The only reason Choi Sang-hyuk took Seo Ha-yoon into his home in the first place was because of their past connection. It was merely a token of gratitude for shaking him out of the hollow shell he had become, his spirit drained and lethargic. Of course, it would be an outright lie to say he hadn’t been drawn to the adult Seo Ha-yoon. However, having known him as a child, Choi Sang-hyuk had no intention of laying a hand on him.
Even if Seo Ha-yoon had just come of age, he was still far too young. Choi Sang-hyuk, who had seen and endured all the filth of the world, knew that Seo Ha-yoon was not someone he should touch. He simply intended to keep him close, safe, and when the time came that Seo Ha-yoon wanted to leave, he would let him go freely. So, he swallowed down the urges that occasionally surged within him. He had to. But Seo Ha-yoon wouldn’t let him.
“Hey, Choi Sang-hyuk.”
Seo Ha-yoon called out abruptly.
The age gap between them was significant, and yet the way Seo Ha-yoon casually spat out his name in informal speech was unbelievably rude and insolent. Choi Sang-hyuk let it slide, but the world wasn’t so forgiving. Someday, he’d have to take the time to break that bad habit out of him.
“Speak.”
Choi Sang-hyuk, who had been lost in thought, kept his gaze fixed on his tablet as he responded.
Suddenly, Seo Ha-yoon snatched the tablet right out of his hands.
“What the hell are you doing?”
“Say my name.”
“What?”
“I said, say my name.”
“What are you playing at, Seo Ha-yoon?”
Choi Sang-hyuk warned in a low voice.
But Seo Ha-yoon wasn’t the least bit intimidated. He merely snorted.
“So you do know my name. I was starting to think you’d completely forgotten about me, seeing as you haven’t even looked at me for months, let alone said my name.”
How could he possibly forget when such a tempting morsel was flaunting itself right in front of him? The only reason he hadn’t looked was because he had no intention of taking a bite.
“Quit messing around and give it back.”
“Don’t wanna.”
Seo Ha-yoon smirked as he tucked the tablet behind his back, taunting him.
Choi Sang-hyuk frowned and reached around him, trying to retrieve it. But just as he was about to snatch it away, Seo Ha-yoon wrapped his arms around Choi Sang-hyuk’s neck and pressed their lips together.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
Choi Sang-hyuk shoved him away as if he’d been burned.
For the brief moment their lips had touched, it had felt scorching, as if searing his skin. No—what truly burned was the heat inside him that he had worked so hard to suppress, now flaring up uncontrollably.
Fuck.
He cursed inwardly.
“What do you think? It was a kiss. Didn’t you like it?”
“Seo Ha-yoon. Stop fucking around.”
Choi Sang-hyuk forced himself to hold back, his voice laced with warning.
But Seo Ha-yoon didn’t so much as flinch.
“You want me. You get turned on by me. So why won’t you even look at me?”
“Oh, so you actually wanted me to look at you?”
“You’ve got someone like me sitting around in your house, so it only makes sense that you should be looking at me until you’re sick of it.”
Seo Ha-yoon spoke brazenly. There really was no one more insolent than him.
The tempting prey he had struggled to ignore was now willingly sticking its head into his jaws. Choi Sang-hyuk felt both bewildered and a deep, visceral thrill at the thought that he might actually devour what he had only ever let himself crave from a distance.
“Can you buy me a house?”
Seo Ha-yoon suddenly asked.
“What?”
“A nice house. A new one, big, with a view of the Han River.”
“Seo Ha-yoon.”
“And not just an allowance. Can you give me living expenses? A lot of it.”
“I told you to stop messing around.”
“If you do, I’ll sleep with you.”
The single phrase sent a rush of heat straight to his head.
The thought of a kid treating his own body so carelessly made fury rise inside him. As if a house and some money were worth enough for him to toss around something so white, so delicate.
That little brat, with no sense of fear.
Choi Sang-hyuk sighed, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it.
Half of him wanted to devour him right then and there. The other half knew he couldn’t lay a hand on a kid. But if he refused outright, Seo Ha-yoon might walk away and never come back, and he couldn’t risk that either.
Before he could take more than a single drag, Seo Ha-yoon snatched the cigarette from his lips and ground it out in the ashtray.
“And don’t smoke around me. I hate the smell.”
“You’ve been behaving yourself for months. Why the sudden change?”
Choi Sang-hyuk asked, his thoughts in turmoil. If Seo Ha-yoon would just take back what he said, things could go back to how they were.
“I’ve been watching you for months, that’s why. No matter what, I’m going to have guys and girls swarming around me like flies my whole life. Rather than getting hounded by some ugly, perverted bastards, I figured I’d choose you instead.”
Seo Ha-yoon spoke as if he were bestowing some great favor.
Choi Sang-hyuk wanted to shove him down on the couch and kiss that arrogant expression right off his face. If he drowned him in kisses, he’d be so shocked he’d run away, and then he’d never spout that kind of bullshit again.
“Besides, you’re already paying me ten million won a month, an insane amount, just to keep me here. That means you want me, right? You get turned on by me. You like me.”
Seo Ha-yoon’s breath came fast and shallow as he waited for a response. He looked nervous.
“Hurry up and answer. If you don’t want me, I’ll find someone else and get out of here.”
Seo Ha-yoon pressed him for an answer.
Choi Sang-hyuk felt a surge of heat at the thought of him leaving, of finding someone else.
“Seo Ha-yoon. Do you really think you’re worth that much?”
“That’s not for me to decide, is it? You’re the one who knows. What about you, Choi Sang-hyuk? Do I have that much value to you?”
Choi Sang-hyuk’s gaze darkened, growing heavier.
Was he serious? Did he really mean it?
Would he truly let himself be devoured, without fear, without running away? Would he fall obediently into his arms?
Choi Sang-hyuk, as if testing him, wrapped an arm around Seo Ha-yoon’s waist and pulled him in close. Their faces nearly touched, as if he were about to kiss him at any moment.
He had expected Seo Ha-yoon to flinch back or push him away in surprise. But Seo Ha-yoon’s reaction was completely different from what he had anticipated.
With their faces just inches apart, Seo Ha-yoon whispered,
“Say it, Choi Sang-hyuk. Do I have that much value to you?”
Seo Ha-yoon didn’t run. He wouldn’t run.
His gaze, filled with deliberate provocation, sent the fire Choi Sang-hyuk had been desperately trying to smother surging back to life.
Without a word, Choi Sang-hyuk devoured his lips in a searing kiss.
Seo Ha-yoon threw both arms around Choi Sang-hyuk’s neck, responding just as fiercely.
Thud.
Their bodies pressed together as they collapsed onto the sofa.
They stayed locked in a feverish, passionate kiss for what felt like an eternity before Seo Ha-yoon suddenly murmured,
“And don’t try to chain me down. I’m here to have sex with you, not to be your slave.”
Choi Sang-hyuk didn’t answer. He only silenced him by capturing his lips again.
A wave of guilt washed over him, as if he were indulging in something forbidden. But that guilt was quickly drowned beneath the weight of his desire.
Choi Sang-hyuk thought to himself, Fine. For now, this is what he wants. So it’s okay.
But when the time came that he wanted to leave, Choi Sang-hyuk would let him go. At least, he would try.
***
Knock, knock—.
There was a knock at the door before it swung open.
Choi Sang-hyuk barely spared a glance, assuming it was Kim Sil-jang.
But instead of Kim Sil-jang, Seo Ha-yoon peeked in through the doorway.
“You…”
The moment Choi Sang-hyuk opened his mouth, Seo Ha-yoon pressed a finger to his lips.
“Shh—.”
After locking the door behind him, he quickly crossed the room and threw himself into Choi Sang-hyuk’s arms.
“I missed you.”
His voice carried a playful whine.
For someone already twenty-four, acting like this was ridiculous.
But somehow, it suited him, perhaps because of his boyish features.
“How did you get here? Weren’t you supposed to return the day after tomorrow?”
Choi Sang-hyuk tried to push him off, but Seo Ha-yoon clung even tighter.
He just wanted to see his face…
Choi Sang-hyuk clicked his tongue inwardly before wrapping his arms around him in return.
“I missed you too much, so I came back early. Two weeks is way too long.”
As he spoke, Seo Ha-yoon buried his face in Choi Sang-hyuk’s neck and inhaled deeply.
The sensation of him savoring his scent sent a heavy ache straight down to his groin.
He had already been longing for him after two weeks apart. And now, with this unexpected visit, the desire he had been keeping at bay threatened to spill over.
“What about Ha Jun-seo?”
Ha Jun-seo was currently on an overseas tour.
The tour had been long, and he had been constantly pleading to see Seo Ha-yoon every day.
That was why Seo Ha-yoon had set aside two weeks to fly out and join Ha Jun-seo on part of the tour.
His return wasn’t supposed to be until the day after tomorrow.
And yet, here he was, dropping everything just because he wanted to see him.
“Don’t worry. I told Jun-seo before I left.”
Seo Ha-yoon said that and buried his face in Choi Sang-hyuk’s neck again, taking in his scent deeply. His already surging desire exploded in an instant.
