#51
“I’m joking.”
“What?”
Already shocked, Idam felt bewildered by Taemin’s suddenly changed attitude. He thought it was a terribly unfunny joke. Still, he felt relieved in a way. His current life was suffocating enough, and the thought of being dragged to a deserted island was too much to bear.
“But why is there a jera spider here?”
Rickdi tapped the surface of the enclosure, looking puzzled.
“I’m planning to give it as a prize during a game later. Jera spider venom can be beneficial to humans if used properly, right?”
At Taemin’s answer, Rickdi’s face crumpled.
“That’s just drugs, you crazy bastard.”
“Unlike narcotics, it’s legal. It’s widely used in the US too.”
“Isn’t it the same thing?”
“It just helps increase sexual desire in alphas and omegas.”
Idam slowly backed away from the two. Their conversation seemed dangerous. He had nothing to add and didn’t want to know more.
It seemed that Baekwol Corporation’s publicly visible hanok business was a front, and they were actually making money using jera spiders. He suspected Taemin might be involved in other dangerous activities as well. He was definitely a dangerous alpha. Idam swallowed hard, reminding himself of what he already knew.
Meanwhile, he slightly moved his legs, intending to approach Hayun. However, Hayun, who had been at the entrance until just now, was nowhere to be seen. Confused, Idam looked around, turning his head. He couldn’t see him anywhere.
Where did he go? As Idam was wondering, he felt a hand grab his wrist. It felt almost like handcuffs for a moment.
“Where are you trying to go?”
Taemin’s voice sounded ominous. Wanting to hide his search for Hayun, Idam thought for a moment before answering.
“Oh, it’s nothing. I just came over because this spider looked interesting.”
“Don’t move around alone carelessly. This is a jungle.”
Taemin said meaningfully as he pulled Idam back to sit on the original sofa. Idam wondered what Taemin meant by “jungle.” Surely, he didn’t simply mean the forest-like interior. But one thing was clear – he could sense that this gathering was not normal.
“But… Taemin, why don’t you and your wife have wedding rings?”
Another friend, not Rickdi, spoke up after looking at Taemin and Idam’s hands. Idam’s fingers involuntarily curled, feeling as if their fake marriage had been exposed. In contrast, Taemin calmly looked at his own hand and Idam’s alternately, his lips twitching.
“Come to think of it, I forgot about that.”
“You said you’re married. Don’t tell me you haven’t gotten them yet?”
They didn’t seem to believe that Taemin had genuinely married Idam. In fact, even Idam would find it hard to believe if a friend suddenly claimed to be married without any wedding ceremony.
“Hahaha!”
Taemin burst into hearty laughter, then quickly stopped.
“I made a mistake.”
“…What?”
“I’ll show you soon. The rings.”
As if making a declaration of war, he grabbed a whole bottle of whiskey and started drinking. His behavior seemed somewhat angry. Intimidated by his demeanor, Idam watched him nervously with wide eyes. As the bottle was nearly empty, Taemin removed it from his lips and started fidgeting with Idam’s left hand, particularly focusing on the fourth finger.
“Your hand is quite small. I wonder if there’s a size that would fit?”
Judging by his attitude, it seemed he was about to get rings fitted right away. Idam felt awkward. He didn’t understand why Taemin wanted to get rings for what was only a temporary marriage. But with people watching, he couldn’t refuse and could only awkwardly close his lips.
“Are you two really married?”
Rickdi, who had approached, sat next to Taemin and looked at them suspiciously. Taemin answered confidently.
“Yes, we are.”
“Then prove it.”
“What kind of proof?”
“Kiss.”
Rickdi glared at the two with stubborn eyes.
“Hahaha!”
Taemin laughed heartily once more. He seemed to enjoy it, as if he had been waiting for such a question. Without hesitation, he grabbed the back of Idam’s head and pressed their lips together.
It wasn’t just a simple peck, but a passionate kiss with his tongue deeply involved. Such a deep kiss was embarrassing even when they were alone. Moreover, the thought of doing it in public, not just in front of Secretary Kang, was so embarrassing that Idam closed his eyes.
The kiss was like an assault, leaving him breathless. Gradually, Idam’s face turned bright red. However, Taemin’s kiss didn’t last long. After thoroughly exploring every part of Idam’s mouth, he slowly pulled away. A strand of saliva stretched between their lips like a spider’s web before disappearing.
“Haa… haa…”
Idam’s back heaved as he gasped for breath. He felt like he might get dizzy. But in Rickdi’s eyes, the flower of suspicion still bloomed. He made another suggestion.
“Or how about Idam kisses Taemin?”
Cold sweat instantly formed on Idam’s forehead. He was already about to go crazy from embarrassment, and now being asked to initiate a kiss himself felt overwhelming. Meanwhile, Taemin was looking at Idam with expectant eyes. His twitching lips seemed to be urging Idam to do it quickly.
Idam wanted to avoid it but couldn’t. They were already under suspicion about their marriage, and he had to do his best as Taemin’s wife. Taking a deep breath, Idam closed his eyes tightly and pressed his lips against Taemin’s. Taemin immediately stuck out his tongue, as if he had been waiting for this, and began exploring Idam’s mouth. His thick, plump tongue plunged in as if it would reach Idam’s throat.
At that moment, Idam hurriedly turned his head away to avoid him. It was partly because he felt suffocated, but also because he felt embarrassed at the thought of another intense kiss in front of dozens of onlookers.
“Taemin, are you in unrequited love with your wife?”
At Rickdi’s blunt question, Taemin looked offended. In a way, it seemed like he had been hit right on the mark.
“What are you talking about?”
“There’s a world of difference between how you act when you kiss and how Idam acts when kissing.”
Cold sweat began to form on Idam’s forehead. What had been a momentary action out of embarrassment seemed to others like he was avoiding it out of dislike. Taemin’s expression was getting worse. If the gathering ended in this state, Idam might suffer harsh treatment from Taemin tonight. Or he might demand the return of the 350 million won he had lent. One worst-case scenario after another came to mind.
Sweating nervously, Idam quickly linked arms with Taemin.
“That’s not it. I was just shy, that’s all. I really like CEO…”
Saying he just liked him seemed weak.
“No, I love him very much.”
Although he said this primarily to get out of the current situation, he felt a ticklish sensation in his stomach. It felt almost too intense to say such passionate words.
Contrary to his concerns, Taemin’s eyes curved as if he had gained the upper hand.
“We got married because we love each other. What are you looking at?”
“Hah.”
Rickdi twisted his lips as if exasperated. He looked disappointed, as if something he had wanted had been ruined. Soon, the other friends took Taemin’s side, each telling Rickdi to stop being suspicious.
“Yeah, it only makes sense to participate in this gathering if they’re a real couple.”
A man with yellow hair smiled broadly. He had introduced himself as the owner of a famous club. The man took something out from under the table. It was a large black box with a hole on top just big enough for an arm to fit through.
“Now, shall we start the real party? But first, we need to decide partners.”
Huh? Idam wondered why they needed to decide partners when this was a couples’ gathering.
“Inside this box are 12 dildos in 6 different colors.”
The man put his hand into the box and pulled out a dildo molded exactly in the shape of a male organ. Idam was shocked. Although it was much smaller in size and shape compared to Taemin’s, it looked monstrous.
“You draw one, and whoever gets the same color becomes your partner to enjoy sex with.”
“What?”
Idam couldn’t believe what he was hearing. It felt like even if a planet were to collide with Earth right now, it wouldn’t be as shocking as this.
“W-what are you saying?”
Just as Taemin was about to speak calmly, Rickdi quickly cut in.
“Idam, this must be your first time at this gathering, and Taemin didn’t tell you. We enjoy group sex.”
“G-group sex?”
“Yes, and we switch partners too.”
“B-but we’re married?”
Idam felt like the Confucian values he had built up were being thoroughly shattered today. It felt so bizarre that it gave him goosebumps.
“It’s just for fun for one night. We used to bring girlfriends before, but now that everyone’s married, we’ve just changed the partners.”
Ironically, Rickdi, who was saying this, hadn’t brought a partner today.
“Taemin did it a lot too. Just that he hates omegas, so he substituted with betas or alphas.”
Faced with this fact, Idam felt his heart sink.
Taemin’s superior physique, looks, and wealth. And his skillful behavior when being intimate with Idam. He had sensed that Taemin was experienced. But he had assumed it was skillfulness from dating someone. He never imagined Taemin had such dirty sexual preferences.
What was more shocking was that everyone seemed to think it was no big deal. Even the wives seemed excited rather than displeased.
Idam had been conservative enough to dream of premarital chastity. He didn’t want to know about this kind of world at all. Moreover, he had a pheromone disability and couldn’t handle other people, so how could he do this? But even more than that, the strongest emotion was a sense of betrayal at the thought of Taemin being intimate with someone else now.
They weren’t even really married… He was just trapped by Taemin’s threats, yet he felt terribly hurt.
“Well then, let’s decide partners in 10 minutes. Let’s take a short break and then enjoy ourselves.”
Idam really hated this. He felt resentful of the entire situation and wanted to leave. So he quietly lifted his bottom from the sofa, as if trying to escape.
At that moment, Taemin’s hand suddenly shot out and grabbed Idam’s arm.
“Where are you trying to go?”
