PA 31

However, Director Min only listed the consequences of Junhyuk’s choice. Junhyuk, who had never imagined a scenario where Yejun could get hurt because of him, was flustered, and soon shouted out as if wronged.

“Why are you messing with Yejun? What did he do wrong?”

“Why, you ask? That child is committing a sin just by making you, Junhyuk, lose your senses.”

“Grandmother!”

“So, make your decision.”

The battle of wills between Director Min and Junhyuk reached its peak. It was as if the thin thread connecting the two was pulled taut, on the verge of snapping.

“I’ll block this article myself.”

“Do you think I’ll end it with just this?”

If this article gets out, whether its content is true or not, Yejun would inevitably be damaged. Even if a correction is issued, people aren’t interested in that kind of article. Besides, what if another article scandalous enough to fill the society pages broke one after another? As a celebrity, Yejun’s career would be as good as over.

“Junhyuk, don’t tell me you love this child?”

“Ah…”

“If not, it wouldn’t matter to you at all if a trashy article like this gets out.”

Director Min asked Junhyuk, as if she found it absurd. She was someone Junhyuk had believed was always on his side throughout his life. That’s why Junhyuk had mistakenly thought that Director Min would also embrace her grandson’s same-sex lover. Junhyuk looked at Director Min with a flustered expression.

“Grandmother, why are you doing this to Yejun?”

“Was it not enough that he filthily mixed bodies with your father, how dare he touch my one and only grandson?”

“Th-that’s not what it is. That was my father who…”

“Shut up! I will never forgive that child.”

Junhyuk had no way to explain this complicatedly twisted situation, and even if he did, Director Min didn’t seem to have any intention of listening.

“Grandmother!”

“If this grandmother makes a million concessions and you go abroad, and if you just promise to never see that child again… then I won’t use such dirty tricks.”

His mind was a mess of confusion. He had just seen Yejun rolling around with Sanghyeon a little while ago. That alone felt like his heart would explode, and he was about to go completely insane.

“Ah… Ah!”

Junhyuk shouted as if wailing and slammed his fist on the glass top of the tea table. Director Min, seeing Junhyuk’s hand dripping with blood, stood up without a hint of surprise. She picked up the internal phone on her desk and gave an order in a low voice.

“Call Doctor Kim right now.”

☂︎ ….

Upon returning home, Yejun was drained of all energy and collapsed on the spot as soon as he entered his room.

“Ah…”

Sanghyeon, who might call him back to the hotel at any moment, the stinging wounds that had swept through his entire body, and Junhyuk, who might come looking for him again at any time.

Yejun found it all too heavy, to the point of being overwhelming. He wanted to think of nothing and just sleep comfortably, at least for this moment. After securely locking all the doors and windows leading into the house, Yejun lay down on a new blanket and closed his eyes.

“Ugh… Ugh.”

From the moment he thought he was alone, Yejun was struck with chills and his whole body began to tremble. Yejun, whose body had been injured from the rough lovemaking with Junhyuk, truly began to groan and suffer as soon as the tension left him. Moreover, the tears continuously flowing from Yejun’s eyes showed no sign of stopping.

Yejun’s mind was completely filled with images of Junhyuk. The sight of a languid Junhyuk sitting by the classroom window unfolded like a panorama from a faded film, and the warmth of his eyes as they looked at each other while lying on the grass was impossible to forget.

The time and space spent with Junhyuk were always draped in dazzling sunlight, and the cherry blossoms in full bloom were always magnificent. From Junhyuk, Yejun received not only a heart-fluttering excitement but also a stable comfort.

“…It’s my fault.”

Yejun found himself saying it out loud without realizing it. Then, those words became a dagger that stabbed Yejun’s heart, and they became reality. The severe pain, as if his whole body had been beaten, didn’t matter. Even if his body shivered with chills, he just had to endure it for a while.

If that could soothe Junhyuk’s resentful heart. This much is nothing.

It was then. Yejun, recalling Sanghyeon’s cold gaze in his memory, momentarily held his breath. Gasping as if he had forgotten how to breathe, Yejun felt immense shame for having ejaculated in Sanghyeon’s arms. His own body writhing at his persistent and sticky touch was even more humiliating.

I hope Junhyuk doesn’t get hurt by this ridiculous situation.

Yejun clasped his hands and began to pray more earnestly than on the day his mother was diagnosed with cancer. But instead of calming his heart, sorrowful sobs only burst forth even more.

“Ah… why? Why?”

If only I had never known Junhyuk. If I had never known him from the very beginning. This wouldn’t have happened.

At this moment, unable to do anything, Yejun cried his heart out loud for the first time in the empty house.

“Yejun, Yejun!”

At the sound of Junhyuk’s voice calling him from outside, Yejun held his breath and said nothing. No, he couldn’t. Trying to avoid Junhyuk somehow, Yejun stopped breathing altogether and hid any sign of his presence under the covers.

“I know you’re in there.”

Junhyuk stood by the window next to the front door and spoke in a low voice. Then he stepped to the side and struck the front door, which was made of frosted glass, hard. With the sound of glass shattering, a large hand shot in and opened the front door. As Junhyuk pulled his hand out, he deeply scratched it on the sharp glass. Junhyuk’s hand was soon stained with crimson blood. But Junhyuk didn’t care about such things at all.

“Yejun.”

At that moment, Yejun thought that he couldn’t sever Junhyuk’s ties of kinship.

“Why did you come here?”

Yejun answered coldly in a chilly voice. Facing Junhyuk, who was agitated with anger boiling up from deep within his gut, Yejun’s heart felt like it was instead growing coldly calm. Yejun took a handkerchief from a small drawer under the window and wrapped it around Junhyuk’s blood-soaked hand.

“Yejun, let’s leave together.”

Junhyuk held Yejun’s hand and spoke in a manner that was completely out of character, almost begging. But Yejun pulled his hand from his and said nothing.

“……”

It was at that moment. Tears began to well up in Junhyuk’s deep, dark eyes. Junhyuk began to plead earnestly with Yejun once more. But Yejun, as before, gave no answer. Junhyuk, whose insides were burning with anxiety, grabbed Yejun by both shoulders and looked at him pleadingly.

“Lee Yejun.”

“No.”

Yejun pushed away Junhyuk’s hands and answered firmly. But Yejun’s mind was in utter turmoil, a mixture of the image of himself rolling around messily with Sanghyeon and the feeling of stability he found in Junhyuk’s weight.

“Yejun, please… there’s no time. So for now.”

“No, I’m not leaving.”

Yejun turned his back and managed to hold back the bursting sobs. Junhyuk, trying to persuade Yejun with all his might until the very end, stood in front of him again and called out to him loudly.

“Lee Yejun!”

“Why, why should I leave?”

Yejun gets angry instead. A flustered Junhyuk called him again after a beat.

“…Yejun.”

“I’m just starting to get a response as a celebrity.”

“I can do that kind of thing for you too!”

“So the best you could come up with is to just run away?”