Jae-young entered the bathroom and immediately turned on the water. The sound of music from outside was buried under the rush of water. Though he was aware of the water pouring, he stood still, hands planted on the sink.
Among people who come, people who come and go, and people who pass by, Sa Gong-hyun’s preference was for people who pass by. Plan A was to catch Sa Gong-hyun’s eye by chance and form a connection with him. Jae-young replayed that moment in his mind.
“…This is annoying.”
Without further thought, it was too painfully ordinary. He’d tried to be calm about it, but how was he supposed to seduce anyone like this? His temper, which had been subdued for a while, flared up for no reason.
Jae-young irritably wet his hands and rubbed at his alcohol-soaked shirt.
Perhaps twice was too ambitious. In his mind, thoughts of somehow turning the situation around still swirled.
He didn’t want to stoop to making an obvious approach that would hurt his pride. Jae-young stared intensely at his shirt, which was now so wet on one side that his skin showed through.
Then he realized it. The crumpled clothes, the disheveled hair… Before even considering his performance, his appearance was far from appealing. He looked exactly like a drunk passerby.
It seemed better to leave now and try again another day. Jae-young took his phone from his back pocket and called Seung-kwon. The ringing tone cut off abruptly.
“Did you meet him?”
“I met him, but I blew it.”
“Why?”
“I was getting impatient waiting and ran my fingers through my hair in frustration, so now it’s all messed up. I even spilled alcohol on my clothes. Looking at myself, I doubt I’d be attractive—if anything was standing before, it’s probably dead now.”
“Good job.”
“Only weird guys hit on me, what is this? I’ve just been passively smoking for four days straight.”
Through the receiver, Jae-young could hear Seung-kwon laughing boisterously.
“How can you laugh at this situation? Next time, just wait in the car and let me know when he shows up. You’re free after work anyway.”
“I’m busy, you punk.”
“Then get Noona Ju-yeon to do it.”
“It’s a gay club. Would they even let her in?”
“I saw some women there.”
His frustration was beyond measure. With a bored, listless expression, he turned off the faucet. He shook his wet clothes halfheartedly.
Tucking the phone between his shoulder and ear, he put his hand under the hand towel dispenser. There was nothing for his fingers to catch. Why is this empty too? Continually chewing on his annoyance, he roughly dried his wet hands on his shirt.
“Cut the crap and just keep camping out there tomorrow. You’re the one who unnecessarily extended what could have ended today.”
“No, from the beginning…!”
Unable to contain his rising anger, Jae-young quickly looked around. Fortunately, no one was coming into the bathroom.
The club bathroom was strangely empty. He’d expected at least a couple of gay guys making out in one of the stalls. Dismissing the useless thought, he adjusted his grip on the phone.
“Does it make any sense to ask a straight guy to seduce a man?”
“You said you’d do it.”
“Are you kidding me? Who took a job unilaterally before even telling me? Do your work properly.”
Jae-young expressed his frustration while keeping his voice as low as possible. His face had been contorted for a while now. Even trying to steady his breathing with a deep exhale, his irritation wouldn’t subside.
“Now that we’ve started, we can’t back out. Just try to mark him properly. He’s the biggest headache.”
“Making a living is so damn hard.”
Despite his harsh tone, Seung-kwon just laughed. Jae-young left the bathroom with a scrunched-up face.
His sullen expression looked almost pitiful. He just wanted to go home and lie down. To lie comfortably in bed and roll around freely.
“Make the first move and suggest going home together.”
“…Why should I have to go that far?”
He silently lamented as if tears would fall at any moment. He stretched the end of his words to explicitly reveal his misery.
“You took quite a while. I was waiting for you.”
Just as Jae-young exhaled in despair, a figure that had been leaning against the wall stepped out and blocked his path. The low, soft resonating voice belonged to Sa Gong-hyun.
Did he hear? That was his first reflexive thought. Jae-young raised his eyes to check Sa Gong-hyun’s expression.
He didn’t look particularly uncomfortable. Jae-young was momentarily tense but soon adopted a casual attitude. Even if Sa Gong-hyun had heard something, it would have been just mumbling due to the music.
Jae-young slightly parted his lips and gradually straightened his drooping shoulders.
“Oh, uncle, I’ll call you back later, okay?”
He deliberately extended the end of his sentence. In situations like this, looking flustered was more natural than an exaggerated smile.
After ending the call, Jae-young gave an awkward laugh. Gently fixing his disheveled hair, he looked at Sa Gong-hyun.
“You were waiting for me?”
“I thought you might be uncomfortable.”
Jae-young’s gaze slowly dropped downward. Sa Gong-hyun was holding a shopping bag.
“Don’t feel burdened. I just grabbed whatever clothes were in my car.”
It’s working properly. If Sa Gong-hyun hadn’t been standing in front of him, Jae-young would have pumped his fist in celebration.
Sa Gong-hyun was very gentlemanly and kind. Though it was obvious that inside, his intentions were as black as night, if not downright filthy.
Jae-young knew too much about Sa Gong-hyun to be fooled. Contrary to appearances, Sa Gong-hyun was quite a dirty bastard.
And Jae-young planned to somehow maintain a passionate romance with him.
***
It had started two weeks ago.
That day was a refreshing morning. The space was immaculately fresh with just the right amount of sunlight filtering in.
A cool breeze slipped through the slightly open door. The chiffon curtain attached to the edge of the balcony door fluttered gently with the flow of air.
Jae-young, who had been sleeping alone in the super king-sized bed, turned over. He curled his half-naked body, burrowing deep into the blanket.
It was a blanket of season-defying thickness. Though suitable for the dead of winter, Jae-young maintained his thick blanket until early summer. He couldn’t help it, being particularly sensitive to cold.
Enjoying the warmth and comfort inside the blanket, Jae-young stretched his legs. As he extended his body as if stretching, his hands peeked out from the top of the blanket.
“…Ah, I don’t want to get up.”
A thoroughly sleep-laden voice continued with his sleep complaints. Though awake, it was somehow a morning where he wanted to be lazy. Even though there was no one to criticize Jae-young’s tardiness, he pulled the blanket down to his neck. His platinum blonde bleached hair was the first to appear. Having dyed it appropriately for various work situations, it now looked disheveled.
Opening his eyes, Jae-young stared at the ceiling with his limbs stretched out. Though his eyes appeared languid, there was a curious sharpness to their corners.
Yawning widely, he raised his upper body from its sprawled position. He habitually ran his fingers through his unkempt hair at the back.
After looking around, Jae-young got up and closed the terrace door. The curtain that had been fluttering since the night before finally rested.
Wearing only underwear, Jae-young picked up a robe that was carelessly strewn on the floor. He yawned again as he slipped his arms into the sleeves.
On the wooden table beside the bed, evidence of the previous night remained undisturbed. He could see that the MacCallan 55-year-old whisky, which he usually sipped only when in a good mood, was completely empty.
Although it was unfortunate to have finished the whisky he’d bought with great consideration, he decided to think of it positively. Jae-young neatly placed the empty bottle among the collection of liquors in the display case.
This two-month break he’d been enjoying wasn’t boring at all. It was still refreshing, pleasant, and satisfying.
If I could land one big deal and live like this forever, I wouldn’t ask for anything more. After brushing his teeth and washing his face without even closing his robe, he opened the door.
This morning, he planned to simply grill some Korean beef. He thought he’d sip coffee while enjoying the Han River view, then play the console game that had arrived by courier yesterday, and order delivery food for lunch. After lunch, he planned to just lie still until sunset, and after the sun went down, he’d open a new bottle of liquor.
That was the plan, but why do bad premonitions always come true without fail? When he heard unfamiliar voices from the living room, his expression immediately crumpled.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
