IPSTDS Chapter 35

Chapter 35

It was already absurd enough that Kim Daon answered Yoon Noah’s phone, but then he had to go and use words that could easily be misinterpreted in a sexual way.

Sticky stuff on Noah’s clothes, that he was changing, that Daon was “washing” them…

Kim Daon and Yoon Noah tangled up in something sticky and intimate?

It was a development that made no sense. He couldn’t even imagine it.

But thinking back, the two of them had known each other for a long time and had often met together with Seo Dowoong.

Kim Daon didn’t hate Yoon Noah as much as Seo Dowoong did. He’d even heard they went on occasional drives together.

Maybe they were closer than Kangil had assumed.

What’s more, since Noah’s change in personality, the two did seem to have grown even closer.

No way… but still…

Even as he tried to brush it off, there was something that kept bothering him.

Yoon Noah had a history.

Kangil couldn’t forget the time Noah had tried to seduce him, unbuttoning his shirt.

Not to mention how, even when Kangil had used the experimental drug as leverage to push for physical contact, Noah didn’t resist much. He was the same guy who had kissed Kangil through tears, despite how much he claimed to hate it.

So what was stopping him from doing the same with Kim Daon?

Even if Noah had softened up lately, he was originally a sly little seducer. That nature of his—finding joy in tempting others—wasn’t likely to have disappeared.

Especially since he’d admitted to liking Kim Daon…

And with that, the image of Noah and Daon tangled together overwhelmed Kangil’s mind. Just moments ago, he couldn’t even imagine it—now, the vividness of it disgusted him.

A curse slipped through Lee Kangil’s teeth, even though he usually avoided foul language.

“Fuck…”

He felt like he wouldn’t be able to breathe unless he saw Noah right that instant. So he grabbed the steering wheel and sped off, and somewhere along the way, the thought hit him:

Why am I this pissed?

What was Yoon Noah to him anyway? Just a tool to provoke Seo Dowoong—that’s all he’d ever been.

He couldn’t figure out the reason, but he knew he didn’t want anyone else seeing Noah flustered and helpless like that.

Noah should be crawling only for him, kissing as punishment—only with him.

The idea of Noah playing around with someone else sat terribly with him. That aroused face of his, being shown to someone else…

It didn’t sit right.

When Kangil finally arrived at Noah’s house, he parked in a complete mess. He got out of the car looking no better than the parking job.

A speeding ticket was probably on the way. His reality was a wreck. He had come here fuming, only to end up watching a cheesy romance movie.

And then he realized he’d been played by Kim Daon’s word games.

If this wasn’t a disaster, what else could possibly qualify?

“When I imagined you getting sucked off by another guy… I was already a mess.”

It was worse than a mess. It was the absolute worst.

And yet, he couldn’t stop thinking about Kim Daon acting all friendly with Noah.

Kim Daon, why don’t you just focus on Seo Dowoong? Why are you giving attention to a stray wildcat, huh?

He held back from asking. The one he wanted to talk to right now was Noah, not Kim Daon.

As much as he hated to admit it, the person he was most fixated on these days was Yoon Noah.

It was fun being around him. He liked how Noah’s face turned red when he kissed him.

Above all, he couldn’t stop thinking about how that sly little thing had cried with tears like beads, whispering, “I just wanted to try being in love…” like a dying wish.

That love—something Kangil himself had never experienced. Something he had long given up on. And yet, Noah clung to it with desperation, trying to reach it no matter what.

Everyone who knew them knew just how badly Seo Dowoong had treated Noah.

And here was Noah, talking about love even with death hanging over him. It made Kangil pity him.

Yeah, that’s why—because he pitied him, he had decided to save him. To let him experience love.

He’d spent day after day researching like a madman to save him.

So how could he be okay with seeing Noah getting cozy with some other guy?

How could he not fall apart?

If Noah had given up on Seo Dowoong and was looking for another love, shouldn’t that love be Kangil?

He was the one holding Noah’s lifeline, the one trying to save him. What did Noah even see him as?

Lee Kangil let out a deep, weary sigh.

Getting emotionally attached to someone—maybe it really wasn’t good for his mental health.

“…R-right. A mess, huh… Kangil, come with me.”

Finally, Yoon Noah rose from the sofa. Kangil followed after him, sighing over and over like it was a habit.

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There was a small stool by the vanity, but no sofa in the room.

Despite how spacious it was, the room didn’t contain much furniture. Maybe that was because there was a private living room just outside the door.

Since there wasn’t anywhere else suitable to sit, Nahyuk had Kangil sit on the bed. At the very least, the bed was wide, with good cushioning—comfortable to sit on.

It was only after sitting down that Kangil let go of Nahyuk’s wrist.

Noah’s skin was so pale that the spot where Kangil had gripped him was left slightly red.

Nahyuk stole a glance at Kangil’s serious face. He couldn’t help but wonder what was going through his head.

“Why are you hanging out with Kim Daon all of a sudden?”

Kangil was the first to speak.

Nahyuk answered plainly and honestly.

“Oh, we ran into each other outside. He said he wanted to see my place.”

“If he’s done looking, he should’ve gone home. Why is he still here?”

“He said he wanted to stay the night.”

“…What?”

“Uh… You’ve been having a lot of lewd misunderstandings lately, so let me clarify: it’s not like that. Daon wouldn’t do anything like that with someone like me. Besides, he’s…”

He couldn’t bring himself to say “getting along with Seo Dowoong.” It reminded him of how his interference had once led to a fight between Seo Dowoong and Kim Daon.

He wondered if the two of them had made up.

Nahyuk had been avoiding the topic of Seo Dowoong on purpose. He didn’t want Daon to feel uncomfortable.

“Well, he’s the protagonist of the novel, so I’m sure they’ll sort it out themselves.”

He wasn’t too worried.

“I’m just asking to be sure, but… you’re not seriously in love with Kim Daon, are you?”

It was a misunderstanding he’d heard before. Absolutely ridiculous.

Nahyuk hurried to explain before Kangil got the wrong idea again.

“No! Absolutely not. I just wanted to get closer to him. He’s a good person.”

“And I’m not a good person?”

“You… if we’re being strictly honest…”

Unfortunately, Nahyuk wasn’t a good liar.

He didn’t think Kangil was a bad person, but he also couldn’t say he’d ever thought of him as a good one.

“…You’ve really changed since you got the drug.”

“Just kidding, haha. You’re a good… person too.”

“You hesitated. That’s annoying.”

“I mean it! And I haven’t changed at all. I’d still do whatever you ask me to.”

“Yeah?”

As soon as Kangil responded, he raised his hands and pushed Nahyuk back by the shoulders.

Suddenly forced onto the bed, Nahyuk swallowed dryly. In the blink of an eye, Kangil was on top of him.

“Wh-what are you…”

But before Nahyuk could finish the question, Kangil moved faster.

His face tilted downward, and then his lips landed on Nahyuk’s neck.

“…!”

The heat of his breath and the soft press of his lips left Nahyuk breathless. Then Kangil’s tongue slid over his neck, followed by a light bite.

“Ugh… K-Kangil…”

At the sound of his name, Kangil lifted his head from Nahyuk’s neck.

His eyes were hazier than before, and his lips—now stained a deep red—looked as lush as ripe fruit.

“You said you’d do whatever I asked.”

“…”

“I want to bite other places too.”

“…”

“Just like you said—I’m not a good person.”

Kangil’s hands gripped Nahyuk’s waist tightly. His warm fingers crept under the hem of Nahyuk’s shirt.

Feeling another person’s touch like that for the first time, Nahyuk instinctively flinched.

Kangil only tightened his grip on Nahyuk’s smooth waist each time he reacted.

“Why’s your skin so soft?”

It was a perverse comment, but disturbingly, Nahyuk didn’t hate it. Maybe it was Kangil’s voice—so rich and warm it felt like it could melt him.

Kangil’s lips, which had mercilessly bitten his neck, now drifted down to the waist he’d been toying with.

Touch. The heat against his skin sent a jolt through him.

Kangil’s hands slipped lower along Nahyuk’s waist, moving gently, without pressure. His lips followed the same path, moving downward, kissing further and further below.

Despite saying he wanted to bite, Kangil treated him like fragile glass, kissing him with extreme care. The places he touched grew flushed and hot.

When Kangil’s lips finally reached below Nahyuk’s navel, Nahyuk’s back arched involuntarily.

A shiver ran through his whole body, and goosebumps rose across the exposed skin peeking from his half-removed clothes.