#3
“What…?”
Seung-oh, gripping the doorknob, asked again. Ui-jin glared at him with his round eyes narrowed into sharp triangles—glared was the only word for it. He grabbed Seung-oh’s wrist as he tried to leave, pulling him back inside before carefully shutting the half-open door. Then, pressing him against the wall between the door and the small window, he demanded:
“Be honest with me.”
“About what?”
“What do you mean ‘what’? You like me, don’t you?”
Ui-jin’s bluntness made Seung-oh’s gaze flicker for a moment.
“Did you think I wouldn’t notice? You’ve been dropping hints left and right.”
“…”
“Just say it. Confess already.”
Seung-oh looked down at the chattering Ui-jin before gently pushing his shoulders away. Ui-jin finally fell silent as he took a step back, and for the first time, the cramped five-pyeong space was swallowed by silence.
“I can’t.”
“What? Why?”
Ui-jin was dumbfounded. He already knew Seung-oh’s feelings—why refuse to admit it? Does he think I’m an idiot? Clapping takes two hands; did he expect Ui-jin to just jerk off alone forever? If they were going to move beyond just sex, Seung-oh needed to say he liked him first.
“So you’d rather keep up this vague, weird partner act? I’m the one who’s uncomfortable here.”
“…What’s uncomfortable about it? Just act like usual.”
“Like that’s possible…. Or read my mind. You’re good at that, aren’t you?”
Even if Seung-oh did read his thoughts, Ui-jin was confident he wouldn’t find anything hurtful. He was sure their feelings were mutual. But Seung-oh shook his head firmly, twice.
“I don’t want to do that to you.”
“Ugh, you’re impossible! Why the hell not!”
“You said so yourself.”
“What!”
Ui-jin’s outburst made Seung-oh’s usually arrogant eyebrows droop slightly. What…? Sadness? Seeing Seung-oh’s downcast face, Ui-jin’s own expression twitched.
“Espers and guides… can’t be together. We’re just partners, nothing more.”
“…I did?”
Ui-jin’s dumbfounded question made the previously sagging eyebrows furrow sharply.
“Yeah. You did. When you were drunk with Eun-hu, remember? ‘We’re just coworkers, so sex is all we need.’”
Ui-jin’s lips curled into a frown.
He dug through his hazy, alcohol-soaked memories and finally pulled out a fragment. The details were fuzzy, but he could guess what he’d said. Probably some bullshit. He’d probably spouted nonsense to comfort Eun-hu, who’d been moping all week, and sober Seung-oh had heard every word.
“I do like you. But I’m not forcing you. I’m not trying to win you over. I’ll sort out my feelings soon.”
At first, he’d thought Seung-oh’s kindness came from the intimacy of sex—just affection born from physical closeness. Whenever Seung-oh looked at him with complicated eyes, he’d brushed it off as his own delusion, drunk on pleasure. But the more time they spent together, the more certain he became. He just hadn’t expected Seung-oh to feel the same first.
“So… you’ve liked me since then?”
Knowing the prickly man’s heart made Ui-jin’s own pulse race, as if infected by his emotions.
“…”
Seung-oh, unlike Ui-jin’s chaotic mind, was calm. He could just tell him to forget it. Their partnership hadn’t changed; sex, kisses, playful touch—none of it would falter. If anything, this was a good chance to sort things out.
“Yeah. I liked you even then.”
“Even… then?”
“That’s why your drunken rambling didn’t sound like nonsense.”
Seung-oh’s voice was heavy, sincere. Ui-jin clenched his fists, his fingertips tingling.
“I felt the same.”
Ui-jin fell silent. Realizing he’d been harboring feelings for Seung-oh all this time made him admit he’d never seen him purely as a partner. Of course not. How could he not drool over Ju Seung-oh?
“You idiot… I didn’t mean that—”
And of course, Ui-jin wasn’t unhappy about it. Hearing Seung-oh say he liked him—that’s why he’d worked up the courage to ask. Even knowing his feelings were reciprocated, asking first hadn’t been easy. He didn’t even want to imagine how awkward it would’ve been if Seung-oh had said no.
“Then why’d you say that?”
“Hey, Ju Seung-oh…. I was wasted with Eun-hu, I didn’t mean any of it…. You jerk….”
Heat flushed under his skin, as if embers had been lit beneath his ears. Ui-jin glanced up at Seung-oh. Realizing all the little things Seung-oh had done for him were acts of affection made him oddly embarrassed.
The way he’d massaged Ui-jin’s sore muscles after sex with his calloused hands, brought breakfast to his room, or let him use his arm as a pillow when he couldn’t sleep—sometimes even pressing a kiss to his forehead as he drifted off. Maybe we’ve been acting like lovers all along. The thought struck him suddenly.
“So… you—”
“…?”
“If I play my cards right… could you fall for me?”
A long hand lifted Ui-jin’s chin, mid-fantasy. Seung-oh’s sharp features softened with affection, making him look almost gentle. When Ui-jin tried to step back, flushed, Seung-oh closed the distance.
“Why no answer?”
“I… already have….”
“Hm?”
“…I already did….”
Ui-jin met Seung-oh’s gaze. The silence lasted only a moment, but it felt like an eternity. The moment their hearts aligned, excitement bloomed like fireworks.
“…”
“…”
Ui-jin wordlessly let Seung-oh guide him by the hand. His racing heartbeat seemed to thrum through their joined fingers. They’d never walked this quietly before. Even the sound of their footsteps made his fingers twitch.
They reached their dorm in no time. Seung-oh pressed his thumb to the recognition scanner, and the sealed glass door slid open smoothly. The two, who shared the largest room, ascended to the top floor in heavy silence.
The second they stepped inside, Ui-jin wrapped his arms around Seung-oh’s neck, kicking off his shoes with his heels. Seung-oh pinned him against the wall—not hard enough to hurt—and Ui-jin exhaled sharply as their lips parted.
“Hah… Ju Seung—!”
Before he could finish, Seung-oh crushed their mouths together, swallowing his words. His tongue forced its way in, dominant and hungry, and Ui-jin tilted his head to let him in. Their lips mashed together, muffled moans spilling out. Saliva pooled, sweet and thick, as wet excitement surged between them. Finally, the relief of contact washed over Seung-oh.
“Don’t call me that.”
“Ngh—what…?”
Seung-oh nipped at Ui-jin’s nape between kisses, sending a jolt through his body. Ui-jin squirmed, pressing his lower body against him, but Seung-oh stubbornly kept his teeth sunk in, as if punishing him.
“My name. You always just call me Ju Seung-oh.”
“So…?”
“I’m jealous. Eun-hu gets to call you by name.”
Even without mind-reading, Ui-jin could see right through him. Seung-oh’s every day had been filled with Ui-jin, even when Ui-jin hadn’t realized. How had he missed something so obvious?
“Seung… oh… hng—tell me sooner… ah—”
“I was afraid you’d hate me.”
“I’ve never—nng—told you I hate—ah!—you, have I?”
His nape, thoroughly kissed, burned. Seung-oh grabbed his wrist and pulled it toward his jacket. A faint rustle, and Seung-oh’s muscular torso was exposed—nothing underneath but skin. Ui-jin stripped off his own training top without hesitation, locking eyes with Seung-oh. Undressing each other was second nature now.
Ui-jin’s pale body was marked with traces of their past—bites and bruises in varying shades. Seung-oh traced each one with a veined finger as he spoke.
“Nope.”
The moment the words left his lips, Seung-oh’s mouth crashed back onto his. Every kiss made their erections grind together at different angles. Ui-jin’s cock was already weeping pre-cum, the tip slick. Seung-oh gripped his smooth thighs and lifted him effortlessly. Ui-jin, unfazed, cradled Seung-oh’s head and peppered his face with kisses.
“Hah… why not the bed?”
“Haven’t showered yet. You mind doing it here?”
Seung-oh had brought him to the bathroom. As befitted top-tier esper and guide accommodations, it was spacious and luxurious. They’d fucked here countless times—no need for modesty. Stepping into the tub, Seung-oh turned on the shower. Water rained down in adjustable streams.
“Have I ever said I hate you?”
“Of course not.”
Same question. Same answer.
Under the cascading water, Seung-oh lifted Ui-jin’s thighs, cradling him gently. When his lips brushed the smooth skin, Ui-jin shivered. Seung-oh lapped at his flushed nipples, and a high-pitched gasp escaped him. Every flick of his tongue over the sensitive buds wrung out another whimper.
“Today, I’m doing whatever I want.”
“Mmm, yeah… ah—”
Squeezing body wash onto his palm like lube, Seung-oh slicked up Ui-jin’s trembling body. He teased the bite marks on his chest, then slid his fingers between his thighs, making Ui-jin’s cock twitch harder. Water streamed down his hair, soaking him completely, foam trailing where Seung-oh touched.
“Ah—there! Hah!”
Ui-jin jerked when Seung-oh’s fingers grazed the tight pucker between his cheeks, sending ripples through the bathwater. Seung-oh’s index and middle fingers scissored around the hole, and Ui-jin’s legs trembled, his hips bucking.
“I said I’m in charge.”
The low, rough command made Ui-jin swallow hard. A thick middle finger breached him, sinking in deep. He was used to taking Seung-oh’s cock, so a finger was nothing—still, he clenched in anticipation.
Soon, three fingers stretched him open, knuckles-deep, and Ui-jin whined, thighs squeezing together.
“Ngh, ah—! Th-that’s—hng—not talking—aah—!”
The way Ui-jin leaked guiding energy at the slightest teasing, as if about to come undone, never failed to fascinate him. The slick, sticky fluid coating his fingers made him want to bury himself inside. His forearm flexed as he fucked Ui-jin’s hole with sharp thrusts, each one dragging out a breathless cry.
“Ah, nng! Seung-oh—hik—yes! Ah, nng!”
Ui-jin turned around, half-lidded, his hole already fluttering from just fingerplay. Seung-oh withdrew his fingers and spun him back to face him, gripping his waist.
“Seung-oh… please… put it in now….”
Their lips crashed together like opposing magnets.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
