SMNTCERR, Chapter 68: Yellow #10.

   [Mother: Youngah, uncle passed away. – 11:32][1].

   [Mother: He will be buried on the 23rd, will you come back to have dinner together this evening? – 11:33].

   The short message made Jaeyoung feel worse. It meant that the family gathering in October would be more intense. Uncle was always the troublesome one, whether when he was alive or when he passed away. Just the thought of having to meet with the “blood relatives” made him feel even worse. But Jaeyoung replied with acknowledgement that he understood it.

   After finishing dinner and bathing, Jaeyoung removed all his earrings and changed into an outfit that would not be easily recognized. He prepared a black suit, clothes for three days, contacts, and the necessary food, and left the house at 2 o’clock in the afternoon.

   Jaeyoung started the car and called Sangwoo, but the other side did not answer. Sangwoo often kept his phone silent, so he rarely answered calls immediately.

   [Going out of town for three days – funeral – 14:02].

   He left a message and started his journey.

   After driving for three and a half hours, Jaeyoung arrived at his destination. He could smell the sea through the slightly opened window. It was still early for dinner, even though he was right by the sea. But this province was not romantically attractive at all. It felt as if a heavy stone was weighing down on him when he reached the area near the factory buildings.

   After checking in at the hotel his mother had booked, he left his belongings in the room and headed towards the room of the other party. He met his mother for the last time at the family gathering last year so this was the first time after seven months they had met. He heard a faint knock on the door, then the door opened, and a well-dressed boy appeared. Before opening the door wide with a smiling face.

   “Hello, Phii Jaeyoung!”

   “Hi.”

   Jaeyoung walked past the boy who greeted him with a ninety-degree bow and entered the room. His surname was Jang, while the boy’s surname was Park.

   Jaeyoung felt the distance between them with their different surnames.

   The mother sat at the dressing table in a black fishtail dress with offshoulder design. Both her outfit and makeup were beautifully done, like a bride.

   Jaeyoung smirked inside at the image that he didn’t know if he should mourn or shoot a gun to celebrate.

   “Youngah? You have arrived?”

   The young woman looked at herself in the mirror and then turned to look at Jaeyoung. She looked so young and handsome that it was hard to believe she would be turning fifty next year. As Jaeyoung approached, she examined his face and outfit as if inspecting. Then she shrugged and hugged him, patting his back a few times.

   “Son, you’re becoming more handsome as you grow up.”

   “What happened to Uncle?”

   “The blood vessels in his brain burst, and his heart almost stopped. He is usually so dramatic. I’ve been thinking that it has to be like this.”

   Jaeyoung paused before pulling away from his mother’s embrace and stepped back a little. Then his younger brother ran in and hugged their mother. She patted the child’s shoulder and examined her own appearance in the mirror.

   “How about your studies? How are they going?”

   “Just as I said.”

   “Are you finally going to graduate?”

   “Yeah.”

   “What is with that apathetic expression? Joo Hyuk seems to have entered a prosecutor training institution as well. If you graduate, your grandfather will probably make a big fuss again. If you finish this, will you continue studying abroad in the same country as before?”

   “Yeah.”

   “But make sure your grandpa doesn’t find out, okay?”

   Those words meant not to let relatives suspect anything. She patted her perfectly styled hair before examining her son’s face for any signs. She wiped the corner of his mouth and turned her gaze towards Jaeyoung.

   “Young-ah, your uncle died. You know that there will be a big fuss again.

   You yourself have earned a lot of points to earn a place with your grandfather.

   We don’t know what will happen.”

   Jaeyoung chuckled without saying anything. The eldest uncle inherited the grandfather’s business and was the one who received the most inheritance.

   Now he’s gone, and there will probably be a dispute over that division.

   “Is there enough money?”

   “Yeah.”

   “Hong, hasn’t he contacted you? Is he in Korea?”

   “I don’t know.”

   Jaeyoung tried to check his mobile phone but found no calls or messages.

   From Jang Jaehong, after checking his message reply saying “I understand.” From Sangwoo, he put his mobile phone back in his bag.

   “If there’s nothing else, I’ll leave.”

   “Um, let’s pay respects at the hospital first. Let’s meet for lunch at 1pm.

   Don’t be late, okay?”

   Jaeyoung turned around and heard the voice of a boy shouting after him,

   “Goodbye, Phii Jaeyoung!”

   Jaeyoung didn’t go to lunch late. Even if he was always late no matter where he went, there’s only one exception here.

   The lowest quality humans in the world gathered together in a grand hall illuminated by dim lights from crystal-decorated chandeliers hanging from the high white ceilings. Classical music was also being performed. Everyone sat around the large table without speaking. As soon as the old man entered, they all stood up and moved towards him. “Grandpa, why are you so strong? I miss you, grandpa. It’s been a while since you looked so young,” Jaeyoung sat in his usual place, looking at his mother’s son who was holding the old man’s hand.

   His grandfather was a gentleman of taste. His gray colored tailored suit looked great on his still strong figure, it was as sharp as a blade, matching his handmade black leather shoes. Below that, from his wristwatch, he displayed his high-quality cufflinks[2] which reflected his wealth, and on the finger of his left hand was a wedding ring that he never took off, despite his wife’s passing. His hair, which was mixed with white, was smoothly combed back. It’s not easy for someone over seventy years old to look this good.

   The old man sat down and swept his gaze around the large dining table. He loved the gathering of his large family, which included people from his own clan. His eyes glanced around the table, which had no one missing without a proper reason “everyone was present except for the funeral host, his wife’s large sister, his son-in-law who went to work in another province, and his two other nieces and nephews”, until he spotted Jaeyoung. Their eyes met and they exchanged playful glances.

   “Has the puppy come?”

   Jaeyoung walked over to the man with his arms crossed, smiling in his eyes. As he got closer, he smelled the familiar scent of cologne and the strong lingering smell of cigarettes that never changed since he was a child. Jaeyoung liked the scent of the other person. The warm and strong hug of his grandfather was different from his mother’s hug. With a sigh, he felt like he was transported back to his childhood.

   “Yes, I’m here now.”

   “I really miss you.”

   The man who never felt embarrassed to express his feelings whispered.

   “I feel the same way.”

   Jaeyoung spoke sincerely from his heart. This man is the only one he likes here. If it weren’t for his grandfather, Jaeyoung wouldn’t have to tread into this place. As he returned to his seat, the jealous eyes subtly glanced at his face.

   While the food was being served, the exchange of conversations followed the protocol. However, these were all insincere words. For example, “Still youthful, why did you come back so quickly?” The company lost a highly capable employee as a result. However, once the main course was served, nobody mentioned the person who had died. Because the hot-tempered and manipulative man was everyone’s enemy from the beginning. Even his grandfather didn’t like him.

   And so, This Kid Is Great phase arrived, or a period of promoting one’s own children. The three children of the old man brought their own children to show off and eagerly looked for any opportunity to impress. Among all these people, his mother was the most enthusiastic.

   “This child is very smart. I wonder if he is as smart as your grandfather. He also got into the Advanced Class. And he got into the first place too, you know.”

   “Oh, really? What is this child’s name then?”

   “His name is Soongmin. He died, now everyone should remember him, right?”

   The old grandfather valued his family and the importance of love, and he viewed the world in a democratic way. Therefore, he treated his married daughter as an outsider and did not care about relatives without the Shin surname.

   “When will Youngah go abroad to study?”

   The only exception was Jaeyoung, who came as the old man youngest’s daughter after divorcing. This grandfather had been watching him since he was a child because he looked so much like him. After the mother remarried, Jaeyoung’s position in the family became problematic. So his grandfather took him in and raised him at home, forming a bond.

   “In July.”

   “It won’t be long now. What should this old man do if he misses his puppy when he goes to America?”

   When his grandfather openly expressed his love, the sound of coughing increased from all directions. Then, various voices of praise followed, full of insincerity like “I really miss him”, “How can we wait until he finishes studying?”, “No matter where Jaeyoung goes, he will surely do well.”

   However, as soon as the grandfather left his seat temporarily, the atmosphere changed immediately.

   “So what have you been doing during this time?”

   An aunt who just got hair done in the mall asked, and the husband from the other party is a doctor. Their daughter is also a doctor and their son-in-law is also a doctor. As for their son, he is on his way to becoming a prosecutor. They all have a sense of superiority and arrogance. The older sister, who is both a sister and a cousin, wore branded clothes from head to toe and proudly said,

   “I heard that you were supposed to graduate last year.”

   “There are still things to catch up on, so I will continue my studies next semester.”

   The mother’s face that asked to keep this matter a secret began to wrinkle as Jaeyoung skillfully lied without feeling the need to do so.

   “So you’re still a student, huh? Our Joohyuk has been accepted into a training institute.”

   The uncle in-law thought his insult would leave Jaeyoung speechless, but

   Jaeyoung had undergone training like a pig or a dog. He was unaffected by such attacks.

   “If Joohyuk had gone to the military like me, then he would also be continuing studying like me.”

   “Seriously, look at this kid. How many kids can go straight to the military like this?”

   The Younger Sister in law helped to support him. Because her own son couldn’t pass the military exemption policy either. So Jaeyoung laughed and turned the conversation back.

   “There might be more people with diseases in their 20s. Your grandfather is still worried about how Eunsong can work with lung disease at this age.”

   The table went silent. Both Aunt and Aunt in-law did not withdraw their investments from this attack. Because their grandfather was a “nationalist.” He didn’t like it when his grandchildren took shortcuts to evade their responsibilities in protecting the country.

   “Jaeyoung, are you still doing that? Drawing pictures on the ceiling tiles.”

   Now it’s the youngest uncle who joined the group. This person is an alcoholic, not very bright, and always fails in every business attempt. Now he’s just a useless person working under the distribution company that his grandfather established.

   “Does this mean doing graffiti? I have been doing it as a hobby all the time, perhaps?”

   “After graduating, you might work drawing pictures in exchange for money. Why don’t you draw my face? Maybe you’d want payment for some pocket money.”

   The other party reached into his shirt pocket, took out a marker, and threw it in front of Jaeyoung. Jaeyoung replied without hesitation.

   “Uncle, maybe you can try selling phones to me. It’s time for me to change my phone, so I’m thinking whether to buy it or not to spare the waste of a salesman.”

   Then the uncle cursed him, saying, “You useless brat.” His daughter and son quickly grabbed his arms to hold him back. The aunt also helped, saying that it’s because he has diluted family blood. Even though his mother’s face turned pale with anger, she was oppressed in every aspect. Age, assets, and social status. In a place filled with only strong people like this, her right to speak almost didn’t exist.

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[1]      Young-ah comes from  ”Young,” which is a nickname for Jaeyoung, and “Ah” “아”  is a suffix used to call family members or close friends. It’s used at the end  of a spelled name.

[2]      Cufflinks, one of the accessories for men, are used to connect the cuffs of a shirt instead of using buttons.

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SMNTCERR, Chapter 67: Yellow #9.

   After finishing their meal, both of them got up without saying anything.

   Jaeyoung looked at Sangwoo, who took out a black debit card from his wallet at the corner of the table to pay for the meal. Although everything belonging to the other party, including the wallet, clothes, hat, wristwatch, and sneakers, looked clean but old, it seemed that the guy was not picky, but just not extravagant.

   “Come on, let’s go together.”

   At the restaurant entrance, Jaeyoung held Sangwoo’s arm before the other party could leave. They looked at each other. The other party tried to speak first with a hesitant expression, but no matter what, he would refuse, after going here and there with Sangwoo for several months. Jaeyoung began to be able to force the other party, speaking calmly.

   “You threw my shirt yesterday, didn’t you?”

   “So what?”

   “If so, I guess I have to buy more clothes.”

   “I guess so.”

   “I’ll go buy it now, and you have to come and see if it suits me.”

   His expressionless face suddenly turned into a frown. Jaeyoung guessed what the other party was thinking before smiling and reassuring him.

   “If I buy something strange and waste money, you have to take responsibility for it.”

   “What are you talking about?”

   Sangwoo frowned at Jaeyoung before widening his eyes and thinking of something. The other party remained silent for a moment before speaking up.  “I understand. If we’re going, let’s hurry up.”

   Jaeyoung was surprised by his good luck that exceeded his expectations, and walked towards the nearby shopping mall with Sangwoo, who was grinning from ear to ear. This was the first time he had seen the other party show off his good mood. Jaeyoung was intrigued.

   “You’re funny, hyung.” Sangwoo chuckled as they crossed the zebra crossing.

   “Why?”

   “I just asked you to buy it for me. There’s no need to beat around the bush like that.”

   “…”

   “I already said I’ll buy it for you. Do you think I’m lying?”

   Jaeyoung couldn’t control his facial expression and covered his mouth, laughing quietly.

   “Come on, let’s go. I’ll buy myself some nice clothes.”

   The young man jogged to catch up with Sangwoo, who was walking briskly ahead.

   Since it was a weekend, the shopping mall was crowded. Sangwoo, who looked like a student, didn’t seem to fit in with the perfume and cosmetics stores that were bustling behind them, so they climbed down the escalator to the sports equipment and casual wear zone on the third floor.

   After walking in and out of a few stores and scanning their surroundings, Jaeyoung dragged Sangwoo into a jeans outlet before being scolded for looking at jeans despite leaving his t-shirt behind. He quickly looked for a pair of usable jeans, looking for bright colors as the main criteria. When he picked out a pair of gray jeans that were almost white, Sangwoo’s facial expression didn’t seem to be pleased.

   “What’s wrong with these?”

   “The knee is torn.”

   “Just that?”

   Although it was a small flaw that was almost invisible, the other party always seemed to notice it and was dissatisfied. Jaeyoung gave up on that pair of jeans and looked for another, but no matter which one he picked, there was always some defect, such as an odd-shaped pocket or a stiff zipper.

   “Here, this one is okay.”

   “That one is okay too.”

   He picked up a plain beige pair of trousers and a black denim pair, draped them over his arm, and prepared to tell the cashier to ring them up. Meanwhile, Jaeyoung was left gaping at a particular pair of pants that caught his eye.

   They were a light blue pair of slim-fit jeans that resembled the color of the sky. He measured them with his eyes and quickly inspected every part of them – one button, no rips or tears, a normal pocket, and the stitching looked tight and good. If he folded the pants a little to reveal the ankle, it felt like blood was rushing to his head. Jaeyoung was excited and quickly went into the fitting room to change and show the other party.

   “Sangwoo! Sangwoo! Look at this, is this pretty?”

   Sangwoo, who was hugging his chest and looking elsewhere, walked closer and looked at Jaeyoung’s lower half.

   “It’s too bright… but it’s okay for you to wear. But it seems a bit small, buy one size bigger than this.”

   This was considered a special permission… Jaeyoung smiled and went back to change his clothes and came out again holding the three pants to the cashier. Sangwoo took out his card and made a gesture to hand it over. Jaeyoung pushed his arm to the side and handed his own credit card to the salesperson.

   “What’s going on?”

   “You will be buying something more expensive.”

   Sangwoo’s face turned sour, but there was no time now… Jaeyoung grabbed the other party’s shoulder, and they headed to another store. After walking past several stores without finding anything, they arrived at a high-quality Tshirt store. There were various T-shirts hanging on racks, walls, and mannequins. Jaeyoung grabbed Sangwoo’s shoulder, who seemed uninterested in this store, and directed him to look at the hanging T-shirts.

   “You should look too, maybe there’s something you can wear.”

   “Anything looks good on you.”

   He didn’t mean it that way. Jaeyoung kept picking out T-shirts one after another – a red T-shirt, a cute T-shirt with a pocket on the chest, a formal Tshirt with buttons, and a yellow T-shirt that reminded him of a baby chick. Although he wanted to make the other party try on every T-shirt, Sangwoo criticized everything Jaeyoung picked out.

   “There’s too much pattern.”

   “The sleeves are weird.”

   “It’s too short.”

   “Too thick.”

   “Too thin.”

   The other party argued and refused to cooperate as expected. Jaeyoung couldn’t help but pick out two or three white T-shirts, sorting out the ones that were too thin or too thick, had faded patterns, or missing stitches, until only one white V-neck T-shirt was left. Jaeyoung examined the T-shirt carefully. It was made of good quality fabric, had a comfortable design that revealed his collarbone, and had black lines around the deep neckline.

   ‘Is this the shirt made for Chu Sangwoo?’

   Jaeyoung tried the shirt on Sangwoo’s body. Then he immediately picked up a green and red striped shirt of the same design and paid for it. This time, Sangwoo missed the opportunity to pay again. Once out of the store, he complained quietly.

   “Why did you bring me here if it’s going to be like this?”

   “You’re the carry thing one.” Jaeyoung replied, sending all the shopping bags to Sangwoo. Although he had a dissatisfied expression, Sangwoo took the bag and followed quietly, checking the time on his phone. His heart was getting hotter. Jaeyoung walked into a large men’s clothing brand store and explored the men’s section.

   “Welcome! May I know which style you prefer?”

   The male staff walked over to greet them cheerfully. When Sangwoo pointed to Jaeyoung, the staff said that there was a suitable item for the customer and took out various styles from the shelf.

   “What style are you interested in?”

   “I want something that looks good.”

   “Then, how about this one? This is the most popular short-legged underwear style among teenagers nowadays. It is made of special fine fiber fabric, has a good butt-lifting effect, and feels tight. The edge has a highlight.

   Touch the fabric. It feels very sexy, doesn’t it? I think it suits you very well.”

   Jaeyoung turned to look at Sangwoo, who had been standing far away without pointing or moving. When he was sure that the other party was not going anywhere, he pulled out the short-legged underwear that the staff handed over to him. It was a good quality underwear with no highlights other than the brand name embroidered on the edge. The fabric was smooth and comfortable to wear. Jaeyoung aimed at the underwear before speaking hesitantly.

   “You are quite big down there. Is this not too small?”

   Although the staff looked at him like he was crazy, he recommended size L. After paying for a set of five underwear, he threw the box to Sangwoo, who took it and put it in the bag.

   “Why did you buy pants? And taking my stuff should be enough.”

   “It’s my business.”

   With little time left, while feeling regretful and preparing to leave, Jaeyoung was stopped in front of the wall of the store full of baseball caps, making it impossible for him to pass by casually. Jaeyoung dragged Sangwoo, who was looking at his wristwatch, to stop in front of the paradise of caps.

   “Choose quickly, please.”

   “There are already so many caps. Should I buy something else?”

   What did he expect from the other party? Jaeyoung looked at the display shelf carefully, cutting out logos of big baseball teams, special shapes, cutting them out, too flashy colors, cutting them out, black caps are worn every day.

   Cut them out, cut them out, cut them out, so there were only a few caps left.

   “What about this one?”

   Jaeyoung picked up the white snapback cap on top to look at it. Although there was an abbreviation of the name of the baseball team pinned on it, it was difficult to see because it was white like the background if the fabric was not too thin or too thick, and the shape was beautiful.

   “What about this one?”

   “It’s okay.”

   “Really?”

   Although he chose his clothes confidently, knowing Sangwoo’s size well, for the cap, it was difficult to guess without trying it on. Jaeyoung quickly took off the black cap before Sangwoo could refuse and put on the white cap.

   ‘What is it?’

   Jaeyoung stared at Sangwoo standing still, just changing the color of the cap, he felt that the appearance of the other party looked fresher. Although it seemed a bit big, just adjusting the snapback strap should be fine.

   “It suits you well, it’s cute.”

   Jaeyoung tried to persuade himself that he wanted to hug the person in front of him right now. Then he took off the cap again, quickly paid and stuffed the cap into a bag. Meanwhile, Sangwoo only looked at his wristwatch with an uneasy face.

   “All set. Let’s go now.”

   “You must be rich. You can buy unnecessary clothes like this all at once.”

   “It’s necessary.”

   Sangwoo laughed and teased openly, making those who wore tight sevenpiece shirts and three-piece pants feel ridiculous. Hearing his words, they must have felt amused. Now, there were only thirty minutes left before parttime work began. They hurriedly descended the stairs to the first floor, secretly thinking that the other party might crack a joke about what they were wearing, but Sangwoo did not say anything except for opening an app on his phone to check the bus schedule.

   “My legs hurt so much, please hail me a taxi.”

   “Did the person with the sore legs walk around shopping for clothes for an hour and a half?”

   Jaeyoung pretended to be sick with a pitiful face, he coughed for a moment, and when he straightened up, he met Sangwoo who was staring at him smoking.

   “Is it only your legs? How about your lungs, with all that screaming last night.”

   “[Ka-hk]! Ka… ugh!”

   “Are you really not feeling well?”

   “Ugh.”

   “It’s okay. I can’t help you anyway.”

   Sangwoo stood on the roadside and hailed a taxi himself before turning to call Jaeyoung to get in the car. When they got in the car, he saw the other party trying to leave, so he pulled the other’s arm and brought him into the taxi.

   Jaeyoung quickly closed the door and told the driver to head to the train station near the game store. Then the taxi started moving. Sangwoo sat up from where he was lying on the seat and complained.

   “Huh. Really… Why are you so irritable today? And I keep speaking ambiguously.”

   “Why?”

   “I know that you hyung is always like this, but today you are worse than usual.”

   It’s no use. When he thought there was no time left, he became impatient. Jaeyoung leaned back on the seat with a bitter feeling. When he looked at the bag of clothes, he suddenly felt suffocated. This was not enough. Jaeyoung wanted to give Sangwoo more than this.

   “Sangwooya.”

   “What’s wrong?”

   “Nothing.”

   He rubbed his wrist with a calm face before turning away.

   Jaeyoung wanted to try choosing a long coat for Sangwoo to wear in the autumn, a down jacket for him to wear when climbing mountains in the winter, and a cardigan for him to wear in the fruit leaf season. He wanted to buy various types of sneakers, in various colors, and from various brands for the smallfooted person like a child to wear. He wanted to take the other party to a hair salon and try different hairstyles.

   “I had noodles today. Next time, I want to eat Jampang [1], a ten-dish set, Peking duck, curry, Burmese tea leaf salad, Budae [2] steamed fish, I want to eat them all together. Just thinking about it, Jaeyoung felt breathless.”

   “But today was a good surprise.”

   “What?”

   “It’s a real holiday, but so many people like to dress up and gather together.

   I was surprised.”

   Jaeyoung smiled slightly and glanced at Sangwoo. Sangwoo sat still, then raised his hand above his head and pulled Jaeyoung’s hand down to hold it. When the other party naturally intertwined their fingers, the sadness and regret they received from that party yesterday were erased. Jaeyoung looked out the window with a calm face, but his expectations made his heart beat faster. If this isn’t a taxi, he would probably park the car now. Then he pushed the other party to lie down and kissed him.

   “Being with you hyung, it feels like I’ve tried something new all the time, because when I bought clothes with my mom, it didn’t take this long.”

   “So is it good or not?”

   “There are good and bad and if I have to be honest… Oh, we’re here. I’ll get off here.”

   Jaeyoung didn’t hear the word “good” because the taxi arrived near the internet cafe. Sangwoo opened his wallet, took out two ten-thousand won bills, and handed them to the taxi driver.

   “This is for the fare. Please send this person home.”

   After speaking, he handed two ten-thousand won bills to Jaeyoung.

   “This is for the T-shirt. I’ll go now.”

   The other party is also meticulous. Jaeyoung took the money and put it in his wallet before putting all the shopping bags in Sangwoo’s hand.

   “These are all yours, take them.”

   “What?”

   “I bought them for you to wear.”

   Sangwoo was half-standing and half-sitting at the open taxi door, looking at the shopping bag without putting it down, and then looked at Jaeyoung with a tense face.

   “No, I can’t accept this. Take it back.”

   “You sound like Geum Jan Di [3].”

   Jaeyoung took out several torn receipts from his pants pocket and pushed Sangwoo out with the shopping bag.

   “That’s for last night’s accommodation, have a good rest.”

   Then he closed the door in front of Sangwoo, whose face was painted with shock until he couldn’t speak. After giving his address, the taxi drove away again. Outside the window, the silhouette of Sangwoo, who looked like a broken robot, gradually receded until the image of the other party became small and insignificant. Jaeyoung then turned his gaze away from the window and sat up straight, the sense of relief and disappointment he felt last night fading away unnoticed.

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[1]           Jampang, spicy seafood soup noodles.

[2]           Budaegiji-gae, Korean hot pot.

[3]           Geum Jan-di, the heroine of the Korean drama “Boys Over Flowers”, F4, Korean version.

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SMNTCERR, Chapter 66: Yellow #8.

   ‘Are we going to be fuck buddies?’

   ‘Yes.’

   ‘Um, well… let’s try it out.’

   There wasn’t really any problem at first, but it was clear that it was too good to be true. However, when he thought about Sangwoo possibly starting a relationship with someone else in the future, he felt so bad that he couldn’t stand it.

   Jaeyoung felt a strong contradiction with his own feelings, causing him to have a headache. As Sangwoo said they went back and forth to vent their emotions and drain their balls with each other, that was the reality. On the other hand, the confusion that Jaeyoung was feeling now was different, it was an error.

   “Are you leaving now?”

   Sangwoo looked at Jaeyoung with a puzzled expression. Seeing his face, it seemed like he was going to leave. No matter how you looked at it, he seemed like a child who wasn’t mature enough to have love. I don’t know anything about the complex emotional exchange between humans, even if Jaeyoung explained his feelings right now. The other party probably wouldn’t understand anything.

   “Are you going to go?”

   But as he met Sangwoo’s gaze, Jaeyoung felt like his anger was slowly fading away. Even though the other party’s words were not pleasant to hear, it was due to ignorance, so he couldn’t blame Chu Sangwoo. Besides, the other party didn’t say anything that was unreasonable.

   ‘Is it really possible? How can we tie one person to us?’

   Generally, love is said to have a lifespan of six months before it expires. In Jaeyoung’s case, it was much shorter. There were countless relationships that ended within a month. Although this type of relationship was never experienced before, he knew that even the intense feelings he was experiencing now would soon fade away. If that was the case, it would be good for Sangwoo himself to not have any unrealistic expectations and believe that what he was feeling was a feeling that he had never experienced before, and that it was a love that fate was predetermined.

   It must be calm, clear, and not cross the line.

   But this is not the time to worry about others. Sometimes, people are caught up in a dream and believe that what they are feeling is something they have never experienced before, and it may be a love that fate has predetermined, even if it may be for themselves. Jaeyoung felt a bitter taste in his mouth after just brushing his teeth.

   Something in the middle. Not all, proceed, or stop. A yellow light that is not green or red. Jaeyoung did not like anything that was ambiguous like that.

   ‘Just interested in the feeling right now is enough.’

   Jaeyoung slowly lay down again before raising his hand to stroke Sangwoo’s smooth face and planting a kiss on his forehead. The other side looked suspicious.

   “Don’t worry about the future, just think about the present.”

   “I’m not like some people.”

   “That’s funny. And I don’t know what someone like that would do to me when he is naked.”

   “That’s because I was tricked by you, hyung.”

   “So what. Do you feel regret?”

   Sangwoo looked into Jaeyoung’s eyes and shook his head slowly before leaning in for another embrace. Jaeyoung took a deep breath and used his palm to stroke the other’s back and shoulders, instead of worrying about the future that he didn’t know how it would be, he chose to live in the present, that is

   Jaeyoung’s way of life. At this moment, he wanted to do everything for Sangwoo.

   “Sangwoo-ya.”

   “Yes.”

   “You don’t want anything? just my sneakers, watch, and hat.”

   “No, just bring the hat I left in the car last Friday.”

   “Or something else, graphics card, monitor, portable hard drive.”

   “That’s enough. People who don’t know about computers will not be involved in anything, and the seniors don’t know how expensive it is.”

   “…”

   The conversation ended there. Sangwoo probably wanted to sleep.

   Jaeyoung closed his eyes, his body exhausted from the intense love making.

   “I want Veggie Venturer to be successful.”

   In that context, Sangwoo suddenly perked up, as if it was the answer to the question of what he wanted. Jaeyoung hesitated before answering.

   “Based on what we’ve done so far, the output [1] can be used.”

   “That’s not enough. It has to be popular and accepted by people.”

   That was a strange statement, because in reality, indie games cannot expect market results and therefore it is difficult to sell a lot. It is enough to use it to enhance the quality of the portfolio, but why does someone who never wanted anything become obsessed with gaining popularity in the market?

   “Why though?”

   Sangwoo hesitated to answer. He probably didn’t want to answer anymore, but he knew that if he kept being asked, he would eventually give in, especially when Jaeyoung was about to ask again. So, Sangwoo continued, “Because it’s a game that I made with you. When I think about it, I feel really good that it was a huge success and was well-received as intended. I want to feel that way again.”

   “What is it? Do you think I’ll be impressed by you talking like that?”

   But judging from the feeling in his chest, he was probably really impressed.

   Jaeyoung already knew that Chu Sangwoo, who didn’t understand romantic relationships in the way of couples, liked him in his own way, including saving pictures, playlists, remembering eye contact and shoe sizes, as well as being obsessed with work beyond necessity, not just because of his tendency to cling to perfection.

   Jaeyoung grabbed Sangwoo’s chin and kissed him on the same organ, the skin of his lips that had been relentlessly rubbed all night, still soft and moist as before. He kissed and sucked lightly, kissing, kissing, kissing. Then Sangwoo smiled and closed his eyes.

   He changed his gaze to the shape of his lips, which had changed slightly. Then he kissed loudly, kissing, kissing. Once again, he found that Sangwoo’s hand was holding Jaeyoung’s cheek, and the tongues of both were intertwined, along with the changed lips. The gentle bird kiss [2]turned into a passionate French kiss. He didn’t know if it was the feeling or the desire that made the sensation that arose from the touch hotter than the body temperature. Jaeyoung was once again obsessed with Sangwoo with a confused feeling, while thinking that today’s performance left him sated, but the feeling of wanting another round with Sangwoo was still compressed in his stomach.

   Sangwoo, who had spoken like that about being human and having enough sex for today, forgot his own words and set his mind to draw Jaeyoung’s tongue, and the tongues of both were intertwined, along with the changed lips. The romantic kiss lasted longer than expected. Jaeyoung pushed Sangwoo away before the stimulated emotions became too intense. The other party licked his lips with a regretful expression that showed through his eyes. He then used his finger to wipe the saliva from the corner of Sangwoo’s mouth.

   “I guess I’m not human. I lack human qualities.”

   Jaeyoung smiled and pinched Sangwoo’s nose with his finger.

   “It’s a shame that we’ve run out of condoms.”

   “Should I go buy some?”

   “You won’t be able to walk tomorrow, but if you want to go, go ahead.”

   “I’ll have someone at work get them for us. I’ll think about paying them.”

   He had to hold onto the person who responded to the joke tightly so that the other party wouldn’t leave. Although Jaeyoung was in a state of reduced human qualities, he didn’t even have the strength to move one arm, so he wanted to sleep.

   “Good night.”

   Sangwoo ran his fingers through Jaeyoung’s hair before planting a soft kiss on his forehead. Jaeyoung’s lips curved into a wide smile, as if the man he was dating like to imitate whatever he encountered. Jaeyoung squirmed quietly, avoiding Sangwoo’s gaze as he lay on his back, staring at the ceiling, afraid that if he spoke what was on his mind right now, he would be kicked out of the room with just his pants on.

   “Sangwoo-ya.”

   “…Yes.”

   The other side replied with a half-asleep, half-awake voice.

   If he said what was in his head right now, he would definitely run out of the room in just his underwear. Jaeyoung curled up quietly and pulled Sangwoo, who was lying on his back staring at the ceiling to sleep, into a hug.

   ⌘W.

   When he woke up in the morning, Jaeyoung felt a throbbing headache. He looked up at the ceiling, which was blurry and flickering, and when he turned his head to the side, he caught Sangwoo’s gaze, who had propped his chin on his arm and was looking at him.

   ‘I guess we should stay here. Really.’

   When he looked at the clock on the wall, it was already eleven o’clock.

   “Did you sleep well?”

   “I’m so tired that I slept like a log and didn’t feel anything.”

   “Are you feeling better today?”

   “I don’t feel great, but I’m not so bad that I can’t move.”

   Jaeyoung felt both nauseous and had a headache. He wasn’t in a state to worry about anyone else, so he drank a little alcohol, not much, but mixed several things together and was still energetic all night.

   It seemed like he was about to faint without realizing it. Sangwoo, who was curious about his expression, asked.

   “What’s wrong?”

   “I have a headache.”

   “Then go home and rest.”

   It seemed like the other party was trying to drive him out of his own space, but he didn’t want to separate from the person in front of him. Jaeyoung pondered for a moment before finding an excuse.

   “Can you buy me lunch?”

   “Why should I buy you lunch?”

   “I did so well yesterday, so you have to repay me, right? Yesterday, you rushed me and said, ‘Hyung’ go deeper. It was…”

   Sangwoo jumped up on the bed and eagerly covered his mouth. Jaeyoung took the opportunity to hug him and speak softly.

   “Look, you’re in the mood for another round again this morning. Let me find something to eat first before doing anything else. Don’t you know why the mistress gave food to the salvage[3]?”

   “It’s not like that!”

   Sangwoo frowned and slipped out of bed before stalking away to another corner of the room to speak.

   “I understand. Yesterday… well… it was good, so I’ll feed you from now on.”

   Jaeyoung smiled and walked to the bathroom, taking a quick shower before getting dressed and realizing that he had left his T-shirt behind. As for his pants, he couldn’t find them.

   “Where did you hide my pants?”

   “I have taken them to the laundry..”

   “Really? You’re like a carpenter who stole the wings of a goddess [4], but you did nothing wrong.”

   “You’re so kind, keep acting like this. What’s the difference between you and a python that ate the farmer who saved its life, right?”

   The other party frowned. Jaeyoung walked to the hanger and examined the few clothes that he could wear. He felt familiar with the hanger because he had seen it often.

   While he was examining the colorless clothes on the hanger, Sangwoo moved closer and spoke with a serious expression.

   “If you borrow it this time, you have to return it. Do you understand?

   Promise me.”

   “I understand.”

   Jaeyoung replied without thinking and picked out a dark green shirt and black linen pants. He looked at the tag and found that the pants were size 32 and the shirt was size 105 ‘L’ he didn’t know why the size was M, but he liked to wear oversized clothes like this.

   “Don’t you have a white T-shirt?”

   “I don’t buy white shirts because they get dirty easily.”

   ‘It would look really good on him.’

   He complained inwardly as he put his legs into the pants. Once he put on the straight-leg pants, he felt like a nerd. The shirt that used to look loose and sloppy on Sangwoo now fits perfectly on Jaeyoung’s shoulders. The young man unbuttoned his cuffs and rolled up his sleeves twice. Once he tucked in his shirt and looked at himself, he realized that he didn’t look too bad.

   Sangwoo pursed his lips slightly and looked at Jaeyoung admiringly. He already knew what style the other party liked. If he dressed formally or neatly without glasses, the other party would look at him like that all the time.

   “You can stop staring now. You’re going to make a hole.”

   “…It doesn’t look like my clothes.”

   “Hope you like it. Want to go once more?”

   As he moved closer and placed his hand on his waist, Sangwoo’s face turned red and he looked angry.

   “No time! I have to hurry up and eat before going to my part-time job.”

   “Just put it on quickly, be confident.”

   “Crazy, why do that?”

   As he leaned in and whispered in his ear, Sangwoo pushed him away hard before walking away towards the door.

   When they came out of the apartment, the sun was shining in the middle of the sky. The weather was clear and hot like summer, they walked together on the main road before hailing a taxi.

   Jaeyoung pulled Sangwoo to sit on the back seat and sat next to him, telling the driver their destination. Then he leaned back and lightly touched the hand of the person next to Sangwoo, without shaking his hand, just looking straight ahead without saying anything.

   They went to eat at the Vietnamese noodle shop where Jaeyoung was a regular. Jaeyoung ordered beef noodles while Sangwoo ordered fried rice.

   After drinking hot soup, he felt better.

   “It’s better like this.”

   Jaeyoung leaned back in his chair and looked up at the yellow ceiling before turning his gaze to the person sitting in front of him, wearing a cap like a singer, a checkered shirt that was a highlight of the engineering student’s dark jeans that he wondered when it was made. He looked past the clothing and looked at the person wearing it instead.

   The other person was eating with a focused expression, closing his mouth tightly while chewing on the left cheek, then the right cheek. The person in front of him was just eating, but he couldn’t take his eyes off him. If he ate a little messily, he might have touched his cheek, claiming to wipe it off, but the other person was not clumsy, so that wouldn’t happen. At that moment, Sangwoo raised his head slightly and made eye contact with Jaeyoung.

   “Why?”

   Jaeyoung scooped a spoonful of Sangwoo’s bowl without saying anything and ate a bite, seeing the other person eating with a calm expression. He thought the taste was not bad, but the spicy chicken fried rice was the only dish with a good taste.

   “How’s the taste?”

   “I don’t know. The spice smell is too strong.”

   “I mean, do you want to eat more?”

   “Um… yes.”

   “So it’s delicious, huh?”

   “It’s not just that.”

   Sangwoo spoke with his mouth full and started eating again. Jaeyoung let the other party eat, while he finished his own noodles. He had a good plan. If he wanted to act before Sangwoo went to his part-time job, he had to hurry.

   ____________________________________.

[1]      Output. Information, product, or something obtained from the production process that is exported from the computer circuit to display on peripheral devices, such as a monitor.

[2]      Bird, kiss. A light kiss that makes a “smooch” sound like when a bird pecks.

[3]      Why did the woman give rice to the salvage? It comes from a vintage drama, which is about a woman who shared food among male slaves to show her interest and desire for a relationship.

[4]      The Carpenter Who Stole the Fairy’s Wings. It comes from a story about a carpenter who stole the wings of a fairy in hopes of keeping her as his wife.

      SMNTCERR CHAPTERS HOME

 

SMNTCERR, Chapter 65: Yellow #7.

   “We should be done now. I feel like I’ve lost a little bit of my humanity.”

   Sangwoo wiped his wet hair with a towel and prepared the bed because right after he came the second time. Then he went to take a shower and was pushed by the other party against the wall for another round. Jaeyoung thought that he had emptied everything and there was nothing left in his balls.

   “That’s it, stop jumping and egging me.”

   “That is funny, we had sex together and cummed together, why do you point fingers at me?”

   Sangwoo spoke boldly, wearing only pants and a patterned pajama set, ready to sleep. Jaeyoung looked at the other person before moving closer and using his thumb to trace the red mark on Sangwoo’s neck. Sangwoo didn’t like the aroused look on his face and threw a towel at him.

   “Go far away.”  “Just looking.”

   “Don’t believe it. Earlier, you said you just wanted to help me rubbing soap.”

   “Oh, did you attain enlightenment? Why do people who see the truth like this act like that in the bathroom, huh, hyung, fuck me… Faster, faster.”

   “Get out of my house now.”

   Jaeyoung laughed at those words. He didn’t take them seriously. Sangwoo stepped into the bathroom, put toothpaste on his brush, and held it in his mouth.

   “Can I have a toothbrush?”

   “Go back to your place and use yours.”

   “If I don’t brush now, it’ll be dirty.”

   Sangwoo just looked at the comb in Jaeyoung’s hair and continued brushing his teeth. Jaeyoung pretended to be lazy and said:

   “If you don’t give it to me, I’ll just use yours. It’s no big deal.”

   Sangwoo rolled his eyes with an annoyed face before picking up a toothbrush that hadn’t been opened yet and throwing it to Jaeyoung.

   “Spoiled.”

   Jaeyoung opened the toothbrush and put toothpaste on it before standing next to Sangwoo. Sangwoo stood straight like a soldier who had just finished training, unlike Jaeyoung who leaned against the wall with one hand. As they passed each other in the mirror, Jaeyoung playfully winked, but Sangwoo pretended not to see it. He had already switched to his “normal” mode.

   After Sangwoo left, Jaeyoung was the only one left in the empty bathroom. This was the first time he had ever seen such a simple bathroom. There was only a toothbrush, toothpaste, a roll of tissue, soap, and shampoo.

   Let’s think about it. Everything in this room is like this: one chair, one bowl of rice, one glass of water, and one set of spoon and chopsticks, as if to show the style of the owner who doesn’t easily welcome anyone.

   When he finished brushing their teeth, Jaeyoung put his toothbrush in the same glass as Sangwoo’s. Then he felt that the bathroom looked a little less empty than before.

   Exiting the bathroom, he found himself face to face with Sangwoo who was sweeping the room. On the other side, he picked up scattered rubber condom and rubber packets and threw them away before picking up the red geometric patterned Neo Prin shirt [1] that Jaeyoung had worn for consideration. The tight-necked shirt was stained with sweat and white smudges of cum.

   “I guess I’ll have to throw it away.”

   “I’m partly responsible, I’ll buy you a new one.”

   “No need.”

   “It’s okay. I’ll pay for the damages, about 20,000 won[2] right?”

   That was Jaeyoung’s most beloved shirt, which was ten times more expensive. It was also a limited edition that could no longer be purchased, but he didn’t say anything. When he finished cleaning the room, Sangwoo drank a glass of water before looking at Jaeyoung.

   “Can I borrow your shirt?”

   Jaeyoung now only had a towel around his waist. He searched in the drawer and took out Sangwoo’s pants quietly, even though he complained about wearing the same one he wore last time. But he let it pass.

   “You can’t go back like this, can you?”

   “I’ll stay and go back later.”

   “Who’s told you that you will be staying?”

   Sangwoo grumbled and lay down on the bed. It was almost three o’clock now. For Jaeyoung, who often stayed up late, it might not be a big deal, but for Sangwoo, it was time to sleep. Jaeyoung turned off the light before slipping under the blanket.

   “Are you serious?”

   “Uh.”

   “But this bed is for one person only, it can’t hold the weight of…”

   “If it was going to break, it would have broken by now, how long have we been fucking around on this bed, come on, be quiet and lie down.”

   Jaeyoung pushed Sangwoo’s neck down to rest on his arm. Sangwoo blinked as if he was thinking about something, but in the end, he turned over and lay down on his side, as if giving up his thoughts. The other side lay with his eyes closed, as if trying to see through Sangwoo’s face. When they met eye to eye, his heart raced again. On a dark morning like this, for some reason, the other side only looked at him like that and refused to sleep. Jaeyoung gently brushed his wet hair and said,

   “Sangwooya.”

   “Yes.”

   “What are you thinking?”

   “…”

   “We have done even more embarrassing things together, what else do you have to be shy to say?”

   Sangwoo remained silent for a moment with a gloomy expression. Jaeyoung waited calmly. Then the other approached and hugged him tightly, causing his heart to race. Jaeyoung raised his hand and lightly stroked Sangwoo’s head. “I didn’t know I had this preference.” The other tightened the embrace.

   “This preference?”

   “Because I’ve never felt this good before. I was scared. Sometimes I thought it would be better not to get to know men.”

   Jaeyoung’s face suddenly turned into a cool smile. Not ‘Jang Jaeyoung’, but  ‘men.’ It was necessary to speak and destroy the atmosphere in times like this.

   But that was all. Chu Sangwoo probably didn’t know what he did wrong, and what the problem was.

   For a moment, Jaeyoung thought about explaining to Sangwoo in detail why he was upset, but he gave up because if he hoped for something more than this, all he would have was a commitment called dating. Jaeyoung wasn’t sure if he could convince someone who believed that dating should always lead to marriage that dating between men was right. Moreover…

   ‘In the end, won’t you still have to leave things off?’

   Yoona’s words flashed in his mind, and the exhaustion of looking towards the painful future made Jaeyoung uneasy. If they were ‘officially dating’, all the problems would probably be more complicated than they were now.

   “What are you thinking about?”

   It’s unclear how much time has passed… Sangwoo asked. Although this was the first time the other had asked such a question, Jaeyoung was too cool to feel sentimental and instead brought up another topic.

   “I’m wondering what month you were born in.”

   “October.”

   “What date?”

   “The first.”

   Jaeyoung chuckled a little. It was the 1001st [3]day from among the many dates there were. He thought he would never forget it.

   “It’s a good birthday for you.”

   “Why is that?”

   “The shape is proportional. Plus, it’s in binary.”

   Then the sound of laughter erupted immediately, ever since they started playing with the other party, this was the best response.

   “The way you think is really strange, hyung.”

   Jaeyoung wanted to say that the word made him feel bad when he had to listen to Sangwoo. Then he hugged tighter.

   “Is there anything you want as a birthday present?”

   “No.”

   While thinking that the other party had to answer like that, Sangwoo spoke as if it was not a big deal.

   “Why ask for no reason? Anyway, you will not be here anymore.”

   The arrow that he wanted to escape was still aimed at Jaeyoung’s head. Jaeyoung frowned. He did not understand why they had to talk about this after just spending quality time together, the silence that was suffocating for a long time, of course, Sangwoo probably did not think of anything special already. So it was frustrating for Jaeyoung alone, and he decided to break it straight.

   “Are you sad?”

   “There’s no reason to be sad. I think I should have done with the desire for men by then.”

   That answer made him feel worse than before.

   “Oh, do you think so?”

   “But I’m not sure if I will be successful or not. Think about the reason why you and I are doing this in the first place, Qing dynasty Generals, remember?”

   “…”

   “But I’m not sure if it’s successful or not. I’m still worried because it doesn’t seem to decrease the desire.”

   Jaeyoung didn’t know what to answer. No matter what meaningless things he heard, he could handle it well. Only this time he couldn’t solve the problem alone. When he saw Jaeyoung silent, Sangwoo continued.

   “It’s probably impossible, but suppose I still can’t handle it by then… I’ll just find someone else to replace you.”

   ‘He is getting too much. This kid.’

   Jaeyoung stood up and glared at Sangwoo. Even though he already knew that the other party was calm, cold and calculative, he knew that their temperatures were not the same, but when he heard it with his own ears, he felt like the blood in his body was freezing. ____________________________________.

   [1] Neoprene is a synthetic rubber blend fabric with high flexibility. [2] 20,000 won is approximately 600 baht.

   [3] 1001 comes from October 1st, because Korea writes dates in the yearmonth-day format.

      SMNTCERR CHAPTERS HOME

 

SMNTCERR, Chapter 64: Yellow #6.

The corners of their mouths pulled towards each other, and they leaned in without needing to say who restarted the kissing. They kissed each other and walked up the stairs, causing the lights on the ceiling that were once dim to shine brighter.

“Hah…hurry.”

Despite saying that, Jaeyoung pushed Sangwoo against the wall again before kissing him. Sangwoo, who was not yet prepared, looked rough and vulgar, which made the other party look seductive. One part of him wanted to hurry up and get to the room, but the other part wanted to have sex with the other party right here and now. These two desires clashed.

Therefore, it took a reasonable amount of time to get to the fourth floor. Although they were eager to get up, they couldn’t help but stand and kiss each other in front of the door for another moment before unlocking it.

Then, when they entered the cozy dark room, they both immediately threw themselves onto the bed. Sangwoo pushed Jaeyoung to lie down and then climbed on top of him, holding his cheeks in his hands, tucking his hair behind his ears, and pulling him in for a kiss. The bed that used to be firm and tense was now soft and yielding, and the hair on Jaeyoung’s neck stood up with excitement.

Sangwoo sucked on Jaeyoung’s neck and earlobes according to his heart’s desire. Jaeyoung was lulled by the person on top and rubbed his body against the hot body, using his fingertips to explore the silhouette of Silhouette that looked good in the dark, sliding down the smooth neck, slipping down to the muscle that occupied the area and then down to the firm denim of the jeans, squeezing and massaging the buttocks through the hard fabric, then climbing up to the inside of the leg and stopping in between the legs.

“Ah…”

The person on top nibbled on Jaeyoung’s ear and let out a moan, only touching through the thick fabric, but it was still hard enough to take shape.

This was evidence that the other party was also in the mood of hyper arousal.

He held onto that part tightly before unfastening the buckle with the desire to look at it with his own eyes.

As soon as Jaeyoung took off his pants and slid his hand to the underwear, Sangwoo wrapped his arms around Jaeyoung’s neck and buried his face in the nape. Jaeyoung used one hand to grope the buttocks while the other side rubbed the hardening cock. Sangwoo squeezed and twisted his body quietly, still grabbing Jaeyoung’s shirt and pulling it hard enough to reveal more than half of his shoulder.

Jaeyoung hugged Sangwoo and flipped over, the one who was flipped over suddenly revealed a surprised face. After pulling the other’s pants down to the thigh, he looked at the wet bulge in front of him for a moment before leaning down, tapping the edge of his lips against the bulge. Sangwoo was surprised and raised his shoulder, but Jaeyoung ignored it and pressed his tongue onto the thin fabric until it turned pale red.

“Wait. Um…let me take a shower first.”

Sangwoo made a move to get up, so Jaeyoung pressed him to lie down as before. When he pulled down the other’s underwear, he found the erect shaft that had no way to enter his mouth.

‘I never thought I’d have to suck someone else’s d*ck.’

Although he complained in his heart, in the end, Jaeyoung covered that part with his mouth.

“Ah…”

Jaeyoung’s face was dark and his eyes were confused, even the salty and tasteless taste was not an obstacle. The image that passed through the excitement swept away the resistance for a moment, making Sangwoo’s flesh look less disgusting, so he sucked it like he was eating delicious ice cream with a strong desire.

“Ah…it’s… ugh…”

He used his hand to stimulate the scrotum, and his tongue licked the part that was standing upright. When he bit the tip with his sharp teeth, the other side also leaned over and pulled the hair on the back of his head immediately.

Because they both knew what to do to feel good. Moreover, it was not just Sangwoo who had studied. Jaeyoung was well-prepared with theory and practice, and he worked hard, stiffening the tip of his tongue to stimulate the flesh, wrapping his mouth around the head, using his tongue to gently caress the soft end, swallowing deeply and sucking hard, and in the meantime, he didn’t forget to look at the other side.

Sangwoo looked at him with half-opened eyes, the eyes were filled with happiness and satisfaction. Jaeyoung knew well what the other side saw him in, and he intended it to be that way. He deliberately blinked slowly and flicked his tongue out, and then the hand that held his hair came out stronger, the rough touch rubbed against his cheek as if to slap him. Then the other side slid his hand to cover his eyes. Jaeyoung then wiped that hand away.

When he thought it was time… Jaeyoung hastened his pace and locked eyes with Sangwoo, while Sangwoo’s cock was entering his mouth and his lips tightly wrapped around his teeth, moving up and down, and suddenly a loud moan echoed.

“Ah, damn… it, uh…”

Although the person being stimulated was the other party, Jaeyoung didn’t know why he felt so hot and aroused. He felt like the cock that was in his pants was about to explode. One of Jaeyoung’s hands clasped with Sangwoo’s hand while the other held onto the other party’s leg tightly. As he moved up and down, Sangwoo kneeled and immediately thrust his hips forward.

“Did you learn that… somewhere?”

‘You’re talking nonsense again. You imaginative kid.’

Sangwoo’s movements became more violent. The other party pull

 

 

Jaeyoung’s hair and finally began to move his waist, causing the tip of the fluid that had a slightly salty taste to hit his palate hard. Sangwoo, who had awakened and fell into arousal completely, no longer felt embarrassed. Jaeyoung endured and held onto the other party’s hand tightly, even though the bones of that party collided with his chin hard.

The more violently Sangwoo moved, the more Jaeyoung felt like he was about to die. His lower body also moved up and down. He wanted to do more and almost went crazy. One of his hands on Sangwoo’s leg automatically tightened, and his blood boiled throughout his body.

At that moment, the violent movement stopped, and a loud moan echoed along with a fishy taste spreading in his mouth. Jaeyoung swallowed the evidence of cum release that Sangwoo left in his mouth along with the saliva that had been stuck and raised his upper body.

Sangwoo breathed heavily and used his arm to cover his eyes. Jaeyoung rushed into the other party, pulled out his arm, and gave him a kiss. He held the wet lips for a moment before letting go. Sangwoo looked at him with a confused face.

“Why… why did you become so skilled?”

“I just did it for the first time.”

“You’re lying.”

“Are you the only one who studied the theories? I studied too.”

He looked at the tired and distressed face and nervously moved his hand. Although a bit hesitant, Jaeyoung took off his shoes and threw them away before taking off Sangwoo’s sneakers. However, as he pulled down his pants and moved his lower body closer to the other person without thinking about it.

Jaeyoung suddenly realized a problem.

Oh, damn it.”

He closed his eyes tightly and rubbed his face with his palm. He came here with overwhelming desire, so he didn’t bring anything. If he were to go out to buy something at a convenience store, it would take another fifteen minutes. In the meantime, Chu Sangwoo must have lost his mood… If he asked him to do it again, he probably wouldn’t agree, but there was no other choice.

However, when Jaeyoung lifted his head again, he found Sangwoo standing there. The other man picked something up from the drawer and threw it onto the bed.

“…”

Jaeyoung followed his gaze to a small box with a heart pattern on it. When he saw the words ‘Extra Large XL’ he smiled involuntarily. It might not be his favorite brand, but he thought he might start liking it from today on. He tore open the package.

“Come here.”

Sangwoo walked over and sat down as instructed. He put on a condom and touched the wet cock with the liquid that had dripped, including the fingers. Then he smiled and squeezed the gel before pushing the other person down to examine the buttocks. Sangwoo no longer refused, unlike at first when he looked scared. The bright light that shone on his face revealed even his second arousal expectations.

Jaeyoung moved his body closer to the other person’s lower body and spread his buttocks. Sangwoo shuddered lightly and turned his face away when Jaeyoung saw the twitching hold. As he inserted his finger, he squeezed it tightly inside as before, adding more gel and exploring carefully. He knew exactly where to touch the other person to make him feel good. As he touched that spot, the other person’s hip jerked as expected, and his toes curled up.

Stay calm, or it will hurt.”

He held Sangwoo’s knee tightly and moved his finger in and out. Inside, it was still tight like before, and he explored it carefully until he found the right spot. As he touched it, the area around the hip jerked as expected, and Sangwoo’s toes stiffened.

Jaeyoung leaned his upper body down and tapped Sangwoo’s chest, winking at the other side and then extending his finger. As he began thrusting in and out more and more precisely and lightly caressing, Sangwoo’s eyes closed tightly, and the touch of his fingertips pressing repeatedly made his body that had once been calm and still slowly rise up and press against his abdomen.

“Hyuuuung…”

Jaeyoung leaned his upper body down and pressed his face against Sangwoo’s chest, then spread his fingers out. As he began to thrust in and out more directly and rubbed gently, Sangwoo closed his eyes tightly. The dryness in his mouth and the suppressed desire made him feel like he was going crazy, but he had to endure it for now.

“Jaeyoung-hyunghim…”

The result was a healthy piece of flesh that was standing up and dripping with slippery mucus from Sangwoo. The other man’s hand was rubbing Jaeyoung’s chest, and his shirt was shaking with urgency.

“Don’t just rub… hurry…”

“Why? What do you want me to do?”

The hoarse voice was far from comfortable. Sangwoo forgot to close his eyes, and the remaining eye was full of anger and resentment. He pulled Jaeyoung’s collar closer before speaking.

“Are you still going to fool around at a time like this?”

“…”

Damn it…hey, hurry up.”

 

 

Even though he didn’t expect words like ‘help me put your big dick in my man pussy’ the annoyed expression was a bit too much. Although he wanted to tease, desire had to come first.

‘I can’t take it anymore.’

He took a deep breath and used both hands to separate the two pieces of flesh. Then he shifted his lower body and inserted himself into the stillunopened passage.

“Huh…”

Sangwoo groaned, his body trembling. Jaeyoung leaned his weight onto the other’s shoulder, not quite entering yet, but he felt like he was about to cum.  Therefore, he had to wait for a moment. He couldn’t move immediately.

If he missed this time, he would have to explain that he was early cummer and not as experienced. The other party probably wouldn’t believe it. Jaeyoung was determined not to hear the words “it’s okay if you can’t do it” again, so he pushed his cock in a little bit at a time.

“This…temporary erectile dysfunction, what does it feel like? Come on, say it again.”

“Uh…I don’t know…”

In a situation where his body was being forcibly awakened like this, Sangwoo’s face, which was not in a calm state, looked really dangerous with every blink, every open mouth, and every weak touch of his nose with his finger. Jaeyoung had just taken off the shirt that was soaked with sweat and stuck to the other’s skin. When the pale white skin appeared, the image in front of him became blurred, and he hugged the warm body tightly and thrust his hips in fiercely.

Sangwoo took a breath and used his hand to cover his mouth. Jaeyoung took his hand out and held the other’s wrist to prevent him from closing his mouth. Then he started moving his waist again. At first, it went slowly, once, twice, three times, four times, and during the subtle movements, he lifted his hips strongly to hit that spot inside Sangwoo.

“Ah!”

Then the other closed his eyes tightly and turned his face to the side in an instant.

“Sangwoo-ya.”

“…”

“Look at me, Chu Sangwoo.”

“…”

“Then I am going to leave and go home.”

Hearing that, Sangwoo forgot to keep his gaze down and they locked eyes. Jaeyoung released the tightly held wrist. Then, he tossed the wet hair, soaked with the other’s sweat, to the back. His face was still as cute as before, but now with his forehead exposed like this, he looked even more charming. He felt relieved, not just for himself. No one else had seen this side of Chu Sangwoo.

“Sangwoo, hug me… please.”

He spoke with a dry voice. Sangwoo widened his eyes as he heard the unexpected request and he hesitated before wrapping his arms around Jaeyoung’s neck. Jaeyoung pressed his body even closer than before and whispered,

“And kiss me.”

Sangwoo obediently leaned in and pressed his lips against the other’s.

Jaeyoung started moving his lower body, which was getting hotter and hotter. This time, he moved even more subtly, and soon he couldn’t hold back any longer. Jaeyoung lunged forward like a train that, once it gained speed, was hard to stop.

Every time Jaeyoung moved, the heavy, lingering breath penetrated through his teeth. The testicles touched the buttocks so that the sound of flesh slamming against flesh was distinctly loud. Every time Jaeyoung pushed his body in, Sangwoo’s body would shake violently. The speed increased gradually as the speed began to increase once more. He could no longer control it.

Sangwoo’s body was as straightforward as his personality. When stimulated, his body responded immediately. His fingers that were pressing on Jaeyoung’s back, the arms that were wrapped around the neck, the heavy breathing that came out of the deepest part of his lungs, and the tightening inside that gradually increased were all rewards that were worth longing for Jaeyoung. His delicate body trembled and reacted every time he collided with the other’s body, instead of kissing a slew of moans came out.

“Huh… ah…”

“Sang… woo-ya…”

“Ah, ah… ugh…”

“Does it hurt? It doesn’t hurt, right?”

Jaeyoung lifted the other’s leg and held it tightly on his shoulder. Then, he lifted his hips and pushed up hard, making Sangwoo make a moaning sound like an exploding scream, the fuel of love. He lifted himself up again and leaned his face against Sangwoo’s neck. Then, he sucked and licked his skin vigorously. Sangwoo hugged Jaeyoung’s neck tightly, as if he was trying to hold on to something, and started moving his hips.

After that, he matched his hips to the rhythm of the other person’s movements, and what was once a one-sided motion became a coordinated dance between the two. Every time their bodies collided, it felt different from when he was moving alone. Sangwoo moved his hips unpredictably, making it difficult for Jaeyoung to keep up. The other side was using his body to ask him to propel his cock deeper and faster. Jaeyoung lost his comfortable posture and let his body follow his instincts like an animal.

“Uh…hah…ah, ah, ah! Hyung…”

And then came the moment of pure happiness that made their hearts float together, as if they were one person. No matter how fast Jaeyoung moved, Sangwoo bounced back and chased after him at the same speed, as if there was a fierce collision happening where they connected, making a loud sound and a bright white light. At the same time, the edge of their lips released an indescribable moan.

‘Feels…amazing.’

Jaeyoung grabbed Sangwoo’s cheek, who was biting his finger, and made him turn to look at himself. His chest was wet with sweat, shaking violently from the thrusts, and reflected the moonlight. His small eyes had teardrops at the corners, and there were red marks left on his white neck.

Although he was violently entering the other person’s love hole, he whispered softly in the other person’s ear, “Are you okay?” Sangwoo nodded vigorously.

“Don’t you like it? Isn’t it good?”

The other side nodded again as before, to let him hear the sound of the person under his body, he focused on one point and thrust repeatedly, not letting the other person rest until he heard what he wanted.

“Hyung…huh huh, hyungnim…Jaeyoung…”

The sound of moaning sounded louder than ever and so sweet to the ears, as if when his cock moved in and out, the inner wall of the other person’s body sucked in his essence completely, and the wall was tight and comfortable, as if it was built for him, and even the rhythm of their movements was perfect.

‘We fit together perfectly.’

Jaeyoung soared to the highest point with a drunken feeling. He didn’t know what to do with the other person’s cute appearance, and he hugged the person under him tightly and kissed his cheek while expressing with his body that he liked him so much that he didn’t know what to do.

“Sangwoo, Sang…woo-ya.”

His mind was filled with this name, at this moment Chu Sangwoo was filling up Jang Jaeyoung. He liked the way the other party breathed as if he was out of breath, and he liked to hear the sound when the other party called him

“hyungnim” with a soft and gentle voice, unlike in normal times when the other party always looked perfect. Although he felt like he wanted to cum together with the other party quickly, he thought it wouldn’t be a problem even if time stopped right here.

“How do you feel…?”

“I can’t… take it anymore…”

Sangwoo pulled Jaeyoung’s hair with a frustrated face. The other party rubbed his chin and neck and moaned beside his ear.

“Hyung… uh, Jaeyoung…”

“Why, what’s wrong?”

“Ah….ugh, how much longer? I… ah, can I cum first?”

Feeling dizzy and disoriented from head to toe, Jaeyoung stumbled. At that moment, Sangwoo seized him by the waist and pressed his cock until it was tightly inside. Sangwoo bit Jaeyoung’s earlobe and let out a moan filled with pleasure. Sangwoo squeezed Jaeyoung’s cock inside him and the white-hot electric current of sensational cum hit Jaeyoung’s face.

At the climax, a flame of flowers erupted. The feeling was dreamlike, as though a weightless force pushed and pulled Jaeyoung. At that moment, he saw and heard nothing. He only felt a warm rush throughout his body as the happiness slowly washed over him, the graph shooting up, then slowly falling down. At the same time, the tingling sensation on his hands and feet returned.

“Ah… ah, ah…”

The front of Jaeyoung’s tight shirt which they failed to remove was stained with white stains that couldn’t even be removed.

Sangwoo lay on his back, his chest heaving from the intense exercise. He closed his eyes tightly, and tears flowed down his cheeks from the edge of his eyes. Jaeyoung lay on the other side, panting heavily and pressed a kiss.

⌘W.

 

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SMNTCERR, Chapter 63: Yellow #5.

So, you’re going to study abroad, huh? Your girlfriend doesn’t mind?”

Instantly, anger surged within him. He lifted the soju glass and drank it all before slamming it down with a loud noise.

“Can you handle it?”

Suddenly, the atmosphere fell silent. Seeing the eyes that secretly observed him, he reluctantly relaxed his expression.

“Let’s talk about something else.”

“Um, speaking of which, are you close with Yoona? Do you know what she’s up to? Does she have a boyfriend?”

It seemed like he didn’t want to show any interest in someone who had no hope at all. Jaeyoung replied that he didn’t know either and hoped to change the topic of conversation.

“I think Choi Yoona is strange. Whenever we meet, she always acts tough towards me.”

“You’re looking at the world too positively. Her behavior is bad. When she hates someone, she doesn’t hide it.”

“I don’t think she hates me. It seems like she’s showing more interest, like those in shoujo manga.”

“Oh, what a delusion of yours? She hates people like you more than anything.”

Yoona and Jaeyoung’s styles were similar, meaning they had to be people with style, sense, and maturity. Jaeyoung thought of some people who didn’t fit the above description at all and realized that the word “style” was useless.

His style was dull, there was no sense, and asking if he had any maturity was like saying he was a toddler just learning to walk. However, falling in love with someone didn’t depend on those conditions. The evidence was Jaeyoung, who was hit by the unseemly Giant Bebe, who had no sense and looked so dark that he was stunned and stiffened.

“It’s not true. Normally, girls like Yoona tend to go for soft and gentle guys like me.”

‘Just said it was not true, damn it. You keep repeating the same thing.’

Jaeyoung imagined how Yoona would react when she heard those words and felt a surge of anger. He thought about going out for a cigarette, but he had never encountered such a boring group of drinkers before. He used to be able to have fun anywhere, but now everything seemed dull, including the alcohol, food, and people.

As he approached the door, he heard a familiar ringing sound coming from behind him. Although it was his phone ringing, Jaeyoung pushed the door open without questioning who was calling.

“Oh, damn it. Check the name on the phone.”

“Wow… definitely a girlfriend. Let me see, what’s her name?”

“Oh, that’s a good idea.”

Jaeyoung turned around and stumbled back until his leg hit the corner of the table, but he didn’t have time to care.

“Hello? Hey, who’s this?”

“Probably someone else. Ask quickly, sunbae.”

“Sorry, don’t you know the name of the phone owner…”

Jaeyoung arrived at the table in a hurry and grabbed the phone from the other person’s hand. As he pressed the phone to his ear, he heard a quiet voice at the other end of the line.

[Why are you asking for my name?]

“…”

The voice immediately eliminated the hatred and anger that had just surged up. Jaeyoung stood still, holding the phone to his ear for a moment.

[Jaeyoung…hyung, are you too busy to answer the phone?]

“Wait a minute.”

Jaeyoung muttered before grabbing his wallet and stuffing his wallet and belongings into his pants pocket. The dizziness from the alcohol made him feel a little dizzy. When he walked out, he heard the other screaming and asking where he was going to go, so he turned around to answer.

“I don’t want to drink anymore. Let me go first.”

“Huh? What? Why are you leaving now?”

“You went on to pick up someone else’s phone, what the hell did you think I was going to do? It’s annoying.”

“Huh? What the hell are you talking about? Hey, that bastard is crazy.”  The young man slammed the table so hard that the water bottle spilled.

Although the other person looked angry, Jaeyoung didn’t care at all and hurried the girl to the door.

“Stay calm. Keep calm, senior. That man is drunk.”

“Uh, fuck… a little teasing and he is that pissed off…”

He already has bad manners. We’re better off drinking together.”

Jaeyoung pushed the door open and walked into the quiet commercial building. He sat down on the stairs and slowly lifted his phone to his ear, the call still connected.

“Sangwoo.”

He called the other person’s name cautiously, as if it were the first time he had ever called him, even though he had called him a hundred times before.

[Are you at a bar?]

“I was earlier, but I left.”

[Are you drunk?]

“Not that much.”

[Is something wrong?]

“No, not really.”

[It sounded like someone was screaming. Did things get out of hand?]

“No, why did you call?”

He took the phone away from his ear to check the time. Sangwoo was probably done with his part-time job and on his way home.

[Oh… it’s Saturday today, right?]

“Yes.”

[And tomorrow is Sunday.]

“And the day after that is Monday.”

As the alcohol entered his mouth, his thoughts didn’t become more complicated. Jaeyoung stood up and walked along the street, stopping to look at the cars passing by.

[And the day after that is Tuesday… not Wednesday. Oh, damn…]

He raised his hand and waved. Then the taxi slowly moved forward and stopped in front of him. Jaeyoung opened the door and sat down in the passenger seat.

[Was I wrong to call you?]

“Whether you could or not, it’s up to you, but there must be a reason for calling, right?”

Jaeyoung put his hand over the phone before telling the driver his address and quickly picked up the phone again to hold it to his ear.

[Is there a reason…? Yes, I have.]

“What is it?”

[Even though I have, I might not want to tell you.]

“If you don’t tell me, how are you going to achieve your goal in calling me?”  [That matters… I’ve already achieved my goal. It’s nothing.] Jaeyoung is not sure whether Chu Sangwoo is honest or a fox.

“Then can I hang up?”

[Sure.]

“…”

[But… don’t hang up yet.]

“Why?”

[I want to talk on the phone with you like this until I get home.]

A few sincere words can melt Jaeyoung’s heart, and his defense power became 0, so he always feels defenseless when facing the other party.

“And when you are home, what’s next?”

[I’ll take a shower and then maybe test a new game.]

He fidgets and the view outside the window moves but he wants it to move faster. He tightens his grip on the phone and asks Sangwoo.

“What game are you testing?”

[I downloaded LXT and Evil Scroll. Oh, and yesterday I watched a preview of an RPG game that Mecon will release on the 22nd. It looks a bit like Wevan.]

Jaeyoung didn’t interrupt and listened until the end. The end of the call analyzed the similarities and differences between Veggie Venturer and the other game for more than five minutes, but Jaeyoung didn’t feel bored at all.

“It’s just a similar atmosphere, and in reality, they are different games.

Fortunately, the main issues of the games are not the same.”

[How can they be the same? You, hyung have a strange way of thinking that others can’t think alike.]

“Is this a compliment?”

[Because you hyung have a thought process that is so strange that others can’t think alike.]

“That’s a backhanded compliment.”

Suddenly, he saw a familiar path, a path he had walked to send Sangwoo on weekends two or three times before. His heart began to beat loudly, as if a switch had been turned on. Jaeyoung took a deep breath and exhaled slowly before whispering softly.

What about after that?”

[Check my email and go to bed.]

“Before going to bed, will you open the Jang Jaeyoung folder?”

[…]

“Why didn’t you answer?”

At the end of a dark street, a man wearing a black short-sleeved shirt and jeans was walking. Although he was quite far away, Jaeyoung guessed the person accurately and signaled to get off. The taxi slowed down gradually until it stopped completely.

[Don’t tease me like that. It’s a phenomenon of physiology.]

“I’m not kidding, really.”

[You already know the answer, why ask again?]

He paid for the taxi with a card, got out of the car and saw Sangwoo walking ahead about a hundred meters away.

“Will you open it or not? How else can I find out?”

[Ugh, fuck.]

The other person stopped and took out a phone to look, sometimes seeming like he wanted to throw it away. Jaeyoung stopped and waited until Sangwoo started walking again before following.

“Before, you didn’t seem to care when I talked about tough things. Why has it changed now?”

[I don’t know. It’s been chaotic lately.]

“So, are you going to open the Jang Jaeyoung folder or not?”

[At first, I thought I wouldn’t, but now I probably have to.]

“Why? When you hear my voice, does your blood rush to your cock muscles?”

[…]

Sangwoo turned into an alley. As he followed, he saw the apartment building.

Jaeyoung continued to walk at a distance.

“Sangwooya, why aren’t you answering?”

[Annoying.]

“Am I annoying you?”

[You just talk about obscene things and don’t take responsibility.]

“I can take responsibility…”

[What are you talking about? That’s it.]

 

 

Sangwoo stopped in front of the building, his mouth saying he was going to hang up, but he remained still holding the phone to his ear. When Jaeyoung pressed to end the call, Sangwoo lowered the phone and stared at the screen before shouting out.

“You bastard!”

Normally, he probably would have thought that way. Jaeyoung hurriedly walked ahead, step by step, while the other side pushed the glass door and prepared to step in. He caught up and hugged the back tightly.

“By myself.”

With the intention of shaking himself out with quick movements, Sangwoo slowly lowered his elbows. Jaeyoung could feel his heart beating fast, his arms tightening around him, just hugging him, the fleeting feelings spread throughout his body, he buried his nose and throat in the embrace of the person and took a deep breath, then the feeling of dizziness mixed with the feeling of losing consciousness.

“Anyway, 3D must be better than 2D, right?”

He took a moment to compose himself before speaking. Sangwoo didn’t laugh at that awkward statement.

From just nuzzling the other person’s neck slowly with his nose, he became bolder, Jaeyoung’s lips pressed down on his white skin, and he sucked until there was a loud sound, kissing, kissing, everywhere he touched, it was impossible not to smell the sweet scent of the body that had been working in the game shop for hours, sometimes it might be because of the dizziness.

Jaeyoung thought he couldn’t concentrate anymore.

He nibbled on the thin skin at the back of his neck and used the tip of his tongue to lick up to the edge of his earlobe, and suddenly he felt the person in his arms jump. Jaeyoung hugged the trembling body tighter and licked along the curve of his earlobe, making him feel ticklish.

“Hyung…”

The hand that was initially just hugging Sangwoo moved to his chest and slid down his flat stomach through his shirt, then moved to his waist. Sangwoo held onto that hand tightly and murmured softly.

“Give me a moment… to prepare myself.”

Jaeyoung grabbed the other person’s arm and turned to face him instead of answering, his face reddened with the light and shadow of the streetlights.  Then Sangwoo looked away. Jaeyoung used his hand to lift the other person’s chin to face each other. ‘No.’

As he leaned in, the other person immediately pushed him away.

“Calm down a bit and we can do it later.”

‘I don’t want to.’

He kissed him again without saying anything, but this time he wasn’t immediately rejected, he sucked on Sangwoo’s lower lip. Then he used the tip of his tongue to tease his lips little by little, waiting for him to accept it, but the other person backed away and left.

“I’ve been working all day, I’m all dirty. Just one hour…”

‘I said no.’

He hadn’t finished speaking yet before, Jaeyoung closed his mouth again, wrapped his hands around Sangwoo’s neck, and leaned in to press his lips tightly together and slip his tongue into his mouth, hoping to make the other party unable to say anything. He didn’t think about anything meaningless, and only focused on him.

This time, Sangwoo didn’t resist, and held onto Jaeyoung’s shoulders as if he had surrendered, it seemed that even his stubbornness had diminished.

Sangwoo raised his toes and whispered in his ear.

“I know. I know.”

When he saw Sangwoo immediately suck and pull his tongue in, he thought of the first kiss they had, it was a kiss without layers, rushed, and didn’t hide anything. The other party approached him without saying anything, making Jaeyoung feel even hotter.

Sangwoo used his other hand to hold Jaeyoung’s cheek and leaned in to press his lips together, grinding his lips together until their teeth collided, and his tongue plunged deep into the root of his tongue, making him almost unable to breathe, and his open mouth made saliva flow to the tip of his chin.

Bang! The back of Jaeyoung’s neck hit the glass door. Sangwoo woke up violently. Jaeyoung used his back to push the door and pulled the other party into the dark building. He slid his hand under his shirt and placed his fingertips on Sangwoo’s waist. Then he slid up and hugged his neck with his hand. When he withdrew from the kiss and forgot to open his eyes for a moment, the closed eyes of Sangwoo opened, revealing the waves of emotion that were raging inside.

“You tasted like soju.”

The other party licked his lips, before Sangwooya said to him.

“Alcohol has the effect of depressing the central nervous system, which may cause temporary erectile dysfunction.” “Let’s go up and you can check for yourself.” ____________________________________.

Hello.

Thank you to all readers for the warm welcome, Semantic, Error, and I am very happy to see everyone enjoying this novel.

 

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SMNTCERR, Chapter 62: Yellow, #4.

After passing the ball, Sangwoo caught it with both hands. The other person he wanted to warm up first and bounced the basketball two or three times before starting to dribble. Everything went according to standard procedure, just like when the other side did various things. Sangwoo took two steps and dribbled, two steps and dribbled, until he reached the penalty line and shot with both hands firmly. But unfortunately, it didn’t go in.

Sangwoo did that four more times, failed two more times, and succeeded two more times. Then it seemed like he had found his way. Sangwoo picked up the ball with a blank face and dribbled it to the center of the court.

“Let’s start.”

“Okay, this side.”

Jaeyoung took off his glasses and put them in his pants pocket, then took a stance. At that moment, Sangwoo, who had been standing still, dribbled the ball closer. Jaeyoung waited to see if the other side would come from the left or right, but the other suddenly rushed straight ahead, his face seeming to say ‘No matter what, I’m going to block you’ Sangwoo prepared to collide with one arm, looking like he was going to go to the right.

And as expected, at the moment when he had to block. Jaeyoung couldn’t touch the other side due to the difference in height. If he wanted to play dirty, he could, but his body wasn’t agile enough to move. Sangwoo ducked under Jaeyoung’s arm and successfully made the first shot.

“What’s this? Play nicely.”

Duk,Duk, Duk, he could feel the pounding of his heart matching the sound of the ball bouncing on the court.

Jaeyoung caught the ball that Sangwoo threw, feeling unfamiliar with the touch of the ball. Despite being a forward player [1]who excelled in aggressive play and had counted countless times in catching the basketball, he now didn’t feel like winning at all.

He chased the basketball slowly and half-heartedly. Sangwoo ran in and looked at the basketball with eager eyes, his arms moving quickly as if to hug Jaeyoung. Jaeyoung pretended to be a fake a few times before throwing the ball out far, of course, there was no way the ball would fall into the basket. The basketball hit the board and bounced far away. Sangwoo then ran after the ball.

‘This is a defeat.’

Jaeyoung laughed dryly as Sangwoo ran with the ball again. This time he saw the other side turn to the left, he faced him with pleasure, trying to snatch the ball, but Sangwoo pulled the ball towards him without hesitation. Then he used a strong post-up technique [2] by using his back to push through Jaeyoung.

Judging from the way he handled the ball, the other person must have been a point guard [3] before, unlike Jaeyoung who usually played as a forward, dealer, designer, and developer. They were so different.

Sangwoo approached the penalty shoot-out line, crouched down, and this time he shot with both hands as usual. The basketball floated beautifully in a curve and fell into the basket.

Jaeyoung lost his concentration, while he only moved without any strength like a robot, he suddenly realized that the score had become 8-0.

“What will I get if I win?”

“That’s it.”

“Do what the other person asks, is that okay?”

“Sure.”

This was a bet that whether he won or lost, Jaeyoung wouldn’t lose. He tried to think about what he would ask for if he won, but in the end, he gave up. If it was too easy, just ask for it directly, and if he asked for something impossible using betting as an excuse, he might get the opposite result instead.

At that moment, the basketball floated over. Jaeyoung caught the ball with both hands unintentionally, then decided to show off his ability for the other side to see. He crouched down to dribble the basketball and showed his skill by changing hands without necessity, but Sangwoo didn’t even blink twice.

If it’s not important, Sangwoo usually doesn’t pay attention. Once he thought it wasn’t cool at all, but now…

‘I like you who cares about what’s important.’

He tricked him into going right and then turned left. Sangwoo was really fooled once, and he used to be frustrated with the other person who was like that, but now…

‘I like someone who is honest. Not pretending.’

Sangwoo followed him again and tried to steal the ball while wrapping his arms around Jaeyoung’s waist. Jaeyoung sent the ball back with his other hand, teasing the other person by doing a crossover, and then easily passed him again.

Sangwoo refused to give up and followed him, once thinking that the other person looked foolish, but now…

‘I like someone who always does everything to the fullest.’

A light breeze separated the horse’s mane as they ran and played basketball. Jaeyoung ran straight to the basket and caught the alley-oop without fail. The basketball fell beautifully, he caught it again, bounced it two or three times, and then threw it to Sangwoo.

“8 to 2.”

The other person caught the ball and ran slowly, dribbling the ball close to him with the correct posture and looking strong, but it was an efficient posture. The damp shirt clung to his body, creating a silhouette that was both sexy and alluring, with a confident look on his face.

While thinking that everything about the other person was so attractive, Jaeyoung realized that he had fallen in love with Chu Sangwoo. It happened before he started thinking about what made the other person so special and different from others, the image of Sangwoo running towards him. No, the truth was that the other person running towards him seemed so charming that Jaeyoung felt scared.

How did it come to this? He didn’t know when he fell in love with someone who was not charming and foolish, someone who was not creative and flexible like that, because it happened slowly like a wet piece of clothing, and before he knew it, it had become like this. The understanding that he was wrong to think that sleeping together once would be boring was a complete misunderstanding, because after spending time with Chu Sangwoo that night, Jaeyoung wanted the other person even more.

Sangwoo looked up and glanced at him, still eagerly playing with the child in front of him. Jaeyoung, who used to stand with his arms crossed to block him, couldn’t stand it anymore and hugged him tightly.

“…Foul.”

He drowned in the atmosphere, unable to laugh at Sangwoo’s meaningless words, and chuckled to himself about his unrequited love for the shy person who still refused to let go of the ball even at this time. Jaeyoung felt a flutter in his chest as Sangwoo’s soft, whispered words trailed off.

Sangwoo stood still for a moment before slowly moving away.

“I’ll take the penalty kick.”

Jaeyoung stood and watched Sangwoo take the penalty kick twice without interest, his postures looking almost identical like a copied and pasted frame.

Sangwoo walked closer with a smiling face.

“10 points.”

“Good job, what can I do to make it better?”

Sangwoo breathed out, he looked down at the ground for a moment before looking up at Jaeyoung with his black eyes fixed on his target.

“Kiss me please.”

Jaeyoung wanted to ask ‘Is that all?’ but he didn’t have a chance to ask. He moved closer, cupped his cheeks with his palms, and began to suck and pull on his lips.

Thump, thump, thump, the sound of the basketball bouncing slowly faded away.

The romantic and obstructed feeling filled the night, it was a truly beautiful and good night.

⌘W.

“The work there is okay. What do you think? It’s popular and of good quality.”

“I also want to finish my portfolio this year and submit it to N-Code. Among all the studios there, they accept the most people, but if not, I’ll have to go to the big companies for money.”

Jaeyoung drank his soju quietly on a cool Saturday evening when he received a call from a friend from the same year asking him to come out to eat before going to the liquor store. Originally, there were two seniors who he knew, but one of them’s girlfriend called him back in the middle, leaving only three people left. They were all about to graduate from E-Design this year, so finding a job became the main topic of conversation.

“Will DEX only accept one person this year?”

“Is that so?… It’s probably hopeless, it’s still difficult for experienced people to get in, do you think new graduates can?”

“Did you know that the president of DEX came to the graduation exhibition last year?”

“Designer Kim Soo-han, really?”

“Yes, he looked great and had a top-notch style. At that time, people were laughing and talking about him like a celebrity. Plus, when we walked around the exhibition, he even said he liked some of the works and asked for the owner’s phone number.”

“Oh, damn… who’s the lucky one over there? They must be working there now. I’m so jealous.”

“Who else could it be? It’s the person sitting right in front of you.”

Jaeyoung, who was quietly drinking, became the target of both of their gazes. The senior, who only knew him by his appearance, asked what he was doing there. When Jaeyoung just laughed without answering, his friend explained it to him.

“He’s taking the TOEFL because he’s going to study abroad.”

“Then why isn’t he going?”

“He got too much attention. He was caught using another to sign his name during a roll call, so he didn’t graduate.”

Then they both laughed heartily. Jaeyoung accepted being the subject of their banter and let them have fun. He knew it wasn’t meant to be malicious, even though there was a hint of jealousy.

“So, Jaeyoung, why haven’t you been in touch? Why haven’t you shown your face lately?”

“I’ve been really busy lately.”

He didn’t know when they became close, but Jaeyoung smiled inwardly and didn’t mind.

 

 

“It seems like he has a girlfriend.” His friend smirked mischievously. Then the topic of conversation changed.

“He hasn’t shown his face, and he doesn’t answer his phone. When I walked by, I saw his car parked in the parking lot.”

“Oh, it seems like he’s in the library. Who is it? Let’s see a picture. Don’t tell me there isn’t one.”

The two of them were excitedly guessing the names of female students they were close to last semester.

“Is it Soren?”

“Oh, come on, that’s too obvious. It must be Jung Minjun, one of the dancing club members.”

“I know. It’s Yoona! It has to be her, she looks so scary.”

“Oh my god, you’re crazy. If it’s not Jung Minjun, then it must be Joong

Sooyooon, one of the violin majors. I’m sure of it.”

They even blurted out the name of someone he had almost dated, but now it didn’t mean anything. Jaeyoung quietly drank and let them guess at something that would never be accidentally revealed.

____________________________________.

[1]      Forward. Divided into two types: Small forward, responsible for scoring points for the team, and Power forward, responsible for defense under the basket, similar to a center, but with the main task of rebounding or catching missed shots.

[2]      Post up. Entering the opposite side’s territory to find a scoring position, which comes in two types: Low Post, “standing under the basketball hoop,” and High Post, “standing near the free-throw line.”

[3]      Point Guard. Responsible for overseeing the team’s offense by controlling the ball and passing it to the appropriate player.

[4]      Damage dealer, or DPS, “Damage per second.” The offensive position in the game, responsible for inflicting damage on the opposing team.

[5]      Cross-over, a basketball technique used to create space between offensive and defensive players.

 

   SMNTCERR CHAPTERS HOME

 

SMNTCERR, Chapter 61: Yellow #3.

Jaeyoung never thinks about the future, as the distant future is just a present of some day. Therefore, he believes in doing what he wants at the moment and living happily, and now, at the present moment. Jaeyoung is currently infatuated with Chu Sangwoo. And what could be the problem with that?

He lit a cigarette and took a deep drag, which made him feel better. Then he exhaled slowly until his lungs were empty.

“I mean, seriously… Why do you care about those things? Who knows if we’ll still feel the same way about each other when that time comes? Just focus on the present, it’s already complicated enough. I don’t have the energy to think about those things.”

Jaeyoung spoke rudely. The other person told him to start counting down the days from today and then practice crying and saying goodbye, make matching rings, and promise not to forget each other even when they’re apart.

It’s pointless.

What’s worse is that Chu Sangwoo, who is afraid of getting bad grades, doesn’t understand that having such a strong sexual desire could be heartbreaking for someone who has to go back to school abroad in two months.

They are different.

“Just do those stupid things by yourself. Don’t force them on others.”

Yoona remained silent for a while and just looked up at the empty sky while smoking two cigarettes in a row. Jaeyoung waited patiently.

“That’s right. Maybe it’s because the situation is too similar. I just got carried away.”

Finally, Yoona said what she wanted to say, “Sorry for being confused.” Jaeyoung respected the other’s straightforwardness. Although their personalities and ideas are different, it’s because of that that they have been friends until now.

“Well… have you been gay since the beginning?”

“Probably not. I don’t know.”

Jaeyoung answered directly. He never really thought about it seriously.

“Jaeyoung-ah.”

Yoona only called him that when she’s teasing him.

“Even though you have to part, please behave yourself a little, it will hurt the kid.”

The girl frowned and spoke in a teasing manner, not realizing how he’s been living lately.

“Oh, poor thing… You can tell that kid has never had a boyfriend before. I don’t know what he did to end up with this crazy guy.”

Jaeyoung laughed as if it were a joke. Who knows who’s really caught up with whom. From Jaeyoung’s perspective, it’s Chu Sangwoo who’s caught up with him and is struggling, while the one who’s fishing doesn’t even realize that there’s a fish on the hook because they’re too busy looking elsewhere. Although Yoona may be misunderstanding, Jaeyoung has no intention of explaining anything.

“Do you think that kid is stupid or something? He said he’s had a boyfriend before.”

“He’s lying.”

“What’s the lie? Even if someone like him were to be threatened with death, he wouldn’t lie.”

“I can’t imagine it at all.” Yoona tilted her head.

Jaeyoung didn’t respond. He had thought like that before, but now it was different, like a whirlpool that was hard to see at first glance. Once you stepped in, you could only be sucked down. Jaeyoung didn’t delude himself into thinking that he was the only one who saw the charm of Chu Sangwoo in this world.

“In the end, won’t you still have to leave things off? There are two people in there, do not do the annoying things.”

Yoona ran down the stairs outside the building, waving her hand without looking back. Jaeyoung reached into his pants pocket and looked up at the sky.

Then he hurriedly walked back into the building.

⌘W.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?”

The atmosphere was so beautiful that he blurted it out to himself, the sky at sunset chasing after indigo [1] and purple tones.

The atmosphere at dusk looked clear and was perfect for skateboarding, but Jaeyoung was chained to his desk by his evil boss to work like a slave.

The graphics side. There were some changes to Flow Chart [2] and there was a part that needed some minor adjustments, and the main work was to make it compatible with various devices. Most of the design work was done, so he could breathe a sigh of relief, but on the development side, they were fighting tooth and nail against bugs. On Sangwoo’s screen, even people who knew nothing about coding like Jaeyoung knew that it wasn’t a good sign.

‘Because the reset isn’t complete… ‘Blah blah blah.’ The code that manages the data, ‘Blah blah blah.’ As for the central variable…’

He remembered asking the other party what it meant. And in the end, he didn’t get anything back, so he didn’t think about trying again.

Jaeyoung looked out the window for a moment. When he returned to his seat, he saw that Sangwoo had stopped working and was looking at him.  Jaeyoung guessed that the other party might have something to ask for.

“What’s up?”

“I see that you just keep looking out the window.”

“It’s just because the weather is nice today.”

 

 

If you want to go out, you can go.”

What was this about? Chu Sangwoo had never allowed him to take a break without reason before. Was he being kind because their relationship was progressing? Jaeyoung thought it would be good if it was the latter.

“Then I am going to go out today. See you tomorrow.” Sangwoo spoke happily and stretched his back.

The other person couldn’t be called stupid. Even though they were just joking around, they were actually someone who didn’t think much. They just thought, “He probably wants to go on a trip,” or something like that. They didn’t think about who he wanted to go on the trip with. Jaeyoung looked up at the sky before spinning his chair in a circle.

“Sangwoo.”

“Yes?”

“Let’s go play basketball.”

The sound of typing stopped. Sangwoo was silent for about ten seconds before answering.

“I don’t think I’m free for that.”

Suddenly, the other person became soft like jelly. Jaeyoung, who originally thought the answer would be “I’m not free,” smiled widely before lazily leaning over and kissing Sangwoo’s cheek without hesitation.

“I’m going out first. Follow me after you finish packing.”

Sangwoo hesitated before following, and the two walked down the stairs without saying anything, as if they were lost in thought until they came out into the darkness. When he saw the other person blushing like when they walked together at the Jeonryundong Wall, Jaeyoung felt his heart skip a beat as if he had just had his first girlfriend.

“Hyung, are you good at basketball?”

The other person asked during that time.

“I don’t think I am bad.”

He answered modestly, but the truth was that basketball was Jaeyoung’s most confident sport. He had been obsessed with it since high school and played it frequently. When he was in college, he even joined the basketball club with his friends and competed in friendly matches.

“Then I’ll probably lose. I haven’t played since the end of high school.”

“Just play for fun. Don’t worry about it.”

Even so, I don’t want to lose.”

When he thought about it, Sangwoo had said before that he wasn’t good at playing games. Even though he was someone who excelled in competition and had higher standards than others, he didn’t seem that way on the outside. That’s why Jaeyoung thought the other person was interesting and suitable for learning, whether it was software or hardware.

“Basketball is over here.”

“I’m going to get it.”

The basketball that Jaeyoung was talking about was at the student club. This was the second time he had come here with Sangwoo, after they had come to find clothes for a short Chinese-language play. While they were walking up the stairs, Jaeyoung asked.

“Have you been here before? Do you remember?”

“On Friday, March 8th, right? That day, you took off my hat in the dressing room. I was so angry.”

“…”

It would be better not to talk about it at that time. Moreover, what made

Jaeyoung startled was that it had been two months since then… If he had told himself at that time that the relationship between the two of them would turn out like this, he would not have believed it and would have laughed it off.

He walked alongside Sangwoo until they reached the door. Even though it was late, there were still loud noises coming from inside the room, as if they were having a meeting. During this time, they were preparing for the annual performance, and while he thought that they were preparing inside, he knocked on the door twice. As soon as he opened the door, the loud noise suddenly quieted down.

“I just came to get something. Please continue.”

As he walked inside, the younger members made murmuring sounds.

“Hey, sunbae!”

“Oh, you’re here, sunbae! We’ve been waiting for you!”

“Please have a seat right here, big brother.”

He knew the president, vice president, and secretary, but the other four people were kids he didn’t know. Jaeyoung hid his hand that was trying to grab him. Then he walked to the box to look for something, and the club president walked over and patted his shoulder.

You must be very tired during this time. It’s been tough working all the time.”

“Oh, yes, please take your hand off me.”

It seemed like more of a rubbing of the shoulder than a massage. The vice president handed him a black can of drink and said, “Please have a drink.” The logo on the drink can looked familiar, and he was surprised that there was still “Black Holic” left in the club room. It never expired or anything.

“…It’s better if I don’t drink that.”

He refused politely and picked up the basketball that was in his shoe pile. As he was about to leave the room, he was grabbed by both arms and forced to sit on the sofa. Sangwoo, who was standing at the door, hugged his chest and laughed at him.

“What do you have there?”

In fact, he knew very well that these people had been asking him to play the lead role, direct, and design the poster for the annual performance since the beginning of the year. Although he seemed to have given up on the poster, he was still contacted to participate in the performance until the latest phone number of the club president was added to the spam list.

Jaeyoung had to refuse. The first reason was that he was already busy with part-time jobs, hobbies, daily life, and relationship issues. The second reason was that he had taken on the roles of lead actor, director, and poster designer for the play “The Death of Salesman” last year. Although Jaeyoung had some thick skin, when he thought back to the time when he was promoting the play, “The Final Stage Play” his face suddenly became hot and he wondered how he could show his face in a theater performance again.

“Senior… can’t you help us out? I heard you say that you are busy, so we changed to performing smaller roles instead.”

“Just this once, please? Why won’t you answer my calls lately?”

“We need to cherish our valuable memories before we graduate. Please, can you understand just this once? Can you? There are people waiting to see your final performance, can you give me the list?”

Jaeyoung pushed past the younger students, hugged the basketball tightly, and walked past each person blocking the exit.

“You said it was the last festival I would help with, didn’t you? You said to think of it as if I’ve already graduated.”

But it’s not over yet!” Jaeyoung quickly closed the door before the club president, who seemed to be about to burst in, could come out.

“Hmph.” He shook off his scattered thoughts and straightened his wrinkled shirt. After he tucked the basketball under his arm, he looked to the side and saw Sangwoo covering his mouth and laughing. He didn’t know if he had thought of it himself or if he had noticed the other side’s changing expression.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

Jaeyoung’s tone indicated that he didn’t really understand. He replied that he didn’t know either and started to walk away. Once outside, he picked up the basketball and headed towards the court. He showed off his special ability by throwing the ball high and catching it. Then he spun the ball on his finger before Sangwoo asked with his mouth covered,

“What role did they ask you to play?”

“It’s a guest role that takes about five minutes. I declined because I’m not available, so I can’t come.”

“What kind of role is it?”

“I don’t know, maybe a pirate or something. It’s a role that comes out for five minutes and then dies.”

Sangwoo remained silent. Although Jaeyoung liked the dry and hoarse voice of the other side, he also liked it when it was quiet like this. Maybe it was because it was a beautiful evening, everything looked good. Although there was nothing special, it was another day that would be remembered for a long time. He felt that today would be like that for sure, the dark purple sky made him feel like he was in a fantasy world, and Jaeyoung liked that he was going to play basketball with a boy who had no romantic angle at all. “It’s a shame.”  At that moment, Sangwoo perked up.

“What’s up?”

“I’ve never been to a drama club performance before. And now I won’t have the chance to see one.”

Jaeyoung turned to look at Sangwoo’s profile. It was an incomplete sentence and didn’t sound like Sangwoo’s usual way of speaking. But he didn’t ask what the other meant. He couldn’t ask such a question before the feeling of suffocation, like drowning, that had arisen during this period subsided.

Jaeyoung started bouncing a basketball.

 

 

Inadvertently, they both ended up standing on the green court. Jaeyoung walked to the center line and looked at Sangwoo, who was standing far away. The other’s skin looks paler than usual, having been surrounded by intense ultramarine color [3].

“Wanna bet ten points?”

“Sure.”

____________________________________.

[1]                   Indigo, a color. Color code: #3F00FF.

[2]                   Flow chart, a diagram that shows the sequence of movements or actions of people or things involved in various systems.

[3]                   Intense ultramarine color, the blue color on a basketball court.

 

   SMNTCERR CHAPTERS HOME

SMNTCERR, Chapter 60: Yellow #2.

   Accidentally, it’s impossible. There are surprises  form Sangwoo all the time, a certain and intentional heart that intends to bite the other side disappears in the blink of an eye. Even though the name ‘Jaeyoung ㅅㅂ♨’ is not as pleasing as

   ‘Jaeyoung-Hyung♥’ after hearing the explanation, he felt somewhat pleased. However, the fact that he upgraded from ‘NonPaddler 3’ is a good encouragement. Otherwise, he would not have escaped and become ‘Sunabe

   Jang Jaeyoung, Virtual Arts Design’ like everyone else. As soon as he sees Jaeyoung’s face, Sangwoo speaks up.

   “Don’t get too immersed in data for just a few bytes.”[1.]

   “Who’s getting too immersed?”

   “Both you and my father, that’s it. It’s just a few characters, it can’t be a big deal.”

   “And how do you like it? If I still remember your name as a bad person.”

   “I don’t care because I’m not a bad person.”

   Sangwoo spoke as if it wasn’t important, but then he raised his hand as if he remembered something.

   “Let me see. What did you save my name for?”

   “… It’s a secret.”

   Jaeyoung took out his phone and hid it in his shirt pocket. Sangwoo quickly gave in. The other side went back to sitting in its original place, examining the schedule with an indifferent expression, while Jaeyoung stuffed a white plastic bag into the drawer.

   “I have to put on the sound this week. I’ve found some free sound effects that are usable without copyright and I’m about to send the link via email.

   Please check and let me know how it goes.”

   “How is the sound quality?”

   “It varies. I think if I look carefully, there should be something usable.”

   “The sound effects may not matter, but it would be better to have a looping opening song and BGM. Let me gather information on that.”

   “Okay.”

   Then, the sound of keyboard typing and mouse clicks came from the right side, but Jaeyoung’s hand, which had been still since Sangwoo appeared, had no intention of moving again. Jaeyoung sneakily glanced at Sangwoo before lifting his coffee to take a sip. Then he sneakily looked at Sangwoo again and lifted his phone to play with it. Afterwards, he sneakily looked at Sangwoo once more and raised his hand to touch his own collar. ‘How did I let you sit next to me until this point?’

   He wants to touch, kiss, and hug the other person from behind until his body is satisfied. Having to come up with excuses just to touch the other person a little bit. Although the relationship has developed to a certain extent, it seems pointless. At least for Jaeyoung, he used to think that once he got a kiss, he would unlock the hand-holding. Once he got a kiss, he would receive a coupon to do whatever he wanted. Once there was sex, he would have the privilege of accessing each other’s bodies, but when it comes to the other person, even just touching their cheek requires thinking and thinking again.

   ‘Doing something forcefully wont work.’

   Chu Sangwoo determines the direction of this relationship. If Jaeyoung is going up the elevator, the other person wants to be going up the stairs. No matter what Jaeyoung tries to do, it turns out that the other person is still down there. sometimes seeming to stop where they were, but as soon as he realizes it, the other person is catching up. Or at least when Sangwoo stops in place. Jaeyoung can only press the elevator stop button and wait without any choice, this relationship continues like that.

   “What are you doing?”

   A sudden sound caused Jaeyoung to escape from his thoughts. Sangwoo, who dragged a chair to sit next to the light from the screen, looked at the other side with eyes full of the excitement of the other person.

   “What’s this?”

   Sangwoo minimized the screen, causing the pink circle that had been enlarged to fill the screen to shrink. When it shrank to 100%, the nipple that Jaeyoung had poured his body and soul into the light and shadow turned into just a small dot. Sangwoo sat still, looking at the character wearing a swimsuit ready with a swimming ring around his waist.

   “Let me fix the button first. The part that requires money to buy can be done later.”

   “I want to do this first.”

   The two characters of Veggie Venturer, are named Chuchu and Jaejae, respectively. At first, Sangwoo suggested the names ‘Chelsu and Jaeyoung’. After  arguing for a while, they changed their names. They planned to sell it from the beginning of the game. Both characters would wear basic costumes, but when they bought and installed cash items, their performance would be upgraded.

   “How far have you done?”

   Jaeyoung saved the file before opening the completed part for Sangwoo to see. He has completed all ten, including Lockstar Chuchu, Teacher Chuchu,

   Dugout Chuchu, Spiritual Chuchu, Mafia Chuchu, Mechanic Chuchu, Savage Tribe Chuchu, Barista Chuchu, Yipsee Chuchu, and currently making Swimsuit Chuchu.

   “You’ve been working on so many since when?”

   “Look, you can change eye color and hair color too.”

   “I’ve never heard of such a thing before.”

   “Well, I’m telling you now.”

   Every time Jaeyoung presses the keyboard, Chuchu’s hairstyle, holding a carrot with a pouting face, changes continuously, including soft waves, tousled bob, skinhead undercut, crimped, half-up, cat sport. And then tied in a bun. They are all hairstyles that he wants to see Sangwoo actually do, especially the skinhead undercut, because Sangwoo is a person with a handsome bald head, he thinks it would look very good if he did it. Sangwoo hugs his chest, looks at the green-eyed character with brown hair tied neatly.

   “That’s good, but as I said, this is not important. And what about Jaejae?” “Did the same”.

   Jaeyoung opens the character’s cache item image file for Sangwoo to see briefly, then Sangwoo raises his eyebrows and taps his fingers on the table.

   “This is clearly gender discrimination, well done”.

   “Why? The number is the same”.

   “You think I can’t tell that you just changed the skirt color and copied and pasted it?”

   Speaking directly made it seem like he couldn’t figure it out.

   “It’s not like that. Make both characters the same quality. And first, start fixing the buttons”.

   “Wait, let me finish this…”.

   Jaeyoung opens the project file again and zooms in on the right chest of

   Chuchu in a swimsuit, making a low murmuring sound, wondering what the other party might be doing in the background, then he focuses on adding threedimensional details to the image.

   “Now the hyung you look…”.

   “Sexy?”.

   “Seems like you have a psychopath.”

   “How do you know I’m thinking about indecent things?”

   Finally, there was a valid excuse to touch the other party. Jaeyoung reaches out to hug Sangwoo’s waist and slowly slides in to find himself. He extends his finger along Sangwoo’s buttock and speaks softly.

   “I am not gentle, you can understand me.”

   “How about doing this in the office? We’re not just two people here.”

   Sangwoo withdraws his hand and whispers. Jaeyoung laughs, leans closer, and lightly taps his own lips a few times with his finger. Sangwoo sees it and shakes his head, moving away.

   “You come here quickly before I go on a strike”.

   “Are you crazy? This is the workplace”.

   “Otherwise, I’ll take your hard disk and run away. One kiss and I’ll send you one file”.

   “How can a computer newbie like you remove a hard disk, hyung?”

   “Seriously, I’m clueless about computers.”

   Sangwoo couldn’t help but laugh without realizing it. The sight of the other person smiling widely didn’t happen often until now. But it seemed that the reason for the lack of eye contact was not just because it was difficult to see. Originally, Jaeyoung thought of giving up the teasing, but when he saw

   Sangwoo moving closer, he started teasing again. As he poked his waist, Sangwoo immediately twisted and put his hand on his back, asking why he was doing this. However, the other party could do nothing but burst into laughter.

   Sangwoo laughed as if he was about to burst into tears and used his foot, clad in Jaeyoung’s belly sneakers. The gesture looked surprisingly cute.

   “Ah, stop, please. I… I’m really tired.”

   ‘I want to eat you.’

   Suddenly, the joking atmosphere disappeared and turned into an erotic one, 18+ only, at that moment they thought they wanted to become animals to know and survive. If they weren’t human, but two dogs, they would probably wag their tails like yesterday.

   Bang!

   At that time, the person who was completely forgotten made a grand entrance. An orange light glimmered and hit Jaeyoung’s foot. Jaeyoung picked it up casually and turned around slowly, encountering Yoona standing still with a strange shoulder gesture.

   Sangwoo quickly pulled his hand away from the table, returned to his seat, and stared at the computer screen as if nothing had happened, even though his ears were turning red.

   Jaeyoung signaled with his hand for Yoona to go back and sit down. A few days ago, she came to ask something, so he already prepared a little, but he didn’t know why the other party was so surprised. The sound of mouse clicks and keyboard typing continued in the tense atmosphere before Yoona spoke up.

   “Jang-Jaeyoung, do you want to smoke downstairs?”

   Jaeyoung picked up the pack of cigarettes and a lighter and stood up without saying anything. When he pointed towards the door, Yoona walked out with the slipper first. Jaeyoung gently brushed the back of Sangwoo’s head before following the girl out.

   “Are you two sleeping together?”

   Yoona asked immediately upon reaching the first floor. Among the people

   Jaeyoung knew, Choi Yoona spoke straight to the point without beating around the bush ‘but that was before he had met Chu Sangwoo’ Jaeyoung didn’t rush to answer, but instead flicked the cigarette ash and took a deep drag, Yoona continued with a sharp tone.

   “Just interested, huh? But you still managed to deceive a vulnerable kid, didn’t you?”

   “What do you want?”

   He couldn’t let that remark pass. Jaeyoung exhaled cigarette smoke and glanced at his friend’s tense face. Yoona was not a calculating person, nor a hottempered one, but rather somewhat reserved when it came to matters of love. Therefore, if she wasn’t currently involved with anyone, she would often get lost in past stories, and now it was happening again.

   “Is that kid the same as well? It’s not like he’s unaffected or anything.”

   “Whose side are you on? You should ask me before getting involved, right?”

   “It’s not your loss if you’re dating someone else. But that guy has a different story. What are you going to do next?”

   The other party’s voice sounded sarcastic. Jaeyoung replied with annoyance.

   “And what have you been up to? Who do you think you are?”

   Hearing that, Yoona fell silent. She was not unaware that her actions had a profound impact on other people’s relationships. Since they first met and became close, she had never been like this before. Yoona continued to silently smoke her cigarette before speaking again.

   “I’ve been concerned ever since I heard from you earlier. But I thought I wouldn’t meddle. But in just a few days, you guys went from one extreme to another. You’re acting irresponsibly. Playing around with a kid like that. And what about when you leave him to study abroad? Is that kid not going to suffer?”

   Jaeyoung threw the half-smoked cigarette on the ground and stomped on it with his foot. Who was playing with whom? Who would abandon whom? 

   Irritating and tangled. Is this the era of Chosun? Just sleeping together once requires a lifetime of responsibility.

   “You’re being too harsh.”

   He knew that the girl had talked a lot with one guy. She had been so infatuated with that guy that they had an ugly breakup before. And it had left Yoona heartbroken to this day, even after half a year. But that was her business, and he had no intention of allowing her to interfere in someone else’s personal life.

   “Just because you choose to date only bad people, do you think everyone in the world is like that?”

   “You’re right. Yeah. I’ve been hurt badly by that evil guy. And what you’re doing to that kid, how is it any different?”

   “Then why do I have to explain those things to you? If you don’t understand deeply, don’t speak so lightly.”

   With hair color faded to a golden hue, swaying in the wind, Yoona’s face seemed to reflect her own sadness.

   ____________________________________.

[1]     Byte, the unit of data consisting of 8 bits, is used to represent alphanumeric characters, numbers, or various symbols. One character is equivalent to 1 byte.

[2]     Cash items, in-game items that require spending money to purchase.

      SMNTCERR CHAPTERS HOME

SMNTCERR, Chapter 59: Yellow #1.

It had been a long time since he woke up with the feeling of someone sleeping close to him, let alone that person turning out to be a man named Chu Sangwoo, which made it even more strange.

Jaeyoung carefully examined the side profile of the man lying with his arm propped up, scrutinizing his sharp and intelligent features, with a nose and eyelashes that made his face look sharp and clever when forgotten. In contrast, the fair skin around the neck connecting to the collarbone gave a sense of boyishness. Jaeyoung greatly enjoyed the conflicting emotions displayed on this face.

Sunlight shone brightly through the window, and the sun’s rays danced on the black hair and eyebrows, creating a romantic atmosphere in the morning.

As he leaned down for a hug, Sangwoo blinked and slowly opened his eyes. The person being hugged blinked for a moment before widening his eyes and turning around to find. Jaeyoung with a confident smile.

“Did you sleep well?”

Sangwoo fully opened his eyes and glanced, seemingly reflecting on what happened last night from his facial expression. When the other party raised his hand and rubbed his forehead, it seemed like a restless movement, but that was probably because his body was more exposed. “Yes.”  Answering the question, Sangwoo sat up.

“Jesus…”

The other party groaned uncomfortably and walked away, stumbling.

‘Did I overdo it?’

It seemed like the unexpected had become a normal occurrence for Jaeyoung. It was the same yesterday. At first, he intended to enhance the atmosphere by drinking wine beforehand. Then he waited for Sangwoo to come to him. He would then melt and control the other party from head to toe, managing the game conveniently. He intended to use gentle and perfect techniques to impress that having sex with him was sweet and satisfying.

However, while waiting in front of the door for over ten minutes, Jaeyoung’s imagination ran wild to the point where he almost lost control of his body. And it was difficult to endure until the appointed time, so he tried to use that intense heat to melt the cool other party like ice. But during the struggle, he accidentally said something inappropriate. Furthermore, even after putting it in, the other party still didn’t seem to feel anything and asked to take it out.

Even though it was already inserted, he wondered why the other party still couldn’t concentrate. Was it because it was their first time having anal sex, or was it because they had a special “centerline”? Jaeyoung was struggling in a difficult situation and ended up feeling too overwhelmed in the end.

Moreover, he unintentionally became more aggressive than intended.

 

 

Sangwoo walked into the bathroom without saying anything. In the room, only Jaeyoung remained. He leaned against the pillow and pondered about the sensations he experienced last night, realizing that humans have sexual feelings 24 hours a day.

Jaeyoung lay still for a while before getting up from the bed and walking to open the window. Then he walked around the room to pick up the scattered remnants of last night, picked up his clothes, threw away the trash, put the bedsheet in the laundry machine, and tidied the room. He didn’t like cleaning and wasn’t skilled at it, but if he didn’t do it, Sangwoo would have to do it, so he had no choice.

Sangwoo came out of the bathroom when Jaeyoung finished sweeping the room and was drinking water. The other party was in a state with wet hair and wearing both the upper and lower parts, different from when they entered with only underwear. Seeing that the other party took a long shower, Jaeyoung made a sarcastic remark.

“Were you jerking off in there?”

“…”

He just said that, but it seemed true judging by his expression. Sangwoo stood still with an anxious face. As he handed a glass of water, he drank it all at once, and his gaze carefully looked at Jaeyoung’s face.

“You’re not leaving, huh?”

“Going.”

Looking at the clock, it was almost noon.

“Lunchtime, huh?”

“I’ll find something to eat myself.”

In the cupboard, there were only ready-to-eat authentic curry dishes. He wanted to buy food for him, but judging by his expression, he would probably be rejected with the reason ‘I want to be alone’ That’s probably it.

Sangwoo hesitated as he tried to sit down on the chair and ended up sitting halfway. When asked what was wrong, the other party gestured for him to hurry up. Jaeyoung knew that now was the time to retreat, but he couldn’t bring himself to step back.

“Do you have to go part-time today?”

“I will take a break first, then go.”

Where are you going in that condition? Where is your phone.”

The other party’s face seemed puzzled as to why he was asking like that. Jaeyoung glanced around the room before walking over to search Sangwoo’s backpack and took out his phone. Sangwoo simply drank water and slumped onto the desk as if he didn’t care about what Jaeyoung was going to do. Jaeyoung looked at the other party thoughtfully, dialed the game store owner’s number, and made the call.

[Sangwoo. Is there something wrong?]

“Hello. I’m a close friend of Sangwoo’s. Today, he’s not feeling well, so I’ll work in his place.”

[Oh, is he really unwell?]

“I don’t think he can go anywhere today.”

[Have you worked at a game store before?]

Although he had no working part-time anywhere other than a restaurant, Jaeyoung chose to answer yes. The store owner told him to come in thirty minutes and expressed concern for Sangwoo. After hanging up, Jaeyoung turned to face Sangwoo, who was staring at him.

“…I don’t think you need to do that.”

“You can stay here.”

“But there’s a lot of cleaning to do. Plus, organizing the storage room, preparing food, and handling the money.”

“I’ll take care of it myself.”

Sangwoo sighed with a face that Jaeyoung couldn’t tell if he didn’t trust him or if he felt guilty.

“Thank you. I’ll transfer today’s wages to you once the salary is out.”

Jaeyoung blinked his eyes. He didn’t expect to receive such a simple thank you, but he didn’t miss the opportunity for a good gesture.

“Don’t worry about the money. Let me ask something else instead.”

“What do you mean?”

“Starting tomorrow, save me with a new name.”

He said as he slipped the phone into Sangwoo’s hand, actually accidentally seeing that his own number was still recorded as ‘NonPaddler 3’, in the midst of searching through the address book. Sangwoo responded casually, as if it wasn’t a big deal.

“Sure.”

The condition is that you must add a special symbol.”

“What symbol?”

“There is a prohibition , no words like graphic, design, artistic, intense, hyung, included.”

Sangwoo’s face seemed to say, ‘I don’t understand what you’re talking about at all,’ for a moment before changing back to a calm expression.

“Understood.”

“Then take a break.”

Jaeyoung licked his lips on the other side and headed towards the door.

‘Why do I have to have sympathy to this extent?’

He wondered as he walked down the stairs, why he had to pretend to be sympathetic. Although he was skilled at pretending to be gentle, fundamentally, Jaeyoung was a human who cared little about others. Wherever he went, he always maintained basic manners, but he hated annoying things and wasn’t a soft-hearted person. However, he didn’t know why Jaeyoung felt sympathy for the person sitting hunched over the table.

Jaeyoung started the car and drove out, but his destination wasn’t home. He headed towards the most delicious restaurant in the area, bought kimchi stew, spicy tofu stew, and two servings of rice, wrapped them up, and bought skinsoothing ointment from a pharmacy for the swollen, discolored skin. He stopped by a convenience store and picked up drinks, seat cushions, snacks, eggs, fresh meat, stir-fry dishes, and fruits according to his thoughts, then paid and realized he was holding two large plastic bags. Finally, he stopped by a bakery and bought some bread before driving back to Sangwoo’s house.

After knocking on the door and waiting for a moment, the door opened, and he walked past Sangwoo, who was standing in an unusual posture, and placed the six bags on the floor.

“Eat this now, and save this for a warm meal later.”

He took out the stew and placed it on the table, put the seat cushion on the chair, and stored the bottled fruit juice, yogurt, other snacks, and fresh fruits in the refrigerator.

“The rest, if you’re hungry, take it out and eat.”

He placed the box of fruit, the bag of chewy snacks, and the bag of bread on the floor, all of them before picking up the medicine in the small leaf bag and squeezing it into Mr. Sangwoo’s hand.

This part is for applying when it hurts.”

 

 

Sangwoo frowned as if he didn’t understand. Jaeyoung walked to the door, determined to really leave this time. But in the end, he couldn’t take it anymore, turned around again, kicked off the single shoe he had on, threw it halfway, and walked back into the room, grabbing the absent minded figure of the man and hugging him tightly. Sangwoo handed himself over quietly without resistance.

“Last night was really great.”

Jaeyoung spoke softly. Even though he acted as if he didn’t feel anything, deep down in his mind was filled with Sangwoo’s joyful expression. After a moment, Sangwoo responded.

“No, that’s a lie. You didnt cum, hyung.”

“Well, I cummed once, isn’t it?”

“Because I’m not good enough, right?”

“Not even a bit.”

Even though Jaeyoung had to both coax and comfort the other party, and even had to endure some insults, in the end, things turned out fine. It was a bit regrettable that it was mistimed.

“Take a break. And don’t think about practicing anything strange.”

“Okay.”

Jaeyoung hurriedly left, thinking that it wouldn’t be safe to stand so close together like this. Sangwoo didn’t stop him.

Jaeyoung descended the stairs clumsily. As soon as he came out of the building, he was greeted by the clear sky. However, he didn’t go straight to the car, but instead stopped to bask in the sunlight next to the bike parking area, smoking a cigarette.

‘Have you achieved your goal?’

After being rejected so earnestly, despite having an important matter ahead of him, how difficult it must have been. Jaeyoung squeezed out every trick in the book to try and sleep with Chu Sangwoo once, and he had to use superhuman patience to avoid touching the other party even by a fingertip. When he got what he wanted, he should have felt relieved and ready to dump him, but behind that satisfaction was a sense of uneasiness that he didn’t understand. 

Jaeyoung didn’t like this clouded feeling at all.

“Or is it because I did not cum like that kid said?”

He smiled slightly and extinguished the cigarette he had just smoked, tossing it into the trash bin after only half a drag.

⌘W.

The next day, Sangwoo appeared in the office at the same time with an expression as if nothing had happened. Jaeyoung hoped to see the other party not wearing a helmet because he left it in his car, but the man put on a slightly older-looking helmet that had a similar design but seemed more worn out. He didn’t expect there to be a spare one. “We haven’t seen each other for a while.” Yoona greeted and glanced at Jaeyoung.

“Yes.”

Sangwoo strode in, placed his backpack on the empty table, unzipped it, and took out a notebook. After plugging the mouse into the computer, instead of sitting down, Sangwoo picked up something and threw it to Jaeyoung. In a white plastic bag with the pharmacy’s logo, there was a belt buckle, a pair of black shorts, and a folded pair of Jaeyoung’s socks, as if they had been washed for him.

“Giving you the things you left behind. I want my hat back. And then…”

The other party spoke calmly. Then they turned to make sure Yoona was looking the other way, then leaned in closer to Jaeyoung before using their hand to cover their mouth and whisper softly in his ear.

“Did you put on my underwear? Bring them back tomorrow.”

“Ha? Oh…”

Jaeyoung spoke hesitantly, like a timid person.

“And I did as you requested.”

Sangwoo handed him a phone. When he received it and unlocked it, he found a contact list. He scrolled down with excitement, searching for the name that used to be around but is now somewhere else. He scrolled and scrolled, continuously, and finally found it.

[Jaeyoung, ㅅㅂ♨.]

“…”

Although he did not expect the other party to save his name as

“JaeyoungHyung♥.” immediately, he thought it was a bit too much. And even though the words “Hyung, ㅅㅂ.” were considered prohibited terms which meant “elder brother.” he saw them as something else now.

“Translator’s note: ㅅㅂ. In this case, it is an abbreviation for 선배, which means “senior” “Sunbae = elder brother”. However, by chance (?) the word 씨발 or 시발 is pronounced as ‘sheebal’ or ‘shibal’. The ‘shee’ part of the first word is pronounced heavier is a curse word meaning fuck, shit. And its abbreviation is ㅅㅂ, just like this.”

“Are you satisfied?”

Sangwoo took the phone from Jaeyoung’s hand, who was still staring at the screen until it was almost dark, and put it in his backpack.

“This symbol, what does it mean?”

“Do I have to tell you?”

“Hmm.”

“I’ve tried looking at all the symbols. That one suits you “hyung” the most.”  “It’s not a star ☆. It’s not an emphasis symbol, ※. It’s not a musical note, ♬, which means relaxation, but it’s ♨, which means a hot bath. Just kidding.”

“Well, it’s always boiling hot. When I’m with you, hyung.”

“…”

 

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