Chapter 34: Hellish Routine

After that, Chaewoo discussed how to tailor the costume with the director and joined the rehearsal.

However, he couldn’t concentrate because the conversation he had with Euigeon in the dressing room weighed on a corner of his mind.

What was with Euigeon back then?

His pheromones were unstable and fluctuating more than usual, although not to a problematic extent.

As if he were actually aroused in that enclosed space.

He wanted to dismiss Euigeon’s words and actions as just a joke, but it didn’t seem like he was simply trying to tease him after seeing his reaction.

Surely all those lewd words weren’t sincere, right?

“Let’s stop here and take a break!”

When a break was given, Chaewoo slumped onto the floor, panting.

The chorus part was quite grand, so repeating it a few times left him out of breath.

While he was drinking water to moisten his dry throat, the phone in his pocket vibrated.

He took it out and saw a message that had just arrived.

– Beom Euigeon (3rd Year): [Come out through the back door when you’re done.]

Chaewoo bit his lower lip.

‘Is he really going to do it today?’

He looked at the screen with an incredulous face and then glared toward Euigeon.

Euigeon was chatting with another actor while holding his phone, seemingly having sent the message just then.

He was a man without a shred of caution.

What was he going to do if someone saw that?

“Chaewoo, if you have time, could you match this part with me for a bit? My breathing keeps feeling awkward during practice.”

While he was contemplating how to reply, a request for help came.

Chaewoo hurriedly touched the screen and wrote back.

“Yes, one moment.”

– Me: [I don’t have much time. Part-time job in the evening.]

After pressing send, he stood up and went over to the actor.

Fortunately, the part he was asked to help with was short, taking less than three minutes to finish.

When he returned to his spot, a reply had arrived.

– Beom Euigeon (3rd Year): [I’ll finish early.]

“Haah…”

He wanted to flatly refuse.

However, there were things that made it hard to decline readily.

‘Did you think I was asking you for a favor, Senior?’

‘It was never a request from the beginning.’

The fact that the termination of the Reset Partner contract depended on Euigeon, that Chaewoo had already committed acts that fell under the termination conditions, and that Euigeon was not someone to be taken lightly.

– Me: [Where are we going?]

– Beom Euigeon (3rd Year): [Well.]

– Beom Euigeon (3rd Year): [Where is your part-time job?]

Chaewoo hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should reveal it, but there was no reason not to now.

Besides, he had already entered the address of the shop on the navigation when he got into Euigeon’s car while drunk.

– Me: [Near Yeongdeungpo-gu Office Station.]

– Beom Euigeon (3rd Year): [Let’s go to a hotel in that area.]

Chaewoo doubted his eyes.

It wasn’t a vacation; they were just going to have s*x and leave, so a hotel?

Spending a million won a day was a burden.

Given Euigeon’s personality, he didn’t think the man would ask him for that money, but even so, a hotel was a bit much.

– Me: [Just go to a motel.]

– Beom Euigeon (3rd Year): [Why? I prefer hotels.]

– Me: [We’re leaving soon anyway, it’s a waste.]

– Beom Euigeon (3rd Year): [Fine then.]

– Me: [But…]

– Me: [If we do it today, we’re not doing it on Friday, right?]

As soon as he pressed send, the “1” disappeared.

However, no new notification rang.

‘This guy who’s been replying instantly until now.’

Chaewoo looked at the chat window anxiously and, unable to contain himself, looked for Euigeon.

The chair where he had been sitting was empty, and Euigeon was leaving the rehearsal room with someone else.

‘Send a reply before you go!’ Chaewoo shouted inwardly.

However, the reply Chaewoo wanted did not come until the rehearsal ended completely, and the conversation ended with him being left on read.

He held onto his silent phone until the rehearsal room was empty.

Only after the last actor closed the door and left did Chaewoo walk away with heavy steps.

He haphazardly packed his bag with the script and sheet music and opened the back door.

When he went up the stairs, he saw a black car at the end of the alley.

After checking that no one was around, he opened the passenger door and got in.
As soon as he sat down, Chaewoo subtly grabbed the end of Euigeon’s sleeve and asked again.

“We’re not doing it on Friday if we do it today, right?”

Euigeon, who was leaning his upper body at an angle with his elbow on the window, turned his gaze toward Chaewoo.

His lips curled up slightly as he looked at the sleeve being timidly held by Chaewoo’s thumb and index finger.

“Who schedules s*x like that? I’m building up every day.”

“I’m not building up every day.”

“Shall we check every day?”

“Why is the conversation going that way?”

Chaewoo hurriedly shook his head.

At the same time, an unfamiliar figure approached the car from outside.

A long shadow fell, and both of their gazes shifted in that direction.

The stranger tapped on the driver’s side window.

Looking closely, it was an actor from the opera team.

Startled, Chaewoo looked around for a place to hide, spotted Euigeon’s white jersey lying in the back seat, and pulled it over himself.

Euigeon lowered the window as if it were no big deal.

“Oh, it’s Paolo, right? Are you going straight home?”

“I plan to.”

“I thought it was Paolo’s car since it had been stopped here for a while, so I just said hello. You worked hard today, get home safe… Hmm? But is there someone next to you?”

Chaewoo, covered by the jersey, flinched.

He wondered if he should answer, but thought it would be better to stay still.

If he showed his face and said hello here, rumors would spread about him being involved with Euigeon somehow.

It was much more comfortable and safer to be known as being on moderately bad terms, as they were now.

“No answer…? Is it someone I shouldn’t see?”

When Euigeon didn’t deny it, the actor exclaimed, “Oh my, oh my.”

“Did Paolo have a lover? How surprising. Same department? Or same school? You’re hiding your face.”

“This friend is shy.”

“No, why? If it were me, I’d be bragging to everyone. Everyone in our opera team cherishes Paolo so much. Introduce them to us when you get a chance later, okay?”

“……”

The actor chuckled awkwardly at Chaewoo’s lack of response.

“Doesn’t seem to feel like it.”

Euigeon answered instead.

Unlike Chaewoo, who was hiding desperately to avoid being caught, he looked beyond calm and even relaxed.

“Well, we’ll be going then.”

“Ah. R-right. See you at the next practice.”

After a quick goodbye, the car started.

Feeling the vibration of the car for tens of seconds, Chaewoo peeked his head out.

“…Gone?”

“Yes.”

“Haah. You really.”

Chaewoo sighed as he brushed back his disheveled bangs.

His heart had been pounding so much when the actor spoke to him that he felt like he’d lost ten years of his life.

“Are you going to keep doing that when people are around?”

“What did I do?”

Euigeon asked back, mischievously tapping the steering wheel.

“You’re asking because you don’t know? Pushing your way into the dressing room earlier. Saying, s-saying such weird things.”

“It’s not a weird thing; it’s the truth.”

“What truth?”

“Looking at you, Senior Seol, your juices are all filled up.”

“……”

“Check it when we get to the motel.”

‘The nerve of this guy.’

‘No, I don’t want to check. I don’t want to know!’ Chaewoo shouted inwardly.

“This is different from what you first said. You clearly said we’d only do it once a week back then…”

“Senior Seol.”

“What.”

“Even written contracts get breached.”

Chaewoo’s finger, which had been pointing at Euigeon, faltered.

“Is there a law that verbal ones must be kept?”

“……”

When he put it that way, Chaewoo had nothing to say.

However, even so, acting so relentlessly with that water-bottle-sized thing was unconscionable.

He should at least give him time to prepare mentally.

“You’re also too, well, different from other people in size.”

The car stopped at a red light.

Euigeon, who had been driving leisurely until then, looked at Chaewoo.

His expression was somewhat crooked.

“Have you tried it with other guys?”

“…No?”

“Then why do you speak as if you know other guys’ dicks so well in front of me?”

“……”

“It’s annoying.”

Chaewoo couldn’t find anything to say in response to the voice that had dropped in temperature.

Euigeon straightened his head and stared at the red traffic light.

The red light reflected in his ink-black eyes, making him look chilling to the onlooker.

“You said you use large-sized condoms.”

“Aha.”

“The condom tore last time because it was too small… That’s why I said it.”

“Right. But doing s*x often won’t be only bad for you, Senior Seol.”

‘What does that even mean?’
Chaewoo’s eyebrows twitched.

It was true that sleeping with Euigeon took a toll due to the aftereffects, but it was also true that when they actually did it, he felt it so intensely that he couldn’t steady himself, so it was hard to counter.

“Isn’t it good for both of us if you get pregnant quickly?”

‘Ah, there was that reason.’
It was true.

Seeing the light turn green, Chaewoo shut his mouth completely.

He realized he couldn’t win a verbal battle with him on this topic.

****

In the end, as soon as they arrived at the motel that day, they had a messy session.
Chaewoo ended up being so clingy that it was embarrassing to even ask for mercy.

Even though he would make excuses and avoid it until right before s*x, saying his life would fall apart if they kept doing this, once he got on the bed, he would hang onto Euigeon every time.

As this pattern repeated, Chaewoo felt a sense of injustice.

He didn’t know why he was like this either.

At this point, it seemed he also enjoyed s*x with Euigeon.

Thanks to Euigeon leaving marks all over his body, the number of days he felt uncomfortable whenever he put on clothes was increasing.

Friday was no different.

As soon as practice was over, it inevitably led to s*x.

Thanks to telling the shop manager in advance to let him off from Friday shifts, he avoided the hellish routine of practice-s*x-work.

Even so, Chaewoo always felt at the limit of his physical strength.

Especially since the day after Friday was the weekend, Euigeon pushed him to the end without mercy.

It wasn’t easy to wake up and leave in the early morning in that state.

Physical issues aside, it was certain that the s*x with him was a good fit.

In fact, that was why it was hard for him to strongly express dissatisfaction with the increasing frequency of their encounters.