26
“I mean it literally.”
Lee Wuyong seemed to have anticipated Taein’s reaction and spoke confidently from then on.
“…What do you mean.”
“I know you like me. I’m willing to accept you too.”
“Why… no, ah…”
He had no idea where things had gone wrong. Taein felt like his words kept getting stuck even when he tried to say something clearly. In front of him, Lee Wuyong seemed to think Taein’s reaction was a smokescreen and only went on about his own feelings. He seemed to think that Taein would also reveal his feelings.
“I like you too, Kang Taein.”
“……”
“I know you followed me using the noonas as an excuse, and how you protected me every time in front of Gu Wanjae.”
“……”
“You don’t need to use Gu Wanjae as an excuse anymore.”
“…Ah.”
“Honestly, I don’t know much about this side of things either, but I’ll give it a try.”
“Ha…”
“You can be honest.”
“……”
“It’s my first time with men too.”
Lee Wuyong touched the back of his head as if embarrassed.
“If it’s you, I might be able to take it. I’m fine with everything.”
If left alone, there was no telling how far he would talk. Taein gestured to stop Lee Wuyong’s words.
“Yeah.”
With a face full of expectation, Lee Wuyong responded.
“No, bastard…”
Taein spoke in a persuading tone and continued to add:
“Is that what liking means? Me? Haa… No. No, because it’s not…”
Taein, who closed his eyes tightly and said no, sighed continuously.
Lee Wuyong was silent for a while. At first, he seemed to think even that was a smokescreen, but when Taein deeply closed his eyes and said no, he seemed to feel something too. When Taein opened his eyes, he only saw Lee Wuyong with a rigidly hardened face.
“You’re saying no?”
“Of course.”
“Is that… obvious?”
Lee Wuyong was slowly getting up.
Taein only looked up at Lee Wuyong approaching him.
“You… shibal… Did you call me here to say that?”
“Hey, then why did you act like that toward me?”
Lee Wuyong seemed to feel wronged. Taein couldn’t understand the situation itself, wondering what he had done to deserve this. All the laughter had been erased from Lee Wuyong’s face. He was looking at Taein threateningly with his chin jutted out.
“What did I do and how…”
“Isn’t it just one or two things, shibal?”
Clearly nothing had happened, but Lee Wuyong was greatly agitated by himself. Since it was a karaoke room, even his shouting was buried in the background music from the next room. Taein’s foot got slightly caught on the table leg because of Lee Wuyong lifting and putting down the table edge. When he made an “ah” sound and lifted his leg, Lee Wuyong took the opportunity to push Taein’s shoulder inward.
“Shibal, what are you doing?”
It was then that Lee Wuyong climbed up while pressing down on Taein’s knee.
“Hey, don’t you really like me?”
“I said no, shibal bastard.”
Lee Wuyong only gave a hollow laugh at Taein’s definitive answer that it wasn’t true. Then he pressed down on Taein’s body and climbed on top. It was a position where he pressed hard on his stomach and properly restrained both of Taein’s hands. Since he was pressing on the stomach area to begin with, it was impossible to push him away with his feet. Taein looked up at Lee Wuyong with a face that turned red instantly.
“What are you doing…?”
“Ha, shibal…”
Lee Wuyong seemed equally flustered. He had blindly restrained Taein, but his face showed he didn’t know what to do next. Then he made a “shibal” sound and took something out of his pocket. It was a phone. Taein just watched what Lee Wuyong was doing with a frowning face. Lee Wuyong turned on the camera on his phone. He switched it to selfie mode and placed it on the table.
Taein was horrified at the sight of himself barely visible and put strength in his hands.
“Hey, shibal. Let go. Bastard.”
“This is fucking ridiculous… If I just let you go, it seems like big trouble will happen. I need to leave at least one video.”
Lee Wuyong properly pressed down on Taein’s shoulder. Taein kept hitting his head against the back wall while struggling. He got hit properly once and his vision went black.
When he inevitably closed his eyes and opened them, Lee Wuyong’s face was right up close.
“Open it, your mouth.”
“What?”
“I have to leave at least this.”
“Crazy dog, hey, ugh.”
Lee Wuyong pressed on Taein’s solar plexus area, neck, shoulders, etc. in sequence. He seemed to know where to press to drain a person’s strength. He was nothing to Gu Wanjae, but he was a guy who had been playing in bad circles since middle school, and was famous at school now if he was famous. Along with the thought that he was in trouble, Taein completely turned his face to the side. He put his neck as far under the table as possible and screamed.
“Shibal! Stop! Son of a bitch!”
“Hey, if you turn your face away, I’ll film somewhere else.”
He felt Lee Wuyong’s hand touching his stomach area. Taein was startled and moved his whole body with all his strength. He stretched his arms and legs as much as possible, trying to escape from the restrained position. The table moved making squeaking sounds, and something banged against the wall. It seemed more effective than just staying still. Taein put strength in his body once more and barely pulled out one leg to kick the table leg with a thud.
The thudding sound was particularly loud, painful to the ears.
“This shibal bastard!”
His mind was ringing. He thought it was the sound of him kicking the table leg, but apparently it wasn’t. The door opened and the voice of the guy who shouted “shibal bastard” was familiar. The guy revealed beside Lee Wuyong’s face was Gu Wanjae. It was then that Lee Wuyong, who turned around saying “huh?”, went flying. Gu Wanjae began trampling on Lee Wuyong, who was grabbed by the shoulder and dragged down to the floor.
“Shibal, fucking, dog, bastard. This shibal guy. I knew you. Would pull this shit. Shibal!”
Taein supported himself with the table and raised his upper body. He hadn’t been hit, but his mind was somehow hazy. It seemed like his solar plexus area kept being pressed, and it seemed to be because of that. His vision went black on and off, as if he might faint. Taein hung his head completely and tried to breathe normally by himself. After repeatedly raising and lowering his shoulders several times, the sounds from in front stopped. Gu Wanjae had been cursing and hitting Lee Wuyong.
He couldn’t confirm because he had no strength. Still, Taein struggled to raise his head and look ahead.
“Kang Taein.”
What he saw immediately was Gu Wanjae. He seemed to have stopped the assault for a moment and come up to check on him. Taein slowly closed and opened his eyes while looking at Gu Wanjae. His memory of what state of mind he had screamed and put strength in his body was hazy.
“Kang Taein. Are you okay?”
Still, he could recognize that it was Gu Wanjae. Taein slowly nodded his head, using Gu Wanjae’s hand that came to his cheek as support.
“What did that bastard do to you?”
Gu Wanjae immediately lowered his eyes. Although it was an awkward confirmation to make between friends, he had seen what was happening. Gu Wanjae, who was carefully examining the clothes that only had wrinkled traces, also checked around the neck. He lowered the neckline with his hand and checked the reddened areas.
“Did he choke your neck?”
“…Ah.”
“This shibal bastard…”
The traces of his body being crushed at the end remained intact. Gu Wanjae confirmed that the redness had risen to the upper chest area and tilted his head back. He sighed for several seconds with his eyes on the ceiling. Then he immediately got down from the sofa and pushed the table completely to the side. He was ready to properly beat up Lee Wuyong.
The phenomenon of his vision being black and stars twinkling gradually disappeared.
In front, he saw Gu Wanjae kicking Lee Wuyong under the table with his foot. He was rolling around almost like a ball. Taein, who got up while lightly touching his stinging collarbone area, immediately grabbed Gu Wanjae’s arm.
“Hey, that’s enough. Stop… let’s go.”
“Get away.”
“No, this isn’t right…”
“What do you mean it’s not right, shibal!”
“Wait, ah…”
Even when his vision was blurry, he was beating Lee Wuyong as if to kill him. As his vision gradually became clearer, he only thought he had to stop that guy. He was a crazy bastard who wouldn’t hesitate to go to prison for a friend, so he had to persuade him before that. Taein, who had blindly grabbed his arm, shook his head and pulled Gu Wanjae back. Even while pulling, he swayed because his mind was hazy.
“Uh, this shi!”
“…Hey, let’s… go…”
“Do we need to go to the hospital?”
“No. Home.”
“Shibal, got it.”
Gu Wanjae, who looked once at Lee Wuyong stuffed under the table, wrapped his arms around Taein’s waist with a regretful face. This kind of skinship was natural through the usual wrestling or exercise coaching. Plus with this kind of situation. It was a situation where they couldn’t be particular about distance. Gu Wanjae supported Taein, then carried him on his back around the middle of the stairs. From then on, they picked up speed. Thanks to that, they could quickly get in a taxi and arrived at the officetel soon.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
