Swallow Hunting - Chapter 51.1
Although he had bitten the CEO instead of a rich lady, he would nonetheless serve Lee Kang-ju diligently to earn money, pay off his debts, and strive to find a bright future.
He sharpened his mind with a cold shower. When he opened the door to leave for work, he saw a pile of luggage stacked in front of the empty house next door. Fearing it might be the return of the madman, Hae-jun grew tense and gripped the doorknob tightly. He positioned himself so he could retreat into his home at any moment if the man charged at him with a knife.
At that moment, the front door of the neighboring house was wide open. Clattering sounds echoed from within, suggesting someone was moving around.
Would it be better to avoid him quickly? I feel like he might try to retaliate against me. Just as the sound of his racing thoughts seemed likely to burst outward, a man stepped out. Hae-jun’s mouth fell open as he watched the man bend over, presumably to pick up some luggage.
“Uh?”
“Huh?”
Startled by the sound, the man straightened his upper body. Wearing a casual sweatshirt and jeans, he wasn’t immediately recognizable. Hae-jun had made the sound instinctively because the face looked familiar, but the other man seemed to recognize Hae-jun instantly.
“Oh my god, Hyung!”
Hae-jun blinked rapidly, searching through the directory of names in his head. The face looked familiar, but he couldn’t for the life of him recall where he had seen it or what the name was. It was only after the man swept back his bangs to reveal a smooth forehead that Hae-jun realized who it was.
“Ah!”
However, neither the real name nor the stage name came to mind. Everything was in a fog. He only knew that the man was an “ace” at the host bar where he used to work.
“Wow, I never expected to run into you here, Hyung.”
The ace looked delighted and approached Hae-jun, wrapping him in a sudden, tight hug. He embraced him with enough force to take his breath away before letting go to look him in the face. Hae-jun felt only awkwardness at the display of excessive joy. His memory was hazy as to whether they had ever been close enough to hug so comfortably.
In truth, back then, he had been so crazed with thoughts of getting picked by clients and paying off his debt that he didn’t give a damn about anyone else. The ace had likely been outside his circle of concern.
“I’m sorry, but what was your name again?”
“It’s Eun-jae. No Eun-jae. I told you my real name last time, but you forgot.”
“Oh, right. Eun-jae. It’s good to see you. Did you move in here?”
“Yes. Hyung, I’m so happy to see you. I really didn’t expect this.”
No Eun-jae grabbed Hae-jun’s hand and shook it up and down vigorously. His beaming face looked as if he had discovered someone he had been missing for a long time. Hae-jun pulled his tingling hand away with force and picked up his phone. Delivery calls were starting to trickle in. Among them was a message from a shop owner who took a liking to Hae-jun.
“Right. Well, I’ll see you next time. I have to go to work.”
“Hyung, what kind of work are you doing now? Are you working at a different club?”
“No, delivery. I’m late, so I’ll head out first.”
He turned around hurriedly. Even in his faint memories, No Eun-jae was exceptionally talkative. He felt that if he got caught, there would be no end to it.
As Hae-jun hurried away as if escaping, No Eun-jae followed him. He wanted to just ignore him, but unfortunately, the elevator was stuck on the third basement floor. It looked like it would take quite a while to come all the way up.
“Hyung, I quit the club.”
“That place? Lucid?”
“Yes. I have to go back to university now.”
No Eun-jae scratched the back of his head and spoke bashfully. At the fresh fact that he was a college student, Hae-jun looked No Eun-jae up and down. He realized why the boy had seemed so young even when he showed up for work in a suit.
The elevator finally arrived. Hae-jun hopped inside immediately. Perhaps because it was admirable that he had worked to earn his tuition, Hae-jun’s guard lowered slightly. A faint smile appeared on his face as he looked back at No Eun-jae.
“That’s good. Let’s have a drink sometime.”
“Yes, sir! Have a safe trip!”
No Eun-jae gave a playful salute. Before his hand could drop, the elevator doors closed.
His face was reflected in the glossy surface of the doors. Hae-jun was still smiling. However, a sudden thought made the corners of his mouth stiffen.
It was one thing when the sensitive madman lived there, but now that someone he knew had moved in, he would have to hold back his sounds during his time in bed with Lee Kang-ju again.
It was something he did all the time, but lately, it had become difficult to stifle the noise. When Lee Kang-ju pushed him, or if he received a kiss like he did that one day, he melted into a puddle and, without realizing it, nasal moans, vocalizations, and all sorts of unsightly sounds leaked out. To the point where he felt a sense of self-loathing.
“I’m fucked.”
Should I at least avoid kissing?
Hae-jun clutched both sides of his head and crouched down on the spot. Truly, there was never a single easy thing in his life.
***
Despite the recent snow, the weather had turned mild, and there was news of rain all day long. There was no thunder or lightning, but the rain fell silently and heavily. The entire city was dyed a gloomy gray, and when he stood waiting at a red light, raindrops gathered on his helmet, blurring his vision.
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