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The room was filled with thin smoke and the sounds of sighs, damp noises, and laughter now and then. Time seemed to slow down like a lake in the middle of a serene forest.
Gunil lay on the bed with Gaon between his legs, the marijuana cigarette in his fingers burning slowly, the smoke rising slowly, as if the air had also become numb.
"You're not very experienced at this, are you?" he chuckled softly, hoarsely, taking a drag and throwing his head back.
Gaon coughed softly, laughing soon after, as if his own body had instinctively answered his question. He pulled away to breathe, his cheeks were red, his breathing irregular.
When he arrived there, he doubted himself that he could do it, but he needed the money and Gunil was willing to pay a high price. He needed to do his best, even if he lost his voice for a while. His voice wasn't very useful there; they never asked him to speak, he remained silent most of the time. He needed to stay.
"How old are you, huh?" Gunil asked, staring at him with half-closed eyes.
Gaon remained silent and returned to the work he had been hired to do.
"Cat got your tongue, cutie?"
The boy looked down at him and, raising his head, his mouth free, panting.
"I'm 18."
Silence reigned over the room. Gunil pulled Gaon's face to his and kissed him, handing him the cigarette he carried between his fingers and nodding for him to take a drag.
"I like listening to you," he whispered against Gaon's neck.
He laughed after taking a drag.
"How do you expect me to talk with a dick in my mouth, huh?"
Gaon lay down on the bed next to Gunil, feeling his body dissolve into an unexpected lightness, each deep breath as if piercing the thick air of the smoke, and the sound of his laughter seemed to pulse slowly inside his head, dragging time along with it.
He had tried heavier drugs than this, but at that moment it was what he needed.
"How long have you been working with this?" Gunil slid his hand along his waist.
"I don't know… three years?" Gaon replied, looking away. "But that doesn't even matter."
"Turn around."
"Huh?" Gaon frowned, supporting himself on his elbows, hesitant.
"Well, I haven't even come yet. Or do you want to earn less?"
Gaon felt a sudden heat rise through his body, a mixture of shame mingling with a strange sensation of comfort. He took a deep breath, let his thoughts calm down, and with a slow, conscious movement, turned around, thrusting his hips, yielding to the moment.
__________________
Gaon had received $1,500 for one night. To his mother, he had spent the entire time working… at a nightclub. It was a lie, but to her, he was just a waiter.
She couldn't even imagine that he had spent the whole night with his mouth on someone's penis, that he was a "pass-around" of a famous band. For him, it didn't matter where the money came from; the important thing was to have it.
"Mom, I'm home!" he said loudly enough for her to hear from the other side of the silent house.
As he took off his coat and shoes, Seungmin, his boyfriend, appeared in the hallway with a plate containing a piece of chocolate cake.
"You took your time." He smiled, quickly kissing Gaon's lips. "I missed you, you know?"
Gaon smiled and hugged him tightly.
"Me too. It's really annoying, you know? The customers are irritating and smell bad. At least you take a shower." He inhaled the natural scent of Seungmin's body. "I got a lot today, I earned a lot of tips."
Seungmin smelled his boyfriend's hair and frowned.
"You smell weird… did someone throw something on you?"
Gaon felt a chill in his stomach, remembering what had happened before Gunil. Unintentionally, one of the band members had ejaculated in his hair.
"Maybe they spilled something and I didn't even notice…" he said, looking away. "I'm going to take a shower, okay? Wait for me in the room."
"Okay… your mom's cake is astronomical!" He went back to the room.
Gaon smiled and went to take a shower. All that for $1,500? Was that what he was worth? Better than nothing, and as long as nobody knew, there was no problem.
He stared at his reflection in the mirror. His body was covered in bruises—hickeys, punches, slaps. He begged them not to do it, but he couldn't complain. He just had to accept it.
He gave himself long massages, finally got in the shower and let the water run slowly over his body. When he got out, he applied painkillers, got dressed and went straight to the bedroom, lying down next to his boyfriend.
He nestled his head against Seungmin's chest and, listening to his heartbeat, felt guilty for everything he did. He felt so good with Seungmin that the feeling of happiness almost hurt his chest. It was five in the morning; he had spent the night with an entire band and now slept next to a man who didn't treat him like an object, who appreciated his company.
But this didn't give him financial stability. He lived with his mother, in a remote, out-of-the-way place. Seungmin, despite being a good boyfriend and a good person, was a bum, plain and simple. He didn't have a job, he swapped day for night playing video games or watching movies—and, sometimes, having sex with him. In other words, if things continued as they were, they would end up starving.
In the morning, around nine, Gaon was already preparing for another shift at the neighborhood clothing store. He got out of bed still tired, his body heavy and aching. He walked to the kitchen, where his mother was preparing breakfast, and greeted her with a good morning before sitting down at the table. He took the wad of bills from his pocket and placed it on the countertop.
"This part is for groceries," he said, pushing some of the money towards her. "I saved the rest for when we want to go out somewhere nice... or eat something fancier."
His mother watched him silently for a moment, her gaze filled with suspicion. She knew her son earned well as a waiter—enough to support the household. But, in recent months, he had been showing up with more money than usual, and it didn't seem to come from a simple night job.
"My son... what are you doing to earn all this?" she asked, trying to appear calm.
"Well, Mom, working. Why?" Gaon replied, looking away.
"It's quite a lot for just one night..."
"I have two jobs, Mom. I just saved it all," he lied, forcing a half-smile.
__________
At night, everything followed the same routine as always. Gaon left home around seven, arrived at the nightclub near nine, and waited for the crowd to pick up.
He kissed a few people, exchanged flirtatious remarks, and at the end of the night ended up with the same band as always. Only this time, the payment would be much higher than the previous day, six thousand dollars.
Gaon was shocked. It was a thousand from each of them, but the proposal was different: they wanted him to have sex with all six at the same time, not with each one separately—with all of them at once.
He'd slept with more than one person before, but six? That was a bit much... even scary. Still, he accepted. It was six thousand dollars.
Gaon downed a shot of vodka in one gulp, feeling the alcohol burn his throat and his courage surge. He took a deep breath, adjusted his hair, and went. It was simple—or at least he tried to convince himself of that. He just had to let himself go until it was all over.
He didn't know how long it would take, and honestly, it didn't matter much. He just had to smoke a little, let his mind cloud over, and forget to think.
The memories surfaced in confused flashes: laughter, flashing lights, too many hands on him. The sensation was of floating, between euphoria and torpor. He only remembered one of them—Jungsu—the only one who seemed to truly look at him. He was the one who stayed the longest, and the only one who, in some way, tried to be kind. The others didn't seem to care if he was okay, if it hurt, if he was still there.
“Hey…” Jungsu murmured, running his fingers across his face. “Can you stay a little longer with me? I’ll pay you more if you want.”
Gaon shook his head slowly.
“No need. That’s enough.” He paused briefly, observing the other. “Do you want to go again?”
“No.” Jungsu looked away, scratching the back of his neck. “I just wanted… company. You seem like a nice guy.”
Gaon let out a low sigh and sat up on the bed, the sheet slipping slightly over his legs. Jungsu still seemed shy—the opposite of how he had been minutes before.
"Why do you work with this?" Jungsu asked, his voice low and curious. His eyes had a sweet, almost naive glint.
"I need money. My family depends on it to survive," Gaon replied without hesitation, but with a weariness that escaped his voice.
"Do you have any talents?" Jungsu insisted.
Gaon chuckled softly, looking away. He had already shown all the talents he knew on that bed.
"Oh... you saw. Those are my talents," he murmured, somewhat ironically.
"But don't you have another one? Like... playing an instrument? Writing songs?" Jungsu asked with a shy smile.
"I used to like to paint," Gaon replied after a while. "But I haven't done it in a long time." He lowered his head, distracting himself by twirling his fingers in the white sheet, slightly soiled at the edges.
"You seem too good to be here." Jungsu said, still observing Gaon with a small smile.
" How old are you, Jungsu?" Gaon asked, tilting his head.
"Sixteen."
"And what are you doing here, anyway?" Gaon laughed, somewhat incredulous.
" It's not my first time, you know. I remember you... we were together yesterday too." Jungsu scratched his neck awkwardly. "But I liked you, really. You're interesting. What else do you do? Do you speak other languages?"
"Have you ever dated anyone, Jungsu?" Gaon asked, with a half-smile.
"No... and you? Do you have a boyfriend?"
Gaon nodded slowly.
"And does he know you work like this?" Jungsu's eyes widened in surprise.
"No." Gaon looked away. "He thinks I work as a waiter."
Gunil called Jungsu from outside the room.
"I need to go..." Jungsu said, a little sad. "Will we... see each other again?"
"Maybe." Gaon replied with a slight smile.
He knew Jungsu only felt this way because he was still too young. Probably needy, still naive. He hadn't yet been corrupted enough to see people only as objects, like Gunil and the rest of the band did. In time, Gaon thought, he too would end up becoming the same.
Outside, Jungsu seemed happy. The others were somewhat altered, but he remained sober. Running away from home had been, for him, the best decision he had ever made. Now he was part of a famous band—and he truly believed he had found the love of his life.
“I liked him,” he said, smiling at Gunil.
Gunil let out a low, almost mocking laugh and pinched the boy's cheek.
“You fell in love with that sperm receptacle? Oh… You're still so naive…” he murmured. “He's not someone you should get attached to, Jungsu. This isn't a fairy tale. You fuck him and disappear. That's how it works.”
“Gunil, I want to be with him,” Jungsu insisted, his voice choked with emotion. “He's nice, he's interesting… he seems like a great person. He's not just a 'scum receptacle' like you're saying. He's amazing.”
“Okay, okay, okay… whatever,” Gunil replied impatiently. “We need to go, I'm exhausted.”
Before leaving, Jungsu glanced over his shoulder. He saw Gaon leaving the room, his hair still damp from the shower. He walked in the opposite direction from them, silent, with his gaze downcast. While the band left through the back, laughing and talking loudly, Gaon walked through the front door. He had no security guards, no fans waiting. He wasn't famous. He was just someone, and nothing more.
Back home, Gaon found his boyfriend asleep. Everyone was, after all, it was three in the morning, and the world outside seemed completely still. He still exuded the mixed smell of marijuana, sweat, and sex, which the shower hadn't managed to wash away. He lay down next to Seungmin, who automatically wrapped his arms around him, without even noticing the smell.
The next morning, he didn't have to work. He was off from both jobs, and everything seemed... normal. He put the six thousand dollars in a safe hidden at the back of the wardrobe and tried to act as if nothing had happened.
While preparing something to eat, with his boyfriend still asleep, he went to the room a few times—perhaps out of unease, perhaps out of habit. On one of these trips, he noticed something different: a purple mark on Seungmin's chest. It looked like a hickey, but he wasn't sure.
He couldn't just fight over a mark. Still, it stuck in his head like a splinter. His mother hadn't mentioned anything about Seungmin going out, or bringing a stranger home.
As soon as Seungmin woke up, around noon, they started eating. Gaon, after a few bites, took a deep breath and decided to ask.
"What's that on your chest, Min?"
"What?" Seungmin asked, his mouth still half full of food, blinking as if waking from a dream.
He pointed discreetly. Seungmin's face seemed to freeze for a moment.
"Oh... I just hurt myself in the shower. Nothing serious." He looked away, forcing a slight smile.
Gaon murmured a "hum" and went back to eating. Strange, but it didn't seem like something that deserved more questions.
"Why that face?" Seungmin asked, without taking his eyes off his plate.
"What face?" Gaon replied dryly.
"Come on, Jiseok... you're acting really strange."
"What? I'm fine, damn!" the answer came out louder than he intended.
The silence that followed was heavy. Only the sound of cutlery clattering on plates filled the space. Neither of them could look at the other for very long.
After a few minutes, Gaon sighed.
"I'm just stressed... sorry." He stood up and approached slowly. He hugged Seungmin from behind, while he was already washing the dishes.
Seungmin wasn't angry—just a little upset. Gaon worked night and day, day and night, and hardly had time for him. He did everything quietly, silently saving money, dreaming of a good future by his side. But Seungmin didn't know that. All he saw was distance.
"It's okay, my love..." he said in a low tone. "I just feel lonely. Could you be kinder when you're here? Don't treat me like I'm nothing."
"Sorry," Gaon murmured, resting his cheek against his back and closing his eyes.
Seungmin sighed, dried his hands, and turned slowly, hugging Gaon from the front. His touch was light, careful, as if trying to remind the other that there was still love between them, even with the tiredness, even with the lies.
The following night was different. This time, he wouldn't be with the whole band. It would just be Jungsu. From the start, Gaon noticed something strange in the others' looks—anger, maybe jealousy. It seemed they didn't like the idea of Jungsu wanting a "personal groupie."
But Jungsu didn't care. He treated Gaon too well, with a sweetness out of place in that environment.
"Sorry about those looks..." he said, lightly touching Gaon's hands. "We had agreed to always split up, but... I wanted to spend more time with you."
Gaon looked up, confused.
"Can I stay as long as you would with all of them?" Jungsu continued, his tone almost pleading. "I'll pay for however long, overtime... whatever... I just want to spend more time with you."
Gaon didn't say much, just agreed, and the two went into one of the rooms. They sat side by side, in silence. Everything seemed too strange for someone who was only paid to have sex and leave.
He wanted to tell Jungsu that he was too young, that he needed to understand that this wasn't love, and that he would never be his boyfriend. He wanted to explain that he had someone waiting at home, that his life was different, that his body was his work.
But, on the other hand, Jungsu treated him with such tenderness... the naiveté of thinking Gaon was the love of his life, the care in his gestures, the transparent passion in his eyes, all of that disarmed him. It was beautiful, too pure to fit into the life he led. And it hurt. It hurt to have to abandon that, that small illusion of true affection, to return to an unstable and tiring relationship, even if loving.
"Can I talk to you about a few things?" Gaon took a deep breath, his voice low, almost breaking.
Jungsu nodded, curious and genuinely interested in learning more about the boy he so wanted to love, or at least get to know a little about him.
"I don't know if you'll understand me," Gaon began, looking at the floor, "but I don't want to give you hope only to make you sad later. Jungsu, you're incredible, but I'm not the right person for you."
He paused briefly, the air caught in his throat.
“I’m someone who lives off a job that many people call treasonous, dirty work… but it’s my job. It’s what pays the bills, what keeps my mother alive, what gives me a roof over my head.” He swallowed hard, trying not to break down. “I’m here because you’re paying me.”
The words came out bitter, with a weight that seemed greater than himself.
“And I think you’re too young to understand that… but anyway.” Gaon looked at his own hands, his trembling fingers intertwining, as if trying to hold onto some part of himself that hadn’t yet shattered.
Jungsu remained silent for longer than he would have liked. When he finally looked up, his eyes burned with the same flame as before, pure, insistent, stubborn.
“It’s okay,” he said finally, his voice soft but firm. “I want to be with you anyway. I don’t care about your job… I just want you.”
Gaon slowly lifted his head, meeting Jungsu's gaze. His throat tightened, his chest too. And then he felt Jungsu's fingers gently brush his face, a gesture so sincere it ached in his bones. Jungsu kissed him softly, tenderly, and enveloped him in his arms.
For a moment, Gaon let himself go. He let that affection wash over him, that care fill the void he pretended not to feel. Even if it was only for one night, he allowed himself to believe that he could be truly loved.
"Let me think about it a little, I'm still not entirely decided."
When the night ended and he returned home, Gaon watched Seungmin play video games—impatient, grumbling at the characters, complaining about the strength, the attacks, everything. He still had Jungsu on his mind, and honestly, it was hard to forget him.
Seungmin was good, but only that. Caring, helpful... but absent. Or... was Gaon the absent one?
"I feel like you'd rather stare at pixels on a screen than be with me, Seungmin."
"What?" he took off one of his earphones, confused.
Gaon looked away and took a deep breath. He didn't know what to do, or what to say. So he just let his body do what it demanded: he cried, like a helpless child. He couldn't tell his mother, or Seungmin. His friends didn't care about his little dramas. In the end, it was just him, dealing with everything alone, completely alone.
"Why are you crying?" Seungmin asked, his expression one of concern, but his tone betrayed a slight trace of impatience.
"I'm just tired." he answered softly.
Tired of everything, of the confusion, of the life he was leading, of not knowing what he wanted, or where he was going. Tired of feeling trapped, of imagining the moment when Seungmin would find out everything and leave him.
The tears gradually subsided until he fell asleep. He didn't notice when Seungmin silently approached and enveloped him in a hug, trying to soothe a cry he didn't understand, but which, somehow, moved him.
Seungmin sensed that Gaon was distant, increasingly sad, more irritable, more silent. Deep down, he knew that part of it was his fault. He tried to change, tried to be a better person, but ended up trapped in the same routine, the same aimlessness.
The fear of losing Jiseok gnawed at him from the inside. He was afraid that, when he realized how much everything was falling apart, he would simply leave like everyone else.
"I'm sorry..." he murmured, his voice swallowed by his own regret.
Another night passed, and Gaon chatted with some friends who also worked there. He smoked, laughed, tried to forget about life for a few minutes until—as always—Gunil approached him.
"You'll have company tonight, sweetie. Eight thousand. What do you think? I'll pay more if you stay longer with me. Four thousand each."
"Each?" Gaon raised an eyebrow, slowly exhaling the smoke from his vape. "Hmm... who's the other one?"
Gunil nodded, and Jooyeon appeared accompanied by someone.
Time seemed to stop. The air grew heavy, and the vapor rising from Gaon's mouth dissipated before he could breathe again.
"Gaon?"
"Seungmin?!" he almost shouted, his whole body stiffening. "What the hell are you doing here, damn it?! What... what the hell did you come here for?!"
"What are you doing here, Kwak Jiseok?!" Seungmin retorted, his eyes wide with anger and disbelief. "You said you worked as a waiter!"
Someone let out a "holy shit" and quickly moved away.
"You lied to me!" Seungmin exploded, his voice trembling. "You were prostituting yourself this whole time?!"
"And you lied to me!" Gaon retorted, furious. "I was supporting that house, and you, with your savings, did nothing!"
"I was saving for the future!"
"And you left everything on my shoulders?!" Gaon laughed humorlessly. "Go fuck yourself, Seungmin, what do you think I am? A pack mule to carry everything alone?"
"You could have told me, damn it!" Seungmin replied, his face red.
"Told you?" Gaon took a step forward. "You saw what we were going through, and even then you didn't lift a finger! I was alone in this mess the whole time, damn!"
The sound of the loud music from the club seemed distant, muffled by the fury and shame that consumed the two.
"You lied to me!" Seungmin shouted again, his face red. "You sold yourself and went to sleep next to me pretending everything was fine!"
"And what did you do?" Gaon retorted, his voice trembling but filled with rage. "You were gambling all day while I was struggling to bring money home! You think I wanted that, for fuck's sake?!"
"Then why didn't you tell me?!"
"Why? To hear that I'm disgusting? To see you look at me with disgust like you're looking at me now?!" Gaon laughed humorlessly, his hands trembling. "I did it so we wouldn't go hungry, Seungmin! To pay bills, to buy food, to keep a roof over our heads!"
Seungmin lowered his gaze, breathing heavily. The shock mixed with resentment made his throat burn.
"You could have trusted me..."
"I trusted you, and look what I got." Gaon took a step back, his eyes welling up with tears. "Now you know. This is who I am, and this is what you never wanted to see."
Gunil watched from afar, the cigarette dangling between his fingers, an amused smile playing at the corner of his mouth. The scene was turning into a spectacle, and he loved watching someone fall apart.
Jungsu felt anger... but not towards Gaon. It was towards Seungmin. The way he spoke, the way he looked at Gaon as if he had some right over him. Jungsu clenched his fists, trying to contain the urge to intervene. Deep down, he hoped it would all end right there, that this argument would be the final straw between the two. He wanted to see Gaon free. Free from that lukewarm relationship, from that life that held him captive. Free to, perhaps, choose someone who truly saw him for who he was.
"I think we've had enough fighting, haven't we?" Gunil's voice cut through them. "Let's go somewhere else. Let's do what you came here to do."
The silence that followed was almost palpable. Gaon and Seungmin still stared at each other, the air between them heavy, dense, full of anger and shame.
As they walked down the narrow corridor to the back, Gunil began to explain what would happen, his tone casual as if he were talking about something trivial.
"You, sweetie..." he ran his fingers across Gaon's face, a light touch that sent a shiver down his spine. "You're coming with me, Jooyeon, and Jungsu."
He then turned to Seungmin and placed his hand on his shoulder.
"And you stay with the others."
Jungsu, standing beside them, exchanged a sharp look with Seungmin. Then, without saying a word, he intertwined his fingers with Gaon's and gently pulled him toward one of the rooms, even before Gunil and Jooyeon followed.
Gaon felt his heart clench. Now he understood. The purple mark on Seungmin's chest came from there, from the same place, the same hands, the same nights. The discovery suffocated him, and at the same time, a strange relief washed over him. At least now he knew.
Jungsu hugged Gaon tightly, trying to keep that moment to himself before the others entered. He wanted to savor every second of closeness, without interruptions.
"I didn't know you had such a beautiful name... What does it mean?" he asked, his voice low, almost a whisper.
"It means 'solid and reliable branch'." Gaon looked away, his voice heavy with doubt. "I'm not reliable at all."
"Yes you are, of course you are." Jungsu smiled, firm and sincere. "I love you."
"What?" Gaon swallowed hard, surprised.
"I love you." And with that, Jungsu ended with a kiss that Gaon didn't refuse, despite the shock. It wasn't every day that someone said words like that to him.
The kiss lingered, slow, enveloping every part of Gaon like a wave of heat. This time, there was no distance between client and servant.
When Gunil and Jooyeon arrived, Jooyeon pulled Jungsu by the arm, taking him out of the room and leaving him outside.
"Now he's all ours," Jooyeon smiled mischievously. "But Jungsu's going to freak out."
"He's just a hysterical baby," Gunil shrugged. "Leave him outside while we fuck him. He's spent too much time with us, and besides, he's not Jungsu's personal prostitute."
"Open the door, damn it! It was the three of us! What the hell is this?!" Jungsu frantically banged on the door outside, his voice filled with anger and despair.
Inside the room, Jooyeon and Gunil continued to satisfy themselves with Gaon, who had remained silent since Jungsu had been removed. He only did what he was asked, without protesting, without hesitating.
Hours later, sitting alone outside, Jungsu had the idea to call someone outside.
"Hey… can you come over to the Night and Kisses club? Seriously, come. We need you."
A short time later, someone knocked on the bedroom door.
"Give up, Jungsu. Your “little whore” won’t feel you today!" Gunil laughed confidently.
"What, Gunil?!" Junhan’s voice, Gunil’s current husband, echoed from outside, firm and authoritative.
"That damn brat…" Gunil muttered, walking away from Gaon, quickly putting on his clothes, while Jooyeon continued, unconcerned by the interruption.
"Open this door, Gunil, now! Or I’ll break it and kick you!" Junhan’s voice cut through the air, furious and full of rage.
Gunil opened the door, staring at his husband, who was as red as his hair. Junhan lunged forward, slapping, punching, kicking, throwing objects on the floor and trying to hit Gaon. Jungsu had to intervene, holding Junhan back before he got too close.
In the midst of the chaos, Jooyeon seemed oblivious to everything, not caring about the fight, only wanting to continue what he was doing, indifferent to the surrounding chaos.
In the end, Jungsu managed to pull Jooyeon off Gaon, and they left the room. Gaon still wasn't sure about staying with Jungsu… but one thing was clear: he was definitely amazing.
Seungmin and the others left upon hearing the shouting; the atmosphere changed completely. The three boys handed over the money and left. On the way, he found Gaon and Jungsu walking down the street in silence.
"Hey, Jiseok, where are you going?" Seungmin called, breathless.
"Home." Gaon replied curtly.
"With him?" Seungmin raised an eyebrow, incredulous. "Seriously? Where did you meet this guy? At your work? He just wants to use you, pay attention."
"I think we should go home and talk there" Jungsu interrupted, grabbing Gaon's hand. "We're in the middle of the street. Please."
"Who do you think you are to say anything?" Seungmin growled, approaching. "What are you? A kid who thinks everything is magic? Go fuck yourself."
Without thinking, Seungmin punched Jungsu. The impact made Jungsu stagger backward, but he reacted instantly, returning the blow forcefully.
Gaon tried to separate them, pushing one and holding the other by the shoulders, but it was useless — the anger of both had already taken over.
"Seungmin, stop! You're going to kill him, damn it!" Gaon shouted, trying to push him away.
After a few tense seconds, Seungmin finally stepped back, panting, staring at Jungsu lying on the ground with a look filled with fury.
In Gaon's eyes, he was unrecognizable. Seungmin was almost never aggressive, not anymore. He knew his boyfriend—or perhaps now ex-boyfriend—had anger issues, but the psychological treatment seemed to have controlled it... until that moment.
Without saying anything, Seungmin grabbed Gaon's arm and pulled him, walking silently down the street, back along the path that would lead them home.
At home, everything fell apart. The argument began as soon as the door closed behind them—screams, accusations, tears, insults.
"You have to stop this!" Seungmin shouted. "You have to stop working with this shit!"
"And the same goes for you, damn it!" Gaon retorted, his voice trembling with anger. "Only you get to make money and I have to stand here? Sorry, but I'm not going to depend on you, Seungmin."
"Jiseok, this is ridiculous!"
"Oh, is it?" "Then why do you do the same thing?" he spat the words, his gaze burning. "Fucking hypocrisy, you see..."
"You're good for nothing!"
"And what are you good for?" Gaon retorted, before a heavy silence fell upon them both like a sentence.
"You throw yourself into the arms of the first person who comes along, the first one who gives you the slightest bit of affection!" Seungmin shouted, his voice choked with anger and despair. "Are you stupid?"
"The slightest thing you don't give me!" Gaon retorted, his eyes burning. "You prefer that damn video game to my presence!"
"You're never here!" Seungmin snapped back, his tone growing louder.
"Because, instead of helping me, you keep everything to yourself!" Gaon replied, his voice breaking mid-sentence.
"That teenage won't give you anything!"
"And what have you brought me? Besides sadness?" Gaon whispered wearily, as if the words weighed too heavily.
It was then that Seungmin seemed to finally understand. His gaze softened, his shoulders slumped, and his eyes filled with tears.
"I'm sorry, Ji..." he murmured.
Silence fell like a sentence. A few tears trickled down Jiseok's cheeks, but he wiped them away before they reached the bottom of his face.
“We need to resolve this,” he said, his voice low. “If you want to break up, fine… we break up. But I’m not going to stop working.”
“There are better things than this, Jiseok,” Seungmin replied, trying to contain his anger and despair.
“Is that so? Then why did you go to the same place as me?” Gaon retorted firmly.
Seungmin remained silent, unsure what to say.
“Fine, then it’s better if we break up,” he finally said, in a heavy tone, as if the words hurt.
The silence returned, dense, suffocating. Then, Seungmin took a deep breath and, with a choked voice, let out:
“But I didn’t want to lose you. I love you… I love you so much…”
Gaon looked at him for a moment, his heart clenching.
“I love you too, but this… this hurts me too. Everything I kept inside, everything that happened… it hurt me.” I don't know what to do, I don't know which way to go, or who to stay with.
Seungmin didn't answer. He just slowly approached and enveloped him in a delicate hug, a hug that, even in silence, said "stay just a little longer."
"We can find a way to solve this," Seungmin said, his voice trembling. "I'm sorry for hurting you, for leaving you alone... for not looking at you properly."
Gaon remained silent, staring at the ground. He knew Jungsu was a mess, a mess about to explode, about to change completely, but at the same time, Seungmin had also hurt him more than he wanted to admit.
Was it really worth giving it another chance? Maybe. Maybe time would tell.
For now, he just took a deep breath and thought that, perhaps, letting time take its course was the only possible way forward.