Chapter 9: The Unexpected Aftermath

“Hey. Be careful when you come. Don’t let it get on your clothes.”

“Okay.”

“Not just your clothes, but mine too, I mean.”

“…Okay.”

“Ah, and when you… *huff*… set me down, do it gently, and if you make a sound—”

“Hah.”

Jung Ban-ri exhaled a long, deep breath. At the same moment, he plunged himself in so deeply that In-tae’s body lurched upward.

“You…”

In-tae could not complete his sentence, merely staring at Jung Ban-ri. The unpleasantness had completely vanished from his clear, innocent face.

“You, r-right now…”

After a moment of stunned silence, he continued, his voice trembling with disbelief.

“…Did you come inside?”

“Yes.”

The reply from his lips was refreshingly casual.

“Don’t spill it.”

“……”

“Lest it get on your clothes.”

Jung Ban-ri mimicked In-tae’s earlier words, flashing a bright smile. It was the kind of charming, extra smile he offered when playing the part of a good student. Nothing was more effective at rendering his opponent speechless.

“You, right now…”

“Yes. I’ll put you down carefully.”

Then, like an obedient, well-trained pet, he slowly lowered In-tae’s right leg, then his left, to the floor.

In-tae slid down onto the floor, his gaze fixed blankly between his legs. A vivid flush of red spread from his buttocks to his thighs, and the most abused opening was swollen crimson, slightly agape.

Yet, despite the intensity, not a single drop had leaked out, a testament to how deeply Jung Ban-ri had come inside.

“The floor is dirty.”

In-tae looked up at the light click of Jung Ban-ri’s tongue. Before the disheveled In-tae, Jung Ban-ri composed his front, regaining his impeccable appearance.

“You, you bastard, seriously… is that what you call talking…”

His words came out in sputtering fragments, his disbelief unwavering. ‘How could this jerk even think of coming inside?’ In-tae fumed. ‘What about the cleanup? Ah, of course, this son of a b*tch would never consider someone else’s predicament.’

Jung Ban-ri, who had been looking down at In-tae, bent his long legs and lowered himself. He then picked up the briefs and trousers scattered on the floor and neatly brushed them off.

“I’ll help you get dressed.”

In-tae kicked away the hand that reached for his ankle, as if to dress him.

“You crazy bastard, are you giving me poison and then an antidote?”

He snatched his clothes, spitting the words out. Having to keep his voice down only made his frustration boil over more intensely.

“Damn it, I have to clean out before I put them on!”

Ignoring Jung Ban-ri’s outstretched hand, In-tae hoisted himself up by grasping the sink. It was a small mercy that they had done this in the shower room.

“Go on in first.”

Just as In-tae was about to move, Jung Ban-ri caught hold of his clothes.

“Let’s go together.”

“Together, my ass.”

In-tae retorted, attempting to pass, but Jung Ban-ri’s hand remained firm. Jung Ban-ri’s gaze lingered on In-tae’s backside, his pretty lips parting as if he had something to say but couldn’t quite vocalize it.

‘Is he finally starting to care?’ In-tae wondered. ‘Or more precisely, has he remembered some manual about fixing things when you’ve upset someone?’

“Let go. There’s no time.”

Though he spoke sharply, In-tae felt his irritation soften slightly.

Strictly speaking, Jung Ban-ri hadn’t known any better. His instincts might have driven him to come inside, but his brain wasn’t wired to comprehend the bothersome cleanup or the pain of others that followed.

Moreover, from Jung Ban-ri’s perspective, returning to the dorm immediately would be the most logical and appropriate course of action.

Yet, because In-tae was angry, he was making an effort to stay and resolve the situation somehow, offering to remain together after s*x for the very first time.

Staring at the white hand gripping him tightly, In-tae realized his anger had already dissipated. His mind, as foolish as his heart, joined in the rationalization.

‘Well, at least he’s making a show of being sorry.’ In-tae mused.

‘While his inability to genuinely apologize is an innate flaw, many people cause trouble and don’t even bother to clean it up. After all, isn’t an ideal human being a product of socialization, not just nature?’

Calming himself, In-tae spoke in a softer tone.

“Hey, honestly, you don’t need to shower too. I mean, you might have sweated a bit, but you don’t smell. *Sniff, sniff*. How are you still so fragrant?”

He only pretended to sniff exaggeratedly, yet the pleasant scent from Jung Ban-ri was undeniably real. ‘It’s amazing what I think about at times like these,’ In-tae thought. ‘My crush isn’t cute like Ye-eun’s; it’s more like… foolish.’

“And honestly, wouldn’t it look a bit strange if you and I went in to shower side-by-side? Of course, people might think we just got hot on a walk and showered, but you’re not the type to shower with anyone…”

“I wasn’t planning on showering.”

Jung Ban-ri offered to let In-tae shower alone and wait for him. It was a surprisingly generous offer for him, but… In-tae glanced at the shower area where multiple showerheads were lined up without any partitions, and said,

“Jung Ban-ri, you might not know this, but… I have a sense of shame, you know?”

In-tae gently pushed Jung Ban-ri’s hand away, responding quite firmly. Given the circumstances, he certainly didn’t want to expose himself while washing up.

“I’m saying I want to shower alone.”

Even so, Jung Ban-ri didn’t budge. ‘He’s really trying, isn’t he?’ In-tae thought. ‘Well, even a mere animal licks a wounded person.’ Though he grumbled internally, his voice grew even softer.

“Then, would you mind waiting outside for a bit? I’ll be quick.”

Just then, Jung Ban-ri’s phone rang.

[Jo Gi-tae]

Checking the screen, In-tae immediately said,

“Don’t answer it. I’m going in to drink with the hyungs, so don’t worry about it—”

Before In-tae could finish, however, Jung Ban-ri pressed the answer button. It seemed he couldn’t ignore an incoming call; such a rule-abiding guy.

Holding the phone to his ear, Jung Ban-ri stared directly at the flustered In-tae. Through the phone, a man’s heavily intoxicated voice echoed into the quiet shower room.

“Yes, Hyung.”

–Hey, Jung Ban-ri. Where are you? Did you ditch because you didn’t want to drink?

Jung Ban-ri replied softly.

“No, Hyung. I didn’t run away. I’m here at the shower room by the sports field.”

–Really? I’m coming to check right now.

“You’re… coming now?”

‘That crazy bastard! Absolutely not.’ In-tae thought. ‘At least ten minutes… no, I need to wash up within five minutes somehow.’ He spread his hand wide, mouthing the words.

‘Tell him five minutes, five minutes until we go.’

Jung Ban-ri’s lips remained tightly sealed as he stared intently at In-tae’s face.

–Why aren’t you answering? I guess I’ll have to come get you.

A boisterous clamor came through the phone, as if they were actually mobilizing.

‘Just give me the phone. I’ll tell him.’

In-tae desperately reached out his hand. Jung Ban-ri tilted his head back slightly, evading the grasp.

“Yes, Hyung.”

In that instant, Jung Ban-ri’s eyes curved into a perfect crescent, forming a charming eye-smile, as if he hadn’t forgotten his act even while on the phone.

“Please, come quickly.”

In-tae felt as though his very fingertips, which he had extended, had frozen solid.

“Come now, and let’s go together.”

No sooner had the monster finished speaking than a loud commotion erupted. In-tae frantically scrambled into his clothes.

***

“Yoon In-tae, have a drink!”

In-tae merely touched the clinking glass to his lips before subtly lowering it. He simply couldn’t bring himself to drink.

‘What kind of blood revenge is this?’

He hadn’t even come close to revenge. ‘Is it true that if you try to harm others, it comes back to you?’ he wondered. Far from getting everyone drunk to death, he felt like he was the one dying.

He was experiencing a terrible abdominal pain he’d never felt before. He had endured the stinging in his abused opening a few times, but this twisting pain in his gut was on an entirely different level.

Every throb in his lower abdomen sent shivers down his spine. Amidst it all, the only thing In-tae could do was clench his buttocks tightly to prevent any leakage.

‘If only everyone else would pass out too…’ he wished. Instead, everyone but him seemed to be growing more boisterous. This was all…

“In-tae, are you feeling unwell?”

It was all because of this bastard. In-tae met Jung Ban-ri’s ‘concerned’ gaze head-on. ‘This damn culprit…’ Instead of passing out and sleeping as In-tae had advised, he had ended up joining the drinking party with Jo Gi-tae.

“Oh, really! In-tae, you look pale.”

At Jung Ban-ri’s words, the others also started to notice In-tae. Ye-eun asked in a worried voice,

“Are your ankles hurting?”

“Ankles? Why, did you get hurt playing foot volleyball earlier?”

“No, no. In-tae had surgery on them a while ago.”

At Ye-eun’s words, his peers’ gazes fell to his ankles. A thin, white line, barely noticeable unless one looked closely, covered his entire ankle down to his sole.

“Huh! It’s true.”

“Right. Be careful when you play ball games from now on. We don’t want it to get worse.”

Ye-eun repeated Jung Ban-ri’s earlier words from outside.