Vol 6 Ch 5

‘Do you really like things like this?’

 

‘Pardon?’

 

‘I was wondering what you like about fish.’

 

‘Well, …they’re fascinating.’

 

‘Hmm.’

 

Even after Inseop’s answer, he seemed to not fully understand, tilting his head in confusion.

 

…I just wanted to come here with you.

 

Inseop couldn’t bring himself to say that and instead fidgeted with the hem of his clothes. Due to the circumstances of Manager Cha, Inseop ended up helping Lee Wooyeon with his managerial duties for a few days. As a token of gratitude, Manager Cha handed him two tickets to the aquarium.

 

‘I got these, so when you have time, go with a friend…or a colleague…or, well, anyone.’

 

Inseop thanked him and took the tickets. Upon checking, he found out that it was a popular dating spot for couples. Though he had never said it out loud, Inseop occasionally wanted to go on a normal date with him.

 

‘…Do you not like it?’

 

Inseop asked cautiously.

 

‘It feels like being inside a clean, giant fish tank at a raw fish restaurant.’

 

He responded playfully, smiling. Inseop apologized immediately.

 

‘What are you sorry for?’

 

‘For making you come here when you’re busy…’

 

Just then, a woman who had been glancing at them for a while approached.

 

‘Excuse me, aren’t you …?’

 

‘No, I’m not.’

 

He answered, pulling his hat down low.

 

‘Oh, but you look like him. Your voice sounds exactly like him.’

 

The man, with an expressionless face, nudged Inseop, urging him to go.

 

‘Aren’t you …? Can I take a picture with you? Please?’

 

The woman persisted. The man grabbed Inseop’s wrist and started running without looking back. Inseop, taken aback, ran with him.

 

They saw an emergency exit with a sign that read ‘No Entry’. He headed there without hesitation.

 

‘Uh…’

 

‘Shh.’

 

He gestured for Inseop to be quiet. Where did they go? They went this way, right? It was definitely him, right? Did you see him? The murmuring voices of the women gradually faded away.

 

Inseop, breathing heavily, looked up at his face. He was looking in the direction where the women had disappeared, his eyes gleaming mischievously like a playful boy.

 

Inseop’s heart pounded. Everywhere his touch lingered, heat radiated, and his skin tingled.

 

‘…Are they gone?’

 

Inseop asked, looking down.

 

‘Yeah. They’re all gone now.’

 

He replied, but his arm remained around Inseop’s shoulder.

 

‘Um, your hand…’

 

Inseop tried to pull away, but he only tightened his grip, pulling Inseop closer.

 

‘…Let’s go home now.’

 

‘What about the fascinating fish you like so much?’

 

‘I’ve seen enough.’

 

He was reluctant to let go. Inseop’s heart raced, and he felt a rush of blood.

 

‘Inseop.’

 

‘Yes?’

 

Startled, Inseop quickly looked up and responded.

 

Had he noticed? Was he aware of how conscious and tense he was?

 

‘I really did come here just for you.’

 

His voice, tinged with laughter, grew closer. Inseop wanted to avert his gaze but couldn’t. As his lips approached, he whispered.

 

‘So take responsibility and make me happy.’

 

Inseop opened his eyes.

 

He stared blankly at the ceiling for a moment before abruptly sitting up.

 

Where am I?

 

It took him a while to recall the absurd situation he found himself in.

 

“Ha….”

 

Inseop covered his face with his hands and slowly tried to sort through his thoughts, hoping that some memories might have returned. This had become a daily ritual since he woke up in Korea.

 

Suddenly, a fragment of a dream flashed through his mind.

 

…Who was that?

 

Inseop tried to remember the scene from his dream in detail, but it was impossible with his foggy mind, like it was shrouded in mist.

 

Well, for now….

 

He got out of bed, tidied it up, and stepped outside. The man was nowhere to be seen. Being alone in the spacious house made him feel the anxiety he had been suppressing start to rise.

 

Just then, he heard the door and the man walked in through the entrance.

 

“You’re awake?”

 

He was dressed in workout clothes, as if he had just come back from exercising. Inseop let out a small sigh of relief.

 

The man took off his sneakers and walked briskly over to cup Inseop’s face.

 

“I left after seeing you were asleep, but why are you up so early? You’re usually such a late riser.”

 

“Oh, I just woke up.”

 

Inseop mumbled in response. It was strange. He had three younger brothers, but none of them ever touched his face like this. Was this how siblings in Korea behaved? Or was this man just particularly affectionate?

 

“Then go wash up. I’ll get breakfast ready.”

 

“I can do it. No, …I will do it.”

 

Inseop quickly lifted his head. Their eyes met. The man’s eyes were filled with a lingering smile.

 

“What are you doing? You can’t even cook.”

 

His teasing voice was full of laughter. Inseop felt embarrassed, knowing his brother had found out about his shortcomings, and blushed all the way to his neck.

 

From above, he heard the man mutter softly, “f**k.” Startled, Inseop looked up at him again.

 

“Take your time washing up. It’ll take a while to get breakfast ready.”

 

The man’s voice was gentle.

 

“Okay….”

 

He must have misheard. Someone who smiles so kindly couldn’t possibly have said something like that.

 

Inseop nodded and returned to his room.

 

“Shit….”

 

His sturdy thigh muscles tensed as if angry. As he swallowed a gasp, a cloudy spray of semen splattered under his palm.

 

“Haa… Haa.”

 

Under the shower stream, the semen swirled and washed away with the water. Lee Wooyeon swallowed his curses and finished his shower.

 

He got dressed and started preparing breakfast.

 

“Is there anything I can help with…?”

 

Inseop had quietly approached from behind, peering curiously.

 

“Sit over there.”

 

Wooyeon motioned with his chin towards a chair. Inseop obediently went and sat at the dining table.

 

“Turn the chair a bit to the right.”

 

“Like this?”

 

“Yeah, that’s perfect.”

 

Wooyeon continued making an omelet as he spoke.

 

“Just sit there and watch me.”

 

“Pardon?”

 

When flustered, Inseop inevitably reverted to formal speech. Wooyeon suppressed a smile, pretending not to notice.

 

“I cook better when someone is watching.”

 

“Really?”

 

As if that could be true.

 

He hated being watched and even more hated cooking for someone else. Despite having dated many women, he had never even fetched a glass of water for any of them.

 

“Your medicine?”

 

Wooyeon asked, turning around.

 

“Huh?”

 

“The doctor said to take it before eating.”

 

“Oh, right.”

 

Inseop quickly got up from the chair and ran to his room. He soon returned with a packet of medicine, and Wooyeon placed a glass of lukewarm water in front of him.

 

“You need to take your medicine properly. That’s how you’ll get better quickly.”

 

“…Thanks.”

 

Inseop murmured softly and swallowed his pills. Wooyeon watched his small Adam’s apple move as he drank the water.

 

“Hey….”

 

“…….”

 

“I think the omelet is burning.”

 

Inseop pointed cautiously at the induction stove. Wooyeon promptly took the omelet off the pan. He placed the perfectly cooked omelet on Inseop’s plate and then poured pancake batter into the pan.

 

“Here.”

 

Wooyeon handed Inseop a plate, and he smiled, his long eyelashes fluttering. He had recently learned that Inseop liked it when he made pancakes for breakfast. Inseop had mentioned it with a laugh, saying he hadn’t brought it up before because he didn’t want to seem childish.

 

“Thanks for the food.”

 

Inseop briefly said grace and picked up his fork. He first ate a strawberry from the side of his pancakes, and Wooyeon watched him leisurely.

 

He certainly looked young. His appearance was already youthful, but his awkward Korean pronunciation and way of speaking made him seem even younger than usual.

 

More than anything.

 

“Thank you. No, thanks. …It’s delicious.”

 

When their eyes met, Inseop gave a small smile. Sitting there, wearing a slightly oversized shirt and with freshly flushed cheeks from the shower, he smiled.

 

An innocent vulnerability. Something he could only show because he couldn’t even dream of how he looked to Lee Wooyeon right now.

 

Lee Wooyeon had already imagined ravaging Inseop in his mind countless times. The urge to grab his slender ankles, spread them apart, and forcefully lay him on the table was barely suppressed.

 

‘Hey, taking Inseop with you is fine, but don’t do anything terrible to him.’

 

Before being discharged, CEO Kim seriously warned Lee Wooyeon while settling the bill.

 

‘What do you mean by “terrible”?’

 

‘Don’t play dumb. You know.’

 

‘How can acts between people who love each other be terrible?’

 

‘Hey! Lee Lee Wooyeon!’

 

‘I’m joking. Don’t worry. No matter how messed up of a bastard I am, I wouldn’t do such things to someone who’s sick. Give me some credit.’

 

‘…I give you none.’

 

Grinding his teeth, CEO Kim reiterated that Lee Wooyeon shouldn’t do anything bad to Inseop. Lee Wooyeon nodded with a smile.

 

You were right, CEO.

 

Lee Wooyeon swallowed a bitter laugh as he drank his coffee.

 

Even last night, while reading a book to Inseop who was scared and crying, he felt his lower body heating up. After confirming he was asleep, Lee Wooyeon went to the bathroom and took care of his urges. It still wasn’t enough, so he went outside and ran for two hours. He thought exhausting himself might help.

 

But this morning, as soon as he saw Inseop’s neck turn red with embarrassment from a little teasing, Lee Wooyeon realized. There would never be a day when he wouldn’t be aroused by Choi Inseop, not even if the world split in half.

 

In the end, Lee Wooyeon had masturbated twice more in the shower. No matter how much he reminded himself that Inseop was sick and currently had no memory, he couldn’t help it. After all, just seeing Choi Inseop breathe in front of him made him so aroused he could die. Let alone this…

 

When their eyes met again, Inseop hesitated for a moment, then smiled shyly. Brother or not, Lee Wooyeon wanted to bend him over the table and f**k him from behind like a dog. F**k.

 

Lee Wooyeon cut into his omelet with a knife, suppressing a bitter smile.

 

“Hey.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“…Can I see my old phone?”

 

“Why?”

 

“Huh?”

 

“Are you trying to call someone?”

 

“No, it’s just, I’m curious about what’s on it, photos, contacts, …stuff like that.”

 

“It was completely shattered, so I threw it away. It was beyond repair.”

 

Inseop nodded with a slightly downcast face, saying, “Oh.” That was a lie. Lee Wooyeon still had Inseop’s phone. Initially, he hid it because he feared Inseop might be shocked to learn they were dating, but now he found it satisfying. The fact that all of Inseop’s external communications had to go through him was quite gratifying.

 

“Use mine when you need to call your family.”

 

“…I feel bad about it.”

 

“It’s fine.”

 

Even as Lee Wooyeon said this, he knew. Kind-hearted Choi Inseop would feel bad about borrowing his phone every time he wanted to call the US and would hesitate to do so.

 

Lee Wooyeon intended to keep him as distant from his family as possible. The reason he asked Inseop to speak Korean instead of English was the same. He didn’t want to create any opportunities for him to think of the US. Honestly, Lee Wooyeon wished he could just tell Inseop all his family in the US had died. That Lee Wooyeon was all he had left. So he should stay here with him and live together.

 

…That would probably make him cry a lot.

 

Looking at Inseop’s still slightly puffy eyes, Lee Wooyeon swallowed hard. Crying in bed was cute and all, but he didn’t want to make him cry outside of that.

 

“Hey, Wooyeon-ah”

 

“…….”

 

Fork in hand, Lee Wooyeon froze. His gaze shifted to Inseop. The sudden shift in atmosphere left Inseop flustered and unsure of what to do.

 

“I-I’m sorry. I just didn’t know what to call you. If you don’t like it, I’ll stick to formal speech.”

 

With an almost tearful expression, Inseop apologized again, saying, “I’m sorry.” Lee Wooyeon let out a slow breath. He raised his hand to rub his cheek.

 

“No, it’s just that I….”

 

Inseop’s large eyes wavered with anxiety. Lee Wooyeon lifted his gaze.

 

“I like it. I like it a lot when you call my name. Keep doing that.”

 

With a sigh-like whisper, Inseop nodded slightly. Lee Wooyeon chewed on his toast, thinking.

 

Just once, couldn’t he make him cry on the dining table? After all, he was a fucking bastard anyway.

 

When their eyes met again, Inseop smiled softly. Even in his memory-less confusion, Inseop’s inherent kindness, shown to his supposed brother, was clear.

 

Lee Wooyeon drank a glass of cold water in one gulp without saying a word.