Through the shattering morning sunlight, Kang Han-gyeom walked along with a blank expression. It was only just properly turning into May, but the sunlight was unusually harsh—just as expected, global warming seemed to be getting worse every year. Ah, come to think of it, he’d promised to lend Woo-jin a book. That book was definitely about people surviving on a future Earth ruined by environmental destruction, too.
Wearing a dazed expression, Han-gyeom kept walking, lost in the flow of his own thoughts.
“Ahh…… th-this feels good. Ngh…… sunbae, your hand feels so good.”
Then suddenly, at the vivid memory that struck him hard in the head, Han-gyeom’s steps came to an abrupt stop. Maybe because it was so early in the morning, not even an ant could be seen in the quiet alley. Thanks to that piercingly clear stillness, what had happened last night in Won-hyeok’s bed began springing back to mind all at once.
“Ugh…… this is so embarrassing…….”
The way he’d clung in Won-hyeok’s arms, making shy little sounds and panting his heart out, was so embarrassing he could hardly stand it. Originally, he’d only intended to help out with Won-hyeok suddenly getting hard—but why had his own reacted too, of all times?
“What if sunbae thinks I’m a pervert?”
But it had felt so good. Won-hyeok’s voice, his touch, the way he called his name—it had all been so sweet Han-gyeom thought he might just melt away on the spot. It was the first time he’d ever drowned in pleasure under someone else’s hand like that, so if there was a problem, it was that he’d fallen asleep the moment he came.
When he woke up in the morning and saw that both the sheets and his body had been cleaned up, Han-gyeom felt even more sorry toward Won-hyeok. It was obvious Won-hyeok had taken care of everything by himself without waking him. So, not wanting to be any more of a burden, he quietly left the house while the other man was still sleeping soundly.
Fortunately, the clothes Won-hyeok had washed for him yesterday had dried nice and fluffy thanks to a good dryer, and Han-gyeom had packed the clothes Won-hyeok had lent him into his bag to bring along. He planned to wash them himself and return them.
Still, Won-hyeok had let him sleep there, washed his clothes, and no matter how he looked at it, Han-gyeom felt like he’d been far too much of a burden to him. On top of that, despite boldly declaring that he’d take care of him personally, instead of making Won-hyeok feel good, he’d only ended up receiving something pleasurable himself, and he just couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d become one giant nuisance.
Han-gyeom took his phone out of his pocket and checked his message.
[Thank you for letting me sleep over, sunbae. You were still sleeping, so I left quietly! I’m really sorry—I feel like I caused you trouble ㅜㅜ]
Won-hyeok still hadn’t read the message Han-gyeom had sent as soon as he left the house. He was probably still asleep. Han-gyeom started moving again after having stopped in place.
Once again, he felt that humans really were contradictory creatures. Right now, Han-gyeom felt as though he’d been thrown into a whirlpool of conflicting emotions.
Last night, he felt pointlessly sorry toward Won-hyeok because of what had happened, yet at the same time his heart raced helplessly at the thought that they’d done something more like lovers, something more deeply intimate as a couple.
Won-hyeok would probably hate it if he knew he was thinking like this. He’d only helped poor him, who’d gotten hard down there, relieve his urges, that was all. After all, who would ever want to touch a body as pathetic as this one?
“Maybe I should at least try exercising.”
But no matter how hard he exercised, it didn’t seem like he’d ever build muscle. There were things that simply couldn’t be done no matter how hard a person tried, and one of those things was physical limitation. No matter how much he worked out and tried, he’d never be able to have broad, solid shoulders like Won-hyeok.
Besides, he didn’t think he’d even be good at exercising in the first place. Out of nowhere, he remembered how, back in middle school during a long-distance running performance test, he hadn’t even made it a few laps before collapsing on the spot.
Soon, his studio building came into view ahead. If he went inside, washed up roughly, ate, and got ready before coming back out, he’d probably still make it in time for first period.
“Fuck, what kind of worn-out building like this has a shared entrance?”
Just then, a familiar voice rang out from up ahead. When Han-gyeom looked up, he saw Baek Han-seo standing in front of the building, visibly furious.
Han-gyeom reflexively ducked behind the corner of the alley. Why was he here again? How long had it even been since he last took his money?
“Hey, how long are we gonna wait? Your little brother really lives here?”
“Ah, I said he does. Just wait a bit.”
At that moment, the two men who seemed to be Han-seo’s friends clicked their tongues and complained irritably beside him. Then the phone in Han-gyeom’s hand began to ring for a long time.
<Han-seo hyung>
Peeking out slightly, he saw Baek Han-seo rake a hand through his hair in frustration as he held his phone to his ear.
“Ah, fuck, why isn’t he picking up now either?!”
“You said he’s a college student. Isn’t he at school?”
“Baek Han-seo was so sure he had a cash cow, and now it’s all gone to shit?”
“Fucking useless bastard.”
While his friends snickered and laughed, Baek Han-seo ground out a curse between his teeth. Han-gyeom held his breath and turned his body away. Keeping his finger pressed firmly on the hold button on his ringing phone, he ran off as if fleeing the alley entirely.
It looked like today he’d have to just go straight to school. Still, “a cash cow,” huh. So he really had come to borrow money again.
“He’s seriously just a straight-up thug.”
Han-gyeom muttered under his breath. If he was that desperate for money, he should try asking his own dad. Han-gyeom recalled how not long ago his mother had called while looking for Han-seo. Should he just call her right now and tell her everything? That Baek Han-seo had dropped out of school, come up here, was hanging around with trashy friends, and was even taking money from his younger brother.
But then he shook his head. He didn’t want to stir up conflict with the family. Besides, he had no real feeling that the end result of that conflict would be anything good.
“I should’ve stayed longer at sunbae’s place.”
As he walked toward school, Han-gyeom jutted out his lips. Since he couldn’t even go home anyway, he should’ve at least stayed and looked at that handsome face a bit longer. But still, no matter what, he couldn’t burden Won-hyeok any more than this. That said, he wanted to repay him somehow for taking care of him. Thoughts of Han-seo vanished from Han-gyeom’s mind in an instant.
Then something suddenly occurred to him, and Han-gyeom quickly opened his calendar app.
“Huh…… I forgot!”
And with his eyes wide as a scholar discovering a brand-new treasure, he cried out. How had he forgotten that there was a huge event coming up before long, in August?
It was Won-hyeok’s birthday. He’d found out last year by eavesdropping on a conversation the upperclassmen were having at the year-end gathering. Won-hyeok’s birthday was in mid-August. He’d learned one more piece of information about him then, and he’d been so incredibly happy.
With hurried hands, Han-gyeom quickly checked his account balance on his phone, but as expected, he really didn’t have much extra money. There was still a lot of time left until Won-hyeok’s birthday, but it was also still a long while before he’d get money from his mother again.
Should he ask if she could give it to him in advance……? No. If he said that, there was a high chance she’d immediately ask what he needed money for so early.
But even so, there was no way he could just let Won-hyeok’s birthday pass without giving him a present. Wasn’t this the first Won-hyeok birthday since they started dating?
Back when all he could do was look at Won-hyeok from afar, even if he wanted to celebrate his birthday, he couldn’t. They hadn’t even been close enough for him to say something as simple as, Happy birthday. But not now. Now he was able to celebrate Won-hyeok’s birthday closer than anyone else.
He couldn’t just let an opportunity this perfect slip by. Han-gyeom clenched his fist tight, making up his mind.
***
“Oh, what, did an Everytime celebrity show up?”
As Won-hyeok entered the classroom, Sun-woo approached him with a grin.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
His mood was already ruined because Han-gyeom had disappeared this morning after going on about how sorry he was for causing trouble and all that, so controlling his expression wasn’t going very well.
“What’d you do after you ran out in the middle of eating yesterday?”
What did he do? He took Kang Han-gyeom, who’d been caught in some alpha’s hands, brought him home, held him close, and jerked off together. Just thinking about it made it feel like blood was rushing down to his crotch again. Kang Han-gyeom in his arms yesterday had been warm, soft, and cute.
When he thought that plenty of other bastards had probably seen him like that too, he felt like blowing up the whole school and everything with it. But if he did that, everyone would find out about this rotten temper of his, and that wouldn’t do. What had he spent all this time wearing the mask of a good-natured person for, otherwise? Besides, wasn’t that very thing the reason he was even playing at being Han-gyeom’s boyfriend now?
If he’d lived according to this temper of his, then his face probably would’ve ended up plastered all over the news already, and he might’ve occupied a cell in some prison long ago. Won-hyeok had realized since childhood that there were things one naturally had to hide and endure in order to live comfortably and smoothly in this world.
People don’t spit on a smiling face. Since he himself had so many weapons at his disposal, if he acted even a little kindly, the other person would approach him with even greater goodwill. Once he understood that principle, he’d thought there was nothing easier than life—but these days, he was being thoroughly plagued by the difficult problem called Kang Han-gyeom.
“Hey, look at this.”
Just then, Sun-woo tapped his phone a few times, then suddenly turned the screen toward Won-hyeok. Won-hyeok, who had been looking at it without much interest, instantly went cold.
[I’m here to expose the true nature of Do Won-hyeok, a third-year in the English Department.]
