#84
Manager Kim had rented an entire boutique hotel located just outside Rome’s old city to set up accommodations for the group. She said it was the optimal lodging chosen with consideration for the gallery visit itinerary.
In the lobby, several gallery representatives had gathered waiting for a meeting with Jaeha. Jaeha briefly briefed the people, responding fluently not only in English but also in Italian, which was unfamiliar to Eunhong.
Having neither the ability nor reason to join in, Eunhong went straight to the top floor suite with his luggage as instructed by Manager Kim. After entering the large, luxurious hotel room, unpacking, and taking a shower, room service arrived with a meal, as if it had been waiting for him.
The meal came with Jaeha’s thoughtfulness. Don’t they say that airplane meals make your stomach shrink so you eat less than usual? It wasn’t difficult to predict that Eunhong would be hungry after showering in the room. Eunhong diligently ate the food Jaeha had sent up, alone. He had the Colosseum visible through the window as his companion.
There were several paintings propped up on one side of the room, and Eunhong immediately recognized them as works by Jaeha’s mother. In his childhood, while staying with Jaeha, Eunhong often watched her paint. He remembered finding her paintings fascinating because they were quite different in texture from his own parents’ paintings when he was young. Seeing her paintings now after so many years had passed, it was quite interesting how they evoked a different feeling than before.
In fact, Eunhong didn’t remember much about her appearance from when he lived with Jaeha. The image in his mother’s graduation album was clearer than the faint memories from his childhood. People said Jaeha took strongly after his father, but Eunhong knew the traces of her that remained in Jaeha.
Knock knock knock.
The door opened before he could answer the small knocking sound. It was Jaeha, looking slightly tired, with the top two buttons of his shirt carelessly undone.
“Are you done with work?”
“No, I just came to take a break.”
“Do you have more appointments?”
“Yes… I need to visit the galleries I’ve scheduled one by one…”
Jaeha narrowed his eyes, staring at Eunhong in his bathrobe as he continued speaking.
“I need to change and go out.”
“Really? What should I wear to places like that? Is it fine as long as I look neat…?”
Eunhong rummaged through his open suitcase and chose a shirt and cotton pants. Jaeha looked down at his round, crouching back figure and rubbed his chin before saying,
“I’ll take a shower first and come back.”
After casually throwing that line, he entered the bathroom. Eunhong, who had been silently searching through his pile of luggage, turned his head toward the bathroom when the room became quiet. His ears had already turned bright red. Although in the current situation, “taking a shower” certainly didn’t have that kind of meaning, being alone with Jaeha in a hotel room definitely gave him a strange feeling.
He soothed his heated face and changed into neat clothes. Standing in front of the large mirror in the living room, he confirmed that he looked quite tidy. Just then, the bathroom door opened, and Jaeha walked out with only a towel wrapped around his waist.
“Why don’t you wear a robe?”
Eunhong’s face immediately turned bright red. His body really did react honestly. He watched Jaeha approaching through the mirror, shaking his not fully dried hair. Their eyes met.
“The robe is too small.”
The face reflected in the mirror seemed to smile nicely. A hand reached out quickly, grabbed Eunhong’s waist, and spun him around. Before he could be startled by their suddenly pressed bodies, Jaeha’s lips came down to meet Eunhong’s.
Eunhong stumbled a couple of steps, unable to maintain his balance properly. Jaeha firmly held Eunhong’s waist and showered him with kisses.
“Mmh… hm…”
The unexpected kiss made all the strength drain from his body. Jaeha hungrily explored Eunhong’s mouth, biting and sucking as if he was going to devour him completely. Eunhong could barely keep up, managing only to breathe occasionally. When he raised his trembling hands to embrace Jaeha’s back, he felt the arms around his waist tighten even more.
The neatly worn shirt became disheveled, and the towel that had covered Jaeha’s lower body fell to the floor and was trampled. While the two panted and craved each other, Jaeha’s phone rang three or four times. Finally, when Manager Kim, unable to wait any longer, banged on the door, the two barely came to their senses.
Manager Kim left a message that the car was waiting and went down first. Unable to miss the appointment time, Jaeha reluctantly separated from Eunhong with a face full of lingering desire.
“I made a mistake with the schedule.”
Eunhong laughed softly at Jaeha’s dissatisfied muttering accompanied by a shallow sigh.
The half-aroused genitals could be hidden thanks to the coat, but what about the swollen lips? As Jaeha said, it was indeed a poorly planned schedule.
The owner of all the artworks was Jaeha’s father. His health had begun to deteriorate rapidly about half a year ago while he continued living abroad, clutching onto the traces of the person he loved. Finding management difficult, he had made short-term contracts in the form of exhibitions and entrusted the works to various places.
But when his health worsened to the point where it was difficult to handle matters in that short time, contrary to his wishes, his family home was contacted. As a result, Jaeha had come here. In the will delivered by the lawyer, Lee Suhyeok had expressed his desire for his son, Lee Jaeha, to personally verify each and every piece of artwork by his spouse, Han Nari.
This was the purpose of the trip as Eunhong had heard it. Knowing vaguely about Jaeha’s complicated family history, Eunhong felt heartbroken. That’s why he found himself holding Jaeha’s hand tightly, filled with emotion.
“Your father will get better when we return to Korea.”
“……”
Jaeha didn’t respond one way or another. He just squeezed their clasped hands tightly. Eunhong had no way of knowing what emotions Jaeha was hiding beneath his expressionless face.
The car drove northwest along the main road. Looking at the current location on his phone’s map, Eunhong clicked his tongue in disappointment when the car passed by all the famous landmarks.
The first gallery they visited was inside a quiet street with hardly any passing cars. Surrounded by stone walls that all looked identical, creating a maze-like path, Jaeha confidently led the way without even looking at a map. While following him hand in hand, Eunhong’s eyes busily scanned the surroundings.
The rough vermilion stone walls had such faint boundary lines between buildings that without the small metal signs attached, it would be difficult to recognize even your own home. Eunhong stood in front of a wall, pressing his nose close, trying to read the italic letters engraved on a palm-sized brass plate.
“Casa D’Arte De…”
“It means something like a small art gallery. The word at the end is the owner’s name.”
“I could figure out that much on my own.”
Jaeha, who had been exchanging a few words with Manager Kim while holding documents, had already approached and put his arm around Eunhong’s shoulder.
“Bunhong, come here.”
Following along as he was pulled, they emerged from the narrow alley into a small square. Small and pretty shops were welcoming customers with their doors wide open facing the square. The people of this country, who loved sunbathing, preferred outdoor seating even in winter, so Eunhong and Jaeha also sat at a table by the roadside.
The red wooden tables with bright colored awnings like umbrellas were so tightly packed that the boundaries with neighboring shops were blurred. This explained why people sitting in groups had different menus. The sound of instruments played by artists in the small square and the murmur of locals conversing in unfamiliar languages created a rather comfortable atmosphere.
Jaeha beckoned an attendant with a gesture and entrusted their gelato order. Then he rested his chin on his hand and pulled Eunhong’s hand to get his attention as Eunhong was looking around.
“Stay here and have some fun for a while. I’ll finish up quickly and come out. The advance team has already taken care of everything, and I just need to check the condition of the paintings and sign…”
“Aren’t I coming with you?”
“No, it would be boring for you.”
Eunhong was about to say “I want to come too,” when a large container of ice cream blocked his view. It seemed like gelato had been scooped from a container as big as a watermelon. Jaeha quickly took a heaping spoonful with a wooden spoon and fed it to Eunhong.
“Wow… delicious.”
What flavor is this? It was such an amazing taste that his eyes widened in surprise. Jaeha patted his head, saying “good boy,” told him to eat this and enjoy himself, and left in a hurry.
Having nodded in a daze, Eunhong blankly watched Jaeha’s retreating back. After staring for quite some time, the attendant who remained with Eunhong subtly pushed the ice cream container toward him. It was a gesture saying “go ahead and eat this.”
…This is too much for me to eat alone. Eunhong picked up an unused wooden spoon and handed it to the attendant. It was a gesture inviting him to eat together, but he shook his head and refused stiffly.
“I’m fine, thank you.”
“Then please sit down at least. It might take a long time…”
“……”
“It looks strange with you standing there.”
Despite Eunhong’s repeated urging, the attendant remained standing stiffly. Eunhong swallowed a sigh and plunged his spoon into the ice cream before him.
Just because he had known Jaeha for many years didn’t mean he was accustomed to being served by people. He only found it fascinating whenever he saw Jaeha casually ordering something from older employees, but he himself still felt awkward when they hovered around and would become stiff. Even when left alone like this, the only person he felt comfortable with was Mrs. Ham.
His stomach was aching from eagerly eating to prevent the ice cream from melting. The container, which had seemed ridiculously large, was already starting to show its bottom. While ravenously eating, he suddenly looked up and made direct eye contact with the attendant who had been watching him.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
