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“This is going to be a party you’ll never forget,” In-ho said to his lover. His eyes flicked downward, then up to Gi-hun’s face again. “Tell me, how does it feel?”
“Feels kinda weird,” Gi-hun answered.
The two men stood in the bathroom connected to the master bedroom. A few guests had already trickled in for the occasion.
“You will get used to it,” In-ho assured, knowing full well what he had planned. Lucky for him, he had mastered his poker face.
“You’re really making me do this on my own birthday?” Gi-hun asked with a pout. “Shouldn’t it be about what I want?”
“This is what you want,” In-ho answered matter-of-factly. “You constantly beg for me to give it to you. You’re impatient for my cock, but that is not how it works.”
Gi-hun scoffed and turned away from him. He fastened his belt and pulled up his zipper. He looked in the mirror, fixing his long hair. From the outside, everything appeared copacetic. On the inside, it was a different story. However, Gi-hun wasn’t privy to every detail, and, lucky for In-ho, Gi-hun often took things at face value.
“Don’t act like you don’t always wanna be inside me,” Gi-hun fired back. He turned to look at In-ho again. “I should’ve known from all your staring that you were hiding something.” He ruffled the shorter man’s hair, a playful smirk coming to his lips. “Freak.”
In-ho took Gi-hun’s wrist and brought his hand to his lips, planting a soft kiss atop it. “This is my way of taking care of you.” He reluctantly released Gi-hun’s wrist. “Now I have to fix my hair. I will meet you out there.”
“Don’t take too long,” Gi-hun said. He gave In-ho a playful slap on the ass. “I can’t keep entertaining your weird friends.”
“All my friends are perfectly pleasant,” In-ho said while smoothing out the few strands of hair that Gi-hun misplaced. “You cannot convince me the investment banker is not still in love with you.”
Gi-hun scoffed again and shook his head. “You’re crazy! Sang-woo and me go way back. That’s all.” He made a face. His hand rubbed at his own ass.
“I saw that,” In-ho said. He was looking at both himself and Gi-hun while fixing his hair in the mirror. “Try not to touch it. I assure you the position is optimal.”
Gi-hun’s hand fell away. “Yeah, yeah. No touching. One of the rules. Got it.”
“Good boy.” In-ho hoped the praise would help coax him into behaving.
“Pervert,” Gi-hun said before exiting the bathroom.
Once he was alone in the bathroom, In-ho pulled out a small remote control from his pocket. He took a moment to study the settings one last time, though he had already read the manual thoroughly. It was simple enough. He smirked to himself before tucking it back into his pocket again.
He couldn’t wait to press the button.
“Hyung, your boyfriend has some… Interesting tastes, to say the least,” Cho Sang-woo said while sipping his drink.
“Yeah, tell me about it,” Gi-hun said, rolling his eyes but smiling fondly at the same time.
A large banner hung over the dining room that read: GI-HUN, IT IS YOUR BIRTHDAY. Instead of colorful balloons, In-ho opted to fill black and brown ones with helium. Some were weighted down while others floated to the ceiling.
“When I asked him about the colors, he said they reminded him of my eyes and hair,” Gi-hun added.
“Huh,” Sang-woo murmured flatly. He took another sip of his drink. “Has he been diagnosed with anything?”
“What do you mean?” Gi-hun asked, wide-eyed. “You think he might have a disease or something? He can’t be sick!”
“That’s not what I meant. Just forget it.” Sang-woo downed the rest of his drink. “I’m getting another drink.”
Gi-hun let out a laugh. “Hey, don’t get too drunk too fast, Sang-woo! Don’t you wanna remember my birthday?”
Sang-woo glanced at him before heading over to the bar, which was being manned by In-ho’s associate.
“Another soju?” Kim Shin, the man who worked as the recruiter for the police station, asked Sang-woo with a polite smile. Despite the party being semi-formal, he still wore a neatly pressed suit.
“Please,” Sang-woo answered, giving Kim Shin the empty bottle.
Kim Shin replaced the empty bottle with a full, cold one. He opened it before sliding the Jinro Chamisul Fresh soju into Sang-woo’s hand.
“Thank you,” Sang-woo said, taking a long pull from the bottle.
“Hey, I thought I told you to take it easy!” Gi-hun whined. He grabbed Sang-woo’s shoulder in an effort to get him to slow down.
“It’s a party, hyung,” Sang-woo scoffed.
“Yeah, but—aah!” The sentence Gi-hun had been trying to form dissolved into a sudden moan. His grip on Sang-woo’s shoulder tightened.
Sang-woo tensed, his eyes widening slightly. “Hyung? Wh-What’s wrong?”
In the shadows behind a large house plant, In-ho had begun to execute his plan. He surreptitiously pressed a button on the remote hidden in his pocket. From his research, he knew he activated a quick, strong pulsating vibration on the butt plug nestled inside of Gi-hun. Judging on the sound his lover made, the toy was lined up perfectly with his prostate.
Gi-hun let out a nervous laugh and gave Sang-woo’s shoulder an awkward pat before releasing it. “Nothing! Like you said, it’s a party.” He turned his attention to Kim Shin. “Kim Shin, make it a double.”
“Anything for the birthday boy,” Kim Shin said while wearing his polite smile. He slid another bottle of Jinro Gi-hun’s way.
Gi-hun nodded his thanks and took a much needed drink. His eyes scanned the room for any signs of In-ho, but he failed to see the man. “I’m gonna go say hi to eomma.”
Unlike In-ho, Mal-soon was in plain sight at the party. She was sitting on the couch with In-ho’s friend, a man with salt and pepper hair named Captain Park. He was a fisherman, and both In-ho and Kim Shin went out on fishing trips with him on the occasional long weekend.
Gi-hun walked up to them mid conversation, but both of them stopped upon seeing him.
“Hello, son. It’s good to see you,” Mal-soon said, a small smile on her lips.
“Yeah, you, too,” Gi-hun replied, grinning from ear to ear. “Where’s my present, eomma?”
The old woman frowned. “Pardon?”
“You didn’t hear me?” Gi-hun asked in a teasing tone. “Did eomma get a present for her favorite son?” He raised his volume considerably. Probably everyone at the party heard him.
“Oh, you mean the only son I got?” Mal-soon countered.
Gi-hun chuckled warmly. “You’ve still got it, eomma.”
“If you were my son, you’d get a spanking for that,” Captain Park chimed in.
Before Gi-hun could get a word in edge wise, he let out a high-pitched choked noise.
“Gi-hun?” Mal-soon asked, concern in her eyes.
“I-I need to sit down!” His legs buckled, and he abruptly collapsed on the couch in the vacant space between his mom and Captain Park. Deep inside of him, he felt another strange sensation. It was a little different from the one that occurred when talking to Sang-woo. This time the vibration was softer but pulsing in longer increments.
He realized then that it was coming from that thing In-ho put up his ass. The man had been so gentle while he did it. He’d also used copious amounts of lube, so Gi-hun hadn’t expected anything nefarious.
“Oh, fuck!” Gi-hun slammed the bottle of soju down on the coffee table. “Make it stop!”
“Are you sick, son?” Captain Park asked, looking almost as worried as his mom.
Without thinking, Gi-hun grabbed eomma and Captain Park’s knees at the same time, squeezing them in an effort to ground himself as another pulse went through him. “S-Stomachache,” he stammered as an excuse.
“Maybe you should get a glass of water,” Mal-soon suggested. She eyed the soju warily on the coffee table. “Is that all you’ve had to drink?”
“M-Maybe I should,” Gi-hun said, his breathing getting a little heavier. He glanced around again and still couldn’t find In-ho.
Captain Park looked around, too. He locked eyes with In-ho’s brother, Jun-ho, from across the room. He used his hand to signal for the young man to come over.
Jun-ho retrieved a bottle of Evian from Kim Shin at the bar before swiftly making his way over to Gi-hun. “Looking a little flushed.”
Gi-hun relinquished his grip on his mom and Captain Park’s knees. He downed the Evian like a parched man. “Is it hot in here or what?”
“You’re hot?” Mal-soon asked. She felt Gi-hun’s forehead, and he fortunately felt the vibrations come to a stop. “I feel like I need another cardigan.”
Jun-ho scoffed. “You know hyung. He always keeps it freezing in here. He has to protect his precious vinyl collection.”
Mal-soon frowned. “Speaking of that In-ho, I’m surprised he’s not here to take care of you.”
“Vinyl, eh?” Captain Park asked, intrigued. “I bet it is an impressive collection.” He rubbed his chin in thought. “You know, years ago my parents used to have a Bee Gees album. I had that walk down pat from ‘Stayin’ Alive.’”
“I gotta go take a leak,” Gi-hun said. He lifted himself from the couch.
“That went through you quick,” Jun-ho teased. “I guess when you get to be your age you have to go to the bathroom a lot, huh?”
“Haha, very funny.” Gi-hun rolled his eyes as he walked past Jun-ho. Without wasting any more time, he darted into the master bedroom, shutting the door.
“You’re not planning to take that out, are you?” In-ho asked. The man was sitting on the edge of the bed in the dark.
Gi-hun jumped. “Don’t scare me like that!” He flicked on the lights. “Why the hell are you sitting here in the dark?”
“Do not answer my question with another question. It is… Unbecoming,” In-ho answered.
Gi-hun rolled his eyes. “‘Unbecoming’ my ass!”
“Speaking of your beautiful ass,” In-ho began, “if you would like to make love later, then I suggest you keep that plug in its proper place.”
“Just watch me!” Gi-hun fired back. “I could keep this thing in forever!” He stormed over to In-ho at the edge of the bed and poked him right on the tip of his button nose. “You’re gonna be the one to give in first, mister!”
In-ho gave Gi-hun a stern look. “We’ll just see about that.”
To test Gi-hun further, In-ho slipped his hand into his pocket and pressed the button on the remote. A sudden and intense vibration surged through Gi-hun, causing him to cry out and drop to his knees in front of the man.
A smirk formed on In-ho’s lips. He stood up from the bed, looking down at Gi-hun. “What happened? You were so cocky only a minute ago.”
Gi-hun was about to tell him to go to hell, but In-ho was relentless. He pressed the button in quick succession, resulting in two more powerful vibrations of the same intensity. His cock stood half-erect from all the attention. He felt like he’d become an extension of the toy and turned into In-ho’s toy himself, and that he could cum in his pants untouched. Even though he knew the attention to his prostate was significant, it made Gi-hun feel easy.
It was all so cheap.
“F-Fuck you!” Gi-hun stammered, face burning from how hot and bothered he was.
In-ho turned off the toy. He cupped Gi-hun’s cheek, gently guiding the man to look up at him. “I intend to. But not now. Later.” He patted the side of his face affectionately. “Now, let us eat cake.”
Gi-hun got up on shaky legs. “Fine.”
“Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you!” everyone sang while Gi-hun sat at the head of the table. Most guests wore either happy or polite smiles, but Sang-woo didn’t even try to hide his misery. In fact, his singing had a slurred quality to it. Everyone was seated besides Kim Shin, who stood and filmed the event on his phone, as per In-ho’s request. “Happy Birthday, dear Gi-hun! Happy Birthday to you!”
“Make a wish!” Jung-bae exclaimed, grinning. “Make it a good one, man!”
“I wish I could turn back time. Make you see, hyung… Make you…” Sang-woo lamented, trailing off.
Regardless, Sae-byeok put him in his place. “Sang-woo-ssi, are you making a wish right now? This is Gi-hun’s party!”
“Put on a show for us, sir,” Kim Shin suggested, holding up an encouraging fist while looking at Gi-hun.
Gi-hun had regained his composure since the bedroom incident. He’d already almost forgotten about the plug. He had a propensity to get caught up in the moment, and this was a special moment celebrating him. He beamed at everyone at the table, from the drunken Sang-woo to In-ho sitting at the other end.
In-ho seemed to have softened. He smiled back at Gi-hun just as warm and gave him a reassuring nod. Clearly, he wanted him to blow out the candles.
Just as his attention turned back to the candles, he felt it again. At first, the pulse deep inside of him was so soft he wondered if he’d imagined it—like a phantom vibration.
Gi-hun’s hands gripped at the edge of the table. He gave In-ho a defiant look, resisting the urge to whimper.
In-ho’s warm smile transitioned into a devious smirk as he stared back at Gi-hun.
Gi-hun took another breath. But then, sure enough, the sensation turned into an intense tremor, like an earthquake raging in his ass. It happened mid-breath just as the air in his lungs left his mouth. He white-knuckled the edge of the table at this point, crying out, “Ah… Aaaaah!” while blowing out the candles.
Everyone fell silent and stared.
Gi-hun already felt the heat pooling in his cheeks. It crept down his neck, traveling south to a place In-ho knew well—his dick.
“Are you okay, my love?” In-ho asked. The devious smirk had vanished, replaced by concern.
Gi-hun just managed a weak nod in response.
In addition to In-ho, his mother, Captain Park, and Jung-bae looked concerned. Sang-woo looked like a mess. Kim Shin looked amused, a twinkle in his eye. Jun-ho and Sae-byeok appeared confused while her girlfriend, Ji-yeong, looked amused.
Sang-woo leaned over, appearing as if he was trying to get a look under the table.
Sae-byeok kicked him. “Sang-woo-ssi, how much did you have to drink? Get it together.”
“I swear he only looks like that when…” Sang-woo mumbled.
Kim Shin stopped recording and put away his phone. “Shall I cut the cake, sir?” he asked, regarding In-ho.
“I think you better,” In-ho replied.
As Kim Shin began cutting and serving the cake, the strength of the vibrations died down considerably. In-ho had turned it down to those gentle butterfly pulses, leaving Gi-hun teetering on the edge. He stayed flushed, and his heart continued to race.
“Are you sure you’re alright, buddy?” Jung-bae asked. He felt Gi-hun’s forehead with the back of his hand. “You’re burning up.”
“I-I’m fine,” Gi-hun muttered, averting his eyes.
Kim Shin put the first piece of cake in front of him.
“Gi-hun, drink some more water,” Mal-soon said, clearly worried. “Don’t drink that Americano.” She eyed Jun-ho. “Get more from the fridge.”
“Oh, I’ll get it, Mal-soon,” Captain Park interjected, already getting up.
“Thank you, Yeong-gil,” Mal-soon replied.
It seemed nice, but the gesture rubbed Gi-hun the wrong way, like the man was trying to score points with his mom. The fact that his mom was on a first name basis with Captain Park disturbed Gi-hun further.
Mal-soon glared at In-ho while gesturing at Jun-ho. “Clearly, you raised the boy wrong. He should be more accommodating of his elders, and you should be more accommodating to my son.”
“Trust that I do my best to take care of your son. He is hardheaded. Sometimes, he will not accept my help,” In-ho replied, wearing a poker face. “Jun-ho would have done it if Yeong-gil did not generously offer.”
Jun-ho exchanged a look with In-ho before getting up from the table. “I’ll help Kim Shin with the ice cream.”
Captain Park came back with the bottle of Evian. He put it down in front of Gi-hun. “Here you go. Drink up, son.”
Gi-hun downed the water all at once, like he had earlier. Despite this effort, his desire still burned inside of him like a fever he couldn’t sweat out.
“There better not be spit on my slice,” Sae-byeok said to Gi-hun as her piece of cake was put in front of her. Even though she was tough, she sounded playful.
“I didn’t spit on it. I swear,” Gi-hun replied.
“Well, according to a study I read,” Sang-woo interjected, “blowing out candles on a birthday cake does increase the spread of bacteria. F-From your mouth.” Then his gaze lingered on Gi-hun’s lips. “But I wouldn’t care if you spit on—”
“—Ew! I don’t wanna hear about that!” Jung-bae exclaimed, cutting off Sang-woo. “I just wanna enjoy this cake.”
Ji-yeong snickered at Sang-woo. Her eyes shifted between him and Gi-hun before nudging Sae-byeok. “Some drama, huh?” she whispered into her ear.
Sae-byeok made a face. “I don’t wanna know what you mean by that,” she whispered back.
Sang-woo reached across the table and clasped the top of Gi-hun’s hand. “Hyung, look at me,” he all but begged.
“What is it, Sang-woo?” Gi-hun asked, laughing nervously. “I told you you’ve been drinking too much.” His eyes found In-ho from across the room.
In-ho gave Gi-hun a knowing look that seemed to say, ‘See what I mean?’
Jung-bae grabbed Sang-woo’s shoulder and pulled him back. “Hey, give the birthday boy some space.”
Sang-woo sank back in his seat. He folded his arms across his chest, looking put out.
By this point, Kim Shin had finished dishing out the cake, and Jun-ho was serving out the last of the scoops of ice cream.
Gi-hun tried picking at his cake. As soon as he put the first bite into his mouth, the vibrations became stronger again. The dull ache was transitioning into raw need. “Mmh!”
Everyone sitting near him looked over.
“Th-This is really good cake!” Gi-hun lied, laughing a little too loudly. Truth be told, he could hardly tell what the flavor was. He looked at In-ho, appearing friendly on the surface, though his eyes sparked with determination. “You get it from that bakery around the corner, jagiya?”
“Of course, my love,” In-ho replied. “Nothing but the best for you. Are you enjoying the strawberry filling?”
“Oh, you know it,” Gi-hun lied again, forcing another bite down.
“Try the ice cream,” In-ho suggested. “It is good ice cream. Häagen-Daz.”
“I don’t see why you didn’t just get Excellent* instead of this imported nonsense,” Mal-soon said. “Gi-hun grew up with that. He nearly swallowed those squares whole. Remember, Gi-hun?”
“S-Sure do, eomma,” Gi-hun answered, glancing at In-ho. Another vibration pulsed through him. The intensity was getting hard to ignore, and the frequency was constant. “That would’ve been better.”
“Duly noted,” In-ho said.
For a while, everyone continued making small talk, eating their cake and ice cream while sipping on Americanos. Try as he might, Gi-hun found it impossible to stay fully present with his friends and family, thanks to his relentless lover sending him shockwaves of pleasure throughout dessert.
Finally, Gi-hun couldn’t take it anymore. He’d only managed to have a few bites of cake. “I-I don’t feel good. Gonna go lay down.” He was breathing more erratically, his face stained beet-red. “Sorry, everybody. D-Don’t leave until I say goodbye, okay?”
Without further ado, he left the table. Only In-ho noticed how his hand hovered over his crotch.
Simultaneously, In-ho and Sang-woo rose from their seats. Jung-bae grabbed Sang-woo’s arm, pulling him back down to his chair. He couldn’t keep from shaking his head at the drunken man.
“I will go check on him,” In-ho said. “Kim Shin, please see to it that our guests have everything they need in Gi-hun and I’s absence.”
“Take it out! Take it out!” Gi-hun exclaimed as soon as In-ho entered the bedroom. He was pacing around like a madman.
In-ho locked the bedroom door behind him. “Tut-tut, brash Gi-hun. You are driving me to become your voluptuary.”
Gi-hun eyed the man as if he grew a second head. “So you’re really gonna come in here and start talking at me like one of those people from your stupid books?!”
A smirk tugged at In-ho’s lips. “Remove your clothes.”
Gi-hun wasted no time, pride be damned. He stripped himself in a hurry, tossing his cap aside and peeling off his shirt. The belt came loose, the buckle falling to the hardwood floor with a clatter. He unbuttoned his jeans, unzipping himself. He pulled them off with his boxers at the same time, left in nothing but his socks, fully erect and leaking.
In-ho watched in fascination, marveling at Gi-hun’s body like he was Michelangelo’s David. Much like the statue, In-ho found the man to be a work of art. The bedroom was his own private exhibit, and Gi-hun was the masterpiece.
“Don’t just stand there!” Gi-hun whined. “Are you gonna take it out or not?!”
“Mm,” In-ho hummed, tongue swiping over his lips without realizing. He palmed himself through his Armani slacks. “Go on the bed. Get on your hands and knees.”
“Fucking finally,” Gi-hun muttered before doing as he was told. He climbed up onto the bed, positioning himself on all fours.
In-ho walked up behind him. His eyes took in the view. He extended his hand and caressed Gi-hun’s voluptuously toned ass, giving it an appreciative squeeze and then a slap. He watched it jiggle, almost hypnotized.
“In-ho, for the love of god!” Gi-hun cried out, hands clutching the duvet. “Take it out!”
In-ho chuckled and took a seat behind him. “I knew you would be the one to give in first.” He took the plug’s remote out of his pocket and turned it off at long last. His fingers pinched delicately at the flared end. He pulled it out nice and slow.
“Hhh! Fuck!” Gi-hun ground out, rocking his hips despite himself.
In-ho gazed at Gi-hun’s hole with reverence. The plug did its job, and it was already stretched wide, the lovely pink nestled beneath sparse dark hair a sight to behold. Feeling a little flustered himself, he ran a hand through his hair. “So pretty.”
“You dumbass,” Gi-hun chided, still flushed. “It’s just an ass.”
In-ho grabbed both cheeks and kept him spread. In the next instant, he dove in. He wasn’t afraid of the dark nor the coarse hair. He plunged his tongue in as deep as Gi-hun would allow, humming at the taste of his lover. Gi-hun had showered this morning, but In-ho still tasted perspiration from making him sweat all day—the divine flavor of victory.
“Aah!” Gi-hun’s arms shook. He fell forward, ass up, pressing into In-ho’s tongue.
In-ho withdrew his tongue only to circle Gi-hun’s outer ring. None of this was necessary, given the plug working so well, but he just couldn’t resist basking in the fruits of his labor.
“G-Gonna make me cum,” Gi-hun whimpered. “You better fuck me or else! It’s my birthday, dammit!”
In-ho used every ounce of self-control he had to stop. “Mm. You are correct, my love. I should stop playing games.” He patted Gi-hun’s ass affectionately. “Lay on your back. I want to see your beautiful face.”
“You get naked, too.” Gi-hun trembled in anticipation. He only obeyed In-ho because it was in his best interest. He readjusted himself, lying on his back, his head resting against the plush pillow.
“Yes, birthday boy, as you wish.” In-ho made quick work of his clothes. Despite the Armani label, he let it all fall in a crumpled heap to the floor. He grabbed the bottle of lube out from the nightstand drawer. Then he climbed back into bed and got on top of Gi-hun.
Gi-hun reached up, putting his hand on the back of In-ho’s neck. He pulled him into an eager kiss. A moan fell out of him, reverberating in In-ho’s mouth. Their tongues slid against each other. It wasn’t long until he drew a pleased moan out of In-ho.
The two men kissed passionately while In-ho lined up. One hand gripped Gi-hun’s thigh and the other slicked himself up, his thick cock rock hard. He began to push himself in, the fit still snug but offering less resistance, given the foreplay.
Outside the bedroom and down the hall, it sounded like someone bumped into the credenza. Both men paused. They swore they heard a soft, “Hyung, let me in,” before another voice, maybe Jun-ho, said, “C’mon, Sang-woo-ssi. Let’s get you out of here.”
Once the footsteps faded away, they wasted no time getting back to business.
In-ho pushed in to the hilt, tilting his head back as he let out a virile groan. “Gi-hun… Fuck. You were made for me.”
“Oh, In-ho… So full!” Gi-hun moaned, his pupils blown from pleasure. In the back of his mind, a thought somehow came through how this was, in fact, easier because of In-ho’s sick game involving the plug. However, he’d never admit it.
In-ho began rocking his hips, keeping himself buried for now. “You’re mine, Seong Gi-hun.” His breathing started to deepen. “Mine. All mine.”
“I’m— Yours!” Gi-hun whimpered between a series of moans. His hips started bucking up eagerly into In-ho’s. “C’mon, really give it to me!”
“You want it rough tonight?” In-ho asked, cock aching with need, resisting the urge to plow into him. He wanted to hear him say it first.
“You heard me!” Gi-hun answered, panting. “Fuck me hard!”
In-ho could no longer hold back. He pulled out all the way to the tip before ramming back into Gi-hun. Both men could not contain their sounds of pleasure, Gi-hun only being a smidgeon louder, which was saying something, considering In-ho’s usual quiet nature.
“Oh, yeah, like that!” Gi-hun exclaimed, gripping onto In-ho. “I— Oh, god, gonna cum!”
“Cum for me, my love,” In-ho coaxed. His hips collided into Gi-hun’s again. “I need you.”
Gi-hun cried out as the orgasm finally ripped through him. His body arched into In-ho as he trembled from the intensity of it all, head tilting back. His cock started spurting hot ropes of cum all over himself and In-ho’s stomach.
As Gi-hun hugged him tight, In-ho found his own release moments later, staring at the pleasure in his lover’s expression. He thrust into him repeatedly, hard and fast, filling Gi-hun to the brim with his warm seed.
For a while, it felt like it would never end, the pleasure coursing through Gi-hun, wave after wave, until there was nothing left.
His grip slackened, and he lied underneath In-ho, breathing heavily.
In-ho collapsed on top of Gi-hun, mumbling, “Mine,” into his neck.
Gi-hun exited the bedroom with a spring in his step, body clearly looser. He was grinning from ear to ear. “Hey, everyone!” he practically sang. “The birthday boy is back! I’m feeling much better!”
The partygoers all turned their attention to him from various corners of the room.
“Good to see you again, sir,” Kim Shin said, smiling enigmatically. “Dare I say you are glowing.”
Gi-hun chuckled warmly. “Yeah, In-ho gave me a massage! It healed me right up.”
Ji-yeong joined in Gi-hun’s laughter. “I bet!”
Sae-byeok smirked. “I like when Ji-yeong gives me massages, too.”
“I’m not surprised,” Captain Park said. “In-ho’s hands can fix anything.”
In the back of the room, Sang-woo crept toward the bar and let out a faint sound of anguish. He grabbed In-ho’s most expensive bottle of whiskey, but Jun-ho stopped him. He took the bottle from Sang-woo and set it back on the top shelf.
“I think I’m gonna have to escort this guy home,” Jun-ho said to In-ho and Gi-hun.
In-ho narrowed his eyes. “Very well, but keep your guard up.”
Gi-hun laughed again. “Sang-woo’s definitely had one too many!”
Jung-bae clapped Gi-hun on the shoulder, smiling in relief. “Glad you’re feeling better. It sucks to get sick on your birthday.”
Mal-soon approached Gi-hun shortly after. She wrapped her arms around him and gave him a hug. “Don’t scare me like that. I was about to start making jook.”
Gi-hun hugged her back. “You worry too much, eomma. I got In-ho for that.”
Mal-soon pulled out of the hug. “Oh, yes. I’ve heard. In-ho and his hands,” she said, shaking her head.
“He truly is in good hands,” In-ho said in an attempt to reassure the old woman. He meant every word.
The rest of the night went much better now that the plug was no longer plaguing Gi-hun. He enjoyed visiting with all his friends and family. Jun-ho had to escort Sang-woo home before Gi-hun got to open his presents, considering how bad he was slurring his words and stumbling around by then. He promised to keep an eye on him. While Gi-hun worried about his friend, he knew he was in good hands with Jun-ho, just like how he was with In-ho.
Eventually, everyone started filtering out. Gi-hun gave his heartfelt goodbyes to each of them while In-ho thanked them for coming.
Once Gi-hun and In-ho were finally alone again, Gi-hun said, “Now you’re gonna have to think of something else.”
“What do you mean, my love?” In-ho asked.
“No more plugs at parties,” Gi-hun answered. “Maybe no more plugs ever.”
“Oh, did you not like my present?” In-ho asked, feigning innocence.
Gi-hun ruffled In-ho’s hair before giving him a playful shove. “You’re lucky I like you, freak.”
