Swallow Hunting - Chapter 17.2🔞
Cha Hae-jun let out a hollow laugh. Just as the article had said, it was a children’s supplement he had only seen when he was very young. He had never tasted it himself.
The golden cylinder bore the slogan clearly: “From age three to a healthy eighty.” Hae-jun stared at the words absentmindedly.
“I got a gift.”
He could never have imagined receiving something like this. Eighty my ass. The man, who had acted like he could snuff out a person’s life at any moment, was giving this as a gift. If it was a twist, it was a twist, and Hae-jun’s lips twisted ambiguously, hovering between a smile and a frown.
He opened the lid and took out a jelly. On a whim, he gave one to the attendant as well, unwrapped it, and popped it into his mouth. The chewy texture, like gum, was slightly sweet, with none of the bitter taste of medicine.
So this was what it tasted like.
He remembered seeing other kids pulling one out of their pockets and eating it while their mother handed them just a single piece, insisting they could only have one. That jelly, so envied as a child, now finally resolved a long-forgotten curiosity from his youth.
The sweet taste of the jelly seemed to slightly dilute the shameful act he had committed. Hae-jun slowly let the jelly melt on his tongue. The words Lee Kang-ju had left hanging, promising there would be a next time, now felt less terrifying than before.
***
He usually rambled to Yohan about things that happened to him, but he could never talk about what had happened with Lee Kang-ju. He had bragged about making money by taking care of other men in the room, but standing in front of Lee Kang-ju, naked, and masturbating was far too embarrassing even for shameless Hae-jun to speak aloud.
He wondered why. After all, he was already a worn-out body for hire. What was there to be ashamed of performing a solo show in front of someone else?
Even so, recalling Lee Kang-ju’s touch, his impassive gaze, the way he had scanned Hae-jun from head to toe, and the heat of his body, made Hae-jun flush and feel his body burn, as if caught mid-act by a roommate under the blankets.
Hae-jun fanned his hands over himself while staring at his phone. He checked chat windows, his messages, and any missed calls, but since that day, there had been no contact from Lee Kang-ju.
A full week had passed. If it was to be treated as if nothing had happened, he had achieved what he wanted, and he should have felt triumphant. Yet he only felt restless. He could not say he was fully happy, and for some reason, a hollow feeling lingered in his chest.
At that moment, Hae-jun flinched. It was absurd that he felt regret. Why? Because the money scent coming from Lee Kang-ju was tantalizing? Or because he had missed out on what seemed like a very juicy mark?
The latter was certainly not the case. Lee Kang-ju was a man so impossible to get in on that not even a crumb of opportunity appeared.
Hae-jun shook his head, deciding to end his deepening worry. Even if he tried to dig in, it would only give him a headache and no answers.
He had to go to work for money. Yet there was no way the clients did not notice his mind wandering. Even if he smiled prettily, he was repeatedly passed over.
“You got something going on?”
After entering the room and being passed over, he sat idly in a corner of the hallway when the boss approached. Hands in his pockets, he flicked the tip of Hae-jun’s butt with his foot. Hae-jun rubbed the spot and shook his head.
“Work, sir.”
“Or are you thinking of doing something else?”
The boss sat to bring himself level with Hae-jun’s eyes, staring intently. There was a mountain of debt yet to pay, and he wanted to see if Hae-jun planned to run off.
The boss’s rolling eyes traced Hae-jun’s slender ankles and protruding ankle bones, as if measuring where to strike for maximum effect. Hae-jun grabbed the cuffs of his pants and pulled them down, avoiding the gaze.
“No way. I am a ghost here till I die.”
“Then why don’t you make any effort? Look at this. You are dry and tired. What customer would choose you? Invest in yourself. Go to the shop, work out. When I was young, I did morning gym and night clients. Kids these days have no discipline.”
The boss tugged at Hae-jun’s hair. Ouch. Feigning pain, Hae-jun clicked his tongue as the boss let go. Seemingly annoyed by Hae-jun looking like dust rolling around in the hallway, the boss gestured for him to retreat to the waiting room. Hae-jun trudged after him.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
