A large amount of food had been laid out, and by the time he came to his senses, most of it had already been eaten. Seo Ha-yoon patted his full stomach with a satisfied sigh.
Now that his hunger was sated, he finally took in his surroundings. The interior was decorated in an exotic style typical of tropical regions. Beyond the large window right next to the dining table, a pool was visible. The sight of the clear, rippling blue water alone was refreshing.
“Shall we take a dip after digesting a bit?”
As he spoke, Seo Ha-yoon adjusted his robe, which had been carelessly left open, tightening the sash around his waist.
“Do whatever you want. That’s what we’re here for.”
Choi Sang-hyuk replied. Seo Ha-yoon glanced away from the pool and squinted at him. That man had snatched away his phone, yet here he was, fiddling with his own. Seo Ha-yoon knew it was for work, but that didn’t stop the sulky feeling from creeping in.
Should I mess with him a little? Or not?
After a brief internal debate, Seo Ha-yoon decided to be generous, reminding himself that this trip was for his own sake.
“I need a quick rinse first.”
Muttering under his breath, he got up and headed to the bathroom. He turned the golden, gleaming faucet of the sink—matching the bathtub’s fixtures—and let the water run before squeezing a generous amount of toothpaste onto his toothbrush.
As he brushed his teeth, Choi Sang-hyuk entered the bathroom a short while later, seemingly finished with his urgent work. Seeing Seo Ha-yoon brushing his teeth, Choi Sang-hyuk wordlessly stood beside him, squeezed toothpaste onto his own toothbrush, and began brushing as well.
Side by side, they brushed their teeth and washed their faces. Since Seo Ha-yoon had gone straight to bed after showering the previous night, his hair was a mess, but he didn’t bother fixing it—he would be in the water soon anyway.
Just as he wiped his face with a soft, fluffy white towel and turned toward the bathroom door, his shoulder was suddenly grabbed and spun around—whip!—before Choi Sang-hyuk abruptly pressed their lips together.
Their tongues tangled, and the fresh, minty taste of toothpaste filled their mouths. Seo Ha-yoon, feeling the familiar rough texture of Choi Sang-hyuk’s tongue right after brushing, sucked on it actively, wrapping his arms around his neck.
He had expected it to be just a light morning kiss. However, now that his body had satisfied both sleep and hunger, another desire slowly surfaced—lust.
As they kissed, Seo Ha-yoon thought to himself. They were spending this time alone in an independent pool villa. Eat, sleep, swim, relax, have sex—that was all there was to do.
‘Well, we skipped last night, so…’
Quickly making up his mind, he slipped his hand inside Choi Sang-hyuk’s robe. As he traced over the firm chest muscles and slid his hand downward, feeling over the bulge in his underwear, a sharp jolt of arousal rushed through him.
“Mmh… Mm…”
A sultry moan naturally escaped his lips as his desire began to take over.
Noticing his state, Choi Sang-hyuk slid his hand under Seo Ha-yoon’s robe as well, grabbing his ass with a meaningful touch.
Choi Sang-hyuk kneaded Seo Ha-yoon’s ass firmly. As their tongues entwined deeply, they loosened each other’s robe sashes, hands roaming and caressing the exposed skin beneath.
Would they end up doing it right here in the bathroom, or should they move to the bedroom? Seo Ha-yoon was diligently stroking and teasing Choi Sang-hyuk while contemplating the decision—
“Well, well, now!”
A voice rang out—a voice that absolutely should not be heard here, one that should never be here in the first place.
His hair stood on end from sheer shock. Eyes wide in disbelief, Seo Ha-yoon shoved Choi Sang-hyuk away with a start.
Hurriedly tightening his robe around himself, he turned toward the bathroom door—and his breath caught in his throat.
“J-Jun-seo hyung?!”
Even as the name left his lips, he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Standing casually in the bathroom doorway, leaning against the frame with an air of leisure, was none other than Ha Jun-seo—a man who had no reason to be here.
And not only was he here, but he was also dressed like he was on a tropical vacation, wearing shorts, a Hawaiian shirt, and sunglasses perched atop his head.
“Hey, why the hell are you here?”
Choi Sang-hyuk’s voice was sharp with irritation. Normally, Seo Ha-yoon would have stepped in to mediate, but this time, he wanted to ask the exact same thing. A song he had once heard somewhere floated through his mind—Why are you coming out from there~?
“If you’re here, and Ha-yoon is here, then why wouldn’t I be here?”
Ha Jun-seo replied nonchalantly. He was smiling, but Seo Ha-yoon knew better. Ha Jun-seo was pissed. Really pissed.
It was obvious in his eyes—he was absolutely livid that the two of them had disappeared without telling him.
“…Jun-seo hyung. You must’ve been really worried since we left without saying anything, right?”
Seo Ha-yoon cautiously approached, trying to ease the situation. But before he could take a step forward, Choi Sang-hyuk grabbed his wrist.
“How the fuck did you find this place?” Choi Sang-hyuk snapped.
Ha Jun-seo slipped a hand into his pocket, pulled out a phone, and waved it at them. A closer look revealed that it was Seo Ha-yoon’s phone—the very one he had left behind on his bed at home.
“What, did you really think that if you ditched this, I wouldn’t be able to track you?”
Choi Sang-hyuk’s expression twisted in frustration, the realization hitting him hard. Seeing that, Ha Jun-seo smirked, his lips curling into a smug, almost villainous grin.
“Is Ha-yoon’s phone the only one that works? What, is yours just a useless brick? If I can’t track his phone, then I’ll track yours instead.”
“You little shit, you actually tracked my phone?”
Choi Sang-hyuk was visibly dumbfounded.
“Yeah. Since you oh-so-cleverly abandoned Ha-yoon’s phone, I had no choice but to track yours. Why? What, is your phone some sacred relic that’s off-limits for tracking?”
Ha Jun-seo taunted, his tone dripping with mockery.
Seo Ha-yoon felt his chest tighten with unease. Ha Jun-seo almost never pushed Choi Sang-hyuk to his breaking point. But today, he was treading dangerously close to that line.
“You’ve really lost your fucking mind, haven’t you, Ha Jun-seo?”
Choi Sang-hyuk’s voice was disturbingly calm. That meant he was genuinely furious.
And just like that, Ha Jun-seo’s fake smile disappeared.
“You’re the one who’s lost your fucking mind, Choi Sang-hyuk,” he shot back coldly. “I’ve played along with your little game, acting like some obedient concubine, but let’s get one thing straight—I only did that under the understanding that we share Ha-yoon. But then you just up and took him overseas without even telling me, let alone asking for my permission?”
“You cut me off completely? Even left Ha-yoon’s phone behind so he couldn’t contact me? You know you crossed the line, right? Or are you really trying to pretend otherwise?”
“Shut the fuck up. You don’t belong here, so just get lost already,” Choi Sang-hyuk said sharply.
Ha Jun-seo’s eyes narrowed.
“And if I don’t? What are you gonna do? Hit me? Wanna settle this right here?”
He let out a short scoff as he provoked him. Choi Sang-hyuk’s jaw tensed, his clenched muscles visible.
Seo Ha-yoon, watching them both in mounting anxiety, had no idea what to do. Taking one side meant spitting in the other’s face. But trying to force two already-furious men to make peace was just as ridiculous.
“So what now, Ha-yoon? Should I just go back to Korea alone?”
This time, Ha Jun-seo turned to him, waiting for an answer.
Normally, Ha Jun-seo wouldn’t push Seo Ha-yoon into a difficult situation. But he was clearly too pissed to care this time. His sharp gaze bore into Seo Ha-yoon, silently demanding a response.
He couldn’t tell Ha Jun-seo to leave. That would be the same as slapping him across the face.
But he also couldn’t ask him to stay. That would be like slapping Choi Sang-hyuk instead.
There was no choice he could make. If he had ever been able to choose between them, their three-way relationship wouldn’t have lasted this long in the first place.
“Jun-seo hyung… Sang-hyuk…”
Seo Ha-yoon murmured their names anxiously.
Choi Sang-hyuk glanced at him, his face betraying his uncertainty. Seo Ha-yoon, almost unconsciously, looked at him with pleading eyes. Then, he turned to Ha Jun-seo and sent him the same desperate gaze.
That was all he could do.
“…Fuck.”
Choi Sang-hyuk exhaled roughly, releasing the tension in his jaw as he ran a frustrated hand through his hair. It was an unspoken signal—things wouldn’t escalate to a fistfight.
Seo Ha-yoon let out a quiet sigh of relief and slowly reached for Choi Sang-hyuk’s hand, holding it in silent gratitude.
“Tsk.”
Ha Jun-seo clicked his tongue, clearly unimpressed.
He let out a long, deep breath. Even he was starting to cool down, his earlier anger simmering down bit by bit.
After a few moments of silence, he suddenly curved his lips into a smirk and stretched his arms open toward Seo Ha-yoon.
“Aren’t you gonna welcome me, Ha-yoon?”
Seo Ha-yoon hesitated for a second, glancing up at Choi Sang-hyuk while tightening his grip on his hand.
Choi Sang-hyuk clicked his tongue in annoyance but didn’t say anything.
That was as close to permission as he was going to get.
Seo Ha-yoon finally let go of Choi Sang-hyuk’s hand and walked over to Ha Jun-seo, stepping into his open arms and wrapping his own arms around his waist.
“Welcome, Jun-seo hyung. You must’ve been really worried when I suddenly stopped answering my phone, right?”
“Of course I was. But judging by how fresh and glowing you two look, I’d say you were having plenty of fun without me.”
Ha Jun-seo tightened his embrace, squeezing Seo Ha-yoon possessively as he twisted his body playfully in a mock tantrum.
Seo Ha-yoon let out a soft laugh, brushing it off with an awkward chuckle.
