Chapter 13: The Calculated Escape

He wondered how long he had cried. It felt as though he, rather than Jung Ban-ri, was clinging to the other man. Suddenly, the pouch he had rested on his knee tumbled to the floor.

Yet, he made no move to release Jung Ban-ri, his arms still tightly wrapped around him, nor did he consider picking it up.

It was a long while later before In-tae even remembered the pouch. His mother had, after all, implored him never to lose it.

Just as a slightly calmer In-tae began to relax his arms, a small hand touched his back. It then tightened its grip, holding In-tae close. The embrace, which had been on the verge of ending, continued.

Jung Ban-ri pressed himself against In-tae, filling every space, even the one where the pouch had fallen.

Jung Ban-ri’s warmth and scent intensified. It was hot and exquisitely sweet.

That was their first and last embrace.

“…Ri-ya.”

“Yes, In-tae.”

A touch near his eye made In-tae open them. He saw the rounded tip of a finger. Even in the darkness, the distinctly white fingertip gleamed with a faint wetness.

“W-what is it?”

“You were calling my name and crying.” Jung Ban-ri replied nonchalantly, rubbing his finger.

“What are you—”

As he tried to sit up, a cramp seized his stomach, and he doubled over. He barely managed to suppress a groan that threatened to erupt, then looked around.

Other “casualties” lay sprawled across the room, much like himself. The few who had lasted until the end were drinking in a corner.

Now that he thought about it, he recalled hearing sounds in his sleep. When the comfortable lap-pillow had slipped away, and he was on the verge of regaining consciousness, he’d heard Jung Ban-ri’s gentle voice saying, “Let’s drink a little farther away so In-tae can sleep soundly.”

“Why were you crying?”

A sweet lie, utterly unlike the man before him now.

“You appeared in my dream; how could I not cry?” In-tae retorted, enduring the intense abdominal pain the man had bestowed upon him.

“What kind of dream?”

“You don’t need to know. Just go drink your fill.”

Recalling it now still made him want to weep blood. The angelic child he’d seen then had grown into this…

“I appeared in your dream, but you can’t even remember it… You must be really sick.”

“What are you— Huh?!”

…A monster of immense strength.

Jung Ban-ri simultaneously supported In-tae’s upper and lower body, lifting him from his crouched position. Startled to suddenly find himself airborne, In-tae pushed against the man’s chest, trying to get down.

However, his upper body soon flopped over Jung Ban-ri’s shoulder. It started as a bridal carry, but ended up looking more like a bundled capture.

No, considering In-tae’s size, it was closer to a capture, even with the invisible pressure applied to his body.

His classmates, startled by the commotion, stared with wide eyes.

“What’s going on? Is In-tae really sick?”

“Yes. We’ll head out first.”

“Now? How? Did you bring a car?”

“I called a taxi a little while ago.”

“Oh, then I’ll grab In-tae’s bag. It was next to mine earlier.”

In-tae wasn’t the only one bewildered. His classmates, confronted with the bizarre scene, were busy adding their own comments. Only Jung Ban-ri remained perfectly composed.

“I’ve roughly packed In-tae’s things, but if anything’s missing, could you grab it?”

It was only then, hearing Jung Ban-ri’s words, that In-tae noticed his own bag strapped to the man’s back. He distinctly remembered the zipper being wide open, its contents spilling out, the last time he’d seen it.

Yet now, even his toiletries, which he always kept in the side pocket, were neatly packed, presumably retrieved from the bathroom. The phrase, “if anything’s missing, could you grab it?” was, in truth, utter nonsense.

“Oh, but is there really a taxi coming at this hour?”

“Isn’t In-tae heavy? Should we help carry him?”

Jung Ban-ri responded cheerfully to his worried classmates who approached him.

“In-tae will be fine, so there’s no need to worry too much. Don’t mind us—have a good break.”

With a perfect farewell, he then exited the dormitory like the wind.

***

On one side of the sports field, car headlights blinked. He saw ‘Seoul’ written on the taxi’s roof light.

“Hey. Put me down.”

Jung Ban-ri paid no heed to In-tae’s quiet demand. Even after all eyes had vanished, he carried In-tae all the way to the car, like a meticulous actor who considers the backstage just as important as the stage itself.

As soon as they settled into the back seat, Jung Ban-ri pulled out a thick wad of crisp bills from his wallet and handed them to the driver without even counting.

“To the address I mentioned, please.”

“Oh my, how generous. Yes, is it XX Officetel? For both of you?”

It seemed the destination had already been shared. Indeed, to find a taxi willing to travel all the way to Seoul from such a remote location at this hour, the destination and fare would have surely been discussed in advance.

Moreover, Jo Gi-tae, the self-proclaimed guardian of their drinking sessions, had supposedly hand-picked the dormitory to prevent any escapees, making it a miracle that a Seoul taxi had been secured at all.

“Yes. The same place for both of us.”

“Then we’ll depart immediately.”

“Hold on a moment, please. I’ll just buckle up first. My friend isn’t feeling well.”

Jung Ban-ri leaned towards In-tae, pulling the seatbelt while stopping the eager driver. He could smell the strong scent of alcohol on the man’s breath. It seemed he had continued drinking even while In-tae was asleep.

And yet, somehow, he had managed to prepare everything for their departure home.

“My, student, you’re very thorough.”

‘Yes, so thorough, indeed. Jung Ban-ri.’

‘Giving the disease, then providing the cure… perfectly.’

…Wait, In-tae checked his watch. He had only been asleep for about fifteen minutes.

‘In that short time… could all of this have been arranged? Calling a taxi, packing my bags…’

Click. The cold metallic sound of the seatbelt echoed. In-tae looked at the monster’s face, now so close to him.

Jung Ban-ri, currently before him, wore the least “displeased” expression In-tae had seen throughout the entire MT, as if this very moment was the pinnacle of his contentment.

‘For a normal person, would this be akin to a beaming smile?’

Of course, Jung Ban-ri might be pleased with the current situation, having managed to leave the MT. He had seemed displeased at times ever since his walk with Ye-eun.

And coincidentally, In-tae had fallen ill, which led to them returning home like this… Was it not, then, the perfect scenario?

A picture that was too—perfect.

“Did you, by any chance, intend to get out of the MT from the very beginning…?” In-tae voiced the intense premonition that had chilled his mind.

If Jung Ban-ri had wanted to leave the MT early, what better reason could there be than to care for a sick friend?

Past events began to click into place like puzzle pieces. Jung Ban-ri had been displeased by something. That’s why he had left the dormitory in the first place.

He wasn’t the type to go for a walk without a reason. It was then that he had encountered In-tae and Ye-eun.

At the time, In-tae had sensed something amiss and asked what had happened, but the man, who valued social decorum, offered no further explanation. He had also refused In-tae’s suggestion to discreetly leave the drinking party and rest in his room.

No, upon reflection, the man had never explicitly confirmed that he would leave the drinking party. He had merely…

‘So there was a way…’

In-tae had understood those words to mean Jung Ban-ri would leave the drinking party. No, he had been mistaken.

The man, who had been playing the role of a model student, had then abruptly dragged In-tae to the showers, where he had penetrated him like a madman, even ejaculating inside.

While his methods of s*x were always rather aggressive, doing such a thing during an MT was entirely uncharacteristic of Jung Ban-ri.

It made no sense that he was simply drunk and aroused, so In-tae had merely assumed he was in a significantly displeased state.

After returning to the dormitory, Jung Ban-ri had then suddenly and publicly declared his friendship with In-tae during the drinking session—.

And the culmination of all those actions was this.

‘“Jung Ban-ri, who had intended to stay with his classmates until the very end of the drinking party,”… was now forced to return home midway through the MT because his precious friend was very ill.’

In-tae looked down at Jung Ban-ri, who was kindly buckling his seatbelt. Noticing In-tae’s gaze, the man lifted his own eyes. In the darkness, the beast’s jet-black eyes glinted.

“My, you’re truly good to your friend.”

At the taxi driver’s comment, Jung Ban-ri’s eyes curved gently. His shy smile appeared as innocent as a child’s.

‘Am I overthinking this?’

Jung Ban-ri flawlessly played the role of a socially perfect individual. He never gossiped about others, and he endured drinking parties enforced by seniors until the very end.

Would such a man, no matter how displeased he was, force a sexual encounter in a public shower room, a place with a high risk of being discovered, just to get out of an MT? And even ejaculate inside?

It was an excessively reckless act. If, by any chance, someone had heard them or if bodily fluids had leaked, it was obvious he would have been in serious trouble.

“Driver. Let’s get going now. Safety is important, but I’d appreciate it if we could go a little faster…”

Jung Ban-ri straightened up and gently tugged the seatbelt once. It was as if he was checking it, ensuring it wasn’t too tight. Simultaneously, his gaze swept over In-tae’s lower abdomen and buttocks.

“Because I don’t think I can hold out much longer.”

The moment he heard that casually added remark, In-tae clenched his jaw.

‘Perhaps, had he known?’

‘That In-tae would try his best to suppress his moans during s*x. And that he would endure the semen inside him for a time—but ultimately, he wouldn’t be able to bear it.’

‘Could he have possibly even estimated how long In-tae would last, timing their departure perfectly?’

‘No, goddammit, even so…’

He found it difficult to accept the hypothesis forming in his mind. In-tae leaned his head towards the driver, who was about to start the car, and rattled off questions like a machine gun.

“Driver. You came from Seoul, right?”

“Uh… Yes, why?”

“Wow, it must have been a long way here, you must have suffered. When did he call for a taxi?”

‘Was it really possible to secure a taxi in just fifteen minutes? A Seoul-registered car, heading back to Seoul, no less?’

“I was waiting beforehand. Ever since we talked this morning—”

“This morning…?”

“Driver.” Jung Ban-ri cut off the driver’s words with a chillingly low voice. The driver flinched and fell silent.

“D-did I take too long? I was waiting in the car the whole time, I really came quickly…”

The driver’s flustered words fell on deaf ears.

He felt a vein throb in his forehead. A single sentence resonated in his thoroughly battered brain.

‘That son of a b*tch did it on purpose.’

Every action the man had taken was… a calculated scheme to get out of the MT.