OTC Chapter 20

“I said I’d wash you.”

Even he thought it was a crazy thing to say, and as expected, Jung Eunkyo vehemently refused.

“Just try opening that door, and you’ll regret it.”

“Well, I need to wash up too.”

“I’m going first.”

Her glare was so intense. But despite the sharp glint in her eyes, her face and neck were flushed crimson with embarrassment.

Sensing that she might run away if he pushed her any further, Jaeheon backed down.

Instead, he washed his hands in the sink and then dipped his finger into the leftover cake, tasting the frosting.

Still sweet.

But what truly made him melt wasn’t the sweetness of the cake, but the sight of her face, flustered and clinging to him.

A sense of satisfaction swelled within him, almost suffocating him with joy.

After devouring the rest of the cake, he ordered the condoms Eunkyo hadn’t been able to. He chuckled to himself.

He took one step at a time. If she sped up, he would too, matching her pace. If Jung Eunkyo hadn’t been stagnant for the past three years, he wouldn’t have been able to catch up.

He grabbed her shoulders, turned her around, and forced her gaze, fixed straight ahead, to meet his.

It had taken too long for her to say his name, to remember his face, to feel her heart flutter at the sound of his footsteps.

But he wasn’t there yet. He was still walking towards the starting line. It was too early to sprint.

Beep.

Just then, a notification popped up on his phone. Someone had knocked on his car door, triggering the impact sensor and sending him a short video clip.

Lee Jaeheon’s smile vanished as he recognized the person in the video. He glanced at the bathroom door, where the sound of running water could be heard, then grabbed his jacket and stood up.

He put on his shoes and was about to leave when he opened the shoe cabinet door, revealing the electrical panel. He flipped the breaker, plunging the apartment into darkness.

With a click, the power went out. Then, Eunkyo’s frightened voice called out from the bathroom.

“Is there a power outage?”

Jaeheon reassured her casually.

“I don’t think so. I’ll take care of it. Sunbae, stay in the bathroom so you don’t slip and get hurt. Just sit in the bathtub.”

“How are you going to fix it? Did you check the circuit breaker?”

“Mmm… there doesn’t seem to be a problem with the breaker. I’ll go check downstairs, so don’t come out. Though, I wouldn’t mind if you did.”

“I’m not coming out!”

She yelled back. 

Cute. 

He knew Jung Eunkyo wouldn’t step out of the bathroom. And he intended to get rid of his uninvited guest before she did.

As he stepped out of the apartment and went down the stairs, Lee Dohyun, who had been leaning against the hood of his car, looked up.

His handsome face was composed, a casual smile playing on his lips as he raised his hand in greeting.

“Hello, Jaeheon.”

─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───

The basement studio door opened. Dohyun followed Jaeheon inside, looking around with a curious expression. One hand was in his pocket, the other still held a cigarette.

“I thought you went home from the club. What brings you here, hyung?” 

Jaeheon offered him a drink from the refrigerator. Dohyun glanced at the curtain concealing his artwork and frowned.

“You’re still making those grotesque things.”

“I asked what brings you to my studio, hyung.”

Lee Jaeheon smiled, but neither of them was genuinely pleased to see the other.

Dohyun took the offered drink, walked over to the sofa, and sat down.

“I realized it was your birthday. I thought I’d see you and we could talk a bit more properly. It was too brief earlier, with your father and… stepmother there.”

A long ash fell from his cigarette. Jaeheon’s gaze followed it, then slowly rose to meet Dohyun’s.

He ran his hand over the table, where sharp blades were neatly arranged, and chuckled.

“Still… you know I don’t like people coming to my studio. That’s a bit much, hyung.”

“Sorry, sorry. I actually stopped by your apartment earlier, but you weren’t there, so I was a little disappointed. Did you miss me?”

Jaeheon leaned against the table and nodded.

“It’s been three years, and you haven’t changed a bit, hyung.”

“You seem… more handsome. And you’re in great shape.”

“I have to act my age.”

“Right, my little brother’s all grown up.”

Lee Dohyun smiled. That languid smile, so out of character for his usually aloof demeanor, was what had captivated Jung Eunkyo.

She must have fallen for that smile and kissed those lips.

“But there’s a car I haven’t seen before in your parking spot. Isn’t that your usual spot?”

“Ah, that.”

“Nice car. A gift from the professor?” 

Jaeheon didn’t bother to answer and opened a drawer where he kept his tools and blades. He pulled out a car key, still in its plastic wrapping, and tossed it to Dohyun.

Dohyun caught the key instinctively, his lips twitching slightly. His expression remained unchanged, but Jaeheon clearly sensed the shift in his mood.

“Take it.”

Lee Jaeheon walked over to where Dohyun was sitting. He sat on the opposite side of the table, leaned back, and placed his hands on the surface.

His arms and shoulders stretched out, an almost imperceptible air of dominance pressing down on Lee Dohyun as Jaeheon looked at him. Dohyun stared at the key in his hand, chuckled, and then nodded.

“Your father is a very generous man. But, Jaeheon…”

Lee Dohyun leaned closer, his elbows resting on his thighs as he looked up at Jaeheon.

“You have so much already. Are you still envious of what I have?”

Jaeheon’s knuckles turned white as he gripped the table.

“I don’t know. Aren’t you the one who has everything, hyung? I’m still poor.”

“Don’t you… have anything to say to me?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, hyung.”

“Ha, Kim Haeda… It must be a coincidence, right? I just… it reminds me of that time…”

Lee Dohyun deliberately trailed off, carefully observing the change in Lee Jaeheon’s expression, but he showed no sign of taking the bait.

“Never mind. I shouldn’t doubt our esteemed youngest brother. I’ll put the car to good use. I just arrived two days ago and was worried about what kind of car to buy. Thanks to you, I have some time to think about it.” 

Dohyun stubbed out his cigarette on Jaeheon’s table. He sat up straight, a satisfied look on his face, put the key in his pocket, and then looked up at the ceiling, his expression subtly darkening.

“Let’s see each other more often. And… at your age, someone like that girl you were with earlier suits you better. Have some fun. I’m leaving. Happy birthday.”

“Just like that?”

Dohyun stopped, about to turn away, and looked down. Jaeheon, his expression softening as he rubbed his brow, casually gestured with his chin at the cigarette butt.

“If you’re coming empty-handed, you should at least clean up after yourself. Don’t you know I hate the smell of cigarettes…?” 

He was acting as if he hadn’t even heard Lee Dohyun’s provocation.

“And… ha, I’d prefer it if you didn’t come to my studio unannounced. Even if you are my hyung, it’s really distracting. They say those who know nothing about art have the most to say, don’t they?”

It was a jab at Dohyun, who had always been dismissive of Jaeheon’s work.

Dohyun’s jaw clenched, turned around, and waved instead of replying. Then, he walked out of the studio.

After Dohyun left, Jaeheon sat there with a cold expression, then climbed back up the stairs to the second floor.

His mind was filled with the image of Lee Dohyun, his parting words “Let’s see each other more often,” and the look in his eyes, as if he suspected him of something.

He walked up the stairs and unlocked the door, which he’d left slightly ajar. The lights flickered on with a click.

Eunkyo stood by the electric panel, her dripping wet body loosely covered by a towel. Startled, she looked up and pulled her hand away from the electric panel.

“Oh, uhm… Where did you go?”

Jaeheon was momentarily speechless. Her wet hair clung to her shoulders, the outline of her naked body visible beneath the towel.

He covered his eyes with one hand and sighed.

“I told you to stay in the bathroom.”

“I-I couldn’t because… the lights wouldn’t turn on… Do you smoke?”

She seemed completely unconcerned about her appearance. Standing on tiptoe, she sniffed the air, wrinkling her nose.

“I hate that smell.”

“I hate it too.”

He scooped her up into his arms. She yelped and struggled, startled. However, Jaeheon pushed her back into the bathroom, blocking the door with his foot to prevent her from leaving.

He pulled off his shirt, the one that still carried the stench of cigarettes, and tossed it aside, then unbuckled his belt and dropped his pants.

“Wash up again. You’ve waited long enough. So this time, together.”

“I-I’ll just leave.”

“It would be better if you… sucked me off here. For various reasons.”

Her wide eyes blinked rapidly, her long eyelashes fluttering.

Jaeheon pushed her under the shower and turned on the water. The towel she had been wearing, now soaked, slipped from her body and fell to the floor. After her body was thoroughly wet, he gently took her hand and placed it on his penis.

“I’m hard, sunbae.”

Eunkyo’s gaze slowly lowered. He tilted her chin up, forcing her to meet his eyes, and whispered, brushing his lips against hers,

“Suck me.”

“I don’t think it will… fit…”

He frowned and then gently inserted two fingers into her mouth. He pressed them against her small tongue, spreading his fingers, and her lips parted, saliva trailing from her mouth.

“It will fit. Up to here.”

He wrapped his other hand around her throat, and she flinched, trying to push his hand away. He chuckled mischievously and kissed her eyelids.

“Don’t worry, I’m not putting it in there. So just… suck me. Stop overthinking it.”