Chapter 9

“Thanks,” Jihoon smiled at the younger man as he got the glass of juice. “Isn’t it too early for that?” He asked once Chilhyun slammed the bottle of soju to the coffee table and poured it down to the glass. “It’s your house.” Jihoon added fast.

“I don’t care,” Chilhyun mumbled and cocked his head back. “I just need it. You want some?” he questioned the older man, turning the head of the bottle toward Jihoon.

“No, thank you,” The man with huge lips shook his head. “I don’t…I don’t drink alcohol.”

Chilhyun shrugged, grabbed the glass and filled it up with the liquid. Jihoon observed the man, counting slowly how many shots Chilhyun drank, and watched the expressionless look on the face, before he snatched the bottle from the guy and closed it with the cork. Chilhyun stared at him seriously, before he commenced sniffing, and the tears welled in the eyes.

“Chilhyun-sshi,” Jihoon sat closer. “Talk to me.”

The younger man burst into louder and uglier tears and covered his face with his hands. Jihoon wrinkled his forehead sadly, and put his hand on the other guy’s thigh. “Chilhyun-sshi, please, talk to me.” he murmured softly. The younger man peeked behind the hands and eventually slid them down and back to his lap. Jihoon covered them with his warm palms. “What happened?”

Chilhyun looked down.

“Pilkyo changed…” he whispered. “I don’t know what happened…but he changed.”

“Well, you know that marriage changes people. That’s why I never got married.” Jihoon talked lowly.

Chilhyun chuckled a little, but then the serious, mournful expression masked his face. “Maybe he just got bored by me…or I wasn’t enough…I don’t know. It just seems unreal. I remember the day we fell in love, the day he confessed it to me, the day we shared our first kiss, first night, and the proposal.” he explained. “I don’t remember him turning his back at me, hating me, or wanting something different…” Chilhyun sniffed again.

Jihoon listened.

“Now that I think of it…” Chilhyun crooned upset. “…I never remember him curling his arm around me and telling everything will be okay, listening to me seriously, or supporting me on anything I wanted to do.” he glanced at Jihoon. “Honestly, I don’t remember him ever answering me when I told him I love him, or kissing me back, or even hugging me…”

“Chilhyun-sshi…” Jihoon massaged the back of the hand. “Maybe he just…is afraid.”

Chilhyun snorted.

“Why would he be afraid now but he wasn’t afraid then…?” he interrogated.

Jihoon exhaled deeply, and shrugged. He didn’t know a single thing about marriage. He had once been close but—“Chilhyun-sshi,” the other man raised his head. “I’ve never told about this to anyone but…I was once really close to getting married.”

“Oh?” The other guy blinked his eyes.

Jihoon chuckled dryly, seeming a little uncomfortable by this topic. “Yeah…he was not my first love like Pilkyo is to you, but…he was someone I cherished a lot.” He told. “I thought we were the perfect couple, and I took care of him and protected him like I should’ve. But…” Chilhyun leered at the older man. “…a week before the private wedding, he told me he had found someone else.” Chilhyun gasped. “He had just accepted the proposal to please me, I guess…” Jihoon breathed out.

Chilhyun stared at the devastated face. He brought his hand to the cheek and gained the attention of Jihoon. Their eyes met and slowly Chilhyun leaned in and planted a soft kiss to the thick lips. Jihoon pursed his lips, s his hand behind the neck and kissed him again, until Kangta was under him on the couch.

                             ***

Hyesung opened his eyes and saw the handsome man sleeping next to him. The lower body was covered with the white comforter, so Hyesung had a full tanned body to admire. Eric was breathing heavily, and he was in deep asleep since Hyesung moved on the bed but the guy didn’t wake up.

Hyesung sat up on the bed, hand between the spread legs, and looked around the room. Eric’s apartment was nice, kind of cozy, and somewhat clean. It was not Chilhyun clean, but somewhat clean. Hyesung could see stuff lying around – Eric had a dog? – and clothes stuffing the closets, but nothing caught his attention more than the photos on the walls. Eric seemed to be his mother’s boy.

“Hey, you’re awake,” Hyesung turned his head to the groggy voice.

“Yeah,” Hyesung smiled. “Did I wake you?”

Eric shook his head and rubbed the eyes awake, as he pulled the younger man down into his arms and hugged him. Hyesung closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, manly scent entering his nostrils. Eric was warm, and smooth, and he embraced Hyesung protectively. There were no fears and duties in the bedroom; they were all outside the room.

“Eric ah,” Hyesung murmured, touching the chest.

“Mmm?”

“Have you ever slapped anyone…?”

                             ***

Chilhyun switched on the faucet and shuddered. The shudders were comfortable and hot, so he turned the heat to negative degrees, and let his body cool down. Jihoon had just left; it had been difficult to let him go after what had happened, but Jihoon had to leave for work.

The water trickled down the body, through the back, through the , through the legs and sunk into the drain. Chilhyun reminisced upon the moment before him, and sighed. Something Chilhyun hadn’t been yearning for, suddenly became a thing he wanted the most. The way Jihoon had treated him like a gentleman, touched him and kissed him made his body crazy.

The cold water helped it a little to cool down.

Chilhyun’s thoughts were running thousand miles, when he felt hands on his hips and gasped. “Jihoon! I thought you left!” He turned to look at the guy.

“I did,” Jihoon said. “But I came back.”

Chilhyun smiled widely, turned around and cupped the face. Their lips met in a fight, water pouring down their bodies when the main door was opened and closed and they heard a yell. “Chilhyun!”

“Pilkyo…” the two whispered.