Vol 3 Ch 9

“Please stop there. In front of  that blue door.”

 

The boy carefully opened his mouth. These were the first words of the boy who had bowed his head as if he had committed a crime all the way and couldn’t even make eye contact.

 

Philip stopped the car. The boy tried to open the seat belt, but, as before, it didn’t work as well, so he brushed it off several times. Philip reached out and the boy flinched and shrugged his shoulders.

 

He felt dirty.

 

Philip slowly loosened the belt clip.

 

“I had a nice time today.”

 

“… … .”

 

“I feel much better thanks to you. Thank you.”

 

To some extent it was sincere.

 

Had it not been for the boy, he would have watched a romantic comedy that didn’t suit his taste on a Friday evening and then listened to stories he didn’t care about and had s*x without feelings. At least the movie he saw today didn’t spoil his Friday evening.

 

“… no.  Thank you. Thank you for watching the movie with me.”

 

The boy answered in a low voice without even making eye contact. His eyes looked at the fingers that were fidgeting with the hem. It was a thin finger. If he held it in his hand and applied a little force, it would break like a chocolate cookie.

 

“Then I’ll see you later.”

 

They didn’t make eye contact until the very end. An uncomfortable feeling mixed with nervousness rose from the vicinity of Philip’s lower abdomen.

 

It was Philip’s quiet call to hold the boy who was about to leave.

 

[Choi Inseop.]

 

The boy widened his eyes and looked around as he didn’t expect to be called by his Korean name. As the big eyes turned to him, he felt the emotions that had been tangled in a mess loosened up.

 

[Choi Inseop.]

 

He called his name again.

 

The boy blinked his eyes a couple of times. There seemed to be a rattling sound each time the long eyelashes interlocked.

 

[Isn’t that how you call it?]

 

After hesitating, the boy said yes, in Korean.

 

[Then why don’t you answer?]

 

[…Yes.]

 

At the answer that came back, a satisfied smile appeared on Philip’s lips.

 

[Do you have time next weekend?]

 

[…If it’s a movie, we don’t have to watch it anymore.]

 

[Not a movie. Do you have time on the weekend?]

 

[Hey, you know what you’re talking about, right?]

 

The boy asked cautiously.

 

[I speak Korean better than you.]

 

[… I guess so.]

 

Philip’s Korean was almost perfect, even in pronunciation, stress, and intonation. Still, just in case he didn’t know, the boy checked once more.

 

“You asked if I had time next weekend… , Yes?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“… why?”

 

Even if they met by chance at the theater today, there usually won’t be a next time. It was not common for two men to meet separately by making an appointment.

 

“I have a party next week.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“It’s my birthday.”

 

His mother was reluctant to give birth to her son. However, she did not show her reluctance to the outside. Rather, if she had an opportunity to show interest in her son in this way, she poured out enough money that he thought it was excessive.

 

It was also his birthday this year. It was a party prepared three months ago by hiring the most expensive planner in LA. The main character of the party was not interested, but everyone was anxious to be invited.

 

“Will you come?”

 

“Me? … why?”

 

The boy asked the question with eyes full of wonder. The boy wasn’t the type to go to a party. Neither was he worthy of an invitation to Philip Levin’s birthday party.

 

“Yeah. Why?”

 

Philip mumbled to himself and tilted his head. It was the same with Philip who did not understand this situation now.

 

Why the h**l did he ask this b**t**d if he could come to the party?

 

Philip peered at the boy who looked up at him with anxious eyes. The a**hole he sees at school, nothing more, nothing less.

 

If it’s a little different.

 

“If it’s because you’re sorry for what you said earlier, then you really don’t have to worry about it. … Because it is not wrong.”

 

The boy continued to speak in a weak voice.

 

Tears welled up in his big eyes.

 

It was strange. He looked like he would have ridiculed him for being an a**hole if he had been normal, but strangely, he couldn’t take his eyes off of him. He remembered the boy crying all the way while driving. It was so annoying.

 

“I am really fine. So don’t worry about it. And I’m so glad you’re feeling better.”

 

The boy quickly regained his emotions and smiled sweetly. Philip stared at the boy softly.

 

It was like this every time. Unlike other people, the boy did not care about the wounds he received and cared for the other person first. Every time he faced the heart of the boy who was so absurdly kind, Philip felt an unknown emotion. His stomach was churning and his throat was tickling, and his fingertips were tingling. He was even dizzy with the feeling he was experiencing for the first time.

 

“Actually, I don’t like parties.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“I hate noisy things like a party.”

 

“… … .”

 

The boy widened his eyes with an expression like he did not understand the English language.

 

Philip Levin was the most popular person. He could attend any party he wanted, and everyone wanted him to attend. Phillip was the beginning and the end of the party. It was only natural that he would not readily believe that he didn’t like parties.

 

“A birthday party at this age. That’s funny.”

 

“No. My family always throws a party on our birthday. Because my mother always does it.”

 

“My mother doesn’t really like parties,” he said.

 

She was a weak woman. Even though she knew that her son was a different kind of monster, she was still ignoring it.

 

“Is that possible? It’s her son’s birthday party. Of course, she is doing it because it is a sincere congratulations.”

 

The boy fervently defended the maternal love of a woman he had never seen.

 

What did he know about maternal love when he was abandoned by his biological parents?

 

If he said that, would he cry again this time?

 

Philip swallowed the dark laughter that spread and continued, leaning his head on the driver’s seat at an angle.

 

“I will be bored to death all day.”

 

“… … .”

 

No one dared to imagine Philip Levin, always surrounded by people, having such a boring birthday party.

 

“So come and talk to me.”

 

“… I will think about it.”

 

He thought that if he invited him to a party, he would wag his tail like a dog and would like it, but when he did not agree willingly, Philip began to twist his judgement.

 

“Why? Don’t you want to congratulate me?”

 

“Oh, no. It’s not like that… .”

 

The boy’s white cheeks were dyed red. Long eyelashes drooping down. The boy, who had been talking for a while, spoke with difficulty.

 

“… I don’t even have clothes to wear.”

 

Philip laughed. The boy’s face grew even redder.

 

“No one will care about that.”

 

Because in the first place, no one will notice whether he came or not. The smile on Phillip’s lips widened.

 

“Still, if you’re inviting, … , no, I’ve never been there… .”

 

The boy looked like he didn’t know what he was talking about. He looked ridiculous. The freckles that stood out because of the white skin, the eyes so big that they look uneasy, the long eyelashes, the round tip of the nose, and the small lips that were sweet.

 

Philip leaned back on the seat and glanced over at the boy.

 

“Thank you for looking out for me today. Goodbye then.”

 

Small fangs were visible between the boy’s lips. He wanted to touch it.

 

“… Huh.”

 

The boy stiffened in embarrassment. Philip was equally perplexed. He reached out impulsively, but he never thought he would really touch someone else’s fangs, and even that man’s fangs.

 

“… aei(why)?”

 

With an awkward pronunciation, the boy asked why. Philip didn’t answer, but fiddled with the boy’s teeth. He had smooth and beautiful teeth.

 

Philip’s finger was in his mouth, and the boy couldn’t open or close his lips, and he was at a loss for what to do.

 

“Uh, uh… .”

 

As the boy l**ked his lips to say something, the boy’s lips caught Philip’s fingers and he shut his mouth. The air of a summer night blew in through the open window. The night air, which had been cold before, suddenly became warm.

 

“What is buried here?”

 

Philip smiled as he playfully touched the boy’s fangs. The boy’s face lit up in an instant. Not only his earlobes, but also the nape of his neck were dazzling as if there were flowers in it. It made him want to lift up the hem and check the inside.

 

The boy couldn’t help but notice that Philip’s gaze was on him. The air inside the narrow car became stiff. It became a little difficult to breathe.

 

“Is that you, Peter?”

 

A familiar voice was heard from outside the car. The boy stuck his head out the window and answered yes.

 

“Hey, I’ll go. My parents are waiting for me.”

 

The boy quickly opened the car door.

 

“Then, next time… .”

 

The boy didn’t dare say that he’ll see him next time, and he blurted out.

 

“See you later.”

 

Philip waved his hand gently and started the car. He saw the boy standing in front of the house through the rearview mirror.

 

He stepped on the accelerator. Normally he would never do something like a nerd running in a quiet residential area with the engine sound of a sports car, but now he doesn’t want to worry about that.

 

“Ha. F**k.”

 

Phillip looked down at his hand and smiled as if it was ridiculous. Apparently, because of the aftermath of not sleeping with someone this evening, he was acting strangely. He stopped the car and took out his phone. He found a suitable name and pressed it. In a friendly voice, he said something he didn’t want to say, and he said that he would pick her up in front of the house and ended the call. After silently tapping the steering wheel a couple of times, Philip started the car again.

 

The sound of a heavy engine cut through the air in the residential area.