Chapter 51: A Perilous Mood

After returning to the bathhouse, we stored the clothes and food we’d brought in lockers, then headed straight for a wash.

The dust from the giant monster’s rampage, which had caused buildings to collapse, had settled thickly upon our heads.

Regardless of any “pervert games,” washing up was the immediate priority.

Fortunately, the water was still running. It was nothing short of miraculous that the sewage systems remained operational, despite the utter chaos the city center had become.

Yet, with Jo Jun-cheol and his faction having fled, I surmised that public utilities across the Yeouido area might soon grind to a halt.

As if indulging in a final luxury, I let the hot water warm my body, meticulously washing away every speck of dust.

“Since Jo Jun-cheol has left, the electricity might cut out soon.”

“He might return if he hears the monster has been defeated.”

“Is that so?”

Should I leave this place before Jo Jun-cheol returns? Or should I prepare to confront him here?

Though I dreaded facing Jo Jun-cheol again, I knew avoiding him wouldn’t solve anything. Therefore, I resolved to prepare for a confrontation.

After thoroughly scrubbing my scalp and soaking in the tub, Han-jun stepped out of the bathhouse and then returned. He held something peculiar in his hand.

“What is it?”

Upon noticing his erection, already disturbingly prominent, I asked curtly. Though I feigned indifference, my heart clenched as Han-jun strode closer.

“Here, try this on, hyung.”

In his hand was a pair of exceedingly scandalous thong underwear.

“This… why did you bring this?”

It was the thong he had offered me to try on at the clothing store. When had he managed to pack this? I was certain I had removed all the strange clothes.

Han-jun reacted nonchalantly to my visible bewilderment.

“I kept it in my pocket.”

“You’ve been carrying a thong in your pocket this whole time?”

“Yeah.”

Han-jun nodded with an air of absolute defiance.

Look at this man of unwavering conviction. Han-jun had no right to scold me for making him wear a hat with rabbit ears. If he’d been carrying a thong in his pocket this entire time, shouldn’t he humbly accept being called a pervert?

“Jun, let’s not do this.”

“Do what?”

He stepped into the tub, the water sloshing around him. The subtle upward curve of his lips betrayed his sheer delight. Han-jun seemed to enjoy teasing me immensely.

“What’s going to change if I wear that? Huh? Will money appear, or food? What benefit could possibly come from it?”

“My mood.”

Apparently, it would improve Sir Han-jun’s mood.

With a resigned shrug, I abruptly stood and snatched the underwear from his hand.

What was the big deal? I could just put it on. And what difference would it make, wearing underwear or being naked? Its shape was a bit odd, but I would just close my eyes and get it over with.

Things like this always look stranger the more embarrassed you are. If I acted confident, it wouldn’t seem so scandalous.

I brainwashed myself, pushing away my embarrassment. The athletic thong felt tight across the front, as if it were too small. The moment I pulled it up, the string at the back slid right between my buttocks.

The sensation was incredibly awkward. A discomforting foreign feeling, as if my pants were wedged between my cheeks.

After fully donning the thong, I placed my hands on my hips and puffed out my chest, much like a chimpanzee.

“There! Happy now?! It’s no big deal, right?!”

“Hmm…”

I had puffed out my chest, certain that Han-jun would quickly lose interest if I acted confident, but his expression was peculiar.

Han-jun leisurely scrutinized me, like a predator observing its prey. His gaze sweeping over my body sent a ticklish sensation through me.

“Wh-what is it?”

As Han-jun circled me, meticulously observing every detail, I could no longer maintain my composure. My body instantly recoiled. My exposed buttocks felt utterly mortifying.

What was there to look at so intently?

“It’s better than I thought.”

“Huh?”

“I guess I like this kind of thing.”

Han-jun suddenly confessed his preferences. I hadn’t particularly wanted to know.

“…So what?”

“Wear it around.”

“If you tell me to wear it around, do I have to?”

“I went through all that trouble to bring it, and you won’t wear it?”

I’d never seen such an unreasonable man.

When I glared at him with a rebellious expression, Han-jun leaned closer and pulled the back of the thong upwards. This tightened around my privates and pulled my buttocks taut. Any harder, and it would surely hurt.

“Agh!”

He must be trying to torment me.

I frantically grabbed Han-jun’s arm. The tables had turned in an instant. My confidence evaporated like foam, and I looked at Han-jun with downcast eyes.

“Why, what now? What’s wrong?”

“I just told you to try it on for fun, but it suits you too well.”

So, in the end, it was my fault that the thong suited me so well, was that it?

Han-jun’s dark eyes swarmed with desire. His intense gaze, his slightly flushed earlobes, his tongue licking his red lower lip, and most of all, his even more menacing erection.

Was he never tired? He must have expended so much energy fighting the giant monster. Yet, he still had energy for this. Was this the equivalent of having a separate stomach for rice and another for dessert?

Since I disliked doing it in the water, as my hands and feet would shrivel up like last time, I resigned myself to the inevitable and cast my eyes down mournfully.

“…Let’s go out first. You can admire it outside.”

“Shall we?”

As I relented, Han-jun’s smile deepened. He panted excitedly, like a dog hearing the command to ‘eat.’ Then, he scooped me up and began striding out of the bathhouse.

Was there really a need to carry me when it was only a few steps? I wasn’t going to run away.

“I-I can walk on my own two feet, you know?”

“You don’t have much stamina, hyung, so you should conserve it, even a little.”

Conserving it like this wouldn’t make me any less tired.

Han-jun gently set me down and even brought a towel to dry me off. He slowly wiped my feet and legs, looking up at me with glistening eyes. He moved further up, drying the inside of my thighs meticulously, never averting his gaze.

“This is too much pressure. Could you look away?”

“You have no mood, hyung.”

“What kind of ‘mood’ are you looking for in a bathhouse? And when have we ever had a ‘mood’?”

“Always?”

Eh?

“What are you talking about?”

“It was quite atmospheric, wasn’t it?”

It seemed Han-jun and I lived in different worlds.

“‘Mood,’ you see, requires flowers and expensive wine. Haven’t you ever watched a drama?”

If I lacked ‘mood,’ Han-jun simply lacked knowledge. He was like a romance-idiot. Hmph, he probably thought aggressively pushing forward was all it took.

Though, it wasn’t my place to say, given how excited I got even from that.

“Like when we went to that restaurant before?”

Had we ever gone to a restaurant? Racking my memory, there had been such a time. It was to enjoy a final meal on the eve of the apocalypse, not to set a mood, though.

“Ah, yes. Like then.”

“I’ll prepare something for you later.”

As I nodded, vaguely agreeing that such an atmosphere was appropriate, Han-jun furrowed his brows, seemingly taking my words seriously.

Why was he suddenly acting like this after being so unyielding all this time?

It was so amusing that I barely managed to suppress a laugh, letting out a snort instead.

“It’s too late now. You only want my body. I’m already heartbroken.”

“I can just do it for you.”

“I said it’s too late.”

“Don’t make me laugh.”

“…”

It was a joke, so why was he getting angry?

Han-jun gripped my shoulders tightly and slowly drew closer. My shoulders felt as though they might shatter.

“Hyung…”

After a long hesitation, he buried his face in my chest and whispered so softly it was barely audible.

“Hyung, why don’t you ever ask for it?”

“…Why would I ever ask for that?”

My butt hurts like hell afterward. I’m not a sadist; why would I be crazy enough to ask him to put it in?

It was true we hadn’t done anything since the last time. After being tormented by him to the point of crawling away, I had recoiled whenever Han-jun even hinted at it.

I was always busy pushing him away, saying things like, ‘What makes you think you can push yourself on me when you haven’t even done anything?’ and ‘Don’t bother someone who’s tired.’ I think I even cursed him out, calling him a horny beast.

Today, he had struggled in the fight, and I, too, felt a rare surge of desire, so I was prepared to let it slide. But Han-jun seemed to be upset that I always seemed uncomfortable.

However, Han-jun’s boundless energy was not comparable to mine. I couldn’t do it every day.

“…Wouldn’t it be hard for me to do it every day?”

“Why would it be hard?”

“Are you asking because you don’t know?”

“Yeah.”

“Just think about it. I get poked by your monstrous erection. Do you think my body would be fine?”

What a shameless brute.

Han-jun stared down at my body for a moment, seemingly contemplating, then lifted his head with a rebellious look.

“Even if it’s not that, you don’t even initiate skinship.”

“If I initiated skinship, you’d just pounce, wouldn’t you?”

“…”

“Nothing to say, right? The moment I get a little close, you get all excited and pant, don’t you?”

As I teased him provocatively, Han-jun’s brows furrowed.

“I don’t pant.”

“Yes, you do. You’re practically a dog.”

“Hyung, today you’re—”

“What, what about me?”

“You’re being cute.”

Han-jun’s lips curled into a smile, but his eyes weren’t laughing. He must be angry. Perhaps I went too far. A slight regret washed over me at his menacing expression.

Only then did I grasp the atmosphere and fall silent. I subtly averted my gaze, glancing around to see if there was anywhere to escape.

However, no escape route was visible. For starters, I couldn’t even break free from Han-jun’s vice-like grip on my shoulders.

Han-jun pushed me down onto the mat. Seeing him climb on top, his expression as if he might devour me at any moment, I gulped.

“Jun, let’s make love with good feelings.”

“I’m in a very good mood.”

No. You are not in a good mood.

This was a perilous situation: a mix of frustration from my awkwardness, anger from being teased, and pent-up desires exploding all at once.

“Hyung, you see,”

Han-jun lifted my thigh, speaking slowly. His low, drawn-out voice sounded like a villain threatening the protagonist in a noir film.

A villain, thoroughly enraged, yet feigning composure.

“Whenever I look at you, I just get hard. The blood rushes to my lower abdomen so intensely that sometimes it feels like my eyes are rolling back in my head. All my focus goes into holding back, and I can’t see anything else.”

That can’t be. That’s a serious problem, isn’t it?

Me, I mean.