HPK 71

The basement, completely sealed off by solid walls, was a place where even small sounds echoed loudly. Wooseung was startled and, without realizing it, looked up toward the stairs. There was no sign of anyone, but someone might remember this commotion and later casually mention it to the owner living on the fifth floor.

“Please don’t do that. There’s no one inside.”

“Then open it.”

Taejung was the one who kicked the door, but it was Wooseung whose heart was pounding as if he were the one who had committed a crime. Wooseung barely managed to stop Taejung, who was posturing as if he would kick it once more, and then hurriedly entered the passcode for the door lock.

Beep-beep-beep-boop. As the lock disengaged, the firmly shut front door opened. Feeling the damp air that had pooled inside rush out, Wooseung immediately thought he should turn on the air conditioner.

“You have to… take off your shoes.”

He thought that the arrogant Taejung might tramp around the inside of the house with his shoes still on after seeing the shabby furnishings. It was a comment born from that worry, but Taejung himself looked dumbfounded.

“Am I a fucking kid?”

Taejung, who had irritably kicked off his leather slippers, strode into the house. Wooseung hastily followed behind him, turning on the lights and activating the air conditioner. Whoosh, the small house was soon filled with the noise of the air conditioner running.

“Just a moment.”

He closed the open washing machine door and also moved the peanut-shaped table that was in the middle of the room to a corner. He couldn’t just keep Taejung standing, so he had to prepare a place for him to sit. While he was doing that, Taejung looked around his surroundings with his hands shoved in his pockets.

“Wow, is this a house?”

It was closer to pure admiration rather than mockery. With a fascinated expression, Taejung slowly walked around the place. He pointlessly opened and closed a drawer, and even kicked open the trash can with his foot to peek at what was inside. Just like a child who, after starting elementary school, was visiting a classmate’s house for the first time.

It wasn’t the first time he had brought someone into this house, but it felt a little strange. The openly displayed interest, the rude hands rummaging through here and there. But it wasn’t particularly unpleasant. In fact, it was better than a gaze that desperately pretended not to see the humble furnishings.

“Would you like something to drink?”

Wooseung asked, trying his best to gather his strange feelings. However, Taejung was still preoccupied with looking around the house. He rummaged through the clothes hanging on the rack or picked up a few books placed on top of the drawer and flipped through them quickly.

In the end, Wooseung went to the kitchen, thinking he should bring something out. Fortunately, there were a few new drinks he had brought from the store. Knowing that Taejung was usually picky about his drinks, mentioning things like ‘zero calorie’ and what not, Wooseung’s eyes were more careful than ever as he read the labels on the plastic bottles.

“What are you doing.”

He felt an unfamiliar warmth on his back as he squatted down. Taejung, who had similarly bent his knees to squat, wrapped an arm around Wooseung’s shoulder.

“Ah, what would you like to drink?”

“Anything.”

At the words that passed the choice onto him, Wooseung chose the one with less sugar out of the two drinks he was holding and stood up. No, he tried to stand up.

“Wow…”

If only Taejung hadn’t been looking at the refrigerator with sparkling eyes. Along with a low exclamation of wonder, he reached out his hand and took something out. What was in his hand was leftover soju.

“Ah…!”

Seeing the sloshing liquid inside the green glass bottle, his mind snapped to attention. Wooseung quickly tried to close the refrigerator door. However, because Taejung pulled his shoulder with force, it only resulted in him struggling while being held tightly in his embrace.

“I received them as gifts. All of them.”

“You get soju as a gift?”

When he lightly shook the bottle, the liquid inside sloshed around. Behind it, the soju and beer that filled the refrigerator could be faintly seen.

“I knew it would be like this.”

“…”

“Esophagitis?”

Taejung laughed, twisting the corner of his mouth asymmetrically, as if he couldn’t find it more amusing.

“I think I’ll drink this.”

Then he suddenly got up, holding the soju bottle.

“What? Wait a moment. Drink this, this one!”

He tried to snatch the soju bottle from his hand, but because Taejung ostentatiously raised his hand high, it ended in failure. Due to the height difference, he couldn’t reach it no matter how much he stretched out his arm.

“Then do you want to drink it?”

“What? No, I don’t want to…”

Taejung plopped down on the low mattress and casually twisted open the cap. Then, without any time to stop him, he brought the bottle to his lips and, in an instant, gulped it down. Gulp, gulp.

“You…! You brought tea with you.”

When the surprised Wooseung approached and grabbed the bottle, he handed it over obediently. However, nearly half of the remaining amount was already gone.

“Ah, I’m getting drunk.”

Taejung tilted his head back, propping himself up with both hands on the bed. He was so dumbfounded by the suddenly unfolding situation that he was at a loss for words. Wooseung looked back and forth between the soju bottle and Taejung with a look of dismay. As for Taejung, he kept grinning with the corner of his mouth twisted, as if something was so amusing.

Light gray sweatpants, a thin short-sleeved t-shirt. It was a simple outfit, but when you added the broad shoulders and the thick muscles beneath them, plus the swaggering posture… he looked just like a loan shark who had come to collect a debt.

“Come here.”

Unaware of what Wooseung was thinking about him, Taejung called out to Wooseung with a cheerful face. When he didn’t approach readily, he lightly beckoned with one hand. It looked just like a will-o’-the-wisp luring a person to a cliff in the darkness of night.

“…”

His plan was to deal with Taejung for a bit, send him off, and then go to work, but things had gotten strangely twisted.

“I said, come here.”

Taejung, who hated repeating himself, lowered his voice sharply. Wooseung placed the soju bottle on the floor and went closer. While he was debating whether he should sit next to him or help him up, Taejung grabbed Wooseung’s forearm and pulled him toward himself.

“Ah!”

Wooseung landed on his knees on the mattress and placed a hand on his shoulder to keep from completely collapsing. Between his spread legs was Taejung’s right thigh. Taejung, who was suddenly right in front of his nose, blew out a breath, whoo. The strong scent of alcohol spread with a tingle.

“You don’t know, do you.”

“…”

“That you smell like this all the time.”

Wooseung raised his hand, buried his nose in his sleeve, and sniffed. Sniff, sniff. But he couldn’t smell the strong scent of alcohol that Taejung had mentioned.

“Haha!”

Taejung threw his head back and laughed out loud. He looked extremely amused, as if he had just seen a cat licking the bottom of its paws. Wooseung awkwardly lowered his hand and pulled down his sleeve, hiding his hands.

“Not right now. You haven’t been drinking lately.”

At those words, he found himself frowning without realizing it. It was because it felt a little strange, the way he spoke as if he knew him well.

“…I don’t drink to begin with.”

He stubbornly denied it, hiding his complicated feelings. Now that he thought about it, he really hadn’t touched much alcohol lately. It was partly because he wasn’t going to work, but it was probably because he was sticking close to Taejung almost all day. Taejung enjoyed junk food, but he hardly ever drank.

“It’s always ‘no, it’s not,’ ‘no, it’s not.’”

“…”

“It’s a lie every time you open your mouth. Just act your age. Huh?”

He mimicked Wooseung’s verbal habit mockingly and then suddenly lifted up the loose t-shirt. When his flat stomach was revealed, Wooseung unconsciously grabbed the hem of his shirt with his hand.

“Are you… going to do it?”

“Yeah, I’m going to do it.”

As he rolled his eyes back and forth, unable to hide his troubled expression, Taejung’s eyebrow twitched.

“Why the shitty look on your face?”

“It’s not that… The bathroom is small, so it will be inconvenient for the President to wash up.”

Only then did Taejung’s stern expression soften, and he let out a smirk. He moved his hand, which had been blocked by Wooseung, again and easily stripped off the t-shirt. The rough, calloused palm slowly swept up his skin from his waist. The hand, which seemed as if it would cover his chest, surprisingly stopped below the chest, where the bones protruded.

“Ugh…”

A thumb slowly traced the curve of the bone. Even though it wasn’t a threatening touch, he suddenly became frightened.

It seemed like Taejung was planning to go all the way. The thumb slid up and rubbed the sensitive nub. As the soft, deflated nipple took on a fairly firm shape, Taejung spread his tongue wide and licked upward over it.

“Ah!”

At the electrifying pleasure, Wooseung flinched his shoulders.

“Salty.”

Taejung, who had thoroughly slobbered on the small nipple, playfully stuck out his tongue. As the embarrassed Wooseung tried to pull his body back, Taejung covered the small of his back with his hand to stop him. And then he suckled on the nipple like a nursing baby.

“The bathroom is really, heut, small.”

“It looks like it.”

At the pleasure that was subtly beginning to spread below, Wooseung’s body gradually crumbled. Taejung willingly supported the collapsing body, holding him in his arms.