-heon nodded like an obedient child and speared another apple piece. But he froze at Jeong-yoon’s next words. Actually, what Jeong-yoon said wasn’t particularly complicated. Rather, it was too simple and direct.

“Kang Chae-heon. But why aren’t we having sex again?”

“…What?”

Chae-heon slowly raised his head, staring at Jeong-yoon with a blank expression.

Since that day they returned from the movie theater, they hadn’t spent the night together. Because of this, Jeong-yoon became quite troubled by the embarrassing worry that ‘maybe he didn’t like doing it with me.’ Thinking back to that day, Chae-heon definitely wasn’t someone without sexual desire or ascetic. So why weren’t they having sex again?

He thought about bringing it up first but was afraid of hearing the realistic and shocking words, “Sorry, but I’m not interested,” so he held back. But in the end, he had to ask directly like this.

Jeong-yoon asked again, facing Chae-heon who was staring blankly at him.

“Why aren’t we having sex again? Was it not good for you? …I really enjoyed it.”

“…”

Chae-heon’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. His face showed unusual signs of being quite flustered.

Watching Chae-heon, Jeong-yoon felt quite troubled. Seeing how he couldn’t easily respond, it must have really been disappointing. Well, it would be quite different from being with women. But he couldn’t give up. This was a really important issue between lovers.

“Kang Chae-heon. Let’s still try to work at it. I’ve studied a lot.”

Suddenly Chae-heon’s expression completely changed. As if his previous blank look had been a lie, his eyes shot toward Jeong-yoon like winter frost. Setting down his fork, Chae-heon leaned forward with slightly clenched teeth.

“What do you mean studied? Just what have you been studying?”

Jeong-yoon felt a chill from Chae-heon’s demeanor, so he leaned slightly against the bench’s backrest. It was a bit embarrassing, but when Chae-heon got like this, he couldn’t help but feel slightly intimidated. It was natural to shrink back when his eyes looked like he might grab his  collar and dangle him in the air at any moment.

“…I watched videos… looked up some articles… reviews too…”

At those words, Chae-heon’s expression immediately softened.

“Ah, that kind of study.”

Seeing Chae-heon smile quietly now, Jeong-yoon remembered. He had forgotten lately since he’d been so gentle, but Chae-heon had somewhat of a dual personality. He’d thought it once before – how Chae-heon rapidly changing emotional states were like Jekyll and Hyde.

“Don’t study. Don’t watch videos or anything like that.”

“Why? I should learn too.”

“You should only look at my body. There’s no need to look at unnecessary things.”

“Then can I see a woman’s naked body?”

“…”

Jeong-yoon had just thrown out a light joke, but a sharp gaze shot back at him. After avoiding his eyes, he awkwardly continued.

“It’s a joke… Anyway, what do you mean I can only see your body? You don’t even show me yours.”

At that, Chae-heon wrapped an arm around Jeong-yoon’s shoulders and tilted his face down. His composed expression had softened its edge and showed a slight smile.

“Then, shall we see it today?”

“…”

Jeong-yoon bit his lower lip slightly and avoided his gaze. Ridiculously enough, he’d almost been aroused just by Chae-heon’s strange low whisper. And this was in front of the library, a sacred place of education. To be stirred just by his voice now – he must have really fallen far.

But even so, today would be a bit difficult. After all, there was a test tomorrow. That was why he had come here to study. Without a solid foundation or anything to rely on, getting good grades and landing a good job was the best path for him, and the studying he was doing now was bound to be the cornerstone of a rosy future.

He brushed Chae-heon’s hand off his shoulder and offered the apple again. Though his heart was still fluttering slightly.

“I need to study for exams, what are you talking about?”

Chae-heon took the apple and pulled back. The thin tension between them shattered. Leaning back against the bench, he said,

“I told you that day. I wanted to stay inside you forever.”

“…”

“It was good, Jeong-yoon. Very good.”

Jeong-yoon didn’t know how to respond and just slightly parted his lips. Chae-heon’s gentle voice made his face flush without a chance to hide it.

How ridiculous it was to blush at such words when he had boldly suggested they had sex. But listening to Chae-heon’s relaxed tone reminded him of that day, and his body naturally heated up.

Jeong-yoon cleared his throat needlessly and avoided his gaze. Chae-heon continued in a low voice,

“Let’s go to Jeju Island.”

“Jeju Island? What you mentioned before?”

“Yes.”

It didn’t seem like he just meant going there for fun – it seemed more like he was suggesting spending the night there.

“Why go all the way there…”

“Well…”

Chae-heon just smiled. Seeing his response, it didn’t seem like he’d give a proper answer.

“Okay. When we go to Jeju, let’s definitely sleep together.”

“No, you won’t be able to sleep.”

“…”

Understanding Chae-heon’s meaning in 0.1 seconds, Jeong-yoon briefly bit his lip. He thought about how Kang Chae-heon always said embarrassing things with such a calm face.

“Alright, let’s go. To Jeju. But is there honey spread there or something?”

“Not honey, but there is something with saliva on it. Mine.”

Chae-heon smiled quietly. Even in the distant night shadows, that smile was so sparkling and wonderful that Jeong-yoon felt ticklish satisfaction rising from within their chest. He quietly smiled along with him.

‘Tomorrow I’ll bring pears for Kang Chae-heon.’

Mom had bought ten pears, and they were so crisp and delicious when eaten cold. Jeong-yoon thought about showing that pretty and wonderful Kang Chae-heon the delicious pears and closed the container.

‘But, no matter how I think about it, I feel like something is a bit off about how I am right now….’

At this rate, he might end up feeding him eel too. But that wouldn’t be a bad choice either. After all, it would be good for Chae-heon’s health.

Jeong-yoon looked up at the sky while gazing contentedly at Chae-heon. Soon he’d be flying up there in a plane with him. Just thinking about it made him smile.