BHB 132 END

Yeowon felt trust flowing from a sincerity he had never experienced before. Feeling a vague belief that everything would be okay, he tightly gripped his arms wrapped around his body. Then he moved his arms to wrap under his chin and abruptly continued with a slightly displeased face.

“…I’ve lost.” He narrowed his brows at the disjointed words. Seeing his confused reaction, Yeowon repeated himself, “Do whatever you want.”

“…”

“Whether you work under your father or not, do as you please. Do as you please, but…”

In truth, he had been thinking they would go abroad together, but suddenly he wanted their relationship to put down deep roots in one place. He had an intense desire not to live like wanderers in some unknown place, but to properly establish their relationship somewhere stable and start anew.

“I’ll do something too.”

But for that to happen, a one-sided arrangement wouldn’t work.

“Not just stupidly receiving what you give.”

“…”

“I’m going to do something proper and support you too.” Yeowon declared confidently. 

The sound of low laughter reached his ears. Thinking this might be the first time he’d heard him laugh so genuinely, he wanted to turn around to see his face but stopped himself. He had a vague feeling that the sound alone was enough.

Without realizing it, Yeowon smiled along and kissed the back of his hand near his mouth. An overwhelmingly full feeling took hold of him.

The world grew quiet as if it had never been noisy. The presidential election results flowed as expected with Lee Seungkwon being elected, and rumors about the president’s second son faded as news spread that he had been appointed as one of the executives of a welfare foundation established by the First Lady.

They had already smoothed over traces of his brief rebellious phase during school days, preventing further discussion by saying it was already a well-handled incident. Lee Seungkwon’s side even created testimonies that Taegang had been an intelligent and ordinary college student, deceiving the public. Though his flashy tattoos and intense impression couldn’t completely dispel suspicions, what mattered was that he held a key position in the welfare foundation. The election results were already decided, and as the son of the country’s leader, no one could touch Taegang carelessly anymore. The Lee Seungkwon side had essentially put his problematic second son in an important position as a signal not to bring up the matter again.

Of course, in reality, that position was far from doing honest work. It was a position that looked respectable on the outside but led those who plotted unsavory activities behind the scenes. If anything went wrong later, Taegang would take all the responsibility.

But Taegang’s attitude in accepting the position without complaint seemed to have subdued Lee Seungkwon’s anger, as things were quieter than expected. He had thought that if he heard they were living together, he would immediately fly into a rage and send people to cause trouble, but seeing how quiet things were, it seemed Taegang had negotiated properly with him.

“…Do you really have to dress like that for work?”

His transformation from a college student to an office worker was unfamiliar. Somehow he gave off both a gangster vibe like Jin Youngchae and strangely resembled an authoritative company executive.

Yeowon strangely looked over Taegang in his formal attire while holding a cup of orange juice. A shirt with buttons fastened to the neck, a neat tie, a vest cinched at the waist, and even a blazer. He looked a good ten years older.

“Fuck, these old geezers are being ridiculous.” Taegang grumbled irritably while adjusting his tie, seemingly uncomfortable. 

Well. He recalled Taegang’s first day at work. He had worn an oversized sweatshirt and jeans that nearly touched the ground, dragging his sneakers. Even that seemed questionable, but he hadn’t known he needed to observe this level of dress code.

“It seems a bit small too…”

Yeowon handed the juice to Taegang and examined his clothes. He might have grown again—the collar of his buttoned shirt looked a bit tight.

“Can you undo one button?”

As he asked while straightening his slightly crooked tie, he felt Taegang’s gaze looking down at him.

“…What? Why?”

Yeowon hesitated at the familiar gaze. It was the intense look that always appeared when the atmosphere turned strange. He was still adapting to this awkwardness. To a life that was familiar yet different from before. And to a different relationship.

“This feels really weird.” Taegang said bluntly, as if talking to himself, with a sly smile. Even while smiling, his eyes looked like they might devour him, causing Yeowon to quietly step back.

“Just drink that and go.”

He didn’t want to create such an atmosphere in the morning. They were already having plenty of sex, and since he was the one who felt like dying each time, it felt like he was getting the short end of the stick. He was already working out diligently these days. He hadn’t realized the difference in stamina between him and Taegang would be so great, and his pride was hurt, so whenever Taegang wasn’t home, he regularly headed to the gym. This low-rise apartment building with few units had various amenities for residents, and the gym was one of them.

“What are you doing today?” Taegang obediently downed the juice in one go and asked. 

Yeowon wiped the moisture from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve and continued speaking as usual, “After working out, I’m meeting with Kim Myungjoo to talk a bit.”

“What about?”

“I told you. He said he’d set up a meeting with his boss.”

“…That investment thing or whatever?”

“Investment management, to be precise.”

“Do you really have to do that?”

“What then, should I just deliver food? Do some package delivery part-time?”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“I’m trying to do what I can. I dropped out of college and all I know how to do is spend money and fight.”

“…”

“Or get me to work with you on your job.”

Yeowon didn’t mind either way. Whether working under Taegang or whatever else, what mattered was doing something together. If there were dangerous work, they could do it together too.

“I’m just going to hear an explanation. I heard that the boss guy is skilled. That’s probably why Kim Myungjoo is sticking with him too.”

“Don’t trust businessmen.”

“It’s not about trust or distrust… Ah, forget it. Just go now, will you?” Finding it difficult to convince Taegang, he waved his hand, thinking he should just send him off quickly.

“…Let me know whenever you change locations.” Taegang said quietly as he was being ushered out. 

Though they lived together, their lifestyle was similar to before. The difference was that previously they had separate homes. But the real difference was things like this.

“Do you really have to do such troublesome things?”

“Would you prefer I call every five minutes instead?” Taegang retorted sarcastically.

“…Fine. Just go already.”

“Make sure you eat properly.”

“Oh come on.”

“And if you come home late again—”

With Taegang showing no intention of leaving and his constant nagging, Yeowon exhaled briefly and grabbed his tie, yanking it hard. He pulled him close and gently placed his lips over his annoying ones. The brief contact of their mucous membranes produced a short, wet sound as they separated.

“…”

Seeing Taegang’s momentarily dazed face, Yeowon let out a light laugh and gave his shoulder a push.

“Now really go?”

Having sent him off, Yeowon turned away from the motionless Taegang and walked down the hallway toward the dining room. But instead of the expected beep of the door, he heard the thudding footsteps on the marble floor. As the sound rapidly approached, Yeowon turned around with a startled expression to find Taegang already right in front of him, roughly stripping off his formal top.

Ha. This wasn’t what he had intended. Before Yeowon could sigh, his lips were blocked. Taegang always held him tightly with one hand while the other cupped his face, immediately slipping his moist tongue between his parted lips. Then, still keeping their lips connected, he pushed him against the wall, slid his hands under his armpits and lifted him up.

Taegang strangely liked doing this. Though he  himself was also much stronger than the average adult male, he easily lifted him and made him   wrap his legs around his waist.

“Ha… why are you taking off your clothes?”

When he asked with excited breaths, avoiding his lips, Taegang couldn’t wait and entwined his tongue with him again. He rubbed the tip of his tongue and pushed it deep into his throat, roughly mixing and swallowing his saliva, then answered in a wet voice, “In case it gets stained with semen.”

Yeowon exhaled in astonishment at his shameless response. “Shit. Why would it get stained… Ah, stop already.”

“Ha… just be quiet.”

Taegang urgently chased Yeowon’s lips as he kept avoiding his. Seeing the fervor that didn’t seem like it would end easily, Yeowon sighed and said while accepting his pecking lips, “You’ll be late for work.”

He swallowed his lower lip and casually retorted, “It’s a flexible work system.”

…Bullshit.

At his absurd answer, Yeowon finally laughed as if surrendering and tightly embraced Taegang’s neck. He hadn’t been in the mood for this in the morning… but whenever he acted so crazy about him, his heart was moved. Promising himself that next time he’d never kiss him before work, he eagerly welcomed his parted lips approaching his with urgency. As he actively reciprocated and moved his tongue, he felt his body trembling. Whenever Yeowon showed this kind of initiative, Taegang responded noticeably.

“Ha….”

A moist breath escaped between their connected lips. Taegang carried him through the hallway, heading somewhere. Yeowon held his face and playfully bit the tip of his nose while rubbing his lips all over his face. It was such a handsome nose. He had never seen such a perfectly shaped nose in his life.

Biting and licking, he gently took his philtrum in his mouth. And just as he was about to swallow his lips again, he felt himself being lowered while his hands supported his back. Soon, he felt the softness of a sofa against his back.

Yes, this was different from before too.

Yeowon blankly looked up at Taegang, who was straddling him and roughly undoing his tie.

“…You seem like you’re going to be absent without leave.” He murmured, looking up at him.

“I can just write a leave request or something, it doesn’t matter.” Taegang replied as if he couldn’t care less, lowering his body to join their lips again. 

While doing so, he roughly undid his shirt that seemed slightly small for him. When his hands slowed due to concentration, Yeowon unbuttoned it for him while making small smacking sounds as he took in his tongue entering between their pressed lips.

“…You’re really delinquent.”

When he said this while laughing, Taegang also let out a small chuckle. The buttons, which had been undone halfway, finally tore off. By Yeowon’s hands.

“Ha… I’ll buy you a better one.”

“Do that.” Taegang replied nonchalantly and instantly removed the pajama-style shirt Yeowon was wearing. 

And their movements to remove each other’s bottom clothes were unhesitating. While morning sunlight poured in conspicuously through the wall window, they explored each other beneath it as if they couldn’t see anything else around them.

So many things were different from before. Keeping track of each other’s contacts, naturally reporting their daily lives, and embracing each other anywhere in the house. Like lovers. No, as lovers.

From now on, they will continue.

Living in a relationship is even more extraordinary and grand.

Yeowon wrapped his arms around Taegang’s back, watching the dust floating in the sunlight coming through the huge window. Selfish, mean, difficult, and terrible as he was, he deeply embraced him while consuming him, the one who endlessly yearned only for him. 

His heart swelled.

At last, he was completely filled. Without loneliness or emptiness. Always only with Taegang’s existence.