INT Ch 7.3

Hyun Woojin’s mother, who was organizing the shopping bag she had placed on the dining table, alternated her gaze between the law book Haewon had returned to its place and the violin case before asking.

“A school junior. This is just a hobby.”

If he were a law student, Hyun Woojin’s mother wouldn’t demand something as absurd as asking him to write his name in Chinese characters. Only then did Haewon realize his blunder. Law was not a subject he could cover up with improvisation.

It was beyond ignorance; claiming to be a law student while not even being able to write his own name in Chinese characters was preposterous.

“That instrument looks pretty high-quality. Is it a violin or a viola?”

“Pardon? It’s a violin.”

“I play the violin as a hobby too. I even volunteer to perform with other ladies.”

He had mentioned that both his mother and father were doctors. Beneath her short bob cut, pearl earrings shimmered with a dignified luster.

“That’s a wonderful thing to do. You must be busy, though.”

“Do you know who I am?”

“You’re Sunbae’s mother… aren’t you?”

He swallowed nervously. Hyun Woojin’s mother gave a small nod of affirmation. Since she didn’t resemble him much, Haewon assumed Hyun Woojin must take after his father.

“Can I take a look at your violin?”

“Sorry, but I really need to go. I have an appointment… and I’m already running late.”

“Come on, just let me see it. This looks really nice, doesn’t it?”

Unable to strongly refuse, Haewon hesitated, awkwardly extending a hand to stop her but not daring to snatch it away. Hyun Woojin’s mother quickly grabbed the Musafia violin wood case he had purchased in Italy. It was a case designed with safety as its priority, sturdy enough to withstand being run over by a car.

She moved aside the containers of side dishes she had brought and placed the case on the dining table.

“I really have to leave now…”

“Oh my.”

When she opened the case, a Brahms score tucked into the inner zipper fell out. The inside of the case, lined with slightly extravagant fabric, held four bows. The first wooden bow, made of Mongolian horsehair and the same wood as the violin’s resonance chamber, was the primary bow worth over 100 million won. The second was for orchestra use, the third for chamber music, and the fourth was a carbon bow he used casually—even occasionally tossing it in frustration.

The carbon bow was for contemporary pieces that required col legno or prioritized expressiveness over classical accuracy. Haewon carried a cheaper bow for such purposes because performing rough techniques that could snap hairs on an expensive bow wasn’t ideal. Most violinists kept a couple of inexpensive bows as backups.

“There’s so much in here. It’s quite different from what I’ve seen before.”

Of course, it would differ from a hobbyist’s violin.

She picked up the violin by its neck. Ah, Haewon froze with his hand half-extended. Whether it was because she was Hyun Woojin’s mother or due to his overwhelming embarrassment, he couldn’t find the words to tell her not to touch it, and he kept nervously swallowing.

“May I try playing it?”

“Wait, no, um, Ma’am—”

She placed the chin rest between her chin and shoulder and, of all things, picked up the main bow without tightening the screw or tuning the violin and drew it across the G string. Startled by the screechy sound, she removed the bow and looked at Haewon.

“It sounds different, probably because it’s a professional instrument.”

With a loose bow, there was no way a proper tone could emerge. All it produced was a hoarse, unpleasant noise, but she pretended to be surprised. She had never touched a violin before.

Smiling, she carefully put Haewon’s violin and bow back in their places. She gathered the scattered Brahms sheet music and returned it to the first zipper pocket where it belonged.

“Do you play Brahms’ violin concerto as a hobby?”

It was clear she was asking because she knew his flimsy lie. Haewon, who had never felt nervous performing in front of a thousand people, found his throat dry. It had been a long time since he felt this stiff, his back tense like it was during the grueling Ye-Won entrance exams. Sweat began to bead on his palms.

“I’m sorry. I’m not really a junior… Actually, the truth is… well, the truth is…”

“Actually, the prosecutor is handling my case.”

“…”

Feeling her suspicious gaze, Haewon quickly waved his hands.

“No, I’m not a criminal. I’m a victim, but there are some circumstances, and the prosecutor is helping me, so… he told me to hide out here.”

“Ah.”

Hyun Woojin’s mother finally seemed to understand, her expression showing a dawning realization. In hindsight, he should have stuck with his first lie. Cold sweat ran down his back.

“What kind of case is it?”

“I’ve been in a situation where I was being threatened by someone similar to a stalker, so I’ve ended up troubling the prosecutor. I apologize.”

“……”

“And I also apologize for lying. I lied because I was worried the prosecutor might be put in a difficult situation.”

When Haewon clasped his hands politely and apologized, Hyun Woojin’s mother asked if everything was okay now. Haewon nodded in affirmation.

“The prosecutor resolved it, but I’m a bit on the sensitive side. I was scared and anxious, so I came over impulsively. When he wasn’t home, I said I had nowhere else to go, and he said he’d let me stay here for one night. That’s how it happened.”

“If that happened, you should have mentioned it earlier. I thought you were some kind of petty thief. Are you a violinist?”

“Yes.”

“Can you prove it?”

“Sorry?”

“Prove that you’re a violinist. I need to check if this is stolen property.”

If she truly thought he was a thief, wouldn’t it make more sense to just report it? Staring at her in confusion over her strange proposal, Haewon saw her pick up her phone as if she had finally decided to dial 112.

What she thought must have sounded absurd even to her. It would have been more convincing if Haewon had broken in after watching Hyun Woojin enter the door code, stayed in his bed while he was away on a business trip, and been caught by his unexpectedly returning mother like a classic stalker.

“Wait a moment.”

Stopping her from making any call, Haewon saw her stare at him sharply, as if daring him not to pull any tricks. If he really were a stalker, he could have easily pushed away a middle-aged woman with no resistance and run off. But with the violin she held like a hostage, he couldn’t just bolt.

So that’s why she suddenly wanted to see the violin.

She thought it was stolen. Haewon silently took back what he’d thought earlier—she was undoubtedly Hyun Woojin’s mother.

“Just let me drink a glass of water first.”

His mouth was parched from the tension. Hyun Woojin’s mother took a water bottle from the fridge and placed it on the table, keeping her distance. Haewon sighed, walked over to the lonely bottle, and gulped down the water. Wiping his lips with the back of his hand, he took the violin and bow from the open case she had left.

After attaching the shoulder rest, he positioned the violin between his chin and shoulder and began tuning it. He tuned by ear, likely achieving precise G, D, E, and A notes without any error. However, even after tuning, it felt slightly off. The cold weather seemed to have affected the instrument. Fixing it was beyond what Haewon could do alone; it required a professional technician.

While he was still tuning, she sharply asked why he wasn’t starting yet.

It wasn’t that he was stalling; the tuning wasn’t perfect. The issue lay with the instrument. Deciding to proceed despite the subtly detuned sound, Haewon paused just before drawing the bow. He turned his head toward her. Startled, she flinched at his gaze.

“Is there something you’d like to hear?”

“Something I’d like to hear?”

“If there’s something you want, I’ll play that for you.”

“I’m not well-versed in music. I’m more of a science type. But that doesn’t mean I can’t tell a violinist from a thief.”

So even her claim about playing the violin for charity events was just a spur-of-the-moment excuse—or rather, a lie.

“Then I’ll just play anything.”

As he raised the bow to play something random, her voice echoed.

“The hardest one.”

“Sorry?”

“Play the most difficult piece. Something only a professional could handle.”

“…Alright.”

Paganini’s Caprice No. 24 is a variation piece that encompasses all kinds of advanced techniques and unfolds through eleven variations. It incorporates trills, double stops, left-hand pizzicato, and more, making it sound like two violins are playing together.

The piece requires not only masterful left-hand technique but also exceptional bowing skills. Without precise execution, it blurs the line between music and noise. Among the 24 caprices, it demands the highest level of control and is notoriously challenging.

To prove the violin wasn’t stolen, Haewon found himself in the bizarre position of having to perform Caprice No. 24 at seven in the morning.

He began with the familiar opening theme of the well-arranged piece. For professionals, the Caprices are mandatory repertoire, but performing them well is a different story.

Haewon, who deeply admired Ruggiero Ricci—renowned as Paganini’s reincarnation—had been captivated by his performances. During his time at Yeowon School of Arts, Haewon had completed all 24 Caprices and could perform them in their entirety.

The fingers of his left hand moved dazzlingly across the fingerboard, faster than his eyes or ears could follow.

Caprice No. 24 is composed of eleven variations. Bowing intensely as his breathing quickened, Haewon unconsciously pressed his lips tightly together. Playing a fast-paced piece early in the morning, when his fingers weren’t even warmed up, was pure torture.

On the violin, the spacing between notes in the high registers is very narrow, requiring immense focus and precise finger positioning for continuous triple stops.

He plucked the string with his fingers while intently targeting the correct positions. Left-hand pizzicato requires plucking the string while still holding the violin, which demands a significant amount of strength in the fingers.

Moreover, the trill required him to use his weaker fourth and little fingers. Playing without warming up his hands would lead to cramping in his fingers.

After barely finishing the intricate pizzicato section, he pressed the bow hard enough that it seemed the string might snap.

Before he even realized it, the four minutes were over.

“Haah…”

There were more mistakes than he’d expected. He missed the double trills in two places. Perfectly performing this piece was impossible from the start, and the fact that he managed to play this well in the morning was already quite impressive.

Haewon let out a tired sigh and turned his head, locking eyes with the woman.

“Ah.”

Right, he had been performing in front of Hyun Woojin’s mother. After finishing a piece, his mind often went blank—he’d forget what he had done before and what he had planned to do next.

“This is mine. It’s not stolen property. I even have an insurance certificate.”

“…I’m sorry. I apologize. I truly apologize.”

When Hyun Woojin’s mother suddenly bowed deeply in apology, Haewon, startled, bent lower than her, nearly crouching.

“No, please don’t do that. It’s my fault for lying.”

“I don’t know much about music, but that was an incredible performance.”

Her gaze toward him had shifted—no longer the eyes of someone looking at a petty thief but rather at a violinist. She looked at him as if he were an otherworldly being, questioning if he even lived on the same planet.

“I find the prosecutor more amazing, though. I mean, he’s studied all these books, right?”

Haewon was more amazed by Hyun Woojin. He pointed at books whose titles were hard even to read.

“This is just part of it. At home, I have even more. These are just the ones I frequently refer to.”

“You chose these because you frequently read them? That makes you seem even less human.”

“I’m always amazed by musicians. How can they be so good?”

“Because I’ve done nothing but this since I was a kid.”

“If I did nothing but that, could I be that good too?”

“That would be difficult.”

“See, that’s exactly my point.”

Haewon ended up having breakfast prepared by Hyun Woojin’s mother before leaving the officetel.

The morning air was mild, the weather having warmed up. Haewon knew he should inform him about what happened to prevent any awkward situations, but he could only stare at his phone, unable to make the call.

Even in the taxi on the way home, Haewon kept glancing at his phone. He knew Hyun Woojin wouldn’t naively tell his mother the truth about their relationship, but if they talked without coordinating their stories, misunderstandings could arise. Hyun Woojin might even forbid him from visiting the officetel again.

Hyun Woojin’s mother declared she would become a classical music enthusiast starting today and even asked for Haewon’s autograph, though he wasn’t particularly famous. It didn’t seem like a situation that would simply blow over.

Her name was Choi Hyunmi. She had insisted that he write “To Choi Hyunmi,” so Haewon ended up learning her name against his will.

He felt like he was going to get scolded. He could imagine it already: “Why did you go there? If you ran into my mother, you should’ve just made up an excuse and left. Why did you do something so unnecessary?” Explaining a situation so illogical and inexplicable to someone like him, who prioritized reason and causality, felt daunting.

Perhaps it would be better to just confess honestly and get it over with. Haewon called him. These days, he was the one initiating calls more often.

― I’m in a meeting.

“Call me when you’re free.”

― Why?

His tone was curt, almost to the point of being off-putting.

“I met Choi Hyunmi.”

― What?

“Choi Hyunmi. Your mother.”

― What are you talking about?

The sound of footsteps walking somewhere could be heard, as if he had gotten up from his seat. After moving to a quieter place, he asked again.

― Mother? Why our mother?

“I got caught when I went to your officetel.”

― You went to my officetel?

“I was walking around the area, didn’t feel like going home, so I just stayed there.”

― Did Mother come by?

“In the morning… she came by with side dishes.”

― You greeted her properly, right?

“I did.”

― Then that’s fine.

“Aren’t you going to ask what happened?”

― As long as you greeted her properly, it’s fine. I’ll call you later.

Not knowing that Choi Hyunmi had suspected him of being a stalker, petty thief, or fence, he hung up the phone casually without asking anything further, as if it wasn’t a big deal. His indifferent reaction left Haewon feeling deflated, realizing he had been worrying and overreacting alone. It was the guilt and fear of doing something Hyun Woojin disliked that had made Haewon hesitate.

It was hopeless. Haewon couldn’t deny that his feelings for him were growing deeper.

∞ ∞ ∞

The violin sounded a little off when he played it in front of Choi Hyunmi in the morning. The changeable spring weather had caused the sound to dip due to lack of proper maintenance. Winter had passed, and spring had quietly arrived. The transitional period between seasons required particularly meticulous care, and it seemed the late-night carrying and moving around yesterday had taken its toll.

Haewon took the violin to an instrument workshop. The engineer said that due to humidity and temperature changes, the position of the sound post had shifted slightly, causing balance issues.

After leaving the violin at the workshop and returning home, evening had already fallen. Thinking about the hours it would take to retrieve the violin again in a few days already felt tedious. He unlocked the door and went inside.

Someone was sitting on the unlit living room sofa. It was Hyun Woojin. He was asleep, sitting with his arms crossed on the sofa.

“…”

A mix of joy and surprise hit him suddenly, making it hard to breathe. Haewon carefully moved his steps, trying not to wake him. He drew the curtains to block the light from the signboards of the building across the street. From his steady breathing, it seemed he was in a deep sleep.

He had a slight frown on his face, as if lost in thought, and was napping in an uncomfortable position. Haewon quietly gazed at his face. He brushed aside the hair that had fallen messily over his forehead, parting it into a more natural look.

He quickly stifled a laugh trying to escape his lips. Pulling out his phone, he took pictures of him. Snap, snap, snap—capturing him from the front, side, above, below, and various angles. Every time the shutter sound clicked, his forehead twitched slightly.

He cautiously sat beside him. Gently, he pushed back Hyun Woojin’s stiff shoulders. His tightly folded arms loosened, and he slumped against the sofa, leaning slightly toward him. His head tilted softly in Haewon’s direction.

His lips were right in front of him. Though serene, his features still carried their composed elegance. He bore no resemblance to Choi Hyunmi upon closer inspection. The high bridge of his nose cast deep shadows across one side of his face. Even with his eyes closed, the sharp intelligence of his deep-set gaze seemed palpable.

Haewon didn’t make a sound, not even breathing audibly. He could feel the warmth of his face and lips so close to his. His exhalation through his nose brushed against his skin.

He wanted to wake him up and ask why he was there, sitting like this. He wanted to ask why he hadn’t been surprised about meeting Choi Hyunmi, why he hadn’t scolded him for going there, and why he’d acted as if it was completely natural to meet someone he was supposed to see anyway.

He wanted to ask if he was here to satisfy some physical need. If he still couldn’t forget his fiancée. Then what about him—what was he to him? What was he in his life? Haewon’s mind filled with questions he wanted to ask him.

But he pretended not to notice the growing frustration in his chest. He pacified the beast within him. He let go of the things he couldn’t or wouldn’t answer. Now wasn’t the time. Like music carried away on the wind, now was the time to let his futile emotions flow to a place beyond reach.

As he stared at his lips, Haewon tilted his face slightly. The warm, soft surface of his lips touched his. Their exhalations mingled. A soothing warmth began in his chest, spreading languidly through his whole body.

His lips and breath, Hyun Woojin’s warmth, awakened something deep within Haewon’s heart. It was comforting and tender, yet left a faint chill in one corner of his soul.

When he emerged from the shower later, Hyun Woojin, whose lips had been stolen in his sleep, was awake. He sat with his arms crossed again, looking just as he had earlier. Then, Hyun Woojin looked at him and asked.

“When did you get here? You should have woken me up if you were here.”

“You looked tired, so I let you rest. Sleep comfortably in the bed.”

The parting in his hair, which had seemed impossible to pull off no matter how handsome he was, oddly suited him now that he was awake and sitting up. He walked past Haewon and went into the bathroom. Haewon sensed him pause as he looked into the bathroom mirror.

When he came out, his face freshly washed with cold water, he had tousled the meticulously styled parting Haewon had given him. He glanced at Haewon but didn’t say anything.

“Aren’t you going to ask about Choi Hyunmi?”

“You said you greeted her.”

“So just greeting her is enough? It’s okay for a strange man to lie on your officetel bed and run into your mother?”

“I told you yesterday to go straight home.”

Haewon recalled his words from the previous night—if you’ve been drinking, just go home and sleep.

Sitting on the bed, Haewon pressed a towel to his damp hair. He approached and took the towel from Haewon’s hand, drying his hair for him. Haewon leaned his forehead against his stomach and wrapped his arms around his waist.

As he patted the moisture out of his hair, he spoke. When he spoke, Haewon could feel the vibrations in his stomach. He pressed his ear against Hyun Woojin’s abs, his voice resonating through them.

“What did she say?”

So it did bother him—he finally asked.

“I got caught lying about being a junior from school, and also about being a victim in a case you’re handling.”

“You worked hard coming up with excuses. Neither of those is really a lie, though.”

Impressed by how fast Haewon’s little head must have worked in that short moment, he roughly tousled the back of Haewon’s head.

“Ouch.”

Haewon grimaced and looked up. Resting his chin against his stomach, he gazed up at Hyun Woojin, who felt far away. Their eyes met as Woojin held his cheek and looked down at him.

“So how did you get out of it?”

“I played Paganini Caprice No. 24. She treated my violin like stolen goods and held it hostage, demanding I prove it wasn’t by playing the hardest piece. That’s when I thought, ah, she’s definitely Hyun Woojin’s mom.”

His lips curved into a smile. He brushed Haewon’s damp hair aside, revealing his bright forehead. Haewon stood up, still holding onto his waist. Though he still had to look up, their eye level was now closer.

“And playing that was enough for her to let it go?”

“She asked for an autograph. She wanted me to write my name.”

“Ah.”

He nodded, finally understanding how Haewon knew his mother’s name.

“Did you leave the violin with a fence?”

Noticing the absence of the violin case in its usual spot, he asked.

“I sent it for repair. The grain was slightly off. Earlier, when I played in front of Choi Hyunmi, the sound kept dipping slightly. I guess it was sensitive to the weather.”

“I wanted to hear you play today. Only my mom got to enjoy it,” he said with a touch of regret.

“Are you okay?” Haewon asked. He gave him a questioning look, as if to ask, about what?

“Running into me and Choi Hyunmi at your officetel.”

“You said you greeted her politely.”

“I did. I’ve never greeted anyone so politely in my life. Without realizing it, I even clasped my hands like this. I was so nervous my throat went dry. Honestly, I played with all my might—I was probably more nervous than during an audition.”

“Because she’s my mother?”

Haewon nodded, as if to say that was exactly why.

He thought he understood why Woojin’s fiancée, despite being the granddaughter of a chaebol family, had chosen the “three-D” job of being a doctor. It was to gain his mother’s approval, to be liked by her, and ultimately, to be liked by Hyun Woojin himself. She probably studied medicine to greet her politely and be favored, just as Haewon had done.

Those who arouse desire are always the calmest. Unaware of the bitter realities between him and the late fiancée, he simply patted Haewon’s head, saying it was enough that he greeted her well.

Haewon buried his face in his chest as he hugged his waist. The movement of his shoulders caused the bathrobe to slip slightly, revealing one bare shoulder. Haewon raised his eyes toward him.

Could Taeshin have imagined this? That he would end up provoking Hyun Woojin like this. That he would go to such lengths, scheming in every possible way, just to keep him by his side.

The one who had once mocked him. The one who had once dismissed him as pitiful.

His lips descended to Haewon’s bare shoulder, the desire stripped away.

While Hyun Woojin was momentarily distracted, Haewon turned off his phone. He hated the idea of Hyun Woojin disappearing after receiving a call, and he disliked the constant ringing of his phone. If Hyun Woojin asked if he had done it, Haewon planned to blame him for pressing the wrong button and accusing someone else. Haewon lay face down on the bed, arms folded, as if he had done nothing.

Hyun Woojin, wearing only his underwear, stood in front of the open refrigerator, staring blankly into its emptiness. He returned with a can of beer. The amber liquid wet his lips and dripped down his chin. After taking a few sips, he handed the rest to Haewon.

Haewon propped himself up on his elbows and took the can, drinking the beer. The cool liquid soothed his throat and eased the tightness in his chest.

He tossed the empty beer can into the trash and reached for the bathrobe on the floor, but Hyun Woojin’s hand pushed it away just as Haewon’s fingers touched it.

“Don’t you have to go to work early tomorrow?”

Haewon glanced at the clock. The hands were approaching ten. Hyun Woojin, lying next to him, turned to face him. His eyes scanned Haewon’s naked back, buttocks, and long legs.

Every time his gaze lingered, Haewon’s heart raced. During their encounters, Hyun Woojin maintained a composed demeanor, but his erection and intense stare revealed a raw, unbridled lust that ignored his disciplined exterior.

The contrast between his seemingly upright facade and his hidden desires was eerily captivating.

Hyun Woojin guided Haewon’s hand between his legs. Haewon slipped his hand into Hyun Woojin’s underwear, feeling the firm flesh. He gently stroked the soft shaft, feeling it grow harder.

He looked into Hyun Woojin’s eyes. The more he touched, the more it swelled. Hyun Woojin’s chest remained calm, his breathing steady as if he were asleep.

“Doesn’t it bother you to walk around with something this big? People might get the wrong idea.”

“What wrong idea?”

“Do judicial police officers carry guns too?”

Hyun Woojin’s lips curved into a smile, but his eyes remained expressionless at the silly joke about hiding a gun in his pants.

Hyun Woojin glanced at his phone on the side table. Haewon didn’t care who was calling. He was annoyed that Hyun Woojin’s mind seemed elsewhere, even as Haewon touched him intimately.

Keeping his hand in Hyun Woojin’s underwear, Haewon leaned in and pressed his lips to Hyun Woojin’s. He licked his lips softly and felt him grow harder. As he deepened the kiss, Hyun Woojin’s erection became even more rigid.

The taste of cigarettes and beer lingered faintly. His erection, now fully exposed, reached up to his navel. Haewon traced the prominent head with his thumb, feeling his own arousal grow.

Hyun Woojin’s hand slipped between Haewon’s thighs, touching him intimately. Haewon straddled his arm and kissed him, gripping his erection firmly.

A deep moan escaped Haewon’s lips. He licked and sucked Hyun Woojin’s tongue, feeling the heat between them intensify. Hyun Woojin lay back fully, a smile playing on his lips.

“Are you laughing because you’re enjoying this, or because you find it amusing?” Haewon asked, slightly offended.

“Both. It’s cute too.”

“I haven’t even started yet.”

“I didn’t know that.”

“I have over a hundred techniques.”

“Who taught you?”

Haewon pulled down Hyun Woojin’s underwear, fully exposing him. He pressed his wet lips against Hyun Woojin’s erection, rubbing it gently.

“When I was seventeen, I seduced our school’s piano teacher.”

“There are things I want to hear and things I don’t.”

“Just listen.”

The thought of Hyun Woojin being jealous thrilled Haewon. Even as Hyun Woojin couldn’t forget his fiancée and was doing this in front of him, he still scolded Haewon. Haewon kissed his lips loudly and teased him with his tongue. He stroked the entire length of Hyun Woojin’s shaft with his hand.

“Did that instructor teach you? That it feels good to kiss while touching down there?”

“Yeah… he said it feels really good, fucking amazing.”

“Moon Haewon, you think too much, even during this. You remember doing it with someone else, and you remember what he said.”

Even as he said this, he had been looking at his phone. Haewon bit Hyun Woojin’s lip hard, and his hand gripped Haewon’s thigh tightly. Haewon moaned in pain.

“Ah!”

“Keep going.”

“Uh… haa, kissing while touching here, ah, like that, so hard, ah!”

“You were seventeen?”

“Yeah. Seventeen years old.”

He furrowed his brow deeply, recalling something unpleasant.

“Keep going.”

“At that time, I… ah, I didn’t know anything, uh, there, wait… wait a moment, ah!”

As he touched down there, he suddenly inserted his middle finger. Haewon was perched on Hyun Woojin’s wrist.

“What did that guy do to you when you didn’t know anything?”

“He made me… haa, he made me touch his, uh, deep, ah… ah! Too deep!”

An index finger was added. His cheeks flushed. Haewon trembled on his arm. He gripped Hyun Woojin’s penis. It was already hard as a rock. As he closed his thighs, they rubbed against the muscles of his arm.

“So, did you touch him? I’m asking if you touched that guy’s.”

Haewon nodded vaguely, neither a clear yes nor a no.

“How did it feel when you touched it? Was it as good as this?”

“Ah, uh, uh… no, no.”

He grabbed Haewon’s hand and made him grip his penis harder. Haewon shook his head. Kneeling on his arm, he rubbed his buttocks against Hyun Woojin’s wrist. The two inserted fingers wriggled inside, stimulating his sensitive spot.

“Ah……!”

“You are truly hopeless. How am I supposed to fix you? Huh? Haewon, what should I do with you?”

“Ah, ah, feels good, more, inside… inside, ah!”

Pulling Haewon, who was trembling on his arm, Hyun Woojin sat him down on his lap. His penis entered where the fingers had been.

It was long, thick, hard, and above all, hot. As the scorching heat penetrated him, his chest felt like it was on fire.

He had succeeded in focusing Hyun Woojin’s attention solely on him. Whether Hyun Woojin thought he was hopeless or a helplessly naughty kid, it didn’t matter. Right now, Hyun Woojin was fully focused on Haewon, his senses and body completely attuned to him.

“Haa, ah, uh, uh… feels good, Woojin hyung, ah, uh……!”

A hot moan escaped his lips. The veiny, throbbing penis thrust in and out quickly.

Haewon braced himself against his abdomen. His body shook as if he were riding a wild horse. When Hyun Woojin thrust up from below, his hips eagerly pushed down, swallowing his penis. His breath quickened.

“Did that guy also say he missed you?”

“What? Ah, uh, ah, uh……!”

“Call him, tell that guy too, huh? Say you miss him, did you seduce him?”

He shook his head. He had never said anything so cheesy to anyone. Hyun Woojin’s movements sped up. The intercourse became deeper and more intense. He could feel sweat dripping down his spine.

The hand that had been gripping his hips and forcing Haewon to move now embraced his wet back, lifting his upper body. Haewon wrapped his arms around his neck. Their chests pressed together. He pressed his lips to his ear and moaned like a sob.

I like it, I like it so much, I like it.

He would think it was just the pleasure of the act, the excitement making him cry out.

“I like it, so much, so much, ah, I like it, I like it, haa, I like it……!”

I like you. Hyun Woojin, I like you. I like you.

His bones and flesh melted away, and his mind dissolved with them. Haewon embraced his neck and shoulders, touching him wildly and pressing their lips together.

“Can I, can I, uh, uh, can I come? Hyung, please, can I come?”

A low, secretive voice asked him.

“Uh, uh, uh, uh… uh!”

His breath, crude and hot, seeped into his ear, making his spine tingle. The arm that had been embracing him laid Haewon down on the bed. Soon, an overwhelming force pressed down on him from below. The intensity had clearly changed. His chin lifted. Instead of holding onto him, Haewon gripped the sheet. Every time Hyun Woojin thrust, his chest heaved.

“Haa, ah! Ah, ah, uh… ha!”

His vision blurred. The sound of flesh slapping together filled his ears. Suddenly, the taut string snapped.

“Ha!”

His entire body stiffened, his face drenched in sweat. He held his breath, unable to exhale. The man, who had been thrusting into him, suddenly stopped moving with a jerk. Pleasure coursed through his entire body like a shiver.

“Haa, haa, aah…….”

Tears streamed down his face, past his temples, and onto his ears. His hips were suspended in the air. The muscles of his abdomen, where the man had released deeply, became more defined. He let out a long breath. His chest heaved. Haewon covered his face with one hand. Tears kept falling, dripping onto his ears.

∞ ∞ ∞

He fell asleep. It wasn’t the first or second time Haewon had slept with someone, flesh against flesh, and woken up together in the morning, but Haewon couldn’t sleep. He pressed his cheek against the back of the deeply sleeping man and rubbed his face against him.

Wrapping his arms around Hyun Woojin’s waist, he blinked his eyes. He traced the prominent spine down to the small of his back with his finger. He observed and admired his body all night long.

A small mole under the right shoulder blade, a scar that looked quite old, the subtle movements of his fine hairs.

The man, who had been lying on his side, let out a low moan and straightened his body. Haewon spread his arms and snuggled up to Hyun Woojin’s side, pressing against him. He propped himself up on his elbow and looked at Hyun Woojin’s round, pretty belly button. When he gently pressed it with his index finger, the man furrowed his brow. Haewon pulled the sheet down slightly and looked at his lower body, buried in the darkness.

His thick pubic hair and flaccid penis were pushed to the side, as if by habit, leaning to the left again this time. He slowly felt the sensation of the hair that reached up to his navel with his open palm.

It wasn’t his hand touching him down there, but the man’s face twitched as if waking from a dream. Haewon quickly lay down, resting his head on the man’s arm, pretending to be asleep. He wrapped his arms around Hyun Woojin’s waist and pressed his cheek against his chest.

His breathing changed, indicating he was awake. Startled, Hyun Woojin sat up. As he did, Haewon naturally lay back on the bed, losing his support. The man reached over Haewon to grab his phone from the side table. He turned on the phone, which had been off.

Haewon pulled up the sheet that had been dragged down by the man sitting up and deliberately made a fuss about being cold. He could feel the man looking at him. He pulled the bedding up to Haewon’s neck, covering him warmly.

“……Haa.”

In the dim morning light, he let out a soft sigh. He was checking his missed calls and messages.

He made a call to someone. It was a very early hour to be calling anyone, just before dawn.

“Yeah, okay. No, nothing. It was off, so I didn’t know.”

His low voice spoke quietly. The voice on the other end could be faintly heard through the phone. It seemed to be one of his subordinates.

I’m sorry. It was urgent… Last night, he was reassigned… The case was dropped… I thought you should know…

“In the morning, check the recent bank transactions, stocks, real estate, funds, everything from last year, and see if there are any changes. Put it on my desk. Yeah, thanks.”

He tossed the phone onto the bed. He sighed wearily and rubbed his face with his hands, as if washing it. Haewon kept his eyes closed, focusing on every little movement and sound the man made.

He stretched his neck and shoulders back. Fully awake now, he started to get out of bed, pulling back the covers.

Haewon slightly raised his hand and grabbed the man’s arm, as if still half-asleep. He could feel the man stop and look down at him. Haewon’s cheeks flushed under his gaze.

The man changed his posture. Instead of getting out of bed, he lifted the covers and slipped back inside, enveloped in each other’s warmth and scent.

Haewon lay with his head tilted on the pillow, pretending to be asleep. His whole body itched with the effort of acting. He felt like he could never act again.

While debating whether to startle Hyun Woojin by suddenly opening his eyes, Haewon found himself unable to move as the man’s gaze lingered unnaturally long.

Feigning sleep with steady breathing, Haewon barely managed to maintain his composure when Hyun Woojin climbed on top of him. Both were completely bare, having fallen asleep unclothed after their encounter the previous night. Despite his lean appearance, Hyun Woojin’s weight pressed firmly on Haewon’s chest. Gripping Haewon’s cheek to steady his head against the pillow, Hyun Woojin leaned in closer while his lower body began to move slowly against him—a subtle yet deliberate contact.

Haewon twisted slightly under the pressure, his body reacting instinctively to the weight bearing down on him. Furrowing his brows as if waking from a deep sleep, he finally opened his eyes and locked gazes with Hyun Woojin, who was now mere inches away.

“…”

“…Shh.”

In the silent, soundproofed room, Hyun Woojin pressed a finger to his lips, signaling for quiet as though someone else might overhear. His movements remained measured and deliberate, maintaining an air of secrecy.

Still drowsy but now alert, Haewon looked up at him with clarity, taking in his face illuminated by the dim pre-dawn light. Below, Hyun Woojin pressed himself against Haewon, their bodies aligning as he moved in a slow, provocative rhythm. The sensation grew steadily more intense, the friction evoking an unmistakable tension.

Through the window, the pale morning light began to seep in, casting a soft glow over Hyun Woojin’s shoulders. The warmth of the rising sun contrasted with the cool air filtering through the room.

Haewon let himself drift between wakefulness and the pull of his body’s reactions, unable to resist the moment. Leaning down, Hyun Woojin murmured in his ear, his voice barely above a whisper.

“I wanted to see you like this… so much.”