Chapter 73: Say It Out Loud

“Because they were too precious to wear, Han-geon?”

Eun-gyeol wrapped an arm around Han-geon’s stomach and pulled him into an embrace from behind.

At the same time, something brushed against the back of his neck.

Startled, Han-geon tried to turn around, but Eun-gyeol buried his lips against the nape of his neck and tightened their interlaced hands, preventing him from moving.

“Hm?

Say it, Han-geon.”

“…What.”

“Because the person you like gave them to you, they were too precious to wear, right?”

Han-geon bit down hard on his lip.

The truth he’d spent his entire life trembling over, terrified it might be discovered, was now being tossed so lightly from Eun-gyeol’s mouth after only a few weeks.

That fact churned and unsettled the once-peaceful depths of Han-geon’s heart.

“…That’s not what I meant.

They’re a limited edition.

How could I wear them?

Of course I had to keep them safe.”

He deliberately answered more gruffly to hide his agitation and twisted his body free from Eun-gyeol’s arms.

Eun-gyeol’s body heat was unusually high, so his touch always felt scorching.

The spot at the back of Han-geon’s neck where Eun-gyeol’s lips had touched burned especially hot.

Rubbing the overheated nape of his neck for no reason, Han-geon lay down on the bed.

Eun-gyeol followed right after him, wearing a dissatisfied expression.

Despite the cramped space, he deliberately squeezed in, lightly kicking Han-geon’s leg with his foot as if picking a fight.

Leaving the sulky Eun-gyeol alone, Han-geon turned off the light.

In an instant, the surroundings went dark, lit only faintly by the streetlamp shining through the window.

In the familiar dimness, he quietly said his goodnight.

“Good night.”

“Choi Han-geon.”

Eun-gyeol’s voice, when it came, was clear and sharp, not dulled at all by the alcohol.

“Do you like me?”

“…..”

“Answer me.”

“…Why do you keep asking things like that?”

He tried to ignore him and go to sleep, but Eun-gyeol was relentless.

He flipped Han-geon over as he tried to bury his face in the pillow, forcing him to face forward.

Then he straddled his waist, planting his arms on either side of Han-geon’s face, caging him in.

Even in the darkness, the gaze looking down at him gleamed fiercely.

“Say it.”

“What’s wrong with you, all of a sudden?”

“You said you like me.

So look me in the eye and say it properly.”

Han-geon couldn’t understand Eun-gyeol’s intention at all.

Why was Eun-gyeol being so cruel to him?

When he’d thrown those photo cards at him and interrogated him about the truth, hadn’t Eun-gyeol treated his feelings like something repulsive?

He was the one who’d condemned Han-geon as disgusting for trying to shield himself with the word friend during that horrific moment when Eun-gyeol had almost taken him.

The same Eun-gyeol who had dragged out the feelings Han-geon had secretly hidden and displayed them openly, mocking them.

There was no way someone like that could welcome those feelings.

No—of course he found them revolting.

Sleeping together had probably been nothing more than a coincidence that satisfied Eun-gyeol’s curiosity and interest, and it wouldn’t last long.

Above all, from the very beginning, Eun-gyeol had cruelly and thoroughly separated Han-geon’s feelings from the act of sharing bodies.

He’d said they could keep having s*x, but they could never be more than friends and manager.

He knew Han-geon’s feelings, but he would pretend not to forever—that was what it meant.

So then why.

Han-geon had barely managed to bury those forcibly dragged-out, shredded feelings deep in his chest, determined to hide them again.

So why did Eun-gyeol keep insisting on pulling them out to look at them?

The more Han-geon tried to hide them, the more persistent Eun-gyeol became.

Did he want to spit on that wound again and mock it?

Was that really so entertaining to him?

“…What are my feelings to you, anyway?”

A hoarse, suppressed voice slipped out.

“You…
Is it fun for you… that I like you?”

Barely swallowing the lump threatening to rise in his throat, Han-geon looked straight up at him.

Their gazes collided sharply, like two blades clashing without merging.

“You don’t like it either.

Me liking you… it’s disgusting and uncomfortable for you, right?”

“Choi Han-geon.”

“You said we should just be s*x partners.

That you’d play with my body however you want.

But….”

The corners of his mouth twisted as he spoke words full of pain.

His breathing grew ragged, impossible to hide.

“Don’t torment me… like this.”

Unable to meet Eun-gyeol’s eyes any longer, Han-geon turned his gaze away.

He grabbed Eun-gyeol’s shoulder and tried to push him off.

“…Don’t play with my feelings too.”

It felt like grabbing a blade with his bare hand and pushing it away.

The more he pushed Eun-gyeol, the more his own words sliced painfully into his skin.

Still, this was better.

He could become a foolish sucker who spread his legs without thinking—but he didn’t want to cheapen the sincerity he’d protected his entire life.

The air sharpened in an instant.

The chill that alcohol had briefly suppressed tightened around his skin again.

A cold shiver ran over him.

Just as Han-geon flinched and turned his head—

“….!”

In a flash, his wrist was twisted and seized, and a solid upper body crashed down, pinning him.

Then Eun-gyeol violently crashed his lips onto his.

Eun-gyeol’s tongue savagely forced its way into Han-geon’s lips, which had parted in shock.

Hot—far too hot.

His tongue, his lips, everything was burning, so hot Han-geon couldn’t even breathe properly.

As if punishing the slack, stunned flesh, Eun-gyeol sucked hard, then thrust his rigid tongue inside, raking the inside of Han-geon’s mouth before biting down on his lower lip and pulling away.

It was a kiss so rough his lips throbbed.

There wasn’t a shred of consideration in it.

And yet, Han-geon couldn’t gather his senses.

He couldn’t push Eun-gyeol away—he just lay there, stunned.

Eun-gyeol kissed him.

That fact completely paralyzed his mind.

“How is it now?”

“…What are you—”

“Kissing the me you like—how is it?

Do you like it?

Feel like confessing now?”

Pulling back, Eun-gyeol twisted his lips into a smile, his voice colder than ever.

Only then did Han-geon come back to himself.

What followed was confusion and anger at Eun-gyeol, who was still mocking him.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing—!”

“I asked if it was disgusting.

Turns out it’s not as disgusting as I thought.”

Eun-gyeol slowly wiped his wet lips with the back of his hand.

“So now say it.

That you like me.

Look me straight in the eye and say it.”

“No, you bastard.

Get away from me!”

Han-geon couldn’t tolerate Eun-gyeol playing with him any longer.

Strength finally flowed back into his limp body.

He grabbed Eun-gyeol by the collar, hooked a leg between his legs, and forced himself up.

After throwing Eun-gyeol onto the bed, he tried to stand and leave the room.

At that moment, his wrist was grabbed from behind.

A force strong enough to make him flinch yanked him back.

As his center of gravity tipped backward, Eun-gyeol wrapped his arms around Han-geon’s torso and hurled him onto the bed.

His wrists were pinned painfully above his head.

Pinned beneath him, Han-geon glared up at Eun-gyeol.

“Get off.”

“No.”

“Get off me right now!”

“You said I could play with your body however I want.”

In the darkness, Eun-gyeol’s eyes gleamed with madness.

“I want it right now.

So I’m going to have s*x with you.”

For a moment, Han-geon thought he’d misheard.

A trembling voice slipped out.

“You’re insane… are you really insane?

Our parents are outside.”

“They’re asleep.”

“But if we’re loud, they’ll hear us!”

“Then you just have to stay quiet.”

Muttering darkly in a low voice, Eun-gyeol lowered his upper body.

He tilted his head again to kiss him, but Han-geon jerked his head away.

Eun-gyeol’s brow hardened instantly.

Using one hand to press both of Han-geon’s wrists together, he seized Han-geon’s jaw tightly with the other.

With his cheeks squashed ridiculously like a fish, Han-geon glared at him.

Eun-gyeol, gripping his face roughly, covered his lips without hesitation.

“Mm— ngh… mff….”

Han-geon shook his head, trying to break free, but Eun-gyeol was relentless.

His tongue, hardened like a s*x organ, aggressively burrowed in.

He wrapped it around Han-geon’s tongue at will, sucking, licking the sensitive membranes.

The more Han-geon struggled, the heavier the weight pressing down on him became.

He should bite down on his tongue to escape, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

When he tried to move his lower body, Eun-gyeol jammed a firm knee between his legs, pinning him as he pushed in.

If he resisted any more, it felt like his most vulnerable spot would be crushed.

Pinned beneath Eun-gyeol, unable to move, the memory of the night they’d first shared bodies surfaced unbidden.

Eun-gyeol mercilessly sucked on his tongue.

He rubbed every corner of Han-geon’s mouth, pushing deeper inside.

He grazed the tender membranes, swept over his teeth, tilted his head to force his way in even further.

As the kiss deepened, saliva spilled between their pressed lips.

It was so rough it felt less like a kiss and more like a fight.

“Mmh… hhk….”

The strength slowly drained from the hands pushing him away.

His vision blurred, his eyes losing focus.

He needed air.

Only then did Eun-gyeol finally pull back a little.

Han-geon gasped desperately for breath.

“Hah… hhk….”

Eun-gyeol’s chest was heaving just as roughly.

In silence, they stared at each other, as if burning the image into their eyes.

Soon, Eun-gyeol reached out again and gripped Han-geon’s jaw.

This time, he gently bit down on his lower lip before pulling away.

As a long, clear strand of saliva stretched between their lips, Han-geon lifted a trembling gaze to meet his.