Joker 2 (Side Story) Ch 5

Joo Hawon stretched his arms back, gripping Kwon Taeha’s thighs. He entrusted his body to Kwon Taeha, fully experiencing the ecstasy he offered. However, as they approached their climax, Kwon Taeha’s hip movements became too intense to handle. Joo Hawon tried his best to endure, attempting to collide his body with his, but it wasn’t easy to control his breathing.

“Haa, haa, I love it.”

“How much?”

“Like this… to the point of losing my mind, I love it, haak.”

“Can you handle more?”

“Kwon Taeha… inside, quickly, haa… cum. I’ll eat it.”

At that moment, Kwon Taeha abruptly raised his body like a charging beast. He gritted his teeth and bit Joo Hawon’s shoulder. “Ahht!” Kwon Taeha gripped his penis as if to burst it and shook it.

Only thin semen came out of his penis, which had already ejaculated lubricant intermittently. Kwon Taeha’s shaft also convulsed again, discharging semen. Joo Hawon leaned his limp body against him as he poured out an even larger amount than before.

Even though he had clearly slept well and woken up, an immense sense of fatigue washed over him. Normally, breathing heavily would only amplify the fatigue. Joo Hawon bit into Kwon Taeha’s shoulder, who was still filling him. Even as he gnawed, he only stroked his back.

“Haa…”

His stamina completely depleted, he was overcome with hunger. Without realizing it, the word “hungry” slipped out like a spoiled request.

“Shall we eat some more here?”

He tried to bite harder, though without much strength. It seemed to have little impact on the tough skin. Kwon Taeha laughed, which made his lower body throb again, but Joo Hawon could only laugh along as if he was dumbfounded.

***

It was almost comical how enormous the pantry in the detached house was, making Kwon Taeha’s efforts to bring food from the neighboring studio seem trivial. Living alone, Kwon Jaehee had stocked up on so much food that the five refrigerators lining the wall were packed full.

It was an amount no one could eat alone without throwing a party. Joo Hawon seriously considered whether he should even be holding a grocery shopping basket.

“Hyung has always been a big spender.”

Kwon Taeha pointed at the mountains of cereal and nuts piled on the five shelves.

“Why are you talking bad about him?”

“Am I wrong? How is he going to eat all that by himself?”

Coming to his senses, Joo Hawon realized he had caused a tremendous nuisance at Kwon Jaehee’s house. While searching for a trash bag to throw away the soiled bedsheets, he had discovered the pantry inside the kitchen.

“I’m hungry. Let’s just eat something simple.”

“Should I make pasta?”

“That’ll take too long. I don’t see any instant food.”

Kwon Jaehee seemed like the type to cook for himself, as it was hard to find any ready-made meals. In contrast, the two of them were hopeless in the kitchen. Still, each had a few specialties: Kwon Taeha was good at pasta, and Joo Hawon was good at fried rice and stews. Hungry as he was, Joo Hawon rolled up his sleeves for the first time in a while.

“When is Jaehee coming back?”

“I told him not to come back until we leave.”

“…He’s going to curse us out.”

“We can just give him a lodging fee.”

“How much?”

“100 million?”

“We should wreck this place before we leave then.”

“Hmm, then I guess we’ll have to give him more.”

Kwon Taeha opened a transparent storage unit that looked like a wine cellar.

He pulled out something the size of a person’s face. At first glance, it looked like a deformed potato with a bumpy surface.

“No wonder I’ve been getting so much hate.”

“Why?”

He placed it on the stainless steel table with a thud. Looking closer, it wasn’t a potato—it was a white truffle.

Joo Hawon was taken aback; it was the first time he had seen one this large.

“I heard that STA bought a white truffle at an Italian auction. I ignored it as nonsense, but here it is.”

“Ah…”

Joo Hawon remembered too. There had been rumors that STA might enter the restaurant business.

Usually, truffle auctions were attended by Michelin three-star chefs, but a multinational maritime company had unexpectedly appeared and won the bid, so it made sense. Of course, at the time, he had thought it was just a rumor—but Kwon Jaehee was the actual successful bidder. Being the CEO, it made sense for STA to be involved.

“It’s certainly big.”

Too big for an individual to buy without criticism.

“This would easily be worth over 100 million.”

“Put it back. Even Jaehee might get angry.”

As Joo Hawon tried to replace it, Kwon Taeha snatched it first. He tossed it up like a ball and caught it, as if he were about to play basketball with it. What if he dropped it and it broke?

“CEO, are you going to keep acting like a child?”

“Teasing you is the most fun.”

He winked mischievously.

“Should I throw it away?”

Kwon Taeha held the truffle above his head, resting his other hand on his hip. He held it deliberately out of reach.

“Do as you please.”

The best thing was to ignore him. Since making Korean food seemed like a hassle, Joo Hawon started looking for pasta noodles. There were six kinds of noodles, and he grabbed the most familiar spaghetti.

“Huh?”

Joo Hawon turned quickly at Kwon Taeha’s surprised voice.

“What’s wrong?”

“It broke.”

Kwon Taeha was holding a mushroom split cleanly in two.

“CEO…”

The effort of acquiring it at the auction couldn’t be solved with money. Even for Kwon Taeha, this crossed a line.

Joo Hawon sighed and gripped the pasta bag.

“Why are you acting so unlike yourself, CEO? There’s a limit to how much you can joke around.”

Kwon Taeha casually held out the mushrooms to Joo Hawon.

“I’m glad Joo Hawon is worried about me, but there were more inside.”

He gestured toward the mushroom storage unit. If Jaehee had only bought one, there wouldn’t have been criticism. But he had bought more at the auction.

“And so what if it breaks a little? We’re going to eat it anyway.”

“Jaehee will cherish it. Put it back quickly.”

Joo Hawon took it from Kwon Taeha and returned it to its place. The storage unit, divided into compartments, seemed to maintain a constant temperature and humidity like a refrigerator. He had expected one or two truffles—but there were five.

“Jaehee… must really like mushrooms.”

It wasn’t just a preference; it was almost a collection.

“I don’t know, but he’s materialistic.”

“Liking mushrooms makes you materialistic?”

Thud. Joo Hawon hurriedly closed the transparent storage unit door. Sure enough, Kwon Jaehee was standing at the entrance with his arms crossed.

“You’re here?”

Joo Hawon greeted him, embarrassed like a thief caught in a house. Kwon Jaehee waved with a friendly smile. Fortunately, they had already loaded the soiled blankets into the car.

“I told you to come late at night.”

“This is my house? And you didn’t have to bother the General Affairs Department.”

“What?”

“The 300 million in entertainment expenses is correct.”

“Did you entertain a Saudi prince or something?”

Kwon Jaehee’s eyes widened.

“Hmm? How did you know?”

Joo Hawon also leaned in, curious.

“I told you to stop Ahmad from buying more shares of Killer Whale.”

“Who’s that again?”

“The Saudi prince, about 150th in line for the throne.”

Ahmad was wealthy, but being 150th in line made his chance of ruling virtually nonexistent. A year ago, he had bought a large amount of cruise and energy stocks, including Killer Whale. Ahmad’s stake was tiny—0.01%—but Kwon Taeha didn’t welcome the intrusion. He had forgotten about it since it was easily manageable.

“You entertained him with only 300 million?”

“Rather than resolving it, I think he just asked him to stay quiet. He gifted him a 300 million-won thoroughbred horse.”

Kwon Taeha grabbed the spaghetti noodles Joo Hawon had set down.

“Process it as a non-deductible expense.”

Meanwhile, Joo Hawon opened the refrigerator for vegetables. The custom cold room had to be entered to access the ingredients. He worried the doors might close and trap him inside, but Kwon Taeha followed, allowing him to focus on gathering ingredients.

“You said you didn’t want pasta.”

“I didn’t say I didn’t want it. I said it might take a long time.”

The cold room had separate sections for vegetables and meat. Everything had organic labels, and the quantity could feed a large restaurant. Overwhelmed, he grabbed the ingredients faster.

Joo Hawon gathered bell peppers, onions, bacon, and more, handing them to Kwon Taeha. By the time they returned, Kwon Jaehee was already in the kitchen, boiling water.

“Hyung’s making it?”

Kwon Taeha set the ingredients on the island bar.

“You two. No, I know you and Hawon have chefs at home, so who else would do it but me?”

“You can speak comfortably.”

Kwon Jaehee, having turned the stove to maximum, rested his arms on the bar and laughed quietly.

“Why are you laughing?”

Kwon Jaehee smiled when Kwon Taeha looked uncomfortable.

“No, I’m just amazed at this setup. It’s so different from when you came to ask me to take off the painting. Ah, is Hawon the only one who’s different?”

“Me?”

Joo Hawon felt guilty about wearing Kwon Jaehee’s clothes. Kwon Jaehee chuckled a few times, then started slicing and stir-frying.

“I’ll help.”

“People who can’t cook help by staying out of the way. Go for a walk with Taeha. The weather’s mild.”

Sure enough, he was so fast they couldn’t assist and could only hover. Kwon Taeha told Joo Hawon there was no need to be there and took his hand.

Kwon Jaehee raised his voice after them.

“Taeha was still having a large-scale love affair back then, and Hawon… well, he seemed busy. I’m still single now, just as I was then. If you think that way, I haven’t changed the most. Be back in 15 minutes—I can finish by then.”

“Thank you. I’ll wear the clothes well.”

Joo Hawon pointed to his clothes and bowed. Kwon Jaehee waved him off. Instead of going to the styler, Kwon Taeha led Joo Hawon to an empty room.

“Aren’t we going out?”

“I’m hungry and cold. Why go out?”

Kwon Jaehee only used one room; the other four were guest rooms. They had used two, so the lodging fee might be doubled. Joo Hawon shook his head as Kwon Taeha urged him onto the bed.

“Why do you always tell me to rest?”

“Your bottom—”

“Doesn’t hurt.”

Joo Hawon cut him off. It was uncomfortable but not unbearable.

He wandered the room, noting the unique concept of each. This one was five times the size of a Macau studio apartment, filled with antique musical instruments. Three violins, two cellos, and a piano were on display.

Was Kwon Jaehee a musician as well as a painter? He came to that conclusion by the end of the tour.

“Does Jaehee play well?”

“I don’t know.”

“Why don’t you know much about your own hyung?”

“My hyung probably doesn’t know what I’m good at either.”

Kwon Taeha wrapped his arms around Joo Hawon’s waist.

“You’re the one who knows me best in the world.”

He knew Kwon Taeha could play most instruments, though not particularly for pleasure. Joo Hawon had seen a picture of young Taeha in a bow tie, holding a violin—found on Eva’s SNS. Taeha took it down after seeing it, but Eva had been upset. Joo Hawon had saved it on his phone.

Joo Hawon took Taeha’s hand, who was hugging him and kissing his neck.

“Did you have a large-scale love affair by yourself?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Joo Hawon led him to the black velvet sofa, sat side by side, and leaned his head on Kwon Taeha.

“Do you go to your hyung for relationship advice?”

“Not unless I’m crazy.”

“Still, it’s nice to have a brother.”

“I told you we’re not that close.”

Kwon Taeha put his arm around Joo Hawon’s shoulder and pressed his lips to the top of his head repeatedly. Joo Hawon blinked slowly, enjoying it.

“There was a time I wished Jahan and I were real brothers.”

“Ah, that monkey is no good. He’ll only cause trouble.”

“He already warned me he’ll run away from home, right?”

“No way that monkey can handle studying.”

Joo Hawon poked him in the side.

“Say you’re on a business trip if he comes to Germany.”

“I’ll tell him to come when CEO is on a business trip.”

“What are you two going to do?”

He felt guilty. It was a faded memory, but what if Jahan knew he had helped him masturbate? That had to remain a secret. Yet, was it any different from Kwon Taeha having secrets? He wondered, then decided against telling.

“Why aren’t you answering? What are we really going to do?”

“We’ll just eat, watch a movie, and hang out.”

Kwon Taeha leaned forward, staring into his eyes. His expression was overwhelming, making Joo Hawon feel parched. He stayed impassive, hiding his feelings like a casino player.

“Do you think I’ve only known you for a day or two?”

“What do you mean?”

“You only manage your expression when you’re hiding something.”

Just then, Kwon Jaehee’s call to eat was a relief.

“Let’s go. I’m hungry.”

Joo Hawon grabbed his wrist and left the room. Taeha followed, resting a hand on his shoulder.

“Tell me after we eat. I’m not letting it go.”

He rubbed his innocent ears repeatedly at the whisper.

It couldn’t have been more than 20 minutes, but the 8-person dining table was set with salad, steak, and pasta golden-browned and garnished with truffles.

“Did you make all this just now?”

“The meat was seasoned beforehand. The oven did the grilling.”

Kwon Jaehee pointed to the oven with a thumb.

“Thank you for the meal.”

Joo Hawon looked for his seat. Three plates of spaghetti were set; two side by side, so they naturally sat there. Basil decorated the plate edges beautifully.

“Do you want wine?”

“I’m okay.”

“Taeha?”

“I have to drive.”

Kwon Jaehee poured sparkling water for them. Joo Hawon took some salad first. Kwon Taeha cut the steak from a large wooden cutting board.

Thinly sliced white truffles were curved on top of the meat. Taeha flicked the mushroom aside, cut the meat, then returned the truffle to the top, placing it on Joo Hawon’s plate. Kwon Jaehee rested his chin on his hand, watching.

“Mr. Romanticist.”

“Isn’t that basic?”

Kwon Taeha reversed the knife handle and handed it to Kwon Jaehee, who cut as much steak as he wanted.