Chapter 5: Plaything Senior (5)

　　His hand slid up her thigh, the slightly rough texture of her stockings brushing against his palm. Her back pressed flat against the dingy restroom wall. She gripped his shoulder with one hand, her other hand white-knuckled around the edge of the sink basin.

　　Their tongues tangled, hot and messy, as they caressed each other. Seongbin kneaded her breast through her clothes, while her slender fingers groped blindly between his legs.

　　Yeonhui let out a soft moan, her fingers tangling in his hair to pull him closer. Their bodies bumped against the wall, locking them in a tight, breathless embrace as they ground their lips together.

　　“Ah, haah…”

　　Breathing heavily, Yeonhui sucked on his earlobe. Seongbin trailed hot kisses down her neck, pulling her waist flush against his hips. He had known they would end up like this eventually, but he hadn’t expected it to happen tonight.

　　“Buy me ice cream.”

　　It was the most cliché line in the book. But he had played along, walking her to the convenience store to pick out ice cream. Yet, standing outside, they had somehow abandoned the treats to suck on each other’s lips instead.

　　He despised cheap motels, but finishing the job in a filthy restroom like this was even worse. He grabbed Yeonhui’s shoulders, pushing her back as she frantically licked his ear, completely swept up in the alcohol and arousal.

　　“Should we go somewhere else?” he murmured.

　　Her eyes half-lidded and hazy, Yeonhui nodded slowly.

　　BANG, BANG, BANG!

　　There was no reason for anyone to be knocking. This was the building across from the bar, meaning barely anyone came in or out. Since the door was locked, any normal person would have just assumed it was occupied and walked away.

　　Seongbin fell silent, squeezing his eyes shut as a certain face flashed in his mind. Actually, there was one person who would do this. He reached out and wiped the corner of Yeonhui’s mouth.

　　“Fix your makeup and head back to the others,” he said, his voice dropping to a whisper.

　　“Why?” she asked, blinking in confusion.

　　BANG, BANG, BANG!

　　“Is it Hyena unnie?” Yeonhui asked, looking anxious.

　　Seongbin shook his head. Fortunately, he and Hyena weren’t in a relationship where they policed each other’s sex lives.

　　She was just a friend he occasionally slept with.

　　“I’ll call you later if the timing’s right,” he promised.

　　“Who’s outside?”

　　“I know who it is. Just leave as soon as I open the door. You don’t need to worry about it.”

　　Seongbin checked his reflection in the cracked mirror. He smoothed down his messy hair and wiped the smeared lipstick from his mouth with the back of his hand.

　　The poorly maintained lightbulb flickered overhead. Standing under the dingy yellow light, he unlocked the door. With a sharp click, the door swung open, and Yeonhui bolted out immediately.

　　They stared at each other in silence. Seongbin openly stared down the man from head to toe. He poked his tongue against the inside of his cheek, making absolutely no effort to hide his irritation. He saw no reason to play nice. It wasn’t like he had to impress this guy.

　　“We sure run into each other a lot,” Seongbin sneered. “Are you stalking me on purpose?”

　　The man stared back without a word.

　　“Follow me, you crazy bastard,” Seongbin hissed.

　　Seongbin shoved past him, hitting his shoulder hard. He headed down the stairs that Yeonhui had just bolted down. Even the calm, steady sound of the man’s footsteps following behind him was incredibly grating.

　　The man didn’t say a single word as they walked past the bar and onto the campus grounds. He just quietly trailed behind like a shadow.

　　Seongbin walked toward the surface parking lot near the department building. Though faint voices drifted from afar, the parking lot was completely deserted at this late hour.

　　Seongbin shoved his hands into his pockets, kicking a loose piece of asphalt out of his way. Finally, he turned to face him.

　　Naturally, he wasn’t planning to say anything nice.

　　“What the hell are you doing?” Seongbin demanded. “Why do you keep cockblocking me?”

　　First Hyena, and now Yeonhui. Honestly, seeing him pop up all over campus was starting to piss Seongbin off, and it was starting to get on his nerves.

　　There had to be a reason he kept seeking him out. Seongbin balled his hands into fists and shoved the man’s shoulder hard. With every push, the man stumbled backward.

　　“If you’re jealous, go get your own girl,” Seongbin sneered.

　　The man didn’t answer.

　　“Do you have an inferiority complex? Are you taking your frustration out on me because you show up to every single drinking party trying to get laid, but nobody gives you the time of day?”

　　He still gave no response.

　　“Say something, Sunbae. Don’t just stand there with your mouth shut.”

　　Seongbin tilted his head to catch the eyes of the man, who was staring at the ground. There wasn’t a huge height difference between them. The man was slightly shorter than Seongbin, who was nearly six feet two inches. He looked to be at least six feet tall.

　　Aside from his shaggy bangs and gloomy attitude, his height and build weren’t bad at all. Just how ugly was his face that he had to cover his eyes with his hair like that?

　　And on top of that, he had an inferiority complex. He was really doing the most.

　　“Sunbae.”

　　The man stared at his shoes.

　　“Answer me.”

　　“Yeah,” the man finally muttered.

　　“You told me before, didn’t you? That I shouldn’t act like this because my reputation among the guys is shit.”

　　The man kept his head down.

　　“I don’t give a fuck about impressing them. Why would I want to look good to a bunch of guys with dicks?”

　　“Choi Seongbin,” the man said.

　　His tone was different from the reluctant mumble from a moment ago. Instead of answering, Seongbin raised an eyebrow.

　　His expression grew even darker. Since the man had brought up his bad reputation, it was obvious he’d know his name.

　　“I’m sorry for what I said last time. I only did it because I like you.”

　　The man dropped a complete bombshell. The chaotic thoughts in Seongbin’s head instantly cleared. The irritation boiling inside him went cold.

　　“What?”

　　“Because I like you… I wasn’t jealous of the girls, but I did cockblock you because I like you.”

　　“What the fuck are you talking about, you psycho?”

　　Seongbin spat out the curse without hesitation. Of all the ridiculous things. He let out a scoff and ran a hand through his hair.

　　“Are you gay?”

　　The man didn’t deny it. A silent confirmation hung in the air.

　　Oh, for fuck’s sake. He kicked the piece of asphalt at his feet far away.

　　“So you like me. What do you want me to do about it?”

　　Despite having just dropped a bomb, the man shut his mouth tight. Only after a long silence did he speak up in a barely audible voice.

　　“I don’t know if I’m gay. I’ve never liked another guy besides you.”

　　Seongbin furrowed his brow. Whether the guy was gay or not wasn’t the point. He stared at him, utterly dumbfounded.

　　The man lifted his chin slightly before speaking again.

　　“And I want to go out with you.”

　　“Wow, you’ve lost it. Why the hell would I do that?”

　　He could not help but burst out laughing. He threw his head back, resting his hands on his hips.

　　“Sunbae. How long have you known me?”

　　He had no problem spouting absolute nonsense, yet he clamped his mouth shut the moment he was asked a direct question. Seongbin took a step closer. The man didn’t flinch, and just kept his head bowed. Looking closely, his hair had a subtle brownish tint to it.

　　“Answer me properly. I asked how long you’ve known me.”

　　“Since you first started here as a freshman.”

　　He had only found out about this man a week ago, but the man had apparently known him for years. What a psycho. Seongbin snorted.

　　“That was over two years ago. You’re a total stalker, aren’t you?”

　　“But then you went to the military, and I took a leave of absence, so I didn’t do anything.”

　　The man was spouting this bullshit with a completely straight face.

　　“If you did do something, that would be a crime. You know that, right?”

　　“When I came back, you had returned too. I was happy to see you… But you seemed different from before. You never used to act like this… You used to seem more like a normal student…”

　　“What the fuck are you talking about?”

　　Seongbin cut him off. Who was he to judge and say he’d changed? He ground the sole of his shoe against the man’s shabby sneaker as if putting out a cigarette.

　　“Sunbae, do you even know how old I was when I lost my virginity to be talking to me like that? Huh?”

　　The man remained silent as his long bangs cast a heavy shadow over his face. Watching him stand there like that drained the last of Seongbin’s anger and annoyance.

　　Let’s see what this bastard actually looks like.

　　He reached his hand out. Despite his large build, the man flinched and hunched his shoulders.

　　“Don’t be scared. It’s not like I’m going to hit you.”

　　He used his index finger to lift the man’s bangs.

　　Seongbin was slightly taken aback as he looked at him. The man actually had surprisingly sharp features. His eyes, which Seongbin had assumed would be tiny, were long and narrow, giving him an almost fierce look.

　　His eyes were reasonably large, but his small pupils made them look even sharper. While he wasn’t a classic, striking beauty, he had the exact kind of trendy look that people loved these days.

　　He looked perfectly fine.

　　He tilted his head and crossed his arms.

　　Only then did the man look him straight in the eye. But almost immediately, he panicked and looked down, squeezing his eyes shut and biting his lip.

　　“Why are you looking down now after having the balls to confess out of nowhere?”

　　“Because I’m embarrassed.”

　　His voice didn’t sound embarrassed at all. He sounded completely calm.

　　Seongbin stared at him. Seeing him so flustered made his anger melt away. He started to smirk, but caught himself and pressed his lips together.

　　He was always good at reading the room. He also liked being the one in control. He hadn’t expected it from a guy this time, but he was better than anyone at detecting when someone liked him or was interested in him. And he thoroughly enjoyed it.

　　He called out to him in a softened voice.

　　“Sunbae.”

　　“Yeah.”

　　“Do you really like me? You’re not just making up excuses?”

　　“Yeah, I like you.”

　　Ah. He really liked him. Seongbin nodded as if he understood. Two guys talking about liking each other was ridiculous. But since the man’s behavior didn’t seem like he was lying, he decided to play along and act generous.

　　“Thanks for liking me. You should have just said so from the start instead of stalking me.”

　　The man finally looked up. Imagining his eyes wide open under his bangs made Seongbin want to laugh. Even if it was a mocking laugh, it was still a laugh.

　　“But just so you know, I have no intention of being nice to a guy. Even if you follow me around because you like me, I won’t tell you to fuck off. It’s much easier to just order you around and use you. I’ll just treat you like my errand boy.”

　　“I don’t care. It’s not too different from how things are now anyway.”

　　“Not too different? You have no idea what I’m going to do to you.”

　　“Still…”

　　The man quickly licked his lips. His fingertips trembled slightly. Not wanting to show it, he clenched his hands into fists. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard before continuing.

　　“I want to be with you.”

　　“Really?”

　　“Yeah.”

　　What a dumbass. When someone was this desperate and eager, they just looked like a pushover.

　　Seongbin decided to take his frustration out on him. Since the man had let his feelings get in the way and ruined his good time, Seongbin had every right to use those feelings to his advantage. After all, it was the man’s fault he had lost his partner for tonight.

　　“Get in the car.”

　　He jerked his chin toward his car. The man glanced at the vehicle, which was a striking, iridescent blend of silver and blue.

　　Seongbin started walking. The man, who had been trailing him like a puppy just moments ago, didn’t budge. Seongbin turned around. He looked at the man, who was frozen in place like a statue.

　　“I thought you said you wanted to be with me. Aren’t you coming?”

　　“I’m coming…”

　　Only then did the man finally take a step forward.