GBH 60

“Gasp…!”

He’s falling. As Hong Jae-min felt nothing touching his back, he felt the blood draining from his entire body due to the dizziness. Unable to support his neck, his heavy head fell backward. The dizzying sensation of falling from a cliff washed over him like a tidal wave. Then, as if being pulled out of deep water, he felt a grip on his collar.

Choi Se-kyung, silhouetted against the light, was holding onto the window frame with one hand and gripping Jae-min’s collar with the other.

“Haa, haa…”

“Huk, huk, huk-“

Jae-min’s rapid breathing mixed with Se-kyung’s rough, panting breaths. Even the intertwined sound of their breathing was unpleasant, so Se-kyung composed herself and spoke coldly.

“Don’t be dramatic. You won’t die falling from the second floor.”

The window started at about waist height. Below the window frame, legs clung to the wall, and Se-kyung’s lower body pressed against Jae-min’s, preventing him from falling out the window. Of course, holding Jae-min like this was Se-kyung’s choice, and letting him fall out the window at any moment was also up to him.

“Y-you b-bastard, if y-you let g-go, I’ll d-die.”

Jae-min firmly grasped Se-kyung’s wrist that held his collar and looked down. The dark bushes below seemed far away, but when his upper body swayed and he felt dizzy, they suddenly appeared close enough to touch. The sense of distance was distorted by paralyzing fear. As cold sweat seeped into his palms gripping Se-kyung’s wrist, making them slippery, Jae-min trembled helplessly.

“H-hey, y-you, what’s your p-problem? W-why are you d-doing this to me?”

“You know why. Stay away from Song Yi-heon.”

“D-damn it, h-he’s the one who c-came to me, eek!”

Se-kyung pushed down on his collar. Jae-min’s waist, hanging out the window frame, bent like a willow branch. Although the early summer breeze of June was lukewarm, Jae-min shivered as if in the dead of winter.

Pale with fear, Jae-min clung to Se-kyung’s arm. His sweaty skin was slippery, and feeling like he might lose his grip on his wrist at any moment, he desperately wanted to escape this dangerous situation.

“O-okay, I get it. So please, damn it, pull me up…! I’m going to fall…!”

Jae-min screamed in a shrill voice, filled with terror. However, even after hearing what he wanted, Se-kyung didn’t pull him up by the collar. Nor did he seem to take pleasure in watching Jae-min’s desperate struggle. His eyes, so dark that the iris and pupil were indistinguishable, remained calm.

Jae-min could make out his own reflection in those eyes, shining like black discs. His struggling image seemed more vivid than any emotion in those eyes. The black eyes seemed indifferent to whatever they saw. Jae-min had a gut feeling that whether he struggled or fell and splattered on the ground floor, it wouldn’t make much difference to Choi Se-kyung. A fear even greater than falling struck him.

Jae-min yelled as if trying to shatter this intangible terror.

“Damn it! Why are you doing this to me? Are you Song Yi-heon’s lapdog or something? Shit, do you like Song Yi-heon too?!”

A spark of life flashed in Se-kyung’s previously emotionless eyes. The words Jae-min had spat out randomly to provoke him had pushed a different button. Se-kyung’s eyes crinkled in a smile, curving like the orchids in a meticulously painted ink wash painting.

“Maybe.”

Se-kyung neither denied nor confirmed it. It wasn’t entirely wrong, since the person Se-kyung liked was the fake Song Yi-heon. He had liked the fake Song Yi-heon for quite some time. He couldn’t remember exactly when it had started. There were too many reasons why he had come to like him. Looking back, he realized his feelings had begun to stir from the time he started doing night study sessions with the fake Song Yi-heon, supposedly to find the real one.

It was an undeniable feeling. Not just his heart, but his body had responded several times, and rather than being confused, Se-kyung had carefully laid out his strategy.

To ensure that the fake Song Yi-heon couldn’t run away after hearing his confession.

This was like a trauma from losing Song Yi-heon who had come to threaten his on a rainy day. The process of searching for Song Yi-heon had been so arduous and difficult that he never wanted to go through it again. So, before reflecting on his feelings or confessing, Se-kyung had made sure to secure the fake Song Yi-heon.

He helped him with his studies, took care of his daily life, and hovered around him. He acted gently to seep into Song Yi-heon’s daily life. He was in the process of thoroughly soaking him like a drizzle, so that he couldn’t unilaterally cut off their relationship after hearing his confession.

It was similar to driving a rabbit into a corner, but what Se-kyung was trying to catch was a charming predator that no mere herbivore would dare approach.

However, he had no intention of ruining his plans by telling all this to someone like Hong Jae-min. The groundwork had to be laid quietly, without the target noticing. Se-kyung hid his schemes behind his smile. Jae-min was still struggling.

“Damn it, if you don’t even like him, you should be the one to back off…!”

“You know, Jae-min, people can be involved with each other even if they don’t like each other. The world isn’t as black and white as you think.”

Se-kyung, in a better mood now, called Jae-min’s name familiarly while pushing down on his collar. Jae-min’s waist bent to the point of breaking.

“Gah-“

As Jae-min lost his balance, his head fell back, his Adam’s apple protruding and his bleached hair spilling out. With his center of gravity shifting to his head, Jae-min couldn’t control his body and lost his grip on Se-kyung’s forearm. His long arms flailed as if swimming in the air.

Se-kyung avoided Jae-min’s arms and asked kindly and gently:

“And the one who should apologize for standing by is Song Yi-heon. Could you stop acting like you have some kind of right? I don’t know about others, but I can’t stand being criticized by you.”

“Huk, heek… Hey, hey… Choi… Se-kyung…!”

“Yeah, that’s right. I’ll take my punishment when Song Yi-heon comes.”

“You, b-bastard… Huk…”

Jae-min tried to straighten his upper body using his core strength. But the position was advantageous for Se-kyung from the start. The more Jae-min resisted, the more Se-kyung pushed down on his collar. As Jae-min tilted further backward, his chest was exposed, and he could see the Seoul night view upside down in the distance.

“I’m… going to fall…”

There was no chance of Hong Jae-min falling. Se-kyung’s lower body was firmly pressing down on Jae-min’s. The hand gripping his collar was so tight that veins were popping out, ensuring he wouldn’t let go, but Jae-min still trembled with anxiety. It was hard to hold up his body that felt like it would flip over backward at any moment.

“You must have tormented Song Yi-heon like this too. Does it hurt when you’re the one experiencing it?”

“Damn… you… if you think you’ll get away with this…, you’re… shit, you’re just like me… you bastard…”

“Yeah. I’ll go to hell, Jae-min.”

Se-kyung said in a cheerful voice, as if talking about going for a walk in the hills.

“We’ll meet in hell. Let’s pretend we don’t know each other.”

“Who would… want to…! Gah!”

“I want you to hurt, Jae-min. Just like how you hurt Song Yi-heon too.”

“You’re the one… who should hurt…!”

“Yeah, I do hurt.”

Se-kyung smiled brightly, remembering the anguish he felt while searching for Song Yi-heon who had run away on that rainy day. He shook Jae-min’s collar up and down, causing him to hold his breath in shock.

“I hope you can’t sleep comfortably either. I want to make you constantly dwell on and regret tormenting Song Yi-heon. It wouldn’t be fair otherwise. Because of you, Song Yi-heon-“

In the middle of speaking, the doorknob turned from outside. Se-kyung, who had seemed like he would never pull Jae-min up, quickly yanked him inside. Just as Jae-min, drenched in cold sweat, was dragged in and slumped to the floor, the door opened and Song Yi-heon entered, his arms full of blankets.

“Did you manage not to fight while I was gone?”

He had been late because he was looking for the blankets and topper he had put away deep in the dressing room after showering. He alternately looked at Hong Jae-min, who was sitting on the floor in a daze, and Choi Se-kyung, who had an uncontained excited smile. Seeing that both their collars were crumpled, Song Yi-heon could guess what had happened while he was away, and he clicked his tongue.

“Sure, fight all you want. They say kids grow up by fighting.”

Then he laid the thick topper on the floor.

“Se-kyung and I will sleep on the floor, so Jae-min, you take the bed.”

He expected some grumbling even if Jae-min didn’t like it, but when there was no response, Song Yi-heon looked at him. Jae-min’s gray t-shirt was soaked under the arms and his face was flushed red from whatever they had been doing. He laboriously stepped over the topper.

“Where are you going?”

“…Where are my clothes?”

“In the dryer. Where are you trying to go at this hour? You don’t even have anywhere to go.”

Jae-min seemed too weak to speak and stumbled as he tried to leave the room aimlessly. Seeing Jae-min’s legs trembling like a newborn foal’s, Song Yi-heon asked:

“Why can’t you walk properly?”

As if even a few steps were too much effort, Jae-min didn’t get far before sitting down on the edge of the bed. He propped his elbows on his thighs and buried his face in his hands. His shoulders slumped. Wondering what on earth these two vigorous guys had been fighting about to be so drained without a single scratch, Song Yi-heon asked Se-kyung, who was already making the bed:

“What’s wrong with him?”

“He lost to me. I guess he’s heartbroken.”

While Jae-min might cause a scene, he wasn’t the type to be heartbroken alone. However, Se-kyung seemed intent on covering up what had happened, and Jae-min looked quite shocked, so neither seemed likely to reveal the truth.

“Yi-heon. Tell him to leave. Let’s sleep, just the two of us.”

Se-kyung hugged Song Yi-heon’s waist from behind and rested his cheek on the crown of his head. From the warmth of his body and the sweet scent of his breath, Song Yi-heon could guess that Se-kyung was quite excited.

“Go on, leave. You should run away, Jae-min.”

Se-kyung whispered affectionately, like a cat deliberately letting its prey go. While he wasn’t sure about Jae-min, it was clear that Se-kyung had really enjoyed herself. Thinking he should calm Se-kyung down too, Song Yi-heon unwrapped the arms around his waist and said:

“Wait. I’ll bring some cheongsimhwan(relaxing medicine). Take it before you go.”

“Don’t go!”

Jae-min panicked.

“Stay here. Don’t leave, absolutely don’t leave. Don’t leave me behind.”

He tried to stand up but failed, slumping back down and frantically waving his arms.

“That bastard, that bastard is fvcking… psycho…”

His words tangled, and Jae-min buried his face in his hands again before collapsing onto the bed. He trembled uncontrollably, unable to calm down. Not understanding why he was acting like this, Song Yi-heon urged Se-kyung:

“Is he calling you a psycho?”

“Well, nothing new.”

Se-kyung shrugged.

* * *

At 11 PM, gentle breathing filled the room. Song Yi-heon carefully removed Se-kyung’s arm draped over his torso and pulled back the blanket. Quietly rustling so as not to wake the sleeping figures, he gathered his bag and tiptoed.