EMP Chapter 33

It was more than two hours later when they finally stepped out of the car. After cleaning up in a nearby convenience store with wet wipes until Kwon Jiwook regained his senses, time flew by. Although not as vigorous as in his prime, Kwon Jiwook’s recovery was quick these days, perhaps because his stamina had improved compared to when he was very thin.

It was close to lunchtime. The two of them made their way through the growing crowd to reach the college building. It was Kwon Jiwook who stopped Park Juyeon’s brisk steps to handle business quickly. Kwon Jiwook tugged at the hem of Park Juyeon’s coat.

“Look at this.”

“Flowers?”

“They suit you.”

At the entrance of the hill where cars come and go, a flower vendor was attracting customers. The displayed flowers were dazzlingly bright to the point of being eye-catching, but they seemed to match Park Juyeon’s flamboyant face even more with their vibrant colors. Kwon Jiwook picked one up and looked at Park Juyeon. One of Park Juyeon’s neat eyebrows twitched upward.

“Why this?”

“I said they suit you.”

“…You’re buying it for me?”

“Where would I get the money?”

“Then why…?”

Kwon Jiwook looked at the vendor without answering. Following his gaze, Park Juyeon felt an unspoken pressure from the middle-aged vendor’s eyes telling him to put it down if he wasn’t buying. What a strange Hyung. Park Juyeon muttered, tilting his head, and before he knew it, he was holding a small bouquet with a few purple and light pink roses. It was a modest bouquet chosen to reflect his taste.

“This is much better.”

“So why did you ask me to buy this?”

“I didn’t ask you to buy it, I told you to buy it. Everyone else is buying them, it would be boring to just receive the diploma and leave.”

Kwon Jiwook said sheepishly, rubbing his neck. Whether he did or not, Park Juyeon answered quietly while examining the bouquet.

“Lots of people don’t do this. Some even beg others to come find them because they’re too lazy to show up.”

“Is that so…?”

No matter what he said, Kwon Jiwook’s eyes only saw other students gathering in groups, wearing graduation caps, and taking photos. Park Juyeon looked at Kwon Jiwook, who was lost in thought. His sharp, well-shaped eyes were still staring into space. He’s completely immersed in the atmosphere. Park Juyeon thought, shrugging his shoulders.

Kwon Jiwook wasn’t entirely incomprehensible. For someone who couldn’t attend school or easily find work, even the smallest daily event would feel interesting.

Park Juyeon, touching the baby’s breath among the roses, sat Kwon Jiwook down on a bench under the shade of trees. The trees, intertwined to block the sky, could certainly shield them from any falling snow.

After that, Park Juyeon headed straight to the department office. There, where a gaunt-looking assistant pointed, were diplomas haphazardly piled by department.

“…”

After briefly pondering, Park Juyeon asked the assistant where the graduation caps and gowns were.

Kwon Jiwook sat on a bench in the smoking area, tapping his feet and looking around. The department office was a very intimidating place for Kwon Jiwook, who had no interest in studying and had been dropped out for a long time. So, despite Park Juyeon’s encouragement, he didn’t go inside. Park Juyeon nodded as if he understood after one refusal and went into the building.

As Kwon Jiwook sat quietly watching the gathering crowd, the noise started to give him a headache. Ah, if only I could have a cigarette now. Since Park Juyeon didn’t like it, he had been forced into a sort of involuntary smoking cessation for several years. In reality, the urge for a cigarette wasn’t that desperate; it was just an inertial thought since he had smoked for over half his life.

“Ha…”

Kwon Jiwook bit his lip and shook his bangs. He was bothered by those who had no interest in him. There was this strange feeling that everyone was looking at him, which was uncomfortable. Perhaps because there were so many people compared to other places. Even deep breaths didn’t clear his clogged chest, so he tried taking a big breath to expand his lungs. But there was still a sticky feeling as if his alveoli weren’t fully expanding.

Could one person’s presence make such a difference? When the itch inside his chest was unbearable, Kwon Jiwook stood up.

“Hyung?”

“Ah.”

At the same moment, he locked eyes with Park Juyeon, who had just come out of the building. Kwon Jiwook straightened from his awkward stance.

“Why are you standing like that?”

“…”

If he spoke honestly, he’d be called crazy again. Kwon Jiwook kept quiet, but Park Juyeon, who somehow sensed his state, looked around and led him to a quieter corner.

Leaning against the back wall of the building, Kwon Jiwook looked up at Park Juyeon, trying to understand the meaning behind his actions, whether out of concern or habit. However, his eyes were still just as dark.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah. It’s not that serious.”

“Your face has gone completely pale, how is that not serious?”

With a light reprimand, Park Juyeon made him take deep breaths. If it were before, he would have anticipated what would happen when left alone, but recently, Kwon Jiwook’s condition had been better than expected, so he let his guard down. After taking a few deep breaths with his head lowered, Kwon Jiwook’s complexion started to return. Once his confused mind cleared, he noticed what Park Juyeon was holding.

“But that…”

“Ah, this… I thought you came all this way because you wanted to see this. If you’re feeling better, stand up. I’ll take your picture.”

“No, no.”

Park Juyeon probably thought Kwon Jiwook had lingering attachments to school. Things like taking multiple leaves of absence and returning but never graduating, or the regret of not enjoying his youth after four years had passed. But Kwon Jiwook had no desire to wear the graduation cap.

“I looked closely, and I didn’t mean to wear it.”

“…?”

Kwon Jiwook carefully took the cap and gown from Park Juyeon’s hands. Ignoring his puzzled look, he slowly draped them over Park Juyeon.

“…”

“I just wanted to see this.”

At Kwon Jiwook’s somewhat tender words, Park Juyeon’s expression subtly hardened. His mind, which had been blankly stopped, slowly fell into confusion. Like a broken robot, unable to move a finger, he stood there while Kwon Jiwook took out his phone and clicked a photo. As if the shutter sound was a signal, Park Juyeon spoke.

“You wanted to see this? Not to feel the graduation mood yourself?”

“Why would I need that? I didn’t even attend classes.”

“…Really… I can’t understand.”

The graduation cap felt heavy on his head. Kwon Jiwook didn’t know what he meant by this action. He also didn’t understand why his mind was in such turmoil. Someone who only needed him for survival was doing something completely unrelated to survival?

Even if the true meaning of this tingling sensation in his chest was something deeper than affection, Park Juyeon did not want to acknowledge such an extraordinary emotion at a mundane point in his life. He was still living with Kwon Jiwook without being prepared for such feelings.

“This picture looks good.”

“…Does it?”

“Yeah. Much better than the one you took of me last time.”

“I guess so…”

“What? You’re not denying it.”

Though they usually made all sorts of excuses under the guise of sex, at this moment, a strange, fundamentally different itch surfaced. Kwon Jiwook’s small action was causing a ripple in what Park Juyeon thought was his regained composure.

Ah, I shouldn’t delve any deeper into this. Like someone paralyzed by sleep, Park Juyeon’s body wouldn’t move, so he just pressed his lips together and looked at Kwon Jiwook.

“…”

“…What’s wrong?”

At this unusual reaction, Kwon Jiwook subtly moved away, still keeping an eye on him. Even that behavior gnawed at Park Juyeon’s nerves. Despite worrying whenever he felt slightly unwell, he acted without realizing that he was the cause. His sharply defined face, now looking somewhat intimidated and cautious, belonged to a human who should be like this.

“It’s nothing.”

Park Juyeon was confused. In the screen Kwon Jiwook held out, he saw himself wearing a crooked graduation cap, with a strange expression that was neither smiling nor crying, staring into the lens. To Park Juyeon, it looked somewhat frightened.

Whether or not, Kwon Jiwook, whose radar was focused only on Park Juyeon’s irritation and anger, did not notice the ambiguous expression in the photo. He just checked the result one more time and, satisfied, put his phone back in his pocket.

“I’ll send it to you later.”

“Okay. Are you done with everything you needed to do?”

“Yeah, I just wanted to take a walk and see the outside for a change.”

“Then shall we look around the school a bit more before we go? It’s cold, so let’s make it quick.”

“…Hmm.”

Kwon Jiwook nodded after some thought. The light snow that had been falling was now almost gone, leaving only flurries.

After returning the cap and gown, they walked leisurely, taking in the surroundings. The distance from where they stood to the college buildings was quite considerable. The campus was wide and barren without any particularly beautiful landscaping, making it less than ideal for a stroll, but it was also too close to drive. However, with the snow on the ground, it had a certain charm. Kwon Jiwook’s walk was somewhat peculiar, but it was not noticeable to those unaware of the context.

“Oh, that.”

“It’s under renovation.”

Interesting. While murmuring softly, Kwon Jiwook looked at a building under construction. Students from the college were enjoying their graduation in the park around it.

Suddenly, standing there, he felt a sense of being alone. Without Park Juyeon, I’m truly alone. The friends he used to drink with and roam around the university district had all found their paths and left, and he had no news of Kim Su-hyuk at all. Honestly, he even had the ridiculous thought that Park Juyeon might have used some power to erase Kim Su-hyuk without his knowledge. …No, it wasn’t funny. He had seen firsthand how far someone could go when driven mad.

Even now, with free use of his phone, the contacts of Kim Su-hyuk and Lee Woo-jin were thoroughly blocked. He genuinely wasn’t curious about them. If he could pretend not to know them for the rest of his life, he would gladly do so. Kwon Jiwook never wanted to be involved with them again.

“Let’s go. This is boring.”

They had been there for just over ten minutes. Kwon Jiwook turned away without hesitation. Park Juyeon stood close behind him.

“What? So, Hyung, you really just came to watch me graduate?”

“Then what? Would I miss people I don’t even know?”

“You might. You were quite famous, appearing on the university community boards back in the day.”

“Tell them to get lost.”

Now, the existence of others was meaningless. His life was governed by one person alone. Knowing this, Park Juyeon walked on without a word. Impressed by his answer, Park Juyeon grabbed Kwon Jiwook’s butt along the way, startling him. After giggling, the unease in his heart dissipated, leaving only the desire to tease Kwon Jiwook. This level of warmth was just right for Park Juyeon.

Back in the car, they turned on the heater to thaw their frozen bodies. As soon as the heater was on, Park Juyeon moved to the back seat and rubbed against Kwon Jiwook. It felt like a large cat rubbing with a mix of affection and threat. The pressure was not much different. Regardless of Kwon Jiwook’s shock, Park Juyeon hugged him tightly and played with his earlobe.

“Suddenly, why, this, …huh.”

“Just. Let’s call it a graduation gift. You can’t give me anything material anyway.”

“No, no, even so, this is too sudden, ah, ah.”

Ignoring his words, Park Juyeon took Kwon Jiwook’s earlobe into his mouth and chewed. The cold ear soon regained its sensitivity. Kwon Jiwook, particularly sensitive to his ears, let out a muffled moan after just a few nibbles. Even when he tilted his head back or turned it the other way, Park Juyeon’s mouth followed relentlessly.

“Ah, uh. Why did you get in the back, I see…”

“I was holding back until now to do this after we were done. We couldn’t do it earlier.”

Park Juyeon’s warm, red tongue entered Kwon Jiwook’s ear. It felt like a wriggling creature was digging into his brain. His head trembled slightly, bending towards the window. After licking his ear for a while, mixing in saliva, Park Juyeon let go with a low chuckle. A long string of saliva connected them.

“Don’t you like it? You begged for it earlier, and if you say you don’t like it now… I might be disappointed.”

“No, no. Uh. I like it…”

“That’s right. You should like it.”

Without missing a beat, Park Juyeon laid Kwon Jiwook down. In the cramped car, to make space for Park Juyeon, Kwon Jiwook’s legs, spread wide, were awkwardly folded, almost touching the front seat and the back. When the car’s warm air started to feel hot, Park Juyeon quickly stripped off Kwon Jiwook’s outer and inner clothes.

Warming up his cold body was easy. Running his dry palm over the exposed chest, flicking the nipples a couple of times was enough to rouse Kwon Jiwook’s sensitive body. Anticipating what was to come, Kwon Jiwook grabbed the headrests of both the driver’s and back seats. Park Juyeon, with Kwon Jiwook’s arms up, hugged his now thin waist and lowered his head.

“Ha, ugh…!”

“Mm…”

Soft lips touched the swollen bump. With his cute upper lip, he gently brushed the tip of the nipple. When he moved his head slightly to rub it, Kwon Jiwook’s legs, which were wide open, nearly closed from the shock. As Park Juyeon’s movements continued without pause, the trembling soon escalated to what could be considered intermittent seizures.

He sucked on the chest tip with his lips, quickly grazing it with the tip of his tongue while not forgetting to scratch the other nipple with his nails. The skin of his now softened chest felt delightful to touch. Meanwhile, Kwon Jiwook’s head kept bobbing back in place, reaching shallow climaxes several times in a short period.

“Ugh, huh, ugh. Mm…”

“Ha…”

Park Juyeon licked the erect nipple flat with his wide tongue. Repeating the action countless times made Kwon Jiwook stiffen his waist and tremble like a frightened person. With a laugh, Park Juyeon pulled his tongue away, and the chest, now covered in saliva, immediately cooled in the car’s air. His mouth was that hot.

At that moment, handcuffs near his head clinked against Kwon Jiwook’s eyes. He looked up with a start to see Park Juyeon’s chin asking what he was doing. Kwon Jiwook hesitated for a moment before raising both hands. With a low laugh, Park Juyeon cuffed Kwon Jiwook’s wrists.

“This… ha, again?”

“You enjoyed it last time too. Right?”

“Ugh…”

Among the pretty smiles, his lips stood out. Lips that were red-hot and shiny with saliva. To regain Kwon Jiwook’s attention, momentarily distracted by the sight, Park Juyeon undid his own belt buckle. Pulling down his briefs, his penis, which had already been hard hours ago, popped out, looking for a hole to release in.

Park Juyeon then stripped off Kwon Jiwook’s lower garments as well and repositioned himself. Holding the base of his protruding penis, he tapped the heavy glans against Kwon Jiwook’s groin. The two heated penises collided with each other. Whenever the glans occasionally hit Kwon Jiwook’s testicles, he let out a soft moan and tightly shut his eyes. The cold tension of the act to come made his teeth chatter.