XX | Chapter 1.4

He tried to hold onto his increasingly blurred consciousness. But contrary to his efforts, the situation before him flowed slowly, and it appeared in fragments, like a broken video.

The last thing he saw before losing consciousness was the other’s hand putting a condom on his fully erect thing.

✮⋆˙

‘Flower scent…’

Sooha slowly opened his eyes to the fragrance tickling his nose. He squinted at the sunlight streaming through the thin chiffon curtains.

With a hangover pounding in his head, he lay there blankly for a moment before turning his head to the silhouette beside him.

The person was sleeping soundly, hugging a pillow.

Oh, right. I slept with that… pretty guy last night.

As Sooha tried to recall the name, he realized he hadn’t even exchanged names with the man sleeping next to him. They hadn’t had a proper conversation before getting a room, and then they had sex until he blacked out.

Normally, he would lead the conversation to relax the other person, have amazing sex, and even provide aftercare.

Sooha chuckled at how uncharacteristic his actions were. At least he wasn’t the only one who passed out first.

Clothes were strewn around like a snake shedding its skin, and condoms were tossed haphazardly, tied at the ends. It was clear they had a wild time and finished simultaneously.

Hearing a rustling sound beside him, Sooha turned his head.

The man, who had been sleeping like a log, shifted and turned towards him, revealing his face.

‘Wow…’

It was a face that naturally drew admiration. The man looked just as he had the night before, not just a product of drunken embellishment.

Sooha examined the man’s face as if appreciating a work of art. Long shadows fell under neatly closed long eyelashes, and following the smooth bridge of his nose led to his gently closed lips.

Sooha’s gaze lingered particularly on one spot. The man’s white, broad chest.

Damn, that’s hot.

Sooha licked his lips with a smirk. Why couldn’t he remember the hot night he spent with this guy? It was frustrating.

Should I wake him up for another round?

As he contemplated waking the sleeping man, he paused at the sight of nail marks on the shoulder.

Hmm?

He lifted his head slightly to look over the shoulder and saw what he hadn’t noticed before. The man’s shoulders, arms, and back were covered in scratch marks.

Judging by the situation, they were marks he had made. But the mystery wasn’t immediately solved.

Why would I?

If such marks were on his arms and back, it would be understandable, but they weren’t the kind of marks he would leave on someone else.

After a moment of contemplation, Sooha dismissed it as something that could happen during intense sex.

Maybe I should wash up.

He propped himself up on the bed with his hands.

“Ah, ugh…”

As he sat up, a groan escaped his lips from the pain that felt like his muscles were being wrung out.

Clutching his strangely aching waist, he swung his legs off the bed.

“Ah!”

As soon as his feet touched the floor, a sharp pain shot up to his waist, making him cry out.

What, what is this?

Before he could grasp the situation, an unknown liquid trickled down between his thighs.

Liquid? Between my thighs?

Puzzled, he reached down to feel between his thighs. Following the slippery sensation, his hand went up between his buttocks.

He lifted his hand, which was covered in a sticky, viscous liquid, and looked at it. The white mucus that coated his hand slowly dripped down his fingers, and Sooha’s face gradually hardened as he stared at it.

…It’s cold.

A dagger pierced his chest. Moreover, his mind was turning blank, like a white sheet of paper.

“…No way.”

No, right…? He tried to deny reality.

He cautiously felt between his buttocks again. The tender mucous membrane felt hotter than usual, and the swollen, thickened flesh was palpable.

In his bewilderment, he looked around and saw a full-length mirror that towered over him.

Sooha barely suppressed a scream from escaping his lips.

“Crazy…”

It wasn’t that guy who got penetrated… it was me…?

Forget the shower; he quickly gathered his clothes. He stumbled and bumped into the furniture a few times, but now wasn’t the time to worry about that.

Cheon Sooha, who had always walked the path of a ‘top,’ was in crisis.

The great Cheon Sooha got drunk and offered his backside to a one-night stand?

This was no laughing matter.

The blaring red siren in his head commanded him to get out of there immediately.

How could this happen to me?

When he saw his reflection in the full-length mirror, Sooha almost fainted.

His shoulders, chest, even his stomach and thighs. It was faster to find places without red marks.

Moreover, his nipples were so swollen from how much they had been tormented the night before that they were a darker color than usual.

After a couple of missteps, he finally managed to get his legs into his pants. He hurriedly pulled them up and fastened the buckle.

“Where are you going?”

“Whoa!”

Sooha jumped at the soft voice from behind. Creaking like a poorly oiled tin robot, he awkwardly turned his head.

He met eyes with the man sitting on the bed. It was like being caught trying to escape.

With a pale face, he froze, unable to do anything.

The sunlight streaming through the large window behind the man made it seem like he had a halo.

The man, who had been silently watching Sooha, smiled prettily, just like the night before.

“Good morning.”

“Haha…”

…I’m screwed.

✮⋆˙

Sooha glanced at the man sitting across from him like a stray cat.

Having breakfast in a private room with the man who had… opened his back. He wanted to drown himself in a plate of water right then and there.

How did this happen?

He racked his brain, trying to find a way out of this situation, sifting through the hazy memories.

Meanwhile, the man seemed beyond composed, almost leisurely. He was the one who suggested breakfast, yet he hadn’t said much since they sat down to eat.

What’s his game?

Sooha eyed the man warily. His face, savoring an espresso with his eyes downcast, was quite neat.

‘And with that pretty, innocent face, he pierced my back…’

The more he thought about it, the more absurd it seemed. He wanted to ask if this was a hidden camera prank, but the marks on his body were too clear.

The pain that shot up to his waist when he put his foot on the floor, the nipples that had been sucked and bruised, and the… damn, God.

He squeezed his eyes shut at the unbelievable reality before him.

There was no point in arguing about right or wrong after the fact. Besides, could he even argue about right or wrong in this situation?

He was the one who got penetrated, but he was also the one who dragged the guy to the room. It was ambiguous from the start.

Even though he was drunk, he hadn’t been forced to drink by the other guy, and if he didn’t want to get penetrated, there should have been some signs of resistance on his body… but the bathroom mirror only showed traces of caresses.

Maybe it was a blessing that he didn’t remember the details of the act. If he remembered everything clearly, he wouldn’t be able to sit face-to-face like this.

So what should he do about this? Sooha took a moment to gather his thoughts.

‘Is facing it head-on the only answer?’ Once he reached that conclusion, Sooha spat out the straw he had been chewing on from his iced Americano.

“Hey.” The man looked up at him.

“You know who I am, right?” Sooha spoke in a rather rough tone. He was trying to assert dominance, but the man remained unfazed. He replied in a calm, unhurried manner, without any unnecessary words.

“Yes, Cheon Sooha. You told me your name last night.”

“Not in that sense. I mean, do you know me from the internet or the news or something like that?” There was a brief silence between them. The man, who had downed his espresso, answered straightforwardly.

“Yes, you’re quite famous.”

“Then you know I’m the son of Cheonha Group too?”

“Yes.” Well, that makes things easier. Sitting crookedly with his legs crossed, Sooha nodded his chin.

“Forget everything that happened between us.” The man showed no reaction. His expression was so calm that it was easy to mistake it for not having heard what Sooha said. But Sooha continued without caring.

“I don’t need to explain why, right? I was drunk, and that’s not my usual position at all. It’s best if you don’t try anything funny.” As the man looked at him, Sooha lowered his voice.

“Like bragging about what happened last night or posting about it online. The moment you do anything suspicious, I’ll sue you.”

“……”

“Regardless of the truth, I’ll use any means necessary, so you better be prepared for the consequences.”

Got it?

Then he flashed a grin, different from before. Though he didn’t say it out loud, Sooha’s message was clear: know your place.

In truth, even if rumors spread or something was posted online, he could just ignore it. The public would dismiss it as false, and even if they believed it, they’d forget once another scandal broke.

But a warning was necessary to prevent the other party from being a nuisance or making clumsy threats.

“Well… it’s a bit silly to do this when it was consensual, but if you want compensation for keeping quiet, contact my agency. We’ll make sure you don’t feel shortchanged.”

Sooha extended a business card from his inner pocket towards the man. He didn’t intend to demand silence for free. Offering appropriate compensation would make the other party more willing to comply.

How about it, isn’t it a good deal?

Sooha looked at the man with his characteristic confident face.

However, the man remained silent, fiddling with the small espresso cup. Since there was no rebuttal, it seemed his words had some effect.

Well, maybe he was just pretending to think it over because it was embarrassing to jump at the offer of money.

“I assume you understood what I said.”

Sooha was about to get up and leave with a lighter heart when he heard the man’s soft laughter.

“The more I think about it, the stranger it seems.”