It's been a few years since he met Illay, and their relationship had progressed to a certain
level. Despite Illay's attractive appearance, Jeong Taeui had never imagined someone would
compete with him for Illay. He wasn't the type for such things, and he didn't think anyone
would want Illay that much.
The situation was so unexpected that Jeong Taeui didn't have time to feel uneasy or confused.
Come to think of it, if the competitor is Christoph, he is indeed at a great disadvantage. In
terms of appearance, ability, or finances, there is nothing he can compare with him... No, it's
not pleasant to speak of oneself like this, but at least his personality is better than theirs,
right? Of course, there's no doubt about that.
While Jeong Taeui was lost in thought and letting his mind wander, Christoph stood in front
of him with a contemplative face. Christoph hesitated for a long time before asking again.
"So, do you two sleep in the same bed?"
"… Well, not always, but yes."
He wondered if he was being cruel to Christoph by answering like that. Christoph's face
stiffened. It wasn't easy, but sharing a bed with someone was really difficult for someone like
Christoph, who had a fear of physical contact.
Jeong Taeui suddenly felt pity for Christoph. Christoph fell silent. Then, as if in anger, he
sank back into the water without a word.
Meanwhile, Jeong Taeui, with water splashing onto his face, could only sit on the rock,
dazed.
"…"
A bit confused.
When Christoph disappeared from view, reality slowly returned, and the confusion became
clearer.
If Christoph liked Illay...
"Calling it a disaster might be an exaggeration... But then, maybe it's a calamity..."
Jeong Taeui mumbled as he rubbed his goosebump-covered arms, thinking about Christoph
and Illay.
"… Who knows, they might actually be compatible in some way..."He could immediately picture their appearances. They seemed quite well-matched. After all,
both of them had looks that belied their inner selves. One was robust enough, and the other
was slender enough. Their faces, too, were very attractive.
Personalities. As for their personalities…
"There's research suggesting that people who look alike are happier together... So they would
be very compatible."
And he never wanted to live close to them. Jeong Taeui rubbed his goosebump-covered arms
again.
Jeong Taeui scratched his chin and nodded.
"Yeah, come to think of it, they really do suit each other. Their families have good relations,
birds of a feather flock together, and they have even worked together before. ...Honestly.
Finding people who match so well in this world isn't easy."
The more he thought about it, the more they seemed like a perfect match.
Even though goosebumps kept popping up, they truly were an ideal couple.
He looked down at Christoph lying in the water.
In this situation, what should he say...
Even scratching his head until the skin was raw, Jeong Taeui couldn't find an answer.
While he was struggling to figure out what to do, Christoph emerged from the water again.
With the same gloomy face, he stared at Jeong Taeui, took a deep breath, and coldly asked.
"What about... masturbation?"
With a determined look as if making a significant decision, Christoph's words left Jeong
Taeui momentarily unable to comprehend.
Masturbation, what is masturbation? Jeong Taeui thought for a few seconds and finally
understood what the word meant.
Jeong Taeui was speechless.
It wasn't that he couldn't answer, but how should he...
He wanted to answer vaguely to get it over with, but Christoph stood before him, not
intending to back down. Finally, he reluctantly replied.
"… Yes."Only masturbation? He's done almost everything related to the character 淫 'lust'. Who
knows, he might even ask about dirty talk next.
Jeong Taeui had prepared himself mentally, but Christoph's limit - who absolutely believed in
a pure same-sex relationship - seemed to stop there.
Christoph's face suddenly turned cold, and he fell silent.
"…"
"..."
And immediately after, Christoph dived back into the water.
Jeong Taeui remained seated on the rock, cold sweat dripping.
Now, the back of his neck was burning. He wanted to get off the rock and immerse himself in
the water, but he was too scared to move. He felt that just stepping into the water would
immediately result in a hateful hand pushing his head down.
If only someone could save him from this situation...
While Jeong Taeui was praying in desperation.
A lifeline unexpectedly fell from the sky.
"…Ah. We've run into each other quite a lot today, haven't we?"
A man appeared among the dense oak trees above the stream. Seeing Jeong Taeui, he seemed
surprised but quickly smiled naturally. The shy woman who followed him blushed and hid
behind him upon seeing Jeong Taeui in just his underwear.
"Ah… yes, indeed."
Jeong Taeui bowed and smiled vaguely.
Oh… He had wished for a lifeline, but why was it a rotten one...
The newcomers were none other than Richard and his lover. Clearly, they had previously
taken a different path.
"She said she felt tired and hot halfway, so we came back to soak our feet in the stream. I
didn't expect you to be here first. The water is cold, isn't it? Are you okay soaking your whole
body?"
Richard smiled kindly and approached.
But as Richard neared Jeong Taeui, his expression suddenly changed, and he stopped.Perhaps it was because he saw the white horse standing in the shade and the neatly placed
white riding clothes on the rock beside it.
"This is..."
But before he could finish his sentence.
Between Richard and Jeong Taeui, a figure suddenly stood up from the water near Jeong
Taeui. Water splashed everywhere.
Jeong Taeui shifted his gaze from Richard to Christoph.
Christoph stood right in front of Jeong Taeui, sighing and brushing the strands of hair from
his forehead and cheeks. Water droplets ran down his fair skin. From his face down to his
chin, from his neck down to his chest and stomach.
He blinked his water-drenched eyelashes like grains of sand and looked down at Jeong Taeui
as if he had made a decision.
"Is there any particular reason it has to be him?"
Christoph's voice sounded colder than usual. He brushed the hair sticking to his nape as if it
annoyed him and took a step towards Jeong Taeui.
As he moved, the wrinkles on his soaked underwear looked more provocative than being
completely naked.
Looking at his slender limbs, smooth white skin, and bare body, Jeong Taeui suddenly felt
anxious.
Jeong Taeui glanced at Richard over Christoph's shoulder.
The smile on Richard's face had long vanished, replaced by an expressionless stare towards
them. As if frozen in place. The shy woman behind him stared blankly at them, her face like a
sweet candy.
"If it doesn't have to be him, that's fine. There's no need for it to be that man—"
Christoph spoke again and took another step towards Jeong Taeui. However, that was also
when he noticed Jeong Taeui's gaze passing over his shoulder. Christoph turned back with
suspicion.
Jeong Taeui could clearly feel Christoph's back stiffen a little. The shoulder blades stood out
more prominently, the waist seemed deeper, and the long, straight legs and buttocks that the
underwear couldn't hide tensed up.
As if ice water had been poured on them, a prolonged silence enveloped everyone. No one
spoke or moved, only staring at each other with expressionless faces.
The first to break the silence was Jeong Taeui.He scratched his cheek and spoke awkwardly.
"It's quite a coincidence that we're all meeting here, isn't it? It seems this place is really
suitable for resting."
But even after that, no one spoke.
Finally, Christoph's shoulders seemed to tremble. As if spasms were starting again, water
droplets fell from him. He looked at his clothes and gear, frowned, and muttered something
that seemed like a curse.
Christoph slowly walked out of the water. Each step made water droplets fall, one by one.
Richard, not far from the rock where Christoph's clothes were, watched Christoph with an
impassive look.
When Christoph reached his spot, he took out a towel from a pouch on the horse's saddle, not
looking at Richard, and quietly dried himself.
Richard didn't take his eyes off Christoph. He watched every slow movement Christoph made
with a cold gaze, impossible to guess what he was thinking. Then suddenly, he sneered and
spoke.
"It seems you prefer small streams to swimming pools. That's surprising. I've never seen you
enter a pool, so I thought you couldn't swim, but it turns out you can play in the water here."
Christoph paused while drying his legs. But then he continued drying himself as if nothing
had happened. Christoph replied briefly.
"I'd rather never swim for the rest of my life than step into a pool you've swum in."
Christoph rudely stuffed the towel back into the pouch on the saddle and dressed angrily.
Jeong Taeui felt the situation becoming increasingly awkward. He stood up, crossed the
stream, and stepped onto the bank. Wet footprints were left on the sun-dried pebbles.
"Christoph, lend me the towel. I don't have anything to dry myself with... And Richard, the
lady with you seems to have been waiting for a while..."
Jeong Taeui spoke to Richard as he walked towards Christoph, extending his hand. He
nodded towards the woman standing behind Richard.
The atmosphere became tense once more.
But perhaps thinking it was not the place to argue, Richard whispered something to the
woman and stepped back. Christoph also didn't want to quarrel with him.
"I planned to rest here, but maybe another time. Enjoy your walk."
Richard bowed to Jeong Taeui and left. Before turning away, his cold gaze swept over
Christoph, but that was all. He disappeared among the oaks with the woman, quicklyvanishing from sight.
As the sound of footsteps on the grass grew distant and finally faded away, Christoph, who
was buttoning his shirt, suddenly swore.
"Damn it!"
"Calm down. It was just a coincidence meeting them here. They didn't do anything to you, so
let it go."
Jeong Taeui dried himself with the towel Christoph handed him, trying to put on his clothes
while still damp, speaking reassuringly to Christoph.
"I hate being in front of others when I'm unguarded! Especially in front of him!"
Christoph shouted angrily. He clenched his hat tightly, crumpling it.
"Unguarded..."
"Yes, unguarded. If he had aimed a gun at me in that state, I couldn't have done anything."
Christoph grumbled and cursed again.
Jeong Taeui watched him put on each layer of clothing, thinking about Christoph's
personality. He always hated showing weakness in front of others. Then he looked down at
himself, realizing he had only managed to put on his pants—not even buttoned.
"According to your logic, if you aimed a gun at me now, I couldn't do anything either."
Jeong Taeui replied nonchalantly. Christoph frowned in dissatisfaction.
"Why would I aim a gun at you?"
If that's the case, why would Richard aim a gun at you? Jeong Taeui was about to say, but
then he kept quiet. Thinking about Richard's cold gaze earlier, he felt Richard might actually
do that. His cold eyes seemed to devour others.
Jeong Taeui scratched his head and mumbled. He looked at Christoph, who was waiting for
his response.
"How would I know if you might want to eliminate a competitor?"
After speaking, he realized he had misspoken.
Christoph looked at him in surprise.
"Competitor?"
"Yeah... Ilay." - Jeong Taeui spoke awkwardly, his mouth suddenly tasting bitter.
It felt strange. He had never thought he would have to compete with someone for Ilay.When Christoph heard Ilay's name, his expression turned cold. He silently stared at Jeong
Taeui.
What should he do now?
Jeong Taeui stood frozen, not knowing what to say in this situation.
But thinking about it, Ilay was the one who could solve situations like this. There was no
need for further discussion; the conclusion depended on Ilay's decision.
"Then we should go see Ilay—."
"Why would I aim a gun at you because I want to kill Ilay?"
While Jeong Taeui was sighing and about to speak, Christoph, who was seriously thinking,
interrupted him.
Jeong Taeui was speechless, blinking.
Ah… A thought flashed through his mind.
Realizing the conversation was illogical, he sensed a shift in the discussion's direction.
"Christoph, if I've said something wrong, I apologize, but I need to ask this. I have a bit of an
overthinking problem, so don't pay too much attention... just listen and ignore it if it's
wrong..."
Jeong Taeui paused for a moment and then asked with a very serious face.
"Is it possible... that the person you have feelings for... is me?"
**************************