“Winston!”
Seol Yu-jin, overcome with emotion, threw his arms around him. Winston returned the embrace, letting out a wry smile as he asked, “Was it that bad?”
“Yeah! Completely, utterly, absolutely, horribly bad!”
Yu-jin shouted, piling on every adverb he knew, then nuzzled his face against Winston’s shoulder. His entire expression was glowing with happiness, unable to contain his joy. Winston smiled as he gently stroked the back of Yu-jin’s head, but soon, that smile faded into a quiet sigh.
How am I supposed to survive tonight?
***
After an early dinner, the two of them sat side by side on the living room sofa, watching TV. Winston’s face remained unreadable, but his right leg was bouncing up and down restlessly. He had never been the type to shake his leg out of habit, but right now, if he didn’t find some way to divert his attention, he felt like he might lose control.
Because right next to him, Yu-jin was leaning in close, resting his head against Winston’s shoulder.
Doesn’t his scent seem stronger than usual?
Winston stole a glance at him. The faint fragrance he usually picked up now seemed more pronounced—but maybe he was imagining it. His thoughts were spinning in all the wrong directions, making it impossible to think straight.
I should’ve gotten my hands on some suppressants.
He barely stopped himself from groaning in frustration and reached for the glass on the table, pretending to take a casual sip—anything to put some distance between them. But even after downing the entire cup in one go, his chest was still heaving.
I need to do something about this.
“I’m just gonna grab some more water. You need anything?”
He kept his tone light and natural, just like always. Yu-jin smiled and shook his head. “I’m good.”
“Alright.” Winston nodded and got up.
What the hell am I supposed to do?
As he filled his glass with ice, his mind raced. Maybe… maybe it’d be better to start moving things forward, little by little. He couldn’t keep running in circles like this forever.
He bit down on the ice with a loud crunch. It was the most rational decision. Wasn’t this the whole reason he had come this far in the first place? How much longer was he going to keep teetering on the edge like this?
If Yu-jin doesn’t like it, I’ll just stop.
With that thought, he emptied the freshly filled glass once more and set it down with a decisive clink. Maybe it was a good thing he hadn’t managed to get any suppressants. This was his chance to make a move.
If we can go all the way, that’d be perfect…
Winston turned on his heel, his decision made. But first, he needed to grab something. Taking the stairs two or three at a time, he clenched his jaw in determination.
Even if not all at once, if I ease him into it little by little, eventually—
Yu-jin blinked as he listened to the heavy sound of Winston’s footsteps climbing the stairs.
Why is he going upstairs?
The thought crossed his mind, but he quickly dismissed it. Winston would be back soon anyway.
More than anything…
Yu-jin fell into deep thought, his expression serious. His mind kept replaying the couple he had seen earlier in the day, locked in an affectionate embrace. The way they touched each other so boldly, their bodies pressed together without a sliver of space between them—it made his face burn just remembering it. But at the same time, it excited him.
Wouldn’t we be able to do at least that much…?
He had been looking for an opportunity for a while now. He was afraid Winston might find his behavior strange, but thankfully, there was no sign of that. He had already pressed in close, resting his head on Winston’s shoulder, and after waiting for a reaction, he was ready to take the next step.
First, though, he needed to do something about his heart, which was pounding so violently it felt like it might burst.
We’ve done things like this plenty of times before.
They kissed often, and during those moments, Winston would touch him. His heart always raced then, too—but now, it felt like it might explode even before they had done anything.
W-We should… cross that final line…
“Aaah!”
Yu-jin let out a muffled scream, flailing slightly. Just the thought alone made his head feel like it was overheating.
Winston must have thought about this, too… that’s why we came this far.
They were lovers. They had run away together. There was nothing standing in their way anymore.
Tonight, for sure…
Just as that thought solidified in his mind, he heard footsteps rushing back down the stairs. Instinctively, he turned his head, and as soon as their eyes met, Winston gave him a casual smile.
“Kept you waiting?”
Winston dangled a beer bottle between his fingers before holding it out toward Yu-jin.
“How about we drink while watching a movie? Want me to whip up some snacks?”
His plan was simple—alcohol would help ease the tension between them. Yu-jin was thinking along the same lines. If he drank this, maybe he’d be able to relax.
“I’m good on snacks. Whoa, it’s cold!”
Yu-jin exaggerated his reaction, letting out a playful yelp, then mimicked Winston’s movements as he popped the cap off his bottle. Winston lightly knocked the neck of his bottle against Yu-jin’s in a silent toast before tilting his head back and taking deep gulps of beer. Watching him, Yu-jin hesitated for a second before screwing his eyes shut and bringing the bottle to his lips.
“Three…”
“Guh…!”
Yu-jin barely managed to stifle a groan as he forced the liquid down. Winston, startled, immediately turned toward him.
“Yu-jin, are you okay?”
Seeing him struggle, Winston quickly checked his expression with concern. Yu-jin coughed lightly and waved a hand in reassurance.
“I-I’m fine. It’s just… it tastes different from what I expected…”
What the hell is this? People actually drink this?
The color, the taste—it was like drinking piss. Not that he had ever tasted piss before, but from the smell alone, he was sure it had to be similar.
Just as he was about to turn to Winston and complain, his eyes landed on the bottle in Winston’s hand. More than half of it was already gone.
“You already drank that much?”
Still staring at the bottle in disbelief, he asked the question, and Winston followed his gaze before letting out a nonchalant hum.
“This is normal for me. Why? Don’t like the taste?”
“Uh… y-you must really like beer.”
Caught off guard, Yu-jin stammered, and Winston chuckled at his reaction.
“It’s the best when it’s hot out. Cold and refreshing.”
Winston made a point of finishing the rest of his beer in one go. Seeing that, Yu-jin couldn’t bring himself to say that it tasted like piss.
Maybe I should try again?
Maybe it would taste different this time. Maybe his first impression had been wrong simply because he wasn’t used to it yet. Hyping himself up, Yu-jin squeezed his eyes shut and took another big swig straight from the bottle.
……Yeah, I still don’t get it.
Frowning in confusion, he stared at the bottle for a moment before just setting it down on the table. Whatever. His body felt warmer, so at least the alcohol was kicking in.
“Wanna watch something else?”
Right then, Winston flipped through the channels. News programs, documentaries, variety shows—then suddenly, the screen was filled with an actor’s face.
“Oh.”
Winston let out a small sound of recognition and turned to Yu-jin.
“How about this movie? It’s good.”
“You’ve already seen it. Let’s pick something else.”
Yu-jin casually refused, but Winston wasn’t giving up that easily.
“I don’t mind watching it again. If anything doesn’t make sense, I can explain it to you. Plus, it just started, so it’s the perfect timing.”
Since he was insisting so much, there was no real reason to refuse. There wasn’t anything else that seemed interesting anyway.
“Alright,” Yu-jin nodded.
Of course, what Yu-jin didn’t know—but Winston did—was that this particular movie was not only critically acclaimed for both its storytelling and artistic merit but also notorious for its intense and explicit bedroom scenes.
“Stay put and keep watching.”
Winston left for the kitchen to make some popcorn. It would take at least halfway through the movie before anything too explicit came up. There was still plenty of time. Naturally, naturally—he reminded himself not to rush things, repeating it in his head as he made his way back.
Meanwhile, Yu-jin, who had been watching alone, quickly realized that the movie was a deeply passionate romance. From the very first scene, the way the lead actors looked at each other and the charged atmosphere between them felt unmistakable.
They’re definitely going to sleep together.
Unconsciously, he clenched the fabric of his shirt. Maybe Winston hadn’t chosen this with any particular intention. Maybe he really just wanted to show him a good movie.
But honestly, Yu-jin didn’t care. As long as they enjoyed it, that was all that mattered.
A-And maybe we can enjoy ourselves too…
As soon as that thought crossed his mind, he felt his face heat up, and he quickly rubbed at his cheeks in embarrassment. Just then, he heard Winston returning.
Yu-jin hurriedly adjusted his posture, sitting up properly as Winston sank back onto the couch with a casual ease.
“Here, have some popcorn.”
“Thanks.”
Yu-jin grabbed a small handful, popping one piece into his mouth at a time. Then, stealing a glance at Winston, he clenched his fist in determination.
Tonight, for sure.
As if their thoughts were perfectly in sync, Winston glanced at Yu-jin and flashed him a knowing smile. Yu-jin, in turn, grinned shyly and met his gaze.
And at that moment, they both had the exact same thought.
Tonight, we’re going all the way.
